11.12.07
5.12.07
new Narnia
from the looks of this trailer, the new Narnia takes an admirable first movie to the series and improves on it substantially. can't wait...
21.8.07
by the way...
I mostly just post on
http://bejustice.blogspot.com
*edit* and for those of you who either find it vexingly complicated to copy and paste or are to absurdly lazy to do so click here
: )
http://bejustice.blogspot.com
*edit* and for those of you who either find it vexingly complicated to copy and paste or are to absurdly lazy to do so click here
: )
16.7.07
ironic
"It's overkill."
-Courtney Solomon, President of After Dark Films, the company that recently released "Captivity", a thriller, torture, blood-soaked movie, commenting on the decreasing revenues for horror films due in the last several months due possibly to an over abundance of such films.
-Courtney Solomon, President of After Dark Films, the company that recently released "Captivity", a thriller, torture, blood-soaked movie, commenting on the decreasing revenues for horror films due in the last several months due possibly to an over abundance of such films.
30.6.07
Dale Lauener
Dale has worked for a long, long time with Jr. High youth at The Chapel...much longer than I've been there. He passed away quite suddenly after a very brief fight with leukemia. He had a passion for life and for people that was inspiring.
Dale E. Lauener
CUYAHOGA FALLS -- Dale E. Lauener, 64, died June 28, 2007.
Born in Oberlin, Dale was raised on a farm and graduated from Cedarville College in 1968. He worked in the stewardship department at The Chapel and actively ministered to youth for over 30 years. He was a member of the Akron Bicycle Club, SPOKES and successfully completed 15 Great Ohio Bike Adventures.
Preceded in death by parents, Edward and Adeline Lauener, he is survived by sons, Matt (Sylvia) Lauener, of Chicago, Ill., Josh Lauener, of Bluffton, S.C.; grandchildren, Nicholas and Adaline; sister, Kay Lauener of Kent; and beloved friend, Sharon Runyon.
Friends may call Sunday 2 to 5 p.m. at the Redmon Funeral Home. Pastor Knute Larson will conduct service Monday, 11 a.m. at The Chapel (in Memorial Chapel), 135 Fir Hill, Akron. Private burial will be at the Camden Cemetery. The video tribute for Mr. Lauener will be available at www.redmonfuneralhome.com. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to Camp Patmos on Kelleys Island.
Dale E. Lauener
CUYAHOGA FALLS -- Dale E. Lauener, 64, died June 28, 2007.
Born in Oberlin, Dale was raised on a farm and graduated from Cedarville College in 1968. He worked in the stewardship department at The Chapel and actively ministered to youth for over 30 years. He was a member of the Akron Bicycle Club, SPOKES and successfully completed 15 Great Ohio Bike Adventures.
Preceded in death by parents, Edward and Adeline Lauener, he is survived by sons, Matt (Sylvia) Lauener, of Chicago, Ill., Josh Lauener, of Bluffton, S.C.; grandchildren, Nicholas and Adaline; sister, Kay Lauener of Kent; and beloved friend, Sharon Runyon.
Friends may call Sunday 2 to 5 p.m. at the Redmon Funeral Home. Pastor Knute Larson will conduct service Monday, 11 a.m. at The Chapel (in Memorial Chapel), 135 Fir Hill, Akron. Private burial will be at the Camden Cemetery. The video tribute for Mr. Lauener will be available at www.redmonfuneralhome.com. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to Camp Patmos on Kelleys Island.
21.6.07
quaker history
there's many reasons why that on the rare occasion someone asks me with what denomination i'm affiliated, i respond "Quaker". this is one of them:
from a history of the abolition of slavery on the BBC:
The Unsung Heroes of Abolition
By Adam Hochschild
The Quakers were the first religious denomination on either side of the Atlantic to come out against slavery. There were only some 20,000 Quakers in Britain in the late 18th century, but they supplied nine of the 12 members of the influential abolition committee that began meeting in 1787.
That first meeting took place in a London Quaker bookstore and printing shop. An all-Quaker abolition committee had actually been started four years earlier, but because of widespread prejudice in Britain against religious dissenters, the committee's efforts failed to gain public attention until it joined forces with similarly-minded Anglicans.
For decades to come, Quaker merchants and businessmen provided most of the movement's financial support. The network of Quakers around the country were the core of the local anti-slavery committees organised by Thomas Clarkson. Clarkson himself once said he felt 'nine parts in ten' a Quaker, but politically it was more sensible for him to remain an Anglican. Clarkson and others were much influenced by the writings of the early Quaker abolitionist Anthony Benezet, who, like many Quakers, spent time in both Britain and America.
Other Quaker stalwarts of the anti-slavery movement included Elizabeth Heyrick, businessman-philanthropist Joseph Sturge - who travelled to investigate conditions in the West Indies - and his sister Sophia, who personally called on 3,000 households to ask them not to eat slave-grown sugar. The Quaker John Woolman campaigned against slavery on both sides of the Atlantic, and his 1754 anti-slavery tract was one of the very first to profess opposition to slavery.
from a history of the abolition of slavery on the BBC:
The Unsung Heroes of Abolition
By Adam Hochschild
The Quakers were the first religious denomination on either side of the Atlantic to come out against slavery. There were only some 20,000 Quakers in Britain in the late 18th century, but they supplied nine of the 12 members of the influential abolition committee that began meeting in 1787.
That first meeting took place in a London Quaker bookstore and printing shop. An all-Quaker abolition committee had actually been started four years earlier, but because of widespread prejudice in Britain against religious dissenters, the committee's efforts failed to gain public attention until it joined forces with similarly-minded Anglicans.
For decades to come, Quaker merchants and businessmen provided most of the movement's financial support. The network of Quakers around the country were the core of the local anti-slavery committees organised by Thomas Clarkson. Clarkson himself once said he felt 'nine parts in ten' a Quaker, but politically it was more sensible for him to remain an Anglican. Clarkson and others were much influenced by the writings of the early Quaker abolitionist Anthony Benezet, who, like many Quakers, spent time in both Britain and America.
