I am still going through all the different shots from last weekend but pulled this shot out of my Father-in-Law that I just love. I hadn’t seen a news paper in so long that I had to pull out my camera. I love the mix of old and new this shot portrays. To see more shots from the weekend you can go to the Flickr gallery or you can see Deborah’s blog post as well. I will be adding more to my Flickr gallery as I can get them sorted out, but today the photo of the day is my Father-in-Law David reading the newspaper.
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I have been trying to think of something intelligent to say about the earthquake in Japan but seeing the news and the pictures coming out of that country just leaves a person almost speechless. It’s different than Haiti of course, and you don’t see “text to donate” messages being flashed all over the place (why I’m not sure), you barely see the donate to the Red Cross for that matter.
Since our news cycles seem to rotate in and out so fast today, the coverage of the Japan earthquake will soon diminish to nothing but another historical fact, and they will move on to who’s winning the NCAA March Madness tournament or something else newsworthy like Lawmakers Pitch Gov’t Takeover of Driving Age (FNC) or The moments that make us fat (CNN), both of which were on the front page as of this writing.
But for the time being, news, for the most part, is still coming fast and furious from Japan. What the earthquake did do was, along with many other stories, bring awareness to the evangelical movement in Japan. A recent article from a magazine out of Korea called Konnect, titled A Personal Message from Dr. Michael Oh: The Everyday Tragedy of Japan gives some sobering statistics and offers a Christian perspective of the current events.
Japan is the largest unreached nation in the world. In Japan they are reporting upwards of 1100 dead so far. Again, it is very possible that that number will multiply 10 fold. But every 11 days an equal number of Japanese (1100) take their own lives. In hopelessness they turn to suicide. Every day is a tragedy in Japan for those without Christ.
Honestly I really had no idea the Japanese people were one of the most unreached developed nations in the world, no did I know they dealt with such a horrible suicide rate. Perhaps it’s because the source is out of Korea where the evangelical Christ movement is extremely different than here in the United States, perhaps we in this country are too involved with the four walls of our own country to notice, or both. According to Operation World on Japan, there are about 2 million Christians among a population of almost 127 million people.
If nothing else turns your heart towards the people of Japan it would be the photography coming out of the earthquake. Some of the photos are so incredible it’s just hard to comprehend from a vantage point of Auburn Alabama. The shot at the top was provided by GeoEye showing an area of Natori, Japan on April 4, 2010, left, and March 12, 2011. (GeoEye/Associated Press) I like the photo coverage from the Boston Globe on their blog called “The Big Picture“, which is sort of a pool from many photographers.
For some of the shots on the earthquake see: Japan: New fears as the tragedy deepens, Japan: Vast devastation, Japan: earthquake aftermath, and Massive earthquake hits Japan.
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Of course this is utter ridiculousness, but, that severely flawed logic seems to be what is prevailing in our culture today. This topic, which I usually just tend to leave alone, is overpowering the news, blogs, and culture lately (and is certainly nothing new under the sun, gay’s have been trying to justify their actions for millennia, see Why is Being Gay a Sin? for a civil discussion, Does Romans 1:26 Condemn Lesbians? for the absurd justification, and then an honest “Christian Perspective”, not forgetting to throw in Anne Rice who recently “quit” Christianity on Facebook [comments in pdf,] with Mark Driscoll’s response for the Washington Post, because she didn’t want to be “anti-gay anymore”, and the countless trash talk about Proposition 8 in California).
With Proposition 8 being overturned by the California courts, this seems destined for the Supreme Court (where they probably don’t want to deal with it either). The Boston Globe did a huge photo spread called Same Sex Marriage about a week ago and the responses to that article show why this, unfortunately, is THE topic of our day for Christians and the church. This discussion really wasn’t intended to launch into whether being gay is a sin or not, but to show the absurd arguments on both sides, which lack any careful thought.
This comment below is typical when reading trash talk on the news sites, and was made by someone who used the title “I Feel Drawn Towards Christianity, But I’m Gay”, which then received very complimentary responses, with little question for the lifestyle itself, or with sound argument for or against Christians and the homosexual lifestyle, and what scripture has to say about it’s effects and consequences.
I was surprised in a few ways, one by how openly acceptable the Christian responses were to this person. Not that they were accepting of the person, that’s great, but accepting of all aspects of the persons lifestyle, with not much need for contemplation (although some did suggest the person generically seek God’s direction). The other surprise was how utterly weak the reasoning and arguments were that were used on both sides.
