I have written in the past about the need to materially prepare for hardship. I also state in My 25 Theses that material preparation should be a part of every Christian's anticipation of events which will likely precede the return of Jesus Christ. Though 'end times' prophecy and doomsday prepping are a laughable stereotype among right-wing nutjob evangelicals, I don't think it's an entirely unwise practice, considering how unpredictable life can be in general.

Matthew 25 follows immediately on the heels of Jesus telling his disciples what the signs of the end times would look like. The parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins gives as an important admonition to keep our lamps trimmed and burning, meaning in my opinion that material preparations leave us more well-situated to await the return of the Groom with joy.

Some advice I once received from a very skilled counselor about my continual desire to do what's best for others:

"When you're traveling on an airplane, what do they tell you during the safety brief?"
"I dunno." I replied.
"They tell you to fix your own oxygen mask before helping others."
"Mind. blown."

We live at a level of privilege and comfort that most of the world can only dream of. In times of crisis, those of us who are still able to sit comfortably shouldn't marvel in superiority at the misery of others. Rather, we should leverage our material blessings (as with the parable of the bags of gold) in order to gain friends for yourselves that will last forever. The parable of the wise virgins, however, does illustrate that there should also be a limit to your generosity.

This post is my best attempt to persuade you all to stock up. Many economic experts agree that we haven't fully comprehended the extent of the damage yet, and the DOW Jones is in no way reflective of the actual health of the economy anymore. Billionaires will profit regardless of economic conditions, sometimes they even leverage a crisis to make money. If you're not looking after your own survival interests, you may be sorely disappointed when the supply chain woes ruin your trip to the grocery store.

As I wish to convey by the title, this is not a message of doom and gloom.

Isaiah 35 is a chapter filled with hope and promise, amid an entire book that prophesies death and destruction for the nation of Israel. Even though they were guilty of abandoning God, and would soon face invasion and exile by the Assyrians in the North and the Babylonians in the South, yet God took a moment amidst all the harsh words to remind them that his love was everlasting (Jer. 31:3).

If it feels strangely like you're being buried and drowned, maybe God is planting you like a seed for a period of later growth and flourishing.

Bloom where you're planted. Don't wait for a more optimal season; start planting seeds today for the life you hope to live in the future, and trust God to make your plans successful. You're blessed to be a blessing to others.

Today we're all a little Sheldon-y.

My roommate came home yesterday with a small cough, and I decided to skip work today out of an abundance of caution. Though this disease has serious ramifications for the elderly, I think it's important to remember to keep a light heart in spite of whatever life throws at us. I'm strangely at peace while the world seems to be going a little crazy.

This is due in no small part to the fact that I believe in Jesus Christ, and the Gospel tells us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). There are many passages of Scripture that speak of safety in the midst of madness, one of my favorites being Psalm 91. Isaiah 26:3 also says "You will keep [them] in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you."

I have once again been a loud critic of the ponderous and minimizing response of the Executive Branch to this crisis. Nevertheless, I am grateful that as of today, there does appear to be a response. My only hope as things likely get worse in the coming weeks is that the suffering and death will be minimal, and that this pandemic will lead to a change in people's attitudes.

What matters more than universal healthcare or a coordinated government response is the fact that Christ was a great advocate for healing. He didn't even judge people by their "worthiness" to receive care. It's time to acknowledge, as I've said many times before, that the Bible is not a manifesto for ruthless capitalism.

It's time to revitalize the lost art of compassion. Though I am often guilty of painting with broad brushstrokes and categorically condemning supporters of Trump, I have to acknowledge that many of the people I love and respect are still in support of his agenda. I wish and pray every day that their eyes will be opened to the apolitical and transcendent nature of the Gospel, which espouses both Democratic and Republican ideals at various points. He's a God who cares for the orphan, the foreigner, and the widow.

If we as a nation can afford $1.5 Trillion in stimulus benefits for Wall Street, it's no stretch at all to say that we can afford universal healthcare and free testing for the Coronavirus. Taxes and government subsidies are a fact of modern life, and for those who call Jesus their Lord and Savior, it shouldn't strike them as controversial that the people of our nation need care in times of crisis. One thing that was always true, but now is readily apparent, is that the health of our poorest neighbor has always been our concern.

I don't want to sound like an evangelist for liberal ideals. What I really am is a proponent of intellectual honesty. If you truly read the Book with a mind not polluted by party rhetoric, you will see that compassion is the supreme law.