Other Quaker stalwarts of the anti-slavery movement included Elizabeth Heyrick, businessman-philanthropist Joseph Sturge - who travelled to investigate conditions in the West Indies - and his sister Sophia, who personally called on 3,000 households to ask them not to eat slave-grown sugar. The Quaker John Woolman campaigned against slavery on both sides of the Atlantic, and his 1754 anti-slavery tract was one of the very first to profess opposition to slavery.
8.6.07
an email
so this is an email i sent to some friends recently:
So I don't know how familiar you gents are with web 2.0, but it's generally the idea that the web is transforming from a universe governed by what the few could post and maintain (those web-savvy webmasters & website designers) to being a universe governed by the many, and by many I mean any, as in anybody who wants to can know post, interact, share, network, and broadcast themselves, their thoughts, feelings, and dreams to the world.
Honestly, it's a bit like when the Reformation hit the church. The power transformed from the Priest to the parishioner, from the elect to the everybody.
This short little piece gives an interesting take on web 2.0.
Of particular interest is that people really believe in this transformation. Enough that they are creating movies like this, publishing articles, and that web 2.0 has become an actual term that people recognize. The idealized ending is fascinating to me.
And so how does this affect us? Does any of this translate into our context? I propose that perhaps the emerging conversation is a second, mini-reformation. Religion has gone corporate, with mega-churches, political jockeying, conservative lobbying, and new papal-like empires such as Focus on the Family, the Moral Majority, and the Christian Coalition. The emerging conversation, ideally, pushes the power back to the people, per se. Not to say that it doesn't have it issues. Like web 2.0, a lot of useless waste accompanies this opportunity. For every worthwhile blog, youtube video, facebook connection, there's plenty of wasted myspace pages, pointless online journals, and maybe even some stalking. But the potential of web 2.0 is incredible. And worth rethinking how we use technology at all, computers specifically, and how we understand the internet altogether.
To those who have spent their lives building what we have, I ask: Is the church now too established to expand? Too complete to recreate? Too near an end product (and the end-times) to explore new territory? Dreaming seems too often squelched by evangelicalism today.
To those who spend their time frustrated with what we've become, I ask: Is the church too dead to dream and resurrect? Too derelict to redirect? Has the sun set or is it on the horizon, ready to burst into the brightness and beauty of a redemption-filled, re-imagined day? Dreaming seems too often squelched by post-modernism today.
So where shall we venture tomorrow?
So I don't know how familiar you gents are with web 2.0, but it's generally the idea that the web is transforming from a universe governed by what the few could post and maintain (those web-savvy webmasters & website designers) to being a universe governed by the many, and by many I mean any, as in anybody who wants to can know post, interact, share, network, and broadcast themselves, their thoughts, feelings, and dreams to the world.
Honestly, it's a bit like when the Reformation hit the church. The power transformed from the Priest to the parishioner, from the elect to the everybody.
This short little piece gives an interesting take on web 2.0.
Of particular interest is that people really believe in this transformation. Enough that they are creating movies like this, publishing articles, and that web 2.0 has become an actual term that people recognize. The idealized ending is fascinating to me.
And so how does this affect us? Does any of this translate into our context? I propose that perhaps the emerging conversation is a second, mini-reformation. Religion has gone corporate, with mega-churches, political jockeying, conservative lobbying, and new papal-like empires such as Focus on the Family, the Moral Majority, and the Christian Coalition. The emerging conversation, ideally, pushes the power back to the people, per se. Not to say that it doesn't have it issues. Like web 2.0, a lot of useless waste accompanies this opportunity. For every worthwhile blog, youtube video, facebook connection, there's plenty of wasted myspace pages, pointless online journals, and maybe even some stalking. But the potential of web 2.0 is incredible. And worth rethinking how we use technology at all, computers specifically, and how we understand the internet altogether.
To those who have spent their lives building what we have, I ask: Is the church now too established to expand? Too complete to recreate? Too near an end product (and the end-times) to explore new territory? Dreaming seems too often squelched by evangelicalism today.
To those who spend their time frustrated with what we've become, I ask: Is the church too dead to dream and resurrect? Too derelict to redirect? Has the sun set or is it on the horizon, ready to burst into the brightness and beauty of a redemption-filled, re-imagined day? Dreaming seems too often squelched by post-modernism today.
So where shall we venture tomorrow?
30.5.07
Africa related...
interesting article on athletes/celebrities and justice issues:
http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=860
i think the author ignores some of the good stories that are out there (like Don Cheadle's work with Sudan, or Joey Cheek, the US Speedskater who donated the money he won from gold medals at the Olympics last year to refugees in Darfur). But I also think that she has a point about professional athletes. It's not fair to make any blanket statements saying their not doing anything (Lebron James even has an annual bike-a-thon in Akron to help out needy kids), but they could use their platform more, perhaps.
AND
in other Africa related news, President Bush announced his plans to extend PEPFAR for another 5 years and $15 billion dollars. definitely not a paltry sum. also definitely not pulling the end of the load that we ought to as one of the wealthiest nations in the world. he makes many claims about how this is the biggest gift ever...which it better be, seeing as we control over a quarter of the world's economy in one country. at least it's something?
http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=860
i think the author ignores some of the good stories that are out there (like Don Cheadle's work with Sudan, or Joey Cheek, the US Speedskater who donated the money he won from gold medals at the Olympics last year to refugees in Darfur). But I also think that she has a point about professional athletes. It's not fair to make any blanket statements saying their not doing anything (Lebron James even has an annual bike-a-thon in Akron to help out needy kids), but they could use their platform more, perhaps.
