Truth, Suspicion, and Christianity

I haven't posted in a long while. While the only people who read this blog are Sell and myself this probably matters little in the grand scheme of things. However, I wish to draw your attention to an essay I wrote on the philosophy of religion which can be found in its entirety here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?2io2jukt07k8k52 (Old Link, new one coming soon!)

The essay is not a short one, roughly 20 some odd pages; so be warned. If anyone has the patience to read my thoughts please comment below.

Blake

I also leave you with a discussion question:

Is subjective truth really truth at all? Is not objective truth the only solid place to stand?

Some revelations

I've taken a break from blogging for a while. And for good reason; I had some things that I needed to clear my head about. I came to some important conclusions. Some of you, after reading this blog post in its entirety, may say "what took you so long?" To this, I can only respond in sincere relief that not everyone is as slow and bull-headed as myself. I will now explain some of the revelations I've had over the past few months.

The topic of American politics has been something that I have involved myself in for quite some time. Previously, I have dared to associate and align myself with one particular political party over the other. Even when I took a step back from the labels of "Republican" and "Democrat", I still got hung up on who was "conservative" and who was "liberal", who was a "rightist" and who was a "leftist". The bottom line was this: these terms were incredibly divisive. Politics are, by nature, extremely divisive. Politics do not unite people; they only divide and conquer people. They only destroy people, reducing grown men and women to childish jokes.

I'd like to now apologize to any of my friends and family whose relationships I have strained due to political positions and ideologies. In the past I have been incredibly foolish and immature. And, in hindsight, I'm quite embarrassed that I ever let it get to me in such a way.

Because ultimately, there are no good politicians. Not one. Not a single one. And every time you think you can believe in a politician to "do the right thing", you will be incredibly disappointed. Republicans have failed and gone back on their promises more times than I can count. Democrats are equally depraved and corrupt. These politicians are just mere people. And to put your trust in them will get you nothing. Nothing but lies, wasted time, and wasted money.

Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan... it doesn't really matter. Nancy Pelosi is just as much of a hack as Eric Cantor. Ed Schultz? Rush Limbaugh? Ruth Bader Ginsberg? Antonin Scalia? How many of these people have you trusted? How many of these people have wasted your time?

I'm done with them. I'm done with all of them. I don't even know if I will ever vote in a presidential election in my lifetime. It's no secret to me now that these people couldn't give two craps about my well-being. In order to get that high up in politics, you have to do some serious selling-out. If you believe differently, then I'd suspect that you're not very familiar with the system. (see "lobbyists".) Don't believe that you'd be so naive? Don't believe that one side already has you by the shirt collar? Ha. Here's a test; I will now admit something that I'm quite ashamed of.

I used to be a consistent viewer of Fox News Channel on television. I used to LOVE listening to Glen Beck. I used to think he was a good role model.

Tell me, reader of this blog, did you scoff just now at that statement? Since I used to enjoy such useless drivel, did it make you feel like you are "better" or "more enlightened" than me somehow? Just curious. Because if it did, you probably don't realize just how far down the rabbit hole you have fallen.

And as I repeatedly became more and more disgusted with these politicians and media personalities, I began to turn away from them. And I began to understand where I should put my trust. I began to see who the ultimate leader is, the most radical advocate for change, the most honest, and most noble and worthy role model of all-time. It's Jesus.

Jesus is not a Republican, nor a Democrat. He is not conservative, and he is not liberal. Those are terms men use to describe other men. To label Jesus with such a term, or to imply that he's in league with Democrats or Republicans, is not only foolish but downright unthinkable. And I have previously been guilty of letting my political opinions hurt my witness as a Christian. I've led politics and their divisiveness cause much damage to my life as a follower of Jesus. But no more.

Jesus and his teachings are perfect. He has set the standard for our morality, for our social conduct. It doesn't matter what the politicians say or think. Jesus doesn't change, and he certainly doesn't go back on his promises. You want to know who you can trust? You want to know who actually cares about your well-being? You want to know who won't fail you under any circumstances? No mere politician (or any human being for that matter) will ever satisfy.

