What is Geospatial Engineering?

I wanted to give everyone information about Geospatial Engineering so that you have an idea of what I am working with.

The best thing I can think of to show the capabilities is this video from Penn State's Geospatial program.

Geospatial Revolution Project | A Public Media Project

I think that this is cool because I admire the potential connectivity that technology can provide. I realize that this can be a good and bad thing, but I'm willing to embrace morally neutral technology if it can bring both good and bad to the world (hopefully used for more good and eventually regulated to prevent bad use in the future).

If you have any questions feel free to let me know. It's kind of my job to get answers!

Change of State or State of Change?

It's been a while since my last post and a lot has changed.
1.] I'm no longer in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, but in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
I will be here in North Carolina for a better part of my four year contract. Also, I will most likely not be deploying in the next two years; however, I will be traveling quite a bit around North America.
2.] I have moved into an apartment here at Fort Bragg and I have been assigned to a geospatial platoon.



When I was at the school house in Missouri, we spent less than half a day learning about geospatial engineering because it is such a rare assignment. I am one of eight geospatial platoon leaders in the Army! I am so excited to be a part of this mission! Stay tuned for another post all about what my platoon does not just for the Army, but for you!



Change and adaptation are a big part of Army life. I've watched my entire job change at the whim of higher officers as I stood there listening to them debating about what to do with me. It's good training for life in general I suppose.



I apologize if this post is vague and general, but I just wanted to get something on here before another week comes and goes.

Peace.

A Formal Dining Out with Katie

Katie spent last weekend with me here at Fort Leonard Wood. Friday was a formal military Dining-Out ceremony that she attended with me. She looked beautiful and I was thrilled to walk around arm and arm with her. Whatever nervousness she had about the formal occasion quickly dissipated after she met some of the characters I am in training with. We sat at the "Texas" table with some of my friends who are all in the same National Guard unit back in Texas. They are very funny and enjoyable company. My buddy Chuck had us all almost crying from his zany behavior (alcohol was involved).

On Saturday, Katie and I went to the St. Louis Six Flags amusement park. It was so much fun going on coasters and walking around with Katie! We stopped by Alex's Pizza in Rolla on the way home. Overall, it was a great weekend of quality time and it was hard to see her go on Monday, but I'm thankful for every moment I get.

I'm getting ready to go into the field today as I write this. When I get back, I'll only have 1 week left here at Fort Leonard Wood! 4 months went by fast! I have a lot more to write about, but it'll have to wait until I get back from the field so that I can give it the time it deserves.

Moral Evolution

I've had some thoughts recently about a concept called moral evolution.
This might be a controversial topic for some, but I hope that the premises that I lay out for this idea make it possible for you to let the concept play with your imagination and not conflict with your beliefs.

I. Assuming that the biological processes of evolution by means of natural selection have been and are currently taking place to some extent, would we as humans be at the end of a spectrum of evolution or still in the middle of it?

II. Humans are already distinct from animals by having consciousness, so what does human evolution look like?
a) If natural selection occurs when one species adapts to an environment faster than another, then technology could be a physical manifestation of human evolution (the struggle to do more with less has always fueled technological innovation). Physical evolution can also be seen in how society operates and what institutions control it.
b) Since humans are conscious beings, would the increase in knowledge of our nature, the environment, and our role in the environment be a form of mental evolution?
c) If humans can evolve physically and mentally, could they evolve morally and spiritually as well?

III. The controversial part of this is considering whether or not humans have an innate moral compass... a moral code... not a code of law, but closer to a moral genetic code.

I think if you asked most people today where their morals and values came from, the most common responses you would get would be religion and parents/upbringing. So what happens when I meet someone who has had a different upbringing and a different religious moral understanding?

I do believe that an absolute truth exists. I just don't think that it's so easy to be certain that we've got it. I do go to God in prayer for discernment when it comes to finding the truth. The times when I feel like I've received an answer to a question about what's morally right is after I've considered all of the parties involved in the question. I think that if God can give us discernment of the truth, then maybe it's his purpose for all of us to have that ability. I may not have it now, but maybe humans a thousand years from now will not fight in wars because discernment is a gene in the moral code of humans in the future.

I have a lot more thoughts on this subject, but this may be crazy enough. It's interesting to think about.

