In thinking, researching, and debating on how to vote this election day, I've come to a conclusion - I've become a one issue voter. Yes, it ends up being the same issue that many Christians vote for, but let me explain my reasoning because it actually has very little to do with religion. This one issue is why I voted for McCain, not because I really think he'll be the best president ever, but because I don't want Obama as my president.

Let me explain:
I am very much pro-life, for one basic reason - if no one is sure when life actually begins, I would really prefer to err on the side of safety when it comes to what we do with human life. I look at it in much the same way as our court system looks at a person's life before declaring them guilty of a crime - it must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. When it comes to a baby's life, if it is so hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they aren't alive yet, so I will always say we play it safe and allow that life to continue. (But is it really that difficult to know the answer?)

Here's my issue with politics in this area. I know that it really doesn't matter what the President actually wants as far as laws for and against abortion go, but to me it provides a moral compass in two ways: First, it demonstrates a value of human life, and secondly, it provides a basis of consistency.

For length's sake, I'm going to leave the first one alone even though I know Obama supporters would claim that he holds human life just as dear as anyone else - even though I would say his voting record shows otherwise.

I think the bigger issue is that Obama's stance shows a tremendously illogical philosophy that is designed to get votes, not to actually stand on values and morality. It doesn't matter what religion you believe in, or what God you follow, or any of that - the philosophical imbalance demonstrated shows Obama's character very clearly. The person revealed is not someone I desire as president.

Let me demonstrate my issues with Obama's words:

Issue one - when does life begin?
Q: Do you personally believe that life begins at conception?
A: This is something that I have not come to a firm resolution on. I think it's very hard to know what that means, when life begins. Is it when a cell separates? Is it when the soul stirs? So I don't presume to know the answer to that question. What I know is that there is something extraordinarily powerful about potential life and that that has a moral weight to it that we take into consideration when we're having these debates.
Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College Apr 13, 2008

Ok, I can understand that to some degree - I'm not sure when life begins, but the potential of life is very powerful. Personally, if I were going to take a stab at it, I'd say that potential life becomes pretty definite once the heartbeat starts...it's easy to point at that and say, "That's a living organism".

However, for someone who is completely unsure of when life begins, Obama seems pretty quick to be willing to snuff out that potential life. He talks a lot about reducing the need for abortions by increasing the awareness of contraceptives (That's right kids, have all the sex you want because it's safe...most of the time!) but when it comes to actually reducing the legality of abortions he consistently votes like someone who believes that life starts when the baby is actually born. Partial birth abortions are ok (although I would bet he would argue he voted against banning it to protect the health of mothers) and we really shouldn't require minors to have parental consent when they decide (in all of their pre-adult wisdom) that they need an abortion. He also talks a lot about leaving the moral decision in the hands of the woman involved, that they feel the full force of that weight and it should be up to them. I can see that point of view, I really can - but it's funny how we don't leave other serious moral issues like theft, murder or rape in the hands of people in general without having serious consequences. I really don't see where this issue is different when you talk about a human life - especially one in late term.

I would expect someone who is "unsure" of the beginning point of life to be a lot more careful in protecting it - the last thing I would expect is for that person to be one of the people who has been one of politics's biggest proponents for abortion. "Nobody is pro-abortion?" Then why does it seem that way?

That, my friends, is why I voted for McCain. I can't trust someone who doesn't stand on what be believes on such a foundational moral issue as the lives of our children...and I really can't trust someone who tries to fudge over the philosophical issues of what he believes to be right just so he can get the votes he wants. I also can't trust someone who doesn't value human life enough to firm up his convictions and beliefs about it - being unsure really doesn't cut it when you're running for President of the United States.

So even though it may seem like one issue voting, it really isn't - it's just that I can't trust where that candidate's moral compass is pointing.

This post could have been much, much longer - but here are posts from people much smarter than I who make very good points about this issue. What I read from these authors helped me realize that my gut reaction was absolutely correct when it comes to this presidential election.

Obama's voting record on abortion issues

A post from Randy Alcorn (a very respected Christian author - if you've never read his books I'd encourage you to check out Deadline)

The Illogic of Obama on Abortion

Abortion is About God (has good points even if you disagree with the premise...I really disliked the video style though)

Obama's Abortion Extremism

Sometimes I think my cats see me as a walking vending machine that dispenses food and water and then disposes of poop.

