I sure do love Andrew. In the most friendliest way possible :) 

a million years after it becomes all the rage, i figure out twitter. what can i say? i am obviously more technologically savvy than your average person. 

Decisions

The important life decisions seem to always be the hardest ones. I guess the right/noble things in life come at a price.

I wish...

I wish he could tell me if it was all worth it. At the end of the day is one thing, but lying in your hospital bed minutes from death, did you believe it was worth it?

So, a worker today decided to back into a parked car. He fled the scene due to having a suspended drivers license...talk about "undignified".....:-)

Sick again. Left Grenada a week and a half early after being stuck in a hospital there for several days. Stupid kidneys. 

          In our society, we visualize victimization as women being battered in their homes, elderly citizens being mugged on city street corners, and innocent bystanders harmed in gang shootings. To most Americans, victims are those who are hurt when a law is broken. Victimization, however, has far more to do with the structure of a society as a whole than simply with the rules of the legal system. In fact, at times victimization can be a product of something that may be viewed by the public as harmless and even positive: in particular, globalization.

            Globalization, the process of creating a world economy, has been responsible for the victimization of millions. Not only does the process affect Americans, it exploits people worldwide. No one person is responsible for the massacre of culture and freedom we call globalization, but it will take strong, hardworking, and convicted individuals to change the direction of the process and end the suffering it has caused.

            In chapter four of Derber’s The Wilding of America (1996), Derber looks back on a tragic event. In 1993, a factory in Thailand burned to the ground during a workday. Nearly 200 workers were killed, most of them young women. The factory was owned by a toy corporation whose main contracts were with American companies like Toys ‘R’ Us and Fisher Price. The women who lost their lives in the fire were certainly victims of a terrible accident. What may be more alarming, though, and perhaps just as tragic, is that these women were victims long before there was any fire. They were victims of corporate greed and oppression.

            Derber explains that Kader Industrial Toy Company had used the women as semi-slave laborers. They were paid extremely low wages and worked under hideous, dangerous conditions. The women at the toy company were treated more like machines than people – what mattered was that they pumped out goods, not that they were given a decent workspace or paid enough to live. Although local factory management undoubtedly played a part, lack of international workplace regulations and “a new age…of global wilding” (p. 61) were ultimately responsible for the cruel treatment of the Thai workers. Sadly, the women at the Thai factory were not and are not the only human beings subject to such oppressive practices. “The historical record suggests that the Thai sweatshop is more the rule than the exception” (p. 64).

            “The seductions of such cheap and degraded labor have proved irresistible to multinational companies,” says Derber (p. 61). Large American corporations use the free market policy as a reason – or excuse – for exploitation of workers at home and abroad. Technological advances have made it possible for corporations to outsource production and marketing to foreign countries, where regulations on labor are less restrictive or even absent. Though this brings down costs for corporations and, in theory, for product consumers, it also results in the unfair treatment of innocent people worldwide. For example, Indonesian peasant girls are paid less than one dollar a day to manufacture shoes for Nike, and the going wage rate for American corporations in some parts of China is just fifteen cents per hour. In Guatemala, workers may be kept in multinational factories by force until two o’clock in the morning. Why is it that all people are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness unless they are not American?

            Derber compares the new global economic practices to a giant game of musical chairs. This game is regulated as long as the stakes are national, but under global capitalism the rules disappear. Corporations that have established themselves as providers of (low-wage) jobs in communities on the other side of the world use their power as an intimidation tool. They may threaten to leave a community (which would eliminate jobs and effectively cause the collapse of local economies) unless workers agree to lower pay or local governments submit to giving incentives. Entire nations become victims of this practice, in which corporations pit local and national governments against each other in order to gain and maintain economic power. 

            Foreigners aren’t the only victims of globalization. Living standards of the United States’ poor and working class have been pushed down. We are now seeing the kind of “polarized class structure prevalent in the Third World itself” (p. 67). Outsourcing of factories has eliminated jobs for working-class Americans and sent them to places where labor is cheaper. Sweatshops in the United States have seen an increase. Immigrant workers are exploited, as many will work under conditions that most U.S. citizens would refuse to tolerate. Even middle-class workers are being affected, due to downsizing and a corporate loss of interest in individual workers and gain of interest in capital.

