Thursday, September 30th, 2004 :: 7:15 PM

Lillian sent me a link to Amazon.com’s Music Download section today. I’d downloaded a couple Tom Wehrle songs from there a long time ago and they came embedded w/ voiceovers for Amazon, so I didn’t go back (although I kept the Wehrle MP3s and edited out the voiceovers using Audacity ;)). But, Lil told me that they’ve repented of their evil ways and the MP3s are now pure, so I checked it out. They’ve got some pretty good stuff there: Joss Stone, Pennywise, Modest Mouse, Tom Waits, the Dropkick Murphys, the Slackers, etc.

While we’re on the free music kick, PunkBands.com has a few good Flogging Molly MP3s this month.

Thursday, September 30th, 2004 :: 7:15 PM

I thought I’d compare and contrast:

1. Wrist accessories (0)
2. Hair styling products (0)
3. Articles of furniture (7)
4. Threads in my sheets (?)
5. Shoes (5)*

* Ok, I have to explain #5 because I’m feeling a little self-conscious about owning five, FIVE!?!?!, pairs of shoes. The first pair is my regular sturdy Vans for everyday use. The second is my old, beat-up pair of Airwalks used for mowing the lawn. The third is a pair of work-boots I bought ’cause you have to wear boots to MSF courses. The fourth is a pair of sandals I was practically forced to buy at gunpoint (long story, let’s just say it involves a girl.) And the fifth is a pair of Chuck’s I bought for Josh and Meryn’s wedding (Josh and all the groomsmen put them on for the reception).

Phew. Now, I think, I’ve justified myself in owning five pair of shoes. But, just to be safe, I think I’ll go watch a Schwarzenegger movie and play with power tools.

Thursday, September 30th, 2004 :: 5:56 PM

“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving way too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.” (>>)

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 :: 6:20 PM

“The world’s on fire and
It’s more than I can handle
I’ll tap into the water
I try to pull my ship”

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 :: 5:48 PM
Radical Congruency has an outline of Tony Campolo‘s talk on homosexuality @ the 2004 Emergent Convention. I’ve listed some of the highlights below, and also some video clips of the talk.

Video Clip 1: “Those who are out to condemn me, and some people do on this, say, ‘You’re far too soft on the gay community.’ I don’t like it when Christians are hard on the gay community, so I don’t mind being soft.” (5.8MB MPEG, 4:29)

Video Clip 2: “There is no explanation of a homosexuality orientation that has sufficient empirical validity.” (12.8MB MPEG, 9:50)

Video Clip 3: “I’m waiting for the day when a homosexual can stand up in church and say, ‘I am a homosexual. Every day I struggle with this. Every day the war goes on. And I’ve only been able to survive because I have this network of Christian friends who know me and love me and pray for me and support me and encourage me and [are] family to me.’ … I’m waiting for the church of Jesus Christ to begin to do something like that in the local congregation.” (11.1MB MPEG, 8:33)

Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 :: 4:17 PM

“The first Reformation was about freeing the church. The new Reformation is about freeing God’s people from the church (the institution). The original Reformation decentralized the church. The new Reformation decentralizes ministry. The former Reformation occurred when clergy were no longer willing to take marching orders from the Pope. The current Reformation finds church members no longer willing for clergy to script their personal spiritual ministry journey. The last Reformation moved the church closer to home. The new Reformation is moving the church closer to the world. The historic Reformation distinguished Christians one from the other. The current Reformation is distinguishing followers of Jesus from religious people. The European Reformation assumed the church to be a part of the cultural-political order. The Reformation currently underway does not rely on the cultural-political order to prop up the church. The initial Reformation was about church. The new Reformation is about mission.” (>>)

Monday, September 27th, 2004 :: 7:07 PM
Real Ninja Power

Real Ninja Power

Saturday, September 25th, 2004 :: 10:21 AM

“And giving heed unto the grace of Christ they despised the tortures of this world, purchasing at the cost of one hour a release from eternal punishment. And they found the fire of their inhuman torturers cold: for they set before their eyes the escape from the eternal fire which is never quenched; while with the eyes of their heart they gazed upon the good things which are reserved for those that endure patiently, things which neither ear hath heard nor eye hath seen, neither have they entered into the heart of man, but were shown by the Lord to them, for they were no longer men but angels already.” (>>)

