tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54679364647587936932024-03-18T20:35:34.099-07:00AmateurverbsMaxims that didn't quite make it pro.<br>
... and whatever else I feel like writing aboutZachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-87311412508454280132014-02-01T11:33:00.000-08:002014-02-01T11:33:17.054-08:00ResponseHappiness is not found in attaining so much as it is in responding<br />
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As twenty-first century American humans, many of us live life as if it were a challenge set out by the universe to attain happiness by taking it with our own strength. We try to manipulate our lives into what we imagine will bring us joy. In the end, the thing that brings happiness is response to life, and indeed, responding is our most important function as humans.<br />
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Regardless of whether the universe was created by God, life is something that has been given to us. It is quite an agreeable situation. We didn't somehow merit life, or use our strength or cleverness to pull it out of the cosmos. And yet we live on an oasis of comfort and beauty in the midst of a universe that would seem to an outside observer knowing only the laws of physics completely inhospitable. By nature's own initiative, the liquid that we need to survive is literally suspended in the sky above us and periodically pours down all around us. Not only does this water grow plants and quench thirst, but when it is up in the sky, nature indulges its creativity by making the clouds take on titanic shapes that twice a day provide a magnificent canvas for the sun's orange and violet brushstrokes. Your only responsibility is to respond to this; you need not and cannot work to make it happen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8_I19dDg6wiiL2UmoO4Um_gYWTVh-HIE_PUJW-GPNAimA3ouSG4jPo4UMT8ubR1gou5YkLYngqNSuw2WjdvO_pDedagsZaNNmpE8wJSftT6q1O2dNOMzAO5qnw9iq90FhjquJIKaqan5/s1600/ProStitchHD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8_I19dDg6wiiL2UmoO4Um_gYWTVh-HIE_PUJW-GPNAimA3ouSG4jPo4UMT8ubR1gou5YkLYngqNSuw2WjdvO_pDedagsZaNNmpE8wJSftT6q1O2dNOMzAO5qnw9iq90FhjquJIKaqan5/s1600/ProStitchHD.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clouds I've seen in Colorado, ...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... in California (the smog helps),...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwARunJzTkoiDreyUNnt4qRS8FCpnmhC3CzhxKHWsxR3MA7X3EwENKXbGMAne8PA1XEX0eRKpWxUhULK97OL6HMlkxxgJ_gTjZ1iy20b2ZGDpjLCn3IohHrfrGC4XljIqBJS2Iiuhc4e9/s1600/2014-01-04+17.30.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwARunJzTkoiDreyUNnt4qRS8FCpnmhC3CzhxKHWsxR3MA7X3EwENKXbGMAne8PA1XEX0eRKpWxUhULK97OL6HMlkxxgJ_gTjZ1iy20b2ZGDpjLCn3IohHrfrGC4XljIqBJS2Iiuhc4e9/s1600/2014-01-04+17.30.03.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and in the pure cold air of Wyoming.</td></tr>
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So, we've all been given this quite agreeable situation called life. Let's say that you even go and make the most of your life. You go to college and fall in love with and marry an amazing young woman. Before you know it, she's pregnant, and then you find out that you are going to have twins! Although it is a great blessing, this is certainly a lot to handle at 22. But then, a year and a half after your kids are born, it all comes down. You have a seizure that brings you to the brink of death, and you find out that your previously relatively benign brain tumor will require risky surgery, chemo, and radiation therapy. You can't drive or carry your kids down the stairs because of the risk of seizure. And, here is the supremely poignant fact: it is likely that you will not get to live long enough to see your kids grow all the way up. This is exactly what happened to my cousin, Ryan. He cannot manipulate his life into something easy; all he can do is respond.<br />
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Perhaps this lack of control means we should focus on responding better instead of achieving more. When something goes wrong, do you respond with courage and integrity? Perhaps more importantly, when something goes right, do you give it the joyous celebration it deserves, or just move on to seek more? Some of the most important things in life depend primarily on response. Consider marriage as an example. I haven't lived long enough to know this for sure, but it seems to me that a successful marriage does not depend so much on finding the perfect partner as it does on how husband and wife respond to each other once they are joined.<br />
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A Christian's life is also all about response. When the gospel is presented in the Bible (e.g. John 3:16, Ephesians 2, Colossians 1:21-22, Romans 5:15-17, 1 Peter 1:3), it is not an explanation of how a person may attain salvation for him- or herself, but rather a story of how God acted on our behalf, based on no merit or action of our own. We could not seek Him apart from his reaching out. All we are left to do is respond in faith. In my experience, this pattern of action by God and response by me continues into the sanctification phase (when He changes me, rather than only taking away my sins) of my journey with God. He causes or allows something to happen in my life that begins to change my heart, and I have the chance to respond. I can either embrace the change that he has begun, a course that is sometimes scary, unpleasant, or humbling, or I can resist and trust myself, which is often what I want to do. It is terrifying to jump off the cliff towards sanctification and place your unqualified trust in God without a full explanation. But that response is, I think, one of the deepest experiences in a Christian's life.<br />
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If you asked Ryan how he was doing before his surgery, he would respond "good". He would not mean "considering the circumstances, we are holding it together", or "I want you to think we are really strong for being able to deal with this", or even "I don't want you go keep asking me or worrying about me". Instead he actually meant that he and his wife are satisfied with what is going on. They are weary and confused, but they have joy because they believe that the very One who decreed that the clouds should be hung in the sky has promised that all things work for the good of those who love Him. Ryan told me that all of the really good things in his life, like his wife and kids, have not come from his own work, but from Providence. Because of this, he doesn't lean on his own understanding, but trusts that, as Proverbs 3 says, his path will be guided.<br />
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And that, I think, is a good response.<br />
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<br />Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-13141590299527080432013-01-16T10:48:00.000-08:002013-01-16T10:48:29.747-08:00Kalman Filter Lessons (Bayes' Rule in Your Life)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Kalman Filter is one of the most elegant and beautiful devices used in control systems engineering and is among my favorites in the list of remarkable things that I have stumbled upon in my journey to becoming an engineer. Not only is it a useful tool, but I think that we can learn something about how to think from it. So what exactly is a Kalman Filter? "Kalman" is simply the name of the guy who first put it all together, but perhaps "filter" is not the best word to describe it to someone who hasn't taken an electrical engineering class and eaten the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Differential Equations.<br />
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Instead, I would call it more of an "information manager". It is a set of mathematical equations that takes in pieces of information that are <i>uncertain</i> and combines them into a single estimate of what is really going on. If some specific conditions are satisfied (they, of course, never are quite satisfied in real life), this estimate contains all of the information that we could possibly know about the thing we are observing; it is the <i>best estimate</i> that we could have. The Kalman filter is built on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian_inference">Bayes Rule</a>, the statistics tool that has been hyped so much in the nerd community because it helped blogger Nate Silver to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fivethirtyeight#2012_U.S._elections">correctly predict the electoral outcome in all 50 states</a>.<br />
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So how does the Kalman filter work? I like to describe it using the metaphor of a punt returner catching a punt in a football game. When he sees the ball being kicked, he has some initial idea of how far away it is and how fast it comes off of the punter's foot. As he watches the ball, though, all he can really measure with his eyes is the <i>angle </i>to the ball; from so far away, he can't accurately judge the <i>distance</i> to the ball through vision alone. Furthermore, he cannot keep his eyes on the ball the whole time. Instead he must look down to check to see how close the coverage is. But even with these challenges, the player is able to make the catch. The key is that he also knows the physics of the system. He has practiced enough to know how the ball will behave even if his observation is limited. What is going on in his brain is very similar to what a Kalman filter does. It combines knowledge of the physics of the system with observed measurements to get the best idea of what is actually going on.<br />
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Another way to think of the Kalman filter is as a device to remove sensor noise. Let's look at an example. Say that you're trying to track the angle of a swinging pendulum. Why would you be doing this? Maybe you're trying to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISmWAyQxqqs">lower a robot to the surface of another planet</a>; maybe you're just contriving an example that's simple enough to work out in an afternoon. Either way, the math is the same. Here is the motion of our pendulum (blue), along with the measurements that our imaginary angle sensor makes (red dots).<br />
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Our measurements are clearly very noisy (apparently the managers decided we needed to save money by buying bad sensors), and since our sensors are the only way that we can observe the system, all we have to work with is this:<br />
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This looks like a dire situation. The human eye can't even really tell that there is a sine wave in there somewhere. If we don't use any filtering, and simply string all of these sensor measurements together, we get this estimate (in red) of what the pendulum is doing.<br />
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This estimate of the pendulum's behaviour is appalling. It doesn't make any sense for the pendulum to swing like this, and we cannot trust our estimates at all. But, before we despair, we remember that we know what the physics of the pendulum should be, and thus we can write a Kalman filter. If we apply our new filter to these measurements, <i>Voila</i>! The new estimate matches the actual system response almost exactly:<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I first learned about the Kalman Filter at the beginning of the summer of 2011 when I was working with one of my mentors, Dr. Suman Chakravorty, at the Air Force Research Lab in Albuquerque. I triumphantly presented him with a graph like the one above, immensely satisfied with my ability to vanquish sensor noise. He then proceeded to graciously explain to me that I was missing the main point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Kalman Filter does not just give us a single estimate of what the system is doing, but it gives us an entire <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probability_distribution">probability distribution</a> of where the system might be. With a Kalman Filter, we not only know what the pendulum angle <i>most likely</i> is at a given time, but we also know how far away from that estimate it plausibly <i>could be</i>. The graph below shows the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation">1</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution">σ bounds</a> of our estimate probability distribution. If the Kalman Filter is correctly programmed, the actual pendulum angle has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation">68.2% chance</a> of being between the 1σ boundaries*.<span style="font-size: small;"> In the picture below, notice </span>how the 1σ boundaries start far away from each other, but gradually come together, showing the Kalman Filter's <i>accumulation</i> of information; as more measurements are received, the filter becomes more certain about the angle. At the beginning of the simulation, the filter believes that the angle could plausibly be anywhere from -8 to 46 degrees, while at the end, it expects the angle to be between 25 and 35 degree<span style="font-size: small;"> - a very narrow range.</span> </span><br />
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By understanding that the Kalman Filter's estimate is actually a probability distribution, we are getting close to the fundamental enlightenment that the filter can give us about how to weigh ideas. The key that makes the Kalman Filter work so well is that it uses the uncertainty in its current estimate to make a decision about how much it should trust new measurements that it receives.<br />
