Recently, I've struggled a lot with the feeling of purposelessness, questioning everything in my life, especially my career, and just asking myself "What am I doing with my life?". To me, it's been a mini quarter-life crisis. Until today, I've attributed all these feelings to a combination of loneliness and life and work transition. At church today, the sermon, titled "I need to be great", explored the desire to make a name for ourselves, to be great in the eyes of other people. While I've always known that this is something I've struggled with, I realized today that my recent existential crises and feelings of meaninglessness and purposelessness in my career all stem out of an understanding of the futility of the pursuit of self-glorification.
Living in Silicon Valley, I'm daily surrounded by people much smarter than me, much richer than me, and much more successful than me. I'm insignificant - a small fish swimming in an ocean of genius fishes and young millionaire fishes. And while this in-debt, reasonably talented fish does have an opportunity to end up with good money and a successful career, that's nothing special, nothing worth envying, praising or looking up to. And of course, he could wholeheartedly pursue the Silicon Valley dream of being a millionaire by 30 and retiring at 35, but he just simply isn't ambitious enough to "drop his nets and follow" that dream. This fish will never be "great", at least in the eyes of the world.
I've been pursuing self-glorification my entire life, especially when it comes to my career. And the reality that I am not and will never be "great" has put an end to that pursuit. And with my life and career's number one goal scratched off the list, I no longer know what to live for, who to live for. Knowing that I am not and probably won't ever be great even in Microsoft has sucked the joy and meaning out of work. I've also realized that a large part of my recent motivation to go into ministry is actually a desire to make a name for myself, as I tell myself that if I can't do it in the tech sector, perhaps my intellect, gifts, and talents will help me do it in the ministry sector.
God, I've always known in my head that I can't live both for Your name and for my own name, but I admit that I've been trying to do it in my career. God, I thank you for church today, that you speak through your Word and your servants who faithfully preach it. God, teach me what it means to do my work for your glory. Teach me what it means to live all of my life for your glory. I know I've prayed this prayer before but this time I'm praying this for my own sake, not the usual, admirable love for You and the desire to love the right Christian things. God, teach me to live for your glory because living for my own glory has brought me nowhere and will only continue to bring disappointment and discontentment, and I just can't live like that anymore. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
The Problem with Ken Ham
First off, I didn't watch all of the presentation. I watched about fifteen minutes of Ken Ham's presentation, a bit of the back and forth, and then some of the Q&A, about an hour in all. That said, having lived in the Bible belt in Fort Wayne for two years, I am already very familiar with Ken Ham, what he promotes, and his followers.
My main issue with Ken Ham isn't that he is a Young Earth Creationist, even though I think he's wrong. It's not even his fallacious arguments and faulty "scientific method". It's that Ken Ham elevates the means of creation to a primary issue, implying that "true" Christians believe in six day creation. In doing so, Ken Ham publicly presents a bastardized version of the gospel to the public, a gospel contaminated with non-essentials.
During the debate, when Ken Ham shared his "scientific" beliefs, he weaved in Jesus dying on the cross, forgiveness of sin, and the joy of living with God. At first, I was surprisingly delighted to hear the gospel presented to many who may not have heard it before. But then I realized/remembered. This gospel that Ken Ham preaches is one that seems to be contingent on belief in six day creation, a "confused gospel" which stains the beautiful truth of Jesus' death and resurrection. When asked why he believes the earth was created in 6 days, Ken Ham replies with something to the effect of "Because I believe the Bible to be true" and "Because I'm a Christian", implying that part of being a "Bible-believing Christian" is rejecting evolution and being a Young Earth Creationist. [src] [src2]
The belief in Ken Ham's head (and what all people listening to him will hear) is that the "fact" of six-day creation is on the same order as the fact of God's existence, the reliability of Scripture, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The elevation of a tertiary issue to a primary one is one that the conservative, fundamental church is prone to struggle with, but it's rarely as explicit as when Ken Ham shares what it means to be a Christian. Though Ken Ham may deny such theological narrowness, his behavior tells us otherwise. At one point in the "debate", Ken Ham was asked about all the religious and specifically Christian people who did not hold to six day creationism. Instead of affirming that Christians can legitimately differ on the issue of creation, Ken Ham skirted the question, as he seemed prone to do, and started talking about...something that I can't remember.
