Exhibition

It's been quite the week. Starting tomorrow I gain full control of the instrument used in the lab for taking measurements of superconductors. The next three weeks the room and machine is all mine to use to take as many measurements of samples that I possibly want to. It'll be nice, cause that way I'll be able to start writing my paper and moving towards getting everything finished up. Nice.

I'm surprised to say that none of the answers that were given for the last riddle are actually correct, although I did laugh quite hard at Philip's answer, cause I guess it could be right in some sense. But still no correct answer. I'll leave it alone for another few days. Another new one for today, quite interesting. It's a bit of reading, but a good one. A Poem of Biblical Proportions:

Adam, God made out of dust
But thought it best to make me first,
So I was made before man
To answer God's most Holy plan.
A living being I became
And Adam gave to me my name.
I from his presence then withdrew
And more of Adam never knew.
I did my Maker's law obey
Nor ever went from it astray.
Thousands of miles I go in fear
But seldom on earth appear.
For purpose wise God did see,
He put a living soul in me.
A soul from me God did claim
And took from me the soul again.
So when from me the soul had fled
I was the same as when first made.
And without hands, or feet, or soul,
I travel on from pole to pole.
I labor hard by day, by night
To fallen man I give great light.
Thousands of people, young and old
Will by my death great light behold.
No right or wrong can I conceive
The scripture I cannot believe.
Although my name therein is found
They are to me an empty sound.
No feat of death doth trouble me
Real happiness I'll never see.
To Heaven I shall never go
Or to Hell below.
Now when these lines you slowly read,
Go search your Bible with all speed
For that my name is written there
I do honestly to you declare.

We've also had a couple of scrimmages for the middle school team that I coach. We played on Monday against the Oak Ridge middle schools and their team, and kinda got owned. It was impressive, because in all my years playing in Oak Ridge, there was never a tall person on any of our teams. This middle school team had 5 or 6 players that were fairly close to my height. Kinda scary since they are only in 7th or 8th grade. Our team started brightly, and even scored the first goal, but then they just kinda gave up on stuff and got run over. The main problem is that they don't seem to get the idea of man marking. Myself and the other coaches spent the entire scrimmage yelling at people to mark up and they couldn't seem to get the idea of getting on a man and staying with them. I don't know how to impress that idea on them any better. We even pulled the entire defensive back four and told them that they needed to figure it out, sent them back in 10 mins later, and they still couldn't do it. Hopefully tomorrow's scrimmage will go better. We'll just have to wait and see.

I guess I don't particularly have any good stories at the moment. I should have some better ones after the weekend that will be spent in SC in Charleston. I'm looking forward to it. Speaking of which, I need to give Josh a call back...

Real Men Of Genius

I recently discovered one of the catchiest tunes that I've heard in quite a while by the band Relient K. They've been around for a number of years, but I've never really listened to anything by them. They put out a new album this past week, so after reading a review of it, I decided to give it a listen on Rhapsody. The album as a whole is pretty good, but the one song which does happen to be their lead single is pretty infectious. The title is "Must Have Done Something Right", and it just kinda jumps in to your head and stays there. Head here to see the video and hear the song: http://music.yahoo.com/ar-297583-videos--Relient-K. After just now watching it, it even has soccer involved. What more could you ask for?

Congrats to Lauren on correctly deducing the answer to yesterday's riddle. I wouldn't say correctly guessing, because since it's supposed to be a logical answer, there is no guessing involved. It's like those Sudoku puzzles that everyone works now. You can't guess on it, get it right, and claim to be good at them. Everything has a logical reasoning for why it works. Random ramblings. Today's brian teaser is a good one...or at least I think so. Here it is, entitled Hunting:

Everything that you catch, you throw away, but everything you don't catch, you keep. What are you hunting?