Sadly, if you have a toddler I bet they look at you the same way.

If you have a child older than that, they still look at you the same way, hopefully minus the poop part. Until they graduate college. I vote kick them out after that for sure, if not sooner.

Enjoy your life, I'm sticking with cats.

I've decided I'm tired of two things about my body - my "man boobs" and what is remaining of my spare tire. So I'm starting a new exercise routine, and I'm going to keep a log here of how I'm doing. Basically it consists of the 100 pushup program, ab crunches, and 30ish minutes on the elliptical machine. I don't have my weight today, but I've been floating around 192lbs. I'd like to get down to 185 for now, with the ultimate goal of either hitting 180 or being more muscular/less flabby so 185 is ok. We'll see how that goes.

In the meantime, tonight will be day 3 of the 100 pushups program. I'm enjoying it so far, it gives me some order and reason for what I'm doing. I was really, REALLY sore Tuesday, which was Day 2...I barely got through the required pushups. Today, I actually feel pretty good and am actually looking forward to the pushups tonight. 185, here I come!

Wish me luck!

Written in my journal last week:

I'm sitting here next to a lit candle, watching a thunderstorm pass by - everything in my house is unplugged, the power is flickering on and off, and I'm amusing myself by reading and watching my cats run from room to room, trying to escape the thunder. I feel sorry for them, because I can't get on their level to explain that the thunder isn't going to hurt them, there isn't any danger from the noise - it's just something awesome to behold and enjoy. I really feel sorry for people who are afraid of thunderstorms, I really love them - the raw power never ceases to amaze me.

It's funny what people are afraid of, don't you think? My friend Matt, for example, is afraid of spiders, to the point of not watching movies like Arachnophobia and getting creeped out by certain points of video games we play. My wife doesn't do horror movies at all, any thing with scary music does her in. Me, I'm scared of little kids. Not "real" kids that you see at church or school or whatever, but rather the ghost kids in some horror movies. *brrr*. On the other hand, every time we have a school performance I do think about what would happen if the kids realized that they outnumber us like three to one. How do you fight off 500 elementary students?

When I was a kid, I was afraid of all kinds of things. I bet it was pretty annoying for my parents! (In fact, now that I think about it, I bet a lot of things I did were pretty annoying.) I was really afraid of someone breaking into our house, and either stealing from us or killing us all (for no apparent reason, I don't think we had any "enemies"). I was afraid of staying alone at our house (mostly for the above reason), and I was tremendously afraid of the dark. We lived in a somewhat creepy house that made a lot of weird noises and had a very dark basement, so that didn't help much.

At some point I decided two things. A.) I would only live as long as God allowed me to live (although I still don't see this as an excuse not to wear a seatbelt - if you're that dumb God will allow you to come home early, if you know what I mean), and B.) I had to face my fears or be trapped by them.

I started walking around in the dark a lot, not turning on lights anytime I walked through a room. We had woods in our back yard, so I would go out there at night and walk around, convincing myself that there was nothing to be afraid of. Every time I saw a haunted house, I went to it. It's part of the reason that I always wanted to be in some kind of Halloween haunt, so I could face my fears and help others do the same (and lets face it, scaring people is fun anyway). That's really how the Haunted Plantation got started.

Now living in the dark has become second nature enough that Matt started calling me "Uncle Caveman". Once I moved into my own house, I generally never turned on lights at all (partly to avoid glare on any electronic screen, but whatever).

All of this has me thinking - what am I afraid of at this point in my life?




And how do I face my fears again?

Thanks Lisa :) I laughed for quite a while this morning...I hope you remember leaving it!

Oh, btw...can you translate for me?

The Voicemail of Epic Drunkenness



And how I envision Lisa this morning:

On my way home from work a few minutes ago, a commercial I despise with every bone in my body came on - Budweiser's Code Blue.

Maybe it's because I'm not a beer drinker, but I just don't get the commercial. I have several issues with it, maybe someone can enlighten me on it.

If you haven't heard the commercial, this guy opens his bottle of beer, and thanks to a new "breakthrough" by Budweiser, the label turns blue notifying the drinker that the bottle is really cold. He then texts his friends with the words "Code Blue", sharing his achievement with others less fortunate and inviting them to join in his wondrous luck.

