Where is my life going?

So I know that I haven't posted in a while but I'm back and ready to write. A lot of change as gone on in my life since my last post, some good and some not so much. After months of laborious time spent at the the busiest coffee shop in four states, (that is 92nd street & Shea Starbucks for those that aren't up to date), I have reached the place I thought I wanted. I was sure that I wanted to be promoted and was sure my store would prosper, but things changed. My management team has changed once again and even as I type this is about to change again and I'm getting tired. It's hard to be at a store getting paid the same as others that work half as much as I do daily but are on the same level as I. It's certainly become a source of humility for my life and has taught me much patience which I guess I shouldn't complain about but it's just getting tiring.

I have also gotten sick 4 times since I got back from the D.R. and it's probably because of my overly packed schedule. I have been working forty hours or more weekly and have been taking advantage of the little breaks I have between that and school. I just sometimes wish I was on vacation, FOR FREAKIN EVER!

Oh well on a more positive note I have started a new year at church with a new group of guys and I am loving it. The guys that I have actually come and listen to me and then talk about what we taked about next week, it's great! I just want to say that I love having freshman guys no matter how immature they are because think about it you were immature once too so give em' a break.

I have officially realized that I don't really know exactly how my next year is going to go because I'm not really sure what I want to be doing. It might just be a lot of work and less school packed onto that but I'm not sure. Well hopefully I'll be back here typing regularly again and keep asking questions like how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? Oh and where is my life going?

Queen Bee, Baked Ziti

So I know that I haven't posted since school got out but don't worry I'm still around and still willing to share all the things going on "en mi vida."

So for those of you who aren't familiar with who Queen Bee is, that,would be my wonderful mother and to stop any other confusion she is making a baked ziti. Now that's out of the way let's begin.

So summer began and I was not looking forward to doing much of anything but I did it anyways. I worked everyday except for Sundays and have done nothing else but sleep and eat. I do admit I have had some good times spending my late nights/early mornings @ Denny's with my co-workers and have gotten into a strange sleep schedule. I usually turn in around 3-4 A.M. and wake up around 10 O'clock, yeah I know random.

Other things that have gone on are I am getting promoted to shift supervisor at my place if business which is the world famous Starbucks. I am excited but am still hesitant because I'm not really sure what to expect.

Finally I'm leaving for the Dominican Republic on Thursday and it is becoming more and more exciting as the day draws nearer. Please just have the team and I in your prayers for our safe travel and that the trip would be glorifying to the Lord.

Well thanks for listening and I'll be sure to post when I get back. And don't forget, Queen Bee and Baked Ziti.

Argumentative Essay & Works Cited

Michael Bymoen
Mike Will 11:30-12:20
Argumentative Essay

Is Rock What God Wants?

Christian music today is seen as the bible thumping, gospel preaching, Jesus praising music that anybody that’s not Christian wants to stay far away from. Joel Thorpe from Christian group Alethian says, “…From a faith aspect, I think that Christians should be making incredible music…” ("Why should the Devil have all the good music?") This is what many believe but it doesn’t always happen and here’s where the negative attitude on the quality of Christian music comes in. But being one of those believers it is these others opinions on whether Christian music is quality or not. People’s preferences cannot be judged to quickly but it can be said that not all Christian music is what society believes it to be. Growing up in a home that has always played “positive and encouraging” music is what some might see as a set back in mainstream music today but others beg to differ and show that Christians can rock. This is what should be the real basis of what Christian music is, an evangelical tool. There are groups today that play for this specific reason, they are the ones that go to bars, venues, and places nobody would expect to find a Christian artist. And although there are some artists that mean to be evangelical there are others that never really mean to be an encouragement to the secular world. In 2003 in Dallas, Texas a woman called a secular radio station to hear a blatantly Christian song “I Can Only Imagine” from the two Non-Christian hosts, Big Gay Steven and Fitz. After they played that song their station was flooded with calls and they played it the next morning with the same response. It soon became the number one requested song in the state, and after other secular stations followed it was on the top 20 for secular adult contemporary in the United States. MercyMe, the group who sings this song, had no intention of going mainstream, and still doesn’t, but see their song as a modern day miracle. After this happened many people sent letters to the group telling them how their song made them feel encouraged. This example and many others like it show how music has a way to reach people that no other thing can and can even bring people to faith. (Issac)