Do you remember the Bud Light commercials that ran some years ago highlighting those "true American geniuses"? They were 60 second spots essentially mocking some of cultures weirdest types of men, or "glorifying" jobs that many wouldn't think twice about. I had a friend of mine from church that played a few on a trip to his parents house, and it got me to thinking about how many I had heard, and that number turned out to be quite low. So I went hunting and found a whole slew of them...I hadn't realized that they'd made that many. Some of them are throw-a-ways, but there are a couple of them that are true gems. Of the many that I found, my favorites would have to be Mr. Used Car Lot Auto Salesman, Mr. 80 SPF Sunblock Wearer, Mr. Restroom Toilet Paper Refiller, Mr. Foot Long Hot Dog Maker, and Mr. Outside the Stadium Peanut Seller. I would put up a transcript of sorts to them...but I'd get in trouble. They are quite amusing though, with the awful background singing, and the pitch-perfect dead-pan delivery from the speaker. If you heard them, you'd remember.

I bring this up, because today I discovered that I might in fact be able to catch some Euro 2008 qualifying games live, on tv, for free. Quite the discovery. My brother alerted me to these programs called TVU player and TVAnt which are free programs that stream tv over the internet. And I happened across a site today that hosts different soccer games from around the world, including these qualifying games that are playing tomorrow. So perhaps, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get it to work and maybe watch Germany vs. Czech Republic or England vs. Israel or something. It should be an exciting day. Real men of genius indeed.

Reset

Contrary to the post that Paul put up, Mandi didn't try to hit me with a truck, and a girl didn't try and hit on me at T-Bell. I actually don't think that I've been to a T-Bell in about 6 months...Mandi is home, however, so I guess she would be able to hit me with a truck if she so desired. And even though she's home, she decided to leave me again, and went this weekend to Harding to see some of her friends. That got me to thinking about how many people I know that are still at Harding, and sadly the list is quickly shrinking. I couldn't hardly name anyone that I would actually want to see when I was out there outside of the remaning few that are still on Apocalypse for this semester. Oh well...it has been two years since I graduated, I guess it shouldn't be that surprising. Also, unfortunately the video from last time was taken down due to copy-right stuff, which is unfortunate, cause it was painfully funny to watch.

The soccer coaching front has actually been surprisingly fun. For the most part, the kids are all pretty cool. There are the usual couple that are problems, and there is one that just completely annoys the heck out of me. Everything that I or the other coaches say is met with a sarcastic comment, he does everything half-heartedly (if even that), and is generally disruptive and uninspired in terms of his work ethic. I really don't know what to do about it. It's not like every time we say something, that we can repeat it over and over again because he feels the need to open his mouth and make comments on everything, most of the time in a disrespective way. And it's not like we sit there and beat him down, we try to be encouraging, but when it detracts from everyone else's experience...I'm just not sure how to treat it sometimes. I don't quite know the home situation, but I don't gather that it's all that great, and from his lack of respect for pretty much any adult that I've seen, I don't think he's had a lot of discipline either.

I'll be heading out to SC this next weekend to hang out with Josh Murphy and co. on the boat that he purchased last year. It should be quite the exciting weekend, and it'll be nice to get away from here for a little bit so I think I've not really been anywhere outside of Knoxville since Mandi graduated. I also get to teach the last of my lab sessions in the next couple weeks which is spectacular.

On the master's front, I get the whole lab to myself starting next week for about 3 weeks. My supervisor is married to a woman from China, and they are going to visit her parents. So I've been frantically learning everything the machine that I didn't already know in order to operate it entirely on my own. It's kinda scary, cause other than my supervisor, nobody else in there really knows how to work the machine. So if I get stuck in the next few weeks...big trouble. But I've been starting, stopping, putting together, tearing apart, pretty much anything and everything related to this machine, so I know everything that I need to know. I'll just have to go over a few more things tomorrow and figure out exactly what I should be measuring in the coming weeks. And then it's time to start writing. A lot.

On the TV front, Luke Dockery, this is for you. There is some US Soccer this coming week on Sunday and Wednesday. Nothing really all that spectacular, but it's soccer. This week are international dates so that the European teams can have their qualifying round play for Euro 2008. I wish I could see some of those games...but since we're in the closed-off US, they won't show anything good like that. There's not enough time when there's so much basketball, football re-runs, and world's strongest man competition crap to show.