AND
in other Africa related news, President Bush announced his plans to extend PEPFAR for another 5 years and $15 billion dollars. definitely not a paltry sum. also definitely not pulling the end of the load that we ought to as one of the wealthiest nations in the world. he makes many claims about how this is the biggest gift ever...which it better be, seeing as we control over a quarter of the world's economy in one country. at least it's something?
28.5.07
old
signs that i'm beyond being young...
my memorial day morning/afternoon was spent accomplishing the following tasks at my house:
-putting felt pads on the dining room chairs so they don't mark up the floor
-disassembling and reassembling the gutter drain on the side of my house to fix a clog
-taking the front door off it's hinges and recutting it so it wouldn't stick
-tarring the three exposed nails left on my roofing job from last weekend
-cleaning out my garage and tidying it up after it became a mess from above mentioned roofing job
-cleaning my room
-doing my laundry
i have a house. i spend my free time working on it.
what have i become?!
my memorial day morning/afternoon was spent accomplishing the following tasks at my house:
-putting felt pads on the dining room chairs so they don't mark up the floor
-disassembling and reassembling the gutter drain on the side of my house to fix a clog
-taking the front door off it's hinges and recutting it so it wouldn't stick
-tarring the three exposed nails left on my roofing job from last weekend
-cleaning out my garage and tidying it up after it became a mess from above mentioned roofing job
-cleaning my room
-doing my laundry
i have a house. i spend my free time working on it.
what have i become?!
24.5.07
mosaic
-noun
a composition being made up of small, often diverse pieces of a medium to create a greater picture.
i've been at CCO Spring Institute this week at Geneva College in PA. it's been both very refreshing and good as well as rather difficult and stressful. it's been good for a variety of reasons...community, encouragement, times of rest, being away. it's been difficult for a number of reasons as well. and all of these pieces have formed a week that will surely leave an impression on me.
tonight we were encouraged to think of our lives as a mosaic...of all the pieces and parts that come together to make up the whole. and it was a picture that struck me. most pieces in a mosaic are broken...broken and then made to be a part of a whole. and i feel like this reflects my life, more often than not. there's more pieces that are broken and the hope is that somehow these broken bits will be woven together to create something worthwhile. but that's frustrating to walk through at times. or there are those times when it seems your broken pieces have sharper edges than usual.
but they are, nonetheless, forming a greater picture together, aren't they?
?
a composition being made up of small, often diverse pieces of a medium to create a greater picture.
i've been at CCO Spring Institute this week at Geneva College in PA. it's been both very refreshing and good as well as rather difficult and stressful. it's been good for a variety of reasons...community, encouragement, times of rest, being away. it's been difficult for a number of reasons as well. and all of these pieces have formed a week that will surely leave an impression on me.
tonight we were encouraged to think of our lives as a mosaic...of all the pieces and parts that come together to make up the whole. and it was a picture that struck me. most pieces in a mosaic are broken...broken and then made to be a part of a whole. and i feel like this reflects my life, more often than not. there's more pieces that are broken and the hope is that somehow these broken bits will be woven together to create something worthwhile. but that's frustrating to walk through at times. or there are those times when it seems your broken pieces have sharper edges than usual.
but they are, nonetheless, forming a greater picture together, aren't they?
?
15.5.07
Headlines
White House taps general as 'war czar'
This headline was on CNN today.
What kind of sad country do we live in that we have to have a "war czar"? We've got too much war for our system to handle, so we have to appoint someone just to oversee our various warish efforts.
ugh.
This headline was on CNN today.
What kind of sad country do we live in that we have to have a "war czar"? We've got too much war for our system to handle, so we have to appoint someone just to oversee our various warish efforts.
ugh.
10.5.07
mockingbird
Derek Webb's not so new album (he just came out with a new one, but this one's really not that old), Mockingbird is a scathing reprimand to modern evangelical Christianity. and rightly so. sometimes i feel like there's more wrong with the church today than there is right. and while i know that's a broad overstatement, that a statement can even be made in that direction does indicate that there's something wrong and it's not worth ignoring. anyway...these lyrics really struck me today:
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
don’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music
don’t teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law
i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me
i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law
don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice
don’t teach me about loving my enemies
don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law
what’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
don’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music
don’t teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law
i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me
i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law
don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice
don’t teach me about loving my enemies
don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law
what’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid
5.5.07
in other news...
after a long hiatus, i have begun posting on the dLog again (something a couple friends of mine and i started several years back...a blogging of our devotions & responses).
devolog.blogspot.com
i know it's been forever since i really updated this thing, but it's because i've been busy with the blog above and a blog that i'm running for Jr. High students about the book "Be The Change" by Zach Hunter. one of these days i'll get back to more interesting fare back on here.
devolog.blogspot.com
i know it's been forever since i really updated this thing, but it's because i've been busy with the blog above and a blog that i'm running for Jr. High students about the book "Be The Change" by Zach Hunter. one of these days i'll get back to more interesting fare back on here.
21.4.07
name it and claim it
today i bought a dryer. i officially own both a washer and a dryer. this afternoon i christened them with two loads of laundry. and all was well in the world of my clothing. i bought it from this place called Habitat ReStore, and it's run by Habitat for Humanity and helps them get money to pay for the work they do. they were having a 50% off sale today, so i was able to score it for a rather cheap price. i was most nervous about being able to actually get the one i wanted...when i showed up, 10 minutes before they even opened this morning, there was already a line down the sidewalk. thankfully it was still unclaimed when i got inside, so i now possess a beautifully old school kenmore dryer. i was joking around with a friend last night that it was my own little version of "name it and claim it"...just find an employee, name what you want, and they'll make sure you can walk out with it. i was just glad i was able to find Bob, the nice older gentleman who helped me out this morning, so i could get it before the hordes of fellow bargainites grabbed it up.
i also witnessed an attempted robbery today. and had dinner with swell folk. what an eventful day.
i also made of when people make a list of what they do during the day and put it on their blog.
i also witnessed an attempted robbery today. and had dinner with swell folk. what an eventful day.
i also made of when people make a list of what they do during the day and put it on their blog.
