This American Life

Okay, if you haven't started listening to This American Life yet, now is the time. They've greatly improved their streaming audio and started offering a free weekly podcast. They've also decreased their archive prices to 95 cents an episode.

So, check it out and see why TAL is my all-time favorite radio show. Some of my favorite episodes: "Notes on Camp," "Testosterone," and "Pray." Just click on "Our Favorite Shows" and enjoy.

That is all.

Peace,
Sam
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the glory of God in the face of Christ

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

I love these verses. They're packed with goodness. First, I love the reminder that "what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." I feel like most of the time I'm proclaiming myself, whether it's through blatant statements of selfishness or just through settle ways of gaining attention. The natural result of proclaiming Christ as Lord is, as Paul notes, to become a servant for the sake of Jesus. Humility, in a word. Second, I love the concept that God - the very God who said "Let there be light" - uses His creative power to illuminate our hearts. Finally, the way Paul describes this light is incredible. What is this light? It is knowledge. Knowledge of what? The glory of God. What is this glory and where can we find it? In the face of Jesus Christ. But wait, who is this Jesus? Well, according to Hebrews 1:3, Jesus "is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power." And, paradoxically, Jesus is also the sacrificial lamb. Indeed, "for our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Okay, so we can look at Jesus - the Son of God who upholds the universe and also died for our sins - to see and understand even just a bit of the glory of God. And it is this knowledge of the sacrificed Savior that shines in our hearts by the creative power of God.

How can we help but proclaim such an awesome truth?

I wanted to post the third verse of Charles Wesley's "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." I just discovered it; I don't think I've ever sang it:

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

Peace,
Sam
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Cleverness

(From the On-line Gainesville Sun: Oct 21)

A Few Lessons for Urban Meyer

Here are a few tricks that coach Urban Meyer could learn from the mysterious author of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 5-year plan.

First, get rid of all defensive players. They are much less productive than the offensive players as far as the number of points scored is concerned. Just as the religion department is less productive than chemistry as far as the amount of external funding attracted is concerned.

Second, get rid of special teams, too. On a per capita basis, they are still less productive than the offense.

Third, if the media points out that your defense actually played better against Auburn than your offense, act as if you had not heard. Do not compare your defense to the defense of Southern California or Ohio State, compare the points scored by your offense to the points scored by your defense. Just as the excellent external reviews of the Mathematics and English departments are ignored by the CLAS 5-year plan. Just as the author of that plan compares the UF Math Department not to the Math Department of Michigan State or Texas, but to the Physics or Chemistry Department of UF.

Maybe if Meyer follows this advice, the ranking of the Gator football team will match those of UF as a whole.

Linda Sciacca,
Gainesville
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Nugget Absurdity

Alan and I just saw a commercial for Chick-Fil-A's Million Nugget Giveaway and just had quite a good laugh discussing the sheer magnitude of a million chicken nuggets. Consider:

- There are about 12 nuggets in a pack of chicken nuggets. We used the number 10.
- One million nuggets divided into 10 per pack equals 100,000 packs of chicken nuggets.
- That's 100,000 lunches.
- There are about 1000 days in 3 years.
- Thus, 100,000 lunches would take 300 years to eat.

300 years. Or, let's say you ate chicken nuggets for every meal of the day. It would still take 100 years to eat them all. Now, a person who eats chicken nuggets constantly couldn't live past the age of 60. Nor would they have started eating until they were at least 18 (the age of winning the contest). So, 20 years. That's five lifetimes.

Five lifetimes of chicken nuggets.

Okay, so Chick-Fil-A isn't actually giving away one million nuggets to one person. They're giving away 15,000 nugget trays. But it's still absolutely hilarious to think about the sheer magnitude of one million nuggets.

Oh, America. You and your gluttony.

Peace,
Sam
P.S. I promise I'll write about serious, profound issues regarding religion, America, and social work soon. Maybe.
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Sometimes you just need to rock out to Canadian music.

I need to go to bed, but I had to post something.

I just got back from seeing Broken Social Scene with JT & Co. in St. Pete. It was one of the most fun shows I have ever been to. The band took their time on every song and played wonderfully. Absolutely incredible. Indescribable. I danced my heart out and sung my lungs out, which is exactly what I needed in the middle of this stressful semester. They played "It's All Gonna Break" second to last, and I went nuts. It's a rare moment to hear one of your all-time favorite songs live. My love for that song is disproportionate to my love for the band's work as a whole. And here's the best part: after the show, I looked Brendon Canning (one of the guitarists and a founding member) right in the eyes and told him how much I love that song. He said that he hoped he did it justice. You did, Brendan. You did.

I feel ready to take on the world again. I really, really needed that.

Peace,
Sam
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