And of course, the riddle of the day (or in this case, week). This one is called Plain White.

I constantly collide into all the others,
The only one of 16 without colors.
Associated with English and banking and breaking,
The answer is right there for the taking.

MXC Painful Elimination

Since it's been kind of a slow week, I've been able to catch quite a bit of MXC recently. This could quite possibly be one of the most painful eliminations I've seen. It definitely rivals some of those on the sinkers and floaters games. Prepare to feel pain.

Perspectives

First of all, I would like to offer an apology. Mandi informed me of the wrong in my statement on Paul's blog regarding "that girl" from his freshman year. I was stretching for humor and an argument where I didn't have one. Mandi did point out that there were countless other arguments that I could have used (many of which were quite funny), but since I was unable to come up with those and instead attacked something of which this girl had no control, I unfortunately was found wanting. So, here is my apology for my poor judgment.

Second, I can't tell if anyone even tried guessing at the riddle I posed the last time I posted. I guess after going on about the clapping thing...at any rate, a hint is that you should be thinking of a word, and that the word is a number. It's quite clever in my opinion. Once you've gotten that one, you can move on to this one. It's entitled "Odd Two Out Too". I'll warn you, my guesses were not correct, so apparently my reasoning was off. Here we go:

You have to find the odd ones out in the groups of words. BUT WAIT! There's a catch. Each group of words has TWO words which do not belong. Can you find them both?

EXAMPLE: Lily - Jane - Tulip - Rose
Jane does not belong as it's the only one which is not a flower. Tulip also does not belong because it's the only one which is not a girl's name (although I guess someone could name their (poor) child Tulip...). You're on you own for the rest!

1. Dodge - Ford - Lincoln - Hoover
2. King - Earl - Knight - Bishop
3. Yellow - Green - Dead - Black

You know, it is funny how so many things can be viewed from the same place, and yet be seen so very differently. All you have to do is talk to a group of people who viewed any type of spectacular event, and you'll get just as many stories about what really happened. Being a soccer person, a sporting event that holds as a fair example is in regards to the 1966 World Cup Final. The final was contested between England and West Germany, and had gone in to extra time tied 2 to 2. The English went forward, and off of a corner kick, the player controls the ball, turns, and fires on goal. It bounces off the underside of the bar almost straight down towards the goal line, then back in to the field of play where it is cleared out of bounds. For those of you that don't know soccer, a goal is scored only when the entire ball crosses the entire line. The near-side linesman gave that it was in fact a goal, and the English went on to win 4-2 for their only World Cup triumph. If you watch the replay of that goal, it is hard to say whether the ball crossed the line. I've watched it a number of times throughout the past years, and even my vote goes back and forth. Sometimes it looks like it's over the line. Other times, it doesn't look like it crossed. People still debate whether a goal should have been given, and however many people that could fit in to that stadium all have their own opinion.

Opinion is always given based on perspective, at least as far as I can tell. Opinion isn't truth, it's simply what someone believes to be true based on their knowledge. If you continue with the above example, the opinion of someone sitting on the opposite side of the field shouldn't be given anywhere near as much weight as someone sitting right on the goal line. Why? The person on the goal-line obviously had a better perspective of what happened and would be a better judge to say what did or did not happen in relation to the rules. If you want to know people's opinions on how well a particular car drives, you don't go to a 4 year old and ask him which car he likes best. If you want to know what type of individual Jesus is, you don't go and ask your best friend and take only his/her story.

The gospels are our best information to what happened during the lifetime of Jesus. They are given to us from the 4 different perspectives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They present a broad portrait of Jesus, what he did, and why he did it. They were given to us so that we might come to know him better. We can't take our parents/friends/preachers relationship with Christ and call it our own. It's got to be personal. It's got to be from our perspective.