An evangelical tool is defined as some form of enticement that brings outsiders to the evangelist’s beliefs. ("Evangelist," 1) It is the act of making someone feel welcome and like they belong there and make them ask for more. But there aren’t many people, especially today, that will simply walk into an unknown situation and not question what’s being taught, and that’s healthy. An effective evangelical tool should be able to give them enough information to be drawn in but still have room to be questioned. (Watkins) Questioning something isn’t a bad thing in any sense, in fact it is a way to interpret something and give them more freedom in how they believe while still having the same beliefs as the person next to them. And there is always going to be non-negotiable things but they can still ask why and get an answer. Finally an effective evangelical tool can close the deal, because to simply entice is not enough it must also get a commitment from it to be considered effective. The person exploring this new faith needs to have a feeling that what they are following is correct and will only improve their lives as they move on. It needs to be a commitment that is seen and is upheld day in and day out as they learn and grow in their new found beliefs.

Christian rock not only fits this definition it exemplifies it in many senses of an effective evangelical tool. Christian rock music has the ability to be, and in some cases already is, a great transition into Christianity. Music is something that is enjoyed by millions daily and there is a genre of music out there for everybody whether that is rap, bluegrass, or Japanese folk music. Christian music has spanned over more genres than any other type of music and because of that should be able to reach more than any other. Today many Christian artists will not play in churches or label themselves a “Christian” group simply so they can reach out to unbelievers and this is what evangelism should look like. Mark Nicks from the group Cool Hand Luke says, “Because we don’t sound like Michael W. Smith I think parents or older people don’t think that’s acceptable, but we can reach kids that will never go to a contemporary Christian show.” ("Why should the Devil have all the good music?”) And because they aren’t labeling themselves they can give the message in a way that is not threatening and not “In your Face!” This is also backed up with a sound like any secular artists today and that is what seems to be wanted by the general public. Christian rock has been given a bad name because so many artists try to sound good and put the message into it and it ends up mediocre. Today artists are simply trying to sound good and share the message later. Well known ska group Five Iron Frenzy says, “Although we’re playing for God we also play for the love of the music.” ("Why should the Devil have all the good music?”) Many are still going to be against “Christian” artists all together but Christian music has come much farther as a tool of encouragement and sound.

Continuing on the point of why so many are against Christian music as a whole is not so uncommon considering all the opposing views on the topic. Christian rock in many cases has been bashed by many including Christians and other supporters of Christianity. They feel that this music is simply of the devil because of its loud sound and jungle beats. (Howard) The argument held to this view is if Christians believe that everything comes from God, including talent, then how could this music be of the devil? It cannot, God has given these artists a talent that is unique and has and will praise God whether it’s loud or not. Another point is the fact that there is a minimal amount of statistics that back up the effectiveness of Christian rock as an evangelical tool. (Bachiocchi) Of course there are no secure statistics of its effectiveness because if it were a great tool everybody would be using it and as most know that has not happened yet. Christian rock may not have percentiles or graphs to back up whether it works or not but it should not anyway. When someone comes to faith that is between them and God, it isn’t something that someone is going to write about or take a survey about it is personal to them and only them. But the case that shown true without any statistics is that once Jesus is mentioned it seems the music loses its purpose. People that are not Christian seem to flee from anything having to do with Jesus and this seems to be the case everywhere. (Green) This is why there are so many more artists that simply play because they love it. That is how it should be, it should be the artists glorifying God and letting the God speak through them in their music not them forcing it on anybody and at the same time being able to sound like anyone else. Scott Arrieta of the group Limberloss says, “When I join a new group I make my intentions clear of what I want, I want heart and if we have heart talent will follow.” (Arrieta) This can be seen as a prime example of what many of these artists are doing today, praising God with good music. But what if music is not really what you’re into? This is something that pretty much answers itself, if you don’t like music then using music as an effective evangelical tool does not apply, so don’t use it. In any form of evangelism there are always going to be people that want to see it fail but if it is effective it won’t. (Master 1-5)

