The End...

This time has come to say farewell.

This blog has run a strong 4 years. I've enjoyed it thoroughly. It started out as "Remembering Titus," then became "The Straw Man's Favorite Blog," then became "The Red Herring's Favorite Blog," and will end its tenure as "Captain Ahab's Continuing Story: The Search for the Great Red Herring."

But I have changed... a lot. I am not the same person I was 4 years ago. Don't get me wrong--I still carry a lot of the same attributes within my personality. But overall, I'm just not the same. And its time to move on.

I'll probably start a new blog. Perhaps one about the VW Beetle restoration project or about the remodeling project we're getting ready to do on our new house. Or perhaps I won't start a new one at all.

So, for all my readers and commenters: thanks. I appreciate you being a part of this in some way. The discussions have typically been invigorating and intellectually stimulating. Even if you were a complete a-hole to me or simply read it to gain more ammunition about what a heretic I am, I'm glad you read it. It boosted my ego when I would check my blog traffic. But seriously... this is like saying goodbye to a real friend, not a blog. Its actually somewhat emotional. Its recognizing that its time to move on from an era in my life, not just to retire from posting on johndavidryan.blogspot.com. This is saying "Hello!" to a new phase.

I won't delete the contents of this blog. I'll leave it up (unless I run for public office). I like to occassionally read posts from years ago to remember what I was thinking about at that time--to read about how much my thought/belief processes have changed. If I do start another blog, I'll post the link on here.

Thanks again, fellow readers. I'll leave you with a quote from my very first post on Feb. 27th, 2007:

"I want to be remembering Titus. A man all too often forgotten. I want to be remembering that where I come from doesn't designate where I'm going. I want to be remembering that I may not be exactly what everyone expects, but in the kingdom of God, who cares? I want to be remembering that we have a purpose..."

The End.

-JDR

Life changes...

I'm getting older.

I knew it was happening. We all know it is happening. But sometimes, we recognize it.

I had a conversation with my dad about cholesterol last week. My sister and I talked family history yesterday. I constantly have to monitor my calorie intake. I make sure we always have Tums or Rolaids in the kitchen medicine drawer.

I'm thoroughly enamored by my 11 month old niece. The reality of possibly having children of my own one day isn't as scary as it once was.

I used to stay out all night. Now, I like to be in bed by 11 or so because my wife sleeps better knowing I'm by her side.

I watch HGTV more than any other channel on cable and spend too much time reading about buying my first home. I can explain how escrow, PMI, and fixed interest mortgages work. Mike Holmes is something of a folk hero in my mind.

I don't play video games very often anymore. My Xbox 360 broke a while back and it didn't bother me. I haven't even played the new version of Halo.

I'm restoring a 72 VW Beetle. I don't really care about what the next video game platform is, but I can tell you how to troubleshoot engine issues for a stock 1600cc VW motor that was carbureted. You can see the road through the holes in the floor of my car, but I smile every time I fire it up.

Life changes. And I'm okay with that.

I'm humbled and grateful for the life I get to live--its pretty damn awesome.

Couchsurfing and Global Climate Change...

So Brittany and I host Couchsurfers. If you don't know what couchsurfing is, goto the main website and check it out (here). Essentially, we let perfect strangers stay at our house as they are journeying across the country for one reason or another. Every experience we've had has been great. We really enjoy the lives and stories that have been shared. We've gotten to meet some very interesting people.

For instance, this last week, we hosted a middle aged couple from Canada. He is a retired accountant and she is a retired chef. They've chosen to live a very simple life and, because of that, retired in their early 40's. They live in a 500 sq/ft house off the grid in Canada and run a small organic farm. He taught workshops on alternative energy sources, composting, and gardening. They were fun people and great conversationalists. The vegan meal she cooked for us on Wednesday night was fantastic and the talk that followed was thought provoking.

These Couchsurfers were passionate about living simply and conserving our planet. We talked lots about how they do that, what choices they've made, ways the world is over-consuming natural resources, and practical steps people can begin to make the in right direction. Basically, they felt that we have to start doing something now, because if we are lazy and put it off any later, it'll be too late. It won't be the next generation's problem. It is our problem. Now.

It got me thinking... about how I live. And about how we all live. Particularly, how we as Americans live. And is it too late? Should we say: "Screw it. Its too late. Eat, drink and be merry... for tomorrow we die."? Or should we actively seek to change things? What if global climate change is all a bunch of BS? What if I do everything I can and no one listens to me about why they should change their lives?

