Vertical Impact Blogs

Imagine:

2007-09-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the varld
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one

This is perhaps one of the most famous songs of our time. We began to sing this in choir today, and reading through it, I thought: Wow, how wrong was John Lennon! Just look at the lyrics. The music is beautiful, the melody is amazing, but the words? Depressing. You read the words and if you think about them, they’re empty. It’s an easy way out, but it’s empty. Imagine, no suffering, no pain, no consequences, no passion (well, of course there’s love…yeah…free love man…), no causes worth dying for.

What I want to ask John Lennon is, if we had this world he’s “imagined,” what would the children of the people who made this world know? Would they know love? Would they know happiness? Would they know peace?
I looked up love: the primary definitions all had some other word that meant ‘love’ in it.
I looked up happiness: same thing
I looked up peace: I got a lack of violence, war, or disturbance…and definitions that included another word that meant ‘peace.’

Abstract things in this world are defined by their opposites. Tell me, if you can, without making any references to light (as that would be a circular definition), or saying the opposite of darkness, can you define “Light” for me?

Imagine: Ignorance. That’s what this song is really about. Ignorance, for Lennon, is bliss, because if there is no hunger, how will we know fulfillment?

Realize this: If you can accept the things that are undesirable, you can better appreciate what is desirable. If you stop whining about how hungry you are and realize that it wouldn’t feel so good when you ate if you didn’t have an ache to, you can realize how beautiful this messed up world is; because this world is so messed up, so we can see how organized, safe, fulfilling, loving, and accepting God is.
Imagine: Christ died so that we may live. We have pain so we can understand pleasure.

College touring & trusting in God

2007-08-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

I just (literally 4 hours ago) got home from a whirlwind college tour/dropping Lauren off. It was oddly...long. We drove to Nashville (toured Vanderbilt) then Winston-Salem (toured Wake Forest, plus dropped off Lauren....I know....I'll miss her so much!). It's weird going around Colleges. I've only really toured 3 colleges. There are around 3,785 colleges in the U.S. I've visited 3. Eek!! Obviously I'm not going to want to go to all of these colleges, but there are, I'm sure, a lot of good fits, but how do you know you're going to the right place? How do you know that this college is where you really want to go (and I not where your parents want you to go)? How do you know this is the college God wants you to go to?

Sometimes you have to trust. Praying for discernment is a hard thing, but it helps. Even if you don't get the booming voice down from heaven for a Charlton Heston moment (Ten Commandments, anyone?), it makes you feel better (it does for me).

Now I don't claim I know exactly how God works, but I believe he answers all prayers: he doesn't say 'yes' to all prayers though. He can answer 'no' or 'not yet.'

I'm going to connect this to Harry Potter (because Annie Gaburo wanted me to write an article for the newsletter, and because I've been listening to the 7th book on tape). There are some things you just have to figure out on your own. (hopefully none of you have not read the book, because I'm going to use the book, sorry.) In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry is frustrated for about half of the novel because Dumbledore has left him little information and a lot of do (specifically, killing Lord Voldemort). Hermoine, of course, responds by telling him: "Maybe you're supposed to figure it out for yourself." Ironically, she says this for the wrong reason, but Harry Potter takes it up as almost a mantra. At the beginning of the book Harry and his friends are left with a light-clicker, an old Golden Snitch, and a children's book. Hey have to figure things out from there. It seems impossible right? Well, hopefully you know the outcome. I won't say it directly in case anyone gets mad.

How does this connect to real life? How does this connect to college? Am I completely insane? Most people would answer all of these questions with yes. But seriously, just like Harry had to figure out how to defeat Voldemort with very little support from anyone but his friends, we have to go through this life with very little help. We have an old book (the bible is pretty old) and a few other small things, and we have to get through life...a pretty though cookie to tackle. We need to pray, but also, we really need to realize that God puts us into situations where we need to figure things out for ourselves. With our friends of course. I'm not saying that God abandons us, but we were given free choice for a reason.

