Sunday, January 29, 2006

amen 5's

i'm a pretty non-traditional kinda guy, but i'd hope that you'd allow me some leniency here as i oxymoronically expose my own heresy thru the telling of a new tradition established here @ the bennett house. it's 1 that seems to be pretty unique & was birthed out of a totally spontaneous act about a week ago. i'm sure that you'll find this so enthralling, that you'll want to make this apart of your own family experience, so feel free.


we've always encouraged the kids to pray & have allowed them to say grace @ mealtime. out of the blue, p simply blew us away w/a totally original dialogue w/god prior to our meal the other nite. she usually opts for the whole 'god is great' or 'god our father' memorized stuff, but not this nite. she spoke to god w/a purity & clarity that made me think that she could see him in the empty chair @ the table's end.


i was so blown away that i responded w/an 'awesome p' accompanied w/my extended hand, which she promptly slapped 5. it's only progressed from there. her prayers become more & more elaborate & she not only ends them w/amen, but also another 5 from her old man.


if that's not enough, cam & ali have gotten in on the act & end all of our prayers w/5's around the table. pretty dang cool if you ask me. i warm on the inside now as i think about it.

i read the other day where neil young was influenced by an experience w/the cash's & how june carter had them all hold hands & say grace before eating dinner. neil said that it was something that he ended up incorporating into the flow of his household. again, pretty dang cool.

so next time you share the table w/another to eat, think about celebrating the invoking of the presence w/a high 5. it has spurred the growth of 1 little girl's prayer life & the wonderment of an entire family. this tradition may not catch on, or may seem lame to you, but it's ours.

i love my life...

Friday, January 27, 2006

Bono Unveils 'Red' Philanthropic Program

Bono Unveils 'Red' Philanthropic Program

By DAN PERRY

AP

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - Bono unveiled a new push to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa, announcing a new program by several companies to sell products under a brand called Red, with some of the revenue going to anti-AIDS programs.

"So, here we are, fat cats in the snow, and I say that as one," the U2 frontman said Thursday to laughs. Bono was flanked by Italian fashion tycoon Giorgio Armani and corporate executives who joined him for the announcement at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

Bono said the money would go to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The project includes red-theme products from American Express, Converse footwear, Gap clothing and Giorgio Armani. A red American Express card will be offered initially only in Britain, as of next month.


Products branded Red will include sports shoes, T-shirts and sunglasses - some produced in Africa, some with African materials. A slice of the revenue - numbers vary by company and product - will go to the Global Fund.

"I'm calling it conscious commerce for people who are awake, people who think about their spending power and say: `I've got two jeans I can buy. One I know is made in Africa and is going to make a difference and the other isn't. What am I going to buy?"' Bono said.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the 45-year-old Irish rocker said: "We can't do it just with governments alone. We're fighting a fire. The house is burning down. Let's get the water."

Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund, said "a very small proportion" of the fund's $4.7 billion comes from corporations or individuals, but that he had concluded that depending on governments wasn't enough.

The Global Fund was created to finance a dramatic turnaround in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. To date, the fund has committed $4.4 billion in 128 countries to fight the diseases.

Feachem said he hoped Red would generate "tens of millions of dollars soon, hundreds of millions of dollars a little further downstream. Significant money."

"If we succeed," Bono interjected. "But we could fail. If people are jaded or cynical ... or genuinely not interested, then we fail. But we've tried. I think we've come up with a sexy, smart, savvy idea that will save people's lives."

On the Net:

http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/

Thursday, January 26, 2006

orb of consistency

we pulled up to the 3-way stop just as the car to our right was beginning to turn in front of us. we waited for it to complete the turn then began to ease into the intersection to perform our left turn, but were stopped. an old man in a pickup had decided to follow his predecessor @ the stop by turning left too & cutting us off.


the look on his face gave ample proof to his believe that he was in the right. i didn't really get mad, just a bit bewildered. our eyes locked as my shoulders shrugged in a disbelieve that was met by his cold stare of consternation.

am's & i just kinda laughed it off, but i can't help but continue to think about the moment. it's frozen in time for me & stands as a stone of old that were placed for the reason of remembrance. the moment gives testimony to the fact that we live in a world filled w/varying perspective & opinion which only merit relevance or the lack thereof when weighed on the scales of truth.

this truth is constant & absolute regardless of how we look @ it or what we think about it. it is the same yesterday, today & forever & i'm able to find great comfort in that. transient truth is an absolute debasement of what our existence should quantify, qualify & illuminate.

i know that i know this absolute, yet am reluctant to lord it over the rest of creation. it not only makes creation subservient to me, i become it's slave in light of the role of responsible stewardship. ain't that a kick in the head?

i thank god for the dim reflections of truth that i'm able to see when i'm cognizant to gaze upon the mirror & wonder as i wander. i thank god for the comfort that can be mined from so great an orb of consistency. i thank god for truth that remains beyond our limited perspectives & experiences.

i thank god...

