This is a peculiar summer. I am here in Rochester taking very few classes with much time to spend on whatever I please. It may be my last few months here, and I spend much time preparing for where I will be next. I am a planner, always prepared, and so when the future is not settled I have a strong tendency to focus my efforts on getting it cleared up.
Well it has come to my attention that it is currently the present, and not actually the future yet, and that the present is ever slipping away. I was reading 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5 about the second return of Jesus Christ, coming when least expected. I realized my way of approaching time assumes that I will have many year ahead of me. I pray about how God will use me in the future, and what I'm called to, and how I will change the world in my career, and in a new city and all these things, at the expense of making an impact today, here, now. Given the uncertainty of the future, I now believe it inappropriate to throw away the present for the sake of the future. While graduation is coming quickly, and there are some things I need to settle, I also need to answer some questions about the present, and they are more urgent (as they pertain to the present).
- What does God want to do through me in the lives of RIT students?
- What does God want to do through me at my church (Mosaic)?
He who is faithful in little, will also be faithful in much. I think the present is the little and the future is the much (as it has the potential to become).
Friday, June 7, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Theology of (my) Work
I heard a talk at Urbana called "Theology of Work" and it discussed God's plan for work and how we serve God in our work and how we can follow God just as radically as engineers as pastors. Good talk - except - when asked, the speaker concluded that there was no place in Christendom, or anyway for Christians to justify using their talents for fashion design or, specific to my question, for footwear development. He didn't realize it, because really it was a question he'd never thought about, but his whole talk previous to that had actually supported such work by Christians. I want to use this space below to explain how I my work as a footwear developer can be in God's perfect will for my life. I will talk very specific to my case, but many of the principles can be broadly applied.
THEOLOGY OF WORK:
- We were built to create value (this is what the speaker used to bash fashion - no value added)
- Work for the common good (this is where sustainability comes in)
- Work in community
- Relate to God through act of working
Those were the 4 main points from the talk and I didn't write verses for them because I didn't think it was that controversial at the time. After the fall, the first point was expanded from simply creating value, to also restoring and fixing the broken.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
When picking where I should work, there are 3 things to look at (which I had thought of months before on my own...):
- What does this world need to look more like heaven?
- What are my gifts and skills?
- What are my dreams and desires?
The common answer to those 3 questions is a good place for you to start looking, but definitely not the be all end all.
Now that we're through the background, here are my specific thoughts.
THEOLOGY OF FOOTWEAR DEVELOPMENT:
Working as a footwear developer definitely fits in with my skills and my passion. The harder questions are, "how does this help people?" and, "does it need to help people?" and, "does it create value?"
God created us. His creation was "good." His creation was beautiful. I won't go into this, but I think being beautiful is in and of itself already justification enough for something to exist and have value, even if that was all it was good for. Captivating by John and Stasi Eldrege discusses this in depth.
Another thing I'd like to point out is that proper Christianity is not dualistic. We sometimes operate under the assumption that the physical is bad and that the spiritual is good. Not true. God created a physical universe and it was good. Just because an item seems purely material with no intrinsic, spiritual benefits says nothing to how good or bad the item is.
When God created this beautiful creation, he made animals in all sort of bright colors to attract mates. For millennia, cultures around the world have recognized different visual cues or appearances as admirable. Many of the aspect of our appearance that we control are simply ways to express outwardly, different things about how we are inwardly. It is really amazing and cool that we are able to make these associations and effectively communicate simply with a new look. Modern shoes are an excellent way to express things about yourself. This is even easier now with brand image. I can express things about what lifestyle I value simply by wearing PUMA red racing shoes in contrast to the newest Nike Jordans. These things are all good. Yes, they can all be distorted, and used for evil. Just because something can be used for evil, does not make the thing bad. Let's follow up on that.
One of my biggest concerns with footwear is the obsession people make it. Materialism takes over us and we make idols from our footwear, especially expensive footwear. Take a look at this music video from Macklemore that covers this topic. Brilliantly done. This is seriously wrong. This world is a mess. Footwear companies rise and stand on the sinful obsessions of the consumers. This is an incomplete thought though. Your obsession may be sinful, but you can enjoy footwear without sinning. The company doesn't make that distinction though, that's up to you. Not only can you enjoy the product without sinning; many use the product and need the product, and don't even think about or care about the product. We all wear shoes. Moving past those people though, the real problem is when your obsessive desire pulls your finances, or your thoughts away from where God wants them to be. From my personal experience, there are times when God says, "Ryan, go ahead. That's a nice pair of shoes, and you'll appreciate them. I know your heart is in the right place. Go ahead and buy them." There are also a lot of times when I'd like to get a pair and God says, "no Ryan, I'd rather you didn't invest in those. I have other plans right now." Submitting our material possessions to God is a good litmus test of his importance in our lives. There have been times when I was ready to by an $80 pair of shoes and God stops me saying, "nope Ryan, not this time, but since you're so ready to part with that money, why don't you give it to support this missionary?" I've been able to pull back and do what God said. Every time this happens I know, that at least for that day, God has the number 1 place in my life. As long as God has the first place in my life, I can work with shoes. When those positions get reversed, I had best get as far away from shoes as possible.
