Author: Mark Musil
-
They don’t know why we care
At a certain point, caring for others becomes the only thing worth doing. When I attended my grandfather’s funeral there were so many folks there whose lives he had impacted. I want my funeral to be full of my friends and family and I want them to all have a story to tell when I…
Written by
-
The road to one-hundred essays
The express purpose of this blog is to craft one hundred essays by the end of 2025. When I first began this journey part of me worried that I would soon run out of topics about which to write. But the opposite is true. The more essays I write the more topics with which my…
Written by
-
The latter; no ladder (riddle)
My children protectConfusing the dextrousA tension: excitement – safetyThe latter; no ladderWho am I?
Written by
-
Often both (riddle)
Present in many formsGarish to a falltAt first kind but rude if you know me wellSometimes above, maybe below, often bothWho am I?
Written by
-
Skillful means
Clarity of speech is like purified water. It is ideal but not always the best choice. A bath of pure water would be expensive so instead we use tap water. Skillful means are similar: imperfect but often preferred. The phrase “skillful means” itself comes from the East. It refers to how, for example, Zen masters…
Written by
-
Sutra, Tantra, or Jesus?
“Sporting the guise of a saffron-robed monk; Holy refuge savior, I prostrate at your feet. You eliminated all faults and their imprints from the root” The Lama Chopa verses 19-20 Like the Buddha, I spent the first 29 years of my life pursuing sensual pleasure and satisfaction through various means and methods, including Buddhism (Matthew…
Written by
-
The parable of the Bitcoin
The kingdom of Heaven is like a woman who began mining Bitcoin early on and accumulated a wallet of thousands upon thousands of tokens. She lost interest when the Bitcoin value stayed low and moved on to other projects. Eventually, she upgraded her computer and forgot about the Bitcoin wallet. She decided to simply throw…
Written by
-
Half awake and almost dead
The American Church is half awake and almost dead. Jesus Christ is Lord and those of us who believe such owe Him our lives. In particular, we owe Him the risk of embarrassment we run by telling those around us that He is Lord. For American Christians, the following passage is truly poignant. Mark 10:17-23…
Written by
-
God’s vision for Columbus
I have a deep desire to start a Christian revival in Columbus. The situation is bad. Christians respond with disinterest when I discuss grass-roots evangelism. Meanwhile non-Christians spiral deeper into godlessness and hedonism. Christians are afraid to give up their cushy lives and ignore the call of the spirit. Outside of Sunday service, I try…
Written by
-
Solitude as a service
I have slowly begun to appreciate that being single has many often overlooked benefits which are lost when you are invested in a relationship. This has not stopped my heart from desiring to know and be known but it has given me patience and peace. I was recently at my niece’s sixth birthday party and…
Written by
-
Christ for the Modern American
In his Letter from A Birmingham Jail Doctor Martin Luther King states that “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.” Recently, I have committed myself to the campaign of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way…
Written by
-
Does one gender have it easier?