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

WWKD?



West poses as Jesus for Rolling Stone

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kanye West, with a crown of thorns atop his head, poses as Jesus Christ on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone. The outspoken rapper defends his brash attitude inside the magazine's pages, on newsstands Friday. He is also pictured posing as Muhammad Ali.

"In America, they want you to accomplish these great feats, to pull off these David Copperfield-type stunts," he says. "You want me to be great, but you don't ever want me to say I'm great?"

West also says his hit song "Gold Digger" was the best song last year and that it should have been nominated for the Grammy's best rap song category: "That's a gimme Grammy."

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old is nominated for eight awards, including album of the year for his sophomore album, "Late Registration." The Grammys will be presented Feb. 8.

West has always been forthright in saying what he feels, most famously when he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims.

"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained," he says. "My misery is your pleasure."

The strangest tangent of the Rolling Stone story, however, is when West says he's addicted to pornography. He remembers first seeing his father's Playboy magazine when he was 5 years old.

"Right then," West says, laughing, "it was like, `Houston, we have a problem.'"

BOD IS DEAD!

sleep tight my pretties...

your idoit box has been redeemed & you should feel the holier for it...


BOD is dead!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

jeter still sux

we're still a good 6 weeks out from the start of t-ball, but i can hardly wait. we got cam's new cleats in today from eastbay & i must say that they are sweet. i never had a pair that looked that good when i used to lace 'em up.


i've tried to stress all the appropriate stuff to cam about how there's more to the game than just having some cool looking shoes, but i must admit, that they couldn't hurt & they look so stinkin' good. there's just a couple of things that kinda get me about the shoes tho. 1st off is that they're a pair designed for d. jeter & are adorned w/his name & # on the back of them. the other thing is the jumpman logo on them, which is something that isn't lost on cam either.

why do they have a basketball man on my baseball cleats daddy?

it was something that almost kept me from getting them @ 1st, but i guess it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of it all. but, i couldn't help but to continue to think about the placement of the logo & it's iconization of a great player in a totally unrelated sport. i look again @ the box & see that it's been 20 yrs since the inception of air jordan & think of how we've come to this.


i've always been biased against his airness because i was always a dr j guy. he was the originator in my opinion & it certainly didn't hurt that i grew up on the guy & his fellow sixers. i've got to hand it to mike tho, he's transcended the game & his legend pervades all sport like red koolaid does a white t.

shouldn't that be our goal as well? to not be satisfied w/our sunday experiences until they become our saturday nite exploits. unpacking our faith & let loose the spirituality that should be an all consuming fire into the everyday existence that is all life.

i never thought that i'd say this, but in all due respect & apologies to the good dr (j)...

i want to be like mike.

i want the wonder of worship & the glory of the gospel to transcend my life completely. for folks to know the reason that i exist & persist in all that i do, not that i just spend time @ church or read the bible or that i teach a class here or there. for people to see that jesus is alive & well w/in me & not just an iconic image from the past that was a good teacher. that his brand is all over my life & there is no division from him or telling where i end & he begins.


so, i guess i'm cool w/the whole jumpman thing...


still not so sure 'bout the 2/jeter deal...

move over spidey

cam, p, ali & me were on our regular trip @ the comic book store the other day, when mike, the owner of sun comics milton recommended what turned out to be an amazing book. i probably wouldn't have even given the book a 2nd glance if he hadn't done so, but i'm sure glad that he did. it brings amazing perspective to the calling of david that should have great implications for us as modern day believers.

as stand-offish as i am about using xtian as anything other than a noun, i was really surprised that this works & the writers/illustrators didn't fall back on it simply being a xtian version of a comic to sell to a captured audience. it's very well done & i think should stand up vs. other stuff that folks would like to label 'secular.' this work should be appreciated by believer & non-believer alike for it's quality & perspective to story.

i don't care if you're into comics or graphic novels or not, turn off the computer right now & head to your nearest comic book store & pick this up. or simply click on the link below & order 1. you'll be glad you did.