17.4.07
Koyaanisqatsi...life out of balance
i haven't read anything this brilliant in a long, long time. an ingenius and unique idea, excellent execution, and an article that takes its time to present its thoughts. yes, the article is long. and some of what is shared could be done a more succint format. but that would quite innappropriate in some sense, considering the subject.
i had tears in my eyes at the end. i won't say why unless you ask me (in person or via joeldaniel@intheround.com). i know it breaks blog culture to have posts that are too long. so not many will likely read this. but it's well worth the time.
invisible beauty
and...i almost missed it...but there's actually a link at the top where you can listen to the entire 44 minute performance.
(thanks to www.ysmarko.com for posting about this)
and (final addition...i promise)...i hope you'll post your response/thoughts/reflections even if you don't usually. you don't have to be registered or anything. i think this requires some communal reflection.
i had tears in my eyes at the end. i won't say why unless you ask me (in person or via joeldaniel@intheround.com). i know it breaks blog culture to have posts that are too long. so not many will likely read this. but it's well worth the time.
invisible beauty
and...i almost missed it...but there's actually a link at the top where you can listen to the entire 44 minute performance.
(thanks to www.ysmarko.com for posting about this)
and (final addition...i promise)...i hope you'll post your response/thoughts/reflections even if you don't usually. you don't have to be registered or anything. i think this requires some communal reflection.
8.4.07
this past week i drove. a lot. something like 1700 miles. so now i'm tired. been in a bit of blog funk recently...posting on weird, random things. and it's not been for a lack of things happening. just a lack of thought development around the variety of these things to the point where i feel comfortable documenting it in such a way as the entire world can quote me on it.
this one who was risen today is genius. i want to be fully enamored with him. we look at creation and see beauty both intricate and varied. recently i have looked much at those who have surrounded me in life at the present moment...and have seen and experienced emotion; intense, complicated, diverse. surely he who wove all this feeling into his creation is beyond words. just as you can never fully describe any single emotion, so much more can i properly speak of the one who put these feelings into motion at the beginning of time. that we should be people of such diversity...diversity of thought...in even just one day or one hour. joyful, nervous, loving, overwhelmed, stressed, thrilled, exhausted, peaceful, exuberant, broken. and pieced together again. to think that i share these same thoughts with all of humanity, from the beginning of time. on this day, all those years ago, what were they feeling? was it perhaps so much more than could be summed up in words? Creator recreated...and his creation astonished in wonderment. and today awe runs through our veins and floods our thoughts, mixing with our immediate experiences and tinging them toward worship.
this one who was risen today is genius. i want to be fully enamored with him. we look at creation and see beauty both intricate and varied. recently i have looked much at those who have surrounded me in life at the present moment...and have seen and experienced emotion; intense, complicated, diverse. surely he who wove all this feeling into his creation is beyond words. just as you can never fully describe any single emotion, so much more can i properly speak of the one who put these feelings into motion at the beginning of time. that we should be people of such diversity...diversity of thought...in even just one day or one hour. joyful, nervous, loving, overwhelmed, stressed, thrilled, exhausted, peaceful, exuberant, broken. and pieced together again. to think that i share these same thoughts with all of humanity, from the beginning of time. on this day, all those years ago, what were they feeling? was it perhaps so much more than could be summed up in words? Creator recreated...and his creation astonished in wonderment. and today awe runs through our veins and floods our thoughts, mixing with our immediate experiences and tinging them toward worship.
26.3.07
some days are just long...
when we are exhausted
God makes a way through
mighty waters.
we move forward in hope
as God does a new thing.
(cr. Tanya Hershberger...continuing to be one of my heroes.)
God makes a way through
mighty waters.
we move forward in hope
as God does a new thing.
(cr. Tanya Hershberger...continuing to be one of my heroes.)
22.3.07
a study in music videos
sorry it's been so long. rather intense last week. on the other hand, not really sure many people take a look here that often. so if you hadn't noticed i hadn't posted recently, then i'm not sorry for you. but if, for some strange reason, you do check in here regularly and were disappointed by my lack of material, to you i am deeply apologetic.
anyway.
music videos usually interest me very little. i find them largely uninspired and often incoherent. so i don't usually watch them. however, this isn't because i don't believe that there's incredible potential in music videos. such a genius mix of two complimentary art forms...swelling sound and moving pictures.
today i stumbled across a music video made for a song by a band called Menomena. as to the music, i'm still undecided as to if, why, and how i like their style. but i found this video absolutely entrancing because of it's creative genius. yes, perhaps it is somewhat incoherent in the sense that i don't know that there's a disctinct message. but the genuine uniqueness of it is engaging. so you'll find that as the first video here. following that, i thought to myself, i wonder how this song would be changed by a different video accompanying it. so, employing my friend youtube, i found two other versions. the one, found second here, is beautifully shot and has some intriguing artistry (interestingly shot on 16mm film). the third, and final video i found largely uninspiring, but kept it solely for what i thought was a brilliant shot found from 1:54-2:08, where there's three distinct modes of transportation laid atop one another. i just like the flow of the shot...as an amateur videographer/student of cinema i saw in it a flash of brilliance. and i did find that each version gave me a different understanding and aftertaste of this sing, "wet & rusting". i'm interested to hear what anyone thinks...about the song, about the movies, about the genre...
