Dystopian Paradise

I attended Gary Hoover’s presentation on the “History of Retail” last night and there was one thought he expressed that really jumped out at me. He said something to the effect of

“There are no new ideas anymore, only new combinations of existing thoughts.”

His examples were rooted in the retail world for this presentation, looking at how Sears, JC Penneys, and so many others had built on the backs of giants by doing what was in affect a social experiment.

“What would happen if we allowed shoppers to come in and look around, with no recourse if they didn’t purchase anything today?” “Could we sell just a few items, at a low margin, in small one-man stores and be profitable?” “What if we included public restrooms in our stores?”

These are just a few of the types of thoughts some of the titans of 20th century industry had along the way. So, I’ve been mulling that over in my head since last night and it occurred to me that in programming there’s a strong correlation. There are very rarely new ideas for how to create software, only the application of existing principles in new combinations.

So now it’s got me thinking…where else does this theory apply?

Sometimes all this distance between us and family is alright. Although we hate that our kiddos won’t see their grandparents as much, it does buffer us somewhat from all of the daily ins and outs of all our family members’ lives. The drive home can be a real bear of course and we can always sympathize folks making the drive down here, but the distance gives Kassy and I a chance to reconnect that we rarely get.

Tonight is one of those nights where I hate the distance between us and family. We had a family tragedy tonight, but being 11 hours away I feel so powerless. Please lift up a thought for my father’s family tonight as they deal with this. I know I will be.

Just saw Michael Moore’s new film “Capitalism: A Love Story” and he raised an interesting question. Is supporting capitalism a sin?

Should Christians support a different economic system that provides more social support or is that the Church’s responsibility exclusively?

Ultimately the film raised some great points around whether our current system of government is controlled more by the votes of the citizens or the dollars of big business.

I don’t purport to have answers to any of these questions, but I really enjoyed thinking and talking about them with some friends the other night and thought I’d share them.

Wow, it’s been a year since I posted anything. Let’s see in that time Kaden has turned two, started talking like mad, continued to develop a fanatical obsession with baseball, and grown up so much. Now Jace has arrived (he’s 11 days old today), and we’re starting over on this parenting thing in some regards. Being a parent to two is quite a bit more tricky than I think either of us realized, and so there’s been a lot of soul searching, and praying going on here around how we handle all this.

There’s always been alot of prayer in our household when it comes baby time, as there’s so much you can worry about, and if you get to offload all of those cares on someone so much bigger than ourselves, that’s a beautiful thing.

I head back to work next Monday, which I’m apprehensive about, but overall, I think we’re in pretty good shape. There’s definitely a few more things I wish were caught up inside the house, but I think Kassy’s in pretty good shape to do this on her own. I’m sure my schedule will change, but I think we have a handle on what we want to try first, and we’ll figure it out as we go, just like we did with Kaden. The good news is that Jace has been a champion sleeper. generally sleeping in three hour stretches, and even one night sleeping six hours (something we’re still a bit unsure about).

All in all, I’m glad to be back. I was interested in participating in NaNoWriMo this year, but with the new baby, there’s just no way that’s going to happen, but I’ll do my best to pick back up on the blogging.

Flying to Pittsburgh for a short work trip and there’s a lot of time for reflection once I run out of “The Office” and “Scrubs”. I’m wondering how on the earth you balance 40+ hours a week at a job, cooking, exercising, time with the spouse, time with the little man, and the 100 other things that come up in the course of a week.

You know, I’ve been doing this for five years now and it actually seems like it’s getting harder, when my brain tells me it should be the other way around. Sure things are always changing, but it just feels a bit like I’m headed for a dead end eventually. Not that it’s any too soon, but only a crazy person would continue to drive the boat straight onto the rocks once they’ve seen the lighthouse.

The problem eight now is I don’t seem to know the direction to turn. I know and I trust that God is in control, but I haven’t been actively seeking his will lately and it has left me aimless and drifting, just as I knew it would. The trouble is that the only thing I can find that I can cut from my day is sleep and working out. Two things I really need to sustain my body.

But I think I may have found a way to balance by life a little better. I’ll blog about that soon.

This post is more introspective than usual. Feel free to skim or skip.

Ever since we moved here 5 years ago Kassy and I have been looking for a small group of friends we could connect with on a regular basis. A group that would hold us accountable to living this Christian life, encourage us in times of doubt or struggle, and celebrate with us as we pass over the mountains. We’ve been a part of 3 groups properly, and each one has had it’s ups and downs.

We’re in between groups again now and trying to decide what God has in store for us in these next few months or years. The difficult decision right now is whether God wants us in a group together with Kaden or apart and each taking their turn watching him for an evening. I don’t have a good answer for this question, but it does bring up another question that I’d live to hear your thoughts on.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of being in a group together?

One of the biggest benefits I see of being in a group together is that we are growing to know more about God and eachother’s spirituality at the same time.

On the contrary it means we are keeping an eye on Kaden and so it makes it harder to get the most out of each study.

The other thing is that I feel we are both more open when the group is divided into only males or females.

I would love to have the one-on-one time with Kaden, but would hate to not see much of Kassy an additional might of the week.

As you can see this isn’t an east decision but we’ve decided to spend some more time in prayer seeking God’s voice and looking for opportunities where He is at work around us. I know the answer will come soon.

Let me know the things that have weighed on you when making similar decisions.

This is in response to a friends blog post (http://joshriebock.com/blog/?p=10) on the role of the Church in our lives, and whether or not that need is being met.

