Like a rose trampled on the ground....

Today our senior Pastor preached about "treating the earth kindly" which I think is a pretty important topic in our society today. As Christians we know we shouldn't kill other people, but there's some truth to one of the lines in Romeo Must Die when the guy says "Guns don't kill people, people kill people..." True in that context he was refering to people are the ones that need to pull the trigger, but we do that about everyday, in fact I'm consuming electricity now to write this blog and the popcorn I'm eating to try to put me to sleep as I was saying to my other friend "it works for Sumo wrestlers" since it just passed 3AM had to come from somewhere also....

This is the link in my blog today in case it doesn't work for you http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/...

It's the movie our senior Pastor used in his sermon...

Ok now for a more personal touch... here I am mourning and groaning over having to see other couples whilst I am still single, but somewhere out there somebody out there is most likely dying from environmental related factors... Opps... so much for thou shalt not kill? I know you think it's a bit extreme to say my blogging is killing that person, I admit it's not really THAT serious, but eventually my energy use will contribute negatively to the environment in some way most likely and as Russell Peters is famous for saying "in that time... somebody gonna get a hurt real bad" LOL... But the real joke is on us... we are killing people without even knowing it sometimes and it's not a bullet to the head, it's more like a slow, painful, cruel death... Global warming alone probably kills a lot of people every day nowadays... Take an example of a quote from an article revealed by a quick Google of the following key words "Global warming related deaths":

"In July 1995, a heat wave killed more than 700 people in the Chicago area alone."

That's 1995 people, back when my mom's Accord was first sold on the market... think about how much more destroyed is the earth 12 years since then... why is gas so expensive? Because we are running low on it... meaning we're about to max out... you would think God being all knowing (AKA omniscient) would not put enough gas on our planet for us to kill ourselves right? I can't speak on God's behalf, but my guess is "WRONG"!

Well I'm not saying "don't drive"... I drive myself and more modern (AKA newer cars) aren't just being built more fuel efficient out of economic necessity... So ya, a 2007 4-cylinder Accord is likely more efficient than the rusty old 95 I borrow from my mom... but hey the car itself is a lot of garbage in itself, that's in fact the #1 factor of why North Americas produce the most garbage in the world... Believe it or not I usually can still average 7L to 12L on 91 octane for every 100KM I travel on my mom's Accord though, of course a lot depends on traffic and other factors such as use of AC and local VS highway milelage... But 7L/100Km which I can get sometimes isn't bad at all and sometimes that's using AC as long as the highway is clear.... I'm not rich enough to afford a Hybrid, but 7L/100Km is actually close to 10% less fuel efficient when I initially compared it to the V6 2005 Accord Hybrid.... (2007 numbers may have greater variation) and all that on about $200-$250 worth of mods I installed myself in attempts to make it more fuel efficient while not compromising reliability...

What did I do? Not much and I'm not saying you will get these gains in efficient as great as on this particular car, but not much... NGK Iridium spark plugs, MSD Super Conductive wires and a K&N reusuable (as opposed to disposable) air filter and I fill up with Superclean 91 Octane at Petro Canada close to 100% of the time (sometimes a P.C. isn't around and I have to do another station)... But hey, considering I did my research to know that my engine is very similiar (if not the same as the 1992-1994 Prelude engines) it's not hard to see why I'm getting such good #s and I'm not saying your car will necessary get a similiar improvement... but just goes to show that a conscious decision to drive with better (more "fuel efficient", even though some peopLe say I drive like a granny :P) driving habits and a few simple upgrades can go a long way...

Ok mind you, those parts don't last a lifetime (with the exception of the air filter) and need to be replaced from time to time... And they do cost more in terms of $$$ than the regular stuff (about $60-70 more each time) but the average life of high end parts like these even the plugs only need to be replaced once every 2.5 to 3 years (3 year warranty on the plugs)... And yes, 91 octane costs me more in the long run even if it's the most efficient grade for my car and it probably polutes more than regular 87 octane as a trade-off... But one of my good friends once told me ALL old cars usually run more efficient on premium fuel even his old Corolla... And my cousin says the same for all cars universally run more efficient on higher octane... One of my friend's drives a 2000 SE purely stock Civic, gets about 10% more fuel efficiency on 91 octane over regular, so economically he breaks even, environmentally, I'm not sure...