Thursday, September 23rd, 2004 :: 2:12 PM

“Soon we began talking about an extended trip; one that would have us living in the van for months, meeting new people and discovering new places. We plotted hypothetical routes up the east coast or north to the Great Lakes. We bought a map and traced back roads connecting Civil War battle sites. We considered the Bible Belt and the Flordia Keys. We pictured ourselves in New York and actually made a call to inquire about Yankee tickets. Paul and I began to consider the trip seriously. We spent days at the library and flipped through glossy pages of mountains and rivers and cities at night. When our dreams gave way to plans, our other friends faded back into thoughts of responsibility and comfort. They became apprehensive; it would mean leaving their jobs or taking a semester off from school. Soon, Paul and I were the only ones willing to go.” (>>)

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2004 :: 11:53 PM

“I was raised in a family that attended church on Sunday. It has become such a part of my life that I am no longer certain if it is real: Do I possess a personal faith, or just my own learned behavior? I have passed through what modern Christianity has to offer and am standing at the other end, questioning, ‘Is this is?’ Years of Sundays stack end to end on a calendar with church camps, youth groups, mission trips, concerts, seminars, revivals, and retreats. All of them add up to the chasing of an elusive emotional fulfillment, one that slips in and out of my consciousness like a ghost. Still, and despite my weariness with this chase, I am looking for fulfillment in Christ. Something inside keeps me in pursuit. There must be something more. Something authentic. I feel that I have only passed through the shadow of the Christian faith and eluded its consequence and substance.” (>>)

Tuesday, September 21st, 2004 :: 11:36 PM

“If Jesus flat out asked me to give up my stilettos, highlights, iPod and credit cards (boys insert: cars, motorcycles, power tools, video games, CDs or season tickets) so I could better serve Him with my time and money, I might have to be knocked unconscious to release the death grip I have on my stuff.” (>>)

Monday, September 20th, 2004 :: 10:01 PM

“Oh, crap! How many emails will I get because I said the F-word again? Attention Christian people. It’s just a word, okay? Just some sounds that convey a lot of emotion. If you feel compelled to email me and ask how I can possibly call myself a minister and use language like that, go ahead, but I’ll probably just save your email in my ‘goofy’ folder and never write back. Nothing personal. I’m just out of energy.” (>>)

Thursday, September 16th, 2004 :: 11:47 PM

PBS is running a series of shows on the lives of Freud and C.S. Lewis (which is an interesting topic) and you can view clips from each show here.

Thursday, September 16th, 2004 :: 8:39 PM

And you wonder why we’re not taken seriously?

Thursday, September 16th, 2004 :: 7:43 PM

“I got to spend some time with family that I haven’t seen in months and years which is always good because whenever I spend time with Boones there is always content to bring back to this website. And Internet, have I got content for you.” (>>)

Thursday, September 16th, 2004 :: 10:10 AM

“The prose, poetry and prophecy, of Hebrew thought will often express an outcome as causation, and that cause as God since he is over all. This does not necessarily imply that God orchestrates but rather that he may allow people the full reign or measure of their sinful intent by removing restraint or not intervening. Thus the Canaanites and Pharaoh were ‘allowed to harden’ themselves, God ceased to restrain their intent, they became increasingly callous and God did not stop them even though it would result in judgement against them. On Exodus 4:21, in his Figures of speech used in the Bible, Bullinger wrote that ‘I will harden his heart’ meant ‘I will permit or suffer his heart to be hardened’, regarding it as an idiomatic description of permitting something to run to its worst extent, not actually causing it but rather, allowing it to happen. ” (>>)

Wednesday, September 15th, 2004 :: 6:58 PM

“Give me one pure and holy passion,
give me one magnificant obsession,
give me one glorious ambition for my life,
to know and follow hard after you.” (>>)

Okay, okay… so maybe that does border on idolatry. But how can you not worship the most beautiful creature in the universe? I wants it.

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 :: 4:11 PM

“As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.” (>>)

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 :: 1:53 AM

“The younger modern bohemian is entirely underwhelmed by two discoveries he has just recently made. First, he realized that everyone is hopelessly wrong about everything. Second, he discovered sarcasm–his own capacity to make remarks he doesn’t mean about the pathetic world he inhabits. The combined weight of these two discoveries is so enormous that it has carved into its owner’s face the eternal burden of boredom.” (>>)

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 :: 1:46 AM

“Has your cult lost its original zeal and direction? The Purpose-Driven Cult will help you regain control, direction and increased funding. If your cult does not have a mission statement, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and create one. Your cult needs a unifying and simple purpose. However, you’ll want to avoid the dangers of having a poorly constructed mission statement, as people may actually expect you to adhere to your mission. The Purpose-Driven Cult will help you use the latest buzzwords that have swept the business field to your advantage. You’ll learn how you can form strategic alliances, create synergy, and form new paradigms.” (>>)

