Lost in a Moment

By: Joshuah Ellis

Have you ever noticed that we, as a society, are a bit obsessed with the here and now? If you really think about it, I think you will be able to see that we get a great deal of satisfaction from "moments." Many of us who are music lovers will reach for the volume control when our favorite part of the song is coming up so that we can turn it up. Maybe we try and silence a room full of conversation when a favorite line in a movie is approaching. Consider even the enjoyment we get from seeing an unsuspecting friend walk into his surprise birthday party. I do not think this is anything to be critical of. It is simply an observation that we like our moments.

Even in our relationships, the here and now seems to monopolize a great deal of our attention and focus. Consider the phone conversation with your close friend. Typically people ask, "How are you doing?" If it is a student, we are interested in how school is going. We also usually ask about a person's health, particularly if it has not been good in the recent past. In addition, the family is always a big topic of interest. Again, this is not a criticism, but we do have to realize that we are very concerned with what is going on right now. In fact, that is one of the most commonly used phrases at the beginning of a phone call or letter. "What are you doing?" While I can understand the desire to know more about the people we care about and take an interest in their lives, I have to ask, "Do we care too much about what is going on right here and now and not enough about the things that are more long term?"

Consider with me the longevity of a day. When you are in school and have just finished lunch, it seems as if it will never end. However, when you think about a single day that passed a year ago, it is nearly impossible to remember from beginning to end. Why then, do we tend to be more interested in these things which are so fleeting? James, in talking about a man's entire lifetime, compared in to a vapor that appears for a time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). I certainly do not think we are wrong by concerning ourselves with things of a temporary nature, but we shouldn't care more about them than we do the things of an eternal nature.

Paul said, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2). Does that mean that we never think about anything temporal? I don't believe so. It does tell us, however, what we should care about most and that is certainly not the fleeting moments of this life. Even the Hebrew writer told his audience to be "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) as we run the race of faith. Again, there is a certain necessity to keep an eye on the things of an earthly nature, but we should not be bound mentally to this earth which will also pass away (Mark 13:31; 2 Peter 3:10).

What reason do we have to let these fleeting moments and earthly cares take priority over the things of a spiritual and eternal nature? There isn't one! Therefore, while you are inquiring about the lives of the people you care for; ask them also about their faith. Ask them if they are discouraged or if they have a healthy prayer life. It has happened more than once in my limited experience that a brother comes forward in need of prayers and encouragement and many did not even know he was struggling. Though they may not admit it if they are having a hard time, make it your priority to ask your brethren how they are spiritually. After all, there is more to bearing one another's burdens than responding to a request for help (Galatians 6:2).

For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse

I should warn you. This post is not suitable for children as their are some graphic topics discussed. To those of you reading PCPulpit, how do you feel about this? [jle]
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By: Martine Powers

Art major Aliza Shvarts ’08 wants to make a statement.

Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.

The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts’ project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock — saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.

But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for “shock value.”

“I hope it inspires some sort of discourse,” Shvarts said. “Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it’s not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone.”

The “fabricators,” or donors, of the sperm were not paid for their services, but Shvarts required them to periodically take tests for sexually transmitted diseases. She said she was not concerned about any medical effects the forced miscarriages may have had on her body. The abortifacient drugs she took were legal and herbal, she said, and she did not feel the need to consult a doctor about her repeated miscarriages.

Shvarts declined to specify the number of sperm donors she used, as well as the number of times she inseminated herself.

Art major Juan Castillo ’08 said that although he was intrigued by the creativity and beauty of her senior project, not everyone was as thrilled as he was by the concept and the means by which she attained the result.

“I really loved the idea of this project, but a lot other people didn’t,” Castillo said. “I think that most people were very resistant to thinking about what the project was really about. [The senior-art-project forum] stopped being a conversation on the work itself.”

Although Shvarts said she does not remember the class being quite as hostile as Castillo described, she said she believes it is the nature of her piece to “provoke inquiry.”

“I believe strongly that art should be a medium for politics and ideologies, not just a commodity,” Shvarts said. “I think that I’m creating a project that lives up to the standard of what art is supposed to be.”

The display of Schvarts’ project will feature a large cube suspended from the ceiling of a room in the gallery of Green Hall. Schvarts will wrap hundreds of feet of plastic sheeting around this cube; lined between layers of the sheeting will be the blood from Schvarts’ self-induced miscarriages mixed with Vaseline in order to prevent the blood from drying and to extend the blood throughout the plastic sheeting.

Schvarts will then project recorded videos onto the four sides of the cube. These videos, captured on a VHS camcorder, will show her experiencing miscarriages in her bathrooom tub, she said. Similar videos will be projected onto the walls of the room.

