You could make a case that i plan on putting food on my table for the rest of my life based on emergent complexity. Simple rules act together in interesting ways that can be harnessed to perform very complex tasks. Simple rules about how to manipulate states of on or off are implemented using transistors, chained together to perform more complex tasks like addition, multiplexing, control logic, etc. These can be set up to pull bits from a storage device and interpret them as instructions. From there rules about memory management, i/o, and task switching define an operating system which then handles the many and varied programs that i’ll be writing until God decides otherwise. Computer science as a discipline is frequently using simple units together to do complex things.
From my office on the 7th floor in the Pac Med building on Beacon Hill i have an excellent view of downtown Seattle and Interstate 5 snaking thorugh it. It’s very interesting to see the same traffic patterns recurring day after day. Some of the recurring behaviors are horribly stupid from my vantage point, frequently causing a horrible slow down in the fast lane of northbound 5. It’s an interesting contrast between my job of using simple commands to do complex tasks and the interstate, which is inherently very complex organisms doing an inately simple task. You would think that with so many people horribly overqualified for the task at hand, that the slow cars would be over in the slow lanes for climbing the hill while more capable cars would be able to speed along in the fast lane. But every day this theory is proven wrong. Rather than emergent complexity, there is emergent stupidity. How tragic.
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. I miss this.
2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. I’m forgetting this.
2 Tim 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. I’m failing at this.
This is halfway through week 5 of 12 in Seattle. Its hard to believe that i’m that far in, but at the same time its hard to believe i’m so far from the end. I’m mulling over Matt Carter’s sermon from the 19th about Jesus not coming to change our external environment, but rather to change us, the implications of that are enormous–especially when combined with Mark Driscoll’s (much longer) sermon on God’s providence and sovereignty. I’m taking hope that no matter what’s going on now, God’s hand is in it working for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28) and that at the end of the last days, God wins. The sealing of the redeemed is so fully assured that it’s spoken of in the past tense, its already happened, we’re already seated in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:1-8) Fantastic. But i’m having trouble finding joy in that. Maybe that’s what i’m supposed to figure out this summer. Maybe i’m not taking joy in God, but rather in his bride, the church. My friends from Texas, especially my roommate, have noticed that i’m not as happy here as i am in Texas, and though its understandable on the superficial level of “almost all my friends are 2000 miles or more away” it shouldn’t be in the light of “my best friend/loving father/all-powerful God of the universe is closer than my breath”. I don’t know how to get back to being satisfied in God, and worse i’m starting to wonder if i ever truly was satisfied in God alone.