There's lots of questions. And few answers. Then I ran across this YouTube video today. He makes an excellent point:



What are we going to do? Nothing? Something? Anything? And what sacrifices are we willing to make to change our planet? And what if it really is too late?

Its very peculiar...

Best Book of 2010

I read a lot in 2009. A whole lot. It makes me feel bad that I haven't read as much this past year. I still read plenty, just not as much as I did. And its still been almost entirely fiction. I just can't read a bunch of non-fiction lately. Don't ask me why. I don't know why. I just can't get in to it. I'm currently reading Donald Miller's "Through Painted Deserts" (again).

Anyway...

Last year, reading Chuck Palahniuk led me to Christopher Moore. After I read everything of his I could get my hands on, I then looked for other authors that Chuck recommended. That led me to John Irving.

I had heard of this book. I had also heard of the movie. I decided to read the book first. I loved it. Its a story that reminds you that life is real and we better be aware of the decisions we make. The main characters in the book are forced to come face to face with their humanity and the lives they choose to lead. This book is not for the faint of heart. It deals with every hot topic under the sun, and still tells a story that both filled and tore my heart.



Everyone should read "The Cider House Rules." I'm sure that some uber-conservatives will hear that its about abortion and therefore avoid it. But the story is about something so much bigger than abortion.

Get it. Read it. You'll be happy you did.

PS-The movie sucked... a lot. I hated it. Its not even a decent movie if you look at it apart from the book. But when comparing it to the book, its almost blasphemy because it wanders so far away from John Irving's original plot line.

Oh, the YouTube comments section...

Just read this in the comments section of a YouTube video:

"You say Lady Gaga, I say DEADMAU5
You say Hannah Montana, I say METRIC
You say Owl City, I say MODEST MOUSE
You say Jonas Brothers, I say GORILLAZ
You say Justin Bieber, I say DAFT PUNK
You say Taylor Swift, I say MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE"

I may not agree with every selection here, as this person is obviously really into electronic music, but I agree with their point and thought it was worth noting.

Best Album of 2010

This one was easy. Too easy, actually.

It starts off with a quote from Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." It finishes with one of the best compositions I've heard in a long time. I saw them in concert at the War Memorial auditorium a couple of months ago. It was literally some of the best 2 hours of my life.


If you have not listened to Mumford and Sons' album "Sigh No More," you are not complete. I seriously mean that. These songs will get into your mind and heart and bounce around in your chest. They will make you sing. They make you feel like music is important. They make you feel like the moment matters. They make you remember why art is so valuable.

I don't know exaclty when I got my hands on the album for the first time. I do know that "Little Lion Man" was the first song I heard. I thought "Winter Winds" may be my favorite, then they played "Roll Away Your Stone" as the final encore song at their concert with Cadillac Sky and Old Crow Medicine Show on stage in Nashville... and my mind was instantly changed.

Happy New Year, etc etc...

So I think I'm gonna write some posts this week about my favorite things from 2010 (ie, favorite book, favorite album, etc etc). Let me know if you have any requests.

A confession...

I just haven't felt like blogging lately. I know that I have not finished my "I Believe..." series. I might not ever finish it.

I've had too much to say.

I've had nothing to say.

Take it for what you will.

What I Believe (part 20)

I believe that some people care way too much about Facebook.

Because I've felt unnecessarily concerned about what everyone else would think, I've been deleting more and more "friends" who have had access to my Facebook profile. I'm sure some people will take offense to it. I'm sure most won't care.

I wish everyone wouldn't care.

Its just Facebook. Its not the real world.

What I Believe (part 19)

I believe that when millions of people are excited about Day After Thanksgiving sales it should become clear to us that our lives are losing meaning.

PS- Celebrate Buy Nothing Day instead.

What I Believe (part 18)

I believe that some days its hard to believe anything.

A post about makeovers...

Gunther has been getting a makeover. Its gonna be a slow process, but I had to start doing something about the emerging rust spots. A lot of sanding and a little primer went a long way:



(You can ignore this one. I need to post pics on here to host them so I can post them on the VW forum I am a part of. But, if you're really into engine bays, here's what mine currently looks like:)



I also got a makeover. I had some serious sideburns and a mustache for a while. Its gone now. But here's a photo for you to know what a real creeper looks like:

What I Believe (part 17)

I believe that it is impossible to call yourself a follower of Jesus and to support war, violence, and militarism.