The idea of a global economy is not inherently bad. In fact, Derber points out that there are many potential benefits. Created independent of egoism and harsh capitalist practices, a global economy could result in economic growth in impoverished areas and the development of a world community. However, globalization has failed to realize these goals and instead has become a predator to societies and local economies worldwide. In today’s world, the poor become poorer, and the rich become richer.

In chapter twenty-two of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004), Perkins explores the devastating effects of globalization from the perspective of an insider.

Perkins differentiates between the “old America” and the “new America”. The old America, he says, was a republic. This republic had a moral foundation rather than a materialistic mindset. It “offered hope to the world” (p. 127). Based on equality and justice, the old America was both an inspiration and a nation willing to fight for its principles. The republic’s institutions functioned as its strongholds. Banks, bureaucracies, and corporations had the potential to make positive changes in the world – perhaps to end suffering and bring about peace. According to Perkins, the old America was on its way to becoming a sort of realistic utopia.

Today’s America is much different. An empire striving to grasp and hold onto global power, it is the enemy of the republic. The empire, based on capitalism, is greedy, selfish, and materialistic. It serves its own interests at the expense of the rest of the world. It seeks to hoard resources in an effort to make its rulers rich and powerful, says Perkins. The global empire is not a bearer of peace and justice – it is a warmonger.

As a self-described economic hit man, Perkins understands the power and responsibility individuals hold within the context of globalization. Working within a system of mass oppression certainly left Perkins with guilt. It also left him with “employees, countries, and shares of stock [added] to [his] various portfolios and to [his] ego” (p. 129). Most Americans are essentially living in the same situation. Though we have a less direct tie to tyrannical economic practices, we wear clothes made in sweatshops, buy products manufactured by workers paid unfair wages, and drink coffee grown on farms stolen from foreign owners and sold by their governments to large, U.S. corporations. We ignore our responsibility and impact on globalization because we live comfortably.

To Perkins, whose involvement in oppressive and cruel practices was direct and obvious, the “money, adventure, and glamour” was not worth “the turmoil, guilt, and stress” (p. 129). He refused to be blind to the consequences of what he had done as an economic hit man as many other men and women had been and continue to be. Perkins eventually realized that working for large corporate interests was causing him to help a handful of the wealthy population and literally kill off many of the lower, working-class citizens in smaller, less powerful nations.

Whether we are working for a huge, multinational corporation or simply wearing clothes made by workers who are paid too little, when we submit to globalization without conscious contemplation of the consequences we are turning our backs on justice and on the “old America”. Capitalism and free trade may seem ideal in theory; played out in reality they lead to harsh and manipulative practices that serve to perpetuate injustice and disparity worldwide.  If we allow ourselves to believe that corporate and bureaucratic actions as they are practiced now are for the good of the global economy, we not only allow our worldwide neighbors to be victimized, but we, ourselves, become victims of globalization’s web of deceit.

Collins and Yeskel (2005) discuss methods to reduce inequality and build a fair economy in chapter four of Economic Apartheid in America. Though their techniques are essentially geared toward establishing justice within the U.S. economy, they can be utilized as tools to create a more fair global economy, also. Collins and Yeskel assert that the first step to reducing inequality is to “remind ourselves that there is an alternative to the current way the economy is organized” (p. 126).  Many people feel hopeless about the state of the United States economy. Others are discouraged by the oppression and disparity caused by globalization. Say Collins and Yeskel, we must remember that historically the U.S. has seen cycles of economic inequality.

Several times in the history of our nation, large social movements have arisen and taken necessary measures to correct the problem. In these social movements, citizens have come together to change the cultural rules, fix what is wrong and make it right, and have organized themselves to become a powerful body.  Social movements may not feel coherent, and not everyone within a movement has the same ideals. At times, participants may become discouraged, as early stages of movement growth are hard to recognize. But when people come together with a unified purpose, eager to address problems, there is potential for change. We need not be discouraged to the point of hopelessness.