I am certainly no expert on this topic whatsoever, and there are many who can soundly argue, on both sides, but those seem to be few and far between. No gay person I talk to (and many Christians for that matter) can give a sound theological argument, backed and based on scripture (since this person “feels drawn to Christianity”). The majority of the arguments put forth are emotional arguments, which are impossible to argue against in a rational manner. This is the argument that was given in this particular case:
The Bible also condemns divorce, the eating of pork and shrimp, and says that men shouldn’t sit on the same chairs as women who are menstruating.
The argument seems to lack even a surface level study of scripture, but most Christians responded with nothing other than an emotional response. As with much of Scripture in our culture today, these verses are taken so much out of context for the use of the argument for a homosexual lifestyle I am surprised they were made? I am not being mean or hateful in spirit here, but seriously, if you are gay, this is your argument?
- The Bible condemns the eating of pork.
- We eat pork today.
- Therefore, homosexuality is ok in the sight of the Lord.
There are so many things that could be addressed but at the basic level, in Mark 7:18-19 Jesus declared all foods to be clean, he didn’t declare all forms of sex to be clean. A better argument that perhaps shows a little more clearly why scripture says that the homosexual lifestyle is sinful in God’s eyes (and there are many things that are actually still seen as sinful in God’s eyes today, besides homosexuality), would be:
Point 1 on Sin:
- The Bible says sin is detestable in God’s eye’s.
- Therefore any continuous sinful act is not honoring to God.
Point 2 on Marriage:
- The Bible defines sex outside of marriage as sin.
- The Bible defines marriage as a monogamous union between a man and a woman.
- Therefore any nonrepentant sexual relationship of any kind outside marriage is sin in God’s eyes.
- Therefore a nonrepentant homosexual lifestyle is sin.
- Therefore a nonrepentant adulterous relationship is sin.
- Therefore any sexual relationship before marriage is sin.
I rarely see those “hateful” Christians everyone seems to refer to today that will acknowledge that the last three are equally sin, and equally condemned by scripture, but, that doesn’t mean that either is less or more acceptable to God as a way to live that honor’s God. I do not say that in a hateful manner but in an examination of scripture. I also recognize that many, or most, “gay Christians” will take issues with my argument above and defend it away in some manner. The statements above are all based on scripture and can all be backed theologically with sound argument.
Our culture as a whole is continually refusing to see objective truths in the Bible today. Whether we like to ignore them in our day or not, they still exist, there are still things that God says are good, and those things God says are bad, we just seem to have so much knowledge in everything that we have no knowledge in the actual truth anymore.
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This is the last and final, part 3 of this particular topic. If you missed the previous two posts, check them out at part 1 and part 2.
The Church: A Response to a Bad Economy?
I spend a good bit of my day running around on the Internet, and many places I stop are with people of faith, churches, organizations and groups trying to raise funds, in a “bad economy”. There are usually two responses. One (to me) Biblical, and one not. One based on fear, the other based on belief. One worried about their 401k balance, the other excited to see a time when the need for the church among the un-churched is growing.
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
What happened just after September 11th 2001? People ran to the church. Some because they were scared, some because they didn’t know where else to turn, some came back after a long time away, but the number of people attending church (doesn’t mean it was meaningful by the way) went up dramatically. What makes hitting people where it really counts (in their 401k’s) any different as far as possibilities within the church to help others?
I took this photo below at “Ground Zero” a few months after the terrorist attacks on New York city. They still had not torn down the last few damaged buildings that are outside the photo here, and this “cross” was still standing as well. It was incredible to me to see a cross, carved out of mangled steel, standing above all the mess that was ground zero. It was an unreal time of horror, terror, and despair in our country, and yet, Jesus didn’t change, the world did.
My church at the time in 2001 (a 35,000 member church) was trying to decide if they should start a $40 million building campaign in the middle of the 911 economic turmoil. They decided to follow God and not the economy and great things were done. Why should the church back down when times are bad? Be responsible yes, but fearful????
People are scared, people are fearful. Why? Uncertainty. If we are Believers… why are we living in fear and uncertainty? Because we can’t buy the normal $500-$1000 of Christmas presents this year? We have the most certain thing in the world. A risen Savior.
If you like the cross as a symbol you need to drive out I-40, past Amarillo, past Oklahoma City, and look at one of the largest crosses I have personally ever seen (first photo above). It is a magnificant symbol right on the interstate for all to see. We should be like this cross on I-40 in Oklahoma. Big, bold, tall, ready to reach out and help those who are hurting and searching. We should be excited to be in these “times”, they are new times of new opportunities. As the Church, let’s not watch this opportunity pass us by and wonder why we didn’t make use of this special time in our history.
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This is a continuation of my rant from The Economy, Big 3 Auto Bailout, and the Church // Part 1, which I will only post one more part. Until then, here is part 2.