SIDE NOTES:
- The footwear world is a small world that I can reach while many other Christians can't.
- Performance footwear helps people to stay active and take care of their bodies (which God values).
- Many footwear companies manufacture and sell their products globally, allowing me to make a global impact, hopefully for Christ.
- A "normal" job is an opportunity to make lots of money and give lots of money. There's a lot of needs and I want to help the church meet those needs. The question is: am I doing this job for God or for me? Answer that honestly.
CONCLUSION:
This was a little scattered - accurately reflecting what it looked like in my head before it spilled out. Working is good. Shoes are good. Beauty is good. Quality is good. Many of these things have been corrupted and make bad, but God can redeem all things. Christians in every sector can make this happen through trust and obedience to God. We simply cannot use a career as a copout to living a typical life. We are still called by God. Dependent on him. Live his will, and his life, not mine.
That's all.
THEOLOGY OF WORK:
- We were built to create value (this is what the speaker used to bash fashion - no value added)
- Work for the common good (this is where sustainability comes in)
- Work in community
- Relate to God through act of working
Those were the 4 main points from the talk and I didn't write verses for them because I didn't think it was that controversial at the time. After the fall, the first point was expanded from simply creating value, to also restoring and fixing the broken.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
When picking where I should work, there are 3 things to look at (which I had thought of months before on my own...):
- What does this world need to look more like heaven?
- What are my gifts and skills?
- What are my dreams and desires?
The common answer to those 3 questions is a good place for you to start looking, but definitely not the be all end all.
Now that we're through the background, here are my specific thoughts.
THEOLOGY OF FOOTWEAR DEVELOPMENT:
Working as a footwear developer definitely fits in with my skills and my passion. The harder questions are, "how does this help people?" and, "does it need to help people?" and, "does it create value?"
God created us. His creation was "good." His creation was beautiful. I won't go into this, but I think being beautiful is in and of itself already justification enough for something to exist and have value, even if that was all it was good for. Captivating by John and Stasi Eldrege discusses this in depth.
Another thing I'd like to point out is that proper Christianity is not dualistic. We sometimes operate under the assumption that the physical is bad and that the spiritual is good. Not true. God created a physical universe and it was good. Just because an item seems purely material with no intrinsic, spiritual benefits says nothing to how good or bad the item is.
When God created this beautiful creation, he made animals in all sort of bright colors to attract mates. For millennia, cultures around the world have recognized different visual cues or appearances as admirable. Many of the aspect of our appearance that we control are simply ways to express outwardly, different things about how we are inwardly. It is really amazing and cool that we are able to make these associations and effectively communicate simply with a new look. Modern shoes are an excellent way to express things about yourself. This is even easier now with brand image. I can express things about what lifestyle I value simply by wearing PUMA red racing shoes in contrast to the newest Nike Jordans. These things are all good. Yes, they can all be distorted, and used for evil. Just because something can be used for evil, does not make the thing bad. Let's follow up on that.
One of my biggest concerns with footwear is the obsession people make it. Materialism takes over us and we make idols from our footwear, especially expensive footwear. Take a look at this music video from Macklemore that covers this topic. Brilliantly done. This is seriously wrong. This world is a mess. Footwear companies rise and stand on the sinful obsessions of the consumers. This is an incomplete thought though. Your obsession may be sinful, but you can enjoy footwear without sinning. The company doesn't make that distinction though, that's up to you. Not only can you enjoy the product without sinning; many use the product and need the product, and don't even think about or care about the product. We all wear shoes. Moving past those people though, the real problem is when your obsessive desire pulls your finances, or your thoughts away from where God wants them to be. From my personal experience, there are times when God says, "Ryan, go ahead. That's a nice pair of shoes, and you'll appreciate them. I know your heart is in the right place. Go ahead and buy them." There are also a lot of times when I'd like to get a pair and God says, "no Ryan, I'd rather you didn't invest in those. I have other plans right now." Submitting our material possessions to God is a good litmus test of his importance in our lives. There have been times when I was ready to by an $80 pair of shoes and God stops me saying, "nope Ryan, not this time, but since you're so ready to part with that money, why don't you give it to support this missionary?" I've been able to pull back and do what God said. Every time this happens I know, that at least for that day, God has the number 1 place in my life. As long as God has the first place in my life, I can work with shoes. When those positions get reversed, I had best get as far away from shoes as possible.
