Monthly Mixtape

10 Songs from 2008

1. Family Tree - TV on the Radio

One of the fresher things you can listen to, Tv on the Radio was featured last month, so for more detail refer to last month's mixtape.

2. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

The word lush comes to mind. Best debut of 2008 by far. Who would have thought a band that named the soundtracks for Final Fantasy games as an influence could rejuvenate folk music?

3. One Day Like This - Elbow

My favorite song of 2008, and one I'm in danger of getting burned out on. If you don't listen to/haven't heard of these guys, rectify that please, they're a thousand times better than Coldplay, the only band running neck-and-pasty-British-neck with Radiohead.

4. Cath - Death Cab

I'm always really hard on Death Cab when I first listen to one of their new albums, so much so that I don't get into it until a couple months after it's release. Narrow Stairs holds up, and is a worthy addition to their canon. This song in particular is the only one that manages to scratch the surface depth of Transatlanticism.

5. Lost? - Coldplay

I don't know what the question mark is for, Coldplay knew they weren't in Kansas long before they started working on Viva la Vida, which may be their best album. If not, it's definitely one of Brian Eno's most accessible works. Chris Martin managed to be more than insufferable (he is the Achilles and the heel of the band, kind of like Bono is with U2) and wrote some lyrics (with Eno's help). All in all a great album, and if you studiously avoided Coldplay before now, go out and buy this and Kanye's newest, they just may melt your elitist heart.

6. A Trip Out - British Sea Power

I am not really a fan of stuff that is so post anything it gets labeled post-whatever. For their first two albums, the joy of listening to British Sea Power was somewhat dampened by the fact that they really sounded like post-punk. Although I never really thought to cross-reference the Jackson 5 with British Sea Power, they manage to sound youthful and optimistic on Do You Like Rock Music? the title's genius only being made obvious after you listen to the album through a couple times.

7. Orphans - Beck

I really, really, like Beck. I'm not one of those people that says "everything since Odelay is ho-hum" I will defend every single one of his albums...except last years The Information which was such a depressing failure for me, I threw the cd away, not even wanting to collect the couple bucks it would have brought at half-price. All I can say is, thank God for Danger Mouse. Although he didn't have such a hot follow up with his own gig (Gnarls Barkley), he managed to completely erase the bad taste of The Information. Modern Guilt is another really good Beck album.

8. Love Lockdown - Kanye West

As I said earlier, this album 808's and Heartbreak, atones for a lot of the ridiculous posturing Kanye has been up to. I don't think the Beatles could have made half the noise he's made prior to the release of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and been taken seriously. And 808's and Heartbreak aint no Beatles album. Still, if you miss the Electric Light Orchestra, or wish they would have been fronted by a rapper with an auto-tuner, your in for a treat.

9. Manhattan - Kings of Leon

I may be the only person willing to say this, but I think of all those new indie bands that emerged in the early part of the decade (Interpol, The Strokes, The Stills, Of Montreal, Mates of State to name a few) the Kings of Leon have emerged as being ahead of the pack. Only by the Night is not a perfect album, nor is it as instantly infectious as some of their past work, but it is packed with good songs, which is more than I can say for any of those other guys fourth full length release.

10. Good Night, Bad Morning - The Kills

This seemed the perfect song with which to turn down the lights on 2008. Midnight Boom, despite having an awesome name, was a complete failure for The Kills, it was the epitome of "sound and fury signifying nothing" the signature swagger and attitude were there, but it didn't having anything backing it up. This simple song outranks and outclasses everything else on the album.

Aught-Eight En Retrospekt...Musik

It's been another up and down year for Musik, he's a nice guy just trying to bring a little something to the ears of the people. Unfortunately, being upper management, he really just takes credit for the success of his workforce, and it seems like some of the usually reliable team members dropped the ball. If that was an excessive use of metaphor let me know.

Keane, Razorlight, The Stills, The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spiritualized, The Killers, Ladytron and Weezer all crapped the money bed.

Several new artists suffered from something that's gotten rarer lately (the sophomore slump). While others dodged what I believe has replaced it (the third album implosion, remember The Strokes? I don't either). There were a few unexpected suprises (the pairing of Robert Plant and Alisson Krausse, Fleet Foxes). If I had to weigh the good and the bad, the dissapointments against the satisfaction, I'd have to say it was a good year.

The Mainstream/Top 40/Hip-Hop/Grammy crowd even managed to provide a decent song or two, I have officially become a fan of Lil' Wayne (the song Shooter on The Carter II) and Kanye has, not become the "voice of his generation", but at least released an album good enough to atone for ever uttering something so hopelessly egotistical and jouvenily absurd. I've surrendered to the infectious nature of Apologize and Whatever You Like, sometimes, though you already know you can't beat 'em and have sworn to never join 'em, you join 'em anyway.

It wasn't a good year for divas, I don't think anybody was fooled by Beyonce's reinvention. Brittany refuses to fade into nonexistence, and her success is proof that the American consumer has no soul, memory, brain, or even a pair of functioning ears. No new Christina Aguilera/Amy Winehouse album, no reason for me to have anything positive to say. Oh, and Katy Perry's hit single is a sign of the apocolypse. So says the Evangelical Christian "community".

There were some close calls. Death Cab, Kings of Leon, and Coldplay's new albums teetered on the brink of total failure, but I've warmed to all of them, which means it is now okay for you to like them as well (I laugh as I write this of course).

So, since it's the middle of December and you're still listening (theoretically listening anyway) to November's tunes, I've compiled a summary of what I listened to this year, limited to what was released this year. I know, you were itching to hear some classic tunes from Public Enemy, Bob Dylan, and some song from some Wes Anderson soundtrack, but for the purpose of remembering 2008 I've limited it to songs released this year. So without further ado (or explanation), the ten songs that represent 2008's music.

Whirlwind...

The last few weeks have been dizzyingly busy:

1. Lining up my job transfer with UPS
2. Testing the troubled waters of packing (meaning Lacey's done a lot of work, and I've helped a little bit)
3. Prepping for the Holidays
4. Stressing about the Christmas Party (Talent Show performance)

This is all overwhelming.
So, how do you deal with feeling overwhelmed?

I ignore it.

Denial is a potent sedative,
and I have to say,
I wanna be sedated.

The stress is really straining things at home (stress causes strain? profound isn't it?), there's just a lot of stuff bearing down on us.
And as I've said before, I don't so much rise to the occasion as ignore it until the last possible moment, when I roll out of the way like Indy dodging the giant stone ball (except instead of running away, I've been staring at it, more or less, the whole time it's been getting closer and closer).

But it's not all bad news, we've gotten a lot of stuff done, and it seems like all that's left to do is...well a lot of crap actually, but nothing with a deadline that is nearer than the first of January.

I'm sure it will all work out, but right now things are moving at a maddeningly slow pace. Which worries me, because everyone keeps saying how fast everything is going to be happening. I'm ready for that part to happen, because I really just want to be past all this awkward transition crap and settled in Austin, going to school.

Those Hunger Now Kids Made a Movie!

I went to see Slumdog Millionaire this afternoon. The movie deals with a variety of subjects, life in poverty riddled India, destiny, redemption, all framed by a televised episode of the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Think Quiz Show with a splash of City of God and a lot of heart.

The film centers on three homeless orphans living in the slums of Bombay (now Mumbai) who grow up throughout the course of the film. The seamless way the back story ties into the game show is just one of the many great things about the movie.

The film has an epic scope that can be agonizingly intimate, broad sweeping shots of sprawling shanty towns and garbage juxtaposed with a microscopic view of the harsh realities facing the abandoned and orphaned children of the world.

