Music

Music is a big part of my life. I can honestly say that not a day goes by that I don't listen to, play, or write music. I don't really talk about some of the artists I listen to because I always have other things on my mind. But lately I have been listening to so many great artists that I feel like I need to pass them along to my readers. So that being said, here is the current line up of artists that have been infecting my ears lately. *NOTE Although I am a follower of Christ, not all of the artists I listen to are. This is in no way a list of recommended spiritually uplifting music. This is a list of the music I am listening to, period.

Jamiroquai - Synkronized
This is an amazing CD. Funk, blues, jazz, pop. It has a feeling of the 60's and 70's with a modern spiciness. A good CD to relax too. The songs are somewhat repetitive, but are well produced with layers of interesting sounds.

Keane - Hopes and Fears
I heard Keane for the first time on a late night talk show. I think it was Leno, but I might be wrong. This CD is incredible. Very well produced. Piano and vocals driven. Something of a Coldplay feel to it. Very good songwriting.

Zwan - Mary, Star of the Sea
Many of you know that I am Smashing Pumpkins fan. Although the Pumpkins are no more. Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain have produced the next best thing. Zwan. The music is guitar and drums heavy and the sound is nearly exact to the good ole days of the pumpkins first 3 albums. This is a good CD for any Pumpkins fan.

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Stumbling Toward Faith

I read a lot. I really read a lot! Sometimes I read great books. Other times, eh...not so great. Let me just express that this book is not a great book...it is an amazing book! Renee Altson puts her life's story into words. And it is captivating!
So often as pursuers of truth, we feel the need to disguise our own faults, messiness, fears. We desperately pretend that everything is perfect. I know in my life that pretending to be happy wasted a lot of energy. Altson does not "sugar coat" it. Life is not a box of chocolates. If you asked Renee Altson, I dare say she would say life is like a lost child, forever searching for the end of that proverbial dark tunnel.

Altson's life is extraordinary. Here is an excerpt from the first page of her text:

i grew up in an abusive household. much of my abuse was spiritual---and when i say spiritual, i don't mean new age, esoteric, random mumblings from half-wiccan, hippie parents. i don't mean that i grew up thinking all the wrong ideas about religion or what it meant to be saved because i was given too much freedom or too many options. i don't mean that my father protested the phrase "under god" in the pledge of allegiance or told me there was more than one way to heaven.

i mean that my father raped me while reciting the lord's prayer.

i mean that my father molested me while singing christian hymns.

and from the back cover:

raped by her "christian" father, rejected by church leaders, abandoned by her addicted mother, author renee altson's story is difficult but essential reading.

this disturbing, beautiful narrative will unsettle your understandings and assumptions of what it means to live as a believer in christ. altson's heart-wrenching reflections and insightful prose and poetry ask questions we rarely get to the bottom of:

why does god allow evil to exist?

where is justice?

where is healing?

what is the point of faith? of belief?

if you dare to confront these questions, this powerful, poetic memoir can change your perspective on faith and the church.

I have worked in social services for nearly 6 years. helping others overcome abuse, neglect, abandonment, addictions. In six years I have endured a lot of horrible situations. But the abuse depicted in this book is greater than all I have seen.

The very fact that this book is published by emergentYS is inspiring to me. emergentYS is responsible for publishing the works of McLaren, Yaconelli, Kimball, and other forward thinking Christians leading the emergent movement among today's followers of Christ. To my knowledge, this is the first book of it's kind published by this company.

If you have the time, pick up this book. It will break your heart.

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The Christian Culture Survival Guide

I started reading this book yesterday. And four hours later, I finished it. This is the easiest reading book I have picked up in years. Maybe it was the witty deliver in which Turner tells his childhood Sunday School horror stories. It might be the fact that I laughed out loud several times from the undeniable truths of Christian culture stereotypes. Maybe it was the fact that I felt like I could have written this book myself. Whatever it was, I breezed through all 151 pages in very little time.

Turner points out several lists of things we should know about the Christian culture. For example:

1. When you think you're going to offend someone, you probably are. That doesn't mean that you stop what you're doing-just be prepared for the repercussions.