School of Art lecturer Pia Lindman, Schvarts’ senior-project advisor, could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

Few people outside of Yale’s undergraduate art department have heard about Shvarts’ exhibition. Members of two campus abortion-activist groups — Choose Life at Yale, a pro-life group, and the Reproductive Rights Action League of Yale, a pro-choice group ­— said they were not previously aware of Schvarts’ project.

Alice Buttrick ’10, an officer of RALY, said the group was in no way involved with the art exhibition and had no official opinion on the matter.

Sara Rahman ’09 said, in her opinion, Shvarts is abusing her constitutional right to do what she chooses with her body.

“[Shvarts’ exhibit] turns what is a serious decision for women into an absurdism,” Rahman said. “It discounts the gravity of the situation that is abortion.”

CLAY member Jonathan Serrato ’09 said he does not think CLAY has an official response to Schvarts’ exhibition. But personally, Serrato said he found the concept of the senior art project “surprising” and unethical.

“I feel that she’s manipulating life for the benefit of her art, and I definitely don’t support it,” Serrato said. “I think it’s morally wrong.”

Shvarts emphasized that she is not ashamed of her exhibition, and she has become increasingly comfortable discussing her miscarriage experiences with her peers.

“It was a private and personal endeavor, but also a transparent one for the most part,” Shvarts said. “This isn’t something I’ve been hiding.”

The official reception for the Undergraduate Senior Art Show will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 25. The exhibition will be on public display from April 22 to May 1. The art exhibition is set to premiere alongside the projects of other art seniors this Tuesday, April 22 at the gallery of Holcombe T. Green Jr. Hall on Chapel Street.

If you would like to see the original, check it out at the Yale Daily News' Website. I think you will be surprised by the comments in response to this "project."

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

I have been looking forward to this! You?

Jeremiah Wright--Hate Speech?

Jeremiah Wright, as many of you already know, was the evangelist at the Trinity United Church of Christ until his retirement last month. You probably also know that he has been linked with Barack Obama. Some call Wright Obama's mentor even.

I came across this video today and it really made me cringe. I am not posting this because this man is linked with Obama, nor do I feel that this should destroy Obama's credibility (he does a good job of that himself). However as a Christian and a preacher I have a hard time with a message like this coming from the pulpit of a man who claims to stay "in Bible country."

Take a look and leave me a comment to let me know what you think. I should warn you. There is some offensive language in the video.

Archaeologist Tired Of Unearthing Unspeakable Ancient Evils

Most of the articles I post or write on here deal with topics I believe to be very serious and deserve to be considered. Not that I am downplaying those topics, but I suppose there isn't anything wrong with shaking things up a bit. This article is from a Chicago publication called The Onion and it made me laugh till I cried. I hope you like it as well. (jle)

HASAKE, SYRIA—When archaeologist Edward Whitson joined a Penn State University dig in Hasake last year, he did so to participate in the excavation of a Late Bronze Age settlement rich in pottery shards and clay figurines. Whitson had hoped to determine whether the items contained within the site were primarily Persian or Assyrian in origin.

Instead, he found himself fleeing giant flying demon-cats as he ran through the temple's cavernous halls, jumping from ledge to ledge while locked in a desperate struggle for his life and soul for what seemed like the thousandth time in his 27-year career.

"All I wanted to do was study the settlement's remarkably well-preserved kiln," said the 58-year-old Whitson, carefully recoiling the rope he had just used to clamber out of a pit filled with giant rats. "I didn't want to be chased by yet another accursed manifestation of an ancient god-king's wrath."

Over the course of his career, Whitson has been frequently lauded by colleagues for his thorough, methodical examinations of ancient peoples. He has also been chased by the snake-bodied ophidian women of Al'lat in Israel, hunted down by Mayan coyote specters manifested out of lost time and shadow in the Yucatan, and hounded by the Arctic-sky-filling Walrus Bone Woman of the early Inuits.

"It's true, I've got to stop reading the inscriptions on ancient door seals out loud," Whitson said. "I also need to quit dusting off medallions set into strange sarcophagi, allowing the light to hit them for the first time in centuries. And replacing the jewels that have fallen from the foreheads of ancient frog-deity statues—that's just bad archaeological practice."

Whitson added that he hopes one day to excavate an ancient Egyptian monastery or marketplace without hearing the ear-splitting shrieks of the undead while being swarmed by green-glowing carnivorous stink beetles.

"I realize I'm entering grounds that are considered sacred to these people," Whitson said. "But that doesn't mean I deserve to be pelted with poison-tipped darts shot from cavern walls. A simple 'Do Not Enter' sign in hieroglyphics would suffice."