Find David Here

David: The Shepherds Song created by Royden Lepp

Stellar telling of the early story of David

Some stories are so timeless that they bear retelling as often as can be done. These stories are almost archetypal in their structure, evoking in the listener some form of longing for a time when such a story could be true. Such a story is the story of David ben Jesse, second king of Israel.


It was not too long ago that I could have stated that the story of King David is known by all, but unfortunately our culture's knowledge of the stories of its past is not what it used to be, so a quick summary might not be amiss. The nation of Israel, after 400 years of decentralized rule, asks for a king. The prophet Samuel anoints Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, according to God's command. Saul soon turns out to be far from the ideal king and Samuel, again following the Lord's command, finds the shepherd boy David. David is anointed as the next king of Israel and then spends the next few decades fleeing from Saul even though he has no intention of dethroning Saul, content to wait until Saul's passing to take over the throne. Upon Saul's death, David takes the throne and unites and expands the kingdom of Israel, preparing the nation for its glory days in the hands of his son Solomon.

Comic creator Royden Lepp is retelling the story of David in his new series, David: The Shepherd's Song. In the first issue, we meet the young David as he faces a lion that is threatening his sheep. While he's doing this, the prophet Samuel has approached Jesse, David's father, and asked him to gather all his sons for a sacrifice. Of course, all the older brothers are brought, but no one thinks of the inconsequential David, who's merely a shepherd and not a warrior or a person of any bother.

The story for this first issue is truly that simple, but Lepp's capable treatment makes it something that even those who are overly familiar with the story will find it gripping. To begin with, Lepp's art combines the best of manga's cartoonishness with an unfinished edge (on most pages, you can still see the pencil lines for laying out the frames). David is presented as almost a stick figure with a large head, whereas his brothers, father, and Samuel are all drawn more realistically, creating a wonderful contrast. The art is offset by a striking use of an almost exclusively grey and brown palette of colors, giving a Sepia-tone feel to the story.

The telling of the story is masterfully done. Lepp eschews the use of narrational transition boxes, shifting from storyline to storyline smoothly. The David-and-the-lion story is told without a single word or sound caption, yet Lepp still tells a very noisy story for all its silence. The panels featuring David's fight are spacious and broad, giving a scene of his loneliness. In contrast, the Samuel storyline is full of narration, giving the sense that Jesse and his sons are nowhere near as secure in their persons as David is. (This is further emphasized by Samuel speaking few words throughout the story.) In contrast to the spacious landscape of rural Israel, the town of Bethlehem feels crowded and one's sense of self is reduced.

As a way of introducing his title character, Lepp's method could not be much improved. He has taken an old familiar story and breathed new life into it, making it a story for our time while remaining faithful to the original story. And, most important to the telling of a story, he has made it enjoyable. I look forward to more issues of David: The Shepherd's Song.

Review by Matt Winslow

Copyright 2005 ©Infuze Magazine

Saturday, January 21, 2006

his old man

i wonder when it happens. when we stop believing that our dad is the toughest guy in the world & fully capable of anything. when we trade in child like faith for biting cynicism & often times debilitating debasement of what once hung the entirety of our faith.

i'm guessing that it's somewhere between hs & college. maybe we see dad lose something physically, or maybe we're able to beat him for the 1st time in a game of 21. maybe we force his hand on issues of deeply rooted believe & actually think for the 1st time that he could be wrong.

maybe we see him cry for the 1st time when paw paw dies & we're 13 & we've never seen that before. we then wrongly equate emotion w/weakness & begin to see chinks in the armor that we hadn't before. or maybe we wonder why he's never shown such passion towards us.


cam's 6 now & thinks that i can do anything. we snuggle together watching ufc tonite & he actually believes that i could whip any one of those guys. as much as that does to puff me up, i don't want cam to get the wrong idea about his old man.

i do realize that i'm the best picture of jesus to him @ the moment. i take this very seriously. i don't want him to turn 18, walk out of the door, out of our lives & out on god.

i want him to see a daddy w/a passion for him that is unrestrained, unrelenting & unbelievable. cam not only needs a dad like this, he deserves it. i don't intend to give him any reason to grow up w/unrealistic expectations of his father...earthly or heavenly.

these are increasingly exciting times. i welcome the challenge that my life is. i long to change the world & look everywhere for signs of it happening.

i really need look no further than the mirror. for when i change myself, i've changed the world & the faith of 1 little boy. all w/the hopes that he'll follow me into the dark.