SIDE NOTES:
- The footwear world is a small world that I can reach while many other Christians can't.
- Performance footwear helps people to stay active and take care of their bodies (which God values).
- Many footwear companies manufacture and sell their products globally, allowing me to make a global impact, hopefully for Christ.
- A "normal" job is an opportunity to make lots of money and give lots of money. There's a lot of needs and I want to help the church meet those needs. The question is: am I doing this job for God or for me? Answer that honestly.
CONCLUSION:
This was a little scattered - accurately reflecting what it looked like in my head before it spilled out. Working is good. Shoes are good. Beauty is good. Quality is good. Many of these things have been corrupted and make bad, but God can redeem all things. Christians in every sector can make this happen through trust and obedience to God. We simply cannot use a career as a copout to living a typical life. We are still called by God. Dependent on him. Live his will, and his life, not mine.
That's all.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Glory to God
Over a year ago I was climbing and I damaged my rotator cuff (shoulder). The pain wasn't too intense but it lingered and limited what I could do (climbing, swimming, volleyball, pulling shirts up over my head) for roughly 9 months before the problem slowly faded away. Shortly before Christmas I started feeling it again mildly. Over break, my brother convinced me to try bench pressing 200lb without a warmup, which is definitely above my max, and then we did these weird behind the head pull-ups Shoulder starts hurting a bit more. I still rock climb though the pain is mounting a little bit. On Friday, about two weeks after the lift, my shoulder began to hurt more and more over the course of the day. That afternoon I was struggling to pull my shoe laces tight. By that evening, I could barely ride a bike. By that night, I stopped using the shoulder muscle altogether. When I needed to use my right arm I had to reach across with my left hand, grab my right arm and move it manually. Saturday it felt no different.
Sunday was just as bad, I cringed when I put soap under my arm in the shower. I then had to use my left arm to lift my right arm over my head to wash it off. Even that passive movement made me wince. I struggled through eating my cereal left handed, then went out the door to church. I shifted into drive with my left hand (mind you this is an American, not a British car). I did manage to turn the key in the ignition right handed, but then I drove entirely left handed to church. Thank goodness it wasn't a manual! When I arrived I had to pull the key out of the ignition left handed.
I assumed at this point that I had a partial tear in my rotator cuff. If it were torn through then I don't believe I'd be able to move my arm at all. In my case I could move it, just under severe pain. If I tore through I'd have to get surgery requiring 3 to 4 weeks of complete immobilization of the joint, followed by another 6 months before being back close to normal. I did my best to keep my shoulder still so it could heal on its own, but even through 2 nights there seemed to be no progress. Back to our story.
I went and found a seat as the service began. That day at church, there were 3 in depth testimonies being shared. One gentleman shared a story of his life that I related to a lot. Larry was a physicist and quite clever. Belief was difficult for him because he was always trying to explain things away and came to doubt very often. Well in college he became a Christian through praying with a televangelist of all things (he has since moved beyond them, and to clarify, I didn't relate to this part of the story particularly). Now Larry had achilles tendonitis and it was slowly getting worse until he was at the point of hobbling around. I actually struggled with the same thing in Germany. It takes months to recover from. He had heard God could heal, but was hesitant to ask for it because God had more important things to do. Maybe after everyone had been healed of cancer he could ask. As he was watching his televangelist friend again he felt God speak to him saying in three "puffs" very clearly, "Nothing is to small for me," "I can heal your tendonitis," "Just have faith." Larry began to pray, and at that point the televangelist (as expected) called out that there was someone with a heel problem that needed to be healed (look, it's a pun). And God healed him right then and there. He still didn't understand why God would heal him in particular in that instance and asked God for years. 7 years later, God answered. God said that if he hadn't healed him then, then Larry would have never made it that far in his Christian walk. In those times of doubts, that healing was always an anchor for him that he could turn back to and know that God was real and loved him and healed him. As Larry shared, and I thought of myself, I thought, "God, how cool would it be if you did something similar in my life!" I felt God say, though not particularly clearly, "Go get prayer from the prayer team after the service."
Now atheists are quick to point out that anecdotal evidence for the existence of God (or anything else) is not valid as proof and they are correct. Our senses deceive us all the time. I'd heard lots of stories of healing, but they were all second hand accounts, and while I figured they were probably true, they left me wondering. A first hand experience with healing means so much more to me (though of course you as the reader only have a second hand account, sorry). I'd prayed for healings before with no success. I don't understand why God heals sometimes, and not at others. This is a particularly important time of my life though to have that anchor, so maybe that's reason for God to work this time.
