I got the hankering to watch the Matrix the other day, because it was on Tv.  I watched the first one 10 times in the theater while I was in college, but the other 2 I had only seen once, I was really disappointed in them the first time I saw them, but the two things that I loved about them has continued as I have been watching them tonight, the fighting and the philosophy.  The ongoing struggle about whether we have choice or if everything is determined for us.  As a Christian I am faced to try and explain how it is that God knows everything, that he even gave us our personalities, our families, where we would live, etc...and how it is we can also say that we have free will.  Some Christians lean toward determinism, saying that God created us, put us where we are and we act almost like cogs that will do our job and that choice has nothing to do with it.  The problem obviously inherant in this thought is that means that God sends some to hell who have no choice but to not choose him.  Other Christians swing toward free will saying that God created us but that we can choose whatever we want to do and God will in no way interfer.  The problem with this is that then I can not beleive in Jesus coming to the earth or in miracles.  so there must be a middle ground some way that we can balance between God's authority and will and our ability to choose that God has given us.  And this is where the matrix leaves it as well, a place where we must trust there is both, an ability for us to choose our path, while we are lead along to certain points.  For a Chrisitan this means that we must trust God is in control but also leads us along.  And when we come to various points along the way to make the right choice, to follow God and what he wants us to do.

We just got back from downtown Goldendale, which tonight had a major fire.  Now this town is small (3000 people) so there were quite a few down there to check it out.  One of the 2nd hand stores caught on fire, and for a while it seemed like it was goign to spread through the whole main street, but the fire fighters got it all contained, which is good.  Has anyone else noticed that weird things like this have been really heating up lately?  It all started a few weeks ago, and then recently there had been this one after another school shootings, and it seems like things are building toward a crescendo.  Now that might because I am paranoid or maybe it is because I am imagining things, but it seems like things are moving in America.  Yet I have to remember and remind that behind this material world is a spiritual world and it is constantly in motion, where it is headed can only be guessed but now is the time to be praying.