Guzzling Resources

About a month ago I drove my gas guzzling Chevy Silverado over to the LCD (Lake County Deli) for its bi-monthly fill-up. It had been riding the E for a couple days and I knew if it I didn’t fill it up now I would find myself stuck on some country road between a mean Black Lab and a meaner Australian Shepard, I decided to fill it up. As I effortlessly passed the $70 mark something inside of me snapped. Somewhere in deep inside my gut I began to get mad. I realized my life as a truck owner was going to have to come to an end sooner than I had anticipated if I didn’t do something. So I did what every good American citizen should do. I started complaining and pointing my crooked fingers at politicians, oil industry and the rest of the world.

Yesterday I had a revelation of sorts. It came after a conversation where I (still a truck owner) was being targeted as the source and solution of the high gas problem. My first reaction to this was even more anger and more crooked fingers, but as I began personally unpacking this one I realized I was at fault. My need as a gas consumer is a big problem. As I began to search deeper I started seeing all the other resources I consume and need for my cushy North American existence.

I have no right to complain. or leverage to push my frustrations about how my cost of living is increasing. When I think about these issues globally I see how fortunate I am and how my complaining enables me to ignore the real needs of those around me.

An Evening With Myspace.com

I caved. A friend of my recently told me about this profile/blog/meeting place site and how I should have bought stock in it a year ago. Needless to say I didn't buy stock, but I decided to help the shareholders by investing 30 minutes of my time to fill out a profile and sign up. I don't regret it, but there is something very uncomfortable about myspace.com. I feel as if I have just thrown myself into the wind and now am floating by thousands of people leering at my life. Or perhaps a better way to put it would be, it feels like I just stepped into a room with a thousand people trying to convince me I am like them and they are worth my time.

I think it's strange that as our culture gets less and less personal, people are desperately reaching out in as many ways as possible to be connected to like minded individuals. I guess this is a need we all have and myspace.com seems to be answering that void.

Voltron

As a child I was a Voltron junkie. I had a number of the toys and would watch the show every Saturday morning. So when I found this video I have to admit I was very pleased.

Dance Off

Nashville Pneumonia

I had a brief run in with a guy who is trying to make a go of it as a Christian musician down in Nashville, TN. Our conversation led to a number of different issues about faith, music, and the industry. There was one odd theme I was struck with as I listened to his stories, producers.

You need them if you are going to cut a record, I understand this. But as a musician, when can you start saying no to their ideas and suggestions. For example, when this guy was signed one of the first things his "Christian" producer mentioned to him was he thought he should get into the weight room. Now we are not talking about a large guy or someone who looks out of shape, but someone of average physically health. Something just doesn't sit right with me thinking about this situation. I guess there is a business side to the Christian Music Industry, but if we were to boil it down shouldn't it still be a ministry.

As I think back to all the the Christian concerts I have been to over the years, there is one aspect that sums them all up. I wish I could say it was giving praise to God or empowering people to change the world through service, but unfortunately it was their polished image.

Is there hope for the Christian Music Industry?

Three Things

I’ve decided there are three things I really love. Other people’s dogs, other people’s pictures, and weddings.

Dogs. I met 2 today and both immediately smelled my circle and became my closest friend at that moment. They have the personality of, I will love you if you pay attention to me and responding to this is nearly a necessity. Pictures. In the past I have only looked at other people’s pictures in order to perhaps find myself in the background. But I am trying to change my song. Pictures help me create a context for those I come in contact with and enable me to see them in a complete light. Seeing the innocents of their childhood or the awkwardness of their tweenage years is refreshing.

Weddings. I am writing from one. One of my best friends Tyson Auffhammer is aligning his life with a girl who, from my observation, is the perfect combination of serious and light to match him. These past hours I’ve been meeting new people and reconnecting with others. We are becoming a homogeneous group. As very different individuals from different walks of life we’ve arrived in Cleveland, OH for a common goal, celebrating the union of these two people.

I’ve decided there are three things I really wish for myself. I would love people like a dog, understand people from their context, and where ever I am celebrate relationships like a wedding weekend.

Dried Up Day

I have finally figured out what to do with the world wide web. For years I have waste precious moments of my time looking at things I don’t need or shopping for shoes on Zappos. A forced stumble onto the blog world has given me a fresh passion for the world wide web (see above) and now I spend my hours of boredom going through other peoples blog links.

Here are a few of my favorites so far.
This One
How about this One
Looks like fun Here
Buy Buy Buy
Last One
Well there you have it, some Links.

Business As Unusual

What did it mean for Jesus to be the “spotless Lamb”? I affirm Jesus was without sin from birth to dead and in turn became the blood giver to reconcile us with God. Yet I am confused by the definition of sinless. As you might expect, I think of sin as what I am not doing. I am not lying to my wife, I am not robbing a bank, I am not kicking a dog, etc. However if Jesus’ life was summed up in a paragraph I highly doubt those highlights would speak of Jesus’ abstaining from the lures of a “fallen” world. It would be about what he did for those who were dealt a raw hand.

Jesus’ ministry was about doing what the Father business. He was so in tune with the Father’s desires Jesus had no time to let his humanness take control. I believe what made Jesus sinless was his commitment to be about the Father’s business at every moment. It didn’t revolve around what Jesus was abstaining from at all, but what he was proactively seeking.

I think on a good day I could be as moral (from N. American standards) as Jesus was. I think the majority of church-goers probably could too, but what good is abstaining from immoral lures when we aren’t about the Father’s business?