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In a sense, the Kalman Filter is constantly optimally adjusting its open-mindedness to new measurements, and I submit that this is how people should handle new ideas. The level of open-mindedness in the Kalman Filter is based on the accuracy of the physics model and the reliability of the measurements. If the observer has a very accurate model of the physics, and has received many measurements in the past, it will not be led astray by new inaccurate measurements as would be the case in the absence of a filter. If, on the other hand, the observer has few previous measurements to work with, and doesn't have a great physics model, it is open to the innovation brought by new measurements. If the physics model isn't great, and the measurements are unreliable, of course, the observer simply cannot make a good judgment about the state of the system. <br />
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I am not saying that we should use some sort of cold, hard mathematics to make decisions. On the contrary, it is usually quite impossible to make any quantitative statements about the decisions that we face in everyday life. Instead, I am saying that when we are told new things or are trying to discern what is right, we should make a conscious effort to determine the degree of reliability of the premises we hold and observations that we take in.<br />
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It seems to me that people tend to fall into one of two extreme categories: either they are tossed to and fro by every new idea that they hear (this is the side that I tend to err on) or they are almost always immovably set in the ideas that they hold. Bayes' rule and the ideas behind the Kalman Filter suggest that the "inertia" of our ideas should be dynamic and should have differing magnitudes with regard to different facets of life based on the certainty of knowledge we have in a particular area.<br />
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We are all becoming experts in certain fields. By "field" I mean any related set of activities that require specialized knowledge. A field could be anything from psychology to fishing to interacting with a specific family member. After becoming experts in a field, we can be confident that our ideas are correct and can safely reject conflicting ideas (assuming that the foundational facts haven't changed since we developed the ideas). However, before we become experts, we should be open to new ideas because our body of knowledge is still in its infancy. <br />
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People are too often too afraid to say that they don't know about something. In the extremely complex world we live in, there are a great deal of processes that are incomprehensible to our brains. Our minds are optimized for dealing with things on human scales, that is, they are adept at conceptualizing things that take place over times from 1 second to 10 years, on distances from 1 millimeter to 5 kilometers, involve groups of 1 to 500, etc., but our minds don't handle bigger or smaller processes well, and we can only begin to grasp them after years of absorbing abstract information and undergoing extensive training. Furthermore, since our brains make so many approximations and use so many heuristics, they are not very effective at understanding things based purely on reason and the testimony of others rather than direct experience. Thus, it is rare for someone to be able to fully comprehend something without having personally experienced it.<br />
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For these reasons, I think that we should admit that we simply can't be sure of the answers to most of the questions that we ask in our lives. This doesn't mean that we are unable to make decisions. Decisions don't wait until we know enough to demand being made. Sometimes if there is not more information available we have to go with our best estimate of what is right even if we are not certain about it. This is completely reasonable. However some people will make a further jump that is not reasonable. They will assume that since they have taken a course of action or made a statement, they are bound to believe that course of action or statement was right. "I acted on this idea, so it must be right; otherwise I am a fool," they say in their mind. I submit that a decision should not cause any change our level of certainty. Instead, we should be candid with ourselves about our doubtable ideas and seek real evidence to determine if our decisions were justifiable.<br />
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In a sense, a human's journey through life can be thought of as a Kalman Filter or Bayesian inference process (though it is certainly also much more than that). When we start out, we know essentially nothing about the world. As we make our way through our time on earth, we gradually accumulate information, tying ideas together and examining their consistency. This accumulation of knowledge is a collective effort by all of humanity, so we must not let pride or other forces inflate our certainty in our ideas. Instead, we should approach new fields in humility with an open mind in light of our lack of knowledge, but maintain with confidence the conclusions that we have come to based on a wealth of sturdy evidence, and treat those who have ideas that oppose ours with civility and understanding whenever possible.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* this number is actually not strictly correct for this example problem because the pendulum is slightly nonlinear and thus the Kalman Filter is not perfectly tuned, but it is close enough for illustrative purposes</span>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-12825427398429512142012-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:002013-12-16T21:11:59.136-08:00The Six<style>
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The waterfall gave life to the entire valley. Its blue-green
cascades ran without pause through the heat of summer, the coolness of fall, the cold silence
of winter, and the brightness of spring. The river below the falls painted a
broad stroke across the fields. Every year the crops would take the moisture it
freely provided and use power from the generous sun to create the gift of food
offered to the people. These people lived simply, giving to the land by
planting and tending the fields, but accepting much more than they gave,
without ever thinking too much about the providence that made their living so
free from burdens. They loved and married, feasted and laughed, dug ditches,
and occasionally raised a barn. There were little problems, but the people
quickly found their contentment again when these passed. If the wind blowing
through the valley could carry the feelings of the people, there would be no
region of the country that did not have secure happiness.</div>
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One day, early in autumn, some of the farmers looked up to
see dark smoke rising up from one of the adjacent valleys. They wondered
together briefly about the sight, but quickly forgot about it as the wind
picked up and thinned the cloud as the day passed on. The next day, though, the
thin tower of smoke had grown into a thick slate-colored cloud that dimmed the sunlight every few minutes. Now fear began to creep up into the
people. They did not say with words that they were scared, but as they went
about their daily tasks, they would stop and spend a few moments considering
what evil might be below the pillar of soot that rose over the hills. The
evening meal was shared in mostly silence. The younger children did not know enough
to ask what was wrong; the older children could see the uncertainty in their
parent's faces, and so did not ask.</div>
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The next day, the cloud was less thick, and the sun was only dimmed
occasionally. The people hoped that perhaps whatever had caused the smoke would
pass without explanation or consequence. In the village at the opening of the
valley, the farmers were preparing for the day's work. They were quiet with the
sleepiness that lingers into the first part of the day. A few were eating, some
were getting the horses and tools ready. A few eyes wandered to the southeast
and could see something moving, though they could not tell what it was. They
began pointing and speaking, and more of the villagers stopped what they were
doing to look. There seemed to be small puffs of thin smoke drifting up from
the horizon. This time, however, the smoke was not coming from the next valley.
Instead, it was close enough to be coming from the very fields they meant to
tend that day. There were also smaller black shapes moving in the distance. The
true form of the shapes could not be discerned, but the villagers with sharper
eyes could see the cadence of their movement <span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">–</span>
they were bobbing up and down at the frequency of a horse's gallop.</div>
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By now, all of the morning tasks had stopped, and worried
questions began to fly through the air. The minds of the village leaders worked furiously trying to decide what to do, but the time
to decide was vanishing. The riders were approaching, and could now be
seen clearly. There were about 40 of them charging forward, armored with blackened
leather and carrying torches. There was no more time to puzzle about what to
do. The words between the villagers died down until the murmur was suddenly
pierced by a panicked cry of <span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span>run!<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”</span> Those that could run took off
across the fields, cutting straight lines through the crops. The impulse to
flee muscled all other thoughts aside, and no things were carried, save some of
the smaller children rescued by instinct of their parent. They stumbled often,
but terror-charged adrenaline kept them going. However, there were some that
did not escape the cluster of buildings. They hesitated at the edge of the village,
feeling that they could not outrace the riders and that their settlement could
somehow provide safety. Moments later, the window for action had closed. The
strangers were upon them.</div>
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As the dark riders swept into and around the village, six of
those that remained fled into a shed out of the way, hoping to be overlooked.
But as the last of them hurried in and shut the door, it was evident that one
of the men had seen them. The villagers cowered against one of the walls as the
sound of hooves and boots drew near. Their breathing was replaced by gasps and
shaking as they looked to the door, expecting it to swing open with the crack
of a shattered latch. After a moment there was a noise, wood on wood, but the
door merely shook and did not open. Something heavy, like a wagon, had been
pushed up against it. Rough voices spoke outside in a strange and unsettling
language. The six inside could not understand the words, but the profanity was
not diminished by this barrier of syntax. A minute passed, extended by fear.
Then the voices faded and there was silence, save for an almost inaudible
crackling. In the darkness, the six at could not understand what was
happening initially, but it soon became terribly clear. At first a thin stream, but moments later a thick flow, smoke invaded the windowless shed from under
the blocked door. Soon, flames began to intermittently illuminate the group of six coughing and choking through their last moments of consciousness.</div>
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The people of the valley had now all fled to the surrounding
hills. They slept in caves and tents in fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When they looked down on what had been fruitful fields two months ago,
they saw only black, charred, desolate plains. It was winter now. Little snow
had come, but the cold was present, and it was impossible to escape. The people
huddled near fires and ate thin stew made from whatever was available. All of
the towns and villages had been destroyed. The survivors spoke little, for they
had little left to speak about. Before now, the happy security had been enjoyed
without any conception that it could end.</div>
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After the first village was attacked, horsemen had been sent
to find out what had happened. They found piles of smoking, charred wood
instead of houses, mangled, twisted iron instead of wagons and plows. A dying
horse strained to breath, collapsed near where its stable had once stood.
Nothing of worth was left. The dark raiders had taken everything that could be
eaten or hoarded, and destroyed the rest. The surrounding fields were void of
life, burnt for no reason that the surveyors could discern. All of the houses
were checked for survivors, but only a few lifeless bodies were discovered.
When it seemed that there was nothing more to be seen, however, one of the
horsemen saw some movement in one of the piles that had been a small building.
An arm and hand was feebly reaching over one of the beams. The riders quickly
converged without words on the mound of broken wood.</div>
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Six survivors were found there. Terribly burned, barely
breathing, some blinded, they had broken bones from falling beams and tools.