(the final one won't let me imbed...you can see it by clicking here).
anyway.
music videos usually interest me very little. i find them largely uninspired and often incoherent. so i don't usually watch them. however, this isn't because i don't believe that there's incredible potential in music videos. such a genius mix of two complimentary art forms...swelling sound and moving pictures.
today i stumbled across a music video made for a song by a band called Menomena. as to the music, i'm still undecided as to if, why, and how i like their style. but i found this video absolutely entrancing because of it's creative genius. yes, perhaps it is somewhat incoherent in the sense that i don't know that there's a disctinct message. but the genuine uniqueness of it is engaging. so you'll find that as the first video here. following that, i thought to myself, i wonder how this song would be changed by a different video accompanying it. so, employing my friend youtube, i found two other versions. the one, found second here, is beautifully shot and has some intriguing artistry (interestingly shot on 16mm film). the third, and final video i found largely uninspiring, but kept it solely for what i thought was a brilliant shot found from 1:54-2:08, where there's three distinct modes of transportation laid atop one another. i just like the flow of the shot...as an amateur videographer/student of cinema i saw in it a flash of brilliance. and i did find that each version gave me a different understanding and aftertaste of this sing, "wet & rusting". i'm interested to hear what anyone thinks...about the song, about the movies, about the genre...
(the final one won't let me imbed...you can see it by clicking here).
15.3.07
law & letters
in the vein of playgrounds and criminal activity (see my prior post), i bring you this wonderful clip...
14.3.07
playground hierarchies
on a field trip to look at a vegetable garden (isn't spring exciting?!) the other day, a few friends and i stopped for a bit to watch a playground in action. it's been some time since i've seen a playground in full tilt. there was constant high pitched screaming sound. it's not that every kid is screaming constantly...it's that they take turns, unknowingly, to create this lulling screeching mantra.
we hadn't watched long when one kid (we'll call him tiny tim due to his smaller stature) inadvertently knocked down another (we'll call him camo king thanks to his flashy camoflage jacket) when exiting a slide. tiny tim desperately tried to make a quick getaway, knowing that trouble was brewing, but camo kings militia (also sporting camo gear) quickly grabbed him to hold him for the reckoning that was soon to come. of course teachers, playground monitors, and all other big people were nowhere to be found. camo king got his whereabouts and came to collect his revenge just as tiny tim wiggled free and made a bolt for the jungle gym. unfortunately, tiny tim's limited stride size allowed camo king to quickly catch him and deck him into the dirt. the camo jackets jumped about in joyous celebration. tiny tim struggled to his feet, wanting to fight back. but realizing his disparity in size, he sought the help of a nearby adult who had somehow remained oblivious to the turmoil happening around her. unfortunately camo king and his posse saw this happening and rushed over to plead their case. the result of this judgement seemed unjust to us observers...the outcome with tiny tim headed inside of the school building with the teacher, looking forlorn while camo king and company returned to their terrorist activities amongst the swingset.
we decided it'd be a fascinating study to attach homing beacons to all the students and track them to see how territorial they were, whether they traveled in packs, and what other patterns could be found. we were all convinced that despite the apparent chaotic appearance of the playground, that there was a definite pattern to what takes place during those blessed great moments of the day known as "recess".
we hadn't watched long when one kid (we'll call him tiny tim due to his smaller stature) inadvertently knocked down another (we'll call him camo king thanks to his flashy camoflage jacket) when exiting a slide. tiny tim desperately tried to make a quick getaway, knowing that trouble was brewing, but camo kings militia (also sporting camo gear) quickly grabbed him to hold him for the reckoning that was soon to come. of course teachers, playground monitors, and all other big people were nowhere to be found. camo king got his whereabouts and came to collect his revenge just as tiny tim wiggled free and made a bolt for the jungle gym. unfortunately, tiny tim's limited stride size allowed camo king to quickly catch him and deck him into the dirt. the camo jackets jumped about in joyous celebration. tiny tim struggled to his feet, wanting to fight back. but realizing his disparity in size, he sought the help of a nearby adult who had somehow remained oblivious to the turmoil happening around her. unfortunately camo king and his posse saw this happening and rushed over to plead their case. the result of this judgement seemed unjust to us observers...the outcome with tiny tim headed inside of the school building with the teacher, looking forlorn while camo king and company returned to their terrorist activities amongst the swingset.
we decided it'd be a fascinating study to attach homing beacons to all the students and track them to see how territorial they were, whether they traveled in packs, and what other patterns could be found. we were all convinced that despite the apparent chaotic appearance of the playground, that there was a definite pattern to what takes place during those blessed great moments of the day known as "recess".
7.3.07
choose your own adventure
in the vein of your favorite 80's book series and mine (or was it more 90's? i think maybe it spanned the two), choose one from the options below to interact with and respond (?) to...of course, if you're like me, then you used to try one path and then, when you died, came back and tried another, and then when you lived, tried to figure out how to die differently. wow...what a gruesome series. well, anyway...i meant to conclude that sentence by indicating you're welcome to explore more than one option...
democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards had some great thoughts the other day when interviewed for an beliefnet.com. he contends that Christ would be appalled by our self-centeredness, particularly that it comes at the expense of many who have such great need in the world today. while i'm not sold on any presidential candidate yet, there is a lot about Edwards that interests me...including the bits of his healthcare plan that are mentioned at the end of this article.
going totally out of the box, (but over the counter), this non-prof is pushing a drug through the entire beaurocratic process to help people who desperately need it. it also offers a stinging critique (somewhat unwittingly) of the process by which our society only forwards things that are in our own interest (particularly of the profit kind of interest).
sex is always a hot topic, and Lauren Winner wrote an excellent editorial for the New York Times that challenges the way in which the church has been approaching this topic with youth in the last several decades. with Rob Bell's new book, Sex God, xxxchurch, and more books, websites, etc coming out on sexuality and particularly how Christians interact with it, this will continue to be a relevant issue that we desperately need to evaluate how we approach.
democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards had some great thoughts the other day when interviewed for an beliefnet.com. he contends that Christ would be appalled by our self-centeredness, particularly that it comes at the expense of many who have such great need in the world today. while i'm not sold on any presidential candidate yet, there is a lot about Edwards that interests me...including the bits of his healthcare plan that are mentioned at the end of this article.
going totally out of the box, (but over the counter), this non-prof is pushing a drug through the entire beaurocratic process to help people who desperately need it. it also offers a stinging critique (somewhat unwittingly) of the process by which our society only forwards things that are in our own interest (particularly of the profit kind of interest).
sex is always a hot topic, and Lauren Winner wrote an excellent editorial for the New York Times that challenges the way in which the church has been approaching this topic with youth in the last several decades. with Rob Bell's new book, Sex God, xxxchurch, and more books, websites, etc coming out on sexuality and particularly how Christians interact with it, this will continue to be a relevant issue that we desperately need to evaluate how we approach.
