word verification

lately, i've become upset with word verification features on websites.  i am primarily upset because it is never actually words i'm being asked to type.  it is generally a hodgepodge of letters, typically including the letters q,z & x- my achilles heels of typing.  to add to the confusion, they are wavy or camouflaged in a way that makes me wonder what they want from me.  there are times when they will add in numbers, only adding to the confusion.   is this a 0 or an o (zero or the letter o)?  

all i'm asking for is actual words, like cat or dog.  those i can type.

USA!!?

being the 4th of july, my eyes, along with the eyes of a nation, were fixed upon the ever-growing arena of competitive eating. the nathan's hot dog eating competition has become as tied to the 4th as fireworks and has become, arguably, even more american than apple pie (something that seems curiously european to me).

eating in such excess seems like such an odd thing to televise. this is one event my german friend would point to as "typically american." in response to such accusations i would quote a random man from many 4th's ago: you'd better believe it.

competitive eating does seem to be a product of american excess. it does seem a bit unnecessary and a bit wasteful, perhaps a product of a country where bigger is better (even technology that is getting smaller is getting bigger in some ways- your ipod, though smaller, has more storage).

this 'american' competition has, in the last few years been dominated by takeru kobayashi, of japan- seen below with the eye of the tiger and the mouth of a messy eating infant.
thus, it is only natural for americans to rally around the first american to offer a serious challenge to the japanese champion: joey chestnut , looking as miserable as a person could possibly look... ever.last year, chestnut regained the title- albeit with an asterics beside it due to kobayashi's 'jaw issues.' this year's competition was the rematch, the rocky II, the chance to see who really was the best. it did not dissapoint. chesnut wins in overtime after they both ate 59 in regulation, eating 5 hot dogs faster than his foe in the "dog-off."

america! usa! the red, white and blue!
patriotism flowed.

yet for some reason it bugged me, as much as i was enthralled by all the drama. it feels like america is becoming less and less __________.

i just cannot put my finger on it. but it feels like we can matter a little less. saying that, i immediately realize that statement doesn't make sense. we are probably the most influential country in the world. maybe we matter in ways that really don't matter. that is why we matter less.

we send out a culture with very little depth, full of shallow celebrities and shallow thought. we send out athletes, musicians and actors that are completely detached from actual life or completely absorbed with themselves. we celebrate american patriots like joey chestnut- though he seemed like one of the few involved that realized how silly it really was. but it would be nice to see us use our influence in ways that didn't seem so fleeting.

now, i'm not trying to sound like a party-pooper. i did enjoy watching the hot dog competition. i do realize that it is supposed to be something light, that it is very tongue-in-cheek and that it takes itself seriously in an intentionally absurd way. it is supposed to be a little stupid. i get that and enjoy it.

i just feel like we are losing our depth. i fear that for the Church here too. i fear we are becoming a little more insignificant.

i hope that this isn't the case. i hope we are beginning to find our meaning in Christ rather than buildings or curriculum or anything else the Church might mistakingly make its foundation. i hope that we are actually becoming what Jesus prayed for us to be in john 17.

i know this is a strange bit of writing to tie to a hot dog competition. which is why i'll end this with a quote that makes much more sense than i did. it is from 'celebration of discipline' by richard foster. actually, it's the first paragraph.

"superficiality is the curse of our age. the doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. the desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."

we need that depth. we get it by seeking meaning and Truth. it only comes by grace, through and in Jesus.

attack

i'm not sure why i'm posting this. the only reason i can find is that it happened while i was on the computer.

i just watched a bird fly into the window of my house. i turned my head to a blueish blur coming towards the window. there was then a thump on the window and that blur fell to the ground.

after checking to see if what i assumed to be a bird was still alive, a second bird flew all around the porch. the first bird, now on the floor, only looked a little daunted and surprised.

this really freaked me out. it is still sitting there. i guess it is a little freaked out too.