by a friend

Waengongi Has a Son



"We acted badly, badly until they brought us God's carvings...and now we walk His trail." ~Mincaye


(Quoted in Plugged In; "A Film 50 Years in the Making"; Marcus Young; Jan. 2006) End of the Spear is a fabulous, glorious movie and theatres are showing it so there is no excuse. The theatre last night at prime time was not full. You want good movies? Then go see them when the rare Christian message hits the screens. In case you haven't been in touch with the Christian underground, this is the story of the five missionary men who were killed in Ecuador in 1956, and the lives they and their families touched when they "made contact" with the violent Waodani tribe. The reason explained in the Plugged In article for the Waodani finally agreeing to the exposure to the outside world was a heart for "the foreigners". School shootings and general youth violence was described to them. The foreigners had become like they were; the Waodani have been changed by the miracle of Christ, "Who didn't spear back" and now they hope their story will be a God-message to the foreigners of the world.


God bless them and we thank them for this incredible movie, made with miraculous intervention by Mart Green, (an appropriate name in light of his movie-making experience) and Steve Saint, along side the Waodani. Glory to God "Who works all things for good to those who love Him." ~Rom. 8:28

contributed by a friend of dw

Thursday, January 19, 2006

fitting in?

got & read the latest si today. 1 of the newer additions to the rag is a section called the pop culture grid. it asks ?'s of today's athletes to see 'how do sports stars fit in?'

i've never really given much thought to it before, but i couldn't help but think of xtianity & those called to the way & how they would fair on such a grid. as much as we'd like to look @ how we've progressed in order to be relevant, (we've even got our own magazine on the subject), i think that most would rather see how far we don't fit in as a warped badge of merit. what a tremendously difficult task it is to remain in the world, but not of it.


some understand the static balance that it takes to be salt & light, while others remain secluded in safety. others over step their bounds & lose all sense of flavor & illumination or look for justification to do as they please. either way, whether it be too far or not far enough leaves our world & culture the worse for it.

just as in david's time, an army is being assembled for the battle that rages all around. mighty men of valor who know what to do & are willing to do so are called to step forward. ignorance isn't bliss & to know what to do & not is no longer an option.

men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do...

SNL - The Chronic of Narnia Rap

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

from 1 king to another

a couple of days removed from the remembrance of a king & i'm left to treasure the gift that i never could've dreamt of some years ago. racial inequality was never a concern of mine nor was the n-word ever too far from my ignorant lips. but i've grown to learn from my past & my kids as well, especially of late.


cam came home yesterday from a grey & rain soaked world w/a head full of the dream that would lead an improved society from it's impoverished, pale past, into a color blind future where all stand on even ground in front of their creator. he had been filled w/details on the king that would lead this charge into an unseen, but highly sought after future. how he lived & more sadly & importantly why he died.


i then saw his handy work on a connect the dot version of the king's head that just so happened to be filled in w/no less than 10 different colors. it was pretty creative i thought, but just couldn't help but ask cam why. he said that most of his classmates choice to simply color the king brown, but that he used many different colors because he wanted to.


he went on to say that that's the way the god likes people...

all kinds of different colors...

so that's why he likes to draw them that way...

this particular king didn't die in vain. his dream is alive & well. it continues to grow & progress in the most unlikely of places. just the way that god likes.

reminds me of another king & dream that is alive, well & flourishing in the most unlikely of places...

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

to blog or not to blog...that is the question.

i recently had the pleasure of sitting w/kris from the pnj. she's doing an article on blogging in the pensacola area & i was 1 of 7 perspectives. the scope of the article is to explore the genre' some what & the people involved.

the prevailing question was why?

so i ask you...

1) why do you blog?

2) why don't you?

3) should everyone?

4) what are the benefits of blogging, if any?

Monday, January 16, 2006

how to spell robertson w/the letters vanderjagt

Vanderjagt then slammed his helmet to the turf, obviously forgetting how fortunate he was to have the chance.

"It's extreme disbelief," Vanderjagt said. "From the Polamalu interception reversal to Jerome's fumble, everything seemed to be lined up in our favor. I guess the Lord forgot about the football team."



Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt (13) reacts after missing a game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter of the Colts' 21-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their NFL divisional playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, in Indianapolis

i guess mike's been watchin' a little too much 700 club...

