Best Christian Porn Site Ever

Look out. The word porn is in the title. This might be a scary entry. Better run away.

A few years ago I was at a Youth Specialties convention in Sacramento, Calif. I saw a few folks at the festival wearing T-shirts that said “xxxchurch.com — the #1 Christian porn site.” They had a booth in the exhibit hall and attended many of the seminars and general sessions.

The entire time I thought they were whacked. What kind of people would come into a gathering of youth pastors and promote a porn site? They must be trying to tell people that porn is OK. What a joke.

Sadly, my reaction isn’t unique. xxxchurch.com is not what I thought. In fact, it’s a ministry targeting the pornography industry and helping people to kick the porn habit. If I’d only taken a few minutes to ask what their slogan meant, I would have heard the true story and been impressed.

Much later I did check out their web site and read a number of articles by the ministry’s pastors. Solid stuff. Pornography is something we’re so afraid to even mention in church, but it is so rampant. How many youth group kids know exactly what web sites will give them unlimited access to the pictures they know they shouldn’t be looking at? I was one of those kids.

Relevant posted an article by xxxchurch.com’s Craig Gross about his experience driving the “porn mobile” to church. The reaction of the typical church person is expected and sad at the same time, just like my reaction. We need to wake up. We need to open our eyes. We need to be less judgmental and more understanding. That can probably go both ways, considering all the comments on Craig’s article.

But methods aside, if the church isn’t addressing an issue like pornography, what’s the point?

Fly On, Moon Man

Some are celebrating 100 years of flight today, and interestingly, others are mourning it. With the Internet you can always find someone who disagrees with what’s happening, but it’s especially poignant when used to raise moral questions.

While President George W. Bush is honoring the 12-second achievement of the Wright Brothers, some are mourning the anniversary of a war machine (link via bloggedy-blog), arguing that planes have always been intended for military purposes, and now even the commercial version is an environmental hazard and a tool of the upperclass.

While I don’t think we can so quickly dismiss the airplane as a weapon of war and death, it is a point worth considering. How much of life do we honor and revere without noting the negative aspects in this complicated world.

On a lighter note, facing expectations that Bush might announce a new moon mission today, actor John Travolta volunteered for the first mission while introducing the president. The president responded by saying, “We shall call him moon man from now on.” (AP via Knightopia)

Judge a Book By Its Cover

Call me weird, but I share Jason Kottke’s fascination with book covers. Maybe it’s partly my desire for fame and fortune in the printed world that makes me yearn for the coolest book cover imaginable, but I like checking out cover design. Strolling through Barnes & Noble is an evening for me.

Kottke’s entry pointed out a few book cover review sites (why review the book when you can simply judge it by its cover?), including Mastication is Normal (a bit lengthy for casual reading), Readerville’s Most Coveted Covers (though they make you register for anything not current — lame!), and Rebecky (cool covers, no commentary).

Kottke continued with his fascination to design a book cover for another blogger who released a book collection of some of his writings, similar to something I pondered here and here.

Mmm… books.

Yo-Yo-No

Once upon a time I thought I was a Yo-yo Man. I was half the yo-yo duo The King’s Yomen, I lived a summer off the string in Chicago, and at one time I was offered $25,000/year to yo-yo full time.

Apparently all that was mistaken, because I suck.

Watch this video of crazy Japanese yo-yo guys (link via kottke.org). You’ll probably need a broadband connection because the video is close to 10 minutes long. We’re talking two-handed psycho yo-yo action, and that’s just a warm-up. The video was taken from the 2003 Japan National Yo-yo Contest, and most of it appears to just be practicing and goofing off. Amazing.

Feel free to leave every dorky comment about too much free time I ever heard in the comments section.

Video-Chatting at the Apple Store

Video-chatting cross country.

This is Abby and I video-chatting with our good friend Josh while we drool over Macs at the Southdale Apple Store. Josh was actually in California at the time, and we were able to connect after posting comments in his blog. As luck would have it (well, maybe not luck), Josh was at his computer at time time, posted a comment back, and we were in business. Video business.

Several of the Macs at the store are equipped with iSight, a fancy video-conferencing system. I’ve used it before to take pictures of myself in the store, but this was the first time I used it for its intended purpose.

Video-conferencing across the country confused a number of customers, but it was great. We got to see Henson and 5, as well as Stephanie eating breakfast. Unfortunately, the Apple Store was full of background noise, so it was hard to hear.

Of course I’m still trying to decide which Mac to buy. The eMac plays to my cheap side, though I’m still wondering if it would be wiser to buy a tower and have more flexibility (I can use my current monitor). Then my choices are the G4 or G5. I’m looking at a spread of prices from $1099 for the eMac, to $1499 for the G4, to $1799 for the G5 (they’re all SuperDrive equipped, which is why the eMac and G4 are slightly more expensive — it seems silly to miss out on DVD burning).