Through several phases, a social movement can be successful. The first phase involves cultural preparation and organization. In this phase, messages must be developed that counter the ideas of the dominant culture. In the beginning, attempts at change may be unsuccessful and political support may not exist. Eventually, grassroots organizations working from low-budgets and donated time will begin educating, organizing, and plugging their views to the mainstream media. With this extra push, the movement’s issues may see their way into politics.

In the second phase, the movement builds public support after a trigger event. After the trigger event, the majority of public opinion favors the movement. People join organizations and participate in rallies and actions in favor of the movement. The movement gains media coverage and politicians begin to speak out about the issues.

In the third phase, consolidation, “a movement enters a long period of consolidating the gains, instituting policies, monitoring compliance, and engaging in a larger cultural paradigm shift” (p. 135). Even after cultural acceptance of an issue, it may take years before change is institutionalized and long-term goals can be envisioned and accepted.

Social movements are the result of hard work through many sources. Grassroots organizations, coalitions, research organizations, media, educators, and cultural work are all components of a successful movement, national or worldwide. A large-scale movement to change to reverse the powerful and devastating effects of globalization will require an enormous amount of dedication and work on the part of Americans and other nations around the globe. Finding common ground may be one of the most difficult tasks when it comes to promoting a social movement, as classism, racism, and sexism still pervade dominant U.S. culture, and ethnocentrism separates America from much of the world.

But maybe most important to making a social change is a change in attitude. Although empirical data shows that inequality is not the fault of the poor, Americans still seem to idolize the rich and criticize the poor. Until we stop victimizing those who are already victims of a flawed social structure, we will not see change.

Collins and Yaskel claim that we are in an early stage of movement-building in the U.S.  It will take mass organization, education, and a change of attitude among citizens for the movement to take hold and result in change. The same ideas are imperative to stopping the harmful effects of globalization on both Americans and people worldwide. Victimization is not always the result of one individual harming another by violating the law. It can be caused by entire economies taking advantage of less powerful systems. Injustice does not create itself, so we cannot expect it to cure itself. Globalization will continue to create victims as long as we allow it to do so.

 

           

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Collins, Chuck and Yeskel, Felice. 2005. “Building a Fair Economy Movement.” Pp.

127-146 in Economic Apartheid in America. New York, NY: The New Press

 

Derber, Charles. 1996. “U.S. Business vs. Us: Global Capitalism and Corporate

Wilding.” Pp. 61-80 in The Wilding of America. New York, NY: St. Martin’s

Press, Inc.

 

Perkins, John. 2004. “American Republic versus Global Empire.” Pp. 124-130 in

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler

Publishers, Inc.

I'm teetering on the ledge between very sad and very happy today and I'm not sure onto which side I'll fall off...

Wow

God has an amazing imagination...

Life, what is it about?

I'm writing to you, the reader. I don't know your life story, your up-bringing, or your current state of well being. All I have to offer to you are thoughts; random musings from a mind that never seems to sleep. I offer you, a unique twist to a boring realization I'd like to call "life."

I've heard some say, "I've got a case of the Monday's!" What does this really mean? Does it mean you are bored, tired, sick of work? Perhaps life is boring or you can't seem to get out of a "rut" you find yourself in. Is this truly what life is all about? Is this what God had in mind when he said "You shall have life abundantly." An abundance of Monday's? Or perhaps Thursdays. You know, that day that seems to be longer than the rest because it's almost Friday. What do you think?

Is it possible to live life? Can you truly live out a full life? I find myself wanting vast moments of time to fly by. I'm at work and can't wait for it to be over, or I have a fun social event or get-together later tonight so I want the time between now and then to race by. College was something I wanted to go away. Could I have made something more of it?

How does God want you and I to live life? How do we embrace the ordinary and make it extraordinary? I really, truly want to know. I feel as if I'm blowing through life and I don't know how to stop and smell the roses if you will. I also don't know how to escape routine. It seems life is made up of nothing but routines. If you don't jump into one you will be lost forever.

So I ask you, how can you live to love and love to live?

new pj's

you should never underestimate the power of new pajamas.