Some of you reading this may feel like this isn't such a big deal. So what if Ken Ham conflates Creationism and the gospel? He's just one guy, right? This may not feel like a big deal until you go to a church and hear the members talking about Christians who believe in evolution as heretics. It's might not feel like a big deal until you see a tract in a public place written by Ken Ham, including six day creation into the gospel narrative. It's not a big deal until you realize the deep roots the underdog, "they're out to get us" mentality that it shapes and the often anti-intellectual environment it fosters. As many of you know, I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana for two years. Fort Wayne is Ken Ham country, and I've witnessed all of these things.
Ultimately, Ken Ham angers me not because of what I think are poor logical, philosophical, and scientific arguments - it's that those who listened in, Christian or non-Christian, left with a poor idea of what it means to be a Christian. To many non-Christians, Ken Ham is the reason they don't want to investigate what it means to be a Christian, even though every individual's eternal destiny has nothing to do with what he feels about evolution or creationism. Neither one's justification or sanctification is contingent on believing in six day creation. It has everything to do with what they think about Christ. And this is something that I have yet to hear Ken Ham say.
My main issue with Ken Ham isn't that he is a Young Earth Creationist, even though I think he's wrong. It's not even his fallacious arguments and faulty "scientific method". It's that Ken Ham elevates the means of creation to a primary issue, implying that "true" Christians believe in six day creation. In doing so, Ken Ham publicly presents a bastardized version of the gospel to the public, a gospel contaminated with non-essentials.
During the debate, when Ken Ham shared his "scientific" beliefs, he weaved in Jesus dying on the cross, forgiveness of sin, and the joy of living with God. At first, I was surprisingly delighted to hear the gospel presented to many who may not have heard it before. But then I realized/remembered. This gospel that Ken Ham preaches is one that seems to be contingent on belief in six day creation, a "confused gospel" which stains the beautiful truth of Jesus' death and resurrection. When asked why he believes the earth was created in 6 days, Ken Ham replies with something to the effect of "Because I believe the Bible to be true" and "Because I'm a Christian", implying that part of being a "Bible-believing Christian" is rejecting evolution and being a Young Earth Creationist. [src] [src2]
The belief in Ken Ham's head (and what all people listening to him will hear) is that the "fact" of six-day creation is on the same order as the fact of God's existence, the reliability of Scripture, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The elevation of a tertiary issue to a primary one is one that the conservative, fundamental church is prone to struggle with, but it's rarely as explicit as when Ken Ham shares what it means to be a Christian. Though Ken Ham may deny such theological narrowness, his behavior tells us otherwise. At one point in the "debate", Ken Ham was asked about all the religious and specifically Christian people who did not hold to six day creationism. Instead of affirming that Christians can legitimately differ on the issue of creation, Ken Ham skirted the question, as he seemed prone to do, and started talking about...something that I can't remember.
Some of you reading this may feel like this isn't such a big deal. So what if Ken Ham conflates Creationism and the gospel? He's just one guy, right? This may not feel like a big deal until you go to a church and hear the members talking about Christians who believe in evolution as heretics. It's might not feel like a big deal until you see a tract in a public place written by Ken Ham, including six day creation into the gospel narrative. It's not a big deal until you realize the deep roots the underdog, "they're out to get us" mentality that it shapes and the often anti-intellectual environment it fosters. As many of you know, I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana for two years. Fort Wayne is Ken Ham country, and I've witnessed all of these things.
Ultimately, Ken Ham angers me not because of what I think are poor logical, philosophical, and scientific arguments - it's that those who listened in, Christian or non-Christian, left with a poor idea of what it means to be a Christian. To many non-Christians, Ken Ham is the reason they don't want to investigate what it means to be a Christian, even though every individual's eternal destiny has nothing to do with what he feels about evolution or creationism. Neither one's justification or sanctification is contingent on believing in six day creation. It has everything to do with what they think about Christ. And this is something that I have yet to hear Ken Ham say.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Blank Check
This is going to be a short post.
Today, I was listening to an awesome David Platt sermon on the Great Commission (video/links below), and he brought up the common, almost over-used illustration of giving our lives to God as a blank check.
I plan to write more on this subject at some point in the future (I already started a blank draft for it last week!), so I won't delve much deeper into this. But I ask you: What do you have a hard time putting on that blank check?
Today, I was listening to an awesome David Platt sermon on the Great Commission (video/links below), and he brought up the common, almost over-used illustration of giving our lives to God as a blank check.
