Hey everyone, sorry I have been MIA from the blogosphere for a while. Here is what has been capturing my attention:
Great new music: Peter Gabriel, Broken Bells and Gorillaz. The Peter Gabriel cover album “Scratch My Back” finally came out in the US and is absolutely wonderful. Really good music to meditate with… it has helped me relax and decompress these last few weeks. Broken Bells is the funky and folky colaboration between Danger Mouse (from Gnarles Barkley) and James Mercer (from the Shins). I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite driving albums of the summer. The Gorillaz have come back after 5 years with their album “Plastic Beach” which features some of my favorite hip-hop artists and beat makers. I haven’t really dug into it yet but there are some really great grooves and lyrics to keep you interested.
I just finished up helping with a class at Fuller on theology and media culture that turned me on to the HBO series True Blood. While it certainly has it’s fair share of explicit scenes and over the top violence, the show deals with much more than modern day vampires. The show deals with the cultural themes of “otherness” and plurality facing us and how we are able to accpet the radically different and create new ethical paradigms in the face of such challenges. The class has been a helpful challenge in understanding how we are (and I am) changing with the influence of new technologies and media outlets and how we are to understand each other in the face of these new tools.
For Lent my friend Barry has started a twitter campaign called SP140… spiritual practices in 140 characters or less. It has been a really cool way of exploring how something like twitter can help shape my spiritual life and provide a focus durring this season. Some of the cool practices have been: “Dont use sarcasm or cynicism today”, “Make a list of your doubts about god Your fears about life and your worries about yourself Then burn it” and “Don’t text today just make calls.”
So there you go… that’s what has been up with me these past few weeks. We have some cool things comming up at church that I will post about in a bit. Until then, enjoy life and continue to pursue God in new ways.
Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the watter under the earth… unless of course we are talking about the iPad because let’s face it, that thing is sweet.”
These four books are some of my all time favorites. They have challenged my ideas, shaped how I think and have given me a different lens to see the world. They have also been banned by schools or governments at some point in their history for various reasons (The American Library Association says that books are usually banned “with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.”) I found out that this past week was national banned books week which celebrates the freedom to read as well as challenges the censorship of the books. The web site is worth looking at because it give a little bit of history about banned books as well as offers an interactive map of where books have been challenged. I think it’s incredible that books (along with other forms of expression and story) are still being challenged and eventually forbidden for people to experience themselves. I am never a fan of someone limiting my choices and telling me what is appropriate and edifying for my life. This goes specifically for church and spirituality. I have had numerous instances where people (especially church leaders) have told me not to embrace or experience certain forms of expression only for them to open my mind and allow me to grow in my spiritual journey. Sure “Fight Club” is violent and they use a lot of profanity, but it’s an incredible commentary on the numbness of our lives and the desire to feel. As someone who works in a church and is blessed to help others on their spiritual journey I feel it is best to train people to look at all things with spiritual eyes and let them decide whether or not something is redeeming. Just because I might not like something doesn’t mean that God cannot speak to someone else through it. I don’t like mega-churches but I’m not going to bad mouth them and discredit all the good work they do. I guess my point is that instead of telling people what they can and can’t do we should be involved in the guiding and processing of what is personally significant.
To say a Flaming Lips concert is a joyous experience would be an understatement. Their show is filled with constant explosions of confetti, giant balloons, dancing yeti (seriously, they had people dressed like the abominable snowman dancing on stage with them) but most importantly music expressing hope for the future and the celebration of the life we have. After the second or third song, Wayne, the lead singer, told the crowd that “the best part about a Flaming Lips show is that, for a while, you get to forget about hate and enjoy your life.” While the atmosphere was somewhere between the greatest birthday party ever and welcoming alien life form, the Lips made their message clear through their music; we should celebrate that love and peace are real and possible. It was a great show and an even better escape from reality, even if it was just for a bit.
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes – let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It’s hard to make the good things last
- Do you realize by the Flaming Lips
This is a video for the MTV EXIT campaign. The EXIT campaign website claims the organization “aims to increase awareness and prevention of human trafficking through television programs, online content, live events, and partnerships with anti-trafficking organizations.” While human trafficking is a horrific reality and needs our attention and action, I don’t see how MTV’s current television programing (including shows such as 16 and pregnant, Paris Hilton’s my new BFF, Real World: Cancun, Bully Beatdown, etc.) accomplishes anything this organization says it stands for. Furthermore, if you go to MTV’s home page there is not one mention of this campaign or it’s importance. Instead there is celebrity gossip, “must see” video clips from the garbage they call television programing and a place for you to sign up if you want to be on their show 16 and pregnant. It all disgusts me to be quite honest about it. If you are seriously concerned about human trafficking and the devastation it creates, here are some real organizations to follow and become involved with.
Stop the Traffik: “a global movement of ordinary activists from around the world who believe that PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE BOUGHT AND SOLD.” (taken from their website)
Not For Sale: “The Not For Sale Campaign equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe.” (taken from their website)
While I’m sure that the MTV EXIT campaign does some positive work in our world, it feels more like a public relations stunt than anything else.
Hey everyone. Last week had a wealth of interesting and incredible discoveries for me. It seemed as if everyday brought a new invention, thought or memory that I wanted to write about so I’m going to toss a couple out there for you to chew on…
The Espresso Book Machine. Dare I say that this invention will revolutionize print media? This is a machine that will print and bind an individual book on demand in less than ten minutes! With the rate that books are being digitalized (google books, kindle, etc.) this machine can conceivably have the entire library of congress on file and provide a person the opportunity to have an instant copy of any book. Granted this might be a little idealistic, but it is possible that this machine, and whatever technology comes after, would mean a book would never go “out of print.” This is an incredibly exciting advance in technology and makes me think that books and print media are not going to become obsolete with time but integrated and more accessible.
Artist Marc Johns always amazes me with his quick wit and simplicity. I’ve been spending some time on his website lately and thinking more about the different aspects of “simple” images and humor. These are his words: “I generally aim to say as much as possible with as few elements as possible. My work often leans toward humour. Finding the humour in things often leads to finding the truth. I like to create absurd situations, by combining things together that don’t belong, or imagine what inanimate objects would say if they could speak.” I highly recommend his “things with antlers” collection.
Mario Paint was one of my favorite video games for the Super Nintendo system and was one of the first places that I was able to explore writing and composing songs. The game had different aspects of art (drawing, coloring, puzzles, music) all which cross marketed the nintendo family of products but the music aspect was my favorite. I don’t know if this video was what the creators were expecting but I found it really entertaining.
I’ll post some theological/church thoughts a little later but these were the fun things from last week.
For Lent my friend Barry has started a twitter campaign called SP140… spiritual practices in 140 characters or less. It has been a really cool way of exploring how something like twitter can help shape my spiritual life and provide a focus durring this season. Some of the cool practices have been: “Dont use sarcasm or cynicism today”, “Make a list of your doubts about god Your fears about life and your worries about yourself Then burn it” and “Don’t text today just make calls.” 
Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the watter under the earth… unless of course we are talking about the iPad because let’s face it, that thing is sweet.”