They were not dead, but they would be soon. The people of this country had
never felt pain, and now they feared it. The despair among the horsemen at this
sight was not bounded; their hearts fell without slowing. <span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span>What was coming next?<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”</span> they asked themselves without
consulting each other, and they found nothing solid to place any hope on. The
barely living bodies were taken back to the safest place in the valley <span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">–</span> the waterfall, where the water
that gave the valley life flowed from. It was clear, though, that they would only
live a little longer, and that existence would be in agony. They would be dead
and buried soon, but the others living in the valley now had to face an unknown
enemy that they knew not how to resist.</div>
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The party of raiders that had burnt the first village was
merely a scouting detachment. A few days later the main force arrived. The
people of the valley had weapons, but they did not know how to fight well, and
were defeated at every engagement. The only ones who survived were those that
fled. Soon the leaders determined that the only response was to retreat and
hope that the enemy moved on. Not many had yet been killed, and the leaders
hoped to save the bulk of the population. Each family took what they could from
their homes and went to the safety of the mountains. But the army of dark
raiders did not leave. It became clear that they meant to stay for the winter,
and that the people would have to find a way to survive with essentially
nothing. The main group set up a camp and prepared a defense, hoping to outlast
this calamity.</div>
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Hunger was perhaps the most sinister enemy. Men have a deep
desire to be brave, but the weakness caused by a stomach that has not been
adequately filled for weeks diminishes even the strongest convictions of the
soul. A slow fade into helplessness is the worst end that courage can have. The
men only hoped that the enemy would not attack and that some could survive into
the next season. Then warmth and new growth would allow them to rebuild their
former existence. As the winter supplanted the milder temperatures of fall,
some began to expect that they would make it through the ordeal simply by
waiting with patience. In reality, they would not be so fortunate to have the
opportunity to overcome with only passive endurance.</div>
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One afternoon, when the sun had mercifully taken away the
worst of the bitterness of the cold, one of the lookouts was sitting at his
post on a rock near the edge of the fields. He was thinking of the life that he
would have back when spring came again. Thoughts of which crops he would plant
and how he would find his children playing near the stream when he returned at
the end of the day filled his mind. It was respite from the stress of living in the
present situation. He did not know why this disaster had happened, but he was
beginning to become content with the thought that it might end. <span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span>Why would they not leave us to
survive?<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”</span>, he thought.
<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span>They cannot take any more from
us.<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”</span> He looked
out over the valley. The fear that had been his companion for months was
beginning to leave him. But then suddenly it returned with new strength. He saw
the column of the enemy force on foot coming from their camp, armed for a
fight. The people of the valley would have to defend themselves.</div>
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With haste, the men found their swords. Many of them had
never used their weapon, and justified fear infected their whole bodies. They
could feel it like pain. Some even fled, and with their flight weakened those
that remained. They faced a most dreadful paradox. If they fought, they would
be destroyed, but if they turned an ran, they would have no more reason to be.
Those that had enough courage left gathered on a hillside to await their doom.
The wait was longer than they wished. While they stood idle in anticipation,
they did not think of the battle, but instead how their lives could have been
if this evil had not come. In the approach of the evil army, they saw the final
door that offered hope for the future slowly swinging shut. Finally the enemy
began their final charge, and sharp fear once again filled the defenders. Their
huddle began to back away from the charge. As the horde closed the last few
meters, the defenders ran; no man stood his ground.</div>
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There were more invaders than defenders, and each good man
found himself beaten, fighting only to survive for a few more moments. The
lookout who had first sighted the enemy was desperately trying to absorb the
blows of his two assailants. He and a few others had fled laterally onto one of
the fields that had been burned. This had been one of the last fields to fall
to the flames, and small fires still smoldered at the feet of the combatants.
Clouds had dimmed the sun, and the slowly rising smoke gave an otherworldly
aura to the scene. It was almost as if the defenders had already passed on to
the next destination after death. Reeling backwards, the lookout tripped over a
hole in the black dirt. He stumbled two more steps and fell on his back. Time
dilated with the realization that this would be the end. The two attackers
approached slowly, preparing to put the helpless victim's struggle to an end.
But before they could, the situation changed.</div>
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It began with a warm light shining on the attacker's armor.
The lookout did not know what the light was as he could not see its source, but
he could tell that it was coming from several sources at ground level behind
him. The evil men looked up in confusion. The lookout stared at them and they
stared towards the light. The lookout felt an irrational confidence growing
somehow. The light on the raiders shifted as if one of the sources had made a
sudden movement, and their demeanor immediately changed. Instead of their
normal arrogance, they showed confusion. In another moment the ruthless
pursuers were themselves fleeing. The lookout did not know how to react to this
change, so he laid still. A light source began to approach, and he looked back
up towards it.</div>
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What he saw was a sight that moved him more deeply than any
of the times that he had looked out over the valley before it had been ravaged.
A woman stood over him. Apparently the light was emanating from her, but she
did not appear to be super-human otherwise. Terrible burn scars grasped around
her arms and neck, but by some unknown grace, her face and all its fairness had
been spared. Her eyes looked into him, and a subtle smile crept up on the
corners of her mouth. This was not a smile of amusement or folly, but the smile
that comes from knowing that all tension in the world has been resolved. A
blinding, piercing sense of good accompanied her approach.</div>
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The lookout had forgotten about the enemy. In this moment
time no longer seemed compelled to move, so it slowed to a near stop, and hope
cascaded into his heart. The woman spoke to him in a voice that was plain, but
overflowing with kindness and confidence. <span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span>Dear
friend, fear not this enemy any longer. Take courage, for they can do us no
real harm. You have resisted with valor. Now rise and use your strength to
drive them from our home.<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">”</span>
She reached out to help him up. She had only her normal strength, but with his
newfound hope, his rise from the ground was effortless. He looked around and
saw five more of these bright beings on the field and the hills around it. Some
of them were fighting and others helping the fallen. Other defenders like him
were getting up and finding their new hope. One by one, they realized that these bright beings were of their own kind. Indeed they were the six that had been caught in that first savage burning. If there was something that could save these, the most helpless victims, did they need to worry at all about their own safety? It was not long before they were
running across the fields pursuing the routed enemy.</div>
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That winter was harder than any other in memory, but it was
also more joyful. Everything had been taken from the people, but when it was
all given back as a gift, its sweetness was multiplied. The freedom of the
valley was procured by the six who had suffered the most. By their suffering
and regeneration, they gained an upper hand against evil. They were the
instrument by which the people had been saved, but they in themselves were not
the source of the salvation on which the valley's new hope had been established.
There was some great but subtle power protecting that place. It was universally present in all that happened there, but in this case it had particularly manifested itself in the waterfall to heal the six. Some realized that this acute healing magic was really no
more remarkable than the natural way that the power behind the waterfall and
the sun and the earth provided for all of the people year after year, so they
were thankful for all.</div>
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The six went on to live normally. Along with the rest of the
valley's inhabitants, they married, raised crops and kids, and eventually
passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seasons visited and
departed, and the joyful life that the people were accustomed to returned. They
remembered the invasion and were no longer so naive as to take their good lives
for granted, but all who looked upon the six found hope that their happiness
was secure, for they now knew the answer to this question:</div>
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What power does evil have over those who have felt its most
painful sting and yet are able to do good?</div>
Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-57707133583648196152011-11-26T11:41:00.001-08:002011-11-26T20:42:01.785-08:00disappointment and hopeThis post is not about football, but it would be a difficult task to come up with a better example of disappointment than Texas A&M's 2011 football season. At the end of August, we were ranked in the top 10, expected to compete for the Big 12 Championship, and seeking to make a name for ourselves on the national level. Today, we have nothing significant left to hold our heads high about.<br />
<br />
Sure, there are many other teams who could say that their record is worse, that they have suffered through losing season after losing season, but none can say that their losses have been as heartbreaking as ours: Oklahoma State (now ranked 5th) - lost by 1 point at home after leading most of the game, Arkansas (now ranked 3rd) - lost by 4 points after leading most of the game, Kansas State and Missouri - lost in <i>overtime</i> after leading most of the game. Whatever it is that causes teams to win games, we don't have it.<br />
<br />
And then there is the Texas game. This is more difficult to explain to people outside of A&M. It is a rivalry (at least from our side) that is on a different level from any other that I have experienced. We have played each other for 118 years, and at A&M the entire year revolved around this game. We sang about the Longhorns even when we were playing other teams and constructed 100 foot tall bonfires to prepare for the game. In Aggieland, you will find more t-shirts bashing the Longhorns than you will praising the virtues of A&M. This game was distinct from the rest of the season, and sometimes it mattered more than all of the other games combined. For us, it was like playing in a championship game every year.<br />
<br />
But our relationship with the Big 12 was unsustainable, and the unthinkable became inevitable - the rivalry would end. The 2011 game became bigger. We <i>needed</i> to win it, to keep our pride, and to keep the Longhorns thirsty to revive the rivalry in the future. So on Thanksgiving night, we flooded into Kyle Field to saw Texas's horns off one last time. The first half went well for us, but, just as in all of the other important games this season, we fell apart in the third quarter. We hoped that this game would be different - that somehow the Aggie Spirit that has worked its magic in Kyle Field so many times before would overcome. And indeed this began to happen. With less than two minutes to go, we found that we had come back and were ahead by 1. All we had to do was hold off the Longhorn offense that had done little against us all night. Our hope that the season would end with something good was strong. But then Texas quarterback Case McCoy broke free at midfield and began running towards field-goal range. The heart of every Aggie in the stands collapsed like the bonfire would as it burned every year before the game. Our hope evaporated in that century-long moment as the all-white number 6 jersey sprinted down the open field towards the spot where they would kick the game-winning field goal.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUpRog42tr2Ja6yx_9X56aoTkbf9NJ5S_wcZ6wC6dIv76KlvRSi2xcTLeJapzkWm1GbhLo4a-BhiJ9jKO3W6TwrfPVnm6xxsZUA1wm2xEikcZvuiqYtddtKsI0eJvGbtBewK_uXx3TGSj/s1600/case-run.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUpRog42tr2Ja6yx_9X56aoTkbf9NJ5S_wcZ6wC6dIv76KlvRSi2xcTLeJapzkWm1GbhLo4a-BhiJ9jKO3W6TwrfPVnm6xxsZUA1wm2xEikcZvuiqYtddtKsI0eJvGbtBewK_uXx3TGSj/s320/case-run.jpeg" width="287" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And that was it. It was over. There is no next year. There are no plans for us to be able to challenge UT again. Some people will try to find bright spots in the season, or blame the UT loss on external factors like injuries or officiating, but for me, the magnitude of disappointment overshadows everything else. A rational evaluation of the situation reveals nothing to hope in.<br />