"As followers of Christ we have sacrificed the right to determine the direction of our life. The language we use all the time is blank check. Every one of our lives, a blank check on the table, no strings attached. Our plans, our possessions, our bank accounts, where we live, our lifestyle, our future, our dreams, our ambitions, all on the table. Whatever you want me to do, God, whatever you want me to give, wherever you want me to go, no strings attached. This is not for super-Christians, this is for every follower of Christ. This is what it means to follow Christ."As I listened to David Platt rattle off this list of stuff to give to God (which he did incredibly quickly, making this transcript very difficult to do), my initial reaction was, "I don't think giving any of those things over to God would be very difficult." To a large part, this is true. I don't really care much for money and I'm not really attached to any type of lifestyle or a particular line of work. But what would I have a hard time writing on my blank check? Reputation and recognition. This probably isn't surprising to most of you who know me, as this is something that I've struggled with my entire life. And like most deep heart issues, it isn't something that can be fixed simply by behavior, but it's something that requires a reorientation of the heart, which often is frustratingly slow.
I plan to write more on this subject at some point in the future (I already started a blank draft for it last week!), so I won't delve much deeper into this. But I ask you: What do you have a hard time putting on that blank check?
Friday, January 3, 2014
Avoid Top Job Interview Mistakes
Some of you may not know this, but page hits on this blog are extremely important to me. As a result, I closely examine the content on top sites to see what they are doing to get all their hits. I saw this article on the front page of Yahoo News and was struck by the insight, expertise, genius, and literary prowess of this article - Avoid These Top College Admissions Interview Mistakes. I will try to imitate the brilliant techniques employed by the author and hope to give super helpful advice and draw in millions of clicks!
Acing a job admissions interview is exactly what you need to do to get hired, but having a bad interview will sink you. Don't fall into the latter category. The following are several of the top job interview mistakes - and ways to avoid making them.
1. Insulting your interviewer. While honesty is a trait looked for by most employers, insulting your interviewer is not the correct avenue to displaying this trait. No matter how overweight your interviewer is or how much you dislike their haircut or outfit, try your best not to insult your interviewer. Attempt to find other avenues of exhibiting honesty, perhaps by displaying your self-awareness by admitting to your own weaknesses (e.g. cheating, stealing, pornography).
2. Neglecting to wear clothes. Most employers nowadays prefer their job candidates clothed while interviewing, so it is of utmost importance that your body is covered. The temptation may also be strong to remove articles of clothing during your interview, but studies have shown that candidates that strip during their interviews are less likely to receive job offers.
3. Failing to follow directions. When you interview, it's possible that you will be given specific tasks to accomplish, be it problem-solving or writing code on a whiteboard. It is of utmost importance that you accomplish these tasks within the constraints given you. Many first-time interviewees make the mistake of using the white board to draw dinosaurs and panda bears instead of programming and throwing pens and pencils at the ceiling, but unless instructed to do so, refrain from such activities.
4. Telling lies. We all are prone to hyperbole especially during interviews, but over-exaggerating is a big risk that needs to be avoided. Resisting the impulse to tell lies will save you the trouble of attempting to explain how you managed to finish college in 2 years despite your extensive time overseas helping the poor and the time machine that you built in your back yard.
5. Going overboard with the bragging*: While you shouldn't be so humble that you don't say anything positive about yourself when asked about your accomplishments, be careful not to go overboard. Going on for too long about how great you are and how many amazing things you've done can be off-putting. It's okay to let some of what you've done speak for itself. If certain achievements are really that incredible, the interviewer will show genuine interest and have follow-up questions, allowing you to expand on your experiences in a more natural way.
*All of point 5 copied verbatim from Avoid These Top College Admissions Interview Mistakes
Caleb Tseng is a professional mediocre blogger at fobbymaster.blogspot.com. He earned his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan and his master's degree from the University of Michigan.
Acing a job admissions interview is exactly what you need to do to get hired, but having a bad interview will sink you. Don't fall into the latter category. The following are several of the top job interview mistakes - and ways to avoid making them.
1. Insulting your interviewer. While honesty is a trait looked for by most employers, insulting your interviewer is not the correct avenue to displaying this trait. No matter how overweight your interviewer is or how much you dislike their haircut or outfit, try your best not to insult your interviewer. Attempt to find other avenues of exhibiting honesty, perhaps by displaying your self-awareness by admitting to your own weaknesses (e.g. cheating, stealing, pornography).
