Yearly Archives: 2008

Music

Watching Justin McRoberts

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I’m a longtime fan of quasi-indie artist Justin McRoberts and I heard last week that he has a new album coming out, Deconstruction. As part of the album releasing festivities, Justin made videos of the entire album and released them all on YouTube. Rock on.

Justin’s last few albums have been more in the slower, acoustic vein, and this is more of the same. Though it’s also more political than his previous stuff. I think the best way to connect with that kind of music is in person, and Justin is definitely best in person (from Sonshine, to opening for ska bands to solo coffee shops). But the videos are a close second and a nice way to experience the new album.

Here’s “Bullhorn Theory” from the new album:

Health

Given in to Sickness

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I’ve been battling a sore throat and cough most of the week and by Friday I’d finally given in. Well, I had an important meeting Friday morning that I struggled through, but by Friday afternoon I collapsed in bed while Lexi napped. I waved my white flag.

All higher brain functions have ceased. The uniform of pajamas is official. I’m starting to get better (I am blogging, right?), slowly, finally. But I’m still skipping church and look forward to another day in bed.

I hate being sick. I had several blog entries half-written in my head–now gone. I had a pile of work to catch up on this weekend–not happening. And of course Lexi has been an off-the-wall spazz. She’s completely full of energy and I can barely get off the couch. On the plus side, I have managed to plow through a few books. That counts for something, right?

Update: Apparently I have strep throat. I went to the doctor Friday afternoon to get tested (at my wife’s insistence), and while the initial results came back negative, they just called to tell me the 24 hour test came back positive. This means I get real drugs!

Society

Believe What You Want to Believe

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No matter what you want to believe you can find someone who backs you up. Pick a topic–any topic. Whether you think global warming is a crisis or a hoax, whether you think second hand smoke is harmful or just fine, whether you think ‘sucks’ is a bad word or not, whether you think God hates homosexuals or not–whatever position you want to take you can find someone who holds that position, usually with more than flimsy rhetoric (OK, that last one is a bad example).

And it breaks my heart.

I’ve talked about this before concerning politics during the 2004 election and about the Jena 6 trial. Everyone is so completely biased that you can hardly trust them as sources. And if you trust them, someone else will discredit them. Whatever new detail comes out each side has to put their own spin on it so they come out ahead. It’s like every issue has turned into the aftermath of a presidential debate where both sides claim victory no matter what happened.

Even the supposedly non-biased news media have their slants and whether or not you want to trust a source like Fox News or the New York Times depends on your slant. It’s completely polarizing to the point that we just end up segregating into camps of like-minded people with our like-minded news and entertainment outlets.

And it’s OK if you disagree with me. I’m biased, so you can just write me off and ignore me.

Adoption, Society

Adoption and Child Sponsorship

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Photo by Compassion InternationalOne of the Compassion International Uganda bloggers named Carlos shared this story. Carlos has an adopted son from Korea and as he was showing a picture of his son, Losiah, to a group of children, a boy named Butewas looked confused.

Carlos: “Do you know what it means to adopt?”

Butewas’ eyes lit up.

Butewas: “Yes”

Carlos: “I adopted Losiah because his mother could not care for him.”

long pause…

Butewas: “Do you think you can adopt me?”

This kind of interaction kills me. Carlos didn’t share how he responded. And I don’t know how you do respond.

Society

Questioning Child Sponsorship

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I love that Compassion International is doing this blogger’s trip to Uganda. I applaud them. But it also raises a lot of important questions for me. As I read through the entries and the comments, almost everyone responds with tears and a broken heart and an eager need to sponsor a child. That’s great. But I hope it’s not all. I hope there’s more to it than emotionalism.

I hope we still ask the tough questions. I’ve been doing that—though I sound like a heartless bastard—and Anne Jackson has been gracious enough to respond.

My first question was if the disparity between sponsored children and unsponsored children causes problems. Anne explained that the benefits a sponsored child receives extend to their entire family. She also said that culturally it’s understood differently:

“the way the sponsorship impacts the child, the child’s family, and the community is something to celebrate. when all you have is god and your fellow man, it comes a lot easier when someone you love is blessed.”