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 :: 1:42 AM

“I was outside a theater here in town and there was a guy playing a saxophone. And I watched him for a good fifteen minutes, and the guy never opened his eyes, I could see that his soul was really being moved by it. After that I kind of started to like jazz music. It was a real strange event for me because it’s not that I heard a song I really like that changed my mind, I just watched this other guy loving it. And so there have been periods sometimes when I didn’t like God but through these relationships with other people and watching them love God and how they reconciled some of the tension they had [with] God, I was able to follow them and do that too.” (>>)

Monday, September 13th, 2004 :: 2:48 PM

“They talk like they are martyrs. It is not because we are Christians that the world won’t listen to us. It is because we make bad art. The church at this point in history champions bad art.” (>>)

Sunday, September 12th, 2004 :: 1:44 PM

“Succinctly put, a movie is the art of storytelling by way of motion pictures. A movie is not a sermon. A common mistake in the Christian community is to confuse sermonizing for storytelling. Desperate to convince the prodigal son, the Christian producer employs the instruments of film in the service of propaganda: the propositional persuasion of the viewer toward an idea.” (>>)

“The problem here lies with the film’s contrived, i.e. dishonest, depiction of non-Christians. Their badness is never shown, only talked about. They bear no resemblance to any pagans most of us know, and their experience of redemption becomes a facile and in-credible transaction, soundtracked by heavy-handed Christian music. The formulaic conversions, devoid of actual characterization, rob the viewer of a genuine encounter with the mystery of Christ, and it is this that turns people off.” (>>)

“Is it OK to watch Spider-Man 2? Is it OK to be the filmmaker who spends millions of dollars on Ocean’s Eleven or Zorro? If it’s OK for God to spend divine energy making pomegranates and porcupines and platypuses for his pleasure, for a chuckle or two—for mere entertainment—then yes, yes indeed it is OK, very OK.” (>>)

“And yet is it not at the scene of the cross that we find a confluence of violence, profanity and nudity: the brutality of crucifixion, beautifully and horrifically portrayed in The Passion of The Christ, the how-could-they-not-use vulgar language coming from soldier and criminal alike, and the fact that the crucified died naked? So for the Believer artist, the question is not whether the crucifixion of Christ ought cinematically to be portrayed but how. The answer of course is not gratuitously, as either superfluous to the story or with the purpose to titillate or glamorize sin. This is the addiction of Hollywood. The answer is fully truthfully, fully honestly, and lest we forget the great commandment, fully lovingly. The challenge for the Believer artist is to hold these three in tension.” (>>)

Saturday, September 11th, 2004 :: 9:37 AM

“Jesus can’t help me — maybe I can find the answer in beer!” (>>)

Wednesday, September 8th, 2004 :: 3:55 PM

Social Distortion’s new record, Sex, Love and Rock and Roll is finished and will be release the 28th. You can listen to Reach for the Sky and Nickles and Dimes on their website, along with other songs and videos (all Quicktime). They start touring on the 24th, but the closest they’re coming to Dayton is Cleveland. Speaking of the tour, John has decided to leave the band before it starts so he can be with his family. Matt Freeman (Rancid) will be taking his place (at least for this tour).

Monday, September 6th, 2004 :: 7:33 PM

Labor Day Tip: Don’t think about how you have to go back to work tomorrow, it’ll only depress you.

Saturday, September 4th, 2004 :: 9:30 PM

It’s the little things that make life worth living.

Thursday, September 2nd, 2004 :: 5:06 PM

“to be truthful, i sort of felt betrayed. i had a definite sense of what i thought the church would be like by the ‘window dressings’ and it wasn’t like that, at all. it feels like a marketing ploy, a way to pretend to be something you’re not, the kind of consumerism you say you want no part of.”

– – – –

“I know each church has its own flavor. I also understand that Kaleo is not going to be a ‘fit’ for everyone. What I don’t understand is why those that call themselves followers of Christ, that read His word and accept it as truth, have become so consumer heavy that they actually think church is about them. The only reason we live, the only reason we are given life to attend church is for the glory of God. Not our artistic preferences. Not our preferred sermon schedule. Not even our favorite or least favorite discussed topics. The attendance of God’s people to church is purely and simply for His glory alone. If at any time we esteem our opinion or perceptions or preferences higher than that one reason, we have [defiled] ourselves and seek to glory in our ‘felt needs’ rather than glory in the maker and sustainer of all things.”

– – – –

(>>)

Thursday, September 2nd, 2004 :: 4:08 PM

“I don’t know when the beauty died
or when the breath of God grew stale,
or how the candles were consumed
and engulfed by the darkness.” (>>) [PDF]

Thursday, September 2nd, 2004 :: 2:51 AM

(Obviously) I redesigned the blog. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

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