Ok I'm going to try to sleep again now, wasn't very successful around 1AMish... Time for me to shut down and try to recharge my natural batteries, but this entry is likely...

TO BE CONTINUED....

As I said, I will continue, so here goes... First let me explain why I'm quoting a lyric from the Above All song by Michael W. Smith as my blog titled. For those of you who heard the sermon, you will know our senior Pastor used an analogy of a rose(s) given by a male to his lover and how if she throws them down and stomps on it/them you really don't need to ask if she loves him because of the way she's treating what he's given her as an analogy for how us humans sometimes treat this planet Earth.

Personally, I'm not at all fond of anything romance related whether they be jokes, analogies, images or whatever so that's probably also the reason why this particular part of the sermon stuck in my mind... OH did it stick in my head! :( Writing the first part of this blog entry passed 4AM is definetely evidence attributed to that fact... *sigh*...

A friend recommended I turn to 1 Corinthians 13 for guidance... Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that 1 Cor. 13 cannot be used as a guide and reference for marriage, but I somewhat despise the idea of it ALWAYS been used at marriage hence possibly limiting the passage itself if people don't understand that in context it is refering to AGAPE love and not exclusive to marriage...

Here is my continuation, let me start by quoting the NIV version of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 off the biblegateway.com website:

1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Footnotes:

1 Corinthians 13:1 Or languages
1 Corinthians 13:3 Some early manuscripts body that I may boast

I remember how these verses were also quoted in the movie A Walk to Remember... Ok I'll have to side with my friend, I guess it IS WELL written...Like I think I typed earlier, I really think this passage applies to agape and isn't restricted nor exclusive to couples.

Recently because of all the power and also responsibility I had during my supervisor job at the elections... I thought wow, now maybe I know how Spiderman feels... Here's a quote(s) from that movie:

[in Aunt May's hospital room, talking about Mary Jane]
Peter Parker: Well, Harry's in love with her. She's still his girl.
Aunt May: Isn't that up to her?
Peter Parker: She doesn't really know who I am.
Aunt May: Because you won't let her! You're so mysterious all the time. Tell me, would it be so dangerous to let Mary Jane know how much you care? Everybody else KNOWS...

Going with this theme that actions speak louder than words, a part of me wonders if I really need to tell the woman I love how I feel about her... Maybe people can see it on my face even... If even Someone whom I don't feel that way about can make the mistake of thinking I feel that way about her, can I really hide the way I feel from the woman I do love?

Masquerade Lyrics (Phantom Of The Opera)

Phantom Of The Opera - Masquerade Lyrics

Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade . . .
Masquerade!
Hide your face,
so the world will
never find you!

Masquerade!
Every face a different shade . . .
Masquerade!
Look around -
there's another
mask behind you!

Flash of mauve . ..
Splash of puce . . .
Fool and king . . .
Ghoul and goose . . .
Green and black . . .
Queen and priest . . .
Trace of rouge . . .
Face of beast . . .

Faces . . .
Take your turn, take a ride
on the merry-go-round . . .
in an inhuman race . . .

Eye of gold . . .
Thigh of blue . . .
True is false . . .
Who is who . . . ?
Curl of lip . . .
Swirl of gown . . .
Ace of hearts . . .
Face of clown . . .

Faces . . .
Drink it in, drink it up,
till you've drowned
in the light . . .
in the sound . . .

Masquerade!
Grinning yellows,
spinning reds . . .
Masquerade!
Take your fill -
let the spectacle
astound you!

Masquerade!
Burning glances,
turning heads . . .
Masquerade!
Stop and stare
at the sea of smiles
around you!

Masquerade!
Seething shadows
breathing lies . . .
Masquerade!
You can fool
any friend who
ever knew you!

Masquerade!
Leering satyrs,
peering eyes . . .
Masquerade!
Run and hide -
but a face will
still pursue you!

[http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Phantom-Of-The-Opera/Masquerade.html]