A letter to God

Last night, my wonderful wife let me hang out with my buddy Matt. Matt is in Baby Cannon with me. Matt is like me in many ways. Matt is awesome.

So anyways, we went out to dinner at Quiznos. It was my first time eating at Quiznos, and let me just say that it was phenomenal. While we were eating, we were talking about the band. And I don't remember what exactly the situation was, but Matt was very adamant about something that we were talking about, and he made a comment (joking of course) that the only way that this would not happen is if God Himself delivered a hand written letter to Matt via the angel Gabriel...and even then, I jested, it would not be a slam dunk.

So then we started detailing our letter in response to God on this issue. Now, a little explanation here- I am a huge fan of situational humor- to me, I appreciate the context of situations and manipulating those contexts into absurdities. Obviously the whole situation of exchanging letters with God is silly, especially when our letter is the following:

Dear God,

First of all, thank You for Your interest in Baby Cannon- we couldn't do it without Your support! We received your letter recently detailing Your disapproval of our (whatever the situation was that we were joking about, I really don't remember). Rest assured, we discussed Your thoughts in great detail and You bring up some valid issues; however unfortunately at this time we have decided to decline your request. We hope that this does not affect our relationship, and we look forward to working with You in future dealings.

Sincerely,

Jason D. Parks

This wasn't the exact thing that was said, but this was the gist of it. You might think this is funny, you might think it is stupid, you might think it is blasphemous. I don't know- I just know that it was funny to us last night because it is such an absurd situation, and we were really rolling with all the rigmarole and jargon that goes into those formal letters.

So then I got to thinking, isn't that kind of what I do anyways sometimes? Like, I feel like I'm supposed to do something, but I don't do it- whether I don't want to or whatever...the point is that I don't do it. It may not have a fancy letter attached, but it's the same concept.

And then it got me thinking about the whole issue of sacrifice. I'm taking a mythology class this semester, and one thing that I think any belief system has in common is a system of sacrifice to its gods. And think about it- what is the point of following a deity that does not demand sacrifice.? How powerful is that deity, really? If God does not demand something from me, then I'm not sure I want to be a part of that interaction.

It's kind of the same principle of sacrifice in other areas of life- if you want to be really good at something, you sacrifice for it. Athletes spend hours a day working out, honing their bodies, eating healthy- and I could go on with various occupations and activities. The idea is still the same though- that to acheive at a high level, you need to sacrifice. That is why I wouldn't want to serve a God that did not demand sacrifice or hold me accountable- because that is a God that has low standards. If you have power and low standards, you are probably a villain. Or the agent for Terrell Owens (sorry, it's my obligatory T.O. joke).

So this blog kinda jumped all over the place- which is how my mind works sometimes. You'll learn to cope. It's been a while since I've done a silly post, hasn't it? Part of that is because lately I have been channeling my silly energy on Facebook, maintaining a Darth Vader Facebook page and making up mock stupid Facebook quizzes. I'll try to reserve some energy here soon and do a ridiculous post about something ridiculous so you can all laugh and tell me that I am amazing.

Until then, I am sorry God that I suck at obedience.