3.3.07
redemption is beauty
one of the unique pieces of my position at The Chapel is the several hats i wear. not just literally (i have a few of those, too, not to mention the sign in my office), but that beside being the Co-Director of Jr. High i have the opportunity to engage with several other areas. one is the mozambique arm of our Fresh Passion initiative. if you've been with me much over the past year, you've heard about how refreshing this has been for me...maybe not in so many words, but at least seeing in my exuberance for our work there a piece of jdh's heart lit up with excitement.
another hat i wear is that of "pastor of porn". yeah...it's ok...laugh a little. this part of my work has been a bit more frustrating. as much as i'm excited and blessed to be a part of six19 at Malone (and as it expands), trying to start up an entirely new porn ministry at a church this large on an issue that touches so many people and yet is largely unexplored is, well, overwhelming at times. not only is it a bit daunting (where do i start and where do i find the time, not to mention who do i find to work with me and what resources should we use...and the list could go on), but it's also draining. draining in the sense that it drudges up some of my least favorite parts of me...of my history. most of you know that i've had struggles in this area and that they were neither cursory or brief. so to give direction to ministry in this area can be discouraging. it's easy to keep the guilt factory running, long after its timecard should have been punched.
but then there are moments. moments like today, where you see a glimpse of the redemption that God is all about. and it's overwhelming and glorious and beautiful...all while being gut wrenching and tearful and a whole flood of other emotions.
this afternoon i sat in a room of six other brothers and sisters who share, in some part, in my history and struggle because of their own experience in this area. six brothers and sisters who have persevered when all hope seemed lost and held tight to the One who, it turns out, had us wrapped in his embrace from the beginning. these men and women are the core leaders that will be aiding me in establishing some sort of meaningful, holistic, gracious ministry at The Chapel to those who find themself drowning in the muddy flood that is pornography and lust. and as i sit here, holding back tears for the beauty i saw in each of their stories of redemption, i can't help but realize that as much as the path seems dark to me at times, that i have the unbelievable privilege of working for the One who is Light. and that Light is beaming of redemption. and it's gloriously beautiful.
another hat i wear is that of "pastor of porn". yeah...it's ok...laugh a little. this part of my work has been a bit more frustrating. as much as i'm excited and blessed to be a part of six19 at Malone (and as it expands), trying to start up an entirely new porn ministry at a church this large on an issue that touches so many people and yet is largely unexplored is, well, overwhelming at times. not only is it a bit daunting (where do i start and where do i find the time, not to mention who do i find to work with me and what resources should we use...and the list could go on), but it's also draining. draining in the sense that it drudges up some of my least favorite parts of me...of my history. most of you know that i've had struggles in this area and that they were neither cursory or brief. so to give direction to ministry in this area can be discouraging. it's easy to keep the guilt factory running, long after its timecard should have been punched.
but then there are moments. moments like today, where you see a glimpse of the redemption that God is all about. and it's overwhelming and glorious and beautiful...all while being gut wrenching and tearful and a whole flood of other emotions.
this afternoon i sat in a room of six other brothers and sisters who share, in some part, in my history and struggle because of their own experience in this area. six brothers and sisters who have persevered when all hope seemed lost and held tight to the One who, it turns out, had us wrapped in his embrace from the beginning. these men and women are the core leaders that will be aiding me in establishing some sort of meaningful, holistic, gracious ministry at The Chapel to those who find themself drowning in the muddy flood that is pornography and lust. and as i sit here, holding back tears for the beauty i saw in each of their stories of redemption, i can't help but realize that as much as the path seems dark to me at times, that i have the unbelievable privilege of working for the One who is Light. and that Light is beaming of redemption. and it's gloriously beautiful.
1.3.07
i wore sandals
this morning i woke up to the sound of rain.
december in ohio was rather warm this year. so was january, actually. unseasonably high temperatures allowed many pleasant days of walking to work and also of not having to listen to the incessant grumbling that we northeast ohioneers seem to be so adept at. i honestly don't understand why some people live here...i think it's really just to have something to continually complain about. i personally love our weird weather. it adds spontaneity to life.
and then the blizzard came. just when i was about to start some complaining myself, we got lambasted with a beautiful pile of snow. and all was good in the world. i love deep winter.
and today i woke up to rain.
like anyone else, i can tire of winter after awhile. as much as i love the snow, i love it like my attention span thinks about most things...in short amounts. preferably a lot in that short time, but i need some variety before long. so waking up to rain today made me glad. partially because lying in bed listening to the sound of rain is one of the few things for me that never gets old. also because i'm ready for spring. knowing ohio, winter will revisit us a few more times before spring shows up in proper form. but that's ok, because i know that spring is on the horizon.
and so in celebration today of spring, of march 1st, of rain...
i wore sandals.
and all was well.
december in ohio was rather warm this year. so was january, actually. unseasonably high temperatures allowed many pleasant days of walking to work and also of not having to listen to the incessant grumbling that we northeast ohioneers seem to be so adept at. i honestly don't understand why some people live here...i think it's really just to have something to continually complain about. i personally love our weird weather. it adds spontaneity to life.
and then the blizzard came. just when i was about to start some complaining myself, we got lambasted with a beautiful pile of snow. and all was good in the world. i love deep winter.
and today i woke up to rain.
like anyone else, i can tire of winter after awhile. as much as i love the snow, i love it like my attention span thinks about most things...in short amounts. preferably a lot in that short time, but i need some variety before long. so waking up to rain today made me glad. partially because lying in bed listening to the sound of rain is one of the few things for me that never gets old. also because i'm ready for spring. knowing ohio, winter will revisit us a few more times before spring shows up in proper form. but that's ok, because i know that spring is on the horizon.
and so in celebration today of spring, of march 1st, of rain...
i wore sandals.
and all was well.
