The Register recently published an article about “link spam” or “comment spam.” So far, I haven’t seen any on M Squared T. Maybe now I’ll be in for it.

The spammer they interviewed has an attitude that is basically “they screwed up and I’m taking advantage of it, so why’s it my fault?” Moreover, he sees no problem with supporting the market for “PPC” (porn, pills and casinos - The Register’s term).

This sort of attitude was used as an argument in another case I dealt with recently. But it doesn’t hold water. Taking advantage of others’ weaknesses is not a morally tenable position. Perhaps we should encourage our legal system to create systems to discourage such acts of injustice - even if the injustice is more annoying than dangerous.

“Nakamais Solis:” that’s Latvian for “the next step.”

I have been invited by the church I interviewed with last weekend to come “candidate” with them. That means that I will lead the service on Sunday morning, be presented by the committee as their candidate for pastor of the church, and then the congregation will vote. All of this will take place on 13 February, 2005.

Please pray for me in the interim that I may speak the words of God and live without fear of his call.

Ok, this iPod’s pretty cool, too… U2 rocks!

Check out the all-new Billy Graham iPod!

It seems really cool!

As a part of the pastoral job search process, I delivered a sermon today at a sister church in Akron, OH. This was a “neutral pulpit” situation: it was nearby to the church I was interviewing with, and the committee wanted to hear me preach in person, but not before their entire congregation.

The following is the text of the sermon I delivered. This is the “as intended” form, not the “as delivered” form.

Text: Matthew 16:21 - 28.

In the movie ?The Matrix,? the protagonist, Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) discovers that ?reality? isn?t what it seemed to be. Through a series of adventures, Neo?s world is turned upside-down and inside-out, all for the purpose of living a real, full life.

Neo is a computer programmer working for a large corporation in a large city. He runs into a secret society which promises him a way out of ?the matrix,? which as their leader, Morpheus, says is ?the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. That you, like everyone else, was born into bondage ? kept inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch.?

Morpheus holds out two pills, a red one and a blue one. The blue one will take him right back to where he was, no questions asked. The red one will show him the truth ? but he will have to give up reality, as he knows it, to discover it fully. It is up to him whether it will be worthwhile. Neo takes the Red Pill and continues into an action-packed adventure.

In many ways, Jesus is asking us to take the Red Pill in this passage from Matthew?s Gospel we just read. (more…)

I haven’t blogged since Saturday since I’m preparing to leave for a job interview in another state.

Actually, I’m interviewing to be a pastor of a church - to actually do the work my Seminary degree has semi-prepared me for.

Please pray as I will be interviewing and preaching this weekend.

Peace to all of you.

My post for this week… On Resolutions

For perfectionists, resolutions are particularly difficult. Known for “aiming high,” perfectionists often set unattainable goals when resolving to act upon areas of personal improvement. Resolving to “Quit this,” or “start that,”perfectionists regularly negate any progression in work by attempting a prematurely targeted finished product.

Invariably, this kind of behavior leads perfectionists down into self-deprecation, feelings of unworthiness, and, at times, malaise and depression.

On the other hand, some perfectionists never set any goals or make any resolutions: a promise never made does not have to be kept; there is no failure when nothing is attempted. Such attitudes shield perfectionists from themselves; with no failure there can be no self-directed wrath.

All that being said, this year, this perfectionist resolves to deal with perfectionism. The first few months will be focused on creating a plan that works: one of spiritual discipline that engages certain aspects of life and abstains from others, hoping to create healthy patterns of living life. The next few months will be lived under the disciplines. Finally, near the end of the time set by the disciplines, the workability of the plan and its execution will be (I hope) graciously examined. Progress will be celebrated!