schism

This video intrigues me because in many ways it shows the transition a believer needs to make in their journey with Jesus. Let me explain, the Scriptures talk about being a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) where a person is to take off their old self and its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed as we learn more about our Creator, becoming more and more like Him (Colossians 3:9, 10). Simply put, when a person gives their life to Jesus, God begins to transform them from the inside out through His Word and Holy Spirit.

But, what I've found out from personal experience is that walking this out is much easier said than done because living as my old self is what I know, it's what I'm comfortable with. So, like in the video, I'm walking around trying to live as my new self, but find myself stumbling about because I'm still trying to live according to my old life and its practices. Maybe this is a bit of a stretch with the video, but what I've come to realize is that living as my new self in Christ demands a persepctive change: It demands a new way of seeing myself, others, and the world.

Unlike in the video, instead of trying to figure it all out and trying to take matters into my own hands, I need to continue to live by faith and trust that God is not done with me yet (Philippians 1:6) and that He will help me to transition into this new life that He has for me in Jesus which for all intensive purpose means I need to become more comfortable with my new self and let my old self fade away. It means embracing the future God has for me and doing all I can in not fighting this transition from old to new.

Amazing Grace (in Cherokee)

No matter what language I hear this song (though it is especially beautiful in Cherokee), it always stirs my heart towards a repentant joy that longs to be at the feet of Jesus, my Savior King.

the magnetism of kinetic art

There is this kind of magnetism I feel when it comes to kinetic art. Whenever I encouter art that distrupts the space around it through some sort of automation (sound, light, action), it seems to always draws me in. Good kinetic art always mesmerizes and amazes me. For more info on this artist go here. Enjoy!

a culture of objectification

I hope this video makes you angry. Sut Jhally "is one of the world's leading scholars looking at the role played by advertising and popular culture in the processes of social control and identity construction." In this documentary, he takes a very sobering view of how the makers of music videos are in many ways creating a culture of objectification. After watching this documentary (Dreamworlds 3), I was left feeling angry because it helped me to see just how manipulated I had been. The first time I heard this documentary mentioned was in a graduate degree course called "Social and Cultural Exegesis" which was basically about taking a critical look at our current world and attempting to analyze and interpret some of the social and cultural issues and trends. To say the least, it was an eye opening class.

Watching this documentary made me all the more thankful of God's love for me and the reality that I am made in the image of God and that my value comes God and what He says about me and not from what this world says about who I am or who other people are. I hope that this short preview (I do recommend watching the whole documentary) has opened your eyes a bit more to the reality of the way that this world is continually trying to manipulate the way you see yourself and the way you see others. We all have a choice, you can either believe what God says about you or you can believe what the world says about you. You choose.