It’s funny…I’m on the bubble right now on this. I’m not about to leave my church by any means, but I’m struggling with my role in one of the myriad subsets of our church’s community. You see, I attend a larger church than I did growing up, and so at this church there are many subcultures. You know the 20somethings, the children’s ministry teams, etc. I straddle the border between a couple different groups and sit on the periphery of others and I wonder if that’s where I’m supposed to be.

All of these subgroups have a variant on the overall culture of our church. But, and this is important, they’re open, honest, & relevant. They are important to me, and I know this, deep down. I’m just searching for my niche. I’m searching for the core (small) group that will know me…the real me.

I think I’m beginning to find it thanks to the great folks around me, most importantly my incredible wife, Kassy. So thanks ya’ll, and stay tuned. I have a feeling it’s about to get exciting!

Something I haven’t told too many people, but for some reason feel compelled to mention today, is that I suffer from a anxiety induced disorder called Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I won’t bore you with the symptoms, or the myriad of things on my mind that cause the anxiety. No, this breath is about finding a way to relax, even in the middle of a storm. It seems I’m presently being strongly urged to find a way to relax.

A few weeks ago the youth minister, a good friend of mine, challenged each of the volunteers in the ministry to choose an area to grow in. He provided a short list of areas that will be important for new volunteers to study as they begin to commit their lives and time to the ministry. After a quick perusal of the list I noticed one set of coursework titled, “Establishing Boundaries and Avoiding Burnout.” That sounded very intriguing, especially as I have often felt overwhelmed by the myriad of things needing to get done in the ministry. Hint #1.

Kassy & I started Bradley classes this week, and as one of our homework elements we’re supposed to spend 10 minutes relaxing each day alone, and another 10 minutes practicing relaxation techniques together. Obviously, this would ideally help with labor and delivery, but it’s really just a good idea anyway. It’s entirely too easy for us to develop a routine of busy-ness that leaves no time to unwind. Hint #2.

Tonight I read this article about relaxing the body, heart, mind, and soul.

Physical rest
I’ll admit I do a pretty good job of relaxing my body. Possibly too many nights when I get home I do my best to have some time with my feet up, and nothing to do, much to the neglect of housework or time with Kassy that may be needed. I’m very picky about getting my eight hours sleep each night, and thankfully my job is flexible enough to allow this.
Heart rest
Since coming to Austin, I have spent quite a bit of time missing the quality of friendships I had when I was in college. If not for Kassy, it would have been nearly impossible to stay this far from friends and family, but I have not allowed my heart to relax in the faith that God will provide the things I need, the people I need, to sustain my heart. Jesus was very clear that we can lean on him when we feel beat down (Matthew 11:28), and trying to develop deep, core friendships can very much beat you down.

Soul rest
I know that God calls us to simply “be still, and know Him,” but I can’t think of the last time I actually spent even just a few minutes doing that. The author describe soul rest as relaxing in the belief that God will be there for each of the details of our lives, and in my mind that leads directly into mind rest.
Mind rest
Mind rest is probably one of the areas I fall most short. I rarely let my mind relax from the details of life, love, career, home ownership, service, and the other multitude of responsibilities. I spend more time listing out the details of those areas to keep them under my control, instead of relaxing in the trust that God will keep my mind at peace when I am fixed on him (Isaiah 26:3).

Slashdot is covering an article on a judge in Georgia who ruled that the following statement on a sticker, placed in the front of Biology books was “unconstitutional”: This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.”

Few things wrong with this whole bit:

1. Evolution of man (not the type where moths turn black, and then white to match their surroundings), is just what the sticker says: a theory. There is no arguing with that, it cannot be proven to be true, therefore it is posited that man must have evolved from a lower being.
2. The statement makes no direct claims for any of the other theories on the existence of man, namely the most widely accepted “intelligent design”, or creationism. The judge argued that, “[by] denigrating evolution, the school board appears to be endorsing the well-known prevailing alternative theory, creationism or variations thereof, even though the sticker does not specifically reference any alternative theories.” This is hilarious to me, we have introduced religion into schools by encouraging students to think critically. (Watch out College English, you’re next! You and your reading of Beowulf! Damnit, don’t make me think!)
3. The desire of six parents and the ACLU to have this sticker loaded with “religious dogma” has trumped the free speech demands of 2000 parents interested in reminding children to think critically about something, and consider other sources (potentially those unaffilliated with the government) for more information on the theory of evolution.

<soapbox>I’m having to try very hard not to get into a big, hairy discussion on how this really reinforces the State mandated teaching of the religion of atheism. I’ll be good this time. </soapbox>

Now, I’m sure since this was a lawsuit that someone won…I’m just not sure who.

I’m feeling a bit disjointed tonight, so I thought I’d just do a brain dump of things on my mind. This post probably won’t have much in the way of continuity so feel free to skip it if you’d rather.

The holidays are over entirely too soon. What with all of the big dealines at work in early 2005 it was difficult to really enjoy any of the time leading up to them, although the 10 days off sure was nice. Time with family was great, I always miss them so much when we come back home. Anyway, I’m back now and I’ll try to do this more often.

On a somewhat related note, I got a foosball table for Christmas ( and my birthday combined). Kassy & I are really enjoying it. I’d say we play it every other day or so.

Finally, Kassy & I have started a workout regimen at the fitness center where I work. I’m mostly doing cardio & a little bit of upper body strength training. She’s working on cardio as well but mostly lower body toning. It’s a lot of fun, more fun that I realized it would be. I’m especially enjoying my time on the recumbent bike. It’s a great escape from everything, and allows me to spend some quality time reading a book. You know the one’s with paper and ink and what not. I’m 3/4 the way through “Mere Christianity” and I’ll probably post a book review when I finish it, but just a teaser: It’s a must read for any Christian, although a little philosophical at times it is definitely an essential book.