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.
It’s weird to think that we are coming to the close of another decade isn’t it? Paste Magazine has put out three best of the decade lists for you to check out/argue over. I tried putting mine together but it almost made my head explode going over all the great music, movies, tv shows and books of the past 10 years. Anyhow go check out what Paste thinks are the best books, albums, movies and tv shows. (These would probably be my top three albums)
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.
Not all ideas are good ideas. Here are three bad ideas that I saw this week:
1. Fake your own death facebook group. I was sent an invite to join this group and was absolutely dumbfounded at how self indulgent and ridiculous this group is. The general purpose of this group is to encourage people to fake their death via facebook in order to see what people would say about them if they died. How conceited must you be to do something like this? Making people think you are dead just so you can get a couple complements about how wonderful you are seems to be one of the most shallow things I can imagine.
2. The Fritos Chili Cheese Wrap. Gross and gross. There was a commercial advertising this thing and it almost made me throw up. The nutrition facts are just as horrifying, with 670 calories and 38g of fat for one of these things I almost have a heart attack thinking about it. I know there is a lot of nasty fast food out there (like these) but I can’t imagine anything worse than this.
3. Ruining a classic. Poor Johnny Cash, no one deserves this…
The national day of prayer happens every year, this year it is May 7, and invites people of all faiths to pray for our nation. Their website says that the day “exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families.” I remember a couple of years ago when Bono from U2 was invited to be the guest speaker and he took everyone to task for not practicing what they preach. I absolutely believe in the power of prayer and think that we need to be more conscious of who and what we are praying for.
Last night my wife and I were watching the Colbert Report and there was this bit about the Master Media International prayer calendar. Apparently they have a day by day list of celebrities and media moguls that we need to be praying for and yesterdays celebrity was Stephen Colbert. The following clip is his response to his national day of prayer:
(Note: Hulu has a brief commercial before the clip from the Colbert Report begins. WPC does not support or endorse any product featured.)
In the midst of making fun of the situation, Colbert points out one of the biggest pit-falls of prayer: selfish demands. Yes we are supposed to ask God for help and provision in our lives but at what point does it become silly? Prayer is a two way street in which we must be open and listening for what God wants from us. What is the point of asking a question if you are not ready to receive an answer or guidance? We should not just pray for what we want but that we may be involved in what God wants.
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.” 