Weekend with Katie

Katie came to visit me on the weekend of July 15th-19th. As I'm writing this, I am getting excited for her to visit me again for a formal event on Friday, August 6th. She has all of the pictures that we took that weekend on her camera. I'll update this post later on with some of those when I get them from her. It's probably no surprise to hear that having her here made the best weekend of my time here at Fort Leonard Wood. I was able to show her around post and point out the staples that exist on every post. The military is a different world, but it's nice that it is consistent, so she will not be shocked when she comes to live with me near Fort Bragg after we get married. I could tell that she developed confidence in navigating around the military environment after the weekend. It is always more scary when you don't know what lies beyond the security gates. It will be cool later on when I'm done with active duty and Katie and I can drive past a military post (or see one in a movie) and look at each other and think, "Been there, done that."

I must admit, at times, I feel jealous of some of the guys who have their spouses with them because I miss Katie. I know that I just need to be patient and I'll enjoy being with her that much more later on. I do think that this past weekend was a blessing though.

Katie and I enjoyed some of the sites along historic Route 66. We went to Meramec Caverns which were huge and awesome to walk around. We even saw a part of the cave where Jesse James hid the loot from a train robbery! We stopped by a winery on the way back and tasted some Missouri wines, and we topped off the night with a trip to the movies to see Inception. It was a great movie! I enjoyed the way it made me think and I'll probably watch it again.

The conversations and the company were the best part. We cooked meals together and chatted it up! My favorite pastime!

As I write this, I'm only 3 days away from seeing her again. I'm a lucky guy!

Bridging the Gap

It's been a while since my last post, but I'm going to try to make up for that today by posting some of my recent activities and thoughts.

A few weeks ago, I learned about bridging in the military. After we learned about all of the types of bridges that the military uses and how to design a bridge based on the requirements, we went out and worked on building three different types of bridges. I've included a picture of a common military bridge called the Bailey Bridge. We built this one when we were training. It has been used by the military for a long time as you can tell by the picture from WWII.

I remember thinking to myself even before I came here that I like the idea of bridge building. Bridging a gap from one side to another is essentially the key task of a peacemaker. Most conflicts arise from two people standing on their own side of a river. They've never been to the other side and have no interest in seeing what is over there. One of the key ways to finding a resolution in conflict is to see the other side. At that point, agreement isn't even necessary because it becomes possible to respect or at least understand where the other person is coming from.

"Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God." --Matthew 5:9

Here's to building bridges!

Sigh No More

Whew! Much has happened since the last post! Last week I was in the field and we ran 4 platoon level missions. It was fun because they all dealt with engineering operations. Despite it being hot recently, we couldn't have had any better weather than we did. Chiggers are pretty bad out in Missouri this time of year. They are microscopic mites that bite your skin and spit an enzyme that digests the skin. They don't stay in you like ticks, but the bites get mighty itchy. If you plan to do camping in the summertime, remember to spray for bugs! After we cleaned all of our equipment upon our return to our company area, we had class on Thursday. In class we started learning about gap crossing/ bridging operations. As soon as we were dismissed on Thursday I packed up my things and hit the road to come back to Ohio. It was a nice drive. I was able to talk with friends on the way back and listen to some good tunes.

Katie and I had a jam-packed weekend! On Friday we left from Pickerington and went to Dublin where I had lunch with some of my college buddies who were stopping through on their way to the Ohio river. Then Katie and I started preparing a dinner for some of my high school buddies and their significant others. Katie and I made some chili cockaigne (cincinatti style) with noodles. We had such a good time eating, talking, and drinking that we left a little late for the fireworks. We made it to Goodale park before they started going off. We ended up watching them from the rail along I-670. It was twice as cool to see fireworks and have cars speed by at 65mph in front of us! On Saturday, Katie and I went to Indian Lake past Bellefountain, Ohio for her cousin's graduation party. It was my first opportunity to spend time with Katie's parents, Ray and Carol, since we've been engaged. We had a great time! My thought at the end of the day when we were driving back was that I couldn't be happier to be a part of her family (immediate and extended). I always feel so welcome. I'm truly blessed.

We spent Sunday going to church in the morning with my parents and then we had a cookout with my sister Gina and brother-in-law Adam (and the dogs).

So you can see it was an eventful weekend! Other highlights include: I found out last Thursday that I will be deploying in January with my unit to Afghanistan. I don't know much about that, but I will post more details later on. Also, Bev asked me to be a groomsmen at he and Elaine's wedding in October! I don't know what will be going on in October yet, but I'll find a way to be there.

And now to the reasoning for the post title, "Sigh No More." My buddy Zac gave me a CD before I left that I didn't listen to much until this weekend on my drive back to Fort Leonard Wood. The band is Mumford and Sons. They are from London, England. The lyrical melodies have an Irish ballad sound to them. The lyrics are powerful and the instrumentals are fantastic. I've decided that if I were going to make music, it would be in the same style. I call it Soul Grass or Progressive Folk. This kind of goes along with my previous post about identity in music.