The Big 3 Auto Industry Bailout
Have you been watching this? Now we should bail out three of the biggest looser (profit wise) companies in the country, perhaps the world? How smart are these guys?
The chairman of the Big Three testified on Capitol Hill this week, and Reid said did themselves no favors by responding when asked how they arrived to Washington that they had each flown in on their private jets.
And now the government is talking about taking partial ownership in the car companies (they could change their name to Amtrak) like that would be a better way to make these failing companies profitable? Where does it end? If we bail out the big 3, why not just bail out the entire country person by person. I could use some bailout money myself, how about you? Would we then be looking out the window at a fire sale turned waste land?
Who is it we are trying to help here? The employees, the auto industry itself, the fantastic cars they have produced over their spam as a business??? I am certainly no economist, but, what in the world would be so bad about letting these overweight, unprofitable companies go the way of Braniff? Are you telling me these 320,000 employees will never ever find another job? Are they all that unqualified to work for someone else or is it the $71/hour the average employee makes? I know this is people’s livelihood we are talking about here, but really, are we going to be that dependent on one single company that is loosing BILLIONS?
Years and years ago this use to be the case. People would work for one single company their whole life, that company would have a nice pension for the employee to retire with and that was life. That was yesterday (as in decades and decade ago). Now people change jobs and companies like being a free agent with Major League Baseball. Many may see this as bad, but companies don’t profitably operate now like they did in the 1950′s. Companies are much more fluid and adjustable (unless you are a auto maker controlled by the UAW) and their needs change just like their employees.
When we use all this tax payer money to “bail out” failed policies or business practices, who is left in the drivers seat? The same people, right? Can they still drive that train or is it just the same old thing that has lost money in the past? If so, what makes a bailout something that will work and turn the company around? If you borrow money from venture capitalist, you are responsible to your shareholders. You borrow money from the government, you are responsible to the tax payers. What do they get? Better, greener cars? What if you don’t want to buy a GM vehicle?
What happened when Braniff and Eastern went out of business? Did all those thousands of employees never ever find another job? Or, did Southwest Airlines start to emerge as a “new” kind of airline, with lower prices, better service, while at the same time being a profitable business? Did Southwest Airlines pay as much, no, I worked there making $6.50/hour when Delta, American Airlines, Northwest, United, and US Airways all paid more per employee, and were all loosing money and going bankrupt (and they still are). I still chose to work for Southwest Airlines. It was fun, they were nice, happy people, and I could wear shorts and a t-shirt at work.
That is really one of the issues at stake here. No other auto company is going to pay a union wage of $71 per hour (that’s $150,000 a year for an hourly job, not including overtime and bonuses). They can’t, it would not make for a profitable business. Hyundai and Kia may not make the best cars in the world either, but they both moved to Alabama to manufacture cars, and are making money. They also don’t pay as much as GM and are not controlled by the UAW (as far as I remember).
So, as bad as it may sound… just let them go. If they can’t operate by loosing $5 billion a day (who could), perahps someone will step in and bring us better cars, more effieint cars, and maybe greener cars, all while making a profit, not costing the tax payers another $100 billion, and in the process, create jobs for those who want to work. Now if Ford can make a car like I saw in the new James Bond movie, and make it at a profit, great, I am all for Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars, but they always seem to be years and years behind Toyota.
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The world is ending as we know it. If you didn’t know that, there, now you do. Anyone watching the news lately? I quit am ready to quit watching the news altogether (which is saying something for a news junkie of sorts). Every day it is a relentless doom and gloom story of the world, or America, and lately, the economy, which apparently is waiting for a bailout of everything, everywhere from the government. From the economy, to President-Elect Obama, to unemployment and everything inbetween… so, in case you were unaware (because the news hadn’t told you yet) the world as you know it, is just about over.
I am about to start a three part process of ranting and rambling, so if you don’t want to read that, just look at the photos and forget the rest of it.
The Economy: is Doomed, or it is Just a Bad Economy?
Bad economy, bad, bad boy. You can’t turn on the news or the radio, or talk to anyone these days without someone mentioning how bad the economy is doing. I think we got it already. True, no one my generation or younger can ever remember a downside in the economy unless we are old enough to remember what Regan took over from the Carter administration (which I really am not), so I am not sure what we are comparing it to if you are 30-ish.
I understand things are not as good as they have been in the past, but come on, do you still have power going to your house? Can you still watch the latest American Idol on Fox or Dancing with the Stars on ABC or are those stations going out of business due to lack of viewers?? Last time I checked, our cell phones still worked, we have electricity, running water, have something to wear, something to eat, and most have a place to sleep. I find the comparisons to the great depression idiotic at best when we as American’s have more than most.