I got up after the service and went for prayer with my arm still aching. Kim prayed for me for a few minutes, then stops and asks if it's better. I moved my shoulder all around and it suddenly didn't hurt anymore. I raised my arm over my head like I'd tried in the shower that morning and it didn't hurt at all. Upon further investigation I found that there were still some directions that invoked mild pain. It was like God rewound the shoulder back to it's status on Friday morning before it got serious. I don't really get that, but I can't complain. It was drastic enough and sudden enough of a change that I know it wasn't natural. I expected it to slowly fade of the course of the next week or 2. Maybe in some cases, pain goes away rather suddenly (and naturally), but that it would happen during the 3 minutes we prayed for it? Very suspicious.
I'm honestly not certain if this thought came from me or from God. Perhaps the lingering pain is a reminder to tell other people about it so the word gets out and this impacts other people too. Maybe after I've shared this where I needed to, the pain will leave entirely. Who knows? I don't claim to understand God entirely, nor healing. I would love to, but I don't.
I am so thankful to God this week. Place your trust in him. He is worth your everything.
Sunday was just as bad, I cringed when I put soap under my arm in the shower. I then had to use my left arm to lift my right arm over my head to wash it off. Even that passive movement made me wince. I struggled through eating my cereal left handed, then went out the door to church. I shifted into drive with my left hand (mind you this is an American, not a British car). I did manage to turn the key in the ignition right handed, but then I drove entirely left handed to church. Thank goodness it wasn't a manual! When I arrived I had to pull the key out of the ignition left handed.
I assumed at this point that I had a partial tear in my rotator cuff. If it were torn through then I don't believe I'd be able to move my arm at all. In my case I could move it, just under severe pain. If I tore through I'd have to get surgery requiring 3 to 4 weeks of complete immobilization of the joint, followed by another 6 months before being back close to normal. I did my best to keep my shoulder still so it could heal on its own, but even through 2 nights there seemed to be no progress. Back to our story.
I went and found a seat as the service began. That day at church, there were 3 in depth testimonies being shared. One gentleman shared a story of his life that I related to a lot. Larry was a physicist and quite clever. Belief was difficult for him because he was always trying to explain things away and came to doubt very often. Well in college he became a Christian through praying with a televangelist of all things (he has since moved beyond them, and to clarify, I didn't relate to this part of the story particularly). Now Larry had achilles tendonitis and it was slowly getting worse until he was at the point of hobbling around. I actually struggled with the same thing in Germany. It takes months to recover from. He had heard God could heal, but was hesitant to ask for it because God had more important things to do. Maybe after everyone had been healed of cancer he could ask. As he was watching his televangelist friend again he felt God speak to him saying in three "puffs" very clearly, "Nothing is to small for me," "I can heal your tendonitis," "Just have faith." Larry began to pray, and at that point the televangelist (as expected) called out that there was someone with a heel problem that needed to be healed (look, it's a pun). And God healed him right then and there. He still didn't understand why God would heal him in particular in that instance and asked God for years. 7 years later, God answered. God said that if he hadn't healed him then, then Larry would have never made it that far in his Christian walk. In those times of doubts, that healing was always an anchor for him that he could turn back to and know that God was real and loved him and healed him. As Larry shared, and I thought of myself, I thought, "God, how cool would it be if you did something similar in my life!" I felt God say, though not particularly clearly, "Go get prayer from the prayer team after the service."
Now atheists are quick to point out that anecdotal evidence for the existence of God (or anything else) is not valid as proof and they are correct. Our senses deceive us all the time. I'd heard lots of stories of healing, but they were all second hand accounts, and while I figured they were probably true, they left me wondering. A first hand experience with healing means so much more to me (though of course you as the reader only have a second hand account, sorry). I'd prayed for healings before with no success. I don't understand why God heals sometimes, and not at others. This is a particularly important time of my life though to have that anchor, so maybe that's reason for God to work this time.
I got up after the service and went for prayer with my arm still aching. Kim prayed for me for a few minutes, then stops and asks if it's better. I moved my shoulder all around and it suddenly didn't hurt anymore. I raised my arm over my head like I'd tried in the shower that morning and it didn't hurt at all. Upon further investigation I found that there were still some directions that invoked mild pain. It was like God rewound the shoulder back to it's status on Friday morning before it got serious. I don't really get that, but I can't complain. It was drastic enough and sudden enough of a change that I know it wasn't natural. I expected it to slowly fade of the course of the next week or 2. Maybe in some cases, pain goes away rather suddenly (and naturally), but that it would happen during the 3 minutes we prayed for it? Very suspicious.