Clap Your Hands

You know, there are just some things about church that just boggle my mind. Take, for instance, what happened tonight, and has happened a few other times in the previous weeks. On Wednesday nights, before they dismiss the children for class, the song leader will pick a "kids" song, and have any of the kids (usually under the 2nd or 3rd grade) that want to come up to the front and "lead" the song. It really is a pretty cool thing, and it's always fun watching the kids sing, look clueless, or stand there staring at that interesting bright light coming from the projector. Now, as many of you know, a lot of children's songs involve clapping. Sadly, I cannot name one right at the moment. But, given the relatively conservative side that dominates most of the Knoxville area, I found it utterly amazing that a majority of the people, not just the kinds mind you, a majority of the people, clapped along with them. The song ends, the kids leave, and the next song on the list is a praise song that usually has clapping associated with it. A friend of mine clapped quietly to himself during this song, and was later told after church that this particular person (who had engaged in the clapping during the children's singing) didn't find it appropriate for someone to be clapping during service. So, it's OK to clap while there are kids in the room up front singing a children's song, but not alright when it's just adults? Does this mean that, to them, it's not really part of the worship when the kids are up front? I guess since it's not a 50 something man only up front, it must be something separate from the usual church service, and so therefore the "rules" don't really apply? I'm completely confused by this person's rationale.

If there is one thing about church the institution that I cannot stand it is this mindset that only what I think and believe is right, and everyone should conform to me. If I'm comfortable with it, then it's alright, but if anyone does something that makes me uncomfortable in the least, they are obviously in the wrong. I mean, I go by what my parents believed, so it's as good as the Bible, right? Give me a break. So many people are so caught up in their traditions, they don't even know why things are done. It's just the norm. It's what they've always done. It must be what should be done. I mean, Ephesians 7:3 says, "Thou shalt not clap your hands while in the church building"...doesn't it? A friend of mine made the point that if we're supposed to "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord..." (Ephesians 5:19) then when we sing there actually shouldn't be sound coming out at all, because it should be in our heart only. He said it completely in jest, but the point is well taken. Those people that think they're the defenders of the Bible and that they know all usually know all that they want to know, and not what it really says. They take it to mean what they're predisposed to want it to mean. It's not that I'm not guilty of that, but I certainly hope that I don't take my incomplete knowledge and force it on someone else telling them it's the truth and that they're in the wrong for believing otherwise. Everyone's knowledge is incomplete, and it's our responsibility to study on our own and with others to gain a better understanding.

Granted, there are things that are right and wrong. If someone came up to me and said that Jesus is not in fact the Son of God, that he didn't die for our sins, and that he isn't resurrected and sitting at the right hand of God, I would have issue with that. That is a central belief of mine that all of those are in fact true, and the Bible says as much, taking 4 entire books (and of course many others) to explain who Jesus was in detail in his life. If you believe the Bible, you believe the Gospel's and what was said in them. You believe what you read in the Old Testament about God's love for his people, and his anger at their wrong-doings. You believe the miracles that occurred, the stories that are told, and the people that are described. Of course, the interpretation of how these events came about is what will differ from person to person, but the underlying stories are truth.

You can't simply believe the parts you want and exclude the parts that you don't think are possible. You can't believe David's story of killing Goliath, but assume that the flood and Noah is simply a myth illustrating a point when both are presented as actual events. I guess that you could, in theory, make a case that David's story is also simply a myth for a great leader that the people admired. You just can't pick and choose though. The Bible as a whole is God's word to us and how we are to know Him. If you say that parts of it are not true or that you won't believe them as truth, you discount the entire Bible, not just those areas. So when the Bible says, "instruments in worship will condemn you to eternal suffering" you should believe it. Oh wait, it doesn't say anything like that. Some people would have you believe it though. What about people picking and choosing what they want to accept as truth, but discounting those things that they don't think applies to their culture? I don't think God in his wisdom had the Bible written by so many different people so that we could come along thousands of years later and say, well, I like this section, but these few chapters don't sit right with me, so we'll skip those. This verse works well with me, but this next verse obviously cannot apply to me. We can't pick and choose. What it does say is that if something you are doing can cause someone else to stumble in their journey, then you should avoid that in order to help your brother. The church as an institution is about loving each other, helping each other, and bringing each individual closer in their relationship with God. It's not about fighting, bickering, and complaining about tradition that people think is as good as law. And the people that take things that way are missing out on what the church really should be about.