1. they are all comfy and not worn out in the wrong spots
2. they make you feel really good about yourself
3. they match, unlike the rest of your tshirt/sweatpants combinations
4. when you wake up wearing them you think, 'oh wow, i have on new pajamas! this is going to be a great day!'
5. they have super powers.

Showoff

Sometimes I wonder if God likes to be a "big show-off". I haven't been fishing in a really long time and decided last night I'd change that. A friend of mine and I set off for a night of fishing. What I didn't expect, were Geese to land in the water right next to us, or the amazing and beautifully colored fish we caught.

These Geese flew in really low to the water, and just like an airplane used their feet to slow down. They literally skiied until they sank. It was amazing!

It was as if God was telling me, " hey you live in a world created by humans for humans, watch what I made! What did you think!?!?"

started my new job today! love it!

now i just need a place to live...

Randomness

They say live free or die tryin'
They complacent
Livin' in the world in the fast lane flyin'
Down the left lane smoked out
Wild livin' is a true cop out
It's the wide path that leads to hell
It's the hell that makes life hard to tell
Yo it's this type of flow
Just like a pro
Hope you in the know
Livin' in the blaze
Smokin' this haze
I sincerely hope you get outta this phase

Her hearts the grand prize
Porno clips create mad lies
Easy traps with many mishaps
To gain a PHD in someones crazy life
Workin' hard to make the grades
Four letter verb is the class I'm takin'
Always learnin' always workin'
To treat Gods Princess with love and respect
Hopefully than she'll love my defects

A longing

It's a verb that awakens my heart
I wake up with it and go to bed with it
I want a doctorate degree in her
So strong I can't describe
So sweet and sincere
Yet it roars inside of me like a lion
Why do I feel this way
How can I cope
Forgetting is too easy
Embracing is so hard
Again I ask why me

this was me this summer in Grenada. i'm trying to find that girl in Illinois...

Random Thoughts

Sitting in a room full of older men I can't help but wonder about their lives and if their happy. I want so much to grow up, to be past the "school stage". But is it really worth it? Is it something I'll want back once I'm finished with it? Brad stares at me while I make my introduction. I'm new to the group and they want to know why such a young person is in their midst. So cool and confident he seems, I couldn't wait until his introduction. His body language screams power and influence, I took mental notes. Cool, calm and slow. Nothing rushed, repeated or done sloppy. Cool gazes, warm smiles, direct question and direct compliment. How can I become that confident? Bored out of my mind yet fascinated with the other new guy. What is my purpose here, why am I here? Mr. Confident feels pressure from recession and wife. He's human. I can't figure out what it is about this situation that makes him so familiar to me. The dvd plays on yet my mind is wandering.

The only thing that really struck me during the DVD was a joke. The joke goes loosely something like this. There were two people out camping. One said to the other, "Wow look at all of those stars! Imagine how many millions and millions of stars and planets there are in our galaxy let alone in space! It's hard to believe all of that was created by my heavenly father. He loves me personally, yet also loves everyone else and made everything we see out in space." His friend replies,"umm, I think someone stole our tent!" I found that somewhat humorous but I also was struck oddly at the whole circumstance and how I relate to others. I often feel like I'm the guy in this story looking so far into the heavens that I overlook the obvious (tent missing). Neither answer is wrong you see, It's just I can't seem to find anyone that sees the stars and the wonder of them with me. I just find that everyone is more upset about the tent missing than in awe of the glory and splendor of space.

Girls, love, romance are thought of in the same way. I'd rather focus on the hearts and minds of girls than their obvious outer beauty. I'd rather focus on what makes them happy, makes them tick, makes them 100% female than just another piece of bait. Everyone in my life looks skin deep on every issue. Love is a pain in the butt not something to be mystified and in wonder of. Romance is too much work, too hard, and not enough benefits they say. To me, it's an adventure! Of course I can say the wrong thing and *BOOM* landmine. But I find myself getting back up and stepping around the next mine hoping to find answers. Hopefully someday she'll notice.