There has been some grumbling in the critical community over the film's R rating, and while I would consider the range of emotional tension the viewer experiences to be something for mature audiences, I don't think it deserves the limitations that an R rating puts on a film. The Dark Knight was rated PG-13 as was Quantum of Solace, both which had much more violence than this film.

The film is wrought with emotional tension, and no, I did not use the expression "wrought with emotional tension" just because I wanted to sound like a movie critic. Okay, maybe I did. But trust me, the movie is oozing with, uh...pathos.

Allow me to digress for a moment, one poster for the film has a blurb that says "A Soaring Hymn To Life". Big issue movies like Babel, Crash, The Cider House Rules, or Little Children need to be described with hyperbolic language to manipulate viewer's preconceptions. This movie doesn't need any of that, critic's quotes should be simpler, like "Excellent" or "Exceeded Expectations" or "*****". If I were to contribute a blurb it would read "Epically Intimate".

Back to Slumdog, the movie is subtitled, sort of, the subtitles aren't done in the traditional style and half the movie is in English. I only mention this because I wonder what the Academy will do with it when awards season comes around, the critical praise for this film has been so overwhelmingly positive I can't imagine it not being nominated. The only question remains whether it be Best Picture or Best Foreign Language Film.

The production, cinematography, and music all combine in the best possible way, which is to say that they draw the viewer into the story while still standing out as being fresh without being distracting, confusing, or overdone (Michael Bay, Tony Scott take notice).

The bottom line is this is meaty bit of escapism you can breathlessly enjoy in the moment and dissect at length later, something that doesn't happen very often at the movies.

Impending Doom?

I'm sure everybody remembers the writer's strike this year, how we were subjected to a slew of empty-headed reality shows in place of the usual drama or sitcom, forced to abandon our televisions for the outdoors or God forbid, actual human contact. Those were dark days for Americankind.

It would seem that - although the writer's strike gutted the industry of material, jobs, and opportunities and the promises made at the resolution have all been unmet - the Actor's Guild is considering a strike.

Which, despite the ease of replacing a face as opposed to a brain, will probably have a similar effect on the industry, mainly a vacuum of entertainment.

The biggest effect of the last strike has been the pushback of a lot of fall film releases, which have been moved to fill the empty slots of the next summer season. This leaves us with a lot of indie movies having a shot at making a buck this fall.

But back to the Film Actor's Guild (error in nomenclature intentional). This is a bad idea, actor's are the most over-payed element in film making. I thought the writer's strike was morally justifiable at least, writer's have always gotten screwed when it came to passing out the pie. Actor's are the ones hogging the big slices they wouldn't be able to get their hands on if it weren't for good writing, direction, production, lighting, etc. Granted there are exceptions, you could shoot Daniel Day-Lewis with a home video camera at dusk without any lighting and get an Oscar worthy performance. But there's only a handful of Daniel Day-Lewis'. Most actors are mediocre at best and all of them are payed much more than the true creators.

Still, if absurdity wins the day, they will go on strike, making cinematic or televised entertainment even more irrelevant in the post dial-up internet age. And that future only involves lower pay for everyone all around.

My wife asked me to write about the strike, so I wrote about it. Really, I'm returning to a medium of entertainment I have neglected, where there is no industry of interdependent parts that have to democratically cooperate in order to produce something of merit, I'm talking about the book of course.

What would happen if there was an author's strike? It's an absurd concept, and that is just another reason books are better.

Wonderful Winter...

The cinematic drought of fall has ended. No more horror remakes, unfunny comedies, or cliched romances. The time has come once again for the silver screen to be bombarded with "Oscar Contenders" or if you prefer straight talk, "Movies that don't rot your brain". Here's some trailers that have me itching for December...

The Wrestler - Directed by Darren Aranofsky
Release: 12-17

Gran Torino - Directed by Clint Eastwood
Release: 12-17

Slumdog Millionaire - Directed by Danny Boyle
Release: 11-12
Valkyrie - Directed by Brian Singer
Release: 12-26

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Directed by David Fincher
Release: 12-25

Early Oscar picks? Best Picture nods for the first three, with actor nominations for Mickey Rourke and Clint Eastwood. Now go see some good movies!

Click Player 8, Click Play, Enjoy Nerdy Poetry...

SNL This Weekend...

SNL has gone through it's own Reformation, the proverbial 95 theses have been stamped on the proverbial screen and they all say the same thing, "We don't suck anymore". Now I'm gonna go listen to some JT.

The Something of Boris...

What is my fascination with ellipses? I don't know, but maybe that's part of why I loved Casino Royale.

James Bond movies have always been mediocre entertainment. But, with the previously mentioned entry (number 21) the bar has been raised. Bond displayed genuine emotions. He fell in love. He abhorred his job. He was gadgetless, punless, and as a direct result, anything but brainless.

Those who complain that the next film needs to return to the Bond we know, have forgotten everything they said about the Bond we know, mainly that he needed to stop visiting the big screen altogether. The paradigm has shifted permanently, unlike previous attempts at rebooting the series, the changes here go deeper than just adding a touch of realism by eliminating the more fantastic elements of the franchise.

Bond has become something akin to Jason Bourne no doubt. But to be fair, he was something akin to Jason Bourne thirty years before Jason Bourne ever existed. Bond's character in the novels never had a helicopter that unfolded out of a suitcase (or several suitcases to be technically correct), a jetpack, or any type of laser emitting wristwatch.

The Bond of the books is just what we're seeing now, detached and cold, showing moments of humanity in dire situations and rarely getting laid.

Is it refreshing? For most people probably not, but as a reader of Bond first, I'd have to say the new direction has me completely satisfied.

The sequel to Casino Royale, granted, has a crummy title. Search for The Something of Boris on youtube to find a pretty funny alternate opening song, critiquing the incomprehensibility of Quantum of Solace, I was unable to find a funny song about the difficulties of long words like "incomprehensibility" or "critiquing" maybe someone can research that for me?

Sorry, that paragraph said nothing. The new 007 flick is flawed, but the flaws are technical and fortunately, unable to sink the rest of the movie. The action set pieces here are ruined by poor editing (by poor I mean confusing, Michael Bay style cutting from shot to shot).

However, a few smaller action segments stand out if you really need the action, and the opera house scene is probably one of the best Bond moments in the entirety of this long-running franchise's bloated catalog. I read somebody calling it "Kubrickian" to which I instantly thought, shut up, but it turns out I'd have to agree. That scene validates the price of admission by itself. Unfortunately the action sequence immediately following can't maintain the same impression and the moment fades. But would great moments stand out if they were surrounded by equally great moments?

The filmmaker's throw in an excellent homage to Bond's cinematic history at the start of the final act, another great moment feeling smothered by another weak action sequence.

The strength of this film that outweighs all other detractions is Daniel Craig. Is he cold? Yes, but if you forget to watch the scenes where he's not, you'll miss out on the fact that he's still human, and not a caricature like his past incarnations. Is he indestructible? Somewhat, but he takes a beating and seems to just be trying to survive, granted with more success than logic would usually permit.

Craig is an actor of higher caliber than anyone who preceded him (with the possible exception of Connery, though his scripts never asked of him what Paul Haggis is asking of Craig) and he does everything perfectly. There were a few scenes in Casino Royale where he seemed awkward, he's nearly perfect this time around.

The bottom line is The Whatsit of Something is better entertainment than anything brought to the big screen since The Dark Knight. Despite the director's inability to present jaw-dropping action sequences, Daniel Craig's performance and several great moments make this film much more good than bad. Quantum of Solace is a rough, but a rough with many gems encrusted in it.