Congrats to those that correctly answered the riddle from yesterday. Given Philip's comments...I guess there could be more than one answer, although I hadn't exactly thought of it that way. Count on a Murphy for that thought pattern though. I'll admit, I laughed after I read his comment and re-read the riddle. Now I know where Paul got his sense of humor from. On to today's riddle, entitled Decapitation. I found this one to be quite clever. Good luck.

Decapitate me and all becomes equal. Then truncate me and I become second. Cut me front and back and I become two less than I started. What am I?

Winds of Change

Well done to those that answered the riddle posed from yesterday. It is true that a year is in fact shorter than a day on Venus. So go for the year and make $2 million. If you're looking for a direct deposit on your prize money, just send me your bank account number and I'll deposit it for you.

Tonight's new riddle is called "The Pope Has It". Here it is: The Pope has it but he does not use it. Your father has it but your mother uses it. Nuns do not need it. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one, Michael J. Fox's is quite small. What is it?

One of the things that I enjoy doing from time to time is what I guess I'll term "Bible Hunting". Now, this isn't me going around trying to see where I can find bibles, but rather, taking something and seeing what I can find in the bible that relates to it. Being the fan of music that I am (I'm listening to some right at this moment as I type this), I like to take some of the Christian bands that I frequently listen to, take some of their lyrics, and see if I can find any of them within the bible. Some of them help me out and give the references for where they got the inspiration for certain songs. Others do not. Tonight I felt like doing some bible hunting.

I pulled a band that is extremely impressive in terms of taking something directly from the bible and incorporating it in to a song that they write. The song that they wrote they titled "Dive" and referenced Isaiah 40:31 which says, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint". If you look to the rest of that particular chapter, it is essentially God telling his people not to worry because He is there for them and looking out for them. It tells of how God is in control over everything, and that there is nothing that is able to overcome the Him. It really is powerful reassurance.

The song, for me, that came to mind when I read that verse, however, is a completely different one, which is where the title of this post comes from. The group is Kutless. Here are the lyrics:

Can you feel the pains in life?
Wrapped Around you like they're chains
Restricting all your dreams
Do you wonder if there is a way?
A way to set you free, set you free

Chorus:
So tell me all your dreams
Tell me all your fears and what you're longing for the most
It's not another way that'll end up the same
For it's under my control

Do you feel the winds of change?
Soon this weight will fall away
And take you to a place
Only found through these winds of change
A breeze that's new and free, new and free

I'll be the one who you can cry to
The one who will give you wings
I will give wings, someday we'll sail away
Mounted up on wings like eagles
We will run and will not fade away

Given my relatively young age, verses like the one preceding the one I quoted, which states that youths grow weary and young men stumble and fall, is a good reminder to me that, regardless of how I might feel on any particular day, I can not survive all of life's trials on my own. Everyone, at some point in their lives, will have times when they will need more than their own abilities and strengths to get by. And regardless of the situation that you encounter here on Earth, everyone can know that God is there for them. "He will not grow tired or weary...He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak" is what we're told in verses 28 and 29. And if one cannot take comfort knowing that God will empower us whenever we are weak or weary, then we are missing part of the nature of God, as well as misunderstanding the nature of being weak.

Physical weakness, while easily understood and recognized, does not (usually) bring one to the point of realizing that more than just the individual is needed to succeed. Spiritual brokenness brings true understanding of what God is seeking in us each and every day, and this is what will bring us into a better relationship with Him. If we can realize that we cannot succeed on our own and that we desperately need God to get us through, he will be there in an instant, since all we need to do is ask for help. God has the power to bring that second wind, to give that extra energy, to be the one urging us on. And no matter how much He has to help, and no matter how many times he has to help us pick ourselves up, He will never grow tired or weary. Once that recognition occurs, things can only get better. The winds will indeed change, and we will soar like eagles.