i put out the trash and recycling a bit early today, and saw something different.
i mean, it's very normal for us to see people going through the recycle can, especially around dusk when a lot of the streets have their cans out. i've never seen someone pull up in their car and load most of my can into their trunk. crazy.
honestly, i wouldn't have noticed if their radio wasn't so damn loud. it was louder than my tv.
i've enjoyed the whole sweding deal, and especially love that fresno is actually on the cutting edge with our swede fest. today, i saw that michel gondry had done a swede of the movie taxi driver.
love that it's in french
love the use of color
love the cheese factor. i especially like this because some criticize swedes for this. but that's the beauty, they are supposed to be low budget, quirky films.
this is a documentary, done by msnbc, about teen mania ministry. now, i don't have any experience with teen mania and their honor camp, but when i was doing youth work i did help promote the local acquire the fire event rallys and attended at least one of their sales pitch event for pastors, to help sell them on the atf events. the doc is 44 minutes, so you may want to watch it in sections, or break off some time to check it out.
to be honest, as i watch this doc, it frightens me. it frightens me that i could have possibly sent a kid to this crap. thankfully, i didn't. this stuff that has nothing to do with Christianity, the love of Jesus, or living out the will of God. it also really pisses me off how easily people get hooked in. well intentioned, good Xian people being tricked into a dangerous situation.
now, i wouldn't necessarily say the atf events are a bad thing in themselves. i think you can experience God's presence at something like this. i also think they can be very manipulative. and the honor academy and their boot camp mentality seems very unbiblical to me. seriously, what is that, navy seal training? how does that help you grow closer to God?
"the honor academy is not for everyone." - ron luce. you know what, it's not for anyone. it is a cult situation masked in Christianity. luce's defense disgusts me because it's not an answer. it's a spiritualized response that masks what is going on. it blames those being abused for not being spiritual enough, or as Christlike as they should be. the reality is that not everyone swallows the lie, and that sort of answer avoids what needs to be addressed.
today is december 4th. i have officially gone thirty days without meat (i have had eggs & cheese). and you know what, it was surprisingly easy. i didn't have any withdrawl symptoms or strong cravings or any other imagined things.
what did i learn during these thirty days?
well, there are meatless options at most places. some of them are damn good, too.
fast food sucks. okay, i'm sure most of us already know that, but it really does. not eating meat helped me avoid fast food for a month. yes, it's convenient, but it generally is low quality crap that i don't need in my belly.
fresh & easy has an amazing vegetarian chili. this stuff is seriously good, and i think i like it more than any other canned chili.
apparently, there is meat in a lot of stuff. it's cold, so we've been having more soup lately. when you start looking at labels, you find that a lot of stuff will have bacon thrown in.
i want to find a local farm that is doing quality, free range cattle. if i'm going to eat meat, beef specifically, i'd like to know that it's fed right (grain fed) and not raised in horrible conditions. this may take some time, and cost more, but i think it's worth it. (a friend gave me a link to page river bottom farm - a sanger farm doing just this)
it would be good to get veggies from a csa. just like the better raised beef, it would be good to support a local farmer, and buy seasonal vegetables. i hear good things about the farmer's daughter csa.
i've been thinking more about cooking, and want to experiment a bit more in the kitchen. i've found some interesting recipes, and want to get some more cookware and try out new foods. if i'm eating, it should be an enjoyable experience. sure, there will be quick, easy meals, but i'd rather they be the exception, rather than the rule.