I mean really, I paid $1.89 for a gallon of gas a few days ago and according to the news, it will drop to below $1.49 before soon. A buck fifty FOR A GALLON OF GAS! We were screaming (for good reason) when it was $4.50 a gallon, but I don’t hear anyone (on the news) excited about the price of gas? It’s like we all got a raise if we travel more than 15-30 minutes a day by car?
Everything is Amazing, Nobody’s Happy // Video
Normally I don’t like to re-post already shown videos, but perhaps not everyone reads Ragamuffinsoul, so this video he posted from the Conan Show about sums up the sentiment with this generation (that is us, 19-45 year olds). Louis CK on “Everything’s amazing, nobody’s happy”
On a personal note, our book business has been dismal. It brought in $1,013.10 in November in total REVENUE (not profit). Is that enough? No, of course not, but if it doesn’t work, so be it, we will do something else, but take one look at me and you will know I haven’t missed a meal in years. What ever happened to the inventive nature, the entrepreneurial spirit of this country to have confidence in saying, we will figure it out. Perhaps we are caught up in trying to figure out how to get a piece of a “bailout”.
You may wonder about the photo for this post. This was a photo I took after Deb and I finished a show in Houston back in 2002. It is $20,000, in cash (those are bundles of $1,000-$1,500 each, not single bills), we earned in 4 days, from working harder in a short period of time than we did at any other time in the year (some walked out with $100,000 and on up). It was a time in our lives when we worked hard, made almost no profit, and didn’t care how much money we had. We “tried” to not base our fears and anxieties on how much or little we had. Did $20,000 in 4 days make a difference in our lives? No way.
Why did I take a picture of it (besides being a photographer)? Because I knew it would be gone in a very short period of time and all that would be left was a photo. I think our expenses for the shows we did leading up to that show all but wiped out all of it and I don’t remember anything about how we had to spend the money other than this one photo we took the day we left the show. It was gone as fast as we earned it that weekend. Funny how when you have nothing you don’t have to worry about loosing it. Before the show, we had no fear of being robbed or having our RV broken into. After the show, we had to watch where we were, what we did because we had something of value for a short period of time.
Want Something Positive on the Economy, Listen to Dave Ramsey
Want to see a totally different perspective on the economy? Go read up on Dave Ramsey and see what he has to say. This is one of the biggest times of opportunity presenting itself and manifesting itself in more ways and forms than every before.  Let’s not dig a hole in the sand and bury our heads quite yet, right?
[stay tuned for part 2 and 3 coming up]
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Sometimes it really amazes me who is called a photographer and who isn’t. Photography takes on many many forms from journalist to fine artist and everything in between. When one photographer is able to garner the spotlight of the news for political purposes, such as what Jill Greenberg has done this week with her photo shoot with John McCain, purposely misleading her client, has done harm to the profession of photography for all photographers.
Outside of that, for someone to manipulate an image to the extent that Jill Greenberg has done, takes photography out of the work and inserts something else. One person put it on the news last night, what Jill Greeberg has done is political pornography, which is an insult to pornographers. I was so disgusted by the images she posted on her website and that were shown on Fox News and CNN that I don’t know how anyone can call her a photographer. In the end, at least the Atlantic Monthly has apologized for her representing their magazine, but they shouldn’t have to do that, a photographer should work in a professional manner, no matter what the subject.
The editor of The Atlantic Monthly said Monday he is sending a letter of apology to John McCain after a woman the magazine hired to photograph the Republican presidential nominee posted manipulated pictures from the photo shoot on her Web site. Photographer Jill Greenberg, who is vehemently anti-Republican and expressed glee that the photos would stir up conservative ire, took pictures of McCain for the cover of The Atlantic’s October issue.
Did anyone even notice that this woman is Canadian? There seem to be so many non-U.S. citizens that seem to want to influence the election, and these are the tactics I guess are needed to do just what she has done, but she has done a true dis-service to all photographers at this point. If you look at it from a blogging perspective or google, she has accomplished exactly what she wanted… to create a fire storm of media attention (and bloggers, see Jill Greenberg Is Not Afraid To Dump All Her Clients At Once, Low blow, The Atlantic should have Googled Jill Greenberg before hiring her, and Fallout From Jill Greenberg’s McCain Images just to name a few) to her disgusting manipulations of the photography profession.
What new mountains of paper work will form from her stunt that will have to be signed, released, political backgrounds checked and so on. Most photographers I have met would never behave in this manner at all, and I am glad she doesn’t represent me or any photographers that I know. So that is my rant on the business of photography. I have yet to find someone on either side of the political isle that is willing to defend her actions, I hope none arise.