I don't have a concise point here, other than the fact that we're all in this together. One principle that I'm very grateful for in my years of military experience is that we succeed or fail as a team. Individual accomplishments are meant to be lauded, but leaving your weakest teammates behind will always be met with scorn and harsh discipline in a military training environment.

I've spent the last three or so years on this blog trying to convince everyone who will listen that Donald Trump is a scumbag, and not someone who Bible-believing Christians should be defending, let alone cheering for. Whereas most of my arguments are Biblical in nature, and based largely on judgments of his actions and character, I now also appeal to law and linguistics.

The following is a quote from my textbook used in the Forensic Linguistics class I took last semester (Solan, L. M. & Tiersma, P. M. (2005). Speaking of Crime: the Language of Criminal Justice. Chicago University Press, p.181.):

Trump is unequivocally guilty of a crime.

Whereas his likely tax fraud and his near-certain collusion with Russia remain hidden due to his relentless obstruction of justice (a prosecutable offense in itself), his crime of solicitation is now a matter of public record (WSJ, BBC, Fox News). Using one's office to launch a very dubious investigation into one's political opponent in an upcoming election is downright corruption, not to mention a huge conflict of interest.

His continued bullying of witnesses on Capitol Hill is also a matter of public record (BBC, Reuters), as well as his ambiguous allusion to "handling spies" such as the whistleblower. This is almost certainly witness tampering. I now present another quote from Solan & Tiersma (p. 204):

The text goes on to prove at length that a speech act "counts" as a threat if it was intended to intimidate the victim, and that victim's perceptions are relevant. To quote the above article from Reuters: "Representative Adam Schiff, who is chairing the hearing in the House Intelligence Committee, asked Yovanovitch for her reaction to the tweet. She said it was 'very intimidating.' ”

Regardless of your politics, the highest office in the land is, and rightfully ought to be, accountable to the law. Whether the Senate Republicans abide by their constitutional oath or not remains to be seen, but even if they don't, the man is absolutely guilty.

There is no rational defense.  

A reader of this blog recently prodded me to write something again, which was a good reminder to me that I occasionally should do something that isn't work. I'm putting in 40-50 hours plus taking two real classes (and a fake one that's one unit) at Georgetown, so my life these days has precious little down time. I'm taking Language Testing, a fascinating class on the theory and practice that underlies assessing people's language capabilities. It has more or less led me to the conclusion that the DLPT is an awful test. According to good testing practice, a multiple choice question should have exactly one correct answer, not "choose the most correct" with three semi-right ones and a flagrant distractor. At any rate, maybe in 30 or so years I'll set out to change everything the DoD is doing as far as language assessment, for now I largely find myself in survival mode.

Being busy is a wonderful change of pace from where I was during the first half of the year. When I was told by my current employer that the contract would almost definitely be finalized in January, I naturally assumed I shouldn't take a full course load. When contract issues arose between the government and my employer, I was left hanging for six. full. months. without gainful employment or a significant amount of schoolwork. One would think I could have written a great deal during that time, but I was trying my best to study Python for an upcoming class and for possible work applications. Mostly though, I spent time at the gym and sitting around at home.

Boredom is extremely unhealthy. Though I think I did a decent job of filling my time productively, in retrospect I'm amazed at myself for how little I truly accomplished. Now that virtually all of my minutes from sunup to midnight are accounted for, I wish I had the kind of time to do random projects like I could earlier in the year. I guess the moral there is to appreciate what you have, even if it doesn't seem like much.

On that note, I recently made a Facebook post proclaiming myself to be thoroughly content with my life. While I do feel like I'm constantly running around, at least there is a profound sense of satisfaction in reminding myself that I'm simultaneously getting paid and working towards a valuable education. I may not see my friends as much as I like these days, but hopefully they'll understand.

Life tends to move in cycles. One season you're essentially stuck in a waiting room, staring at bland walls and outdated magazines. The next season, you suddenly find yourself running a rat race as fast as you possibly can, with no time for second thoughts about life, the universe, and the deeper meaning of it all. The transition period can often be jarring.

I'm also occasionally finding time to be a dad. Seeing Margaret last month was by far the biggest highlight of my Fall. Though the time with her is always painfully short, and the goodbyes are emotionally exhausting for me, nevertheless I'm extremely grateful for every moment I get to see her adorable smile and hear her cute babble. Someday I sincerely hope I'll get the chance to be the dad she deserves. Until then, the grind continues...

I've incorporated lengthy references to Dietrich Bonhoeffer into my blog posts before, this time I've tried to keep it brief. This man's work has always spoken to me very deeply, precisely because he refused to stop talking about Jesus, no matter how seemingly hopeless the situation in Germany got.