<br />
Sadly, this kind of disappointment that cannot be circumvented by optimism is not limited to things as trivial as football. It is ubiquitous in human life on Earth. As long as humans are sinful, evil will have hold of this world. Will there ever be a complete solution to poverty and hunger? Will there ever be an end to the tyranny of the powerful over the disadvantaged? Can democracy ultimately overcome corruption and deceit? Can we avert the destruction of our natural environment? Will your life turn out to be all you hope it to be? If I rationally evaluate these situations, I find nothing to hope in.<br />
<br />
We can try to be optimistic, but mere optimism cannot change facts. Marriages fail. Relationships crumble. Expectations are not met. Politicians deceive. Power corrupts. Reckless resource use darkens the future. Pessimism is the outlook that is consistent with reality. There is no hope in this.<br />
<br />
So, what are we to do? We cannot find hope in humanity, but I think that there is hope in something above it. The creator of this universe is determined to reconcile and redeem His creation. This requires the ultimate <a href="http://amateurverbs.blogspot.com/2011/06/resurrection.html">defeat</a> and destruction of evil, and the salvation of those people that God has made perfect through the death of Christ. Several things in my life that I have been putting hope in have begun to crumble this semester. But throughout my life, this hope in God's work is the only hope that I have not found disappointment in. One ancient writer put it like this: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="versetext ec-4-1" id="ec-4-1-niv" name="ec-4-1-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span><span class="versecontent">Again I looked and saw all the oppression<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="1"></a>
that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed--
and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors--
and they have no comforter.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="2"></a></span>
</span><span class="versemarkers"></span><span class="versetext ec-4-2" id="ec-4-2-niv" name="ec-4-2-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span><span class="versecontent">And I declared that the dead,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="3"></a> who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="4"></a></span>
</span><span class="versemarkers"></span><span class="versetext ec-4-3" id="ec-4-3-niv" name="ec-4-3-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span><span class="versecontent">But better than both is he who has not yet been,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="5"></a> who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="6"></a></span>
</span><span class="versemarkers"></span><span class="versetext ec-4-4" id="ec-4-4-niv" name="ec-4-4-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span><span class="versecontent">And I saw that all labor and all
achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is
meaningless, a chasing after the wind...</span></span><span class="versetext ec-12-13" id="ec-12-13-niv" name="ec-12-13-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="versetext ec-12-13" id="ec-12-13-niv" name="ec-12-13-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span><span class="versecontent">Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="16"></a> and keep his commandments,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="17"></a> for this is the whole [duty] of man.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="18"></a></span>
</span><span class="versemarkers"></span><span class="versetext ec-12-14" id="ec-12-14-niv" name="ec-12-14-niv" style="display: inline; padding: 2px 0pt 2px 2px;"><span class="versenum" style="margin: 0pt 3px 0pt 0pt;"></span>
<span class="versecontent">For God will bring every deed into judgment,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="19"></a> including every hidden thing,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5467936464758793693" name="20"></a> whether it is good or evil.</span>
</span></span>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ecclesiastes 4:1-4 & 12:13-14</span> </blockquote>
<br />
By the way*, even though I think that one day Texas A&M will cease to be hopeworthy, for now it is an institution worth being proud of. On Friday night, with the loss still weighing heavily on me, I went for a jog on campus to get some endorphins flowing. Under the <a href="http://www.thebatt.com/news/texas-a-m-association-of-former-students-unveils-aggie-ring-replica-at-ring-day-1.1181157">big ring</a> were two high-school or college-freshman-aged girls laughing and taking pictures with their parents. It reminded me of all of the things that I have experienced and learned here at A&M, and of what these girls, along with thousands of others in the incoming classes, are about to learn. They will learn not only about the academic fields they pursue, but more importantly about selflessness and integrity in a way that they could nowhere else. And that is what makes Aggieland special, regardless of how much the football team disappoints. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The importance of this paragraph is insignificant compared to the preceding section.</span>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-77840069638354706812011-08-02T11:44:00.000-07:002011-08-02T12:03:34.078-07:00absorb the bumpsHere are two very loosely related ideas:<br />
<br />
<br />
1. Coming from the South is my favorite way to enter Colorado.<br />
<br />
Two days ago I drove from Albuquerque, where I have been working, back home to Longmont. I can't clearly remember another time when I have come in from the South, but this time the beauty really surprised me. You cross the border from New Mexico at the top of a pass and immediately drop down into evergreen-wooded hills and mesas. The greenness of the trees alone is enough to inspire you, thanks to the unusual amount of moisture that the Centennial State has been blessed with this year. If you take your eyes off the curving, descending highway for a few moments and look west, you can see the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo ("Blood of Christ") Mountains.<br />
<br />
A mountain without a snow cap is like a lion without his mane or a ship without her flag. The snow cap is the glory of a mountain. The greatest mountains always have their snow, but most only have the privilege for a few seasons. When a mountain is bare, I imagine that it feels insecure. "What if I am really merely a hill?" it asks itself. It has little distinction from the surrounding plains and foothills. But when a mountain wears it's icy crown, it becomes a mighty sovereign over the whole region. What can challenge a mountain that reaches far enough into the frigid heights of the atmosphere to keep it's snow during all of the seasons? The satisfyingly rugged-looking Culebras wear their snow with striking regality. It's as if they are there to say "Now you're in a real mountain state." <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmLU_-vY2YzVYy2-SfUftXRktPFB-7By16QuG7I5SYyyIgkgxaH6Jk1Re7i562jWk3D6rsMRkaNE8P-Q8-THwYwmkW5b8Xuz7Rz3fX_Aa6A9QKqh_YEpEcwH-WgD8ck54_qPJtzTYEX09/s1600/5291868021_3f7d9caba2_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmLU_-vY2YzVYy2-SfUftXRktPFB-7By16QuG7I5SYyyIgkgxaH6Jk1Re7i562jWk3D6rsMRkaNE8P-Q8-THwYwmkW5b8Xuz7Rz3fX_Aa6A9QKqh_YEpEcwH-WgD8ck54_qPJtzTYEX09/s640/5291868021_3f7d9caba2_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Culebra Range - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dph1110/5291868021/in/photostream/%20">Image Credit</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
For my soundtrack to entering my favorite place on Earth, I chose Colorado's own Five Iron Frenzy. I played the last three songs on the recording of their final concert - "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYOIoEq8ws#t=05m30s">A New Hope</a>", "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYOIoEq8ws#t=08m53s">World Without End</a>", and "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKrfrpAXM3I">Every New Day</a>". This music is weird. If you told me that it is bad music, I don't think I would argue with you. But whatever it is, it is awesome and I love it. It seems like the people in the band experienced the gospel and then responded by playing their horns and guitars as hard as they could without worrying about much else. Maybe that's what we need to do more often: react to the gospel by doing what we are passionate about, and doing it with as much fervor as we can in a way that glorifies our Savior. This sort of brings me to my next idea.<br />
<br />
<br />
2. Life is like skiing moguls<br />
<br />
There is a right way and a wrong way to ski moguls. The wrong way to do it is to go slow and allow the moguls to take you across the slope and down paths that you don't want to follow. This way is miserable. In this mode, the skier is entirely focused on maintaining static stability. He wants to make sure that he can stop at any instant, and to do this, he is constantly wrestling against gravity. Every time a mogul drops off to the next, there is fear of going out of control.<br />
<br />
The right way to ski moguls is to point your shoulders down the fall line* and go, without worrying too much about where the moguls are. You will reach a speed at which you can't stop on the next mogul. You are not stable in the sense that if you didn't have your speed, you would fall over. But you can stay in control by transferring energy each time you bounce off of a bump. Your shoulders and torso don't change direction and don't move up and down much; your legs simply absorb the bumps.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A5_G4mSm60h_wpsChKgNniYTB5uNHtfu_urSta_guHy6-R3EY1QPSdaifSWOpIgc6yDqMRPwm2SKmNBeXjWGYZlPSCknA1ZVZLSCBvPxW35Ex2-ZhSHAB3rGGFHsjvfnlF5Lp8pt9GKU/s1600/mogul1-300x244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A5_G4mSm60h_wpsChKgNniYTB5uNHtfu_urSta_guHy6-R3EY1QPSdaifSWOpIgc6yDqMRPwm2SKmNBeXjWGYZlPSCknA1ZVZLSCBvPxW35Ex2-ZhSHAB3rGGFHsjvfnlF5Lp8pt9GKU/s1600/mogul1-300x244.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right way - note the bent knees absorbing the bumps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the first mode, you are letting the moguls define your path; they own you. In the second, you are picking the best route, and using the moguls to follow it. I think that this is how we should approach living our lives too. We shouldn't let the little obstacles (the moguls) define where we are heading. Instead we should focus on the big, important goals and absorb the bumps along the way.<br />
<br />
Some people might say that this is the same as the maxim "Don't sweat the small stuff", but I think that there is something more than just that. Don't let the small problems in life control you, but DO focus on the long-term things that matter, and DO try to use the small events to guide you down the path that you ultimately want to follow. Sacrifice some immediate security to achieve what you ultimately want.<br />
<br />
I am not yet old and wise enough to be certain of this, but this is what I think: In your career, you will be successful if you focus on long term goals and are not thrown off course by immediate circumstances. In your life, you will find happiness if you focus on relationships and love, with other people and with your Creator, and are not consumed with your own selfish petty concerns of the moment and the details of living.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The fall line is the direction that you would roll if you were rolling down the mountain, or the negative gradient of the surface of the mountain with respect to height for all you engineers</span>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com1Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.1019274999999940.125207800000005 -105.18245999999999 40.2092058 -105.02139499999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-17506287778198006442011-07-02T13:12:00.000-07:002011-07-02T15:23:48.515-07:00trustworthyIf the sun rises tomorrow, God will keep his word.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUb1nXY12YJ6n5j-eWzk3ruB7bZFfYMoX9CTS5dGBfalfdScBy9dofD0xxdwfsFkTkjJprHk1Zfi9MGyC5L4OSsb-I6pjcVUXUg4tBzEsPF01sa0zhLyw8GYCSBCXWFBQag_3OEQQdSj_w/s1600/2011-05-22+20.09.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUb1nXY12YJ6n5j-eWzk3ruB7bZFfYMoX9CTS5dGBfalfdScBy9dofD0xxdwfsFkTkjJprHk1Zfi9MGyC5L4OSsb-I6pjcVUXUg4tBzEsPF01sa0zhLyw8GYCSBCXWFBQag_3OEQQdSj_w/s400/2011-05-22+20.09.45.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
As I have been reading through the old testament, there have been times when I have thought to myself, "God is not being loving here", or "God is not being fair at all", but I have found this to be consistently true: God is trustworthy. He keeps his word. Even when humans screw up horribly.<br />