Here's a link to one of their songs and the lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TrU4_-JTY&feature=related

Serve God love me and men
This is not the end
Live unbruised we are friends
And I'm sorry
I'm sorry

Sigh no more, no more
One foot in sea, one on shore
My heart was never pure
you know me
you know me

And man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing

Love that will not betray you,
dismay or enslave you,
It will set you free
Be more like the man
you were made to be.
There is a design,
An alignment to cry,
At my heart you see,
The beauty of love
as it was made to be

The Lion Trainer

This past week was chock full of ups and downs. The ups definitely made the downs nothing worth complaining about. Now the less enjoyable parts of last week only add spice to the story.

I started on Monday (Gina's birthday) at the demolitions range. It was cool! I got to make an expedient Bangalore torpedo (used for clearing barbed wire obstacles out of the way). I also got to build the triple standard concertina fence that we were about to blow up. I made the expedient Bangalore torpedo by mashing about 8 pounds of C4 in between 2 fence posts and taping them together after priming them with detonating cord. We made some pretty big booms. The most impressive was the 40lb cratering charges (used to destroy roads). When we went out to set them up, we found a huge turtle swimming in an old crater. Everyone seemed to think it would be a good idea to blow the turtle up which I protested to no avail. So they set the explosives up near the turtle's crater despite my wishes (democracy is not always enjoyable). I thought that the good karma deposit I had worked up from saving a turtle 2 weeks ago was about to be withdrawn. The explosion was so immense that even in the concrete bunker looking through the 1 inch Plexiglas window we could feel the pulse wave of energy flow right through. It was awesome to behold that energy. After the range was clear and we went out to clean up and see our effects, we managed to find the turtle alive and well going for a swim in a newly formed crater roughly 50m from his old home! I can't imagine what he must've blogged about that night! I thanked God for his safety and asked for forgiveness for all of our disrespect. Gandhi said, "You can tell a lot about a nation based on how its people treat animals."

It's an interesting story and it leads into another topic that has been on my mind a lot. In my personal studies over the past few years, I've noticed a common concept that is talked about in many different areas. The concept is man's mastery over the body, mind over matter, self-control. It is an important topic because it may be the most important thing that separates homo-sapiens from every other form of animal life on the planet. Classic Greek philosophy speaks of "arete" or the pursuit of excellence in every aspect of the human character. Yogi philosophy preaches "intellect over instinct." Christianity talks of self-control and the sanctity of the human body as a temple/vessel used to worship God. I find that all of these ideas overlap and all have been necessary for my ongoing growth in understanding self-control. I feel that I possess self-control to a commendable degree for societal standards, but I am never comfortable with where I am at with self-control. Lately, I have been trying very hard to not think angry thoughts when I am wronged or if I see something I don't like. It's very challenging and I think it'll always be something I struggle with because no matter how much I learn, it's easy to forget... if only for the amount of time it takes to entertain an angry, envious, lustful thought. Self-control is an important discipline because it requires conscious effort to remember your character and values everyday at all times... not just when making decisions...but even standing in line at the grocery store... being in a hurry... wondering why the next line is going so much faster than mine... realizing that it's because the cashier is a "Chatty Kathy" (no offense Katie!)... and being quick to make judgments about the people because of my own impatience... then wondering why I'm still in a bad mood after I've still made it to my destination on time.

I've titled this blog post the lion trainer because I think it makes a perfect analogy to this concept of self-control. Often times lion-taming is an analogy for coping with other difficult people. I was shocked when I saw that analogy pop up so much when I googled lion training. Instead of thinking of the lion as a difficult person, think of the lion as your own instinctive, base self. The lion is a powerful creature and is capable of causing great harm. The lion trainer must be patient and make the lion used to his presence little by little. Eventually the trainer can control the lion in more and more ways because of the patient training. The trainer also knows that the lion can never be "tamed" only trained.
I don't want to explain too much of the analogy because it spoils your fun of thinking about the analogy, but 2 key things to consider:
-The lion trainer must wake up and know that he is going to train a lion today
-The lion trainer has job security because the lion isn't going anywhere

Some of the Most Important Conversations Happen at 3am

This was another great week! I learned about demolitions all week. It is a lot of military math (a little different than regular math) and memorization of all of the different explosives, fuses, knots, methods, igniters. I really enjoyed learning all of it, because I really feel like I am learning a trade now. I am putting in the time and energy to become a professional combat engineer. It feels good. I will be going to the demolitions range tomorrow on Gina's birthday to actually set up and set off the real stuff (C4, H6 crater charges, TNT, det cord)!