In the mean time I'm off to find God in everything. I'm always amazed at things I see on National Geographic channel or Discovery. Have you ever watched those shark shows?!?! Those animals are so amazing! So graceful and fierce. I wonder if God created everything in his image. They all are attributes to his personality and his imagination. In the end, my heavenly dad loves me and you more than any of us can ever imagine. Next time you see something wonderful, maybe that's God telling you he loves you.

Until next time, thanks for listening to my rant!

"Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision." –Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

Hospitality

Sorry for the delay in posting! School has been incredibly busy.

My thought for the day is all about customer service. How important is customer service in the hospitality industry? Well, academia would tell you that it's essential to running a good business. I would argue that it's everything to running a good business and essential for life outside of work.

One aspect in which hospitality is much needed is retention of customers. The lifetime value of customers I believe is often over looked. The thing is, you can't calculate the amount of money they can offer you because it is truly limitless! If I had a good experience at my hotel on vacation you better believe I'm going to tell my friends about it. What if some of them decided to stay at that same hotel and they had a good experience? The amount of people you could draw in, the amount of money you could potentially make has no end.

Just something bouncing around in my head lately today.

If you have any comments please feel free to leave them!

i have a new love for josh groban and a new hatred for weather forecasts that lie and say it's going to be 61 and sunny.

Did you ever just really hurt for a friend, but know you couldn't do anything about it?

You see her suffering, and you see why she is suffering, and you know how the suffering could end. But only she has the power to make it end and she doesn't see how to do it. Your perspective can't make her understand.

How do you help someone to see herself through God's eyes? How do you show someone she is worth much more than she can ever imagine?

You are smart, you are beautiful, and you are the beloved child of a King. And you are drowning yourself in shallow water.

Stand up. Please, stand up.

Wow

If you believe in something, does that mean it must be present in your actions? Blue Like Jazz is really making me re-think about things. I love it!

People these days...

Please tell me this is all a misunderstand or a fake article....what are people up to these days.....click here for article

We serve a mighty God

I was at church a few weeks ago and was introduced to the provost of Kansas State University. At first I was slightly shocked to be shaking the hand of such a man. I figured I had to go through multiple security screenings or make many phone calls and pull strings to even be in the same room as this man. I don't know anything at all about him just that he is really high up in the University. As I was standing there in church it hit me. We worship the same God! I felt I was just as strong in front of God as this super powerful man in front of me. What I mean to say is this, we were both praising the same God at the same time in the same room. No appointments, no background checks, no need to know someone, just to worship Christ. The same God that appoints presidents, kings, and judges loves and cares for ME! The great predators of the world, lions, tiger sharks, piranha's etc. all worship the same God. I might just be onto something here...

did you ever think maybe you should stop and smell the roses....only to realize that it's been raining for about six years and any roses that may have tried to bloom have drowned? and also your cable is out?

Great song

The Motions

Matthew West

This might hurt
It's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care If I break

At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

Chorus
I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something

Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Take me all the way

Sounds of summer....

Crowd roaring, PEANUTS GET YOUR PEANUTS, crack of the bat, ahhhhh the World Baseball Classic is amazing...

Failure

"Failing is one of the greatest arts in the world. One fails toward success." - Charles Kettering

There are many notable individuals who have failed. Some have risen to notoriety simply by getting back up again.

Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, received a "C" on his college paper detailing his idea for a reliable overnight delivery service. His professor at Yale told him, "Well, Fred, the concept is interesting and well formed, but in order to earn better than a "C" grade, your ideas also have to be feasible.

Incredible...

Tourism

One of my many passions in life is tourism/travel. I found a website today (while I was attempting to do homework) that had some interesting information on tourism. Check it out here!

Here is and excerpt:

Did You Know that spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $2 billion a day, $84.5 million an hour, $1.4 million a minute, and $23,500 a second?

Honda...

Honda seems to be on to something. One of their new ad campaigns has the slogan "failure: the secret to success" It got me to thinking, since when is failure a bad thing?!?! Thomas Edison never failed, he only came up with different ways to create the light bulb. Henry Ford went bankrupt multiple times before he came up with a plan that worked and here we have Ford as a major auto manufacturer, Babe Ruth held a record for strike outs yet he also holds major home run records. Failure is only a bad thing if you let it be. For me, I'm going to try and make failure a good thing. Honda said it best, "Failure is the secret to success"

I really have no idea how it's even possible that a person could be blessed with this kind of ungracefulness.