Turning to the subject of his latest incident at a dig site in Peru, Whitson maintains he was not at fault for summoning the forces of evil.

"I was just idly rearranging flint sickle blades that had already been catalogued. Apparently, I spelled out the true name of a long-dead god-priest," Whitson said. "Can't a man even clean up his work area without inadvertently conjuring up a pack of lightning-breathing ocelots?"

Making matters worse, such encounters have had little to no scientific value.

"It's always, 'I will drink your soul' or 'I will chew the flesh from your bones' with these hellish apparitions," Whitson said. "When I ask them if that means the ancient Etruscans did, in fact, add copper to their mixing clay to make their urns more sturdy, they don't even seem to hear me."

Worn down by nearly three decades of peril, Whitson said he plans to move off the front lines to become a museum curator or in-office researcher.

"It's unfortunate," Whitson said. "Nothing quite compares to being out in the field on an actual dig. But the reality is, I'm really starting to hate almost getting killed all the time."

The Significance of the Lord’s Day

By: Mike Wilson

On this Lord’s Day we assemble,
‘Round the table of the Lord;
Happy hearts are made to tremble,
When we hear His blessed word.
Thanks to God for such a Savior,
Now enthroned in heaven above;
Thanks for this exalted favor,
Blest memorial of His love.

Why do we gather together around the Lord’s table on the Lord’s day to partake of the Lord’s Supper with the Lord’s people? The answer is simple: out of reverence for the Lord in keeping with the Lord’s Book.

Jesus arose from the dead "on the first day of the week" (Luke 24:1,13,21,46). It was exactly forty-nine days later, on a Sunday, that Peter and the other apostles preached the gospel of a crucified Lord who had risen from the dead and was now crowned as the Savior "for you and your children, and for all who are afar off" (Acts 2:39). On this day the church began. One may argue that all of this was happenstance, but the timing of the Lord is more exact than the time clocks of man. In fact, the Lord’s calendar is loaded with much more significance.

A pattern begins to emerge in the pages of the New Testament. From Acts 20:7, we learn that Paul and his company assembled with the church at Troas "on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread" (Acts 20;7). Paul stayed an entire week beforehand in order to be able to meet with the church (20:6), which is all the more surprising since Passover had already passed and he would have to hurry to get to Jerusalem before Pentecost (20:16). Obviously, there was great significance to "the first day of the week" as the day the church assembled.

The church at Corinth "came together... to eat the Lord’s Supper," though there were abuses (I Cor. 11:20 and context). When did they meet? The First Epistle to the Corinthians was written before the events of Acts 20:7. Even still, the apostle Paul writes, "On the first day of every week (kata mian sabbatou), each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income… so that when I come no collections will have to be made" (I Cor. 16:2, NIV). Once again, the "first day of every week" carried special meaning.

In Revelation 1:10, John says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day (te kuriake hemera). Bauer’s lexicon defines the relevant term, "the Lord’s day... i.e. certainly Sunday (so in modern Greek)" (p. 458). This conclusion is verified in early church history. The Didache instructs, "And on the Lord’s own day (kata kuriaken de kuriou) gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks... (14:1). In the early second century, Ignatius writes, "If therefore those who lived according to the old practices came to the new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath but living according to the Lord’s day, in which also our life arose through him and his death..." (Magnesians 9). Justin Martyr added, "We all make our assembly in common on the day of the Sun, since it is the first day, on which God changed the darkness and matter and made the world, and Jesus Christ our Savior arose from the dead on the same day. For they crucified him on the day before Saturn’s day, and on the day after (which is the day of the Sun) he appeared to his apostles and taught his disciples these things" (Apology I, 67:7).

Do you honor the first day of the week as the "Lord’s Day"? Can you say the same thing if recreational interests take precedence over the Lord’s Supper?

Teen Sex Advice Podcast Gains Popularity

Not really freaked about the garbage that is floating around on the airwaves? Take a look at this nut-job. It is appalling when people in a position of influence are so irresponsible and destructive when it comes to the minds of young people. I only pray that she see the truth before it is too late and that the kids who watch her show have enough sense to disregard this woman's absolutely ridiculous opinions. (jle)

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By: EMILY FREDRIX, Associated Press Writer Wed Jan 23, 3:00 AM ET

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Nikol Hasler doesn't recommend the "pull and pray" method of birth control. She says you should not have sex on nature trails because of bugs and Sasquatch. And if you hate your body as a teen, just wait.

The 28-year-old mother of three speaks from experience, and her video podcast, the Midwest

Teen Sex Show, is attracting thousands of viewers.

The product of a teen pregnancy, Hasler spent years in foster care and went to five high schools before graduating. She got pregnant just before her freshman year in college and dropped out after one semester. She was living in a homeless shelter when she gave birth to her first child.