People have a hard time with this. I don't. I don't support the death penalty. I don't support war of any kind (particularly the ones we/the US are/is involved in now). And I wish my 50% of my tax dollars didn't go to support the military. My reasoning for this? A mix of my theological perspective and common sense. But, if I only look at things from the perspective of being a follower of Jesus, there's no way I see anyone being able to justify supporting any of the 3 things listed above.

What I Believe (part 16)

I believe that a life not invested in one's community is a life that is lived too small.

People who don't have good social networks (and I'm not talking about Facebook--that's not real), who don't actively participate in civic opportunities, who aren't engaged in community activities, who don't do stuff in their own neighborhoods... these people lead small lives.

Things that shouldn't matter much become big issues for people who don't have big issues to deal with. Life is meant to be lived. We are meant to make this world better--even if its in small ways. Everyone has something to offer the world and the community in which they reside.

Go. Live. Be. Move. Breathe. Take risks. Be crazy. Be spontaneous. Eat. Drink. Laugh. Love. Get involved. (Is this becoming a motivational poster? I'll stop.)

What I Believe (part 15)

I believe that the lottery does what the church has not: offered hope for something better.

I could probably write a novel on this. I could probably rant all day on how we've all failed as Christians. I could probably get so depressed I'd contemplate suicide. I could probably get so angry that I'd say a lot of things I don't mean. But I won't. I'll just say that I believe the church's job is to provide people with a hope for something better and a way of getting there. So when the church fails to do that, people look other places for that hope. People (in America anyway) are finding new hope in things like consumerism, anti-depressants, fast food, and the lottery.

"Hope is subversive, for it limits the grandiose pretensions of the present by calling into existence the possibility of something better." -Walter Brueggemann, Prophetic Imagination (HT: Ben Kickert)

I like this guy...

He's no Ryan Adams musically, but he's got some great things to say:

What I Believe (part 14)

I believe that the existence of a highly evolved race on another planet could explain everything.

Seriously.

I'm not saying that aliens exist. I'm not saying that their existence answers all of our questions. I'm just saying that if there are aliens out there, and if they are highly evolved, then they could be the answer to all of life's big questions. What if they had been here to earth in the past? What if they had seeded life on the planet? What if they didn't seed life here, but they interacted with us in the past in ways that convinced us they were God/gods? What if all writings of faith regarding a God or gods were actually talking about aliens who had visited here and interacted with us?

What if?

Like I said, I'm not submitting this as a rational response to all of life's big questions. I'm just saying that if we, at some point, make contact with aliens, it could change everything about what we know. Honestly, I think this is the only thing that could derail my belief in God. But I don't see such an event happening.

To be honest, the one and only Michael Meece spurred on these thoughts. He should write a blog solely on this topic. But he's avoiding the vanity that I so readily accept by blogging often. Anyway... just wanted to give him credit.

What I Believe (part 13)

I believe that we are all born with a clean slate.

In other words: I don't believe in original sin (ie, that humans are born fallen/sinful/predisposed to evil/etc.) I feel like most of the teachings on original sin come from a narrow view of two sections of the New Testament (Romans 5 and 1st Corinthians 15). Then too, most American Christians adhere to the doctrinal teachings of Calvin, Luther or Wesley--all of whom claim that man is inherently sinful (though in slightly different ways). I just don't see it as being a Biblical concept. I see it as another major issue within Christianity that more people look to Augustine for answers rather than to Jesus.

(If you'd like some specifics, I'm not a Pelagianist. But I think the Augustinian view on original sin borders on Manichaeism. "Adam and Eve" may have wrecked the human environment, but I don't think they passed on sinfulness simply by procreating.)

What I Believe (part 12)

I believe that God does not exist is the same way the we humans exist. For instance, God is not alive in the same sense that we are alive (mainly because our existence depends on a brain, heart, blood, and oxygen all working together internally in our bodies).

I think I would make two main subpoints with this statement: 1, God is other/unique. This is why God is called "holy," because God's existence is set apart from our own; 2, God is not a "he." God is also not a "she." Then too, God is not an "it." God just doesn't have a gender. Its not offensive to use any gender terms when discussing God, in my eyes. Sometimes its best to refer to God as "she" to make a point/statement.