Bonhoeffer fought for human decency at a time when the world around him was descending into vicious partisanship and xenophobia. When the anti-Jewish rhetoric in Germany reached a fever pitch, he undertook efforts to smuggle Jews out of the country. Since his brother-in-law was Jewish, the issue was very personal to him.

What you do when the world around you goes crazy says a lot about your character, not to mention your situational awareness. Personally, I constantly ask myself how I would respond if I were in a country like 1930s Germany, where you felt palpably that something awful was brewing in the air. Would I flee? Would I do something local? Something national?

The passage in Matthew cited by Bonhoeffer in the quote above contains two parables about how "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit" (Matt. 21:43). I believe that a time is fast approaching, if it hasn't already whooshed past, when God may take his favor away from us as a nation for failing to produce fruit.

I took a class this past weekend put on by a non-partisan group called Veterans Campaign, designed to prepare veterans for a "second service" to their country as public servants. We were taught from the very beginning that your goal is NOT to become a politician, nor to get famous. Your goal is to represent the people as a humble public servant. This was quite an adjustment for me, since I have previously stated that politics will not save our country. Nevertheless, as I see things worsening by the day in this country, with partisan and foolhardy rhetoric proliferating on both sides of the aisle, I feel I have a moral obligation to do something.

Bonhoeffer talks about the Gospel revealing itself to "the few remaining just, truthful, and humane people." I believe the just people are the ones currently fighting to have children reunited with their parents at the border, and to stop children from dying in US custody. I believe the last remaining truthful thing to do is admit that Donald Trump is a liar and a self-aggrandizing maniac. I believe the last remaining humane thing to do is reinstate healthcare coverage for the millions who were recently kicked off.

In short, I hope in the future to announce my candidacy as a Democrat for a public office. I don't yet know where or when. All I know is that the polices of the current administration have strayed so far beyond the pale of compassion and human decency that they must be fought by all legal means.

I'm currently involved in a Linguistics research project analyzing manifestos written by recent mass-killers. My Forensic Linguistics classmates and I have identified three manifestos written by racist scumbags (I have no more polite way to describe them, and may less-polite ways) which we will be studying for linguistic clues about imminent violence, in the hope of finding commonalities which might be useful in analyzing future examples of hate speech to separate the idle racists from the true lone wolves. It's a difficult task, made more difficult by the fact that it requires close analysis of the addled writings of some deeply hateful people.

Since I've spent the last few days analyzing hate, I thought it would be important to get on here and talk about the importance of true fasting again, but in a slightly different sense from before.

You see, as I've become more acquainted with hateful rhetoric, and even bothered to learn how to recognize covert symbols of hate, I've realized that we as followers of Christ are probably not doing enough in our everyday lives to live up to the command of "hate what is evil." It should never be said that the Bible commands us to hate other people, however in this one case it is very clear: we must take an unequivocal stand against evil. We see in this passage a dual responsibility, both to embrace good AND to resist evil. It is not enough for a gardener to love flowers; they must also hate weeds.

After what just happened in New Zealand, we need to make a bolder proclamation than ever that we as Christ followers are against violence towards outsiders. This shouldn't be a controversial statement, but for some reason the American church has been deafeningly silent on the issue of the human dignity of non-Americans. I blame Trump for this. While conservative America has always had some sort of excuse for why foreigners aren't "real" people, I don't think it's any stretch to say that a self-avowed nationalist who has consistently denigrated Muslims is responsible for the recent increase in xenophobia within this country.

The above passage of scripture calls us to love and be kind to others. You do not get to choose whom you will or will not include in that mandate, with the exception of "as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." I would never have joined the military if I were a true pacifist, since some people will always have a mind bent on evil. In my opinion, we have a moral obligation to meet such people head on.

For those who abjure violence, I would remind you in the words of George Orwell that, "those who abjure violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf." Rather than outsource your violence to police officers, military personnel, or others who could potentially abuse you as easily as the could protect you, why not take it upon yourself, as a person of strong moral conviction, to prepare yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually for the possibility that you may be called upon to resist evil in a morally responsible manner?

I have no desire whatsoever to write this post. It repulses me to think that this country might be circling back to the position it was in back in the 1850s, when half of the country was so virulently opposed to the political and philosophical convictions of the other half that they ultimately decided violence was the only solution. I recently re-watched Ken Burns' Documentary on the Civil War. Since I've written in the past about my years as a Civil War Reenactor, it should come as no surprise that I see parallels everywhere between that tumultuous time and this one.