No, but why? To summarize my argument for equality I propose the following paradigm: The difference between the two genders is in a temporal dichotomy of advantage. Women have early advantages and late burdens, men have early challenges and late advantages. I have purposefully restricted the scope of my essay to two genders and am…
Written by
-
To walk on water
There is a nuance to the miracle of Jesus walking on water that you may have missed. Any of the apostles could have walked with Jesus on the water. It was optional to join Him. Yet, of all those in the boat only Peter even dared to have faith and come walk on water with…
Written by
-
Reflexive expectations
I am grateful to be single as well as to have glimpsed the kingdom of heaven. I have time to reflect on what I ought to do with myself and whom I must become. I am ironing out my flaws and preparing myself to have a “full cup” to give to the correct future partner.…
Written by
-
The narrow gate
You may have heard the phrase “carrying one’s cross” used in a secular sense as a heavy burden unique to yourself. Walking with God and living up to the standard set out by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 – 7) seems to runs counter to how our brains evolved. While…
Written by
-
The Holy Spirit’s role in evolution
My generation has a unique burden. Rewrite our understanding of the universe in light of both spiritual and scientific truth. After the significant work of Charles Darwin the ground-breaking truth of evolution came to light and many left the concept of faith behind them. I did too until I experienced several impossible miracles that I…
Written by
-
An insane date-gone-bad story
I met L in a way that I should be proud of. She (L) walked into my favorite cafe and was reading a book and so was I. I introduced myself and we ended up talking for three hours. During that time L invited me to a concert with her friends. I bought the ticket…
Written by
-
The cure for attachment issues
I have often struggled with an annoying habit of growing attached to new potential partners way too quickly. This, understandably, scares many of them away. I know at the level of my intellect that this is bad. The issue, of course, is that my heart seems to ignore my head in a bullish and adamant…
Written by
-
Prescient peasants (alliteration)
Precious prescience of preaching peasants, presented in prophetic presence.The seventh sentence is seriously severant to the salacious president.Effervescent heavenly leavened denizens deeply detest deferenceAnd the righteous fighters ignite the inspirers’ incipient inference.Ingenious demons are in parallel prancing, producing practiced preference.The tilted tyrant’s gleeful guilt, treachery taught as testament.But what will you, dear reader, do when…
Written by
-
The urgent care (practice)
Why are doctors’ offices so depressing? Is it the awareness of your own mortality? I certainly found no answers in the Pataskala urgent care as I lounged in a plush beige arm chair. One of many equally plush furnishings meant to rest the body in what is, as ordained by our society, a strictly non-life…
Written by
-
The cure for loneliness
There is a jumping off point from loneliness when you internalize the truth that you can talk to anyone around you at any time. When I first developed this skill it was in order to find love but there are so many more reasons to confidently introduce yourself to strangers and dating is only one…
Written by
-
Warm-heart (riddle)
Lonely I sit but my heartis always warmI am a hot topic butdon’t shower me with praiseunder your floor I livebut when you ask for my helpit comes from aboveIf you can’t find me go against the flowWho am I?take your time to warm upto my riddlebut not too long or my heartmay grow cold
Written by
-
I never leave me (riddle)
You leave me when you writeoften in blackand in black I often comebut when I leave I never leave meif you wear the wrong shoesyou leave meWhat is my name?
Written by
-
ChatGPT o1 is my therapist
Chat-bots may be the most revolutionary technology in self-help ever developed. A knowledgeable large language model such as o1 can provide a balanced and healthy place for you to express your feelings and receive mature feedback that is leaps and bounds beyond what can be provided by a human therapist in a dollar-for-dollar measurement. I…
Written by
-
Recursive Kingdoms (poem)
Blank slate shatteredThe Cosmic Eye closes to oblivionPain of the world begs for patienceAnd they say you don’t existRecursive kingdomsA shared and single sinBroke the fold, pierced the unityRoots remainThe song the angels don’t singThe whisper – Not that one, more intimateA lover not a guideLift your voice not your eyesBoth lost, Both fracturedTime is…
Written by
-
Look Up (poem)
Oh my soul, Why can’t you comfort yourself?Why do you wish to burden others?Don’t you know to Love is to give?Find strength in silenceSeek peace with your ghostsSoon you will help othersHelp them face their ghostsHow can the physician be timid?How can the helper be weak?Independence is a giftStrength is owed to the weak
Written by
-
Waiting for marriage
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5-6 I am almost thirty and have spent the past decade navigating my dating life guided by my own moral compass. I can firmly declare…
Written by
-
The future of engineering
Every engineer has had to grapple with their identity since the rise of generative AI. Like most people, I was worried when I first learned about just how well chatbots can generate coherent and simple functions. At this point, generative AI by itself is unable to build large software systems that span domains. For example,…
Written by
-
How to treat customers well
Before I was born my parents started a small skilled trades business fixing restaurant equipment which ended up being very lucrative. My mother managed book work and compliance and my father handled all the repairs. I have always sought to replicate their success in my own career. When I asked my father what advice he…
Written by
-
Independence is a gift
I have always known theoretically that independence was a prerequisite of starting and maintaining a relationship with a strong woman. It has, however, only been recently that I have begun to effectively build this pillar of inner strength – and not without effort. By independence, I mean the ability to stand on one’s own emotionally,…
Written by