I had a great weekend as well. Me and some of the guys drove to Steelville, MO not too far from here and went camping. I really enjoyed being outdoors and spending time with the guys. We also went tubing down a river for 6 hours yesterday. It was really fun! I got a little sun burnt though. The reason I titled this blog as I did was because of the good conversations on Friday night. I found a new friend in one of my peers. He approached me at around 1am on Friday and wanted to talk about Faith and religion... one of my favorite subjects. It was a great dialogue. Even the things that we had differences on, we had a respect for each other that made the conversation go farther and farther without hitting walls. He grew up going to mass every Sunday, but he found it hard to believe in God when he went away to college. He hasn't fully made up his mind about what he believes now, but we had a great discussion about life. There's something about those late night conversations that is special. It brings out so much honesty and open-mindedness (if the participants are willing that is). Some of my favorite memories of college come from 3am talks on the roof or going for a walk (usually home from the bar).

Dialogue is so important in the learning process. I could read books all day, but when I talk about the ideas contained within the words and question them and put them to the test, they take on new meaning to me. It's as if I've taken ownership of the knowledge. At the very least, I'm much less likely to forget information that I've stayed up until 3am talking about.

Cave Drawing

This past week was pretty good! I learned a lot about combat engineer defensive operations and landmine/obstacle warfare. We even did a couple practical exercises this week, one in which simulated a battle that we planned for in a computer system. It is hard to describe, but it was intense. I was a Battalion Commander for the battle and we won! I have a good group to work with. This weekend was great too! My gal graduated on Sunday! Now turns another page in our story. I already busted out my Ohio Dominican coffee mug! I'm so proud of you Kathleen!

Starting off the weekend, I was in need of some downtime after that hectic week. I was very sick with head congestion on Friday, so I got some Alka-Seltzer and took it easy on Friday night. On Saturday, I read a lot... mostly leisure reading. I'm studying yogi philosophy for fun. Maybe it's just the Christian lens that I am reading it through, but I see a lot of what God wants us to be in the yogi philosophy. I'll probably write more blogs in the future about some of the particulars of the yogi philosophy. I went to the next town over on I-44 called Rolla and studied at Panera. I then went to the Rolla Public Library and they were having a Friends of the Library book sale. I called Katie for permission not before I started browsing, but before I made any purchases. You better believe I already had a stack of books in my arms before I realized I should make that call. She just told me not to get any bad ones. Easy enough! I realize that it is going to be difficult to move Katie and I's books, but don't worry, I'll do the lifting (you'll probably have to remind me of this blog post if you're helping us move in the future)!
I got a few books about ancient history... a subject of interest for me lately. I feel responsible for either knowing or being able to find all of the lessons that all humans have recorded up to this point. That may seem a daunting task, but I assure you, the internet/Wikipedia has made it much easier.

One of the topics that I read about in ancient history was about cave drawings. Cave drawings are considered the beginning of art. Anthropologists believe that the drawings of our ancestors were not purely aesthetic, but more for magical purposes. We suspect that our hunter/gatherer ancestors believed that if they drew pictures of animals, they would actually appear nearby. Maybe that's why advertising marketers show us so many pictures of juicy quarter-pounders and french fries. They are going for the reverse magical effect. If they show us the pictures, maybe people will appear in their restaurants and stores.

This concept got me thinking about what I would draw if I knew that the subject in the picture would appear nearby...

Have a great week! I would say that I am about 90% back to health from being sick and I'm ready for another week!
Peace

What is Just?

I think about justice and morality often and I have recently learned of an interesting professor at Harvard named Michael Sandel. He teaches a course on justice at Harvard and has decided to post every lecture on a public website. He has also posted his assigned readings for each lecture. The website even has a discussion board for everyone to talk about justice! This is great to me. From out of the ivory tower and into the streets - That's where education belongs.
Here is the website address:
http://www.justiceharvard.org/
Michael Sandel was also at the TED conference in February this year and talked about reforming how we conduct democratic debate. He said something very powerful in the end of the lecture that I would like to share with you.
"A better way to mutual respect is to engage directly with the moral convictions citizens bring to public life rather than require that people leave their deepest moral convictions outside politics before they enter. That, it seems to me, is the way to begin to restore the art of democratic argument."
Here's a link to that lecture.
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sandel_the_lost_art_of_democratic_debate.html
I like this because it is not about which party has the most seats, filibustering, shouting, mudslinging, defaming. Have politicians been afraid of true debate because they don't want their deepest moral convictions publicly known in fear of losing a key demographic for reelection? I say, bring on the debates.