There is a gaping chasm of division in this country over the future of its political ideology. Whether the issue is gun control, abortion, gay marriage, or even the legality of building a wall, there is virtually no issue on which the U.S. public (and its lawmakers) are not diametrically opposed. In the 1850s, the hot-button issue of the day was "States' Rights" (the obvious elephant in the room being slavery), and then as now there was a division among the church about how to handle the issue. Some men, such as the would-be insurgent John Brown, believed that violence was the only solution. Others, such as the noble Fredrick Douglass and the radically-progressive William Lloyd Garrison (who was among the first public advocates of both abolition and women's suffrage), decided that political agitation and public discourse were more morally praiseworthy...until the war came.

When the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, everything changed. Americans North and South were faced with the inescapable choice of supporting or opposing secession, which carried within the folds of its garments many untold evils. Jefferson Davis would later write in 1864 as the Confederacy was uttering its death rattle, "If the Confederacy falls, there should be written on its tombstone: Died of a theory." Since their constitution was founded on the supreme law of States' Rights, his government was never able to unify the Southern economy or war effort to a truly effective degree.

Conversely, Lincoln's newfound dictatorial power (suspending the writ of Habeas Corpus, arbitrarily using the military to arrest any suspected Southern supporter, putting down riots with gunfire) allowed him to unify and mobilize the North to such a degree that their superior manpower and manufacturing capability virtually guaranteed eventual success (mitigated by the failures of their incompetent generals). Though the superior tactical prowess of the Southern commanders bought time, the war's result was largely a forgone conclusion. Without international recognition (which wouldn't come once the issue of slavery was raised by the Emancipation Proclamation), the "second revolution" was doomed.

Once again, we as a country find ourselves appealing to both State and Federal authority to solve difficult and controversial social issues. Since a representative government has been shown by history to be the least evil of government styles (though obviously  not without its share of problems), it is only logical that elected officials would speak as polemically and virulently as the constituents by whom they are elected.

Unlike a hundred and sixty years ago, there is no true geographical boundary between "North" and "South" today. Arguably, the modern line of demarcation is now between urban and rural value systems, and even that is an imperfect division. I was born and raised in one of the most liberal states in the country, and nevertheless I still proudly espouse God and guns as two things which made this country great. That being said, you all know exactly where I stand when it comes to MAGA types.

I would love nothing more than to be wrong in this case; however my conviction grows with each passing  month that, as Lincoln famously said (quoting Matthew 12:25), "a house divided against itself cannot stand." I foresee no lasting conclusion to this division that does not involve conflict, in part because those like myself who have tried to approach the political center have been savagely criticized and silenced by the hardline wings.

If it ever came to open conflict (and I regularly pray that it doesn't), I still haven't decided which side I would choose. The pragmatist in me says that picking the largely-unarmed side (liberals) would be foolish. Nevertheless, I could also never live with myself if I even once found myself shoulder to shoulder with "white nationalists" fighting to roll the clocks back to a time when racism and curable diseases were the norm. I believe that abortion is the willful and wrong termination of a human life, and I also believe that God does not distinguish between people of various nationalities. For this, I am likely to be banished from both political parties.

If you believe that the Bible is true, you should find yourself at odds with the world. That means that you do not compromise your interpretation of scripture to conform exclusively to one political platform. I will continue to repeat, The Gospel is not a Political Manifesto.

Let us please, for the love of God and our fellow human, stop fighting one another. If we cannot, we may doom ourselves to repeat a bloody chapter of American history.

When the likes of Franklin Graham and many other formerly-decent men are now acting as apologists for Trump instead of Jesus Christ, I get upset. I have made no reservations about my disdain for Trump as both a person and public official, because frankly I can't even comprehend how one could defend him. Nevertheless, day after day as I troll through Facebook, people try. I have repeatedly made the case that this is both illogical and unbiblical, nevertheless a vast majority of people who I respect are still dogged in their assertion that to love Jesus is to be for Trump, and to oppose him or support a "liberal agenda" is to oppose God himself.

This is in no way biblical.

While there are a few planks in the Democratic platform which are unequivocally evil, such as late-term abortion, there is really no room for argument that Republicans are always right. This is particularly true when they're defending the death of children in U.S. custody as vehemently as any ultra-liberal, pro-choice activist.

Politics cannot save our society. The Gospel, responsibly preached and correctly applied, can. To argue that there is a biblical justification for the oppression of orphans, widows, and sojourners is to self-hypnotically recite talking points from our modern propaganda outlets like Breitbart and Fox news. I'm not sure how many times I can say this:

I pinned my 25 Theses to the top of this website because I'm tired of repeating myself in personal conversation. Number Five on that list is designed to illustrate that the Gospel is supposed to transcend the temporary, transient nature of our political order. Of course it should inform our actions, to include how we vote, but the minute you slap a Republican sticker on your Bible cover (or endorse a candidate from the pulpit) as far as I'm concerned, you are officially a heretic.