So what makes Christian rock an effective evangelical tool? There are many ingredients that need to be visible and balanced to make it effective, and although nobody has perfected it yet they are doing better. In the mid eighties to early nineties when hair bands were all the rage there was a group called Stryper. Stryper, although they sounded like any other group was led by a biblical verse which says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement that brought us peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5) Although this group was openly Christian they could rock as well as the others. People simply didn’t like them for the reason that they were so blatant to the point they threw bibles into the crowd at their concerts. But why is Christian music a better option compared to any other secular artists out there today? The answer is the message, in many songs sung by Christian rock artists Jesus is never mentioned but the lyrics are encouraging. Sometimes people need to have the same feel of any secular artist without the negative aspects of that music and this is where they come in. Because they have so many genres of music they can have they same encouragement across the board with different sounds and with many similar artists. Famous punk rock group MxPx says, “What we realize is that the line between Christian and secular music is a lot more blurry….” ("Why should the Devil have all the good music?”) This only shows that many people that think Christian music is not quality may have been listening to it all along. There are many artists out in the mainstream today that are popular and Christian such as Switchfoot, MxPx, and Five Iron Frenzy. They may not always sound “Christian” but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t praising God and maybe even trying to reach out in their own way.

The purpose of this is not to prove others wrong because they have been listening to Christian based music all along it is to encourage. Through this encouragement it would be hoped that they might keep listening and one day understand what is really being sung about. Many artists in many groups play solely for themselves but when it comes to Christian artists they give all the glory to God. They get on stage to connect with the crowd, make their intentions clear, and play an awesome show and nothing else. Joel Thorpe says, “When we play we make sure to talk and show what we’re about and offer the chance for anyone to come and talk to us about what it is that we promote. Our biggest stance is hope among despair, because in the music scene there is a lot of darkness and hatred and we just want to show that there is hope and there is light and that light is Christ.” ("Why should the Devil have all the good music?”) Showing that Christian Rock is an effective evangelical tool cannot be documented in statistics or graphs because it is a personal issue between you and God. Christian artists are only finding new ways to help to reach out and show unbelievers what they already understand, the love of Christ.


Works Cited

Arrieta, Scott. Personal interview. 19 Apr. 2006.

Bachiocchi, Samuele. ""Christian Rock" Music in the SDA Church." Great Controversy. 23 Mar. 2000. 23 Feb. 2006 .

"Evangelist." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2006. Columbia UP. 11 Mar. 2006 .

Green, Chris. "Can God Use Rock Music?" Last Days Ministries. 2002. Last Days Ministries. 24 Feb. 2006 .

Howard, Jay, and John Streck. Apostles of Rock. Kentucky: The UP of Kentucky, 1999. 1-312.

Isa. 53:5. 12 Mar. 2006 .

Issac, Jenni. Christian Music Planet. 2002. 1 Apr. 2006 .

Master, Peter. Pop Idiom Music. Freedom Ministries, 2003. 27 Feb. 2006 .

Watkins, Terry. "Christian Rock: Blessing or Blasphemy." Bible Media (1995). 27 Feb. 2006 .

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? Dir. Vikki Hunter. Perf. Various Artists. DVD. Blank Stare, 2006.