So little to do, so much time...? Wait a minute... Strike that... Reverse it.

Whew! It has been a whirlwind since coming back from my amazing memorial day weekend at home in Ohio!
I had a nice, safe drive back to Fort Leonard Wood. I finished listening to a book called 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell. I would definitely recommend this book to someone interested in unconventional explanations of common workings of our society. He focuses on what has made people successful in America. You probably wouldn't be surprised to hear that practice is a key component to success, but if you knew just how some of America's successful leaders gained an advantage with practice, you would be fascinated. I'll give you a hint. The year and month that you are born may be just as critical as your work ethic (Those who recognize the changes of the future first and align their work with where society is going tend to come out on top). It is not an exact science by any means and I didn't agree with everything that Gladwell put forward, but I did appreciate the way the book made me think outside of the box.
I went right back to work with classes when I got back here. Last week I had an exam on Army doctrine foundations. I did well on it. We immediately had 4 classes right after the exam filled with material for the next exam which left my head spinning going into the weekend.
The weekend was nice, but short because we still worked on Saturday. I managed to swim some laps and get some studying in before me and some of the guys grilled out on Saturday night. The conversations were good! We're all so different despite the same haircut and uniform! Sunday was a good day for church, reading for leisure, reading for work, and getting ready for this week.
We started Sapper train-up PT this week. We got smoked for 2 hours straight this morning, and I'm feeling pretty sore, but that is a good feeling when you're stuck in a classroom for the next 10 hours. Well, I'm going to get back to work, but I hope I can blog about more this weekend!

Peace!

A Memorial Day Weekend to Remember

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! I didn't even write about my experience in the field. Marksmanship went pretty well. I shot 37 out of 40 targets on the pop up range and achieved expert status for the first time. When we got back, we cleaned our weapons for a while and then we started our engineering courses. I finally busted out the calculator for some calculations. It was pretty exciting! I have my work cut out for me in studying, but I'm very excited about what I'm learning. I have my first exam on Friday. I'm also starting the Sapper/Ranger train-up this week. It is going to be a lot more intense, but I like challenges like that. I'll keep you posted on how all that goes.

This was the best Memorial Day weekend I've ever had. I proposed to Katie on Saturday evening on the 11th floor of the newly renovated Ohio State Main Library. She said yes, and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I'll be driving back to Missouri today with a smile on my face.

I could probably write about Katie for the rest of the day, but I'll stop here and just say that we look forward to sharing our lives with our community of family and friends.

Love!

Identity in Music

I don't know if everyone feels this way, but I feel a base urge within that I am supposed to be making music. This is problematic because I am not naturally talented with music. I don't think that it is the desire to live like a rock star because I'm not attracted to that lifestyle, but I do admire those who wake to make music.

I am certainly a music appreciator. Anyone who knows my taste in music or has talked about music with me could probably tell that I'm passionate about what I listen to. I am also critical with music. It has to be good for me to listen to it. My general criteria for listening to music are:
1) Good instrumentals
2) Good lyrics
3) Good artist/purpose/story behind music

For me to enjoy a song, it really only needs to meet one of those three criteria. If it meets all three... well then... I'm probably going to go somewhere else in my mind when I listen to it. This might make my obsession with bands like Beirut clear for some of you.

I want to use this post to comment on all things music, either making it or appreciating it.

I will continue to practice making music when I have time because although waking to make music may not be my purpose until my late eighties/early nineties, I owe it to myself to learn the fundamentals now. My first album is dropping in December 2076.

2 new albums came out when I was in the field this last week that I'm excited about.
The Black Keys - Brothers
Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore - Dear Companion
Here's a link to a story about Ben Sollee's new album.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126978698

I titled this post, 'identity in music' for a couple different reasons. I think that music plays a large role in both societal culture and personal culture. Someone may write a song for one reason and I identify with it for a different reason because of my own life experiences. Also, the base urge I feel to make music might be coming from a subconscious desire to express my own unique identity. Is this how culture is formed?

A New Kind of American

I wanted to take this opportunity to play on the title of Brian McLaren's book and dedicate a post to thoughts on the U.S. and being an American. I'm probably only going to post a little at a time.

First, I must give credit to my friend Anthony for being with me when I realized the importance of these two following quotes.