I was raised in a Wesleyan church. To spare you a boring history lecture, the Wesleyan movement was born out of the Methodist church when a group of ministers disagreed with the Methodist church's decision to bar its preachers from speaking out against slavery in the 1850s. These men of conviction decided that, if the Gospel be true, they had a moral obligation to fight verbally (and even physically as the country descended into civil war) against the evils of human oppression and exploitation.

I believe there is absolutely a place for politically active faith. It just sickens me to see that many who share my belief in the Gospel have lost sight of the precepts it espouses, which are NEVER in favor of bigotry, racism, or the denigration and disregard for the downtrodden.

I  haven't written anything since the start of the Fall semester, and now seems like an appropriate time to reflect on things. As another year passes into the history books, I'm very thankful for the personal milestones I've experienced, most notably the birth of my daughter. 2018 will be a year for which I am eternally grateful, because it marked the first time I heard my daughter's cry. By comparison, everything else was pretty mundane. Although I knocked out two more semesters at Georgetown this year, and as of a  few hours ago applied to the Master's program, those accomplishments are largely history for most of the people who are likely to be reading this. I'm also excited about a new job which, Lord willing, I will be starting within the coming weeks.

New Year's Eves are a time of special excitement. Not only do we muse about the past, but also look expectantly forward towards the coming year. Many will make resolutions...some will be broken. Rather than bore you with my personal to-do list (although respect to those who are seeking public accountability as they embark on ambitious new projects), I'd simply like to take a moment and remind everyone to be thankful for what you have, most importantly life itself.

I dedicated a podcast to the idea of "memento mori," the Latin phrase for "remember death." Although death is a rather morbid thing to ponder on a regular basis, it nevertheless is an unavoidable part of human existence. I'm reminded of those who lost someone this year, and those who passed on years ago whose memory we still cherish. I was very fortunate when I was home in San Diego recently to visit the grave of a friend (an acquaintance, really; he and my brother were much closer) whom several of us from high school knew. I felt honored to be allowed to join in with his regular friend group on their annual ritual of visiting the grave site when they come to town.

Life itself is a beautiful gift.

Regardless of how your last year went, or how you hope the coming one will turn out, please always remember that you are still breathing. That by itself is a miracle which shouldn't be taken for granted.

If all your hopes and dreams are tied to this life, your hope is very limited indeed. Those of us (like Josiah) who know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior have confidence that, whatever number of days are allotted to us on this Earth, they are not the end. If that sounds childish to you, I urge you to consider with childlike faith the possibility that the Bible might actually be true, and that Jesus Christ might actually want you to spend eternity with him in Heaven. If you're willing to follow him, then there will be no end to our days together.

Until next year,
John

In case you missed it, Tump has come out strongly in favor of warming relations with Russia. This is problematic for many reasons (I liken it to throwing open the gates of Rome to welcome the Barbarians), but most obviously it overlooks the unequivocal and indisputable fact that Russia interfered in our 2016 election in order to help him get elected. Conservatives everywhere have been systematically lying to themselves and to the wider public, if indeed they truly believe that Russia had no involvement and nothing to gain by seeing Donald Trump elected. Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, one a campaign manager and the other a close associate of the Trump campaign, have both been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on charges of failing to disclose their foreign income.

While I was home in San Diego recently, I was sharply reminded that my brother and I are the only two people in our extended family who don't support him, and the defense of him was always the same: "What were we supposed to do, vote for Hillary??" Sometimes in life, when you're presented with awful choices, the best response is to simply reject the question. While many decry third party voting as a "wasted vote," it's important to remember that Abraham Lincoln was the first Third Party candidate in history to become President of the United States, and in doing so he transformed the Republican party from a bunch of unknown losers into a major political force.

Also while I was home recently, I had the opportunity to revisit my home church which I was raised in. While it is always a pleasure to see many familiar and beloved faces, it's also mildly discouraging to me to see that absolutely nothing has changed. I've been very blessed and fortunate for the last four years to be part of a church which is deadly serious about making sure their theology is Biblically sound, and that their parishioners are all well-versed in it. Going back to a place where the Gospel is merely a hood ornament on a neo-conservative, pro-Israel agenda reminds me why I stopped going to contemporary (as opposed to Reformed) churches altogether.