Category Archives: Christian Living

June 25, 2006

Service Service!

By omo

Mitsuishi Kotono Is The Best!

Community service is a part of a healthy person’s livelihood. It should be something he or she does on a regular basis. Ok, no, I’m not talking about public nudity.
The tricky part, however, is all in the motivation. Why should we service our community? There are probably a dozen or more ways to answer the question, from duty to passion to communism to some twisted self-fulfillment.

And in a way, it parallels public nudity. No sane, normal person would go out naked. If you examine the exceptions, there are really two types: mental instability, or because it is the norm. Exhibitionists? They’re crazy. Girls go wild on spring break, nudist beaches, nudist colonies and rural African tribes? That’s just how it works. I suppose the former is a fibby line, but the later is fairly obvious.

If you look around, there are plenty of charitable efforts by normal folks. There are multi-billion dollar charities. We must get something out of it. Perhaps it could be said that people who are compassionate towards the needy are crazy in how they give away what is rightfully theirs freely. It is like the exhibitionist in that regard.

But a community that serves itself publically through a good, healthy, community spirit of service–people who are willing to donate their time, effort, and money to greater causes and serve the needy–can also be a community thing. It makes sense that it is easier and more frequent for a group of people to spend a day build some houses, rather than a few, independent pioneers who tries to do the same. Perhaps amongst other crazy people, you don’t feel so odd thinking like a crazy person?

I wouldn’t know–I am crazy.

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June 14, 2006

Undineに大切なこと

By omo

Akari Says This Is Not JAL's Blog!

I think invariably those of us who spend a lot of time getting acquainted with popular culture get used to the lingo, the methods, and the mechanics of mass media. Words are cheap. Pictures may be worth thousands of words but what does it me to us? We look for something that makes us feel, that stirs our passion.

The same can be said of worship (to toss the Christian-ese in). Reading about KOTOKO’s show down at Texas made me wanted to be there pretty badly. Well, that’s half of the reasons why, but the nihilistic cowgirl (for that is her costume at the show, to match her Mountie gig in Toronto) can probably go a long way to justify for me to buy whatever merchandise that may come of her two North American stints this year. I say this because I am passionate about her as a fan. And very specifically, as a fan of her shows and her live personality. It brings me a big grin, makes me jump and wave until I am very sore, and put up with long lines riddled with irritating fanboys and fangirls.

It also doesn’t help that I’m somewhat of the schoolchild of Christian Hedonism. After growing up with it (spiritually) for so many years now I realized the only true hole its teaching misses out on–it makes some presumptions that doesn’t apply to everybody. In such a way that I think a man or woman can be so twisted that he or she lives in derail with his or her emotions, it can be difficult to understand, as a stoic, the point to live passionately. Stoic love may still be love, after all. Imperfection riddles everyone’s soul, spirit and body, yet God honors all who seeks him by faith. That’s not even to mention the very possibility that some of us are born stoics. It may be why some have a hard time with living for what you are passionate about when that passion coincides with godly living; or when you live godly lives that are passionless.

Ultimately, however, worship is the act of praise and adoration. It is a response of love. It is what drives the Nielsen rating. It’s what drives people to talk about that movie at the water cooler. It’s why I go to church. It is possibly why God created the universe. In some ways that is also why people are driven to procreation. Being around a lot of toddlers and and even younger kids lately it makes me apperciate just how much more their parents love and apperciate those little people.

Yet worship is just the quiet, under-hyped half of its twin: goodness. We worship only what is, in our opinion, worthy of worship. I would like to just say that only good stuff is worthy of your attention. For many it means that they only watch “good anime.” Fair enough. For some it means we watch Aria because it is good; also fair enough. But for Aria viewers many more watches it because we know slice of life is good! Some coffee is good to the last drop and we praise them so. Even more drink coffee because it’s good to have some of that stuff in the morning.

Passionate, lively living adores goodness, expresses emotively, and it drives those who live that way to seek greater goodness. We love what we do because we’re doing what we love. It’s a blessed catch-22. It is a shadow of the heavenly realm. It is the story of Aria. Is it the story of you and me? Or him?

1 comment | posted in Aria, Christian Living, Conventions and Concerts, Modern Visual Culture

May 8, 2006

Millions of Jesuses, Jesuses for Me.

By omo

Misuzu [Angel Mode]

The “Jesus” archtype in modern pop audiovisual narratives are not uncommon. They tend to evoke certain sort of mysteriousness so their uses are limited. People who live outside the box are probably the most common version. Alanis Morissette’s role in the film Dogma serves as the mode of operation for most other notables. In Buddhist literature as well as other religious stories, these types of people commonly exhibit that same traits that make us normal people feel a certain way.

Aside from the question that how extraordinary is Jesus in real life, the imagery of Jesus has become a type of savior-of-world-at-what-cost trigger. Imagine a mysterious girl in an anime whose past is hidden and no one knows or talks about; she would stare–into a book, into the horizon yonder the crashing waves, a pebble, whatever. A character tries to engage her and she’d not say very much, if anything at all. She’d say random things that makes no sense to the audience but it probably answer every question you’ll ever have and then some. She’d thread plots together like a self-insert fanfic writer from hell. She’d probably do an Obi-Wan, or maybe just disappear when the fight gets on; or maybe even pull a River. Wisdom and foresight, mediative and transformative, otherworldly surreal. She’s invincible, even if you kill her.

But in a love story where does our localized Jesus fit in? Eureka 7 made me ask this very question, and we’re given something of an answer that is not too far from Air’s Misuzu and Yukito. It’s reincarnated love. Eureka’s transformation and Renton’s (admittly in a very different way) coming-of-realization is as close as a positive retelling as it gets. Complete with kids of their own. Thankfully Renton doesn’t have to turn into a bird. He’s got good companies. Norbu comes to mind as the de-facto Jesus; but to stretch the analogy even more Norbu is the God-head. Jesus is Holland (especially with his relationship with Dewey). But who is the Holy Ghost? I don’t know.

Leave a comment | posted in Christian Living, Eureka 7, Modern Visual Culture

May 1, 2006

Gospel and Flow – Singing Waters, 2006

By omo

Donna and Steve are dear friends to many at my church. The two of them, their families, and several others make up what makes Singing Water Ministries so wonderful. Well, their relationships; with us, each other, and with Jesus.

Personally I know Steve better, even if I never really sat down and got to know him; just through what he preaches and friends that I do know who knows him, it makes some good memories. What doctrine that does get through sounds sound enough. Stepping into a place with God where you surrender your control? Reminds me of Pastor Randy’s preaching from down south.

But ultimately people from my church pigeon-hole the ministry of Singing Waters as “healing and deliverance.” It’s a big part of their ministry; bringing people to terms with their issues both through human means and through the Gospel and Power of God. Their fruits are evident in the people around me. It’s a powerful ministry, and all it is, is exercising simple obedience. It’s the kind of ministry that bears fruit every season. You can see real changes in people’s lives. As usual Steve preached on the fundamentals at one of the sessions this time around, and that is the other kind of doctrine that makes a big difference–the spirit, soul and body divide.

Their latest visit with us was interesting; they did not spend as much time ministering to individuals, but more at imparting ways to teach. Both Donna and Steve employed a very strong narrative in their preaching. It’s definitely different. When it works, it really works.

Leave a comment | posted in Christian Living, Off Topic