This Letter is to Inform You...

My acceptance letter from UT hasn't actually arrived, but through the wonder of the digisphere I already know I've been accepted, don't ask how, the digisphere made me promise not to tell you.

So...now what? I get to study philosophy at the number five school of philosophy in the nation, live in Austin, go to the Texas equivalent of Central Park whenever I want, get involved with a real local live music scene, live in Austin, meet new people, live in Austin, buy records whenever I feel like it (or at least be close enough to gaze at them fondly if I can't afford them), live in Austin, etc.

It's exciting, but of course, carries a lot of weight with it. Like Dr. Jim says, we need to be prayed up. I think my prayer for me and mine would be that this would be an instrument of positive change and growth through success rather than failure, as I'm the sort to learn from either; I've done enough of the former, I'd like to try the latter.

Look What I Found!

...On the internet.

Greetings from Lake Highlands Church of Awesome...

I've been wanting to talk about my church for a while, and figured now was a good time (talking about religion is the best way to wash the bad taste of politics out of your mouth right?).

Our pastor, Dr. Jim Reynolds, has been talking for the past few weeks about being the church outside of the church building. He's trying to combat the idea that worship is something that starts on Sunday morning and ends at noon. Here's an excerpt from his sermon "Marketplace Ministry"

I found his comments about the fundamental issue in life being life and death instead of good and evil to be refreshing, especially coming from an older minister. It's comforting to hear such honest talk about the problems of the church and to hear them coming from the pulpit.

Lake Highlands has been described as unique by a lot of people who go there, and I would have to agree. There's very little disconnect between what is taught and what is practiced by the body.

It's exciting going on Sunday, because you really don't know what's going to take place, we have the standard liturgy of announcements, songs, sermon, closing prayer. However the lineup usually gets interrupted and changed in some way from week to week. We might have a discussion on corporate fasting, drama from the youth, extended prayer for someone sick. All this adds up to an atmosphere of vibrant community starkly opposed to wrote, traditional, autonomous "worship".

Here's another bit from Jim's sermon.

I think one of the worst things we've done as Christians in the past hundred years is to make an idol out of self-righteousness. Sin is either conquered effortlessly or hidden in a closet so it appears to have been effortlessly conquered. As a result we've become terrified of sin, we're so afraid we'll catch it we've become all about not watching R-rated movies, not going to clubs, not drinking liquor/beer/wine, not talking to morally suspect people. How does the secular world identify us? By what we aren't.

It's a relief to be in a place that is focused on becoming what I should be instead of telling me how to stop being what I shouldn't.

Another things is that while Lake Highlands has a pretty loud, fully fleshed out worship band, you have a hard time hearing them over the congregation.

Which is awesome.

Some of Us are Dying in a Vacuum...

...and the rest don't want to share any oxygen.

It's been a strange week, starting with nervous anticipation that turned to disquieted satisfaction ever evolving still through frustration, anger, dismay, sadness, hope, relief, and finally outright joy.

But to get perspective I'm listening to Sea Change while writing this.

(you should try listening to the album for at least four hours straight sometime)

I don't know everything, I probably don't even know enough for it to be worth your while to read this collection of essays, ramblings, and rants.

But I think it's better to be aware of that, than to know whatever it is I don't know. That much knowledge changes you, and not in a way I want to be changed.

The quest for truth is a strange quest to embark upon in an age that shouts at the top of it's collective lungs "THERE IS NO TRUTH."

I think the reason there is such rampant denial of something so obvious is simple.

The truth is just about the worst thing to know,
if knowing is where it stops for you.

Why? Probably because truth inherently moves people, and the truth-knowers who sit still, in denial, are killing themselves, and their knowledge does nothing but kill everything around them.

To be motivated by something false, or marginally incorrect even, and to respond to it without reservation, is a much better life to my mind, then to deny the motivations of perfected knowledge.

Who needs truth? When everyone who claims to have it is so messed up, it doesn't look very appealing, especially when everyone who doesn't is getting by just fine.

Compartmentalization of life is probably the subtlest form of suicide there is.

If you can isolate the relevance of something from anything you're already doing it.

The tragedy here is that we all need truth, direction propelled from false motivation can kill you a lot quicker, the other way, by virtue of being slower, is much more nasty and potentially devastating.

I'm reminded of Samuel L. Jackson towards the end of Pulp Fiction, he seems to be almost pleading with Tim Roth's character,

"I'm trying to be the shepherd"

For me to have peace of mind, the solution isn't to deny my inclination towards being a shepherd, I can only try to learn more about tending sheep.

Reason for Tears...

We've all heard the accounts of people who watched the election results crying tears of joy over Obama's landslide victory. While I was excited, I didn't feel anywhere near that level of an emotional response, but today, after talking with an older black co-worker I started to realize what was going on underneath the surface of this historic election. Here's some of what he said...

"When I saw that Obama won, I cried like a baby, now you've got to understand, I didn't read about the civil rights movement in some history book, I only went to an integrated school my last year of high school. I remember a time when I couldn't drink out of a water fountain if I wanted to. But now I know, cuz I can see, there's no difference between black or white. If you want to do something, it doesn't matter who you are, now I know that it's true."

I understand now how hard it is for anyone who hasn't been on the recieving end of social injustice, bigotry, or outright hatred to really empathize with the emotions felt by a lot of people Tuesday night. I'd like to thank Roy for helping me understand the significance of this week.

Monthly Mixtape

November: No Time For Love

It's been a wild month, I got a new boss, internet at the house, and earlier this week, a new President. Music has kinda taken a back seat for a bit, hence the delayed rollout and title of the November Mixtape. Anyway, without further ado...

1. Lust Child - Iggy Pop & The Supremes

Seeing as how this is a blog, I guess a mashup is a little overdo. This is probably my favorite.

2. Hang Me Out To Dry - Cold War Kids

File this one under "This band released an atrocious album this month, lets remember when they didn't suck."

3. Use Somebody - Kings of Leon

The Kings barely avoided earning the same blurb as the previously mentioned band, but Only by the Night has more than a handful of good tunes, this being one of the best.

4. From Which I Came - Eels

The Eels are one of those bands that you just have to listen to while reading, so I use them a lot, this is the first track off of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations the best 20+ track album I've ever heard.

5. We've Been Had - The Walkmen

A song I really identify with, both lyrically and, well pianically.

6. Family Tree - TV on the Radio

Finally, a new release I can unequivocally (spelling that was feat in and of itself) endorse. Dear Science is another great album from TVOTR.

Editor's Note: I really don't like those abbreviations of band names, movies, or books

7. Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie

Best Death Cab song ever. In honor of a friend on facebook.

8. Whitechocolatespaceegg - Liz Phair

Yeah, she has gone way too mainstream now, but there was a time when Liz Phair didn't pose semi-naked behind a guitar for an album cover (the cover of the album this song was taken from is a cool homage to Emmylou Harris).

9. I'm Just a Country Boy - Don Williams

Long before Weezer helped start the trend of emotional self-indulgence there was Don Williams, who wrote about emotional angst, but with substance. There is reason behind the forlornness of his music, which is more than you can say for must of the overwrought whining that passes for indie rock nowadays.

10. Come Back - Josh Rouse

Our church has a talent show at our Christmas party, we're going to be covering this song for it. Probably my favorite Josh Rouse song. Off his album 1972.

My Grandpa is in this awesome new movie...

I recommend you watch this full screen.

What Does it Mean?