That was nine years ago. Now Hasler uses her experiences to talk to teens about such topics as "The First Time," "The Older Boyfriend" and "Female Masturbation" on the online video series that started this summer.

"It's cathartic for me. It's a way for me to finally turn what was once something very negative about my life into something very positive," she said.

With co-creator and director Guy Clark, Hasler and actress Britney Barber use humorous skits (such as teens applying for a fornication license) to get their message across. Much of the advice comes from the no-nonsense Hasler talking directly to the camera.

There have been a dozen episodes so far, each about three to five minutes long. The topics vary.

On the first time: "Don't expect too much the first time. That's what the second time is for. Practice makes perfect and you're going to need a lot of practice."

On birth control: "Personally, I think any girl over the age of 8 should be on the pill. If you're old enough to bleed, you're old enough to be a statistic. It may have side-effects but so does pregnancy."

Hasler said she exaggerates about 95 percent of the time. (For the record, if she had an 8-year-old daughter, she would not place her on birth control.) She wants to make people think.

"When hearing a joke that makes you squirm... that causes you to examine that part of the joke in yourself and brings it forward and makes you think about it even more," she said.

The show's target audience — teens, young adults and their parents — is responding. The show has 65,000 subscribers through iTunes and other podcast subscription services, Clark said. It's regularly ranked in iTunes' top 10 health podcasts, and its Web site averages about 4,000 unique hits a day.

Hasler doesn't mention much about her past on the show, though her biography on its Web site labels her a "former expert practitioner of teen promiscuity." She does reveal in an episode about birth control that two of her three children weren't planned. She has three boys, ages 9, 7 and 1 1/2.

The show's Web site stresses that "all advice given is simply opinion and should not be taken as fact." The intent is to provide a forum for the discussion of teen sexuality, its creators say.

"Part of what's translated into this show is my own desire to kind of shake kids and say, 'If somebody had come around and said, 'Come on, these ideas are completely wrong,' then I would have been listening more," she said.

Understanding the Importance of Voting

This article is to remind Americans of the importance of their voting.

Written by Maureen Leidy - © 2002 Pagewise

With the presidential election upon us, it is more important than ever to get out and vote. Many people think that their vote does not matter. Imagine if everyone felt that way – we would never elect a president! There have been many, many elections – not just on a local level – that have been decided by less than 100 votes. So thinking that your vote does not count could not be farther from the truth.

Maybe you feel that when it comes down to it, all the candidates are the same, so why bother voting. Even if this is how you truly feel, remember that the winning president-elect may have an enormous impact on our children's future, not just for four years but for 40 years. How? Because with each new president that is elected, there is a chance that a United States Supreme Court Justice will retire. The president alone has the power to nominate a new Justice, and Supreme Court Justices hold office for life. While Congress and the President may pass laws and veto bills, ultimately it is the Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution and consequently determines how each American will live his or her life.

If you are still not convinced of the impact the Supreme Court has had on this country and the differences in the various presidential appointments to the Court, compare the Supreme Court decisions of the late 60's and early 70's – Miranda v. State of Arizona, Roe v. Wade with the Court's decisions of the 80's that have gradually whittled away at the decisions of a more liberal Supreme Court. Chances are the next president will nominate at least two Justices to the Supreme Court. This will affect not only your life but that of your children and grandchildren. So the question then comes down to which candidate would you prefer to choose the most influential position in this country, that of a United States Supreme Court Justice.

Without minimizing the importance of the presidential election, it is also important to vote in your state and local elections as well. Do you complain about the policies of your children's school? If so, ask yourself, "Did I vote for the members of our school board? Do I even know the members of the school board?" Change starts at a grass roots level whether you live on a farm or in the inner city, and all change starts by electing people to implement change, whether it is a mayor or a president.

Remember, too, when you are unhappy with the condition of your town's roads or your state's tax rate, being involved, voting for and knowing your elected officials will enable you to voice your complaints to the appropriate representatives. You voted for them and they work for you.

Some other useless reasons for not voting are that the polls are too crowded, or you cannot get there on time, or you do not have transportation. There are many organizations that volunteer their time to ensure everyone's right to vote. If you need a ride, call the League of Women Voters; if you know you cannot get to the polls on time, request an absentee ballot. What could be easier than voting by mail?

Whether the excuse is apathy or laziness, voting has become a privilege that far many too Americans take for granted. The next time you neglect to vote, ask yourself how you would feel if you didn't have a choice – to elect a president, or choose a job, or decide how many children to have. There are many countries where a person does not have a choice, and I'm sure they would gladly change places with you for the fundamental privilege of voting!