How the Years Stay the Same... or "What the Hell"

So about three years ago... maybe more, I wrote this brief blog but never posted it on my previous place of blogdom. I found it tonight and laughed how much of it is still the same. I guess things haven't really changed that much. Anyway, it was originally called "What the Hell." The church sign referenced is from a large church on the east side of Cincinnati that still to this day posts messages that support the war in Iraq. Well, at least you gotta give them points for sticking to their guns!

I looked at him shocked and asked, “what the hell is wrong with them?” He didn’t know! It wasn’t that he was a moron, but the question simply could not be answered. The church sign was big and lit up; commanding that real Christians supported the war effort! Mark looked at me with an understanding smirk. I kept on, “I know we love the same God as they do, but don’t they see what they are doing?” “Don’t they realize how fake it all is? Don’t they want more?” Again, he didn’t know…

You see we had been having this conversation for years, not specifically with each other; but with every bleeding heart and open ear we could find. In reality I have only known Mark for a year and a half, but we bonded on the issue at hand. That is really how we gained a lot of the friends we have now… the religiously flawed, church dropout types. For some reason, these were our people and they saw it too. They knew that something was wrong with the church; it was terribly ill or something. Not from lack of people trying, no quite the opposite really. There was just something wrong that could not be helped by another religious conference or festival, or some dramatic “experience.” I had seriously grown to hate that word, “experience” it made me not want to feel anything!

No one was saying that our group was better than anyone else’s. We wore most of our flaws very openly. But we all saw the “pop-culture” church and could not help but wonder… The endless Christian magazines that advertised dozens of “events.” The thousands of youth ministers trying to stay “relevant & current.” Even the word “postmodern” makes me want to puke. A friend of mine once responded to that word, “is nothing sacred?” Well, is it? Where is the teaching, where is the ministry to others, and what about truth? So many Christians bounce from experience to experience on these natural highs, until what…? I think that would be pretty hard to keep up, and besides why would you want to? People getting rich off new Christian trends… what is this all about? Jesus spoke more about how hard it is for the rich to get into Heaven than homosexuals… No wonder the world hates us so much; we act like a bunch of drugged-up fiends, dying for another buzz from youth group! But every year, the gap seems to widen a little more, and those in the middle feel stretched-out.

This is by no means a new shift in thinking for the church. Christians young and old have been feeling this way for a while. It cannot be the “new trend” either, because that kind of mediocrity will never last. With all of this it is quite possible that I (and everyone with me) are just jaded twenty-somethings. True, maybe it is just leftover rebellion from a time that we were a little more punk-rock; I second guess it all the time. Maybe it is just rambling, but I do meet more and more people who honestly feel the same way. This is something that crosses all boundaries and denominational ties, and it gains more speed every day. But something much deeper than my brain tells me there has got to be more out there than repetitive praise choruses and books about the Apocalypse.

Only in America

This month a California photographer stumbled across a enlightening story in the Mohave Desert. While he and companions were out there trying to find a museum apparently run by retired strippers, they came across what appeared to be an abandoned ranch. When they got out of the van the disgusting smell of rotted food overpowered them. What they had come across was a dumping ground for a large partnership of homeless shelters & food banks in California. They reported that the dump was full of expired food cooking in the desert sun. They found a case of egg nog, a pallet of yogurt, cases of spinach, water with fluoride (that goes bad), and even cases of toothpaste! After exploring the mess and taking pictures the “Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County” was contacted. The general manager explained to them that when donations are past their prime and no longer usable they were sent out to that location to a pig farm. What he did not know is that the man who ran the pig farm had been evicted from the ranch back in January. He did explain what they had done with these perishable items, but could not explain why no one knew there was not a pig farm there anymore or why some items (i.e. cases of toothpaste) were even brought out there.

When he was asked why donations were not used in the first place; he answered that about 20 percent of all donations coming in to the collective partners are thrown out for various reasons. In reality most of their donations come from companies trying to get tax breaks and sometimes the things donated are not even usable. This fact got me thinking. If we live in a society where companies large & small get tax breaks for donating things to shelters and food banks that they can’t even use sometimes… why do they still get the tax break? And, what kind of giving is it when you get something back? Really… I mean I hear people talk about making large donations at the end of the year so that they get the tax breaks… doesn’t that seem a little silly?

Giving should come from the heart (I know that sounds warm and fuzzy). But if you think of it, giving should come from a want to take care of your fellow man… not a want to lower your taxable income. As for the wastefulness… it blows me away that no one could use these items. I understand that we need to be careful what things we give out for free because we live in the age of lawsuits… but maybe we can look a little harder for people who can use items before we throw them out. Ah, America land of waste!

Living In a Me Centered World

Everyone is a victim these days… from simple peer pressure to the all too famous phrase, “the devil made me do it.” It seems no one is to blame for his or her own actions. Kids take weapons to school and violent video games & movies are to blame. People mess up their lives, and they blame their parents. A couple gets a divorce and they blame each other, but no one takes any responsibility.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are several atrocities in the world and what hardships a person goes through will always be with them at some level. But it is fascinating (in a horrible way) how we have become a society were people do not have to be held accountable, or even admit they were wrong. All they really have to do is pass the buck! In my line of work I see a lot of people who take advantage of the system. To me, when that many people are floating by doing nothing and living off my damn tax dollars… that means the system is broken! Just a thought…

Why I Don’t Care What Rich/Famous People Do

Originally, I was going to make this post the night of the Oscars… but of course things got in the way. After reading a post by my good friend Dustin and some recent statistics, I guess the term “rich people” applies to me as well… at least on a global scale. But what I am talking about now are the rich & famous people of America. You know, the celebrities of movies, sports, music, politics, and glamorous lifestyles.