<br />
A classic example of this is the story of the patriarchs. Many of you will recall how God promised Abraham a son from his wife Sarah, even though she was too old to bear children. God kept his promise despite the fulfillment seeming impossible and despite Abraham's actions that certainly did not reflect a confidence in God's promises.<br />
<br />
A more strange and interesting example of God keeping his word comes just a bit later. A generation later, as Abraham's daughter in law, Rebekah, was pregnant with twins. God said to her<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: none;"><span style="color: #339766;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">“Two nations are in your womb,<br />
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;<br />
the one shall be stronger than the other,<br />
the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23)</span></span></span></blockquote>"The older shall serve the younger" is a strangely arbitrary word for God to give, and it is accomplished in a strange way. First, Jacob, the younger, basically extorts his older brother, Esau, into giving him his birthright (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+25%3A27-34&version=NIV">Genesis 25:27-34</a>). Then Rebekah and Jacob conspire together to trick Isaac (the boys' father) into blessing Jacob instead of Esau (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+27&version=NIV">Genesis 27</a>). It seems to me that these actions are evil. The evil is especially poignant in Jacob's cold deception of Isaac in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+27%3A20&version=NIV">Genesis 27:20</a> and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+27%3A22-24&version=NIV">22-24</a>.<br />
<br />
So, God's word is not compromised by our evil deeds. In fact it seems that in this case, he works out his word <i>through</i> grossly immoral humans. It's the same with the nation of Israel later on. If God wanted to choose the best people for himself, Israel should not have been chosen. All that He desires for them to do is trust in his word, a word that he has proven to them to be trustworthy over and over again. But they so often do not. If the fulfillment of God's word depended on our actions, good would have no chance.<br />
<br />
As the Babylonian Empire's conquest of Israel and Judah was imminent, God gave the prophet Jeremiah these words (Jeremiah 33:19-26):<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:19" name="19"></a></span>The word of the L</span><span style="font-size: small;">ORD came to Jeremiah:<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:20" name="20"></a></span>“Thus says the L</span><span style="font-size: small;">ORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time,<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:21" name="21"></a></span>then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers.<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:22" name="22"></a></span>As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.” <br />
<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:23" name="23"></a></span>The word of the L</span><span style="font-size: small;">ORD came to Jeremiah:<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:24" name="24"></a></span>“Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The L</span><span style="font-size: small;">ORD has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:25" name="25"></a></span>Thus says the L</span><span style="font-size: small;">ORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Jeremiah%2033:26" name="26"></a></span>then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”</span></span></blockquote><br />
I think that the promises mentioned here have been fulfilled, at least in one sense, by Christ. He is the son of David who now reigns over the kingdom of believers and who will one day reign over the whole earth and heaven. We Christians, like an innumerable group of Levites, are all set aside for the glory of the LORD.<br />
<br />
Just as those who heard this prophecy could not comprehend that the sunrise and sunset are accomplished by the spinning of the Earth, they could not comprehend that God's Old Testament promises would be fulfilled by Christ, who John would call "The Word" (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A1-14&version=NIV">John 1:1-14</a>). Sometimes we cannot see how God's word will be accomplished, but it is totally rational to trust in it and act according to it. When we are at the precipice about to fall into sin, why should we ever decide that we are right and He is not? If we think that the sun will come up tomorrow, we should follow the precepts of the LORD with the same confidence.<br />
<br />
If trustworthiness can be measured; if it can have a magnitude, then the magnitude of God's trustworthiness should be compared to the magnitude of the angular momentum of the Earth (that's what keeps the sun coming up). <a href="http://amateurverbs.blogspot.com/2010/08/simple-answers.html">Like so many other things in the universe</a>, it is so large that any conception our minds might have of it is too small.Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-68117707259124834392011-06-25T15:09:00.000-07:002011-06-25T15:21:57.501-07:00the resurrectionJesus died to save people. He rose to defeat evil.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdpQnC6KzlcEBH8M1AOZOpOgT0EsMJuVNueYIqHzhc1wxk2G7EEyA8Vxkg5L2S812GZKz_qqZC28kjv4mrGuQQ-V62iD8g3v9ZyWD3ktl8h3RJaNEJHSNDTcNoCGRI5aVTqop-x2Y4x6i/s1600/RESURRECTION+PICTURE+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdpQnC6KzlcEBH8M1AOZOpOgT0EsMJuVNueYIqHzhc1wxk2G7EEyA8Vxkg5L2S812GZKz_qqZC28kjv4mrGuQQ-V62iD8g3v9ZyWD3ktl8h3RJaNEJHSNDTcNoCGRI5aVTqop-x2Y4x6i/s320/RESURRECTION+PICTURE+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus' Dominance in the Resurrection </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
Good Friday and Easter celebrate the central act of history - when God Himself became a man, and was brutally murdered by humans. He did this in order to take the punishment that we deserve for our sins upon himself. Because of this paradoxical sacrifice, those who give up on their own failed righteousness and rest the burden of their failure on Jesus are judged righteous by God. So, the importance of the death of Jesus is clear: He died so that we might be made clean. But what is the significance of the resurrection? If we were justified by Christ's death, then why did he need to rise again?<br />
<br />
This is a question that my roommates and I have discussed from time to time, as in this blog post: <a href="http://kevinhubert.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/134/">http://kevinhubert.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/134/</a><br />
<br />
Here are some quick thoughts (that aren't new or original) about why the resurrection is important:<br />
<br />
First, it seems to me that Jesus' claims are only really be compelling if he did something like rise from the dead. Would you believe someone who came and radically challenged the culture and religious institutions, said some pretty crazy stuff, and then just died and you never heard from him again? The disciples weren't exactly doing a very good job of carrying on Jesus' words when he died. Peter had just repeatedly denied that he even knew Jesus (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+18&version=ESV">John 18</a>), and the disciples were hiding behind locked doors because they were scared (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A19&version=ESV">John 20:19</a>). If Jesus hadn't come back from the dead and convinced his skeptical (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A9&version=ESV">John 20:9</a>) followers that he was infinitely more than just a human leader, I think that the church would have died right there. And what would separate Jesus from all of the other radical religious reformers in history? His words would just be a collection of cryptic sayings and stories.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfieXngRrO0D3v_MDX7yqdkZbXCIROWLhEzwrlfwloapc_XVk7ETTVDQQw1iU8kl1_blErTYnebz6hbOZcJWX31ZTrAImGgtCoG7CoBOdz7kF1_Pyzw1KvEeVysDyBaZzAEOMEYxDa2bl/s1600/ecaravaggio-thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfieXngRrO0D3v_MDX7yqdkZbXCIROWLhEzwrlfwloapc_XVk7ETTVDQQw1iU8kl1_blErTYnebz6hbOZcJWX31ZTrAImGgtCoG7CoBOdz7kF1_Pyzw1KvEeVysDyBaZzAEOMEYxDa2bl/s320/ecaravaggio-thomas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas skeptically verifies Jesus' identity (<a href="http://archbishopterry.blogspot.com/2011/04/wednesday-in-octave-of-easter.html">Image Credit</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Secondly, the resurrection serves as a model for the resurrection that all those who are saved will experience someday. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15&version=NIV">1 Corinthians 15</a> (Thanks, Austin, for pointing this out to us) is all about this. We can be sure that there is a resurrection and that Jesus will be there because of what he did on resurrection Sunday. Both here and in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5&version=ESV">Romans 5:14-17</a>, Jesus is compared to Adam. Just as Adam was the first man of the old creation corrupted by evil, Jesus is the first of the new creation in which evil will be vanquished.<br />
<br />
Finally - and this is the main thrust of this blog post - the resurrection is important because Jesus' work, and the story that God has laid out for the universe is not over yet. <b>The story isn't just about God providing a ticket for us to be justified when we die. It is about Him defeating the evil that has corrupted the world.</b><br />
<br />
Jesus is the the new King, the Captain that will lead the forces of good to this victory. He is also the savior who has provided a way for sinful humans to be made new and live in the perfect new creation. There is still pain and suffering in this world; the ultimate defeat of evil and judgment has not yet come. The resurrection shows us that even though we see evil now, nothing can come between Jesus and the ultimate victory.<br />
<br />
This picture of Jesus as the King, victorious against evil, is present from the beginning to the end of the Bible. Here are just a few examples*:<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NIV">Genesis 3:15</a>, immediately after the first sin, it is said that the offspring of Eve, Jesus, will crush the serpent's, that is, Satan's, head.<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+110&version=NIV">Psalm 110</a>, David speaks of his Lord, Jesus, who, in addition to being our eternal priest, will "shatter kings on the day of wrath", and have his enemies become his footstool.<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209:6-7&version=ESV">Isaiah 9:6-7</a>, one of the most cited Old Testament verses about Jesus, it is said that "the government shall be upon his shoulder", and that there will be no end to this reign.<br />
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In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%202:7-8&version=ESV">Hebrews 2:7-8</a>, we see that, though Jesus was made "lower than the angels for a while", everything will be put in subjection to him. This is something that we don't see yet, but we will.<br />
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Finally, in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+19&version=ESV">Revelation 19</a>, we see a prophetic picture of the fulfillment of Christ's victory. John hears the multitudes declare "the Lord our God the Almighty Reigns." and this picture of Jesus is given:<br />
<span style="font-family: none;"><span class="word"></span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: none;">Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Revelation%20of%20John%2019:12" name="12"></a></span>His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Revelation%20of%20John%2019:13" name="13"></a></span>He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.<span class="word"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="word"><a href="sword:///Revelation%20of%20John%2019:14" name="14"></a></span>And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Revelation%20of%20John%2019:15" name="15"></a></span>From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.<br />
<span class="word"><a href="sword:///Revelation%20of%20John%2019:16" name="16"></a></span>On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. </span></span></blockquote></div>After this arrival, Revelation says Jesus will reign for a thousand years before a final judgment and defeat of Satan.<br />
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I think that if we think of Jesus' sacrifice to save us as the sum of all the work that God has laid out for him, we miss a great deal of the beauty and grandeur of His plan for the world. It seems to me that Jesus' task is to defeat evil, and to provide a way for some humans to experience this existence free from the evil that we brought upon ourselves. There is still abundant evil in the world. Jesus' work is not yet complete. That is why the resurrection is important.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* If you are a skeptical reader, you will notice that most of these verses clearly also reference something besides, Jesus. However, I think that the double meaning is in fact how God has chosen to reveal his plan to us in a way that is intriguing and beautiful.</span>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-823116334680984332011-02-04T23:23:00.000-08:002011-02-04T23:30:17.107-08:00zealous<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OP9Hq1mIjKtcxXKrjfDou-nHdVuP_S0CeMZRGXKhcz0DCUbCjarUHmsybGaEYuN4IdOr0agQropCF0acgTnY9lqg3x7cqmSNNJY6tgaAWmmGwM_M0VxotKNaI2dDx60NEvhx0o8aH9NT/s1600/moab+seduces+israel+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OP9Hq1mIjKtcxXKrjfDou-nHdVuP_S0CeMZRGXKhcz0DCUbCjarUHmsybGaEYuN4IdOr0agQropCF0acgTnY9lqg3x7cqmSNNJY6tgaAWmmGwM_M0VxotKNaI2dDx60NEvhx0o8aH9NT/s640/moab+seduces+israel+cropped.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Moabite women seduce Israel into worshiping Baal Peor</td></tr>
