•July 16, 2008 •
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Earlier this year I attended a film titled A Purple State of Mind by two Davidson alumni whose lives intersected in college, diverged and then came together again at a class reunion. One became entered Christianity and the other left the faith. Reasons to Believe is authored by the gentleman that left Christianity.
Through this book he explores American Christianity by criss-crossing the nation and spending time in different Churches and visiting with various believers. In it he presents many reasons to believe in both Christianity and his own beliefs.
I always enjoy reading memoirs. Frederick Buechner’s memoirs were the first I enjoyed and are among the greatest books I have read. Because of that I continue to read them with the hope that I will be able to see myself in their story.
Some of the ways I see myself in Marks’ story are in the ways he encountered the faith during his research. The most meaningful ways I have experienced faith have come in unexpected ways. From a random friend unknowingly visiting me in the hospital to an unsolicited phone call these small things point me to a more thankful faith.
Marks’ think of these as either grace or coincidences. I think of them as grace.
Posted in book, christianity
•June 10, 2008 •
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Yesterday I tagged along with Julene, Porter, and Jenny as they were preparing for a hiking vacation for a little jaunt in South Mountains State Park. We left after Church Sunday morning and were soon walking along the Shinny Trail making our way to the waterfall.
This particular park may be one of my favorite state parks. Like all parks there is an attraction, a waterfall, and most people only go to it with its plethora of swimming holes. The six miles of walking before we reached the top of the falls surprisingly we saw no one. Once we reached the falls we met up with loads of people and found a nice pool to relax in for a spell.

Posted in community, outdoors
•June 4, 2008 •
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Tonight I finished up viewing The Century of Self at the NODA Film Festival. The NODA Film Festival is one of my favorite events in Charlotte. It comes around a few times each year with different themes featuring films from that particular genre. This time the format was different in that only one film, The Century of Self, was shown.
This particular documentary was in four parts that explored the development of the all encompasing self in the twentieth century through the application of Sigmund Freud’s theories about the nature of human desires in marketing and politics. As presented in the documentary Freud’s theories were applied after World War I to the general population, first in America but then broadly in many democratic nations, as a means to control people. Essentially creating people that found fulfillment within themselves apart from any sort of community.
I’ve long understood myself as one that has been and is presently completely influenced by the things that enter into my mind. Be it through television, movies, books, or relationships everything has created and continues to create me. If those in power have used psycho-analytic theories to influence humanity how can I be surprised?
All in all I enjoyed the documentary. The point of the film festival was to show the lack of community in present democratic societies and then present the festival goers with means to engage in the local Charlotte community.
Posted in community, movie