A while back I was talking with a friend about people I’d known who had been making some poor choices in their lives. It amazed me how some people who claimed to be Christians could follow lifestyles there were anything but Christ-like. I told my friend, “I guess they just don’t live what they believe.” But he wisely corrected me, pointing out that they were living what they believed, though not what they claimed to believe. I was struck by that idea: we all live exactly what we believe. When I think about it that way, but with the critical eye fixed on my own darn self, my faith appears to be so minuscule.

If I really lived out the things I claimed to believe to their logical outcome, I have a feeling my life would be drastically different from the one I’m now living. So what can I do? The only thing I know to do: go humbly before God, thanking Him for His grace and pleading for the transformation of this doubting heart. Only He can plant the seeds of hope and cause faith to sprout from the rocky grounds of unbelief. Only He can give me victory over the shortcomings of my sinful flesh so that heart, mind, body, and soul all work in unison toward the completeness that only Christ can offer.

I took a trip to Disneyland with some coworkers last Sunday and that was Disney’s official Halloween slogan, “wicked fun for everyone.” I don’t know if I’d describe it as wicked fun, but we did have a good time. We got there late (around 4 pm) and had to park in the Buzz Lightyear lot, which was way out in the middle of nowhere (drive to infinity, go slightly beyond and make a right) because the place was so packed. We managed to get on two rides, but they were the two that had been done-up all special for the holiday: Haunted Mansion (Nightmare before Christmas theme) and Space Mountain (Ghost Galaxy theme). Having waiting in some incredibly long lines (FastPass was closed) we decided we didn’t want Mickey for president (you might get magically free health care, but you’d have to wait a very long time for it).  After the rides, we watched a seasonal fireworks display that included a cool projected animation sequence on the Small World castle. When the fireworks were over, we walked all the way across the park and then to the end of Downtown Disney to the only restaurant still open, the Rainforest Cafe. At that point we were completely famished and I was on the verge of  hunting and consuming the huge animatronic anaconda near the entrance. I’d never been there before and the food was pretty good, plus we had a nice waiter. I’d call it a successful trip though we were all very happy to finally get home and sleep (standing in lines is mighty tiresome you know).

Here’s a few pictures.

For starters, in case you hadn’t yet heard I’m now a full-time employee at Vicon: House of Moves, where I was previously working as an independent contractor. It’s fairly exciting for me considering that I’ve been working in the motion capture industry for around 3 years now as a contractor and I’m now going to be hired on as an employee for the first time.

Also, I’ve attended two churches up in LA so far. The first was a smaller (but nice) church called The Vineyard in West LA, the other one was a big, fancy, modern Presbyterian church in Bel Air. I enjoyed some things about both of them and I’ll likely visit them both again at some point, but I’m still largely undecided and will, for lack of a better phrase, continue the hunt.

It’s been quite the experience having to make so many new decisions on my own, things like picking a health care program, choosing a 401k plan, and finding a new church to attend regularly. It’s not like I don’t have solid people to go to for good advice or that I regret having to make these decisions (they’re really quite a privileged and an opportunity), it’s just that these are things I hadn’t given much thought to before, things I just put off as being something that would happen “some day in the future.” It’s a strange feeling when “some day in the future” becomes today and I’m suddenly faced with a good deal more personal responsibility. I realize it’s all part of the whole growing up experience, it’s just not something I find myself naturally easing into. Still, I’m alright with that. I don’t expect life to be perfectly comfortable ride. I know there will be bumps in the road and, in all honesty, I expect the hardest bumps are yet to come.

On the other hand, it’s a little sad watching the last traces of childhood or even the remnants of young adulthood being swept away. I look back and recall with fondness when life was simpler. I realize I shouldn’t long for the unattainable past, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen from time to time. True, all the pure simplicity of life hasn’t departed quite yet, but it’s going to take hard, dedicate effort to retain it and even win a little back. So here’s to pressing forward and doing my best not to glance back and suffer the fate of Lot’s wife; albeit a tasty salt-lick for the animals but entirely useless and immobile otherwise.