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Numbers - this is the book that people reading through the Bible complain about. They say that it's tedious and that it isn't dense with applicable lessons. I will say that it does have some pretty dry parts - census data, genealogies, and lists of rules. But I have also found some profound illustrations of God's relationship with Israel. Consider this passage (I have added what I was thinking as I read it):<br />
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<blockquote>Numbers 25:</blockquote><blockquote><br />
<span class="verse Num_25_1 selected"><b>1</b> While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality [ESV: "whoring"] with Moabite women,</span><span class="verse Num_25_2"><b>2</b> who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods.</span><span class="verse Num_25_3"><b>3</b> So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the <span class="vsmallcaps">Lord</span>'s anger burned against them.</span></blockquote>No, Israel - Why are you doing this?! This dismays me so greatly! Having read so much of Israel's story I am emotionally invested in them. God has sheltered, provided for them, and disciplined them with such wondrous miracles! It is so clear that He loves them. Why do they not devote themselves to loving Him?<br />
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This is a slap to His face - disobeying His main command to them - to love Him above all else. Their sexual immorality is not so disgusting as their idolatry - they have essentially bought this sexual indulgence by turning away from God towards the Moabites' idols. This cannot be happening! they are so close to getting to the promised land, and now they are totally blowing it!<br />
<blockquote><span class="verse Num_25_4"><b>4</b> The <span class="vsmallcaps">Lord</span> said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the <span class="vsmallcaps">Lord</span>, so that the <span class="vsmallcaps">Lord</span>'s fierce anger may turn away from Israel."</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="verse Num_25_5"><b>5</b> So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor."</span><br />
<span class="verse Num_25_6"><b>6</b> Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.</span></blockquote>Oh no, I cannot believe this - I am so angry! This is not only a blasphemy against the God who has provided for Israel, but also an insult to those who are lamenting because of their sins. This man's evil is flagrant - he deserves stern punishment.<br />
<blockquote><span class="verse Num_25_7"><b>7</b></span><span class="verse Num_25_7">When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand</span><span class="verse Num_25_8"><b>8</b> and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman's stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;</span><span class="verse Num_25_9"><b>9</b> but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.*</span></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLw7_l8_rOajliok1pUNcHQbVy-UsuNVyjHseTyxWBECsf4TkEXG2xRzAwpB4CYShshl_JTWC_OG_xKVVODJTTOpNyA9tX0maZ94SN0S5WUBtQH1Pwk7ZFN4NMOgDSGMP_-DTw19YizE8Y/s1600/phinehas+impales+sinners+3x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLw7_l8_rOajliok1pUNcHQbVy-UsuNVyjHseTyxWBECsf4TkEXG2xRzAwpB4CYShshl_JTWC_OG_xKVVODJTTOpNyA9tX0maZ94SN0S5WUBtQH1Pwk7ZFN4NMOgDSGMP_-DTw19YizE8Y/s640/phinehas+impales+sinners+3x.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phineas impales Zimri and Cozbi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yes! that is justice! Phinehas has done what I wished to happen. He has done what all men long to do - zealously defend what is right. Men love these stories. We get pumped up about the movies Braveheart and Gladiator because the men in them act with an ardent desire to fight for right and justice.<br />
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At this point I wonder if there is something wrong with my thinking because Phineas' rampage is what I <i>wanted</i> to happen. My heart burned against the man who brought the Moabite back, but is that right? I don't know how God is going to react. I want Him to be pleased because what Phinehas did is what I would have done (or at least what I hope I would have the courage to do). But will God be angry with Phinehas for taking matters into his own hands or even simply for killing?<br />
<blockquote><span class="verse Num_25_10"><b>10</b> The <span class="vsmallcaps">Lord</span> said to Moses,</span><span class="verse Num_25_11"><b>11</b> "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal.</span><span class="verse Num_25_12"><b>12</b> Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him.</span><span class="verse Num_25_13"><b>13</b> He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."</span></blockquote>Good! Yes! God <i>does</i> want this kind of zeal! He wants to see it because he is zealous for us. The reason that God is angry with Israel is because their relationship with Him and honor of Him is being compromised. The core of their sin (just like all sin) is not the sexual immorality, it is instead the trade that they have made. Instead of selling sex for money, they have "whored" their love of Yaweh away in exchange for sex as a payment, and God is zealous to end this foolish bargain they have made. He deals harshly with any who lead his children away from Him. He wants to save Israel for himself and give them the perfect gifts that He has stored up for them.<br />
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I think that God must love it when we are zealous about the things that He is zealous for. He designed us to be passionate and gave us the choice of where to focus our zeal, so when we choose to focus it on good, it has great significance.<br />
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In our context, this doesn't mean that we should stab anyone with a spear, but it does mean that we should not stand by in apathy when something is preventing our neighbor from knowing God or is taking away from the honor that He is due from those who He has saved. We should be zealous about the gospel and helping people, like Jesus and the apostles were, and, as men, we should be zealous about strong leadership. Like Phinehas, we should have no reluctance to act when we know that God's relationship to those he loves is on the line.<br />
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Of course I am all talk here - my words aren't backed up by action. I shy away all the time from things that I should do. But thankfully God's love and zeal for me does not depend on my strength - my salvation is resting on the shoulders of Jesus Christ. He is the one I depend on for strength so that someday God's love for me and my love for Him can be brought to fruition without the barriers of sin and human weakness.<br />
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* Note on v. 9. The death of these 24,000 is not something that should be ignored or taken lightly. I simply did not comment on it for the sake of brevity.Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-29785308063497096572010-10-14T21:01:00.000-07:002010-10-18T11:01:30.393-07:00perfect performance<b>The symphony of God's love requires a perfect performance.</b><br />
<b>Who can be in His orchestra?</b><br />
<b>Who can play the part?</b><br />
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[If you haven't already, read <a href="http://amateurverbs.blogspot.com/2010/08/perfect-composition.html">this post</a> first. It lays out the analogy that I am about to expand upon.]<br />
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The symphony of creation was written by God to proclaim the glory of His love and goodness. We can hear parts of it being played as we look around and see the world. But where do humans fit into this analogy? Are we the players, or just the listeners. Do we fit in anywhere? This is how I see it:<br />
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Humans were meant to be the most important performers in the orchestra that plays the symphony. We were supposed to be the leading instrument section, merely backed up by the sounds of the rest of nature. The melodies of the stories of love that God wrote were designed for us to play in our lives. Our ultimate purpose is to participate in this perfect performance.<br />
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But the problem is that we decided not to play it. Every one of us has thrown down our instrument. It is broken and out of tune. Some of us start trying to play other things; some of us listen to the small, inferior jingles that others come up with; Some of us just try to ignore what is going on. We listen to our ipods on the side of the stage. We have sinned and fallen out of the orchestra. We cannot play in the perfect symphony like this. And if we cannot play, we have no purpose. We deserve to be cast out because we are ruining the perfect performance.<br />
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What are we to do about this? It is a dire situation indeed. The symphony is in progress, but the most important section in the orchestra is rebelling. Some of us try to play the part. We use legalism so that we look like we know what we are playing, but we don't play it all right. We need to play it better! But our heart is not invested in the symphony, so even if we appear to hit all of the notes, the music is not played with passion and is worthless. How can we fulfill our part in the orchestra if we cannot play the symphony right. How can this tragedy be fixed? Who will play the part? We deserve to be thrown off the stage by the disgusted Conductor/Composer and forgotten.<br />
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The Composer will not let his will be compromised so easily, though. He will have his symphony played. Since we have failed so miserably, He Himself will play. This is the most important part! The Creator has himself become a man, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Composer has picked up an instrument at the climax of the piece and is playing our part for us. He is playing the perfect performance. And His new part covers ours, so that, if we rely on his playing, we can be brought back into the orchestra.<br />
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He did this because he loves us. He does not love us for what we are now - wretched slobs who always rebel, but He loves us for the potential we have to receive and show love - to play His symphony in His orchestra like no other part of His creation can. <br />
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For the rest of this movement of the symphony, all we have to do is listen to Jesus and learn from Him. The music does not rely on us. We have the teaching of the Holy Spirit to help us learn to play, and some of us are able to play a few notes, but we still mess up all the time and we can barely get a taste of what it is like to play the melodies of true love. We don't have harmony and we mess up the rhythms, but we are learning.<br />
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However, when the next movement comes along, we will again be able to play our full parts. We will get new instruments and will fulfill our original purpose. I am speaking of heaven here. Tragically, the players who continued their whole life to rebel against the Composer and did not rely on and look to Jesus will still not be fit for the orchestra. They will be thrown off the stage. They cannot be accepted because they have not proven that they can perfectly play the music of God's perfect love.<br />
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So will you be accepted into the orchestra at the end of your life on Earth? Do you want to play a symphony authored by the same mind that created the stars, life, and the love that you and I experience on earth? All that we are required to do is to recognize that we fail in this life - that we have failed to play our parts perfectly here - and then look to Jesus to meet this requirement in our stead. I am no longer speaking metaphorically. In real life, the historical Jesus lived a perfect life, but he was killed in our place, and God punished Him for our sin. This allows us to have a relationship with God as if we were perfect, and one day we will move into heaven into a new life where we can be perfect and fulfill our purpose.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">________________<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is remarkable how God reminds us of what's important. Before I wrote this, I had been thinking quite a bit about where humans fit into this analogy. Are we players, or are we just the audience? I kept thinking about how some people - the good people - get to enjoy the symphony by playing, but others do not. I had also been thinking about my life quite a bit - my poor performance - how I was messing up all the time, how I am not the perfect student and not a perfect friend. I was feeling down. How could I do any good? Then as I was sitting there at Breakaway, a song reminded me that I was missing the most important thing. Jesus makes up for my shortcomings in real life, and he is the key to the analogy. It is not the good people who get to enjoy playing the symphony, it is those who rely on the Word, the Logic of Life, Jesus Christ.</div>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-91493886594680064612010-10-10T10:52:00.000-07:002010-10-10T10:52:27.999-07:00wasted time<b>A wise man does not fill all of his days with work;</b><br />
