Influences

Posted on February 7, 2008
Filed Under Music | 1 Comment

I’ve been running Linux as my sole personal operating system for probably 3 years now. When I first started doing it, I think I completely screwed my box about once every 2 or 3 months. Once Joel turned me on to Ubuntu, I stopped screwing things up for a while. Eventually I it in my head that I should try to make a Personal Video Recorder out of my computer, and that led to some more instability, until the mainstream Linux caught up with my ambition. Recently, I caused a system snafu by (amazingly) trying to connect two monitors to the same box. Well somehow in the midst of this, my favorite music player, Amarok (coming soon to Windows I hear!) went south. Not finding a quick solution to it’s problems, I decided to try another music player sitting around on my system, Rhythmbox. First off, it’s a decent music player in its own right, and secondly, just by using a different program with a different presentation, I’ve stumbled back into some great music that I’ve not listened to in a while. I listened to Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne one night, and right now, I’m listening to 1200 Curfews by the Indigo Girls. Hearing this music is starting to inspire some more clear and critical thinking. We’ll see where it goes.

Skating through

Posted on February 6, 2008
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I love to restructure and reskin my site. Even though I just finished reskinning this time, I am still tempted to go do it again almost immediately because of some awesome new libraries I found out about. [For thos interested, they are the Yahoo! User Interface Libraries, specifically, their CSS.] This is bad, because I should be spending time writing for the site, not constantly changing it’s look. But after poking around through all my old posts as part of the restructure, it seems like this fascination with changing the outside might be a bit more pervasive than I thought. If you’ve got some time to kill, go back and read some of the really old college posts. They were good (at least better than the more recent ones), and they had substance. I was thinking critically about most every aspect of my life, and I was finding a way to give voice to that. I want to get back to that, and I’m going to aim to. When I wrote my sermon for Wesley Foundation worship last year, I struggled to make good connections in it, but half of my posts from a few years ago could have been sermons. I’ve somehow found a way to just skate across the surface of life, without digging too deep on any issues, except for the times I get in deep conversations with good old friends.

Buffy, Angel and Captain Mal

Posted on February 5, 2008
Filed Under Comics, Movies, Television | 1 Comment

For a few TV shows that went off the air 4 or 5 years ago, the Buffyverse and crew of the Senerity have been very present in my life the past few months. Part of that is because I’ve been re-watching Buffy (and now Angel) seasons. I’m currently on Angel Season 3. But the main reason is because of new comics based on the series.

Buffy “Season 8″ started up a while ago, and it’s been through two 4-issue arcs and few stand-alone issues. After finishing watching Season 7, these comics pick right up and retain the voices of the characters almost perfectly. Joss also (brilliantly) moves us a year or so after the end of the show, so there some gaps to fill in as the story is told. My favorite thing so far is the way that Xander has fully accepted his one-eyed status, and falls right into his geeky ways, requesting that he be called “Sgt Fury.” (explanation)

Angel “After the Fall” (or Season 6) is a much more recent addition. While it’s art leaves something to be desired when compared to the Buffy comic, it’s plot is quickly becoming my favorite of the two. The twists in the books are so interesting and astounding that I won’t speak of them here. Thankfully, almost all the characters from the show are back, though we’ve not yet seen Lorne.

Finally Serenity “Better Days” is coming soon, and I’m really interested in seeing what that universe has to offer us. It’s set during the middle of the series (presumably so you can get some good Wash lines in), so I guess they still hold out hope for another film or something else to continue the main story.

Looking for some good shows?

Posted on February 4, 2008
Filed Under Television | 1 Comment

Amazingly, I think I get more of my TV/radio shows from the internet (as podcasts and video podcasts) than from cable. Pretty much, I just watch Stargate Atlantis, Doctor Who, and Torchwood on TV, but I watch a ton of stuff online.

My favorite place to get video content off of the internet has to be Revision 3. It’s a great “new media” company that has some awesome shows. I currently watch about half of their offered shows, including Diggnation (internet news), Systm (do-it-yourself tech), Tekzilla (general technology), The Totally Rad Show (movies, games, etc.), and iFanboy (comics - not Apple). Their shows are top notch, with very likable hosts.

Parallel to that, my favorite place for audio content is definitely the TWiT Network. TWiT, or This Week in Tech, is its flagship show, and Security Now and FLOSS Weekly are also excellent programs.

On the technology side, I also enjoy Cranky Geeks and DL.TV from Ziff Davis. On the lighter side, you have to check out Ask a Ninja and Tiki Bar TV. Those last two definitely release at much slower schedule than all the others, but if you’ve never seen them, it will take an enjoyable while to catch up.