2. Neglecting to wear clothes. Most employers nowadays prefer their job candidates clothed while interviewing, so it is of utmost importance that your body is covered. The temptation may also be strong to remove articles of clothing during your interview, but studies have shown that candidates that strip during their interviews are less likely to receive job offers.
3. Failing to follow directions. When you interview, it's possible that you will be given specific tasks to accomplish, be it problem-solving or writing code on a whiteboard. It is of utmost importance that you accomplish these tasks within the constraints given you. Many first-time interviewees make the mistake of using the white board to draw dinosaurs and panda bears instead of programming and throwing pens and pencils at the ceiling, but unless instructed to do so, refrain from such activities.
4. Telling lies. We all are prone to hyperbole especially during interviews, but over-exaggerating is a big risk that needs to be avoided. Resisting the impulse to tell lies will save you the trouble of attempting to explain how you managed to finish college in 2 years despite your extensive time overseas helping the poor and the time machine that you built in your back yard.
5. Going overboard with the bragging*: While you shouldn't be so humble that you don't say anything positive about yourself when asked about your accomplishments, be careful not to go overboard. Going on for too long about how great you are and how many amazing things you've done can be off-putting. It's okay to let some of what you've done speak for itself. If certain achievements are really that incredible, the interviewer will show genuine interest and have follow-up questions, allowing you to expand on your experiences in a more natural way.
*All of point 5 copied verbatim from Avoid These Top College Admissions Interview Mistakes
Caleb Tseng is a professional mediocre blogger at fobbymaster.blogspot.com. He earned his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan and his master's degree from the University of Michigan.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Ultimate New Year Party
Six o'clock, New Year's Eve. I was on my way to Arthur and Vicki's for the typical Asian New Year's Eve hot pot dinner and celebration. As grateful and excited as I was to spend a night with good friends, I became surprisingly very sad that I couldn't be home for the giant hot pot extravaganza at Eric and Kat's. I say it's surprising because I'm not usually a very sentimental person, and while my friends mean a lot to me, I tend not to miss them too much when I'm away. The emotion I felt probably came from a combination of seeing the Instagram photos of the dinner, chatting with Thomas at work, and discovering that Michael, who I didn't see all break, was there.
As I wallowed in self-pity for not being able to hang out with my friends at the huge home-people hot pot party, I was reminded that there is coming a day that I wouldn't have to leave one group of friends to hang out with another, a time where no feast would go unattended. And this was great comfort to me.
So I look forward to the ultimate New Year Party, where we've said goodbye to saying goodbyes, loneliness is only a faint memory, and the food, fun, and fellowship never ends.
As a side note, can you imagine having our hangouts with Jesus? Thomas wouldn't win Nertz every time (unless he was paired up with Jesus), we could all stuff things in Wendy's ears together, and Jesus, James, and Michael would face off in an epic game of pterodactyl. And Jesus won't backstab me in the Game of Thrones game (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, VICKI).
"Ain't no party like a Holy Ghost party cuz a Holy Ghost party don't stop!" - Not the Bible
As I wallowed in self-pity for not being able to hang out with my friends at the huge home-people hot pot party, I was reminded that there is coming a day that I wouldn't have to leave one group of friends to hang out with another, a time where no feast would go unattended. And this was great comfort to me.
So I look forward to the ultimate New Year Party, where we've said goodbye to saying goodbyes, loneliness is only a faint memory, and the food, fun, and fellowship never ends.
As a side note, can you imagine having our hangouts with Jesus? Thomas wouldn't win Nertz every time (unless he was paired up with Jesus), we could all stuff things in Wendy's ears together, and Jesus, James, and Michael would face off in an epic game of pterodactyl. And Jesus won't backstab me in the Game of Thrones game (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, VICKI).
"Ain't no party like a Holy Ghost party cuz a Holy Ghost party don't stop!" - Not the Bible
Monday, December 30, 2013
To My Spiritually Backslidden Friends
Colossians 4:12-13 - "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis."
To my spiritually backslidden friends - my MCCC friends that I see once every few years and my AIV friends that I only see now during weddings - I'm praying for you. For some of you, I've known that you haven't gone to church in years and probably don't even self-identify as Christians anymore. Even though I didn't ask you about church or God because I didn't want to embarrass you or force you to pretend to care, your distance from God continues to break my heart. For others of you, your spiritual regression, though fairly recent, was not surprising to me. And maybe you even knew that I knew (or could guess) that you stopped going to church even before I asked you about it. And then there are the handful of you that surprised me with your renunciation of Christ and his Church, leaving me sad and speechless.