<b>The fool worries when he is doing nothing.</b><br />
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I think that we need to let more time get "wasted" doing nothing. Down time is really important for figuring out the important things in life. Recently I got an android smartphone. It is a really awesome tool and I am amazed by what it can do, but it makes me feel like I need to be doing something productive all the time.<br />
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The other day I was picking up my suit after getting it adjusted. They accidentally double creased one of the pant legs, and the manager said it would take five minutes to fix. I had left my phone in the car, so I just stood there for a minute feeling uncomfortable that I wasn't accomplishing anything. I finally decided to run out to my car and grab it, but by the time I got back, they were bringing out my suit. All of that time was wasted. I could have spent it instead thinking about something important, taking a step back and looking at my life, or in prayer, but instead I wasted it by trying to convince myself that I wasn't wasting it. What foolish priorities!Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-37105705920088048962010-09-15T19:54:00.000-07:002010-10-13T10:17:20.089-07:00cynicism and followership [read "leadership" first]<b>A cynic protects himself, but in doing so he stifles progress;</b><br />
<b>The best followers passionately promote a leader's plan.</b><b><br />
</b><br />
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[continued from "<a href="http://amateurverbs.blogspot.com/2010/09/leadership-continued-in-cynicism.html">leadership</a>"]<br />
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The thing that makes leadership so difficult for good people is that their followers are cynical and selfish. Negatively minded people (I am among the worst) protect themselves by criticizing leaders and institutions. That way, when the leader or institution fails (and nearly all do eventually), they can lift themselves up by saying "I was right all along." One of my best friend's parents once told me "being cynical is easy" and that drastically changed the way I think about the role of a follower. Our culture makes a hero out of the cynic, the one who dismisses authority and defames leaders and institutions; the office worker who makes fun of his boss and disregards all of the rules.<br />
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But cynics are not heroes. It does not take any bravery to tear down a leader or an institution or a tradition. The brave ones are the good followers who promote the good ideas of their leaders. When the leader presents a good plan, they passionately say "Yes! That's a good idea!" There is nothing more encouraging to a leader than to hear that one of their followers thinks that they did a good job. And when the leader makes a mistake, the great followers do not ridicule him personally for it. They will say that it was a bad decision, but recognize that it took courage to follow through with that decision.<br />
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What if, instead of being cynical, people made a conscious directed effort to support the good things about our leaders? How much more could we collectively accomplish if we all supported the leaders in our everyday lives - our teachers, bosses, parents, and others? If, instead of complaining, we followed the rules that they have laid out to help us in respect, wouldn't we be better off as a group?<br />
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One specific thing related to this that really bothers me is when people claim that our leaders are bad people. For example, I have heard many people say that President Bush or President Obama is an evil person (or something close to that). I of course think that they both have made some bad decisions, but to those people I say "Do you really think that either of those men were not doing what they thought was best for the country? You can argue that their policies are wrong, but you should still respect the courage that they have had to lead." Instead of being ceaselessly critical of our leaders and institutions, we should work with them and passionately support their good decisions regardless of political boundaries. It benefits everyone when we follow well.<br />
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I think that this is one of the main things that sets Texas A&M apart from other schools. Aggies are good followers. There is very little cynicism here. Even when our football team is really bad, we still come out for the games and promote the school. Some say that we follow things blindly (and I agree that it is bad to err in that direction), but by following something well, we can accomplish extraordinary things.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXTuryQedBKiQO5ewH9CwS1_dRUTUNRGdV4CuKEGmkZdkw3LMEoJL4It7SmEiUXG-bJUf_j5MvWA7CDVhSOMAKfkssK9X4RVmlMR9-cqyQFeVtB9mje8tJW7LWrHGHi2reSbslBdE2nmR/s1600/aggies_in_red__white___blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXTuryQedBKiQO5ewH9CwS1_dRUTUNRGdV4CuKEGmkZdkw3LMEoJL4It7SmEiUXG-bJUf_j5MvWA7CDVhSOMAKfkssK9X4RVmlMR9-cqyQFeVtB9mje8tJW7LWrHGHi2reSbslBdE2nmR/s320/aggies_in_red__white___blue.jpg" /></a></div>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-81151050006475272292010-09-15T19:43:00.000-07:002010-10-13T10:19:34.798-07:00leadership [continued in "cynicism"]<b>Leadership is taking responsibility for a plan that might fail.</b><br />
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The real weight of leadership is in accepting the risk that comes with it. A leader can never know for sure whether his plan will work, but it is his responsibility to make the best decision he can and pursue the actions he has decided on. This is a heavy responsibility, and it's what makes being a leader hard. It takes courage to be a good leader because it is so easy to attack a leader. True leadership is selfless because it requires that the leader take on a burden for the sake of others.<br />
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Most people say that they respect a leader who practices what he preaches, but I think that it takes more bravery for a leader to preach something that they cannot practice. It takes tremendous courage for someone to encourage or tell someone to do something that he has not done themselves. Should a person who has never done drugs tell her friend who is addicted to stop? If she does, she risks being called a hypocrite because surely she has never faced a challenge like her addicted friend is about to face. She does not know how hard it is to quit the drug. But asking her friend to stop is true leadership. True leadership is to say to someone "I know that what you are facing is difficult - I don't even know how difficult because I have never experienced it - but you need to do the right thing - not for my sake but for yours." That is selfless leadership - taking on the risk of criticism for the sake of another.*<br />
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This is the most difficult task of leadership (at least for people wired like me): to hold someone to a standard when they don't see why they need to hold to it. I see this challenge all the time in engineering work in classes. The leader knows what will be best for the team, but the team does not know. For example, if there is a design practice (like using an object-oriented coding scheme) that will make a job much easier, but some of the team members don't understand or are too lazy to follow the practice, they might ridicule the leader. A good leader will maintain the standards that he thinks are right in spite of this.<br />
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But the catch is that he cannot be 100% sure that his way is the best. It may turn out that his disgruntled employees were correct that they were wasting their time by following the standard. However, to give in to the employees at the beginning of the project is selfish. It is selfish because the leader is only protecting himself. Even though he thinks that following the standard is the best way, he is saying to the employees "Ok, have it your way, you take the blame if it fails" expecting that their way is going to fail all along. A good leader has only one course of action - to make the best (unselfish) decision he can and stick to it even when others do not understand. If he is wrong in the end, he will admit it and bear that burden.<br />
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[continue in "<a href="http://amateurverbs.blogspot.com/2010/09/cynicism-and-followership-read.html">cynicism</a>"]<br />
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<br />
*Of course this does not mean that a leader should be domineering or controlling; there must be a balance. It is not right to hold someone else to one of your personal standards or to any standard if your motive is selfish. This issue is a much larger topic beyond the scope of this post.Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-21556810291508060102010-08-31T16:01:00.000-07:002010-09-01T11:59:36.586-07:00perfect composition<span style="font-weight: bold;">The symphony of creation echos the glory of the LORD;<br />He has composed the story of His love with perfect skill.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5D-yRjTiWQl7ImAkGkqhcmN23bfVaCIxS93hZa0g8KSBSe2jL_Z1-vWK77JBEZFBYIqzXreNkM-nkkyWhVdVzxT4tF8X9pqb-et3WaJc2gVBbzJg_lbiv9i31uFNBRWlfla-yUjHvzGU-/s1600/154217006.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5D-yRjTiWQl7ImAkGkqhcmN23bfVaCIxS93hZa0g8KSBSe2jL_Z1-vWK77JBEZFBYIqzXreNkM-nkkyWhVdVzxT4tF8X9pqb-et3WaJc2gVBbzJg_lbiv9i31uFNBRWlfla-yUjHvzGU-/s400/154217006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512021303184896050" border="0" /></a><br />[I couldn't get the large version of this picture to stay, so go <a href="http://twitpic.com/2jtelq/full">here</a> to view it]<br /><br /><br />Creation is like a huge symphony composed by the Creator. The most basic components of creation are indeed very much like musical notes. Every elementary particle has a frequency (de Broglie wavelength) related to its energy, just like each note of a symphony has a sound frequency related to its pitch. But when we listen to a symphony, we don't think about the frequencies of the notes; we hear each note as an individual object in a phrase, like a pearl on a string. We imagine the universe around us the same way. We think of particles interacting to form the things we see, but their frequencies (energy) that make them what they are are hidden from the mind.<br /><br />A human composer uses chords and phrases to build his symphony. He chooses notes that have special interacting frequencies to form chords. God has designed the laws of nature such that the electrons of certain atoms with special energies (related to their frequencies) interact to make molecules and crystals. He uses these "chords" to build "phrases" that are the objects that we see and interact with. The difference is that, while a human composer uses hundreds or thousands of notes in his compositions, our creator uses 10^25 (1 with 25 zeros after it) particles. A biological system with DNA, protiens, buffers and hydrocarbons all interacting to do something amazing like turn sunflowers to follow the sun for example, are infinitely more complex than a musical phrase.<br /><br />Now I know that many of you readers (if there are in fact many readers of this blog) did not revel in the beauty of what I was talking about in those last two paragraphs. That means you are a normal person. Normal people do not love music for the technicalities of individual notes or chords, they love it for the entire song. Only musical theory geeks love the notes and the key signatures, just like people who study physics love the quantum mechanics and chemistry that governs the basic elements of creation.<br /><br />The real beauty that everyone can appreciate is in the music and the song as a whole. The real beauty that can be universally appreciated in creation is the personal stories that God writes. I think that God works personally in every person's life, and he uses this creation that he has composed so brilliantly to teach them about himself (<a href="http://read.ly/Rom1.20.NIV">Romans 1:20</a>), so, using his already beautiful chords and phrases, he writes symphonic movements in everyone's life. Each of these movements is filled with expressions of his love.<br /><br />The symphony of God's love is the whole of creation and history, and its parts come together beautifully. He wrote the story of Israel as a microcosm of the human experience (credit John Piper) to show how much humans fail at being good. He made the stars and galaxies so vast that we can barely comprehend them and can see his power, and he defined the physical laws for the universe so that physicists would be dumbfounded by their complex and simple elegance. He made the planet earth special to provide for his composition of life, and envisioned DNA to store all of the information needed for a human to spontaneously grow inside a mother's womb.