It's a shame this didn't occur to me before I voted, as it is without a doubt, in my mind, the best reason to vote for Obama.

Barack Obama, as the first black President, has an opportunity to be hands down the most influential role model on a demographic that is in desperate need of a good example, namely young black men.

I didn't think there could ever be a voice that could shout louder than the blaring beats and philosophy of bitches and money that permeates hip-hop culture, but the quiet, firm voice of Obama has a shot.

Just one more audacious hope I guess.

Electioneering

Before I begin this discussion, I'd like to say a few things, I believe abortion is the termination of an unborn child's life, but that belief does not exist in a vacuum. The Gospel is a pillar of my identity, and it states pretty plainly that sin is a part of a fallen world, that grace abounds to overcome it, and that as Christians we are to be the imperfect example of Christ's grace to the world. You may have to refer back to this statement while reading along.

The question I've answered for myself (as I've already voted) and which I've continuously considered throughout this entire campaign, is as follows...

What changed between the last time I voted and now, and is my decision to vote for a Democratic candidate a denial of my faith, a sidestepping of it, or a response to newly felt convictions?

In the last election I voted for George W. Bush, I did so mainly because of the moral issue of abortion. I believed that because the Democratic party supported a woman's right to choose over protecting the life of an unborn child I could not vote for a Democratic candidate. I cast my vote for Bush in an action I look back on as being done with almost total disinterest. I think when we make choices, though they may line up with a stock morality, lacking a passion and regeneration of the heart, we're slowly killing our faith.

I didn't want to re-elect Bush, but I didn't know anything about John Kerry, and when you don't know anything about someone, you'll believe anything someone you agree with says about them.
I don't know if I should have voted for Kerry or not, I'd have been in a better position to complain about Bush in the ensuing years.

Fast forward four years, and I'm hearing about this upstart young candidate Barack Obama. His rhetoric about the economy, the last eight years, the war, and a need for personal responsibility in the American individual and the American family all resonated strongly with me.

Was I sucked in by his charisma and slick speech making? Not really, I didn't hear him speak until the Democratic National Convention, everything I learned about him I read online.

As I became more and more interested in him, and the idea of voting for him (early on I was hoping for Rudy Gulianni to win the Republican nomination) I ran into the same issue that pushed me towards Bush in 2004.

Abortion is a sensitive issue, one that, while I line up with the pro-lifers, the way this belief has been brought out of the monastery and into the marketplace has always saddened me.

Christians in America, especially ones who vocalize to the media, seem more like the Pharisees of the early church days than the disciples of Jesus.

Some things I read early on that Obama had said: That He could not support the banning of abortion for religious reasons, as it would conflict with the separation of church and state, that abortion is a moral issue and a choice that no one wants to make, that the family needs to be the primary influence on any decision surrounding abortion instead of the courts.

I believe that you cannot legislate morality and change the hearts of men and women. I believe the instrument of change to impact abortion is the reclamation of the family. That starts with a call to responsibility and accountability, a call that Obama was making.

Book of...FACE!

Yeah, I got one, go add me as your friend, unless, you know, you don't want to. But please, keep that to yourself, I've got a delicate enough ego as it is.

Anyway, I'm working on a piece right now, which is so lengthy it deserves to be called a piece, instead of a post.

Have a post of the piece, it's delicious...

"...It started out with a conversation with my mom about how she could not vote Democrat because of the abortion issue, which got me thinking, how could I?"

That's how the piece, which will be posted posthaste in order to promote peace and prosperity in this land of political parity and parody, gets the ball rolling.

Or should I have said pie rolling? If only to keep the plethora of p-words in play?

I'm sorry, you're getting annoyed while I amuse myself, like some old lady blathering on and on about a kitten and a ball of string, or what some bird did when it visited her feeder.

Anyway, I'm working on it, such a thing can either be balanced and thought provoking, like an Oliver Stone movie, or hastily thrown together and irrelevantly preachy, like an Oliver Stone movie.

It may roll out in segments, or I may just projectile vomit the whole mess at once.

Doing theology Vs. Knowing Theology...

Seeing as how I spent the last 21 years on the knowing theology team, and just recently changed over to the doing theology team, or rather, have been traded between the two teams but am not quite sure how I feel about it yet...

The predominant theme/idea/message at our church is do the theology that you know. And I love that, particularly since I see very clearly how when you don't try to do anything you learn, you just spend more time learning. Very much the pitfall I see a lot of Christians falling into.

Jesus gave a few very simple commands, which despite their simplicity (love your neighbor, honor your father and mother, don't lust or hate in your heart, mind, or body, etc.) have been almost impossible for the majority of Christianity to follow. And by majority I mean the majority of Christianity I have experienced or observed in close proxy.

I'm not attacking the pursuit of knowledge of scripture, the study of fringe theology like eschotology, predestination, or any other church word longer than five letters. All those things can produce vibrant communion with our God, but they do very little for communion with the Body.

D.A. Carson warned in his introduction to the book Exegetical Fallacies that any study that focuses on the negative can be dangerous. It can lead to high minded feelings of superiority, a negative attitude, an overall deadening of the transformative faith.

I would go one step further to say that any study solely for the purpose of knowledge, without application, is very dangerous. Not can be, could be, or is if it's some other denomination with bad theology. It just is.

Knowledge puffs up, inflating the mind (the most impotent of organs when not bent on moving the body) and squashing the heart, you lose empathy, mercy, grace towards those you are supposed to be reaching out to (the lost) and eventually you become so nitpicky that you are even isolated from your brothers and sisters in the faith.

What is the study of theology good for?

A deepening of understanding, but if you just keep deepening your understanding without it affecting your life you're only digging yourself a theological bomb shelter.

And like my man Matt Chandler said, "You are the salt of the earth, so get in the cupboard."

We don't need bulletproof theology, we need humble, broken bleeding theology. A test of whether or not your study is beneficial would be just that. Do you feel better capable of shooting down bad thought processes, or do you feel pulled to the weak, the hungry, the abandoned, the abused and lost?

So I guess, if you're like me, wanting to climb out of your bomb shelter and interact with humanity, you're probably asking something like "Help me know how to stop being obsessed with just knowing and get out and do it."

You're just going to have to start listening to those nudges the Spirit gives you, that guy you should have encouraged? Say something. The shady looking guy wanting you to put some gas in his car so he can get across town to help his sick daughter? Give him some gas despite the fact that he's probably just a bum.

You won't ease your guilt of not helping out people by trying to learn more about God.

Instead, listen to what God tells you to help people, obey Him.

In Response to Bryan...

I was commenting on a friend's blog about bonhoeffer's idea of cheap vs. costly grace, his original post can be read here, but I put so much effort into my reply, I decided to just post it.

Cheap grace sounds like an interesting concept, except that even the grace described as cheap is costing something, credibility, accountability, relevance...we've been paying for cheap grace for a long time, and in the end, I think we'll find it to be more costly than the other kind.

I think the point of Atonement is simple, the injustice of man cannot be atoned for by an unjust man (I know, a staggeringly original idea, quote me if you want).Is becoming a nurse going to turn things around? No, will years, or even decades, of selfless servitude affect the lives she destroyed? Hardly, and she may not know it yet, but she will realize it at some point, when all the weight of her guilt will return, unlightened by time or service.We can fight with all we have, giving everything, and we still won't be able to turn back the tidal wave of destruction caused by even one small lie, or seemingly insignificant selfish act.

It's like Joker said, "When the chips are down, these people will eat each other."

What he should have said afterwards is,

"Batman, the chips are down, and you won't be able to pull that guy's arm from the grip of that girl's jaws even if you tugged for your entire life"

We aren't just beyond saving, we're consuming each other as we speak. Atonement paints the same picture.

