My Job

For some people, my job may seem confusing, but I am a Civil Engineer in progress. Civil Engineering is unique somewhat because our value increases with years in the field. Basically, we become specialized in a certain part of the broad spectrum of Civil Engineers. I'm specializing in structures, particularly, metal buildings. My daily job is to take an architect's concept and to apply building codes, structural codes, and engineering recommendations to a design. A design will consist of the layout of members, the sizes of each member, and how each member will connect. It can get very complicated.

Not only are we supposed to make sure we meet all building code requirements, we are also trying to make money in doing so. Anyone can over design, but a professional knows where you can cut back and where you need to add material to make sure the building is safe. It takes a lot of experience to do that.

Lastly, an engineer needs to be able to communicate the design. This surprisingly is the most difficult. Trying to create ways to communicate the intricate details and define a 3D object with standardized words is very difficult to do efficiently. Its like learning a new language.

So that's basically it. I'm as green as you can be in this industry but I'm eager to learn as much as I can. I'm not a fan of being the "new guy" and I'm striving to learn because knowledge truly is power.

Christian = Less Quality

So this might be due to the fact that I've been sick for a couple of days, but it seems to me that "Christian" products are seemingly always sub-par to other products. Particularly in the entertainment industry. Are we just afraid to tell each other that its a good effort but not good enough? I was listening to KLOV, a christian radio station and realized just how little talent it takes to be a modern day christian artist. Much of the music simply consists of a catchy beat, similar to Chris Tomlin, and repetition of a powerful phrase. Is that really all there is to music? I've been going to a new church and have been introduced to some pretty powerful lyrics that are unfamiliar to me. I struggle during worship services to keep up with the lyrics and their meanings. But is this not good? Are we as a society not the most informed and educated people to have ever existed?
One of the things about music that I love is how each artist can have a unique feature that will make them stand out. Some bands, even in the Christian scene, do this well. David Crowder has some pretty powerful, yet simple lyrics that I love in his older music. Other artists, such as AC/DC have a one of a kind sound that made them famous. A music genre will sound similar but is "Christian music" really a genre?
One of the things I was thinking about is how simplistic and almost immature some of the lyrics are in today's worship music. There is nothing wrong with being simple. But have we as a church really become childish in our view of God? Are we all feeding off of milk and not ever feasting on meat? Everyone is at different levels of spiritual maturity but apparently the majority of the church is still very young. I am by no means claiming to be "mature" and have everything together. These are just some things I notice about the people that I identify with. I am very concerned with how the world views people who call themselves Christians because we are supposed to be representing Christ.
In summary, I will continue to attend and worship at church. And continue to encourage people to be involved in the music ministry. I've found that some of the most talented musicians are simply not involved because no one asked them to be. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what the noise is, it matters what the heart is. But I want to present the best possible offering to God that is possible, so why should we ever settle?

Dependance and Freedom

Sometimes I think I hate how easy life is for humans, yet I don't want to give up any of my creature comforts. I want to live an adventure and it really saddens me to see how a lot of men live out the adventure from the comfort of their recliner. I do it too. As men, we play video games where we can be the hero, gloriously beating our way through monstrous hordes of evil villains to complete the mission, and competing with other males in online battles to assert ourselves in the pecking order of the most talented. We go to see gladiator fights, I mean football games, where we take in domesticated scenes of battle and then spend all week digging into all the details so that on game day, we can show off our knowledge of statistics and insider info. My Question is this:

Is that really living the adventure?

I just have a hard time believing that it is. And just to let you know, I have no solution to solve this. I also fall into the sticky trap of action packed, spectacular adventures from the comfort of my couch. In today's world, it seems like knowledge is glorified while sex appeal is advertised. Smart and sexy? You're invincible. I agree that being smart is good. But being WISE is better. How often do people you know have a ton of head knowledge and little "common sense?" The wisdom I'm talking about is more than just common sense. It is a divine wisdom that comes from learning about our creator through experiencing Him daily. It is an adventure that leads to a life that is difficult, challenging and extremely rewarding. It can take you to Africa to witness and serve people in poverty. It can land you in vast wealth and ask you to give it away to help people. It can call you to serve quietly and unnoticed in the daily grind while choosing to make the right decisions when no one is looking or even seems to care. I guess I do have a solution to this epidemic of male emasculation. In pursuing my creator, I will become the man He created me to be. He gave me a spirit of adventure to use. He gave me passionate feelings to live by. He created me just as I am to be used as a tool to accomplish exactly what He needs to be done.
The Question is: Will I be willing to sacrifice my comforts, my selfishness in order to gain a life that will have meaning? This will be a daily decision...