Whoever you are, I'll be your Epaphras. There was once I time that I was physically with you and could make a real difference in your life. But those times have passed, and for most of you, I am no longer in a place relationally or geographically where I can drag you to church or discuss spiritual things. Even though I can't engage you on what I believe to be meaninglessness and futility of life without Christ, I can and will struggle on your behalf in my prayers.
But I must admit that as one guy, I feel a bit overwhelmed - there are just so many of you and I am so powerless! As my mind sweeps through all of your names and faces, I simultaneously mourn and rejoice in my utter powerlessness to change you. Though my heart's combination of brotherly love and a prideful Messiah-complex makes me wish I could make a real difference in your life, the reminder of God's sovereignty and the gift of prayer is my lone hope and comfort.
And so I'll continue to pray. I pray knowing that I join in with the saints who love you and want to see you love Jesus - your mom and dad, your childhood church friends, your college fellowship friends. I pray trusting in the sovereignty and goodness of God, soberly aware that your salvation is not dependent on the number of my prayers lifted or tears shed. And as a weak, immature, oft-distracted, poor-man's Epaphras, the times that I struggle to struggle on your behalf in my prayers may be frequent, but I pray trusting that the same God who took a Lunchables of fish and crackers and transformed it into a feast can similarly transform my unworthy prayers into power spiritual weapons.
And obviously, I post this not to get spiritual high-fives but to let you know that I care, I'm thinking about you, and I'm here if you want to talk.
I love you all. Come home to Jesus.
Caleb
To my spiritually backslidden friends - my MCCC friends that I see once every few years and my AIV friends that I only see now during weddings - I'm praying for you. For some of you, I've known that you haven't gone to church in years and probably don't even self-identify as Christians anymore. Even though I didn't ask you about church or God because I didn't want to embarrass you or force you to pretend to care, your distance from God continues to break my heart. For others of you, your spiritual regression, though fairly recent, was not surprising to me. And maybe you even knew that I knew (or could guess) that you stopped going to church even before I asked you about it. And then there are the handful of you that surprised me with your renunciation of Christ and his Church, leaving me sad and speechless.
Whoever you are, I'll be your Epaphras. There was once I time that I was physically with you and could make a real difference in your life. But those times have passed, and for most of you, I am no longer in a place relationally or geographically where I can drag you to church or discuss spiritual things. Even though I can't engage you on what I believe to be meaninglessness and futility of life without Christ, I can and will struggle on your behalf in my prayers.
But I must admit that as one guy, I feel a bit overwhelmed - there are just so many of you and I am so powerless! As my mind sweeps through all of your names and faces, I simultaneously mourn and rejoice in my utter powerlessness to change you. Though my heart's combination of brotherly love and a prideful Messiah-complex makes me wish I could make a real difference in your life, the reminder of God's sovereignty and the gift of prayer is my lone hope and comfort.
And so I'll continue to pray. I pray knowing that I join in with the saints who love you and want to see you love Jesus - your mom and dad, your childhood church friends, your college fellowship friends. I pray trusting in the sovereignty and goodness of God, soberly aware that your salvation is not dependent on the number of my prayers lifted or tears shed. And as a weak, immature, oft-distracted, poor-man's Epaphras, the times that I struggle to struggle on your behalf in my prayers may be frequent, but I pray trusting that the same God who took a Lunchables of fish and crackers and transformed it into a feast can similarly transform my unworthy prayers into power spiritual weapons.
And obviously, I post this not to get spiritual high-fives but to let you know that I care, I'm thinking about you, and I'm here if you want to talk.
I love you all. Come home to Jesus.
Caleb
Friday, December 27, 2013
Closest Game of Nertz
Yesterday Chough had a bunch of Joywok collegians and working people over at his place and after having a blast stuffing ourselves, playing Pulse and Heads Up, we decided to cool down a little bit and play Nertz. Splitting up into two groups of three teams, I played the closest game of Nertz ever. Here's the score sheet and a "game flow" visualization kind of interactive graph. Notice the big lead that Martin and I had in Round 6 and the major one-round comeback by Jensen/Phoebe in Round 11.
Thanks to Martin for carrying me yesterday. I was out of my league.
If anyone has an amazing Nertz story, I want to hear it!
Thanks to Martin for carrying me yesterday. I was out of my league.
If anyone has an amazing Nertz story, I want to hear it!