Sorry, I just go done reading World War Z, which is too awesome to even attempt to describe,
Go read it yesterday!

Christendom is Dead...

I'm sure most of you already knew this, since you're reading a blog, and therefore know how to use a computer.

It held on a long time, more than a thousands years, but I think I can say without a doubt, that it is dead.

The vibrant communities of faith that exist in asia and africa do so without any political clout or authority or cultural popularity.

But more relevant to where we are now.

Christianity in America needs to stop acting as if it has some sort of fortress of moral superiority to protect. The castle doesn't exist anymore, the fact that what it was made out to be never existed either is beside the point.



Statistics show no difference in lifestyle between a Christian and the average secular individual. Whatever checks and balances on pop culture that used to exist are either ignored or gone (consider last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy).

I would like to drag this out longer, but I need to get home and get some sleep. I'll close with the punchline,

However long it took for it to die, I'm glad it finally did.

Viscious!!!

I think it (Viscious!!!) could be the new righteous (as in stoner exclamation of praise, not Godlikeness).

I have to clear up the whole viscious moralism thing.

I got sidetracked from my original thesis, which wasn't that the coen bros. have this philosophy called viscious moralism, which is tough to defend I'll concede (though not impossible).

But since that wasn't my original thesis, I'll state it here...

"The Coen's are really viscious moralists."

I think their work is about ethics, and that they promote moralism and do it visciously. No Country fits in with everything that happens to Josh Brolin after the seemingly innocent decision to take the dead drug dealer's money.

Star Wars Mania in the works! (All six episodes back 2 back 2 back 2 back 2 back 2 back)

Brought to you by the Dell Store in Northpark...

And Sun Chips, a healthy alternative to potato chips.

I was asked by a friend from church to comment on my Coen brother's philosophy, particularly in relation to Burn After Reading.

The thesis of the Coen Brother's philosophy is this:

Joel and Ethan Coen are Viscious Moralists...

Viscious Moralism has to be explained (apparently I unwittingly invented it).

I would consider moralism to be the exaltation of doing the right thing, whatever that may be, where the moral action becomes no longer an act of worship, but the deity.

There is no higher reality or aim to moralism. You do what's right, because it's right.

Now, Burn After Reading enforces this (consider everything they've done since Raising Arizona as well).

You have a cast of unlikeable mostly amoral characters whose lives are depressingly moronic and mundane.

And they're all politicans and CIA/FBI spooks.

With the exception of the employees at the gym.

Frank, the manager, is the only remotely likeable character in the entire movie, he's also something of an advice giver/father-figure/almost boyfriend to Frances McDormand's character.

He violates his straight laced, moral nature and what happens?

He ends up being shot and brutally hatcheted to death in one of the Coen's most striking scenes since the woodchipper.

Juxtaposed with how Frances McDormand makes out (she gets what she wants, though her existence is definitely the most depressing of the entire cast) you get Viscious Moralism...

An aimless servile dedication to rightness nets far worse results than narcissistic amoral lunacy.

I've got to wrap this up, the Dell Store guys look like they think I'm using them for their internet...

Talk later...


P.S. Buy one of these XPS laptops, they're awesome!

Jim's Book, Stephanie's dog, King's concert, My life...

I've been reading my pastor's book The Leper's Among Us about homosexuality and the church. It's got a lot of good insight, and as he has actually ministered to several men in the church who now have families (not, as the book says, that heterosexual marriage is a benchmark for a "recovering" homosexual) his writings don't sound distanced or preachy.

Jim has a lot to say, and though the spoiled reader in me wants flashier, shinier, better produced presentation, the content of this book is fantastic.

Now for something completely different...

We are getting a dog today! He's an australian shepherd-lab mix and named...this is awesome beyond all reason...Chewbacca, or Chewie for the less nerdy.

I think home church is already having positive impact on me and only after two weeks! I am becoming more caring about other people (the term other-oriented is too soulless for me, essentially, I give a shit now).

What is the best thing about putting yourself last? All this other cool stuff gets some airtime for starters, and as anybody who has a shred of honesty in them knows, it's the self that derails the happy train faster than anything else.

For instance, I really really wanted to go see the Kings of Leon at the end of this month, they're one of my favorite bands and the supporting lineup has another fave (the stills, both are in this month's playlist).

I have plenty of money to do so, but I decided to do something special for my wife instead, she has no idea how awesome this Christmas is going to be...but doing it sapped any of my spare cash for the next few months.

I won't be buying any more records til next year probably, and the concert is definitely out. But do I miss either of those things?

The answer is simple, I don't miss those things nearly as much as I look forward to the look on Lacey's face this December.

Monthly Mixtape

October: Brown Paper Packages...

This is another lazy month,

a list of ten songs,

with some words,

Read em and weep.

Or listen.

A New Decade - The Verve

Why don't I listen to Oasis? Two reasons, their douchebag frontmen and The Verve. And no, none of the other descriptions will be this brief, but I will strive for brevity...sort of.

Lola Stars and Stripes - The Stills

The Stills debut album Logic Will Break Your Heart, besides having a great title, is loaded with great songs that are romantic without being too messy or too dissonant, political without being preachy or obscure. The music is lush without sounding overproduced, don't ask me how, it just is. I'll try to use the word "without" less frequently.

Powder Blue - Elbow

Elbowing their way into my top five bands, this is the band we almost got when Keane and Coldplay were talking about merging back in the 90's before either made it big (didn't know that? Yeah, we almost had a 21st century version of the Beatles). Now both bands pale in comparison to Elbow, who perhaps has the worst name, but hands down has the best catalog. Disagree? Give em a listen.

Arizona - The Kings of Leon

Sadly, the Kings new album wasn't released early enough last month for me to use a track from it, maybe next month. In their honor (they are coming to town this month, with fellow mixtape companion, The Stills) I've got one of the best tracks from their third album released just last year, or maybe early this year. I'm not sure, it hasn't been long though.

Lights Out for Darker Skies - British Sea Power

Besides the Kings of Leon, British Sea Power has the best third album release of the new generation of rock n roll. While their peers have been making mistakes (Interpol, The Storkes, etc...) they've released three solid albums, with Do You Like Rock Music? being their best yet.

Profanity Prayers - Beck

Let me start things off by saying I'm a big fan of Danger Mouse, and I think he is exactly what Beck needed to wash the muck of his last album off his hands, out of his hair, and from whatever other crevices it may have clung. I seriously hated The Information. But Modern Guilt is a great enema to that diarrhetic piece of sonic trash. Hyperbolic? Listen to it and get back to me.

All You Do is Talk - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

BRMC is another reason I need to give up the top five list concept. This song is from their newest album, which was not well recieved by critics, and I'm the only fan I know so I'm not sure how diehards felt about it. I thought this was the best song from it though.

All These Things that I've Done - The Killers

The main reason for putting this song up is that Nike commercial from the Olympics. If you missed it, find it on youtube. The other reason is it may remind you of when they didn't suck. Their performance on SNL last weekend was pitiable. Brandon Flowers looked like an ostrich in desperate need of some prozac (if you saw it, you know what I mean) and the music was snooze worthy.

I Think I'm In Love - Spiritualized

Spiritualized is probably in my top five bands, not that it matters to you, but I came to that realization this month I also realized as of this moment I probably have too many top five bands to actually narrow it down to a single top five. Oh, and this is one of the best eight minute songs there is, period.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Originally this song came in front of the BRMC track, hence the odd repition of the top five concept, I know it looks odd, but the list flows better now, remember, it's all about the music.