Now, how does this relate to college? Well, for some of us, finding the right college may just be going to whatever school you get into. I'm not done in my college search, but it's just a scary prospect, figuring out where your future will be. However, when you do end up in a college, it may have not been your first pick. It may not have been the ideal place. The point is to trust. Trust that God has a plan for you, wherever you go, even if it was college choice number 3, 5, 7 (though applying to 7 colleges would take a lot out of anyone). Whever you go, God is going to give you enough to figure it out, and always he'll give you the friends to get the job accomplished.

Hold on! Hold That Line is coming to VI!

2007-08-20T18:18:00.001-07:00

So, we (Lee, Dustin, Aimee, PC, Coleman[?], Rachel Martin, Bryan Georgilis, Drew Troller, Annie Memmott, Mike Keller, Hannah Mauk, Sam Franer, James Sayer, Angie Bell, NikkoBB [Nick Black], Audrey Black, Maddie Barnhill, Katie Keiser, Annie Gaburo, Laura Sloneker, Phil Bowdel, Sarah Meadows and I) went over to Indiana for the weekend for the Student Leadership Retreat. It was absolutely amazing, and I am really confident that this team of leaders can make a HUGE difference in VI. I wanted to let you know about my new ministry, apart from Musical worship and mentoring Slon for Breakfast Club, don't hold your breath...It's the HOLD THAT LINE!!! Ministry!

Inspired by Annie Gaburo's riveting cheerleading skills, I'm heading up the 'Cheerleading ministry' (baptized as the "Hold That Line!!" Ministry). It was Drew's idea, but I'm leading it. What it will be is a team of people from VI that will go to other people's events, soccer games, football games, wrestling matches, basketball games, musicals, plays, etc. and cheer you on, win or lose, rain or shine, 99 degrees or 9 degrees (well...we may draw the line somewhere below freezing point but...). What does this mean? We're willing to surprise you, catch you off guard and make your day, but as the head of the calendar (I'm trying to juggle ~5 sports schedules alone) it would help me if you let me -or James Sayer, my mentoree and awesome assistant in this ministry- know either what sport you play and when an event is coming up. If you're in musicals (like me) plug in the equivalent and please let us know. Even though VI is a great, loving place, sometimes you just don't feel like people want you there (I've felt that way in past years), well, in truth, we REALLY want you there, but it's hard to know when to say it. Now...you're never gonna know when we're gonna say it to you! We'll be screaming your name and waving posters and holding the line for you!

Devotional: Experiment and Compromise!

2007-08-01T10:16:00.001-07:00

So… I think my blog hates me, because I have the hardest time doing things like log in…and yes, Phil, I am using the correct username (finally). Anyway, just some random musings; for a composition class this summer I was required to use the book Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music (I know, sounds like a real thriller! But really, if you’re looking for a good theory book, I’d start there). Anyway, I’m on the last chapter right now and a phrase caught my eye:

…don’t expect a harmonization to take shape instantly; it usually develops slowly, with the final product the result of much experimentation and compromise.

I thought about it for a second, and realized that our lives are like that! We’re all in the middle of composing the concertos of our lives, trying to figure out which choices and relationships produce the right harmonies, trying to avoid incorrect doubling of our mistakes, trying to write expressive melodies without being melodramatic or unappealing as people. So, this is to say that we need to realize that we’re not going to get it right all of the time, but that our lives develop “slowly, with the final product the result of much experimentation and compromise” with our Lord. Some of us go our wholes trying to write our music on intuition or sheer luck and talent; but the only way to really succeed is to have a great teacher. We’re lucky, we have Jesus as our teacher and he’s provided an excellent (if old) theory book for us to take exercises from: the bible.

In whatever you do, realize that life is a journey, not a destination, and that you’re going to make mistakes, even the genius composers had their off-days (heck, listen to Bolero…or better yet, don’t and spare yourself 12 minutes), just keep referring back to your true Teacher and his Textbook, and by the end, you’ll have a beautiful song.

Just a picture change....