Anyway, I’m still waffling all over the place. The eMac is cheap, but the G4/5’s have expandability — I could add a second monitor. Of course the eMac is cheap. Is that future expandability worth $400? And if it’s worth $400, is it worth another $300 for the improved performance of a low-end G5? And where is all this money coming from anyway?

Sigh. Yesterday I had to reinstall Microsoft Office to get Access working (leftover problem from when I reinstalled my system a month or two back), and it magically fixed Outlook! I can delete e-mails again (everybody now, bah-leted!). Of course when I tried to attach files to my the first new e-mail I sent, it crashed everytime. A reboot seemed to fix things, but I find myself wavering back and forth between wishing my computer would crash so I’d be forced to buy a new one, and hoping it will hold on a little longer so I can delay that massive outpouring of cash.

Does anybody else spend this long thinking about these things?

Star Wars Spoiler

Speaking of spoilers, check out this complete run-down of the plot for the third Star Wars movie (link via jordoncooper.com). A lot of it is rumor and speculation, but a good chunk seems to be based on some strain of fact. True or not, it’s interesting (and long) to read. Of course we’ll have to wait for the summer of 2005 to see the real deal.

I really feel like the Star Wars prequel trilogy is just a joke compared with the original, so I have no vested interest in saving the plot details until I see the movie. I still love Star Wars and will gladly watch the prequel episodes, they’ve just lost the magic the originals still hold.

Frodo Lives! 2

The grand epic of Lord of the Rings comes to its final chapter, Return of the King, next week (Unless you’re lucky like me and saw a press screening). All the deep questions will finally be answered: Will Frodo be able to free Willy — I mean destroy the ring? Will Legolas the elf or Gimli the dwarf win the battle-scene body-count? Will Aragorn ever stop day-dreaming about Arwen and just kiss the girl?

For those who have read J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterful books, and frankly anyone who knows anything about movie magic, the answers are clear. Han Solo and company knocked out the shield generator so the Rebel Alliance could attack and ultimately destroy the Death Star. Neo would overcome bullets and bytes to defeat Agent Smith and save Zion. Despite sharks, jellyfish, and flesh-eating gulls a father’s desperate search comes to a happy end when he finally finds Nemo.

As Middle Earth hangs in the balance, the question isn’t if our heroes will succeed, it’s how they’ll pull it off.

(let’s go to the extended entry for the spoiler-filled ROTK talk)

Continue reading Frodo Lives! 2

Frodo Lives

Sheesh, I feel like a blog maniac today. Maybe that’s because after shoveling the driveway for a third time in 24 hours this morning, my body took the day off. I’ve been surfing most of the day, a thinly veiled attempt at research for tonight, when I’ll see a press screening of Return of the King for one of my freelance jobs. I guess that means I’ll be working on Saturday, but if it’s writing about Lord of the Rings, that’s OK.

In preparation for tonight, I watched The Fellowship of the Ring on Monday and The Two Towers last night. Both times it was the extended version, which director Peter Jackson admits is “mucking up the momentum.” I didn’t notice so much in The Fellowship, but I definitely felt it in The Two Towers. It’s fun to see the extra stuff, but I think the theatrical version worked better.

It goes without saying that I’m excited about tonight. I’m especially excited because I’m allowed to bring a guest (i.e., my wife), which doesn’t always happen. I was petrified at the thought of having to see this major movie and not being able to talk about it for a full week (how impatient we are).

I’m excited because it seems like there hasn’t been a trilogy since the original Star Wars that came out so strongly. Say what you will about the Matrix, I think the sequels fell short. LOTR is such a powerful story, I’m eager to see it on the big screen.

I know there will be disappointments. There always are. But I feel prepared. [SPOILER WARNING] I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there’s no scouring of the Shire scene in the movie. Those scenes beautifully finished off the book, and frankly Tolkien used them to do what few professional authors would do — he extended the story, and let his readers tarry a little longer in the magical world. That felt so right in the book. Maybe it won’t be necessary in cinematic form.

Maybe I like LOTR so much because of the story. There’s a complete and powerful story behind the movie, one that’s fully realized outside of the movie. No matter what Jackson does to muck things up, that story remains untouched, which means I can enjoy the movies as they are.

No matter what happens, I’ll be dipping into the books again for sure.

Detroit: Urban Prairie

Of the 139 square miles that make up Detroit, one-third are covered in vacant lots and dilapidated buildings. In response, some residents are turning to farming. More than 40 community gardens and microfarms exist on 15 acres of what was once the Motor City.

The New York Times gives the full story (link via jordoncooper.com), and I’m amazed that the term urban farmer could ever be used seriously. What remains to be seen is if city officials will take note and encourage this eco-trend, or squash it for being too far removed from the norm.