Sunday, January 15, 2006

heavy lifting

ever wonder what it is about music that has the ability to lick the soul & stir emotions from distant memories? why you can't remember something that happened 2 days ago, but can recall every lick from some obscure song tied to the ancient past in a way that's only relevant to you? what makes a hook a hook and why does it reverberate thro your being @ the speed of sound, yet remains to haunt even after the vibration stops?

i've recently stumbled across the best explanation to date for this puzzling phenomenon. it's found in this exert from the book by j. moltmann, the way of jesus christ, that was sent to me from my brother in cali. it's some pretty heavy lifting, but may be your flavor.

check it...

if we look back @ the creation story told in the priestly writing, we find the immanent unity of creation expressed in 2 formulas: 1. in the formula of creation through the divine word:'god said, "let there be light"; & there was light' (gen.1.3). 2. in the presupposition for creation through the word, a presupposition which has received too little notice; the vibration of the present spirit of god: 'the spirit of god hovered over the face of the waters' (gen.1.2). the hebrew word ruach is better translated as 'wind' or 'breath' than spirit. the hebrew word rahaph is generally translated 'hover' or brood'. but according to deut. 32.11 and jer 23.9 it has rather the meaning of vibrating, quivering, moving & exciting. if this is correct, then we should not think only of the image of a fluttering or brooding dove. we should think of the fundamental resonances of music out of which sounds & rhythms emerge. in thinking about 'creation through the word', we should not therefore think primarily in metaphors of command & obedience. a better image is the song of creation. the word names, differentiates & appraises. but the breath is the same in all the words, & binds the words together. so the creator differentiates his creatures through his creative word & joins them through his spirit, who is the sustainer of all his words. in the quickening breath & through the form-giving word, the creator sings out his creatures in the sounds & rhythms in which he has his joy & his good pleasure. that is why there is something like a cosmic liturgy & music of the spheres.

sleeps a song in every thing
that is dreaming still unheard.
& the world begins to sing
if you find the magic word.

the ancient pythagorean symbol of the music of the spheres & the harmony of the universe already pictures the unity between music & the cosmos. in considering how the unity of creation is to be understood, the priestly writer suggests that the creative & distinguishing word of god is preceded by the presence of the pulsating breath of god which translates the divine energies into vibrations. cosmic vibrations is the origin & ground of all forms of energy & matter in the cosmos. the vibrating breath of god is, as it were, the note to which the creation of the world is tuned. we therefore have to say that god creates all things through his defining & differentiating word in the primordial vibrancies of his spirit. if the spirit of god is understood as the quickening breath of god, then no word goes out from god other than in the vibrancies & the keynote of his spirit. in the unity of created things, word & spirit complement 1 another. the word specifies & differentiates through its efficacy; the spirit binds & creates symmetries, harmonies & concord through its presence. god is 'he who breathes through all creation', says 1 of our hymns. through the spirit & the word, god communicates himself to his creation & enters into it. his spirit, immanent in the world, is the pulse of the universe. in the later wisdom literature, word & spirit are used interchangeably. the new testament writings do not make any systematic distinction either, between word & spirit in creation. the 2 together circumscribe the mystery of god in the world & stress christ's mediatorship in creation, out of which all things receive both the fellowship that binds them & their own unique character.

these 2 aspects also make it clear that the creation is not merely a 'work' of 'god's hands', but that through his vibrant, quickening spirit, god already dwells in it; for through his ceaselessly uttering and creating word he is the foundation & continuance of all things. god is the innermost life of the world. the creation psalms tell us that creation-in-the-beginning was already understood as 'god's temple'. heaven & earth are his home. the home in which he desires to dwell & arrive @ his rest. & in designating the cause & basis of creation, this also names its purpose & end: god's endless sabbath. in the apocalyptic writings this is described as the new creation in whose midst 'the heavenly jerusalem' stands, as the cosmic temple which is able to receive the unveiled glory of god, so that the creator can dwell in his creation & can arrive @ his rest in it, & so that all created beings may find their happiness in his infinite abundance.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

???



a picture says 1,000 of 'em...

why try & mess it up w/more...?

continually holistic

what a gloriously wonderful morn...


the crispness of the air was only surpassed by the explosion of color as i took the '67 to register cam for t-ball. the moment, already pregnant w/anticipation, was only confirmed in it's surrealness by the contractions of henly's boys of summer on the radio. i journey north to register my future boy of summer as don amens the refrain w/in the cab of my old truck.


life...


a silly collection of random happenings given rise through chance & circumstance?


not hardly...


his majesty continually speaks through the magic of his creation as well as what some would deem as pop culture throwaways. his truth runs thro all, gives birth to all & brings about purpose in all. we only rob ourselves when we refuse to recognise this.


