Caleb's Sporadic Quiz 2:
Do you fast? Why or why not?

We had an interesting discussion at dinner tonight as to the nature of fasting. We all agreed that people fasted as a supplement to prayer (petition, mourning, and repentence). But we were trying to understand fasting and not just know when people do it. Any thoughts?

A couple of things that came up for us was that I fast for the President even though I do not completely understand why. The second was Paul mentioned both being hungry and then going without food in his list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:27. Is Paul talking about fasting as a hardship? Our initial reaction was that he wasn't because all the rest of the hardships were things done to him but fasting was something that he did to himself. But in a way that could be considered a hardship too. Here's the greek if you are interested.

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology was the best Bible dictionary online that I could find (tonight) which talked about the idea behind fasting. It says:

"The purpose of fasting is never explicitly stated in Scripture but its connection to penitence, mourning, and supplication suggests a self-denial that opens one to God and to the immaterial aspects of life. Inasmuch as food and drink typify life in the flesh and all its demands and satisfactions, their absence or rejection speaks to the reality of a higher dimension, one in which the things of the spirit predominate. The theology of fasting, then, is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of the spiritual life."

Caleb's Made From Scratch Corn Chowder
(aka I'm hungry, What's in the Fridge Soup)

1 Cup water
3 packets black pepper (from those plastic silverware packs)
1 packet salt (ditto)
1/2 packet Ramen beef flavoring
4 big dollops of sour cream (don't you love my measurements)
3/4 cup corn
1 thick slice of ham (diced)
1 large potato (cubed)
1 Hunk of stale Itallian bread (I'm being resourceful)

Pour water into rice cooker and turn the rice cooker on. Leave the lid off. Tear up the bread and put it in the water. Put in the ham early to allow for that juicy goodness to flavor the whole dish. Same thing for the corn. Take the potato, poke a bunch of holes in it with a fork and put in the microwave for seven or so minutes to get a baked potato. Cut that up into 1 inch cubes and toss it in the chowder. Clean up the splattered chowder. Put in the salt, pepper, and MSG (which I guess is optional if you have to). Oh yeah, stir. Oops. Add in the sour cream and allow to get nice and hot before you eat it. Serves one very hungry New England farmer. I'm guessing.

In Other News...
Here's a special shout out for you, Will. John Paul is going to get a Ferrari Popemobile!

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.
- Luke 7:47

Today in Chapel one of my professors talked about not being very loving because (we feel like) we have not been forgiven much. He read Luke 7:36-50 and, like my prof, I've always identified more with the self-righteous Pharisee than with the sinful woman who wept at Jesus' feet. I grew up in a great Christian home, was never especially rebellious, and always tried to live a God honoring life. But as a result, I have a hard time feeling like I've been forgiven of a lot. I know in my head that I have (I can list off plenty of sins and know that there are tons more that I have forgotten), but still it doesn't often penetrate into my emotions much. Caring for lost and hurting people has come up in a number of recent conversations and a story that I was reading and I know that it is something that needs to be changed. But I also know that I can't change it myself, but need God to give me more of His heart for people. Please pray for me.


"My eyes are dry, my faith is old,
My heart is hard, my prayers are cold,
And I know how I ought to be,
Alive to you, and dead to me.

Oh what can be done, for an old heart like mine?
Soften it up, with oil and wine.
The oil is You, Your Spirit of Love,
Please wash me anew, in the wine of Your blood."

- Keith Green

The Voice of Truth
by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Yeah for sleep overs! Billy and Alison came to visit me last night. It was really nice to see them again (I really do miss all of you) and to have guests in my little apartment. It was neat to here how Alison was playing Suru to a new batch of freshmen.
Today was gray and drizzling. It sprinkled lightly as we sat outside on the deck waiting for Michelle to show up, and it felt like we were camping at the beach. That was cool. Then when I went inside, it was a perfect morning for laying in bed, drinking hot chocolate and reading my Bible. Then I took a nap. At night were were driving around and it reminded me so much of Oregon the cool wet air and the way the city lights bounced off the wet streets and drops on the windshield. I have a deep desire to go home.

In Other News...
I got a package from my mom the other day. It had tea, hot chocolate, brownies, shortbread, and my hair brush that I had left in Colorado last Christmas! Oh THERE is my hairbrush!

Maybe I should spread these out so that I don't have a rash of blogs in one night and then nothing for a week.

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

-- Father Denis Edward O’Brien USM

"Her face showed grief, but not despair
Her head though bowed had faith to spare.
And even now she could suppose
His thorns would somehow yield a rose.
Her life with Him was full of signs
That God writes straight with crooked lines.
Dark clouds can hide the rising sun
And all seem lost when all be won."

-Admiral Jeremiah Denton, one of America's greatest heroes in Vietnam. He spent 7+ years in Vietcong POW camps, four of which were in isolation. He had this vision of Mary at the cross (but I think it also applies to the Church and to his time in prison too)

Donald Barnhouse was the pastor of Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church when his wife died and left him with young daughters to raise alone. He conducted his own wife's funeral. While driving to that funeral, he realized that he had to say something to his girls to somehow put in perspective for them something with which he himself was already struggling.

They stopped at a traffic light. It was a bright day, and the sun was streaming into the car. A truck pulled up next to them and its shadow darkened the inside of the car. Barnhouse turned to his daughters and asked, "Would you rather be hit by the shadow or by the truck?"

One of them responded, "Oh, Daddy, that's a silly question! The shadow can't hurt you. I'd rather be hit by a shadow than by a truck."

Then he explained that their mother had died and that it was as if she'd been hit by a shadow. It was as if Jesus had stepped in the way in her place, and it was He who'd been hit by the truck. He then quoted the familiar words of [Psalm 23:4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/moi/2001/001/jan/3.3.html

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

e.e. cummings

I was reading my friend Anna's blog and she was talking about how her friendships helped her know experiencially God's love that she reads about. We were discussing how human friendship, marriage, and parenthood all reflect different aspects of God's love for us and the thought occurred to me that all God honoring relationships somehow reflect an aspect of God's love. So here's my question: How does dating reflect God's love for us? You could draw some interesting analogies to Screw Yer Roommate.

In Other News...
In grammar class we recently had to talk about the relative clauses in sentences like "The girl whom Mr. Darcy plans to marry has no hope of an inheritance." and "Mrs. Bennet loves any man who wants to marry one of her daughters."

I just thought I'd tell you that I'm back to Lucubrating. I got internet in my apartment so now I can actually write at night. Unfortunetly I have about a million homework assignments for tomorrow (actually about 7 plus a class I'm teaching) so I won't be sleeping much tonight. If I get it all done it will only be by God's grace.

I tried to download some new pics from webshots.com but it said I had to install their new program. I didn't want it messing with the old one, in case I liked the old one better (something that happens a lot) so I told it to install in a different directory. But they were smarter than that and it searched for the old program and deleted it, along with a couple hundred of the pictures I downloaded.

In Other News...
Tonight was a gray drizziling evening. It felt like fall in Oregon. I loved it. Hopefully I'll be able to go back for Christmas.