The Martin - Yes, It's Time

I'm inspired by my roommate Nathan Gammie to blog more regularly and concisely - so here's a stab at a quick description of one of my favorite things.
For those of you who don't know, a Martin is a guitar, a very well made guitar that consistently blows me away with great sound. While I will acknowledge the greatness and beauty of the sounds emitted by a Taylor guitar (see second post down - btw this is my bro's blog..HILARIOUS), I must say that I love love love my Martin. The coolest part is the story behind how I got it. So I'll dedicate the post to that.
My grandfather, mentioned in an earlier post (legit dude, let me tell you), is the original owner of said instrument. Every year our family gets together for "Camp Meeting" (future post...), and for a few years he loaned me this "axe" for porch playing and such. I always loved playing it and expressed this to him several times. One year, I think it was the summer after my freshman year of college, I had been enjoying it and rocking out all week. It was Monday morning, and we were packing up to leave. I took the guitar back over to him and thanked him for loaning it to me for the week, then returned to our cabin to continue with cleaning duties.
A few minutes later, I see his wiry thin frame walking over to the cabin from inside my room. He's carrying the guitar. I'm thinking, no stinkin way. So, I came outside and told him, no, no, you can't be serious. He laughed as only he can (you have to hear it), looks back at me and says, "Yes, I can." He sets the guitar down on the porch, gives a mondo (that's huge) hug, and walks back over to his cabin. That's right - my grandfather gave me a guitar worth prolly 2 grand. He didn't play it enough, and knew I would. So thankful for him!
Lesson to be learned? Hold what you have with an open hand and be willing to share with others; this is just one example of the enormous generosity my grandparents have shown me and they have been such an example to me of how to handle money and other possessions. Praise God for the grace He has shown them and me in this way! It's times like these when I think it's important to remember that Christ is our ultimate example, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:9; "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." Thanks for demonstrating this well by God's grace, Papaw!

Stars and Bars vs. The Hammer and Sickle

Woah-ho-ho, now THERE is a provocative title. Stepping into the realm of controversy, we are, mmmhmhmhm.
Why is one ok to display and the other is not? This reality hit me the other day when I was walking across campus and saw a student with a red shirt and the hammer and sickle prominently displayed across his chest. I thought to myself, man, I wonder what would happen if someone wore a shirt that had the stars and bars and that was it.
Now, I'm not going to assume that there would be an uproar - it might not be a huge deal. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there really is a double standard when it comes to these two symbols. Hence, a post.
A while ago, I wouldn't have had too many qualms about having the stars and bars somewhere in my possesion - not saying I would fly the flag, but the symbol was on a few things that I owned. I have since come to realize through conversations and my own thinking that I disagree with it being displayed, and here's why. There comes a point when an image cannot be divorced from things that came as a part of it. A great example of this is the swastika. It will forevermore be the symbol of the Nazi party in Germany during the 1930s-40s, regardless of how many historians remind us that it was originally something else. While not to that degree, I do think it's fair to say that the stars and bars hold that same kind of symbolism as it relates to slavery. The flag, whether we (wannabe) Southerners like it or not, does represent a group that supported the institution of slavery and fought a war to preserve their right to own slaves. (Yes, there were more issues involved in the fighting of the Civil War, but this post isn't about that topic) So, by displaying that flag, it's not completely illogical for people to assume that we could stand for that kind of thinking. I personally don't think that's all the flag stands for - but the point is that for the majority of people and for my African-American brothers and sisters it DOES connote support of slavery. It is for THEIR sake, therefore, that I don't fly it or wear it. (I think this is part of what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 8-10; check it out!) It does nothing but divide and separate me from people (both in and out of the Church), not something I want to do in a first impression situation.
But, what bothers me about our society is that wearing a similarly powerful symbol seems to be "cool" and "hip" nowadays. I really wonder if some students and others that wear this symbol know the full extent of communism. Yes yes, you can argue that communism in it's purest form has never existed (and I agree!) - but the fact is that the symbol doesn't stand for pure communism. It's been a part of the manifestation of communism expressed through the 20th century in China and the USSR to name the most prominent examples. During this century, communist dictators such as Stalin and Mao combined with other regimes to kill 100 million people. You read that right - 16 times the number of Jews that Hitler and the Nazi's killed. (65 million deaths in China ALONE.) I haven't seen numbers on the impact of slavery in the United States, but I'd wager it's around the same number. Even if it isn't though, is this a movement that anyone should support? I guess I'm just confused on why it's cool to wear the image worn by The Red Guards who, during the Cultural Revolution, persecuted my brothers and sisters in Christ by killing and imprisoning them soley for their confession of faith. Doesn't seem to line up in my mind.
Like stars and bars, I think this is an issue of considering other people around you. Especially in our increasingly "global" society, there is a good chance there are people living in your community that have experienced the horror of communist regimes, many of them directly. That's not something you can say about modern-day African-Americans and slavery. But again, that's not even the point. The point is, the hammer and sickle stand for governments that have enslaved and murdered millions of people - and that's not cool or hip. More importantly, for my Christian brothers and sisters out there, that symbol stands for something that has done everything in its power to HINDER the spread of the Gospel to all nations! This is not a joking matter, that's a serious fact to consider.
So, before we buy our next article of clothing with a symbol, let us all consider what that symbol means - and not just what WE think it means. We need to consider what the symbol does for our relationship with others. Does it encourage or discourage relationship? Does it needlessly divide? Could someone impacted by the negative effects of this symbol be hurt by me wearing this? These are important questions, and ones I hope my generation will more carefully consider before donning the hammer and sickle.

Determination...no, this post is not about election

It's more about my determination to post stuff more often!
So, here's something for fun. My roommate Ted sent me this link the other day, and I literally laughed out loud while reading it. There are some great selections, and I also really love the names that they give these Biblical characters; I think Joseph's is the best as "Go-Go-Go Me." If you don't understand that, it's ok, I didn't until only recently.
Here is the link to the page I'm talking about. Enjoy!