Film Analysis

Michael Bymoen
MWF 11:30-12:20
Film Analysis
Is "Saved!" Saved
For this film analysis I chose the film "Saved!" in hope that I would be able to get a strong evangelical message from this satire. The film takes place in a Midwestern Baptist High School and focuses on Mary, a devout Christian who has Jesus at the center of her life. Mary’s boyfriend ends up being gay and she feels obligated to help him so she sleeps with him and ends up pregnant. This is where the movie gets into the satire of the Christian religion. Mary’s best friend, Hilary Faye the hypocritical believer, shows no mercy and pours judgement on Mary. Mary is then befriended by two non-believers and they show her that Jesus still loves her. Hilary repents of what she’s done and ends up helping Mary out realizing the hurt she brought upon her. This film really seems to bring out the worst in the Christian faith but there are a lot of messages that I found that are positive and show Christianity in a positive light.
"Saved!" isn’t what some people might believe as offensive but what I see is a real message. It really gets to show the journey of Christians trying to find out where they really stand in their faith. And while on this journey really being able to connect with Christ’s message and what it’s real meaning is. It also shows the real life way that some Christians can be hypocritical to people that show their sin blatantly, specifically homosexuality. It also shows how many Christians are sheltered and shelter themselves in a world that is surrounded by other Christians that pour judgment on those who aren’t in the "club." It conveys a real American reality through it’s satire, like having a pep rally for Jesus, anti Santa graffiti and the way that Hilary performs an exorcism on Mary because she is going astray. It shows how many unbelievers see Christians these days, as bible thumping, sin hating, judgment giving, Jesus loving, strong praying people who live in a world of their own. But I would have to argue with that and say that this movie although it shows all that it shows that not all Christians are like that.
"Saved!" instead of showing the villains as unbelievers it instead shows them as the Christians who cannot figure out the real message of Christ. It does this because the two that show Mary love and compassion aren’t Christians and the one who won’t help is the Christian sister. The film tries to convey a message that I feel fell short, that All evangelicals are like this. When Hilary throws her bible at Mary and yells, "I’m full of Christ’s love," they are trying to convey that she doesn’t understand instead it makes her look crazy. This movie is exactly what I need to help change the mind set of non-believers that may judge Christians to quickly because of what one Christian may have done to them. I feel that yes there are believers out there that don’t totally understand Christ’s message or take it way to seriously but that isn’t a stamp for every single Christian.
In the film there is a scene where the Christians are having church and worshiping in the most stereotypical way thought of. With their hands raised, knees bowed and tears flowing it conveys a message, once again, of what many unbelievers see Christians as. I feel that this is the real reason people judge Christian music so quickly, because it’s all the same. It’s because it’s never been given a chance and when it has been given a chance it has flourished. I understand that this movie uses the negative aspects of Christianity to convey it’s message in a positive light but I would have to day that it’s done more than just that, it’s also brought a film to the mainstream that teaches a moral with Christian principles. I hope that I will be able to use the analysis of this essay to help my argument for evangelism in Christian rock music and help convey a message more than mere Christian principles.

Snack Bar Politics

So it's that time of the year again, when spring has sprung and the little leagues begin to play baseball. Well on the note of those little leagues it's time for me to start running the snack bar again. Oh the wonderful world of the snack bar, where the nacho cheese flows like water and the children flock like the swallows of the capistrano. Yes this is what my life consits of for the next 3 1/2 months and I most certainly love it. I love talking to the parents, hanging out with the kids, thinking of new things to buy and sell, and of course the endless supply of junk food that I eat. I know it's an unhealthy diet but what else am I going to do, it's a freakin' snack bar for cryin' out loud. But yes I also have the honor of doing this task with to awesome dudes, my brother and my cousin. I guess that you could consider us the "Snack Bar Triumvirate" or "The Kings of Candy" whichever you desire. But the only problem with this team is our communication problem. See, our supervisor will tell one of us something assuming it will be told to all and usually that's the case but when it isn't it makes our job very interesting. Like for example Mike, our supervisor, told Brandon about picture day but Brandon failed to tell Randall and I so when we showed up on Sunday, our day off, at about 1 PM Mike asked, " What the hell are you guys doing, I am pissed off at you guys!" To which we replied, "Why, you never asked us to work on picture day." To which Brandon replied, "Oh yeah, he did." And that was about it because Brandon never told us we weren't at fault and we still worked 2 hours anyways. Man sometimes life at the snack bar is awesome and sometimes it is just plain stressful but no matter what I do it every year at the same time at the same place and I'll do it as long as I have the chance. Peace.

"Don't Get Lost In Heaven"

Got off the plane to the country sound, I drove to the mountain and a hole in the ground. There was crack on the corner and someone dead, and fire coming out of the monkey's head.


So I was listening to this song today and thought about it long and hard and asked myself, "Self, what could this mean?" Well I figured that it must be one of those metaphors that you really will never understand, and changed the song. Now I understand that this blog is the opitomy of floccinaucinihilipilification but you can deal with it. Yeah What!

Yeah umm............

so I most certainly woke up this morning. That's good enough for me.