Let's start with the cold thing. I just can't get why this guy gets so excited that his beer is cold. Is this a common problem with bear drinkers, that where ever you normally drink has a shortage of cold ones? If so, I'd complain. Something like, "Hey, this beer is warm...can I get it cold?" I mean, sure, it's gonna have spit in it after that, but at least it's cold. Maybe I'm having a problem because my vice is drinking Coke. You see, when I get a Coke out of the fridge, or from a restaurant, it's always cold. Every time. At least once I moved out of my parent's basement and starting keeping drinks in a fridge (Sorry Matt). So I don't really get that excited about it. It's like waking up and being pumped because your bed didn't catch fire during the night - it's an unlikely event, so you really don't think about it until it happens. If it's a Coke, you get some ice - if it's your bed...sorry. That really bites.

Secondly, does he really need a label that turns blue to be able to differentiate between warm and cold? I would think the frostbite on his hand would be a good sign that the beer is the correct temperature. Is he already too drunk to know the difference, or am I missing something again about how great color changing from temperature technology is? If it's really that great, I say bring back Hypercolor clothing so I can start texting my friends every time the armpits of my shirt change color. CODE YELLOW: I'm sweating and it's awesome because everyone knows it.

Which brings up my last issue. If my friends started texting me "Code Blue" I'd be pretty pissed. First of all, you've just wasted my time and text by telling me something that I don't care anything about, except that now I know you're an idiot.
Secondly, it seems to me like this guy is just rubbing it in his friend's faces that he's off work, in a bar, and about to get drunk. That doesn't seem very nice. I mean, I don't work somewhere where I can just drop everything because someone's label turned blue, which is apparently some kind of signal that I should join them. So I'm still working, and now I'm annoyed that my friend isn't. It really ends up being a play by play of a random event in someone's life, which is rather odd. How annoying would it be if we all starting doing that every time we did anything?
CODE RED: I just opened a coke! CODE PC: I just booted my computer! CODE BANKRUPT: I just filled my gas tank! CODE TWITTER: I just twittered...oh. Yeah, that is annoying.

Hey, if you're reading this, I'd like to ask a favor. Say a quick prayer for me :)
I'm very, very stressed, not sleeping well, and I'm getting very frustrated. Basically we have a large shipment of computers and equipment that I needed WEEKS ago, that has still not come in. I'm going a bit crazy worrying about it, and I could seriously use some sound sleep. And yeah, I know - I'm taking the stress too personal. It's the same thing I fuss at Shannon about, but right now I can't help it.

Thanks!

It was an odd experience. Here's the video if you'd like to watch it! I honestly don't know if it was any good or not, I haven't watched it yet. I can say this - I've lost 25 pounds since then!

Man, what a great idea/funny video!


Part II
Part III
Part IV

but I just can't help it.

I know Lisa will join me on this one!
KotOR3 - will be some form of MMO!

Edited:
And...confirmed.

One of my all time favorite books is Ender's Game, which you need to read before Garret ruins the ending for you.

According to the author, Orson Scott Card, Marvel Comics and the Dabel Brothers are going to start working on a graphic novel based on the original story...I'm drooling already. Next steps - a movie and video game, both of which had better not suck.

Tonight I went to hear Matt speak to Avalon Church youth group. It was fun seeing that environment again, and being in a church that is located in a warehouse made me a bit jealous. The band did a good job, the drama was VERY odd but amusing, and Matt did a great job of explaining the need for community with God's people. Good job, man.

I was poking around on my web server and I found an audio recording of a message I gave at our college group a couple of years ago. This is one I really enjoyed! However, a warning - I went long :(
It really should have been a two part message. Oh well, listen to it in two halves if you have to ;) Here is the link if you'd like to listen: The Prodigal Son
I'll try to find the video I used so I can post that later.

"Christians, especially ministers, so often think that they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking.

Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because Christians are talking where they should be listening. But [the one] who can no longer listen to his brother [or sister] will soon be no longer listening to God either... This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words."

-Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

This goes into the category of things that come naturally to me. My problem is, once I do speak up, I'm apparently a conversation killer. I'm not sure why, it just seems to be how things go...which is one of the reasons starting a blog was difficult to me. I guess it will be a good exercise in starting discussions.

James 1:19-20 says, "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."