26.2.07
inconvenient truth
ever have days where your shortcomings in character catch up to you? maybe not huge areas...but just the eternally frustrating ones? sometimes it seems like the pieces of my life that i'm aware i need change in are the hardest ones to see actual progress form.
---
i got so much done at work today it was ridiculous. sometimes i can be a machine. of course other times i have about a negative fifteen second attention span. but today was good...it felt good to get so much done.
---
the oscars last night were a severe disappointment. i think i disagreed with practically every award given. not that i ever agree with all of them, but usually they make some sort of sense. last night was a disgrace to the movies that came out this past year.
---
so there's three random unconnected thoughts. just so you know...the title is referring to the first random thought. it's just a nifty little tie-in that it coincides with the third.
___
i'm going to bed.
---
i got so much done at work today it was ridiculous. sometimes i can be a machine. of course other times i have about a negative fifteen second attention span. but today was good...it felt good to get so much done.
---
the oscars last night were a severe disappointment. i think i disagreed with practically every award given. not that i ever agree with all of them, but usually they make some sort of sense. last night was a disgrace to the movies that came out this past year.
---
so there's three random unconnected thoughts. just so you know...the title is referring to the first random thought. it's just a nifty little tie-in that it coincides with the third.
___
i'm going to bed.
24.2.07
doing nothing (well?)
days like today, i think, are the reason why i keep my schedule so busy. because when i accidentally stumble upon a day where i have nothing scheduled, it disappears into nothing. literally. i don't know if i really accomplished anything today. at all. and, of course, when you have nothing to do, maybe part of the point is to do nothing. but what i don't think i have learned how to do is to do nothing well. i don't feel particularly refreshed after today. i don't feel reenergized and ready to tackle the world. i just feel like i wasted a day. now maybe this is because i am just too production oriented. but i think part of the reason for today is my weird introvert/extrovert mix, which decided to be extroverted this weekend. except there was no one around.
i think my favorite part of today was taking a nap and sitting and reflecting. i was with a friend last weekend and we were sitting and reflecting and they asked "do you do this often?" and i said "no" and then i sat and reflected on sitting and reflecting. and decided i should take time to do it more often. so i sat and reflected for like three minutes today. and it was good. though i think it's better to sit and reflect with other people. i think that's the quaker silent meeting part of me speaking.
i also enjoyed listening to mates of state today. so there's that. (hmmm...what is that last sentence a quote from? besides likely a million movies. but i'm thinking of it in relation to one movie...the inflection of the voice in my head is saying it in a specific way.)
this is possibly one of the most rambling, weird posts ever. that's the beauty (/terrifying part) of my blog...one day you'll get random creative writing, another day some politcal rant, another day some theological wandering/wondering, and then you'll end up with a day like today. where the nothing of my day spilled into a post of random nothingness. phew. i'm done.
i think my favorite part of today was taking a nap and sitting and reflecting. i was with a friend last weekend and we were sitting and reflecting and they asked "do you do this often?" and i said "no" and then i sat and reflected on sitting and reflecting. and decided i should take time to do it more often. so i sat and reflected for like three minutes today. and it was good. though i think it's better to sit and reflect with other people. i think that's the quaker silent meeting part of me speaking.
i also enjoyed listening to mates of state today. so there's that. (hmmm...what is that last sentence a quote from? besides likely a million movies. but i'm thinking of it in relation to one movie...the inflection of the voice in my head is saying it in a specific way.)
this is possibly one of the most rambling, weird posts ever. that's the beauty (/terrifying part) of my blog...one day you'll get random creative writing, another day some politcal rant, another day some theological wandering/wondering, and then you'll end up with a day like today. where the nothing of my day spilled into a post of random nothingness. phew. i'm done.
22.2.07
winds
the wind is sharp tonight. it cuts through my mind as i huddle with my thoughts across campus. the winter darkness is thick and invasive and creeps into the cracks slashed by the wind. escape seems impossible.
moments ago were warmth. low-lighted coffee sofas and interested underclassmen exploring potential of growing together, of living life with intentionality.
how distinct the differences...of sitting close to like-minded brothers versus stealing quickly through the darkness alone. i thought independence was a treasure. and trusting others was a crutch. i had "bought the myth of independence, not realizing it was but a euphanism for loneliness."
even nature reminds us of all truth. a sharp wind sends me fleeing to community. an embrace will be my shield.
moments ago were warmth. low-lighted coffee sofas and interested underclassmen exploring potential of growing together, of living life with intentionality.
how distinct the differences...of sitting close to like-minded brothers versus stealing quickly through the darkness alone. i thought independence was a treasure. and trusting others was a crutch. i had "bought the myth of independence, not realizing it was but a euphanism for loneliness."
even nature reminds us of all truth. a sharp wind sends me fleeing to community. an embrace will be my shield.
