God is as Real as 1+1=2

People will rarely go on to see the value of math beyond a high school level. In class we memorize the multiplication tables, use formula sheets, and learn techniques such as algebra and calculus all for the sake of solving hypothetical math problems that are hardly practical in every day life. When are normal human beings going to need to use logarithms? Probably never. But just because math is not practical to the every day man does not mean that math is not practical at all. Engineers used calculus to put man on the moon, artists use the golden ratio in designs, and economists use statistics to create models and make predictions. Math is real and it produces real results. 

God may not seem real to us when we are spiritually uneducated. If all we know about religion is a couple bible verses and stories of Noah's ark, then God will be as real as someone buying 60 watermelons in a math problem. Not very real at all. But God, unlike math is a lot more practical because of the one practical reality we all face, death. We may not all build rockets as engineers but we will all eventually die and for that reason we all need to be Christians because there is a life after death and the only way we are going to experience it is through God. This sentiment of an afterlife may be hard to believe or seem unreal, but once we become expert engineers of Christianity, God will become more tangible to us.

God: A Sacrifice for Love

Gandalf, great wizard or servant of God? For those of you not aware of this meme, the scene is taken from The Lord of the Rings when a group of the main protagonists are being chased by a demon-of-sorts at a bridge. In order to protect 'The Fellowship' this character, Gandalf the Grey, sacrifices his life by breaking the bridge so that he and the demon cannot pass while the other characters run safe and free. The point I would like to illustrate is that Jesus Christ was like Gandalf. He died on the cross to save us from the demon, which is sin so that we may be saved.

Why Church Does Not Work

Who really wants to go to church? To listen to some religious nut ramble on about whale survivors and an ark that stored enough food to sustain the entire animal kingdom for a year. To worship a false sense of hope amongst self-righteous, hypocritical, and judgmental Christians. Churches brainwash the feeble minds of the weak to give them hope with stories of heaven all while taking 10% of their money. These stereotypes did not form out of thin air, they have some truth to them, and the sad reality is that this is what some churches are like. 

But you should still go. You may not believe me or the 2 billion other Christians but isn't it worth seeing what all the hype is about? Is it not worth further investigation into a place that claims an eternal suffering in hell and knowledge about the creation of the universe? Whether you are afraid of heaven and hell, ponder the origins of life, or seek purpose, the church is a place with answers you may want to know.

A Blessing and a Curse

Sometimes life throws us lemons. It's hard to stay calm in the face of a shit storm, but at the end of the day we are only human. Our inclination is to drown in self-pity, seeking sympathy for our misfortunes. If only others knew how hard our lives would be then everything would be OK. We use our suffering as currency to exchange for misbehavior, making excuses like I just cooked so I don't have to clean, I am on my period so I get to act like a total bitch, or I worked all day so now I can bum on the couch and not help around the house. In these situations we have two options, to be a blessing or a curse.

Lust: For Work

Your self-worth is not built on being a 'good' blogger. Stop worrying about answering every question perfectly and consistently making life-changing posts. God is not concerned about you glorifying him perfectly without mistake so long as you do it earnestly and for Him. You have friends around you that care about you and do not neglect them because of your work. Don't forget birthdays or rush lunches because you have a post you want to work on. Balance is key and while blogging is work for God it will not be perfect like anything else. Don't feel pressured to answer comments or be distracted by a bad post to the point where it affects your daily life. Blogging is work. Make sure to manage your friends, health, personal interests, and work all equally. There are many ways to glorify God, blogging is only one of them. 

Christians are Not Perfect

People are so offended by Christians and I get why. Christians preach compassion, peace, and love. They claim that their church is a open sanctuary that invites all types of people but you still feel judged. Having a life outside of church becomes frustratingly difficult as the very people who are supposed to accept you accuse you of drinking, smoking, and exile you because you are a bad guy. They don't even give you a second chance immediately labeling you as that trouble-making sinner. But neither do you. You label them as Christians and suddenly all people who attend church are the same hypocrites that chased you away. We are not, give us a second chance.

Something about the way this kid expresses himself and shows his passion for dancing is so beautiful. Song and dance never ceases to amaze me. I never had a fond appreciation for the arts as a child but the older I get the more I regret not honing my own ability to express myself in a way that doesn't make people cringe. I know God doesn't care whether you are tone deaf or move your limbs around like a fish out of water as long as you do it with your heart, but I can't help but feel that I can do so much more. I don't want my terrible voice to be a distraction to others when we sing. I want to have a golden voice that attracts and influences people so that when they praise me for all my talent, I can redirect it straight back to God.

Why Loving is So Easy

I am no saint. I am the furthest thing from one. Selfish, needy, and constantly looking for situations that can benefit myself, I can honestly say when the going gets tough, I get going. All that being said I have an undying love and compassion for others. Before you write me off saying those are complete contradictions and accuse me of wasting your time to even read this far, give me a chance to explain myself.

Sometimes Sorry is not Enough

Repent for your sins. That is what I grew up hearing my entire childhood into adolescence. But sin was a far off concept that meant cheating on a vocabulary test or lying about my grades. Understanding what sin meant was hard enough, but repenting for an idea I really knew nothing about was even harder. On the nights I remembered I muttered a quick sorry to the man in the sky right before I fell asleep. It was convenient. I congratulated myself for having remembered to feel sorry about cheating and slept better knowing no matter what I did that all would be forgiven. When I finally understood what sin was it made me feel disgusting and asking for forgiveness was the only way to feel clean. 

Your Life is Not That Imporant

What is the meaning of life? The big philosophical question that everyone asks themselves at one point or another in their life. Before we even begin to try to answer this question, it is important to first ask ourselves what the question is really asking. Ask yourself what you think the question means, and then ask yourself what the question could mean. Language is confusing and this sentence like many in the English language is ambiguous. 

The Genesis

In the beginning when Daniel created this blog, the blog was a formless void, formatted with a generic base template. Then Daniel said  "Let there be new generic template", and saw that it was good. Daniel called the blog Thoughts of Babel. He saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.

Who.
Daniel Ahn. I am on a journey to become closer with God through church, people, ideas, food, song, and life. I go to church, read the bible, pray, eat healthy, exercise regularly, sing and dance everywhere, think too much, and try too hard to be funny.

What.
          "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning            of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them".
       
          Genesis 11:6

The Tower of Babel was a story where the LORD confused language and scattered people. Today, communicating with one another seems so difficult. Not only because of the differences in languages, but ambiguity from word definitions, to sentence structure, and even body language. The result of our inability to fully understand one another has been the cause of war, discrimination, stagnation, hate, and every other evil thing to happen to this world.

Why.
Thoughts of Babel seeks to communicate my language and thoughts to the world. It hopes to help others realize their own thoughts, and the thoughts of others around them, so that we can all come closer to speaking one language like in the times of Genesis. It hopes to create a community where people can openly communicate and learn to understand one another while growing in faith.

 One language, one people, one God.

SUMMARY:
My name is Daniel Ahn and I am blogging my thoughts and experiences. The world is too big a place to experience in one life time. I hope to create a community where we can all share and vicariously experience life to appreciate it the way it was supposed to be. Welcome.