What rekindled my interest in doing this post is a story I heard on NPR of all places. I am used to them talking about movies, music, & of course politics… but today’s story was ridiculous. They mentioned an online entertainment news site that I had never heard of. That is no big surprise because we have 5 TV channels at my house and we stay away from shows like “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,” and the like. It is getting increasingly harder to not hear these stories... they are even on the nightly news for Pete's sake! What frustrated me about this story is that I listen to NPR for news and interesting stories about “real” people. I say “real” because I honestly do not care about who wins awards, who is dating who, and what scandal is currently taking place.

I guess that is yet another difference between me and the rest of this country. You see, there are certain actors, actresses, musicians, and other famous people that I really admire their work… but, and let me make this clear, I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL LIVES!!! What they do with their time is their business.

Furthermore, when they get involved in some kind of awareness or campaign for something I do not see the point. I mean come on… you are an overpaid entertainer! That’s nice that you give a shit about something other than your huge house and fancy cars, but what do you want a pat on the back?

I guess the real question is: Why is it so important for Americans to emulate rich celebrities? I just don’t get it… would someone explain it to me? In a way, I feel the answer all boils down to Capitalism… am I right?

Is There Any Room Left In America For Me?

Obviously I have established myself already as a “comic book dork.” That being said, this last week was sad for me… and some people at Marvel comics too. Steve Rogers (the original Captain America) was killed. I know what you are thinking… it is just a comic, and I will get to that. Also, knowing the pattern of comics, Marvel will probably bring him back at some point. The reason I am writing about this (again) is that the comics I have been reading lately have reminded me of a question I have tried to bury in the back of my mind. Well, really a lot of different questions.

First of all, has the country changed enough that there is no room for a person like myself? The sharp divide in the U.S. over, well every damn issue, has reached a boiling point. We have red versus blue states, left versus right, and all kinds of division today. The battle between those who want personal freedom and those who want protection is growing. I see friends who once used to stand with me in the middle being pulled to one side or the other.

Secondly, was I born in the wrong generation? Yes, I believe so. Not just because of my music and literature preferences, but specifically because I still uphold “outdated” values when it comes to today’s standards. You see, I believe in personal freedoms with the responsibilities they demand. I am not willing to trade my freedom or my safety, and in our current climate that puts me in a small minority. People have said that I can’t have both, and maybe that will be true soon… but I cannot condone hostile governments or chaotic republics.

Third, will these feelings clear up when the current president is not in the office anymore? Here is my two-sided answer… No, because it is not just him and his administration that are screwing up this country. Okay republicans are stuck on things like abortion, wars, & not taxing their rich buddies… But democrats are not the answer either! They are stuck on being a damn reaction to the republicans… and a lot of them are rich pricks too! The other side of that answer… do you really think our country and possibly the world will last that long? You tell me!

I know there have to be more out there like me, but I wonder if anyone else worries about our current direction as much as me… as for the idea that it is “just a comic” part of me agrees, but read my previous comic post for that.

I Was a Pre-Teen Werewolf or Deals with God Don't Work

Have you ever tried to make a deal with God? Most people have in our modern society with all of our modern issues. Did you come to find out it didn’t really work? Yeah, that is most people as well. Let me tell you a story:

When I was 8 years old, a neighborhood bully tormented me regularly. He liked me especially because at the time my dad was a cop. Tommy was bigger and meaner than all the other kids on our block, and although he only hit me once I was pretty terrified of him. Furthermore he had me in a bind because he also threatened to beat up my sister, who was at the time my closest friend. So, too scared to talk to my parents and afraid of the impending doom that was every morning that summer I tried to play sick. My mother, who could always see right through me, did not let me play sick for long… and it seemed I had no choice but face the terror that was Tommy. That night, I actually tried fasting at dinner. I had no idea what fasting was, but I had overheard my parents talking about it because of a sick friend. It seemed to me that it was a good idea to not eat and pray about something, especially when my mom had made a vegetable medley including mushrooms that night. Unfortunately my mom did not understand how important this was, and made me clean my entire plate… eww, mushrooms! Later that night after my parents had tucked me into bed and my dad left for the night shift I decided to give God one more chance. I got out of bed, got on my knees and prayed with all my might that God would save me from the evil bully Tommy. I prayed so hard… I prayed for safety, I prayed that he would see the error of his ways and start being nice to me. Most of all, I prayed if nothing else God would give me the power to turn into a werewolf, break into Tommy’s house a few doors down, and let me kill this evil bully. I promised if God gave me this power I would only use it for good, after that night. To my disillusionment, God did not grant me the power of the werewolf that night. And to my knowledge, he never has…

You see deals mostly come out of haste or necessity. And even when the deals aren’t as silly as those of an 8 year-old, they still might be silly! We don’t always know what we need, and we really never know what is coming around the bend. Sometimes the things that seem so important now… are not that important later. Sometimes, we need to go through certain things (even bad things) to become the person we need to be later on. Maybe your idea of a deal with God is not out of fear, or being a dumb kid. It could be the deal you try is even out of selflessness or to help someone else. But we need to remember that God is not some overpriced lawyer we can negotiate contracts with.

There have been too many references to God as just some guy on our level; you know the “buddy Christ” type of God. The fun-loving hippie who is just one of the guys. Not true, look it up… and show some reverence.

The funny thing is, every time I hear someone talking about cutting a deal with God; I chuckle and try to think of myself as an 8 year-old werewolf boy. Now you can too!