Only in Dreams - Weezer

Another one of the best eight minute songs, but not quite worthy of saying "period" at the end. Is it really sad to peak on your first album? I would say yes, only because Weezer refuses to admit it. I haven't even bothered checking out the Red Album.

Apologies...

For the last post, it was obscenely melodramatic.

Homage...

We visited a home group for the first time last night. It was fantastic. But then, I may just be really, really lonely and getting to just talk to some friendly people I share a connection with was great. Lacey and the girls seemed to have a good time as well.

The only bummer is now we're on hiatus for "friends" week. So, it'll be two weeks before we get another chance to "plug in".

Corelating human interaction with appliances seems odd, but if you think about it...a lifeless tool becames useful when it's plugged in...but I'm getting way too deep with this simple cliche.

I played a worship song on the guitar for the first time in months yesterday. The only thing is, I played it over and over for at least 3 hours.

I almost feel whole again.

If I were only perfect, life would be right now.

REPENT YOU CHRISTIANS!

The Confession booth idea for next week's outreach event has been in the back of my mind since we (me and Angela) decided to do it. I've put this post together to help others prepare. Preparation of this type is good for any kind of outreach

"Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, 

then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyles. 

That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

- Dc Talk

I really don't like Christian music, mostly because it doesn't exist (Music doesn't have a soul, it can't get saved). But this quote sums up what we're trying to combat with the Confession Booth next weekend.

For those of you who are still unclear about what the confession booth is, essentially, like the confession booth of orthodox faiths, it is a place where you confess sin. The difference between this confession booth and the traditional booth is that those visiting the booth will be confessed to, not do any confessing. We, the confessors who are running the booth, will confess the misrepresentation of Christ we have committed individually and collectively as a church.

What does that mean? 

On a smaller, more personal level, apologizing for being judgmental, sectarian, unfriendly, proud, arrogant, pharisee-ish. On the larger, collective scale, admitting that protesting gay pride parades, abortion clinics, and the Democratic National Convention is not what Jesus is about. That we the body of Christ have spent too many years being the mind and the mouth and almost no time being the hands and heart.

Maybe you don't agree with this idea (that Christianity has been misrepresenting itself for ages). If so the confession booth probably isn't for you. I don't have the time to argue that point here, although I'd be willing to discuss it with anyone who has any questions, or wants to share their opinion.

Here is some of the stuff I'm going to be doing to prepare for manning the booth...

1. Re-Reading The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Tim Keller's book has some of the best answers to tough questions skeptics ask. If you haven't read it, go get it and read the chapters dealing with objections to faith.

2. Researching Anti-Christian Thought

Do you want to know how Christians are viewed by secular society? Watch an episode of South Park, or the movie Saved. Read the Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right by Robert Lanham. Christians are not popular, and why? Asking yourself that question honestly will help prepare you for what you might hear next sunday. We aren't here to win a popularity contest, but if we were living our lives in a Christ-like way, we'd be more than a punch-line  on late night tv.

3. Reading Sections of Blue Like Jazz

This book inspired the whole Confession Booth idea in the first place. Chapter 11 would be a good thing to read in prep for next week, it contains the confession booth story but the whole book is an excellent representation of one man's sanctification (theologispeak for spiritual growth). If you want to know more about loving unloveable people this book is a good place to start.

I won't lie to you (whoever you are) I'm not rock-solid confident about this thing, but my worst fear is not worrying about what I'll say, but whether I'll have anyone to say anything to.

Confessions of a Journeyman Audiophile...

"Let the great world spin forever,
down the ringing grooves of change"
-A.L. Tennyson-

I'm a month into my conversion to vinyl collecting/converting and I've already discovered that despite it's purist elements, the vinyl movement is really just another way for the American consumer to throw away hundreds of dollars on an "identity". But it's totally not like that for me, I swear.

Now I need a new turntable, which means a reciever to be able to utilize the speakers I bought last month, which means another couple hundred bucks. Or, if I'm lucky, the turntable I'm looking at has a preamp in it already. But this technical jargon is not the stuff of a good blog entry.

I'm just trying to illustrate that with anything you get interested in, if you find yourself throwing a ton of money at it, ask yourself why. I've asked myself, and the truth is that listening to music on vinyl teaches me patience, allows me to appreciate the work of the artists I enjoy more thoroughly, and also repays the music industry for all those mp3's I've downloaded.

Still, as hobbies go, this one is relatively cheap (to collect every record I desire and purchase the eqipment to utilize them I'm looking at less than $2,000). Compared to other types of art collection, that's pretty economical.

I have to remind myself that I'm obsessing over this almost every day, that may sound like it isn't accomplishing much, but it does curb the appetite. Mostly I have to remember that the resources I have under my control need to be guided towards more practical purposes for the time being (I've budgeted this whole thing, something unheard of for me). Lacey manages all the bills, I plan out a detailed and thorough plan to buy a ton of records.

I know somebody sees the irony/outright evil of that situation. I could really manage the money if I applied myself to it, but when I try to harness my energies for something they don't naturally incline themselves to, I find the results at best ineffectual and at worst disastrous.

That isn't a cop-out, it's just the way things have always been with me. I don't think I have any control over what my heart desires to do, or at least, I don't have any right now. If anybody knows some ironclad methods for harnessing uncontrollable and unquantifiable energy, let me know.

Monthly Mixtape

September: Glorious Indie Rock

This month kind of caught me by suprise, I was working a list of rap, r&b, and hip-hop but never got the ten tracks nailed down. Then I started listening to Spiritualized again and I knew I had to put Ladies and Gentlemen up this month. Everything else sort of followed...

1. Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space - Spiritualized

Spiritualized is classified as dream pop on allmusic. However, when I think of dream pop, I think boring synthesizers and electric pianos...this is definitely not dream pop.

2. Thank You Guru - Lost on Purpose

A very indie band, Lost on Purpose is so unsuccessful they haven't even recorded a full length album. Probably because nothing they've recorded is close to being as good as this track.

3. I will Survive - Art Brut

Naming yourself after an art movement isn't a groundbreaking idea, but actually embodying the ideals of the art movement with your musical style is. Especially when you have this much fun doing it.

4. Mama, won't you keep them castles in the air and burning? - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

This guy's voice is almost irritating, but any fool knows that walking that line is a sure path to greatness, or at least popular mediocrity. CYHSY! seems like a junior Arcade Fire, but considering the greatness of that band, it would have to be taken as a compliment

5. Somewhere a Star Shines for Everyone - The Innocence Mission

My favorite track from the coolest lullaby album ever.

6. Rings of Symbols - Pilotdrift

Local boys Pilotdrift almost made good. Merging a love for soundscapes and the Beatles (otherwise known as Oasis) Pilotdrift wrote one great song, so good it carried a very mediocre debut album into much higher spheres of critical appreciation than it deserved.

7. All I Have to do is Dream - The Everly Brothers

Speaking of the Beatles, here is one of their influences. Kind of a disturbing song really.

8. Mine is Yours - Mouse on Mars

A German chemical brothers, nuff said.

9. White Daisy Passing - Rocky Votolato

Rocky Votolato is to Elliott Smith what The Dandy Warhols are to The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but I still like him. If that sentence means nothing to you, don't worry about it, just listen to the song.

10. Fraud in the 80's - Mates of State

High school teachers marry and quit their jobs to form a band, how sexy is that?

Three Dark Knights...

I feel increasingly burdened by just about everything. For the last three weeks the person I've trained at work has laid some pretty heavy personal stuff on me, I don't know what the status quo is, or if it even exists. But if it's some general standard among humanity, it's declining and on levels that most don't even recognize as a decline.