<br /><br />The conflict and rising action in this symphony is man's rejection of God. From Adam to Noah's contemporaries, to Israel, people have rejected him. We deserve no good and kindness from him. Yet the climax of the symphony comes as a stunning surprise. In the central act of God's love, he sent his son into creation. His son, though human, could compose parts of the symphony of nature and history. He was born impossibly from a virgin; he changed molecules of water into the alcohol of wine; and he gave life to dead bodies. And then this composer sacrificed himself to be punished by death for our transgressions, so that we, undeserving scum, can taste a relationship with him. The resolution of the symphony has yet to come, but the composer has told us that he will one day come to punish the wicked and give joy to those who know him. The timpani of the stars are rolling in anticipation of this finish. It is going to be epic, and those who are listening are excited.<br /><br />This is the most beautiful song ever written. In the words of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LbMxs3HDOs">Switchfoot</a>, it is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LbMxs3HDOs">all around us and running through us</a>. In some ways, the meaning of life is simply to hear it.<br /><br />Now that I have gone on about this for a while, I will get to the picture above. It is a picture of hurricane Earl taken from the international space station. It certainly displays an epic part of the symphony. But what I want to point out is the audacity of some common Christian beliefs. I say, and I hear other Christians often say, things like "That was a hard thing and it stressed me out, but God did it to teach me something." Does God really orchestrate entire movements in his symphony - hurricanes (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S99SGfStdKI">figurative</a>, and sometimes even literal) - just to teach someone a lesson? Has he really arranged the components of the universe from the beginning just to humble you? That is an extremely audacious thing to believe - that he would make all this happen for one simple human who might even reject him. If we just sit down and consider the epicness of that thought for a minute - that God created galaxies hundreds of lightyears across and atoms less than a nanometer in size all to show us his love, can we still believe it?<br /><br />I do, and it makes me love my creator more every day.<br /><br />An ancient king of Israel did, and he wrote this (Kevin, thanks for having it tatooed on your arm, or I probably wouldn't know of it):<br /><br />The heavens declare the glory of God;<br />the skies proclaim the work of his hands.<br /><br />Day after day they pour forth speech;<br />night after night they display knowledge.<br /><br />There is no speech or language<br />where their voice is not heard.<br /><br />Their voice goes out into all the earth,<br />their words to the ends of the world.<br /><br />In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,<br />which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,<br />like a champion rejoicing to run his course.<br /><br />It rises at one end of the heavens<br />and makes its circuit to the other;<br />nothing is hidden from its heat.<br /><br />The law of the Lord is perfect,<br />reviving the soul.<br />The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,<br />making wise the simple.<br /><br />The precepts of the Lord are right,<br />giving joy to the heart.<br />The commands of the Lord are radiant,<br />giving light to the eyes.<br /><br />The fear of the Lord is pure,<br />enduring forever.<br />The ordinances of the Lord are sure<br />and altogether righteous.<br /><br />They are more precious than gold,<br />than much pure gold;<br />they are sweeter than honey,<br />than honey from the comb.<br /><br />By them is your servant warned;<br />in keeping them there is great reward.<br /><br />Who can discern his errors?<br />Forgive my hidden faults.<br /><br />Keep your servant also from willful sins;<br />may they not rule over me.<br />Then will I be blameless,<br />innocent of great transgression.<br /><br />May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart<br />be pleasing in your sight,<br />O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.<br /><br />- Psalm 19Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-23489095707787799642010-08-28T15:50:00.000-07:002010-08-29T12:50:19.963-07:00simple answers<span style="font-weight: bold;">The ways in which the universe works are not obvious. The things we think about rarely have simple thinkable answers.<br /><br /></span>When we talk about the issues that are important in our lives, it seems like we <span>work under the assumption that there is a simple answer that we can work out with our minds. When we argue about whether there is a God or whether an ethical issue is wrong or right or whether something like global warming is really a problem, we think that we can prove that we are right by just stating a few facts. The fact is that people have been arguing about these issues for years. Are we really going to solve them with our limited minds?<br /><br />I have come to believe that we are not able to <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> the answers to many of these questions. Can we know for sure that there is a God (we can, of course, declare this plausible because of evidence and accept it by faith) or what He is like? Why should we believe that we can comprehend Him or the reason for His existence? One thing that I learned this summer in my modern physics class is that the universe itself is fundamentally incomprehensible.<br /><br />Any chemistry student will tell you that there are about 6.022 x 10^23 atoms in a 26 gram sample of iron, but can anyone really comprehend that number? I doubt it. Even if you say that you understand it, I would say that you cannot even come close to imagining that many of anything. There are less than 10 billion people on earth. 10 ^ 23 is ten billion times ten billion times 1000. It is impossible for the human mind to imagine this number.<br /><br />This is even a very simple example of something we cannot comprehend. At the subatomic level, nothing is really intuitively comprehensible by the human mind. the states of subatomic particles are governed by probability distributions only. We cannot define the exact position and momentum of an electron at a given moment*. Physicist Werner Heisenberg said<blockquote>"The atom of modern physics can be symbolized only through a partial differential equation in an abstract space of many dimensions. All its qualities are inferential; no material properties can be directly attributed to it. That is to say, <span style="font-weight: bold;">any picture of the atom that our imagination is able to invent is for that reason defective. An understanding of the atomic world in that primary sensuous fashion . . . is impossible.</span>"<br /></blockquote>and Richard Feynman said<br /><blockquote>"I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics. Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, 'But how can it be like that?' because you will get 'down the drain' into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that."<br /></blockquote>If we cannot understand or comprehend the most basic pieces of the universe, why should we expect to be able to understand everything else? Perhaps God did not intend for us to be able to prove Him or understand His thoughts and motives. There is so much knowledge that we do not possess; we should not presume to know so many of the answers. We can only stand in awe of the infinite greatness of the mind of God. As the apostle Paul says in Romans 11,<blockquote><p><span class="verse Rom_11_33"><strong></strong>Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!<br />How unsearchable his judgments, <br />and his paths beyond tracing out! <br /></span></p><p><span class="verse Rom_11_34"><strong></strong>“Who has known the mind of the Lord?<br />Or who has been his counselor?”<br /></span></p><p><span class="verse Rom_11_35"><strong></strong>“Who has ever given to God,<br />that God should repay him?”<br /></span></p><span class="verse Rom_11_36"><strong></strong>For from him and through him and to him are all things.<br />To him be the glory forever! Amen. </span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />*This doesn't simply mean that we don't have accurate enough means to measure the position and momentum of an electron, it is a statement about the very fundamental nature of an electron. Even if we were the size of an electron we wouldn't "see" a ball flying through space - we cannot even imagine what we would see.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><div style="clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;">Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2</div>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-48013244268337301582010-08-28T15:24:00.000-07:002010-08-28T15:46:12.605-07:00foresight<span style="font-weight: bold;">A man rarely has all of the guidance that he needs to make a decision beforehand, but a wise man still decides without worry.<br /><br /></span>Earlier in my life, decisions were really troubling for me because I don't have all the information that I would like to have before making them. "How will it turn out if I go this way?" and "What will I feel like if that does not work out?" are the kind of things I would <span>ask myself. Of course I can't know these things, so I must make a decision without knowing these answers.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />In a graduation address at Stanford, Steve Jobs (Apple computer founder) said "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something</span></span>: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." He is right that you do have to pursue a path and trust in something. As Christians, we have something to trust in that is far more trustworthy than the things he mentioned. We can trust that the Creator of the Universe is going to use our lives for His Glory. So should we not be totally confident in our decisions? That is one thing that I have seen clearly in my life. Even when I have not known what decision to make, or even made the wrong decision, I have been put in the place where I need to be, so now I don't worry (as much) about those things.<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-size: 14pt;"></span></span>Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-59818772777932066922010-08-17T14:10:00.001-07:002010-08-23T22:57:18.321-07:00artificial barriers<span style="font-weight: bold;">A wise man only considers the the truly relevant facts when he makes a decision.</span><br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Don't let artificial barriers get in the way</span>." This is something my dad always told me. What are artificial barriers? Its anything that your mind or the culture, or any other entity puts in the way of the right decision that is not really important. Things like "I can't marry the girl I love because we're still in college" or "I can't get accepted into that research program because I won't get the application in on time" or "I can't exercise because I don't have enough time" could all be examples. Your mind can put artificial barriers in the way when you are uncomfortable with something, and others can put artificial pressure on you when they are not comfortable with it. If you want to do great things with your life, you need to push these things aside and be radical in making the best choices based on truly relevant facts. If you are late in getting that research program application in, petition the people in charge anyways. If you are passionate, they might let the deadline slide. If you know that you want to marry someone, but you're still in college, don't let <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> cultural norms stop you; it has worked many times before. If you have a good plan, don't let artificial barriers stop you. You can always come up with a reason not to do something, but wise people only consider what is truly important.Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467936464758793693.post-46759294100363217862010-08-17T12:49:00.000-07:002010-08-28T14:53:24.017-07:00supporting ideas<span style="font-weight: bold;">If an idea lines up with the ultimate conclusion a man <span style="font-style: italic;">wants</span> to reach, he will believe it even if there is little real evidence that it is right.</span><br /><br />The other day, a friend and I were going mountain biking at a trail that we knew probably had rattlesnakes. The best time for us to fit it into our schedules was at about 4pm. We reasoned that the rattlesnakes would probably go back into their holes around this time, so it would be a safe time for us to go. Did we have any real evidence to lead us to believe that rattlesnakes really do go back into their holes at 4? No. Did we want this to be the case? yes.<br /><br />One issue where I think that this principle can be seen over and over again is with regard to global warming. I don't know for sure if global warming really is a problem (I think that it probably is), but on both sides people grab onto any data that seems to support their conclusions, even if it is barely valid and not conclusive. The argument has devolved from considerations of facts leading to conclusions to a battle between people with entrenched conclusions selecting data to try to support themselves.Zachary Sunberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11135191602362477671noreply@blogger.com0