Only Jesus Christ.

-CSell

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Mt 5:43-45)

There may be a warrant out for my arrest

(DISCLAIMER: If my blog gets you thrown in jail, it's not my problem.)

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So, back in March, I received a $108 traffic ticket in the mail from the City of Bel-Ridge Police Department. Apparently, a "right-on-red" camera took two pictures of my car as I allegedly "did not make a complete stop before making a right turn on a red light."

You gotta be kidding me.

There was no way I was going to stand for such idiocy, so I did some homework on Missouri traffic laws. After reading up on the subject, I soon discovered that traffic camera tickets are NOT LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE in Missouri.

That's right, folks. It's all one big SCAM. Just more money in the pockets of the city!!

I've heard of people here in St. Louis who have gotten such tickets in the mail and have promptly tossed them in the trash, sometimes even at the advice of their own lawyers. You don't have to pay these tickets!! The police departments cannot legally go after you if you just don't pay!

What the cops are counting on is that you don't KNOW you don't have to pay. The ticket itself will even try to scare you, saying that if you don't pay by the printed due date, an additional $20 fee will be slapped onto your ticket, and a date will be set for you to appear in court. And if don't show up to your court date, a warrant for your arrest may be issued.

Oh yeah? I doubt it.

"But CSell, if they're not legal, why don't you just go to court and get it officially nullified?" Because I'm not going to give the City of Bel-Ridge Police Department the satisfaction of even wasting my time in a court room. Screw that. I have better things to do than to fight a ticket that's not even legal in the first place. They want me to send off $108 (well, $128 now) of my hard-earned money to some private camera company in Cincinnati, Ohio?

Over my dead body.

So anyways, I stashed the ticket in the back of my desk and forgot about it entirely. Then came the $20 fee and court date warning, about two weeks past the due date. It's a last-ditch effort to get you to pay your ticket out of fear, as aforementioned. I promptly ignored it.

Camera traffic tickets bring in tons of extra money to the City of St. Louis. Yet, St. Louis aldermen are even on record saying that there's nothing the cops can do to make you pay!! Ironically, intersections with traffic cameras tend to witness MORE ACCIDENTS, however, because people slam on the breaks in order to not get caught by them. So if some schmuck tells you that traffic cameras are supposed to increase road safety, that person is either uneducated on the subject or is a dirty, dirty LIAR.

At this point, the police department is either like "well crap, he's on to us" or they're like "let's go arrest his 'not-stopping-completely-when-turning-right-on-red' butt". Either way, I don't care, because I haven't heard back since the $20 fee notice, and I don't expect to ever hear from them again concerning this ticket. CSell: 1, City of Bel-Ridge Police Department: 0.

Spread the word! Don't be a sucker... don't pay the ticket!! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!

Later, knuckleheads.

-CSell

David's colossal screw up of Biblical proportions

So it seems like ill let Chris be the person who rants on things, and Ill write about stuff that will offend people in a different way. Chris can offend the Owl City lovers, and Ill offend everyone else (including myself). Maybe ill lighten up sometime and write something light hearted, until then the balls in your court.

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So I've been noticing that I'm a terrible, awful, horrible, no-good, very bad person. Those of you who have known me long enough have probably noticed that about me. And if you're honest you probably noticed this about yourself too.

Offended yet?

I am.

So as I see myself sin every hour of every day, I am humbled by the fact that my attempts at behavior modification does nothing short of boost my ego and make me self-righteous for a little bit. Even the things I do "right" are flawed by a inherent flaw in all of us. We're more jacked up than we can possibly imagine.

We worship ourselves.

What makes Me comfortable?

What can I get out of this?

I will be the first to admit that I can not fix myself completely. In fact if I were in control, if I had my way, I would really screw every thing up.