Final Scores
| ||
| Jonny/Phoebe | Caleb/Martin | Jensen/Sam |
| 101 | 99 | 99 |
 |
| Score Sheet |
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
The Real War on Christmas
The so-called "war on Christmas" is always a common source of contrived contention, and though I know that no none of you asked for it, here's my take on this "war".
To me, the war against Christmas isn't only waged by the secular - it's one that Christians wage inwardly daily. You see, if the glorification of Christ and his sacrifice is the true "reason for the season", any self-glorification or stuff-glorification is a declaration of war on everything Christmas stands for. This battle between the Christmas spirit of Christ-glorification and self-denial and the secular Grinch spirit of idolization and distraction is a battle that every Christian fights - a battle that's fought as much during theholiday Christmas season as much as any other time in the year.
This is a battle that we lose when we neglect to meet with God after sleeping in, as we spend our days off in either idleness or meaningless busyness, a battle we lose when we catch up with all of our old friends except Jesus and when we spend time with all of our family except for our heavenly Father. We wage war on the ultimate gift of Christmas when we're more preoccupied with both giving and receiving trinkets, an act of aggression far more profound than any mindless "Happy Holidays". Like all sinners, we fall into the trap of valuing and enjoying the benefits of Christ over Christ himself - be they externally admirable gifts such as friendship and family or overtly materialistic pleasures.
So this Christmas, when we hear talk about the "war on Christmas", let's not condemn the secular or scoff at the overzealous religious. Let's reflect and self-examine how we ourselves have been waging a war against Christmas.
Merry Christmas, all!
To me, the war against Christmas isn't only waged by the secular - it's one that Christians wage inwardly daily. You see, if the glorification of Christ and his sacrifice is the true "reason for the season", any self-glorification or stuff-glorification is a declaration of war on everything Christmas stands for. This battle between the Christmas spirit of Christ-glorification and self-denial and the secular Grinch spirit of idolization and distraction is a battle that every Christian fights - a battle that's fought as much during the
This is a battle that we lose when we neglect to meet with God after sleeping in, as we spend our days off in either idleness or meaningless busyness, a battle we lose when we catch up with all of our old friends except Jesus and when we spend time with all of our family except for our heavenly Father. We wage war on the ultimate gift of Christmas when we're more preoccupied with both giving and receiving trinkets, an act of aggression far more profound than any mindless "Happy Holidays". Like all sinners, we fall into the trap of valuing and enjoying the benefits of Christ over Christ himself - be they externally admirable gifts such as friendship and family or overtly materialistic pleasures.
So this Christmas, when we hear talk about the "war on Christmas", let's not condemn the secular or scoff at the overzealous religious. Let's reflect and self-examine how we ourselves have been waging a war against Christmas.
Merry Christmas, all!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Anderson Silva, Please Retire
[I wrote this post months ago but never got around to posting it. Anderson Silva's fight is next week, and I'm so nervous about the fight I don't even know if I'll be able to watch it...]
Anderson Silva,
You've always been my favorite fighter, and you're the reason I'm into MMA. You could actually say that we got into the UFC together, as I started watching MMA around the time that you had your first UFC fight against Chris Leben. The streak of knockouts under 2 minutes allowed me to witness ingenious striking as I've never seen it before. You were as close to invincible as I've ever seen anyone until you fought Chael Sonnen, but as a true champion, you still eked out the victory.
I've never taken any sports loss as hard as I took your loss against Chris Weidman. Not even the Eagles losing the Super Bowl or Michigan losing the NCAA Basketball Championship game. I watched the fight at Bdubs in Ann Arbor, after Jenny and Steven's wedding, dragging along a couple of friends with me, only to have my night ruined. And not just my night, my love for MMA came to a screeching halt. I haven't been able to watch anything about the UFC, as every reminder of your loss triggers the mental picture of you lying on the ground knocked out, and it makes me want to cry. I didn't even watch the post-fight press conference, and it wasn't until my friends told me that there's going to be a rematch did I even find out about that.
And so, Anderson, here's my plea - hang up those gloves. You're 38. You have nothing left to prove. You're the Greatest of All Time. Please don't end your career being knocked out like Liddell or Wandy. Sure, you'll probably earn thousands from these fights, but for young and new MMA fans, all they'll know about Anderson 'the Spider' Silva is that he's this guy that used to be good but is knocked out a lot. They won't know about your underrated chin, your uncuttable face, and your unhittable head.