I've probably taken that verse to its furthest extent at times, but I really have found something important in life - people work out things by talking it out. Very few people tell you about their problems so that you can be a bright, illuminating, brilliant star in their life, they just need to get it out!

This applies to discussions as well, I think, and here is where debating and discussion styles really come in. Think about it next time you are discussing a problem, philosophical question, scriptural topic, or whatever - how much of the discussion did you take up? You see, in my mind, I already know my position on things...what I'm interested in is how other people think. I do want to get time to share my opinions and thoughts, but I think the more valuable thing I can do is to let people get out what they are thinking about so that they are really working through it. Because when you really think about how we learn, it's not usually through an earth shattering argument or a mind blowing debate...it's through working through our own thoughts, evaluating our own experiences, and receiving opinions from people that we know love us and can express themselves in a loving way.

That is my literal conversation killer of the day.

This is for Lisa and Greg...I saw this today and thought of you. Actually, who am I kidding, I'll be watching it too. The episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where they did the entire show as a musical is actually one of the coolest things Joss Whendon has ever done, in my opinion. (The other one that I can remember is when the entire episode was done without any of the characters speaking...and I promise, I didn't watch the show that often.) I like when a TV show breaks from the normal sitcom mold and is brave enough just to try something new.

As I was thinking through the idea of an introvert blogging, one of the items that struck me as both interesting and productive is the exploration of what I think are misconceptions that other people have about me. I came up with a long list of those misconceptions while cutting the grass the other day, but now I can't remember any of them. Obviously they were important.

However, I can start out with this one - People that I know believe that I hate Apple computers.

In reality, I'm fine with the actual computers. Many times I think they are neat, have good innovations, nice gadgets and creative implementation of what Macs "do". I can work perfectly fine with one, I can eventually find settings I need and files that I have stored. I still believe that Microsoft is better geared toward the work force / corporation environment as a whole, and the only way that deploying a Mac environment in those situations for a reasonable cost is if Mac sponsors it.

When it comes down to it, I have very little brand loyalty - I just want a product that does what I want it to do when I want it to do it! And as much as Mac and Linux fan-boys will turn up their noses at this, so far that solution has been Windows.

Here is what I actually hate - I hate the mentality behind the advertisement of the Apple brand. I hate it for the same reason that I hate political mud-slinging. The new Mac Guy/ Microsoft Guy commercials are just the tip of the iceberg...the "getting ahead by making the other guy look bad" concept has been going on for a long time, and I don't like it. (I REALLY hate the commercial that suggests Mac computers are more "fun" somehow than Windows - exactly when did playing commercial games become feasible for Macs? Maybe 2006? I've been using my Windows computer for that since about 1992.)

I think it plays on some of the worst flaws in Mankind's personality to engage in that type of warfare, to try to beat out your competition by simply saying, "Look, they have too much of the market share! That's not fair! Tear them down so that we can compete on equal footing!" It's like playing Monopoly when you're the current winning player - the other three gang up on you just because you're winning. (Think about that next time you're playing ANY board game...someone will always try to play the "underdog" card...I've never really understood the psychological reason for people to want to bring down the person who reaches the winning position first when they are going to lose anyway. Why do you care if the person in second wins over the person in first?)

Here's an idea - try actually competing for the marketshare. Try making a product that people can actually use in their day to day business. I think Mac has finally reached that place, but are too busy being snide to really advertise it well.

Take the Iphone for example...that's competing. No one else has a product that holds a candle to it. And Apple is perfectly happy with that, I'm sure. They don't stop and say, "well, hang on, this isn't really fair." Quite the opposite. They say, "Hey, only one phone company gets this. Oh, and you can't insure it except through us. Did we mention that you have to use iTunes to manage it? Oh, and before we forget, iTunes means selling your soul."

Here's what I really hate about Apple. They have complained for YEARS about monopoly practices that Microsoft has, one practice being when Microsoft tied Internet Explorer in so tightly into their product and actually had the never to not deliever Windows with other internet browsers from competing companies installed. (To be clear, Apple was not involved in that particular lawsuit, it is just an example.) Man, you would have thought Satan burned his mark into Windows 98! (I tend to think Satan actually came into the picture for Windows ME.) But when Apple, the "underdog", controls their Operating system, hardware, software and accessories with an iron fist...no problem. No one says a word. Oh, and what browser comes installed on Macs?