2. Criticism is rarely welcomed in a church setting. You can be as nice as possible, you'll be "criticized" behind your back for constructive feedback of almost any kind. (Editor's note: This rule does not apply if you're James Dobson or Rick Warren.)

3. Christians tend to make judgments first, and think about stuff second.

4. Most Christians have very little sense of humor; even when they "get" the joke and know that you were kidding-they will not laugh.

5. For the majority of people, you're never supposed to bring up religion or politics, but a Christian's politics is {often} his religion (and vice versa). found on page 74.

I find it funny that in one chapter he talks about the marketing "genius" that is Christian culture. He discusses the Christian bookstore phenomena and the selling of marketed Christianity. WWJD bracelets, Be Wiser (as opposed to Budweiser) T-shirts, and of course the Prayer of Jabez "anything." When he says anything he means it: Bibles, posters, CD's, even boxer shorts. It's insane.

The reason I found it funny that he specifically discussed Christian bookstores is that one major store has opted to refuse to carry this book. I for one am happy to have bought this book and was thoroughly amused by it. If you would like to borrow this book please let me know, or go out and pick up your copy. It is only $9.00

and that's my two cents.

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What an ispiration!

This guy is more man than I'll ever be. I watched the 2 hour special on Dateline tonight about Aron Ralston. It was unbelievable!

Aron Ralston had set out for a carefree desert hike through Blue John Canyon in Southeastern Utah when, with no warning, he had descended into hell. The young man's arm was trapped by an 800-pound boulder and he was forced to make an unimaginable decision in order to survive.

Ralston: "And I was hanging from the boulder, from the top of it, where the last good handholds were. And that was when it shifted. So I dropped down here... and the boulder came and it smashed my left hand here, and it smashed my right hand up here. And then it slid down and it actually dragged my arm down and my arm was right about here.

"I threw myself against the boulder, just trying to get my knee onto this boulder, just lifting up, pushing up. But still, it was -- my hand was trapped. And progressively the pain faded as my hand lost sensation."

Ralston was pinned to the canyon wall by an 800-pound boulder. He was at the bottom of a hole in a hidden canyon, 100 feet beneath the desert surface, 20 miles from the nearest paved road and surrounded by hundreds more miles of uninhabited desert. read the rest here

Aron also has a book out now about his ordeal. It's called Between a "Rock and a Hard Place" read a chapter from Aron's book

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He'll take "Brainiac" for a million-plus, Alex.

Jeopardy! whiz Ken Jennings returned to the game show Monday night after a six-week hiatus to continue his unprecedented winning streak.

So far, he's triumphed in 39 consecutive games and banked $1,331,661, shattering all previous records for the syndicated game show.

Monday's win represented Jennings' lowest cash draw from the game to date—a relatively paltry $10,001 after he incorrectly wagered $21,599 in Final Jeopardy. read the story here

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Lurkers, they're everywhere!

The blog scene is very fickle. The postings that I think will generate a lot of discussion, dialogue, or at least a few comments receives absolutely no attention. The postings that are generic, mundane, and probably boring are responded to by both of my readers. I say both of my readers because the blog scene also has a downside: lurkers. A lurker is the viewer of a blog that for some reason or another refuses to participate in the growth of that blog. The lurker never (or rarely) comments, rarely gives feedback, and rarely (if ever) spreads the word about that blog. I know for a fact that I have a lot of lurkers. I average about 200 visitors a month, but I only get two or three people to comment or give feedback.
Don't get me wrong, I don't blog for attention or for others to commend me. I blog so that others can gain some understanding of my thoughts about life, faith, and politics.
I understand the reluctance of a lurker. Once you post something on the internet, it's out there for everyone else to read. But understand that with the internet comes anonymity. You don't have to use your name in order to comment on a posting. Maybe you lurkers just think of the blogs as another form of entertainment or news. But unlike watching TV or listening to the radio, the blog is interactive, alive, organic. It can grow and change based on feedback.
Not all lurkers are parasites, but that's what many of us bloggers see them as. They suck the information out of a blog, but don't directly contribute to the blog's well being. If you find any posting, on my blog or someone else's, please comment on it. Give the blogger some feedback. It is always welcomed and is encouraged.

And that's my two cents.

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