Do you know what gives me hope? David, that old King guy from the Bible. If you haven't heard the story before you get a little play by play. Its from 2 Samuel and this is the story of a man described by the Bible as "a man after God's own heart"!

So David, a king, sees a married woman bathing and has sex with her. He gets her pregnant and then has her husband murdered. He gets called out on it by an old guy named Nathan and then he realizes that he sucks at life. Its been veggie tale'd (only using rubber ducks instead of women).

Sex, lies, and murder.

Sound familiar?

The Bible isn't a bunch of kids stories.

David follows up with a beautiful prayer. Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

What gives me hope is that this was "A Man After God's Own Heart". Thats a statement to wrestle with after hearing what this guys done. This prayer hits me hard. He know that his heart is in every way screwed up (just like me), and he prayed "God, give me a new heart!" He cannot do it himself. He knows that he cant fix himself. Thats the beauty of the Gospel, we cant save/fix/help ourselves. We can change our behavior but all we do is shift our hearts to worship ourselves some other way. For example, we can do all the right things but still be self-righteous a-holes. Im sure you've met these people. And that you and I have are those people too.

Thats why Im a Christian. Because I suck at life, I cant fix myself and I need someone else to do it. That what makes the Cross both the ugliest thing in human history and the most beautiful.

I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew but maybe thats enough to for me to think about. I know its weird but I write to myself for myself. Maybe it helps my friends but I have to preach to myself everyday, because Im more jacked up than I can imagine, but Gods grace is more powerful than I can fathom.

Thoughts?

Blake

I hope I haven't pissed too many people, off or been too churchy. Sorry If I have, and I hope that youll keep reading if only to listen to Chris. He's more entertaining anyway.

A Couple Things

So I'm really getting to love the game of No Limit Hold 'em poker. So much, in fact, that I now play online at Full Tilt Poker to get better. While browsing the web reading about all sorts of strategies and poker theories, I came across a guy named Chris Ferguson, a world-famous poker champion. On his website, he talks about his "Chris Ferguson 10K Challenge," in which he turns $0 into $10,000 simply by playing poker.

That's right. From an empty wallet to 10 grand. And I'm gonna try and do it.

Ferguson did it in about a year; since he's a master at the game, I'm giving myself three years to do it. And yeah, I'm excited. I'll keep you posted from time to time on my progress.

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My dorm room is so hot that I am sweating as I sit here typing, even while the fan is on full-blast and I am shirtless. If I open my window, my allergies will kill me instantly. Agony.

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The car that I drive is getting very old. I do love it, though. It's just that I don't always enjoy cramming an entire drumset into a 1990 Honda Accord sedan. I really want to get a used Scion xB, because they are awesome cars for musicians... but everyone I tell this to has said to not buy such an ugly box of a vehicle. Whatever, I like it. The Japanese and their car designs are so awesome. Forget the haters.

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I can't wait to see Sam Bradford tear up the NFL as a St. Louis Ram next season. Seriously, this kid is a beast. Don't find a way to screw this up, Rams. The kid is the caliber of a franchise quarterback!! It's time to rebuild the Greatest Show on Turf! MWA HAHA.

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Ugh. Seriously, it's hot in here.

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So I saw Muse in concert in Chicago last month. Basically, it was the best live performance of any music artist I have ever seen... EVER. If you know me, you know that this really says something. I mean, they were absolutely flawless. I just might name my firstborn son after their singer/guitarist. He shall be called Matthew Bellamy Sell.

Ooh. That has a nice ring to it.

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Well, that's what's been on my mind lately. Until next time...

-CSell

Drive-Thru Etiquette

Once again, I'm in a bad mood. My portion of this blog is quickly turning into me just talking about things that piss me off. Which is fine. Just something I noticed. Moving on.

Look, people, if you didn't think something as trivial as "drive-thru etiquette" existed, then you're wrong. Let me hit you with some knowledge, so as to prevent you from pissing off others in the future (namely, myself).