2007-07-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I'll post a blog a bit later, but I wanted to change my profile pic, and the only way to do that is to upload a picture by posting it first so...sorry to disappoint y'all. Um.... get pumped about SLR (Student Leadership Retreat)! That's what I'm posting next about!

-Trey

Life is a movie

2007-07-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

Life is a movie…work the camera, baby!

Alright, I’m still coming down from the amazing spiritual high of elevation, which already seems a million years away. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but it was so much easier to connect to God back in Dalonegah; things seemed a lot happier, a lot funnier, a lot easier to see God in. Back in the ‘Nasty, it’s a bit harder to keep our spiritual lens focused. I know that as a senior, the cold chill of college searches is creeping down my back, and I still have no idea where I want to go or what I want to do. Everyone has worries about the future; what’s going to happen, and whether or not it’ll be as good as we hope. My advice: let go. Don’t worry about it so much. In this film, if we follow the script, there are only happy endings. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:34, The Message//REMIX). The thing about movies is that they’re linear; you can’t reach the end without the middle or the beginning. So what happens when we go through the beginning and the middle, just fixed on the end? Well, we end up at the end, but we have no idea what’s going on, we’ve missed the story, and maybe we don’t even know the name of our sidekick. Today is today for a reason. Elevation used to be today, and I got so much out of those days because they were all like a lifetime because I wasn’t thinking about anything else. Back there days go by and I couldn’t tell you what I did in them. The only way you’re going to enjoy your story is if you stop worrying about your next lines and just do the film! After all, you have the best scriptwriter, director, cameraman, caterer, publicity crew, sound producer, and videographer: God. What are you waiting for then? Live today like its Elevation! Make every scene an Oscar!

Epic Blog

2007-07-06T10:14:00.001-07:00

Quid Pro Quo No Mo

Okay, I know I promised Acheson and Troller an epic blog because I’ve been so bad about blogging this year… but this is not epic. It does deal with some epic scenes, though, so partial credit, right?

Anyway. Being the closeted geek that I am, I just beat Shadow of the Colossus (for PS2) today. If you haven’t heard of the game, it’s awesome! The story is kind of complicated, but to sparknote it, the main character makes a deal with a forbidden god in order to resurrect the one he loves. So, as the main character, you have to go around, destroying these colossi (stone giants). In the end, however (Warning! Plot spoiler for anyone interested in playing the game), we discover that the main character was being used all along; the colossi were guardians keeping the god from entering the world, and now that they have all been defeated, the god may enter the world and wreak havoc.

Ever notice how there is always a deal? In mythology, someone always has to build the labyrinth, slay the minotaur, carry the world on his shoulders, find the golden apples, slay medusa and her sisters, the list goes on and on; nothing is ever free. It’s always quid pro quo: this for that. That’s what is so beautiful about God. He doesn’t ask you to do anything, He only wants to give; getting something in return is less important than giving. God doesn’t have us do three tasks or sacrifice a ram before we can ask for forgiveness and salvation. “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. You joy will be a river overflowing its banks!” (John 16:24, The Message//REMIX). Mercy is a gift given from God to us, for free!

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “Yeah, that’s great, but I asked God for a million dollars, and so far, no dough…” Well, as little comfort as it may be, God will give you all the things you really need (that’s the “according to my will” part of the verse); that means forgiveness, salvation, those things which are more important than iPods, college, Algebra II, or Sandi Patti. If you’ve asked God for forgiveness and salvation, you’ve already got the A on the test, but trying to lead a God-like life, that’s the extra mile that gets you the A+; that’s what gets you the excellent on Works Well With Others. God only wants the best for us, and he gives it to us, free of charge. It’s then up to us what we do with the gifts we receive.

Blog #2

2006-11-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

I love John Mayer. Not personally, but his music is awesome. His lyrics, however, are much less inspiring. It’s amazing how much the music can really make or break a song, as I love Waiting on the World to Change from John Mayer’s latest CD: Continuum, until I listen to the lyrics. Now, here’s the first verse:

“Me and all my friends/ We're all misunderstood/ They say we stand for nothing / There's no way we ever could/ Now we see everything is going wrong / With the world and those who lead it/ We just feel like we don't have the means/ To rise above and beat it.”