A writer, and a walker

Posted on January 14, 2008
Filed Under Random | 1 Comment

For this new year, I’ve decided to take a different tack in my resolutions (as you can tell by the fact that I’m posting this two weeks into 2008).  Instead of setting unreasonable tasks before myself, I’ve chosen to make two lifestyle resolutions.  I’m going to be a writer and a walker.  This has two advantages over the traditional resolution:

  1. It’s almost impossible to fail, instead of impossible to succeed.  As long as I keep trying, I can’t really fail at these tasks.
  2. You can’t evaluate it until the end of the year.

Of course, these things need to quantifiable in some way, or I’m not the geek I think I am.  Being a writer probably means I get between 50 and 100 posts on each of my web sites this year, or at least 1 per week.  Being a walker means that I get out on a decent (30+ minute) walk at least 3 times a week.  Stay tuned here and to http://www.popliturgy.com to see how well I do.

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The Sermon: Cultural Evangelism

Posted on April 15, 2007
Filed Under Movies, Music, Television, Theology | Leave a Comment

If you have known me for any length of time, I have probably suggested an album to you. Or a TV show, or a movie. They have probably all been things that you just “have” to see. I may not be able to explain exactly why you need to see it, and I’ll eventually insist you just need to experience for yourself. If not, let me give you a quick rundown from my list…[read some list]… on second thought, we’ll save that for later – the list really isn’t the point here.

I suspect that many of you have had similar experiences in your lives, whether it be a class, an album, a video game, a book, or a life experience. You find some work of art or experience to be so life-changing, motivating, insightful, or otherwise moving that you feel you must invite others to share, hoping they will see the same thing you do. Or else you find something that illuminates something you already believe so well that you want to share it in hopes that others will finally understand.

Our passage from John today finds the disciples locked in their own home on the evening of the day Jesus rose “for fear of the Jews”. Though two of them have seen that Jesus has risen, and Mary has proclaimed it to them after her encounter with Jesus, they are not out spreading the news. After seeing Jesus alive and well for themselves, they are compelled to relay their miraculous encounter to one of their own who wasn’t with them, Thomas. Though Thomas is the last to see Jesus the risen Lord, he seems to understand immediately, and his response is best: “My Lord and my God.”

Flash forward some time later, still in Jerusalem. In the verses leading up to the story you just heard from Acts, the Apostles have been jailed for preaching the Gospel, and then mysteriously released from their prison by an angel in the night – par for the course in Acts, but instead of moving on to a more hospitable area, the Apostles head right back to the temple and start preaching again. What we heard tonight was the questioning of the Apostles by the high priest after having them arrested a second time. It seems that since Jesus left them standing dumbfounded at the end of Gospels that they have found a way to give voice to what they have seen. They have been compelled by the Holy Spirit to recount the events they have experienced. Peter tells the council, “We must obey God rather than human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” Here again we see God compelling a response from those who know the story. Even the Psalmist declares “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.” Isn’t this story, the “Greatest Story Ever Told,” something worth letting people know about? Shouldn’t this story drive us to share it in the same way that the latest blockbuster (or trendy Vinegar Hill Indie Film) does?

So why don’t we?

I don’t have the answer, but I have a few theories. Maybe the excitement has worn off. We’ve heard the story so often that we just Love to tell the stor-or-y…yawn…I’m getting hungry. Or maybe we feel like everyone has already heard and made up their mind. I mean we have the internet now right? And at least a dozen classes on religion up on the hill. Everyone has surely heard of this Jesus by now. Or maybe pop culture is easier. Since it’s brand new, you don’t have any preconceived notions about it. On the other hand, since the basic Biblical Narrative is so well known, lots of people already have associations with it. I know I do.

Now I could stand up here and admonish you all to go and preach the gospel to everyone you meet NOW, but I’d be calling myself out as much as you. And maybe everyone has heard the story, at least the bare bones biblical account of it - Jesus was born to a virgin, preached from age 30 to 33, was crucified, and then rose from the dead after 3 days – but does that mean all hope is lost? That we’re just supposed to go on about our business and not worry about telling this story anymore? Of course not! All those people who’ve heard the Jesus story since they were little and have never done anything about it, they haven’t heard about what it means to your life. Maybe you had an amazing experience on a mission trip, or you find yourself drawn to a particular community of faith. Or maybe you read a great book that illuminates your faith. Or saw a great movie. Or heard an awesome album. These are the stories we can tell – of how the Gospel is changing and shaping lives – that will make the Gospel seem relevant to those who have never heard it before and new to those who have heard it a thousand times and never really listened.

