It's over...but am I?

More to come on that as the grades are figured.

Could it be that you and I are through?

I have finals this week. My performance on these exams essentially determines whether or not I have a future in business school or not. And this isn't one of those pity parties where I whine about how I'm going to fail and end up getting 98%. My finance exam tomorrow is 55% of my grade and I have a solid C in that class going into it. Here's a little extra information: a C in business school means you failed the class. If I get this C, I could get kicked out of the program. Funny, huh? So much will be decided tomorrow! Maybe Adriana's still needs a kitchen guy...

Victory Rose!

I saw Sigur Ros and Amina in Indy last night at the Murat Theatre. It was exactly as I'd hoped. No general admission. Sigur Ros comes out on stage to standing applause and then every one took their seat and took in the beauty and creativity on display. It was unlike any concert I've been to. Dare I say, it was an emotional/spiritual experience? 'Twas.

It was one of the few times that a band has done their encore and I thought that it would not do justice to play any more songs because they had crafted such a beautiful landscape with the music and emotion. To leave in that state was worth the entire experience.

My suggestion - listen to Hoppipolla and Njosnavelin. (and don't try to pronounce them)

If Only They Could All Be Like This...

The aforementioned food industry company just called me for the final interview. I'm sitting in a coffee shop in my ratty AE shoes, my Hollister boot cut and ridiculously frayed pants, and a USC baseball t-shirt (courtesy of Lou). I kicked back and sipped coffee and listened to U2 and Joseph Arthur in the background whilst I had my resume and other pertinent information up on my computer screen for reference. Hey, I may not want the job, but I'd love to interview more like that.

And as a side note, I'm sick of answering the question - "What do you think sets you apart from other candidates?" What? Different colored eyes? Neatly groomed facial hair? What will I say next?

If I sleep between now and Monday...

...I'm wasting precious time.

Or your money back?

What's the point of a warranty? Twice this morning, I have tried to get warranty or return service - one for my laptop and one for a book that I bought. Neither was met with any assitance. In fact, I was met with shocking prices that would be on my head to cover. So....this lend to the notion of why in the hell did I spend extra money on warranty coverage or why did that associate tell me that I could return it and now I'm the one who has to pay? This morning marked a first - hanging up on a phone associate and walking out on a manager of a store. Not some of my finer moments. But seriously - what's the dice!?!

Observations on the Temple

I really had to share these thoughts with you.

The dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8:

Solomon said, “Oh Lord, you have said that you would live in a think cloud of darkness. Now I have built a glorious temple for you, a place where you can live forever…but will God really live on earth? Why even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3, said, “don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

Genesis 1: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them…and he saw that it was very good!”

You had the right idea Solomon. Can some structure that man erects be expected to house the King of kings? He may dwell where he chooses – but how perfect of a place is that temple which he built with his own holy intention. I am that temple, and just as countless animals had their blood spilled to consecrate Solomon’s temple, so has my heart has been soaked in the endless fount of blood that is from the Lamb of God. And by this outpouring I am declared the temple of the Most Holy God. May this temple be pleasing to the Lord and never destroyed.

Quotes are dumb

I love wisdom and the power of a good quote. But all too often, people are quoted for saying beautiful things and given much respect for their insight, but we don't stop to realize that they might be idiots. Case in point:

The sufi saint Rabiah was asked:
'And dost thou regard the evil one as an enemy?'
With a smile Rabiah replied,
'I love the Lord so much that I do not
 trouble about the evil one.'

I will say no more.

You mean I'm paying money for this!?

I had a final round job interview yesterday where I got to spend a day observing what the demands of the position would be. I won't name the company, but it would be in "upper management" for an entity in the restaurant industry. And what did I do? I bussed tables and rang up orders on a cash register. I'm not trying to say that I'm above these things - I am fine with cleaning tables and counting change. However, I can't understand that this company is trying to procure MBAs to do what anybody else could do. I don't need to spend $60000+ getting and MBA so that I can do what I did in high school. And above all, I'm getting paid the same that people with high school educations are who have just worked their way up through a few years in the company. Someone please explain how this makes any sense?

Here I come world..

Tomorrow morning I head to Indy for the third round interview for my summer internship. Should be intense. This is what I've been working toward here and I'm ready to see what I've got to offer to this crazy business world.

Where Soul Meets Body...

I discovered some interesting things as I read about King Solomon this morning. In my pursuit to be a business man (and a fashionably concious one, at that), I have thought about what it means to be a follower of Christ and a hard-hitting business man. Are these thought contradictory? Can one honor Christ while sometimes using men as means to and end in the business world?

So, take Solomon for an example. He is granted wisdom greater than all other men and the riches and pleasures as per the kingly way. God tells Him that these riches are granted to Him while keeping in mind that he must follow God's decrees and honor Him and King David (Solomon's father) did.

Fast forward a little bit: Solomon is building the temple that God told David would be built by one of his sons. Solomon had 200,000 laborers and foremen working on this project that required them to haul large stones and full timbers for quite some distance in order to complete the project.

What happened when this man, who is glorifying God and following His decrees, when he was told that the workers were tired and the task too burdensome? Using the logic of my spiritual instinct, I would say that Solomon should give the men a break and care for their burdens first and foremost. Using my business savvy, Solomon should tell those foremen, "Tough shit! This work has to get done and I'm not paying them to whine. If they don't like the work, they need to find a new job!" (I apologize to my human resources professor for being a bit ridiculous, but for sake of my point, I must)

Fast of the matter is that Solomon would have to say this at some time. There exists a place where we honor God but where we have to push men to set aside their own opinions and work for the purpose of the task at hand. There is a way to honor God while not attaching ourselves to the most compassionate of options.

So, moral of the story is - don't worry about being a jerk cuz God's okay with that! Psyche! What I'm saying is that, as I discover more of who I am in Christ and develop my leadership and managerial principles, I want to find that place where I honor God and lead to the best of my ability. I do not want to be an ineffective leader because I do not understand the role of compassion in the hands of leaders and managers.

Solomon is going to be one of my guiding lights as I discover these principles - but I promise I'll skim over the part about the prostitutes.