A lot of people have criticized you for playing with Weidman and for not taking him seriously, but I've watched all of your UFC fights multiple times, and I know that just isn't the case. Just as certain as your "feeling out" first minute of the first round is the mental games that you play with your opponents. Your mental game has been a hugely underrated aspect of your fighting, and your head movement has always been good enough to allow you to counterattack and knock guys out, even with your hands down. Where were all of the critics when you knocked out Forrest and Okami after dropping your hands and playing with them? It's been known within the MMA community that "When Anderson's hands drop, you drop." But the critics will be critics. They don't know the hard work you put into preparation, evidence that you take no one lightly, just that you approach them differently in the Octagon.
So I know that you weren't playing with Chris. You were doing what you normally do, trying to cause a mistake and to counter it. But you got caught. By a powerful guy. You got caught. I don't think you got caught because you were playing around too much. You got caught because you're 38 and just don't have those kind of reflexes anymore. There's no shame in getting old, and Father Time always catches even the best of athletes. But please, Anderson, I beg of you to retire and preserve your legacy. Quit while you're on top. I know you've tried before, and Dana White wants to continue using you to earn money. But quit. Anderson, you've given the sport all there is to give. It's time to hang'em up.
I'll continue mourning your loss until you beat Chris in your rematch. But after that, please retire. I don't think I can take any more of this. And when you retire, I'll mourn your retirement. I've always loved you and will keep on loving you, but please don't make me go through this again. My heart can't take any more of it.
Sincerely,
Your Biggest Fan
Anderson Silva,
You've always been my favorite fighter, and you're the reason I'm into MMA. You could actually say that we got into the UFC together, as I started watching MMA around the time that you had your first UFC fight against Chris Leben. The streak of knockouts under 2 minutes allowed me to witness ingenious striking as I've never seen it before. You were as close to invincible as I've ever seen anyone until you fought Chael Sonnen, but as a true champion, you still eked out the victory.
I've never taken any sports loss as hard as I took your loss against Chris Weidman. Not even the Eagles losing the Super Bowl or Michigan losing the NCAA Basketball Championship game. I watched the fight at Bdubs in Ann Arbor, after Jenny and Steven's wedding, dragging along a couple of friends with me, only to have my night ruined. And not just my night, my love for MMA came to a screeching halt. I haven't been able to watch anything about the UFC, as every reminder of your loss triggers the mental picture of you lying on the ground knocked out, and it makes me want to cry. I didn't even watch the post-fight press conference, and it wasn't until my friends told me that there's going to be a rematch did I even find out about that.
And so, Anderson, here's my plea - hang up those gloves. You're 38. You have nothing left to prove. You're the Greatest of All Time. Please don't end your career being knocked out like Liddell or Wandy. Sure, you'll probably earn thousands from these fights, but for young and new MMA fans, all they'll know about Anderson 'the Spider' Silva is that he's this guy that used to be good but is knocked out a lot. They won't know about your underrated chin, your uncuttable face, and your unhittable head.
A lot of people have criticized you for playing with Weidman and for not taking him seriously, but I've watched all of your UFC fights multiple times, and I know that just isn't the case. Just as certain as your "feeling out" first minute of the first round is the mental games that you play with your opponents. Your mental game has been a hugely underrated aspect of your fighting, and your head movement has always been good enough to allow you to counterattack and knock guys out, even with your hands down. Where were all of the critics when you knocked out Forrest and Okami after dropping your hands and playing with them? It's been known within the MMA community that "When Anderson's hands drop, you drop." But the critics will be critics. They don't know the hard work you put into preparation, evidence that you take no one lightly, just that you approach them differently in the Octagon.
So I know that you weren't playing with Chris. You were doing what you normally do, trying to cause a mistake and to counter it. But you got caught. By a powerful guy. You got caught. I don't think you got caught because you were playing around too much. You got caught because you're 38 and just don't have those kind of reflexes anymore. There's no shame in getting old, and Father Time always catches even the best of athletes. But please, Anderson, I beg of you to retire and preserve your legacy. Quit while you're on top. I know you've tried before, and Dana White wants to continue using you to earn money. But quit. Anderson, you've given the sport all there is to give. It's time to hang'em up.
I'll continue mourning your loss until you beat Chris in your rematch. But after that, please retire. I don't think I can take any more of this. And when you retire, I'll mourn your retirement. I've always loved you and will keep on loving you, but please don't make me go through this again. My heart can't take any more of it.