The family unit as it has existed in years past may not have been as idyllic as it was made out to be, but I don't see how what we have now is any better.

Of the three people I've trained, they all came from single parent/divorced/unmarried homes and were all involved in a second or third relationship, some not even really being in one anymore but have a few kids to take care of on their own.

The sordid details of their lives were more troubling than any dramatic account in any medium (film, song, literature). And the reason that all those problems, issues, failures, and often outright stupidity were so much more distressing than the turmoil and conflict of art is that they are trivial and commonplace.

What's a guy to do?

There is no light that penetrates such infinite darkness, at least...and this is more telling, there is no light that I feel I possess enough of to pass on into such infinite darkness that has more than a fool's chance of bringing peace and light to anyone.

I guess I could sum it up by saying, quit preaching to the choir and listen to some of the people who don't even go to church. And if, after you've listened to everything they have to say you still have something to say...go ahead and say it.

But for right now, I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

The Arts...

A friend of mine suggested I throw together a list of suggested listening in order to turn my readership onto some new, as-yet-unheard-of music. Off the top of my head, here's a few...

Fleet Foxes, Rogue Wave, The National, The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and The Black Keys.

I briefly browsed the library today, and came across a collection of essays by G.K. Chesterton, it was titled All is Gist and besides the fact that gist is a word fallen out of use of late (as is any word that can't be reduced to a combination of letters and symbols) it's an excellent collection. He has a way of exposing the intellectual childishness of almost any idea or position without sounding capricious or dogmatic (i.e. like an asshole).

If self-deprecation is the new irony I'm ahead of the curb, having moved on to self-aggrandizement: a tasteful melding of the two. the humor of which, nobody seems to get, much to my chagrin. Or maybe I'm just not funny...

...In case that sentence meant nothing to you, pick up a dictionary, reread it and then google the indie movement, will ferrell, and trends in humor. Or just get to know me, and you'll probably come to understand (after the dictionary reread anyway).

Not exactly the arts, but may I take a brief (pun coming) commercial break to talk about Michael Phelps?

Is he humble? Does he self-deprecate with the best of them? Has he got an unknown sensitive humanitarian side? Does he listen to The Shins?

The answer to all of those questions is (in the tradition of Will Smith) a resounding "Hell Nawww"

This guy makes Christian Bale in American Psycho look humble, he has no sense of humor, spends all his time training, and listens to a playlist of Pantera, ICP, and Slipknot.

He's probably the most type A human being I can think of right now, but you know what? I can't help but love the guy. He crushes the competition almost effortlessly. He breaks world records like they were toothpicks, even more impressive, the world record holder before he broke them? Himself, Michael Phelps is not only the greatest, he's better than the greatest, because he even breaks the records set by the greatest. When you are the best at what you do, and you do better than you did...you've reached some plateau of human existence I can't even comprehend.

But you know what I didn't see yesterday when he won his 4th and 5th gold medals? Satisfaction. For all his strength, there is nothing that can appease him, all the training in the world and in his moment of triumph not even the slightest sign of excitement?

Of course you'll say he'll be excited when he breaks Spitz's record of 7 gold medals in one Olympics. And he probably will, but I would almost guarantee you that even afterwards, there will still be something lacking.

Michael Phelps reminds me of the rich man, trying to squeeze through the doorway to heaven, which for him, is as wide as the eye of a needle.

Chester TON

I'm starting to think I should pay closer attention to the stuff my dad likes...because GK Chesterton is an amazing writer and I knew he liked him for a long time, but it wasn't until I came across a reference to him in Blue Like Jazz that I actually desired to read him. Could have cut to the chase a long time ago...

"Poetry sits at peace in an infinite sea, reason tries to cross the infinite sea and make it finite, the result is mental exhaustion. The poet sits with his head in the heavens and is at rest, the scientist tries to fit heaven into his head and it splits."

awesome...

Monthly Mixtape

August: Top Five Records

You can’t love pop music without keeping High Fidelity in one of the climate controlled places of your heart. John Cusack is the essential everyman (I just quoted a couple hundred movie reviews) and anything his characters believe or say is easy to identify with on some level. His constant top fiving throughout the movie has been copy-catted by thousands of would-be hipsters, aspiring indie darlings, and breakfast-clubbers, myself included. So, here is my desert island top five records, the five albums I could not live without or in this case, imagine living without. Since I don’t have the cyberclout to store five entire albums in the ether I’ll stick with ten songs, picking two from each album.

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots – The Flaming Lips
Do You Realize? & Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell

There are many ways to peak as an artist. You can do it without anybody knowing it (like Emily Dickinson), you can do it on your first try (like Weezer), you can have a body of work so well loved that you never actually peak, you’re always considered golden (like The Beatles). With Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, The Flaming Lips peaked at a time nobody expected. In the music industry, a band doesn’t usually make their best album on the tenth try. The Flaming Lips must be the exception that proves the rule, because this is one of the greatest albums ever made.

Turn on the Bright Lights – Interpol

NYC & Leif Erikson

Turn on the Bright Lights was the album that shook me from the confines of “Christian” music. It was not the first “secular” music I heard, but it was the first full album I listened to on repeat for weeks, rather than random mixes from some tape of songs I recorded off the radio. Interpol’s music was coming from places I identified with deep down, but never expected to understand through a medium like music. This album turned my world upside down in a lot of ways.

Ok Computer – Radiohead

Let Down & No Suprises

Putting Ok Computer on this list probably deserves the classic line from Jack Black’s character in High Fidelity, “What’s next? The Beatles?” Radiohead is without a doubt the Fab Four of the 21st century and Ok Computer is their Sgt Peppers. However, unlike the Beatles, Radiohead is not a slam dunk band that everybody likes or even claims to like. They can be off-putting to a new listener, but if you hear the one right song, it’s like somebody threw some switch in your brain, and you suddenly become a die-hard fan. I didn’t like their music until I heard Let Down, which is still my favorite Radiohead song.

Funeral – The Arcade Fire

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) & Wake Up

The Arcade Fire exceeded any listener’s expectations by releasing a note perfect debut album devoid of a single weak filler track, pretentious lyric or obnoxious guitar solo. Full of well-arranged instrumentation, thought provoking lyrics and passionate vocalization, The Arcade Fire’s debut was a joy to hear. The title Funeral was apt, as four of the five members of the band lost someone in their family during the recording of the album. As a result many of the lyrics confronted the themes intertwined with death and loss in ways that were sometimes hopeful but never sugar-coated, lifting an already excellent album into the stratosphere.

Figure Eight – Elliott Smith

Somebody That I Used to Know & Can’t Make a Sound

Elliott Smith has a reputation as a depressing singer-songwriter. And I guess there’s no denying that (he did kill himself). But his music has always been so well-written and executed that I usually get a pick-me-up from it. His lyrics are so good that I’ve said on more than one occasion that if you imagine that Bob Dylan could carry a tune without a bucket and had a lot more angst and you’d be imagining Elliott Smith. On Figure Eight Elliott moved beyond the simple acoustic setup of previous albums, adding electric guitars, drums, and keyboards on nearly all the tracks. Like Bob Dylan, when Elliott plugged in, he did some of his best work.

Juggling Act

I'm currently reading several great books at the same time, while studying Romans and preparing next month's playlist (top five records is the theme).

Nevertheless, my brain is suffering from ED, I seriously think my grey matter is unwinding. I'm hoping this will lead to some sort of union with "the force" where I cease to possess a physical body and live forever as a blue hologram.