"America's fundamental law seeks to make real the brotherhood of man."
These words were spoken by Louis D Brandeis in his speech to the Conference of Eastern Council of Reform Rabbis on April 25, 1915. The quote is etched into the wall of the OSU law building. Anthony and I were in a conversation and walking when both of our eyes reached it and immediately sensed the meaning for us and for all.
You can read it in context at the link below if you have the time. If not, the words stand strong alone.
http://www.law.louisville.edu/library/collections/brandeis/node/234
I will refer to this fundamental law in the future.

The next quote is important to the title of this post.
"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed with what is right in America."
These words were spoken by William Jefferson Clinton at his First Inaugural address on January 20, 1993. My grandpa Oscar would probably be upset that I quoted Bill Clinton, but regardless of his political stance or actions as President, I find truth in these words. These words were spoken to me by my friend Anthony at about 3am after the Mount Celebration ceremony my sophomore year in college. I will never forget that conversation and those words always stand out.

I hope that I continuously come back to them as I ask myself, "What am I doing to make it right?" It doesn't matter if I didn't commit the wrong. What am I doing to make it right? How do I make it right? What's the right way to make it right? I don't always have answers, but I do have enough to fill up working days.

A New Kind of Christian

Another week in the books here at Fort Leonard Wood. It was cold and rainy for most of the week and weekend and the forecast calls for more of the same for this next week while I'll be in the field. No worries, though, because I've got my love to keep me warm (I definitely need to pick up my Sinatra music with me when I visit home). They say, "If it ain't rainin', you ain't trainin'." I suppose this means I will get some bonafide training this week. I just need to make sure I put my picture of Katie in a Ziploc. Sorry for the cheese Kate.

Admin note: I won't have my cell phone until next Saturday night.

I finished a book this week that I mentioned in last week's blog about post-modernity. It is by an author/pastor/activist named Brian D. McLaren. I am fascinated by his writing style and am now excited to read two more of his books that Dion got as a going away present for me.

In a nutshell, the book details the hardships of a pastor named Dan struggling with feeling spiritual despair while at the same time trying to tend to his congregation. He decides that he might need to get out of ministry and into something else. He decides to talk with a local school teacher about getting into teaching. The teacher whom he approaches is his daughter's soccer coach named Neil Edward Oliver (Neo). The rest of the book divulges the specific details of conversations between the two new friends. The conversations are very heavy. While the book is relatively short at about 165 pages, it is long in respect to the thoughts that it stirs within.

I highly recommend this book for someone who wants to open their mind about how we think about faith. It is something that is so unique for all of us. It is an individual journey and a collective effort at the same time. Reading this book made me appreciate my mentors in life so much. Dion has without a doubt impacted the direction of my life simply by listening to my thoughts and giving guidance and encouragement. And, it was all done over coffee! My friends in college impacted me tremendously, and most (not all) of those times were done over a few beers! I've told Dion that because of the hearty content of my relationships, I felt like most of my faith building occurred outside of the church building, similar to how it's been said that most knowledge is learned outside of the classroom. The church building still has a great purpose in my perspective just like school, but the application of what is learned in church to the world is where I've seen my own faith grow the most.

I could write for days about this. It has given me a fervor to learn more about what I've heard Dion call practical theology. These are God's truths that can be put into practice in our everyday lives to make it "on Earth as it is in Heaven." I fall short of this often, but I do care to try everyday.

When I was in Guyana, Greg taught me many things that he has learned over a lifetime of preaching. It shed a lot of light on what it is to be a preacher. He told me about the difficulties of experiencing a "dark night of the soul" while ministering to a congregation. He told me (I'm paraphrasing) to think of a pastor as a farmer filling a silo with spiritual fodder. If the farmer does not actively reap the fodder from the fields, the silo will run empty and the farmer will have nothing left to feed the livestock (congregation). This is an immense responsibility!

Another thing that I have learned is that, depending on the organization of the church, the job security of the pastor depends on the satisfaction of the congregation with the message. So, it is possible that if the livestock no longer find the taste of the fodder desirable, they can find another farmer! This does not seem like a sound organizational structure not only because it doesn't fit this nice analogy, but often times, the truth of God convicts you and makes you uncomfortable. The purpose of God in our lives is not to rise to our maximum level of complacency. The congregation needs to be mature enough to receive difficult messages and instead of lashing out, seeking within first.

This all might seem a far cry from what A New Kind of Christian was about, but it is something that I've been thinking a lot about since I read it. If this writing about organizational structure does not seem relevant to you, I apologize, but it is very real for many autonomous churches that are sincerely trying to follow God. I also think that this is an appropriate topic considering that 2010 is the year of the priest in Roman Catholicism. For all of those who have felt and answered that call, I appreciate you.

