<3 Zac.

Celebrity Trivia. Who:

Is a fresh young actor born in the 80's?
Has 2 syllables in his last name?
Has a brown boyish haircut?
Also sings and dances?











You guessed it: Me.

Oh, and Zac Efron too...but I mean we're basically the same.

I'm the one on the right.

You're either thinking one of two things right now: 1. Ugh! How dare he think he's on the same level as my hubby Zackypoo. 2. Does he really expect people to believe that just because he lists off a couple coincidences?

Ah but there's more where that came from. Let's see...we both have 3 syllables in our first name, and we also both have a second first name (Julian Charles, Zachary David). We've both seen the movie Hairspray!, we've both enrolled in school before...we both have top and bottom sets of teeth -- I mean, really, I could go on. Still not convinced? Maybe it's because despite the impressive amount of the similarities, it's still dwarfed by the innumerable amount of the differences.

So how can people chunk religions together? (c'mon, you didn't actually think this was to make a point about two prominent teen hearthrobs like Zac and me, did you?). English journalist Steve Turner puts it pretty nicely (and sarcastically):

"We believe that all religions are basically the same...they all believe in love and goodness. They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation."

Some come to think that because by third-hand experience they notice similarities in different religions, that they're all "basically the same." Even if Zac and I have similar dashing features, the very core of our physical definition - our genetic makeups - are different. Then as things trickle down into our phenotypes the discrepancy just grows, so in the end similar eye-color is pretty trivial. Likewise while there are commonalities like, say, the application to treat others as you would want to be treated, they come from completely different mindsets and world views. And that's what a religion really is, a view of the world, isn't it? Well, at least that's what it used to be.

XOXO 143 637,
Zac-- I mean Julian Efron....I mean Leong.


p.s. something for Zeitgeist fans to think about.

just wanted to let you know.

"do what makes you happy, and forget the rest"

"make love, not war"

these statements are polar opposites.

they come from polar opposite mindsets.

neither of which are practical.

and so neither of which are actually applied.

well, some did. but they're all dead.

either dead because they didn't stick up for themselves, or dead because they didn't listen to anybody else.

just wanted to let you know.

Love is Not Easier

I was inspired to write on the topic after reading Jared Wilson's entry with the same title. It wasn't long until I realized that I simply couldn't have iterated it any better. He writes:

Many of us have this weird idea that Jesus loosened things up. Some of us think that for centuries emerging from the Old Testament Law, everything was rigid and difficult, and then Jesus showed up with his peace, love, and good vibes and just told everyone to love everybody.

Why do we think it's easier to love people than it is to just be religious?

I'm not sure people who think and speak that way really even know what love is.

Maybe the reason we don't all, in the spirit of unity and rainbows, just set aside our differences and love each other is because it's really freaking hard to do that.

Just as an example, Jesus said that if you lust after somebody, it's the same as sleeping with them, and if you hate somebody, it's the same as murdering them. Where in the world would we get the idea this makes things easier? It's a lot easier to not kill somebody than it is to not hate them. It's a lot more difficult to not lust than it is to not have sex.

And it's a lot easier to follow some rules everyone can see me keep than it is to truly, actually love people.

Anybody can be on their best behavior. But to love someone who hates you? That takes Jesus and his cross.

I had to memorize a lot when I was younger.

My Sunday School teacher was always giving us verses to memorize, rewarding the first one who got it with a bag of Kellog’s Fruity Snacks. That was incentive enough for me; plus I wasn’t very good at sports, so this was about the only kind of competition I could win with my friends.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”– Joshua 1:8

My strategy always involved first retreating to the far corner of the room, the one boxed in by a bookshelf and a couch, with just enough space to fit my scrawny frame yet keep out anything that would hinder me from victory....sweet, cherry-flavored victory. Next came chunking the phrases, attaching each with some nonsensical, mnemonic picture like a Bible glued onto a tongue or something. This, done with the eyes closed and a lot of mouthing completed the process.

I didn’t even know what the word "meditate" meant. This isn’t meditation in the sense of mental silence, quite the opposite in fact. This is meditating on a thought kind of like how a cow eats grass, consuming it and regurgitating it over and over until the grass is finally digested through the cow’s whopping four stomachs. That’s because when you do that, eventually it just...clicks.

The verse explains that the purpose of meditation is for you to know what God wants by memorizing His word, so that when you're faced with conflict, you'll know what to do. Then the verse goes on to say that by doing that, you'll prosper and be successful. There's a logic to it, like a soldier memorizing attack patterns so when it comes time for battle he'll know how to win. God maps these things out so you'll succeed.

