Real Live Preacher

Even on vacation, I've found time to keep up with my favorite bloggers. I enjoyed this essay from Real Live Preacher. Of course I felt the sting of familiarity in some of the descriptions.

But what truly amazes me is what happens when two Christians find themselves in a dispute over some doctrinal issue or passage of scripture. Suddenly they forget how messy the New Testament is, how contradictory and convoluted parts of it can be. They forget that their own theology is a product of very selective reading.

Forgetting these things, they run back to their studies in search of verses of scripture that support their position. They pull out books and commentaries; they scan denominational pamphlets or find help online in locating these verses...

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Philippines!

After 1 flight, a strange night in Manila, another flight, a 2 hour van ride, a boat trip, and a motorcycle taxi ride, I am finally on the island of Boracay in the Philippines. This destination was worth all of the hassle of getting here. It's beautiful and there are many things to keep you busy. I can't complain about some of the beautiful places I've been, but sometimes island paradise can become a little boring if there is nothing to do besides sit on the beach. That isn't a problem here. 1 hour Massage on the beach...about $9. Snorkeling trips, diving, great restaurants, and of course, this years new Christiane Amanpour special, "God's Warriors" on CNN International. I sure hope its better than last year's "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden" that I saw bits and pieces of while in Thailand. And of course a good book. I'm finally reading The Kite Runner.


Saying goodbye to good friends in Taiwan was much harder than I thought. Of course there was a Typhoon and 3 days of rain to send us away. Ariel, I miss our lunches already!

I will update again in Veitnam. Hope all is well with you.

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The End is Near

The day is approaching. Goodbyes are being said. Farewell ice cream is planned. Belongings are being sold and the remaining items packed.

We leave on Monday morning for a tour of Asia that will take us to the Philippines, Vietnam, Macau, and Hong Kong. Then, a stop in Vancouver and Las Vegas before seeing my family in Chattanooga. We arrive in Chattanooga on September 29th. I hope I can post a blog or two with pictures between now and then.

Goodbye Taiwan. 台灣 再見

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Driving

"Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster is a maniac?"


I read this today online, and I think it is true. Driving makes me a completely inconsistent asshole. When I'm driving my scooter, I think people who are walking need to stay out of my way. When I am walking, I think people on scooters need to be more careful and go around me. When I'm in someone's car, I think scooters are just in the way. When I'm on my scooter, I think car drivers are evil bastards. Also, when I'm driving, I think buses are extremely dangerous and erratic, but when I'm riding a bus, I think that all of the single vehicle drivers are really in the way, keeping the bus from getting many more people to their destinations.

Also, sometimes, when its raining...I drive my scooter with no shoes. It sounds crazy, and it probably is, but the warm pavement feels nice on my feet, and I don't have to deal with wet shoes.

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Last Class

Today I taught my favorite class for the last time. Don't they look fun. That is my co-teacher Susan on the left.

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Some photos

My friend Laura is leaving Taiwan today, so I went to her house and stole some photos that she has taken this year. Here are a few:

The Menagerie and I
This is Laura on her scooter, or "The Kevinmobile". I taped this picture of myself to her dash about 9 months ago...and there I have been, riding along with her ever sense. I have begun to mold a bit in this damp climate.

The twins bothering me again.

Ruby, who unfortunately is called "Luby" by all of her classmates.

My roommate, Brynn and I

It's just not a good photo if you don't hold up your "oh yeah" fingers.
I didn't know they weren't going to smile.


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Pastoral Slip Up


5 years ago, make a small mistake, and a few people knew. In 2007, mix up your words, and a kid in Azerbaijan gets a laugh out of it.

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Inconsistency


I'm in no way making a statement about my feelings on abortion, but this cartoon from the NY Times just made me laugh.

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Interesting Ad


I was a little surprised by the company name at the end. It seems better suited for a non-profit organization.

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Shede Dhondup

I am currently reading The Art of Happiness at Work by the Dalai Lama. Yesterday when I was reading, he mentioned the Tibetan word "dhondup" meaning success. It reminded me of my Tibetan name given to me by my friend Jack 4 years ago in China.

I asked him to give me a Tibetan name. I remember he wouldn't do it right away. He thought on it, and in a few days gave me a card on which he had written my name. Of course I couldn't read the Tibetan script, and he wasn't sure how to write the romanized version, but from the words that he said, I wrote Shede Dhondup. He told me that it means happiness, and success in everything you do.

I rarely meet people like Jack with whom I have such an immediate human connection with. Our commonalities have nothing to do with culture or similar backgrounds. He's a former Tibetan monk from a nomadic family. I'm a kid from America, privileged enough to travel to far away places. But I think we found a connection in our interests in the deeper things of life. I met him soon after he had left his faith and was searching. At the time, I thought I had the answers for him, but little did I know I would find myself in similar circumstances years later. I still get emails from him every sixth months or so, though we aren't able to share as freely as I'd like. He's one of the rare people you meet for a brief time, but feel that they won't ever be permanently out of your life.

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OCD

In hindsight, I've diagnosed my childhood self with a mild form of OCD. Before I went to bed, I would always find myself straightening things. I would lay in bed for a while, noticing an unfolded t-shirt on a chair, and would impulsively get up to fold it. I had my reasons though. I didn’t really care if the shirt was folded, that would be silly. I would dream up a scenario where a bad person would break into my home while I was sleeping. He would look around, and be ready to leave with just my cash, but turning back and seeing an unfolded Looney Toons t-shirt, he would be annoyed, pushing him over the top turning what would have been a mere a burglary into a home invasion/homicide. Or maybe a more sadistic intruder would kill one member of my family for each misplaced shoe. My plan had always been to pretend to be asleep, even if I noticed the burglar. I still think this is the best idea. Ignore him and he will go away.

Yes, I have grown out of this. Now I lay in bed for a few minutes thinking "did I brush my teeth well enough...probably not, let me give it another go." and "Oh no, I didn't floss. Its okay though, most people don't floss every day. Yes, but many of those people have gum disease." Sometimes it's "Did I lock all of the doors...I think I did, but maybe I didn't." This inevitably leads to me getting out of bed several times before finally settling down and falling asleep. At least I'm no longer primarily concerned with murder if I don't do certain things just right...now dental diseases are my major motivation.



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Dick Cheney Tried to Kill Me

Last night I dreamed that Dick Cheney tried to kill me. I was sitting in my Grandfather's living room at some sort of family gathering (perhaps the Welcome Back Kevin party my mom wants to have). For some reason, Dick Cheney was there. Maybe the connection was in my brain because my uncle David bears a striking resemblance to the evil vice president. In my dream, I began ranting against conservative politics just to stir things up. This is something I often do at family gatherings in reality. But in reality, Dick Cheney isn't present. What began as a low grumble from the vice president, ended in an all out attack. It was like a reenactment of the final scenes of Mario Bros. 3 when Mario defeats Bowser by continually dodging his clumsy attacks. The best part of the dream was my family sitting and watching this happen with looks that said "you brought this on yourself."

Here is an incriminating photo of Uncle Dick Cheney in my home next to an adorable baby picture of me.

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Reverse Plagiarism

A few years after my grass-stained conversion I figured almost everything out. I knew where God was and what he was up to and what he was thinking and saying. I had all the answers. Turns out this was little more than reverse plagiarism. I was giving you what I believed and putting God’s name in the byline. Now I have no earthly idea where God is and what he is up to. - God's on a Milk Carton

I can relate.

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