The use of a fast food drive-thru is a privilege, and it should not be abused. Last night, I went to McDonalds to get two McDoubles. That's it. Just two McDoubles. For those who don't know, these are simple Dollar Menu sandwiches. There was only one car in front of me when I drove up and got in the line. Thus, considering the speed and general awesomeness of the corporate tyrant that is McDonalds, I though to myself, "Self, the entirety of this trip should last no longer than about 10 minutes." It was currently 8:45 pm. This is when the sh** hit the fan.

Here are the simple rules of Drive-Thru Etiquette that you should follow:

#1) If you intend on placing a large order, please GO INSIDE the restaurant and do it.

The drive-thru is for quick orders. I don't have the time (or the gas) to wait on you and your four friends to order enough food to feed a third-world country. If it's so late at night that inside of the restaurant is closed and only the drive-thru is open, then go to Denny's and quit being so selfish and stupid.

#2) Try to figure out what you want ahead of time.

If you don't know exactly what you want, that's okay. But you should have a general idea, so as not to waste inordinate amounts of time babbling your order into the microphone like an incompetent dolt. Example: if you're going to the Taco Bell drive-thru, decide if you're leaning towards a burrito or a Mexican pizza. Or both. Then quickly work out the details when you see the menu. This is different from being inside the restaurant, where you can stand around, looking at the menu as long as you want before ordering.

#3) Have your money ready BEFORE you get to the pay window.

There's usually even a sign telling you to do this. Don't be a bag and mess it up. Seriously.

#4) After getting your food, absolutely do NOT sit in your car while still in front of the pick-up window and check to make sure they got your order right.

If you spend five minutes searching your bags only to find that they messed it up, then you probably ordered too much food anyway (see rule #1), and when I'm waiting in my car behind you late at night, I'm too hungry to care if you get gypped out of $2. I mean really, it's McDonalds. If it means that much to you, then go through the line again and let me get my food, you fool.

#5) If you have sat in front of the pick-up window arguing with the window guy for so long that the other cars in the line are HONKING at you, then you need to shut your piehole and MOVE.

Which brings me back to my story. The car in front of me was being driven by a lady with four kids. Which is fine; that being said, I'd even give her a little leeway. But in a staggering show of utter ineptitude, she managed to break EVERY single rule aforementioned. If she had just gone inside, it would have saved everybody, including herself, considerable time. When I finally got my food, it was 9:15 pm, and the line was wrapped around the entire restaurant. Should I ever have to wait 30 minutes in the McDonalds drive-thru when there's only one car in front of me? Of course not. Should some people get punched square in the face? Absolutely.

-CSell

Black and White

I am not a very good at writing. I am not eloquent. I am not to the point. I am not very clear most of the time. Maybe thats why I write. Because I like imperfections. Imperfections can be beautiful. What may seem pedestrian to some may be a beautiful picture or phrase to someone else. A missed note, a slip of the tongue, a scar.

There are no perfect circles. That always seemed odd to me. I wanted there to be perfect circles when I was younger. I tried to draw them. I could get close but most of the time those circles were traced with a cup. I don't know why I wanted there to be perfect circles so bad. My math teacher in 11th grade, Mr. Mangers, once drew the most perfect circle I have ever seen right before class started. He said it was an accident. It was an awesome accident. We oohed and ahhed and some of us took pictures on our phones.

I used to listen to a saxophonist named Eric Alexander. He had a brilliantly warm and powerful tone. But as I grew up I began to notice something about his playing that always irked me. It was something I couldn't put my finger on until recently.

Eric doesn't miss a single change.

Everything is calculated. There was nothing that stood out to me because it all started to sound the same. There wasn't enough emotion in his playing. It felt static.

Things that are perfect seem fake to me most of the time. Because nothings really perfect, right? If something were perfect however, wouldn't that make it stand out? Mr. Mangers' circle definitely did. Mother Teresa's love did. The sacrifices of the men who gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy did. What if this was all pointing to something? What if I were to say they were pointing to, not something, but someone? Someone that wasn't static. Or a circle.

Blake