I finished putting up all the old “Chronicles” (they hadn’t yet invented the word “blog” when I started writing them). They are all filed under the category “chronicles 3,” in the menu. As I read through them, I sometimes wondered about the doofus who wrote them. I feel I need to apologize if you find anything lame, offensive, or embarrassing, or hey, if anything makes you laugh so hard you pee your pants. So, I’m sorry. What can I say? I was in college.

It’s time for my blog to evolve a bit. Don’t worry, if you are a hard-core creationist – it’s micro-evolution, not macro-evolution. It will still be the same species, it is just regaining some of the traits it had earlier in its online life.

Looking around at some of the blogs out there, Sarah and I thought it’d be cool to have online journals that include major and minor things we’d like recorded and don’t mind being public. Blogs have the same benefit that normal little journals have – a way to look back and remember milestones and fun stuff. So this journal can reflect life, and not just “spirituality,” I’m not limiting it to only devotional entries. The new font for “Yumbrad” above reflects this paradigm shift. After a few market studies, I think it evokes a casual, fun feel, without being sloppy, immature, or necessarily precluding more serious entries. The font name is Mandingo, which reminds me of Mandrills and Dingos mixed:

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Which would be fun and a little crazy, but not as downright insane as, say, Rhinoceroses and Sloths mixed. That would be too much. So that’s the reasoning behind my font. I hope the images help convey my logical thought process.

And I’m gonna put up the funny entries I wrote long ago, under the moniker “Chronicles 3.” And maybe I’ll write a few new chronicles now and then

Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:5-10)

We see examples all around of both means of gaining life in this modern world. Whether it is attempting to stand tall upon the towering pillars of data we have accumulated, or profit richly by distributing computational power to ensure all the 1s and 0s are in their proper places. Convergence upon a goal using larger, higher-level, more powerful logical/functional blocks: ascend to heaven/bring Christ down. Distributed, p2p, grid, emergent intelligence: descend into the deep/bring Christ up from the dead. Putting God in a large or many small boxes, but contain Him nonetheless. Truly knowing Him requires us to release this control, nay, hope of control, for it is impossible to digitize infinity. Knowing Him, not in the factual sense, for that is oxymoronic, but in the relationship sense, is what we are called to, and what will satisfy us on an eternal scale. We have a choice: eat from the tree of knowledge and “master” the universe one predictable, discrete step at a time (until we die), or eat the bread of life, and be plunged into an unpredictable, continuous love story. He promises a happy ending, but we cannot RFID tag the actors and plug the variables into a massive grid computer to assure the outcome. We must trust Him, and doing so requires a dynamic, developing relationship. Crystallized stasis, finite understanding, and assurance of the physical universe are promised by the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Abundant life, living water and assurance of nothing but unbounded, eternal love from an infinite, unpredictable God are promised by Jesus. Rule of law, or freedom in Spirit – which will you choose?

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)