Stop and smell the roses

I wanted to share a story of something I experienced this week. I have been working pretty hard since I've been here. Sometimes I get caught up with what's going on and don't always take time to appreciate why I'm doing it and why I'm thankful.

When I walked out of class the other day in a hurry, I almost stepped on something on the ground. I stopped and looked at it. It was a hummingbird! The hummingbird was resting on the ground at my feet. It didn't move at first, but just as I noticed her, she got up and flew around me and on up to the sky. Even hummingbirds stop and rest! I thank God for that reminder and it's nice to know that he's there to remind me that I'm doing it for him anyway.

What is Post-Modernity?

Warning: This post rambles!

I finished another week here at Fort Leonard Wood. We've finished the paperwork for the most part (Does it ever really end?) and have started classes. I'm beginning to feel more comfortable in establishing a routine for classes, working out, and studying. It's been nice to be able to talk with Katie and my family over the phone and Skype. I'm excited about the engineering curriculum we have here. It's going to be a lot of information fast, but I'm always eager to learn.

I wanted to use this post to express something I've been thinking about lately. It has come up in conversations with Anthony and in a book from Dion that I am reading called A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren.

The topic is post-modernity. It is something that has been talked about since probably the 1950s, but I am not convinced that it is defined yet. It is interesting how we as people are very good at classifying things, yet not so great at understanding what we are classifying. I imagine the human collection of knowledge being contained in a great big warehouse and the curator is overworked and underpaid. His inbox of new ideas is too much for him to file in one day. Whether it be his lack of social interaction or his knowledge of the fact that most of these ideas are only going to gather dust, he is now a disgruntled employee. I may be trying to say too many things with that image and I apologize if it is confusing. I just think that there are more ideas than there are the right words and ways of expressing them, so we group some of them together even if they don't go together.

Technology has given more people than ever a voice....a good thing.....right? It should be. Unfortunately, technology has not given everybody understanding nor a desire to be understanding of the exponentially larger amount of information that we are exposed to. To be blunt, we all have something to say but we don't all have an ear to say it too. This creates internal and external conflict (in ourselves and our relationships, even the close ones).

Anyways, back to post-modernity. As I've read, talked about, and questioned this concept, I've noticed that I may have thought about post-modernity different than others. All I knew was that I felt different than what was given to me. It seemed to be "modern" thinking that I was having internal conflict with. Therefore, I must be post-modern. This term troubles me because it lacks a timeless quality. I'm sure the first self conscious cave man didn't think to himself, "I'm prehistoric." Looking back on the beginning of post-modernity 100 years from now is going to be messy. Can every new idea that is not modern be post-modern? That depends. They are all post modern if we look at post-modernity as a chronological term. If it is a movement, then certainly not. Post-modernity as a movement is filled with contradicting thoughts. In philosophy it is an abandonment of perception being reality, an acknowledgment of perception, therefore a lack of belief in any reality. It is filled with more hope in some theology as it is a call for spending more energy on loving rather than spending energy on proving one is right or wrong. The second council of the Vatican was chock full of this notion, which is why I think we haven't heard many clergy wasting time speaking out against evolution. Even Wikipedia tries to distinguish between post-modernity and post-modernism (without citing sources..ahh!). There is post-modern philosophy, post-modern dance, post-modern art, post-modern theology, post-modern economics. I'm just waiting for a new video game to come out called Call of Duty: Post-modern Warfare!!!

This is already longer than I wanted it to be. I could go on much much longer, but not now. I will continue on my journey reaching forward. I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts.

A Wonderful Weekend of Studying

This was my first weekend here at Fort Leonard Wood. I feel like I have really hit the ground running. From the time I have been here, I have been going at it all day. I haven't established a routine yet, but I have been incorporating every new thing that I learn everyday into my body of knowledge. I finished two online courses online that were supposed to be 10 hours long each. I think I may have finished them in about 12 hours. You better believe I went for a nice run after staring at a computer for that long! I've read a book already and I'm studying, studying, studying. I'm also organizing many things in my life. The Army requires a lot of paperwork, so I'm trying to make myself as efficient and proactive as possible to minimize the runaround that tends to happen in a bureaucratic organization. I'm making excel spreadsheets for all of my finances, and I'm feeling really good about all of it!

Waking up to go to work is exciting even though I miss everyone because I know that I'm working for God and my future with Katie. Plus, I know she's doing the same.