To a smaller degree that's exactly what I was doing. I was saying those words over and over, thinking about what they meant and letting them resonate to the point where I didn't have to think about them anymore. So, in the heat of the moment, my mind stayed focused to conquer my task and acquire the coveted gummy trophy.

This verse is probably one of the most concrete in my repertoire. Funny how I never realized I was applying it. Even in my immature ways and off-center goals God designed it so I’d make this particular one stick, so that when it came time to grow up and put away childish things, to stop fighting for artificial fruit, and seek real fruit in my life, I would know how.

Chat Log #1

Jhustin: im trying to give up rice for lent
me: oh man
how's that going
Jhustin: im finding it more difficult that cigarettes
i ate rice twice, without even realizing it til after the meal...
and then last night, i simply gave in...
and what sucks about it, is that i thought about it... contemplated... and still gave into the temptation
me: that most definitely sucks
Jhustin: yeah man. i definitely took a moment to pray and ask for strength. the guilt still lies though
me: well just keep truckin
honestly
the past failures are only a telltale sign that this is something you cling very closely to
so all the more reason to give it up for lent, which is supposed to be sacrificing for the Lord
what could be more of a sacrifice than an addiction?
Jhustin: mos def
me: God designed this guilt y'know
this feeling of shame and helplessness
not to hurt us
but to sober us
to who we really are without God
He designed it so our response after realizing it would be to turn to Him
so keep praying
Jhustin: thank you
me: and know that in Him is your refuge from even your worst addictions
Jhustin: real talk... i woke up this morning hoping to chop it up w/ u

Psalm 27:7-8

"7The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed."

"I think too much."

A phrase I've heard from people, and one I find unsettling. I personally don't subscribe to this notion. So in disbelief I asked "can someone think too much?"

Many said yes, bringing up the case of spending too much time thinking about things that don't matter, things described as unnecessary, meaningless, irrelevant. I agree, this exists. Anxiety, for example. Still others argued no, explaining that a case like anxiety isn't too much thinking, just thinking into a dead end.

Nonetheless I don't think it's in these cases that people say "I think too much." That's because to say so means "I know I think too much." So the real question is, "how can someone know they think too much?" Doesn't make sense.

Everyone seems to agree "thinking too much" is a bad thing. Kind of like "driving too fast." So if you're speeding down a road at 90mph and you get the feeling you're driving too fast, why don't you simply ease up on the pedal? If you don't, that's probably because you don't really believe 90mph is too fast, otherwise you wouldn't keep driving that fast. You simply can't say "I drive too fast" and believe it, because you absolutely have the power to drive slower.

So can a person say he thinks too much? I say if he really believes that, and doesn't know how to fix it, then he probably isn't thinking enough.

Look left...cool. Look right....cool.

Okay, we’re good to--…great.

I was being cautious. I was. I was careful to look on my sides. I knew, it’s raining so I have to be careful. Yes, the radio was playing but it was on when I started the car and it was at a very reasonable level. And I was looking. I was going very slowly, and I was looking. Just not in the middle, straight behind me. Maybe if it wasn’t raining, maybe if that darn headrest wasn’t in the middle, maybe if I didn’t press on the gas that quickly. I was trying to be cautious, I was focused; and yet one simply miscalculation is gonna likely come out to…$400….$500?! It’s just a dent. How can just a dent cost that much money?! Can’t they just pop it back out?! Nobody was hurt, there is no damage to the systems, it did no damage to the inside or to the passengers.

I’m not freaking out. I’m not getting angry with anyone or even frustrated with myself…well the last is the biggest struggle…but I won’t succumb. All the things I wrote on my post no 1 Cor 10:13, as well as responses like Jen Chung’s “thanks I needed this” responses resonate in my head. God ordained this to test my faith, and I know I’m gonna pass. But as I sit in the car, I can only think about what she must be thinking. I tell her I’m sorry, and I want to show her I am without looking like I’m begging for sympathy. Where’s the line I draw? How apologetic do I have to be without crossing the line into pathetic? These are the test questions I just don’t know how to answer. If it were just me, and my car, and I hit someone, and I had to take care of it on my own I wouldn’t panic. I’d be fine. But it’s just so much harder when you’ve affected someone else, when someone else is paying for your mistakes. I didn’t study hard enough for this test. I don’t know the answer to this one and so I just sit in silence.