On Thursday afternoon, I broke my toe. On a high chair. I'm not even kidding.

So let's recap these past couple of weeks...

Bumped my head and made my nose bleed
Gave myself a slight concussion
Set my apartment on fire
Somehow singed off a scarily large portion of my bangs
Ran into an oven and ended up with a nice big bruise
Twisted my ankle and almost fell over in the middle of the street while walking in new heels
Broke my toe

Oh, the never ending adventures of Linz.

Time

What do you do with your time? Obviously everyone is busy but I wonder how well you spend your time. Just because we all have to work and or go to school, that doesn't mean you can't live those passionately! Or does it? If you read this blog, please let us know by leaving a comment! We would love to hear from you.

Florida baby!

Looks like I'm headed to Fort Myers after graduation!!! Click on the Fort Myers link to check it out!

Why I need heavy painkillers and a long vacation.

Let's talk about today.

First, I stumbled out of bed 20 minutes later than the original plan. Strike one.

Of course it was raining and I failed to grab an umbrella. I realized I should have gotten one as soon as I walked outside but, having already locked the door and already running late, I just gritted my teeth and dealt with it.

I met with my professor after my health programming class. He informed me that there really is no job market that he can find for sociology majors and in order for him to help me (which is amazingly nice of him since I'm only a minor in his discipline) I need to go beat down the doors of my sociology professors and ask where the jobs are. If they can't answer me, I'm in trouble. If they can answer me, I'm in slightly less trouble. If I go to school for two more years and major in health promotion (which I don't want to do) I'll get a job with no problem! I graduate in May. Strike two.

At two I got out of class and came straight home, cold and wet. I made a pot of coffee. I went to get the creamer out of the refrigerator. I bend down to get it and I hit my head on the freezer when I stood up. Headache, dizziness, trouble focusing...best time ever. Strike three.

Now you'd think it would all be over at this point. I'd strike out and get to sit the bench. But that's just not the way my life works.

A smart person would have called a doctor about the head situation, or even just gone to lie down for awhile before work. Instead, I caught my apartment on fire. Yes, that's right. On fire. No need for details, really...there was a stove, some popcorn, and a slight explosion. I put the fire out semi-immediately but not before the entire apartment filled with smoke, which subsequently permeated the entire second floor and set off the building alarms. My roommate and I opened all the windows and doors in hopes of not attracting too much attention. The guys upstairs said "hey...was there like a fire or something?" (no we just like to periodically smoke out our apartment.) The firefighters said we were great at quick acting. The police left after finding out no one was injured or dead. The landlord said we should stop being so smoking hot.

And let's add a cherry to this sundae of a day, shall we? After changing into clothing that didn't smell like a barbecue I proceeded to grab my work stuff and made it to Checkrow only half an hour late. An hour into work, the internet went down. I brought three hours worth of work home with me.

So...let's review. Late. Rain. No jobs. Blunt trauma by freezer. Involuntary bonfire. Homework not affiliated with school in any way.

The moral of this story is: When you wake up late, just go back to bed.

I just have to share that I have the best men in my life. Really. 

I started out yesterday feeling very alone and awkward, as a significant portion of the world does on Valentine's Day. I went to buy flowers for my sisters and mom, and then took them to their house. When I got there...surprise! My dad had left two red roses for me on the dining room table. I NEVER get flowers! I think the last flowers I got were during a stay at the hospital....Anyway, my Dad just made my day. What a great guy. 

I went to work then and 6 hours later my grandpa showed up at the door with chocolates! I work ten miles away from him (I'm a nanny way out in the boondocks...) and he came all the way out there to bring me chocolate and love. 

The men in my life currently are making things very hard for the man I will spend the rest of my life with. He doesn't know it yet, but he'll never live up to my expectations. 

That being said, I think it's appropriate for the Valentine's season that I post something depressingly romantic. So I choose e.e. cummings. Because e.e. cummings is lovely. 

