Category Archives: Reflection

How I Write

I tend to start writing using bullet points and phrases. Usually, there’s only one or two statements I really want to get across anytime I write a post or entry. That’s where I start. Where it comes into the page, that all depends on what it takes to develop to the point of writing.Sometimes I start by grabbing a Writeboard and scribbling notes into it in list format. Other times I grab a scrap piece of paper (always scrap, never waste whole papers) and put my idea down on paper. It’s interesting, actually, that sometimes it takes paper to turn on certain parts of my creativity that typing doesn’t seem to bring out. Anyone have some psychology on that one?

And, for the record, this is one of the first posts that I’ve written in some time that didn’t start with bullet points and a phrase. I just sort of wrote it. Maybe you can tell. Hopefully I’m not that bad.

Blog Changeup, New Digs

The official location of my personal blog has changed from http://blog.aspiringindie.com to a new and (hopefully more) permanent location: ryanimel.com.

I’ve had issues with name-based personal domains in the past, but I figured I’d swallow it already and go with what seemed the easiest choice. And here we are. The old blog location will still be used, but as the official Aspiring Indie Company Blog. Exciting, right? Maybe just for me.

The Power of the Facebook Social Timeline

It really is pretty cool. I actually spent over an hour today going through my ~190 friends and setting our friend details. This involved, in some cases, listing multiple trips and work experiences together. The emphasis was put on when we met, and I tried not to delve too much into classes we shared together.

The result is the timeline below, and I have to say it was exciting to see. It’s nice for me, especially, since I don’t have a great memory with some of this stuff. Take a look. (Image has been resized to protect the names and information below ;))
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What are you giving up for Lent?

This was originally published in Issue 6 of The Huntingtonian on March 8, 2007.

It is that season again: the season where all good Christian girls and boys sit around the table and talk about who is doing what for Lent. Popular choices include things like ice cream, fatty foods, and television. Not surprisingly, many of the things we give up are good for us to rid ourselves of anyway – bad habits, unhealthy diets, etc. Kind of makes the “giving up” process a little easier, does it not?
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Christian Radio

 I was wondering earlier today whether or not Christian radio is a good or a bad thing.

Seems odd, right? I’ve never been the biggest fan of stations like Star 88.3 or WBCL, but I’ve never been hostile toward them either. There’s just a part of me that says worship music shouldn’t be lowered to the level of music we listen to on a regular basis.

Here’s the quandry. It seems that there is something spiritual which is inherent to all music. Think about it. Where did music come from? Who invented it? The answer is it wasn’t invented. It was discovered. There is something natural and phenomenal and powerful about music, no matter the kind. Then again I would be eager to say there is a difference between the music we listen to on a regular basis and the music we use specifically to worship God.

But what if there isn’t a difference between the two kinds of music? What if there is no separation between the music we listen to everyday and the music we worship to? Is this a good or a bad thing?

Case in point: Granger Community Church. They regularly open their worship services with music from bands such as Green Day and the All American Rejects. Maybe I’m more conservative than I think (which could be very true) but there seems to be something wrong with that.

At the Tomlin/Redman Concert  Tonight I enjoyed a Chris Tomlin / Matt Redman concert at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne. It was an excellent performance. It wasn’t until a few minutes into the concert that I remembered some of what I had been thinking throughout the day. So then I thought: What do I think of this? Do I like this?

Clearly there is something foundationally wrong with asking those questions during a worship experience. But in relation to my earlier thoughts I think they have some relevance now. It appears to me that the very fact that people know Redman’s and Tomlin’s music is due to their being played on the radio regularly. If it wasn’t for worship music being a regular occasion a gathering like this would be near impossible – or at least more difficult. So the concert itself – which I was a part of, mind you – seems to support the the worship-radio world that I’m questioning.

But there’s still a part of me that says worship music should be reverent. It should be holy. I think of the treatment of worship in the Old Testament – was it treated with more reverence, more holiness? Was David treated the way Tomlin is treated now? Did the Hebrew people walk around humming Psalms all day?

Once again, I don’t have an answer, only thoughts.