Update: Shaun Groves also weighed in on my comments, offering further insight. The most encouraging bit he offered is the fact that local Compassion projects are run by local people: “Let’s, first of all, trust that they know what works best in their own communities.” That makes sense.

Society

You Can Do So Much More Than the Least You Can Do

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Photo by Compassion InternationalI mentioned about a week ago that a group of bloggers were going to Uganda to experience Compassion International‘s child sponsorship program. They’ve been on the ground this week sharing their stories.

It’s pretty eye-opening.

we spent some time at a project yesterday with some of the brightest kids. this is a photo of henry and me. henry is in 7th grade. he is articulate, bright, and athletic. … he told me about his sponsor family in the states.

“mr. and mrs. james peterson,” he said. “do you know them?” he asked with a spark of familiarity and hope in his eyes. (from Anne Jackson)

And I’ve barely scratched the surface of what these 15 bloggers are talking about. But I also find it difficult.

Continue reading You Can Do So Much More Than the Least You Can Do →

God, Church & Stuff, Society

You’re Not Always Right; or Humility Rules!

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I used to think obnoxious but true statements were a great way to tell people about my faith. I’d buy T-shirts plastered with them, bumper stickers proclaiming them, even music centered around them. I was very proud of my boldness.

But I didn’t realize how completely ineffective it was. I didn’t realize that instead of opening a door of conversation, I was kicking in the door and slapping the owner in the face–and expecting them to be grateful.

It’s kind of embarrassing when I think back on it. I’ve since realized (and am continually reminded) that is no way to change minds.

Continue reading You’re Not Always Right; or Humility Rules! →

God, Church & Stuff

Let the Junk Go

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A fellow friend and blogger described Lent (or summarized the Ash Wednesday sermon) better than I did:

“Our priest said [Lent is] a time to strip away all the unnecessary things we can. … [these spiritual exercises are about] taking away our excess so we can focus on deep things less distractedly.”

I’ve been trying to strip away all the extra junk. I’m not very good at simplicity, but I’m trying. Our upcoming rummage sale is a good opportunity (for myself as well as for you!). I’ve been going through the house and trying to decide if I really need each and every item. Since we moved last spring you’d think we would have done this already–and we did. We took multiple carloads of stuff to Goodwill (put our house on the market in January, so a rummage sale wasn’t practical). But it’s amazing how much junk is still sitting around (junk we moved with!) that we don’t need.

Continue reading Let the Junk Go →

Business & Marketing

Gotham Tax Service & Martial Arts

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This week I got a letter in the mail from Gotham Tax Service/Martial Arts. I immediately opened it. I already have a tax guy, but a ninja tax guy? That’s worth looking into.

Turns out it’s a husband/wife team–the husband does the taxes and the wife does the martial arts–and they were just sharing an envelope and splitting the mailing costs. The envelope had a separate flier for Gotham Tax Service and Gotham Martial Arts. There was also a letter from “Gotham Family Businesses” that pitched each as a separate entity.

And that, my friends, is an opportunity lost. There are plenty of places to get your taxes done and plenty of places to learn martial arts. But very few, if any, that combine both. A CPA with a blackbelt? It’d be unique, it’d be interesting, it’d be fun (and when are taxes ever fun?)–and it’d get people talking.

Sometimes you have to go for something crazy and risky. A little risky might save on postage, but there’s also little risk of a big payoff.

Music

The End of CCM Magazine

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I heard a rumor on the Internets a while back that CCM Magazine, the Christian music magazine with self image issues, was no longer going to be published. And if it’s on the Internet it must be true.

But it turns out this rumor is true. The April 2008 issue–the 30th anniversary of CCM–will be its last issue.

What I think is most telling about its demise is that it’s going away with hardly a whimper. I had to really search to find any info about it. The fact is people aren’t interested in the Christian music label anymore. There are too many exceptions and it’s too hard to walk that fine line between edgy enough for the young people and safe enough for the gate keepers. And plenty of good magazines cover the ground on either side of that divide.

Continue reading The End of CCM Magazine →