In reality I'm just scatterbrained (can ya tell?). But I decided to throw together a hodge-podge of ideas from what I've been reading and studying.

First, can I ask an obvious question (in relation to the study of Romans) why is it that Paul is capable of being, at times remarkably succint and at other times, maddeningly vague? I'm too scatterbrained to pull in actual references but even after addressing my Roman's commentary (Stott) I'm no closer to understanding more difficult sections (Romans 9) and find the applications of several of the basic sections (Romans 1-4) to be hard to buy into.

But on to some of the books. The Reason For God by Tim Keller is the madnotes! I'm not sure if it's appropriate to combine a Kevin Smith reference with an apologetics book, but if it isn't...I never said I was appropriate, or family friendly. Anyway, the book is fantastic. Talk about a respectable and learned response to the skeptical age in which we live. GO BUY IT NOW.

The Overwhelming Power of Affection...

We never end a bad habit without starting a new one, one obsession/hobby is replaced with another.

Consider this trend...

Young guy into porn matures to date real woman, gets married, becomes a workaholic, retires and decides his years of experience have made him superior to everyone arround him.

Sex/wealth/wisdom and I skipped decades of sub-fixations and attractions that would crop up along the way.

You know how a smoker finally quits and half the time develops an eating disorder?

Our hearts are designed to be zeroed in on something,

Contrary to popular opinion, I don't think it's a mental abberation to need to smoke 2 packs a day, eat a couple gallons of ice cream before bed, drink a bottle of vodka til you forget your name, or have sex with a stranger to feel something.

We are designed for obsession, total unhealthy abandon...diving headfirst over heels into whatever gives us pleasure, saves us from our imaginary hell, or quiets the inner demons.

The truth is that anything will consume you if you want it to. You're just going to break yourself into smaller pieces if you try to fix your symptoms without addressing the fact that you love doing what destroys you.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart...

Do you see the yin-yang of that statement? Everything looks good, but it is eternity your heart longs for. You can't keep pouring matter into a black hole and expect to plug it like some sort of cosmic toilet. Only infinity can satisfy the maddening emptiness of eternity.

God has made us with an emptiness, King David compared longing for God like dying in the desert from dehydration...

Back By Popular Demand...

I'm always struck by the theological depth of secular art. For instance, The Dark Knight has a great parallel between the Joker, Batman, God, and Satan.

If you know anything about the nature of Batman (his one rule) and the Joker (his mission to provoke Batman by destroying everything dear to him) you have to ask yourself this question...

"Why does Batman let the Joker live?"

And now consider God and Satan, you could ask the same question. I love that the image of the Joker as some hammy comedian psychopath (with hammy comedian coming first and psychopath a distant third) was completely shattered by Heath Ledger's performance.

The script and his acting combined to bring a realization of the Joker's character to the screen that eclipsed even that of Frank Miller's graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.

The excellence of the script is no suprise, Jonathon Nolan (the director's brother) cowrote with director Christopher Nolan, a collaboration last seen in the brilliantly inventive Memento.

Maybe we're looking at another brotherly duo? The Nolan brother's could be picking up Oscar's hand over fist next spring.

Why So Serious?

Probably because you didn't buy tickets to the Dark Knight, now stop reading my blog, go stand in line for a few hours so you can see the most amazing movie in 20 years.

Nobrainers...

"There is a thought that stops thought,

and that is the only thought that must be stopped."
-G.K. Chesterton

We live in a polarized age, the middle class is rapidly dissolving in every respect, moderate attitudes are virtually nonexistent. There are only the two extremes to choose between in every choice you can make. The idea that there is little that is black and white is now described with the color grey giving the idea of trying to be two-handed a negative conotation. We have two political parties that are supposed to represent our entire population?

Interestingly enough, current presidential candidate Barack Obama has been accused of adopting moderate positions to certain issues that alienate his liberal following and yet he is doubly condemned for it by his opposition. Society seems to have swallowed the idea that they can pick one side and that settles it.

Nobody wants to investigate any idea, study anything, or wrestle with difficult issues. I would be suprised if anyone made the effort to study Scripture with the dedication we see in eras of Christian Enlightment (the Reformation). Martin Luther said when he was preparing to preach over Romans to his congregation he found the Pauline text to be extremely challenging to understand, what was his response? "I beat Paul until he submitted" is how he described his coming to an understanding of Paul's letter to the Romans.

Now that sounds like an idea worth trying. But is anybody really going to wrestle with God in this day and age? We pray, in a half-assed way. Oh, God will respond yes, no, or not right now...and my circumstances will dictate his response to me...

Does anybody see how apathetic and lazy Christianity has become? Not that I'm singling out Christians (that's why I started with the cultural aspects of this concept). The idea that study and deep thought on Scripture would somehow be selfish or an ineffectual use of time is not something any Christian would endorse. But what is it they are condemning by rejecting the concept of seminarian study? I have heard from someone at one point or another in every church I've ever visited (and I'm including ones I visited once, this always comes up).

Nobody wants to think about anything, and they defend it by saying they're doers. But they aren't doing anything either, so really...they're just lazy.

Denominational Debauchery: Conclusion

I had a lot of material for my treatise on the Presby's. But I decided to scrap the fourth round (maybe it was the overwhelming influence of all those three point sermons I heard as a kid).

Why do you ask? Mostly because each consecutive entry has gotten harder to write, and not because there was a shortage of ridiculous aspects of any of the denominations I honed in on. I guess I realized more and more that doing one entry, summarizing the whole denominational issue would have been more productive and beneficial.

Besides, the Presby's "God's Smartest Children"...that's my team. The one denomination I haven't every held membership with but agree with the most as far as doctrine goes (the baptism of babies is the only thing that I find to be questionable so far, but I've only read the shorter catechism).

Is arguing over the whole Armenian/Calvinist thing unproductive? I would say yes, if that is all you're doing. But I think that in maturing your discipleship the question begs to be answered. If not directly, than at least the doctrines of the two sides should be mentioned as they will surely come up naturally (total depravity, predestination, atonement, sovereignty are good meaty doctrine for church-folk to chew on).

I'll stop trying to educate all you Armenians (my definition of an Armenian? A Calvinist who is still very early in the sanctification process...joke! aim your fiery darts elsewhere...seriously though, calm down ) long enough to wrap up the denominational debacle.

My point all along has been to say that our fractiousness as believers is not unbiblical, but our isolation from each other is.

Paul says it doesn't matter which baptism you follow, as long as it leads to Jesus. He doesn't discount the possibility of disunity he only condemns the self-righteous separatist nature of those who followed different "baptisms" (read denominations).

Stop getting behind a man, and making that your identity. Get behind the God-man and let him shine through you, identifying you as a true follower.

I don't think denominationalism will cease to exist. I don't know if I want it to. If you look at the denominations I mentioned they all were like pieces of a puzzle, if you fit them together they would combine to form a more effective Christ-glorifying whole.

The problem is that the puzzle pieces keep fighting amongst each other so nobody can see what the picture is that they create.

If you combined the doctrinal values of the Baptists with the discipling leadership of the Church of Christ, set it on fire in the Holy Spirit that works so powerfully in the Assembly's of God while growing deeper roots with the theological and Scriptural dedication of the Presbyterians you would have something that looked a lot more like Jesus (that sentence is a grammatical nightmare but I'm too tired/busy to sort it all out).

I'm either going to start working on transcribing the Gospel message in my own words (as I've started in my journal) or go over the 5 Calvin/Armenian doctrines. I'll probably do both but which one first? I don't know

I love you all...