Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

What Victory Looks Like

Do you know how hard it is to get two knuckleheads together? Especially when the boy has temporarily misplaced his mojo and the girl's intuition is on the fritz? Never in my life had I had to resort to every single Machiavellian trick up my sleeve to make any other conniving scheme work, but it was worth it for my February triumph.

The three tenets I had to obey for ultimate victory...
1. Make the boy think that every idea I had to get him into the vicinity of the girl was actually his idea.
2. Make the girl think that every time she "happened" to be around the boy that there served a practical purpose for some altruistic venture.
3. Use deceit only when necessary, which basically meant all the time.

For instance, one night in January, I needed help moving the baby crib into the basement. It just so "happened" that on a Saturday night I "desperately" needed the boy's help in moving the crib. Of course, with two people carrying such a cumbersome crib in the pitch black darkness of night, I "needed" the help of the girl to be the "lamp to our feet and a light for our path".

Naturally the task was so "taxing", I suggested the three of us should go back into the living room and recover our strength. And what, pray tell, would be a better way to recover than upon the most comfortable coach in all of Collegedale? Of course the boy was too gentlemanly to share the couch with the girl and it took much "prodding" by the man of the house before the boy was convinced that the wobbly wooden chairs from Wal-Mart might collapse under his well-toned, muscular body (due to regular visits to the YMCA).

Hee, hee...


Knowing that something special was blooming I grabbed my Canon Rebel to photograph the historic moment that will be passed down the Paris/Pham family tree.

Of course it didn't take too long before girl and boy felt cozy...


The eventual result...weeks later mojo was rediscovered, intuition was restored, and soon after victory was achieved.

Perhaps I'm taking too much credit, but as a journalist I've learned never to let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Thomson is Dead...Long Live Thomson

Words cannot express the loss of my dear friend, Thomson Mason Paris, last December. A brother with whom I Bible worked and worshiped with, often joined in cooking and eating, and laughed and cried with...was no more.



All that remained was an occasional glimpse of a shadowy wraith who would laugh, but not with all his laughter, and who would cry, but not with all his tears.

Thomson, my brother, my friend, my confidant...was gone...

Brother where art thou?

But like the mythical Phoenix, Thomson in January rose from the ashes, better, bolder, brighter and more brilliant than ever.

Thomson The Phoenix is back...Long live Thomson Mason Paris.

Being a Witness

I found this video where a couple of Christians happen to be videotaping in a Burger King parking lot when they are approached by two Mormon missionaries. Whether this is just an extraordinary coincidence or a fake, the following is an intriguing dialogue (sometimes heated argument) as they begin proselytizing each other.

As you watch this six-minute video, consider the following...

1. What are the Mormons doing right?
2. What are the Mormons doing wrong?

3. What is the Christian doing right?
4. What is the Christian doing wrong?

4. How would you have handle the situation differently (as either party)?




Flame On...

Happy Valentines

This video goes out to Thomson, who I know has secretly been wishing six times a day for the last six days for me to post this in his honor.

Yes...that's right. It's the Chinese Backstreet Boys singing.

This one's for you T-Bird...Happy Valentines.




Click here for the high quality video and stereo version

P.S. This video is also why people shouldn't eat so much MSG.

Truth VS Opposition

"Truth, passing by those who despise and reject it, will triumph. Although at times apparently retarded, its progress had never been checked. When the message of God meets with opposition, He gives it additional force, that it may exert greater influence." Evangelism, p. 20

Flame On...

Do Unto Others...

Last week I was hurrying though the Student Center, pondering how to finish nearly past due assignments I didn’t have time to complete earlier, when a nameless acquaintance crossed my path.

My acquaintance is nameless because, as far as I can gather, is deaf and was never taught any language skills—resulting in him not being able to communicate except through grunting and gesturing. He’s a middle-age man, not a student, who likes to hangout on campus.

I smiled and gave him a hug as I’ve often done in the past and then began moving to the Southern Accent newspaper office so I could work. But before I reached it he stopped me. With his right hand he began rubbing his stomach in a circular fashion.

“Oh, your hungry,” I said and he smiled back.

He then pointed downstairs to where the cafeteria was.

“The cafeteria won’t open for another five minutes,” I said, trying to figure out a way to disengage and finish my assignments.

He opened his wallet and showed me he only had a dollar.

“Oh…you’ll only be able to buy yogurt with that much money,” I said.

He nodded his head as if he understood me, rubbed his belly again and started walking downstairs to the cafeteria. I took that as my cue to head in the opposite direction. I looked over my shoulder at him in time to see him glance back at me with a puzzled look. At that moment I realized that he wanted me to join him. I don’t have time, I thought. I kept walking away when it hit me: He was hungry and he wanted me to buy him lunch. I have work to do, I thought and I turned my back on him as I walked through the office doors.

Later that day I thought about what a hypocrite I was. I used not having time and busyness as an excuse not to help my nameless acquaintance. But the reality is I would have gone to the cafeteria if it had been any one of my other friends inviting me. The only reason I didn’t go with him was because he wasn’t worth my time then. I began reflected on a passage from Ellen White’s Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings…

“The standard of the golden rule is the true standard of Christianity; anything short of it is a deception. A religion that leads men to place a low estimate upon human beings, whom Christ has esteemed of such value as to give Himself for them; a religion that would lead us to be careless of human needs, sufferings, or rights, is a spurious religion. In slighting the claims of the poor, the suffering, and the sinful, we are proving ourselves traitors to Christ. It is because men take upon themselves the name of Christ, while in life they deny His character, that Christianity has so little power in the world. The name of the Lord is blasphemed because of these things.” (Mount of Blessings, pg. 136).

What’s really sad is my friend Ezequiel Vasquez had shown me that previous quotation at the library several minutes before I ran into my nameless acquaintance. I even remember agreeing with Ezequiel with what we just read and thanked God for that insight…

And minutes later I walk out, betray Christ, and blaspheme God’s name by turning my back on a hungry brother in need.

Bridegroom cometh...I'm gonna Myspace

My friend Justin Wilson once showed up on my frontlawn colporteuring. We had a nice conversation and before leaving he asked me a question.

"You want to hear some good news?" he said.

"What's that?" I said.

"Jesus is coming," he said.

And with that Justin smiled and headed to the next house. 

It's funny, I usually remember entire paragraphs of conversations from years ago. But that last exchange with Justin is the only thing I remember about our talk.

I can't tell you the number of frivolous conversations I start everyday...and meanwhile there are people who need to hear about Jesus.

I can't tell you how many frivoulous articles I read in the news...and meanwhile God's word (my Bible) is unopened in my backpack.

And here I am blogging...and Jesus is longing to return...

What am I doing to fulfill the Great Commission?

The Bridegroom is coming...dare I go Myspace?

Unholy Amalgamations

Britain allows creation of human-animal embryos

Thu Jan 17, 3:30 PM ET

Britain's fertility regulator said Thursday it would allow scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved applications from two universities to create "cytoplasmic" embryos, which merge human cells with eggs from animals such as cattle or rabbits.

Scientists argue the research could pave the way for therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, although opponents condemned the HFEA's decision Thursday as a "disastrous setback for human dignity".

"An HFEA licence committee has considered two applications, from King's College London and Newcastle University, to carry out research using human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos," the authority said in a statement.

"The HFEA licence committee determined that the two applications satisfied all the requirements of the law and has now offered one-year research licences to the two applicants, subject to a series of detailed conditions in each case."

Researchers want to produce hybrids that are 99.9 percent human and 0.1 percent animal.

Read the rest of the story here.