20.2.07
a lot...to come
i have a lot a lot a lot i want to write about. but i'm rather exhausted at the moment from a late night & a long weekend. so it'll have to wait until perhaps tomorrow. for now, i'll leave you with a link to movie coming out this weekend that you should consider seeing. i think/hope it will be well worth your time:
the story of William Wilberforce
for showtimes, check here
the story of William Wilberforce
for showtimes, check here
15.2.07
tours
interesting things coming toward & through the general vicinity:
mat kearney dropping his entrancing combination of acoustic/folk/spoken word beauty at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron on March 1st. i, unfortunately yet happily, will be guest speaking at LateNight at Kent State on "Being Worldly...Poverty & Social Justice". yeah. i know. to which shall you attend?!?
mewithoutYou firing off their beautiful mix of poetry and authentic musical vigor at one of my favorite venues, Mr. Smalls (near Pittsburgh), on March 16th. i likely will be in attendance with (hopefully) multiple swell people (perhaps yourself?)
unbelievably (even more than plausible) your favorite nerdy heroes and mine are coming to Akron. The Mythbusters will be at EJ Thomas Hall on March 31st as part of a live tour shindig thing. i have yet to purchase a ticket, but can't afford to miss this educational opportunity.
in an amazing two for one evening of wonderment, Relient K & MAE will be unleashing a bombardment of new music of their fresh cd's coming out in the next few months. this will be in Cleveland on May 3rd, and i plan on being in attendance with the legends femur matt and derke.
Mythbusters
i have to end this post on a sad note, though. the ineffable Explosions in the Sky, while making me quite happy by releasing a new cd next week, are not venturing anywhere near during their spring tour, despite hopping the pond to London not once, but twice. the nerve!
mat kearney dropping his entrancing combination of acoustic/folk/spoken word beauty at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron on March 1st. i, unfortunately yet happily, will be guest speaking at LateNight at Kent State on "Being Worldly...Poverty & Social Justice". yeah. i know. to which shall you attend?!?
mewithoutYou firing off their beautiful mix of poetry and authentic musical vigor at one of my favorite venues, Mr. Smalls (near Pittsburgh), on March 16th. i likely will be in attendance with (hopefully) multiple swell people (perhaps yourself?)
unbelievably (even more than plausible) your favorite nerdy heroes and mine are coming to Akron. The Mythbusters will be at EJ Thomas Hall on March 31st as part of a live tour shindig thing. i have yet to purchase a ticket, but can't afford to miss this educational opportunity.
in an amazing two for one evening of wonderment, Relient K & MAE will be unleashing a bombardment of new music of their fresh cd's coming out in the next few months. this will be in Cleveland on May 3rd, and i plan on being in attendance with the legends femur matt and derke.
Mythbusters
i have to end this post on a sad note, though. the ineffable Explosions in the Sky, while making me quite happy by releasing a new cd next week, are not venturing anywhere near during their spring tour, despite hopping the pond to London not once, but twice. the nerve!
14.2.07
frustration is mine
yeah. i can't figure out how to change this thing at all. i made a sweet header. it won't work. i tried all sorts of google searches to sort out html stuff. it all hates me. i had a snow day. it's wrapping up and everything here still looks the same. cause i'm a moron, apparently. oh well. grrr.
blog
yeah.
i did it.
i expanded beyond xanga.
i haven't abandoned xanga. yet.
but for now, i'll just do both.
(speaks to self)
welcome me.
(self responds)
thanks.
(ends interpersonal dialogue)
i know, i know. my template needs some help. but it's 1:45 in the morning and i have work tomorrow. i mean today. so it'll have to wait.
i did it.
i expanded beyond xanga.
i haven't abandoned xanga. yet.
but for now, i'll just do both.
(speaks to self)
welcome me.
(self responds)
thanks.
(ends interpersonal dialogue)
i know, i know. my template needs some help. but it's 1:45 in the morning and i have work tomorrow. i mean today. so it'll have to wait.
gripping images
my good friend, al, emailed me this link...
Time's Pics of 2006
i took a few minutes to look at them and they took my breath away. the punch in the gut sort of breath stealing. i think i could probably write a journal entry for each picture. but i'll just mention two...
"the final traces". won my vote. and made me sick. literally.
"a horse that would". my jaded, cynical view of America hardened even more. how can, amidst the rest of these pictures of oppression, strife, poverty, war, and pain, how can we really care about this horse? a country that spent 11 billion dollars on pet food in 2005, and can only come up with 15 billion over FIVE years to give to AIDS relief. i think i'm going to be sick again.
i looked at all these pictures, purely by accident, while listening to Oh My God by Jars of Clay. a most appropriate sound track. i recommend it if you decide to view the link.
oh my God...what a wretched world we've made...save us from ourselves.
Time's Pics of 2006
i took a few minutes to look at them and they took my breath away. the punch in the gut sort of breath stealing. i think i could probably write a journal entry for each picture. but i'll just mention two...
"the final traces". won my vote. and made me sick. literally.
"a horse that would". my jaded, cynical view of America hardened even more. how can, amidst the rest of these pictures of oppression, strife, poverty, war, and pain, how can we really care about this horse? a country that spent 11 billion dollars on pet food in 2005, and can only come up with 15 billion over FIVE years to give to AIDS relief. i think i'm going to be sick again.
i looked at all these pictures, purely by accident, while listening to Oh My God by Jars of Clay. a most appropriate sound track. i recommend it if you decide to view the link.
oh my God...what a wretched world we've made...save us from ourselves.
runaway love
"forced to think hell is a place called home"...
wow...
i've had a lot to blog about recently. this video is brilliant. if you didn't read my last post, it's got a good link, too.
interesting, there's no real answers offered at the end of this video. which at first kind of disappointed me. but then, when i thought about it, i was saying...ummm...what answer is there? i mean, honestly. for a kid that's stuck in situations like that, there's no easy answer that fit in any song or music video.
but this is why i work with youth. cause they're all running from something. and i want to run with them...not just away from something, but towards someOne.
wow...
i've had a lot to blog about recently. this video is brilliant. if you didn't read my last post, it's got a good link, too.
interesting, there's no real answers offered at the end of this video. which at first kind of disappointed me. but then, when i thought about it, i was saying...ummm...what answer is there? i mean, honestly. for a kid that's stuck in situations like that, there's no easy answer that fit in any song or music video.
but this is why i work with youth. cause they're all running from something. and i want to run with them...not just away from something, but towards someOne.
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