Path to a Sermon, Part 4: Writing, Rewriting and Pacing

Posted on April 15, 2007
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I don’t have much to put down here about this part. I started trying to actually collect my thoughts onto paper before Easter, and every night, I’d start and stop at writing, pace around the house, and watch silly movies with my roommates or TV by myself. I wrote a lot on Wednesday, but thought I was going to discard it, and eventually came back to it on Saturday night and reworked it and extended it into the final product.

Path to a Sermon, Part 3: Other Influences

Posted on April 3, 2007
Filed Under Theology | 1 Comment

Through posting my thoughts here, I actually uncovered some other things that I had written on here in days gone by that sync up nicely with where my thoughts are going now. The first is a post that I wrote myself a good while back about Springsteen and the church, and the second is the spiritual successor to the article I reference, from the magazine America in 2003. I will be locating the other articles talked about in these two links soon to add to my sermon.

While it is not the main thrust of my sermon, there is some good language in there supporting why our imagination and the imaginations of others can be of great benefit to our sharing the story of Jesus.

Path to a Sermon, Part 2: Connecting the Dots

Posted on April 3, 2007
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Last night I was struck with the burning need to get some ideas out of my head and onto paper about this sermon. Here they are, with some minor edits to make them more understandable to someone who is not me. I don’t think the sermon is going to ask a lot of questions and then answer them, but writing down the questions and then answering them was very useful here.
Compelled by the Gospel/Love

Opening bit on compulsion related to real life. Have you ever heard/seen/read something so good that you had to tell people about it?

I’m constantly doing this - You should:

What is so compelling about these things that they force their way into our lives and our conversations?

Why do we tell others about them?

Isn’t the Gospel the same way?

Today’s scriptures all point to revelation’s of God’s glory and humanity’s compelled response to that revelation or “Revelations that compel a response from the people in the story” as I put it in a later email to a friend

This story should also compel us in the same way as those other stories.

Why don’t we discuss the Gospel in the same way?

How do we already share the Gospel?

Path to a Sermon, Part 1: Exegesis

Posted on March 29, 2007
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I’ve been asked to preach at the Wesley Foundation in a few weeks, which is a new experience for me. Having some time to get ready, I’m tackling this in the way I know best: systematically. I’m taking lots of notes, and I hope to at least keep them around for myself by posting here. Who knows, maybe someone else will be looking for some lay-sermonizing tips one day too, or maybe, if anyone still reads this, I can work on an open-source sermon, with input from others.
The vitals:
Sermon on April 15
Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

Not knowing lots of fancy seminary-type methods of exegesis, I went with what I knew: the 4-part medevial method.

To hit the high points, I’ll be looking at the literary, allegorical, tropological (moral) and anagogical (heavenly, or kingdom-like) consequences of each passage, and then see where they connect, disconnect, and converse. I’m copying from my notes here, so it may be choppy at times, and the levels will be noted by numbers in increasing value.

Acts:

  1. Apostalic response is that the Resurrection compels us to preach the gospel; the Jews are frightened of the new changes brought about by the death and Resurrection of Jesus
  2. Obey God rather than men; the world is new in Christ
  3. You cannot avoid doing something once confronted with the gospel
  4. God’s kingdom is shared and sharing

Psalm

  1. Make music and praise the Lord!
  2. Worship music shouldn’t be so calm - Annie Dillard story about need crash helmets in worship
  3. If there is a morality attached to worshipful music, it is to be found here, and not other places (that forbid dancing, raucousness, some loss of control)
  4. Heaven is one big party.

Revelation

  1. Turmoil of the 2nd coming, inevitability of God & God’s Word
  2. do not be complacent b/c God has yet to come again
  3. God has authority and it’s frightening
  4. God’s kingdom is and is to come, God cares and is reconciling

John

  1. Doubting Thomas, intrusive Jesus, John’s Pentecost, the power of forgiveness belongs to you, “My Lord and my God!”(Thomas’s confession of God), a blessing directed at the reader, for once
  2. “Do not doubt but believe”, Power of forgiving sins, God does give signs when needed
  3. Doubting does not ostricize you from the community, forgiveness is even more important for Christians to give to one another and others
  4. The kingdom of heaven will intrude on our lives, doubt will be abolished by sight

While writing and thinking the first time, some other themes and hymns came into my head and I logged them as well

Hymns:

Themes:

If there is anybody out there, give me some feedback. I hope to do some more work this weekend, making more connections and figuring out where I want to go with this. More to come soon!

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