I tried to go to a church service with a buddy I've made here named Obasohan. I call him Obi. He's originally from Nigeria and now lives in Texas. The chapel that we tried to go to today was closed, so we came back. He had some more online classes to do, but I went off post to go to a church on route 66. It was a beautiful morning.

One thought I had today occurred when I asked Obi what service he wanted to go to. He said, "Well, Protestant I guess." I never thought about the word Protestant until today. I would probably be identified as a Protestant, because the only options available are: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim. It occurred to me that I do not wish to be identified as a Protestant simply because I do not feel that I am "protesting" anything. Anyways, it's something to think about.

I love you all!

A New Chapter

I have arrived safely in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. A big thanks to God is in order. Katie and I talk about something I refer to as "the Abraham principle." When Abraham was traveling through the wilderness he would stop, pitch a tent, build an altar, give thanks and praise to God for getting him as far as he had come, and then he would ask God for guidance towards his next part of the journey. I am thankful for getting as far as I have safely, and I know that I will rely on God for direction in my next phase on this journey.

The drive to Missouri was great. I was able to reflect on my relationships with family and friends and dream about the future. I think I called Katie at least 3 times while I was "dreaming" (not sleep dreaming, but imagining). I will try to make it back home a couple times between now and August 30th if I can.

Fort Leonard Wood is located just south of 2 towns called St.Robert and Waynesville. Maybe it was the beautiful weather today, but I found this area in the Ozarks quite pleasant. Of course, like any military town you'll find the cookie cutter establishments (Walmart, fast food, etc.), but sometimes predictable is good when you're trying to adjust quickly. I stopped by the tourism center and picked up a whole bunch of material about the area. There is quite a variety of things to do close by that I'd be more than willing to do with anyone who wants to visit me between now and August 30th. I'll only have weekends off though.

I look forward to starting this new chapter and I look forward to sharing it with all of you. I love you all very much.

"We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams. We are the movers and shakers of the world forever it seems." --Arthur O'Shaughnessy

The Practical Cogitator

I started reading a new book (to me anyways, it was compiled in 1945). It is called The Practical Cogitator. The title creates an analogy because it is imitating Bowditch's Practical Navigator which is a handbook on oceanography, meteorology, and above all, navigation. The Practical Cogitator is an attempt to navigate the seas of intellect. It is a compilation of some quotes and essays of past thinkers. The table of contents alludes to a theme that the human and society have a destiny in knowledge. It is written like this:

Man in search of himself
He solicits his past
He turns to Nature
And scrutinizes Her
And Himself
He lives with his fellows
They better their condition
They must have peace, security, and liberty
And justice
He seeks solace and beauty
And friendship and Love
And even something more
He takes better aim

I like that. Even if the whole book is rubbish, I like that. It may be idealistic, but if enough individuals experience this kind of internal renaissance on their own, why would warfare be necessary?

"The only way to speak the truth is to speak lovingly." -Thoreau

I'll comment more on this post later.

What does God look like?

It's hard to think about God and not wonder from time to time about what he(and)she(???) looks like. Although, human history has come from patriarchal societies (still a large part of our culture), I have a feeling that God is not an old man with a gray beard. Some would quote Genesis at this point...

²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

This is from Genesis 1:26-27 in the New International Version. The New King James version also has similar language. Does anyone else feel like there is a significant difference in the language of what God has said in quotes in verse 26 and what Moses says in verse 27? God says in our image and in verse 27 Moses, a patriarch, explains it as, "So God created man in his own image." I don't blame him. He does come from a patriarchal culture and God did speak to Moses from a burning bush, perhaps with a masculine voice? I do know in my heart that it is God's nature to adapt to us to relate and communicate with us. God may have known that Moses' heart would have submitted to a powerful, masculine voice and Moses then assumes God is a masculine entity understandably.

The important thing is not God's gender because God is genderless. It is not what God looks like because God is spirit and not physical (though God does interact with the physical world).

But, I still tend to wonder what God would look like to me physically. I imagine God as being the source of water at the top of a mountain where water is constantly condensing from vapor and flowing down in streams. It's not any more right than the old man with gray beard image, but I know God loves me enough to meet me where I'll be the closest to him in my heart (whatever that may look like).

What does God look like to you?

Why join the Army?

If you are reading this, you probably know me and have a level of concern for my well-being. My decision to join the Army was not an easy one. I have a short response and a long response to the question,"Why did I join the Army?"

Short response:
The sunrises.

Long response:
It's complicated. Books can only go so deep. I understand that my decision affects more than just me. I pray that I can show my appreciation for you by sharing my experiences with you. After all, we're all in this together.