i once walked this trod w/the blinders that kept him from me, but do so no longer. i've put away the fleshy feelings of trivializing his glory in the minute & have learned to embrace the present of presence. a continual holistic amalgam surprise my days & bring significance.


i can smell the popcorn, peanuts & hot dogs already having to remind myself that we're still 2 months away from the preseason tourney. i sign the registration & already feel the warmth of florida nites wrapping me in their humid embrace as i coach 1st. it'll be a long, eventful trip this year i'm sure, but i welcome the journey.


baseball...


truly a game whose very nature mirrors the eternal. it can make a mockery of time, yet remains a sport of discipline & order. 9 become 1, then 9 again w/the transition of an inning. strategy running subversively throughout times of tedium as bursts of excitement & activity pepper the game, seasoning it for the cognizant palate.


thank you lord for the now & it's ecclesiastical engorgement...


for allowing me to be it's witness...


embracing it w/a mindful eye to the implications of what it holds...


being continually holistic...

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

fair critique

since i didn't get a chance to see all of it...

i don't feel qualified to give a fair critique...

plus these cats have already expressed a fair & balanced point/counterpoint written far better than i am able...

check it out...

let me know what you think...




point:



counterpoint:


opinions?

36 parables

i'm thinkin' bout usin' this new (at least to me) material for community group...

www.36parables.com

anybody familiar...?

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

what's in your closet...?


in our quest for all things xtian, i guess that it was only a matter of time that something like this happened in the backlash...

now all that we need is for pat to speak woes over all who would wear this things...

me being pig-headed

i'm an addict & need help. an intervention or 2 would probably work wonders...or not. i'm a recent new comer to the great satan, better known to others as the yahoo! music engine, and am amazed @ this modern wonder.

there are over 1 million, that's right people...1 million, songs @ my immediate disposal. i can stream entire albums, create playlist based on my likes or load an artist's entire portfolio in descending order of popularity all in a matter of seconds. to put it mildly, this music freak is in heaven.


my only question now, which is a very big 1 by the way, is how to use my new found power. i thought i got smart the other day when am's & i were going to spend some quiet time together & i used my new toy to create a play list based on percy sledge's when a man loves a woman. key phrase in the above was, in case you missed it, 'i thought i got smart...'.

by this time endless love had just started & amy gave me this look like you've got to be kidding right?

"what's w/the cheese?" she says

i'm like...uh...i was tryin' to set a mood...?


needless to say, we dumped the ideal of romance expressed through music to create a mood & turned on our's through some my chemical romance or something of the sort. we're not your typical couple, so why would i think that we should adhere to what i would think a typical couple would use to create mood? wrong-headed dogma raises his ugly head once again.

sometimes i wonder if i show up to worship, when god peers down & gives me the same look that amy did...


what's w/the cheese? he says

i'm not here to argue musical style, but i can't help but wonder where the problem lies...

me being pig-headed...

or

me being an unwilling participant, singing what i believe but in a way that makes it seem as tho i don't...

or

me being pig-headed...

help...

Friday, January 06, 2006

mining fragility

by now everyone should be awfully aware of the plight of the coal miner & the inherent dangers involved w/such a perilous trade. as i read the paper this morning i thought how these crews mirrored what authentic church live should be & am continued to be saddened to know that often times it does not. my intention isn't to trivialize the miner in this, but to hold him up, to be emulated by a disjointed community that needs real life examples to aid in connecting their lives beyond themselves through truth that remains absolute.

the ap's article was titled 'crew's bond like no other' & was my favorite of the day. it drew a picture of the 12 who died & lived to serve each other as well as their own. they had faith in the future & wanted better for those that followed.

'i think if one of us needed anything, the other one would help him if he could'

and all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. they sold whatever they owned & pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.


the article goes on to tell of jim bennett who appeared to be the spiritual leader of the crew.

'as the rescue was still unfolding, bennett's older brother, donald marsh, imagined jim was "keeping all of them on their knees."'

they followed a daily discipline of worship in the temple...


fred ware was the son & grandson of miners. he had been in the mines 41 years, starting at age 18 in coal seams so thin 'he had to crawl on his knees'...

GOD, you're my last chance of the day. I spend the night on my knees before you.

these men lived as i would want to. fully engaged in the moment w/an eyeful glance @ their faith that lies in the future. knowing that the current breath may very well be their last, never paralyzed by that reality, but rather embracing the fragility of it & pushing them to fully live.

i want to be a miner...