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.)
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.
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