I despise, that as a computer technician, I cannot buy parts for a Mac at fair market prices. For example, last year one of the fans in a co-worker's Mac died, so the Mac began overheating, running sluggishly, and crashing. Normally, ordering this part for a PC is about $5. $7 with shipping. When I finally figured out how to order it from Apple? $80. Seriously.

And don't give me the party line of "supierior craftsmanship". I can show you the part, you wouldn't pay $80 for it either.

I'll finish with this - although I can feel an icy hand gripping my heart when one of the Macs in our office crashes, because I know that a) it will not be easy to fix, and b) it will not be cheap to fix, it also makes me smile a little inside. Because I also really hate false advertising. The idea that Macs don't "crash" makes me chuckle every time. "Crash" is too light of a word for what happens when an Apple computer has issues.

So there is the misconception - I don't hate Mac computers, or Mac users. I just like products that can sell themselves without stooping to slander.

Just a quick note about a great tool - YouVersion.com.
Designed by the people at LifeChurch.tv, it's an Online Bible with study tools, along with social and collaborative aspects. I'm getting into using it (switching from BibleGateway.com, another good resource) due to the attractiveness of using YouVersion to study Scripture with other people, online. Cool idea, imo.

If you get on, look for me by searching for kennycsnow @ gmail.com

I'm still working out the format for how I want the blog to go, so I'm having trouble formulating how I want to explain my thoughts. I guess that's not really the point of the blog, now that I think about it. So let's jump right in.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the difference between Spiritual leadership and Natural leadership. To be honest, this subject comes to mind quite a bit, so I guess that it's only fair that it is the first thing I really write down here.

I see a vital importance to Christianity and the Church body (and when I reference that body, I'm not talking about my church specifically, but THE body) in finding spiritual leaders rather than natural leaders. When I was a teenager, one of the people I respect most in the world (Butch Entrekin) took our youth group on a retreat to Tocca Wilderness Camp. That weekend I learned about spiritual leadership, and it had more of an impact on me than any other camp or retreat I ever went to. I'm going to have to split what I learned over a couple of posts, but I'm going to try to introduce the concept here.

Basically, it is our natural tendancy to follow natural leaders (makes sense, right?). Natural leaders are charasmatic, entertaining or passionate, usually have forceful, inspiring personalities, and generally can convince people to do or believe something just by saying it.

I've always been jealous of those leaders. That seems SO much easier than what God has called me to - leading with an introvertistic personality, struggling with inspiring people because "excitement" is difficult for me to display, and always being so annoyingly self concious! That is the person that God created in me, and I have always been a little annoyed that He then expects me to lead people.

That weekend is literally what keeps me going. If for nothing else, I hope God recognizes Butch and the people leading the camp for the impact it had.

You see, they taught me that while natural leadership is an amazing gift, and something to aspire to, it also has a huge failing. Natural leadership, by default, outside of God's grace, points toward one person - the leader.

I think you can see where this is going. Spiritual leadership, in its very heart, ALWAYS points toward God as its head, its leader, its guidance. It doesn't point toward self, it doesn't depend on a charasmatic personality, and it many times will go against everything that natural leadership is about (try telling a natural leader that the first will be last sometime!).

In other words, it is difficult, frustrating and impossible outside of the grace of God.

The GOOD news is, it doesn't depend on me. I can be a spiritual leader, and in fact I know that it comes easier to me than trying to be a natural leader.

More to come!

I've been meaning to start a blog for a long time now, and haven't actually done so by convincing myself that a) I have nothing interesting to say, and b) no one would read it anyway. However, the more research I do on social media/communications, the more I realize that this is an environment where I can achieve one of my primary goals - I can get to know people better.

You see, I really struggle with getting to know people because I am such an introvert at heart. That's a big problem when I know that God calls us to work with people. I really care about people, I want them to find their passion, I want them to find God's love...but I'm really horrible in social situations.

So here is what I want to do. I want to begin posting my thoughts, that I normally keep inside my head, so that people can get to know me better, and maybe through that I can find some way to know them better. In some ways I am looking forward to the process, but I know the challenge will hit me right away, as I'm normally a very task oriented person and "writing my thoughts for other people to read" doesn't make it very high on the list. We'll see how I do I guess. I'm not claiming all the posts will be earth shattering or anything, but I'll try to keep them interesting.