Then comes the chorus: “so we keep waiting/ waiting on the world to change” etc. etc. etc. Yick! What a terrible philosophy! To me what this is saying is: if we don’t like the way the world is, we should just sit on our butts until it decides to change itself. I don’t know about anyone else, but I hate the fact that people die of AIDS. Does this mean I should just wait until AIDS cures itself as obviously, I as one human being don’t have the power to cure every case of AIDS out in the world? God wants us to be alive for him! We can’t expect people to juts walk into our arms so we can help them to accept Christ, we need to go out there to minister to them! Christ calls us to action, to go and make disciples of the world, not expect the world to make disciples of itself! So I don’t know about all of you, but I’m going to change the world as soon as I can… I’m not waiting around.

Blog #1

2006-10-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Alright, because I'm such an amazingly social person (heh...) I read a lot of poetry, and the other day I came across this passage in T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets that really jumped out at me:

"So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years-
Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l'entre deux guerres
Trying to use words, and every attempt
Is a wholly new start, and a different kind of failure
Because one has only learnt to get the better of words
For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which
One is no longer disposed to say it. And so each venture
Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate
With shabby equipment always deteriorating
In the general mess of imprecision of feeling,
Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer
By strength and submission, has already been discovered
Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope
To emulate-but there is no competition-
There is only the fight to recover what has been lost
And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions
That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss.
For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business"
-East Coker; Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot

Now, if any of you have read anything else by Eliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land (O O O O that Shakespeherian rag!), etc, you'll know that T.S. Eliot's poetry is not easy reading. With an overload of imagery, radical voice shifts, abstruse allusions, and sometimes writing in German, French, Greek, and Sanksrit, T.S. Eliot's poetry is considered one of the greatest authors of the 20th century. He considered his last work, Four Quartets, to be his masterpiece: a compilation of four poems, Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding, based upon more than two decades of studies in religion, philosophy and mysticism.

In all of our lives there are people who we look up to, people we admire. These people often more talent than us or have accomplished much more than we have. There is some trait about these people that we want to emulate, to equal or surpass them. I know that I'll never be as good of a pianist as Elton John, or as good of a composer as Claude Debussy or as good of a writer as J. R. R. Tolkien, but this is a reminder to me that I don't have to be. In fact, I wasn't meant to be. What beauty these great creators found still exists and it's mine and yours for the finding, but we have to find it on our own, and always comparing it to what already has been done doesn't help us at all. It is our job to do what we do best to the best of our ability, and that is all. Now, I know this isn't scripture, but I think God speaks to us through more than scripture. (However, if you were curious if I had any scriptural backing for this, I do!)
The parable of the talents (or, Matthew 25) describes a master going off on an extended trip. He calls three of his servants to him and gives them each some money (in ancient times known as talents) He gave to the first one 5 talents (that was a ton of money!), to the second 2 talents (not as much as the first guy, but still a fair fortune), and to the third the master gave 1 talent (still less than the second, but not cheap by any means). The master apportioned this money by the ability of the servants. He then left. The first servant put the master's money to use and doubled his master's investment, the second did likewise, but the third buried his money, so that no one would steal it. When the master returned, the first and second servants showed him their earnings and to both of them the master said: "Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner." But when the third servant explained that he had hidden the money because he was afraid it would be stolen, the master became angry that he had not even invested his talent in a bank, where it would gain interest. That servant was thrown out.

Notice from that passage that the response to the first two servants was identical, even though one of them had returned with 10 talents and the other with only 4, yet they were both praised the same and offered the same position of power. God doesn't mean for you to beat yourself down because you're not as good as someone else at something, maybe God's purpose has been served out with the amount of talent you have now. God gave you a gift, and it's up to you to use it to your best, not to the best of anyone else!