Sincerely,
Your Biggest Fan
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Jesus and Paparazzi
Quick quiz! Without looking, what is the event that directly preceded Jesus feeding the five thousand?
When we read the gospels, the uninspired section headers paired with our paragraph-by-paragraph Bible-reading habits can causes us to read the gospels as disjoint short stories instead of the unified narrative that it is (which is why manuscript study is often very nice).
I noticed something for the first time the other day, something that I've never seen before. Directly preceding the feeding of the five thousand are these verses:
"And [John the Baptist's] disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus [that John had just been beheaded]. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick." -Matthew 14:12-14
Here's the scene. Jesus receives word that his servant and friend, cousin, and the guy who he said was the greatest man ever had been executed. Wanting some time alone to grieve and pray, he withdraws to be by himself. BUT the mob of people follow him, presumably cutting short his grieving time. Despite the crowd's insensitivity, Jesus still has compassion on them.
I recently spent a good amount of time watching videos celebrities fighting paparazzi. Be it those bothering Justin Beiber, Jay-Z, or Kanye, I just love to hate paparazzi, people who basically make a living by making others' lives hell. Camping outside of Kanye's house at 4AM? Come on. Leave the guy alone. The nosiness, insensitivity, and generally scumminess of paparazzi even makes me root for Justin Beiber when he kind of runs one guy over with a car (link above).
Having mobs of people following you that want things from you must be truly awful. And this must have been even worse for Jesus, as he was mourning the loss of someone he loved and regarded very highly, and the crowd relentlessly didn't allow him to have his privacy in his time of loss. And yet "he had compassion on them". Jesus is amazing. If it was me (or Kanye or Beiber), I would have thrown a hissy fit, probably punching some people, cursing them out, and possibly running one over with a car. Having relentless crowds tailing you is bad enough, but in time of mourning? That must be unbearable.
How great the compassion of Christ that he had compassion on and served people who were rudely intruding on his life! How foolish of us to doubt God's care and hesitate to bring our burdens to him when we know that he is a God of utmost patience and compassion!
[In case any of you were wondering if this is in fact chronologically accurate, in all four Gospels, it seems that Jesus either hears about John's death or is speaking about John right before he feeds the five thousand. Mark 6:29-30, Luke 9:7-10, John 5:33-6:1]
When we read the gospels, the uninspired section headers paired with our paragraph-by-paragraph Bible-reading habits can causes us to read the gospels as disjoint short stories instead of the unified narrative that it is (which is why manuscript study is often very nice).
I noticed something for the first time the other day, something that I've never seen before. Directly preceding the feeding of the five thousand are these verses:
"And [John the Baptist's] disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus [that John had just been beheaded]. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick." -Matthew 14:12-14
Here's the scene. Jesus receives word that his servant and friend, cousin, and the guy who he said was the greatest man ever had been executed. Wanting some time alone to grieve and pray, he withdraws to be by himself. BUT the mob of people follow him, presumably cutting short his grieving time. Despite the crowd's insensitivity, Jesus still has compassion on them.
I recently spent a good amount of time watching videos celebrities fighting paparazzi. Be it those bothering Justin Beiber, Jay-Z, or Kanye, I just love to hate paparazzi, people who basically make a living by making others' lives hell. Camping outside of Kanye's house at 4AM? Come on. Leave the guy alone. The nosiness, insensitivity, and generally scumminess of paparazzi even makes me root for Justin Beiber when he kind of runs one guy over with a car (link above).
Having mobs of people following you that want things from you must be truly awful. And this must have been even worse for Jesus, as he was mourning the loss of someone he loved and regarded very highly, and the crowd relentlessly didn't allow him to have his privacy in his time of loss. And yet "he had compassion on them". Jesus is amazing. If it was me (or Kanye or Beiber), I would have thrown a hissy fit, probably punching some people, cursing them out, and possibly running one over with a car. Having relentless crowds tailing you is bad enough, but in time of mourning? That must be unbearable.
How great the compassion of Christ that he had compassion on and served people who were rudely intruding on his life! How foolish of us to doubt God's care and hesitate to bring our burdens to him when we know that he is a God of utmost patience and compassion!
[In case any of you were wondering if this is in fact chronologically accurate, in all four Gospels, it seems that Jesus either hears about John's death or is speaking about John right before he feeds the five thousand. Mark 6:29-30, Luke 9:7-10, John 5:33-6:1]
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