I'm honestly not certain if this thought came from me or from God. Perhaps the lingering pain is a reminder to tell other people about it so the word gets out and this impacts other people too. Maybe after I've shared this where I needed to, the pain will leave entirely. Who knows? I don't claim to understand God entirely, nor healing. I would love to, but I don't.
I am so thankful to God this week. Place your trust in him. He is worth your everything.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Letchworth is Lovely
So there is this lovely Stat Park nearby called Letchworth. This is my 5th year as an RIT student and I've never been there. 2 friends and I decided to take the hour drive over and run through the gorgeous terrain. We did about 8 miles in a little over 1.5 hours because we kept having to stop for pictures. There are 3 sets of waterfalls along the way that were super cool and they are all set in a deep gorge. We decided to do the gorge trail (most of the photos) and then tacked on the Mary Jemison Trail (video 1). Love it! Sorry the videos are shaky! Enjoy.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Autumn's Glory
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Boston
So I realize I abandoned you back in May, but it's not entirely my fault. You see Germany doesn't really have summer, so I had to skip it ;) Well I suppose the bigger part of it was less and less access to internet and more and more to get done. It did enjoy those last months in Germany. When it came to a close I baked three cakes to split between 2 going away parties. One party in German, with friends from Erlangen, and 1 party in English with people from work. Soon enough I was home and my family was getting more hugs from me than they knew what to do with.
So during the year I was working on a running shoe related project. The running team is in Boston though, not Germany. I had met a few people from the team but not the majority, and few of them knew what I was up to. We arranged that after my internship finished up and I went home, that I could visit the Boston office for 2 days enjoy everything that goes with that. I had never been to Boston before but have been wanting to visit for some time. It's a beautiful place.
I landed Wednesday night and took the train into town and found my hotel, which was really a bed and breakfast called The College Club of Boston. Delightful. I believe is used to be a women's college.
So during the year I was working on a running shoe related project. The running team is in Boston though, not Germany. I had met a few people from the team but not the majority, and few of them knew what I was up to. We arranged that after my internship finished up and I went home, that I could visit the Boston office for 2 days enjoy everything that goes with that. I had never been to Boston before but have been wanting to visit for some time. It's a beautiful place.
I landed Wednesday night and took the train into town and found my hotel, which was really a bed and breakfast called The College Club of Boston. Delightful. I believe is used to be a women's college.
After a recommendation from the gentleman at the front desk I met with Andrea, who used to study with me, at the Parish Restaurant. I enjoyed a meal called Elephant Walking on Eggs "Sandwich from the Mountain". Then we met Adrian and he drove us the harbor to explore. He showed us this red line painted through the city called "the Freedom Trail" that leads you past many of the sights of Boston. Getting pretty late though so we all headed our separate ways. 1 perk of Boston, I already know lots of people who live there.
Thursday morning I rose and enjoyed a good breakfast with no deli meats (a German peculiarity). I then walked the 45 minutes through town to PUMA as an excuse to see more of Boston. I got to work at 9, found out I was presenting at 10, and promptly was toured through the office to meet a million people (or meet their desks for those who weren't there) in quick succession. The meeting started 15 minutes late because that is the PUMA way, and because designers were involved. In the end, the seats were filled, and hardly even standing room left. It was a great way to start off the day. I spent the next two days meeting people, and seeing how things work in the Boston office. I went for a run with two of the other developers at lunch just like in Germany. One of them used to log 100 miles a week in his prime.
To conclude the trip I got to go to the preliminary round of the Red Bull 2012 Cliff Diving World Series Boston. Pretty crazy stuff. The Olympic high dive is 10m. This was 27.
Then I flew home.
That's all.
oh and I got 2 new pairs of shoes in Boston ;)
Monday, May 28, 2012
Biking Far! (to Nürnberg)
So Nürnberg has always been just out of reach. It's a 30 minute commute by train, but it's about $10 for a round trip, so not something I want to do so often. It's about 14 miles away, and now that the weather is delightful, it is bikeable. I did it the past two weekends. This picture is from the first. It's nice being in Nürnberg with a bike because then you are not stuck in the city center, but instead can go out a little further and find nice places like this.
Saturday, I biked to "Summer in the City" to hang out with some friends at the artificial beach there. Quite pleasant.
Yesterday I just ran 14 miles. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll run to Nürnberg and back? We'll see. let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
(side note - I finally got 10,000 views to this blog =)
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