Here is one of my favorites.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Passion

What is passion? Is it something easily summed up in one or two sentences? Probably has something to do with sex right? Is it something found inside of someone?

Yes to all of the above and it's so much more. According to Webster's dictionary there are many definitions to the word passion. The first one is interesting to note, "the sufferings of Christ between the night of the last supper and his death". Right on! Of course that is passion! I would imagine it had to be his burning desire, love, and yearning to do what the father wanted him to do.

I personally find passion everywhere. The "pidder padder" of my dogs claws on the floor when she races over to give me lots of kisses, the deafening roar of the ocean waves crashing down and the thunderous boom of the thunder. How about a lion attacking his prey for food? The sound of a baby's giggle or the intense power of his/her smile?

I am a firm believer in passion, I feel it on fire inside of me every day.

What does passion mean to you?

Sigh

If KSU had a gameplan that didn't require a million 3-point shots maybe we would have a chance! Current score Kansas 61 KSU 53...

Undignified is where it's at!

Like Linz said, we are "undignified". As my first post, I figured I would introduce myself. I was going to introduce the blog but Linz beat me to it! My name is Andrew from the lovely city of Manhattan Kansas, home of the Kansas State Wildcats! I'm currently a senior in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Also, I'm currently one course short of my Business Administration minor! I promise lots of grammatical errors as my expertise lies in people not grammar :-).

I was sitting in the stands at the K-State vs. Texas Tech game thinking about little kids. It didn't help the fact that these two little boys in front of me caused me to laugh out loud multiple times! It was Alltel Wireless bag night. They had put a card in each of the bags telling you to come into their store to find out if you won money. This little boy saw the bag, opened the bag, and his eyes lit up because there was SOMETHING IN THERE! He got so excited he started yelling at his parents that he had found a treasure! Honestly, it was a worthless piece of cardboard used for advertising (why did I have to grow up?!?!) but he had found his TREASURE!

Matthew 19:13-14 says, Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

In my mind I see this played out like this, Jesus was a popular figure obviously! Much like a rock star or pro athlete. I can't see those little kids being calm and dragging their feet on their way to see Jesus. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that they were SUPER excited much like that little boy and his cardboard advertisement. They were so excited that their parents HAD to bring them to Jesus! I doubt the disciples wouldn't have rebuked calm quiet children. I hear laughter and screaming, lots of hugs and playful attitudes!

Matthew 18:1-4 says, At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

God wants a relationship, not a ritual, have-to's, should do's etc. Just like the little boy who didn't care what anyone thought of his card! We should be like him, undignified and sold out!

Life is hard enough, it's time to live life "Undignified!"

undignified beginnings

When Andrew first asked me to share this blog with him, I was excited and apprehensive. The previous experience with blogging is limited to an adolescent (and might I add terrible) attempt at poetry and prose on a site frequented by lots of other not-so-starving teenage artists. In any case, I suppose I can give it another go. For Andrew's sake, of course ;) 

We decided to name our blog Undignified., in reference to a favorite Biblical passage that we feel represents our attitude toward life in general. In 2 Samuel 6, King David has brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and in his excitement, begins rejoicing the Lord with unprecedented fervor - leaping, dancing, singing, and sounding the trumpets. Basically, David was getting his groove on. 

Of course, someone had to ruin the good time. That person happened to be Michal, the daughter of Saul. She was disgusted with David's actions and made it clear to him that she had no respect for someone who would act so un-kingly. 

David's response? 

"I will celebrate before the Lord, [and] I will become even more undignified than this..." (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

When you've got to praise, you've got to praise. If that means being undignified in the eyes of the world, so be it. Being a follower of Christ often means standing apart from the crowd. It means being exactly who I am in the Lord, regardless of what the world says I should be. I've got a God who deserves my all - everything in me, including my amazing dance moves. 

We think old Dave was quite the guy, dancing and praising the Lord when clearly it was quite the improper thing to do. We also think this is how we should be - always humbled before the Lord in praise and adoration, even when it means living life a little differently than our neighbors....

We might not exactly be the most normal of people to begin with. Add some terrible dancing to the mix and we're just plain awkward. But...for our God...we like to move it, move it. 

-Linz