This story caught my eye.
If you're too lazy to click on the link, as I often am, let me give you the run-down.
A pastor, tired of the secularization of Christmas, urged his congregants to dress as Jesus as a way to "put the 'Christ' back in 'Christmas'". They didn't preach, just wore robes and crowns of thorns. If asked about the unusual attire, they would use it as an opportunity to share their faith.
Admittedly, a return to the religious, non-commercial roots of Christmas is not a bad idea. But do you really need 400 Jesuses (Jesi?) strolling around Kansas City to serve as a reminder? Probably not.
Instead, why not get into the spirit of giving and self-sacrifice? I know from experience that Kansas City and the surrounding areas have a homeless population and high poverty rates. Why not volunteer at food banks and soup kitchens? Or do a fundraiser benefiting World Vision?
Or, if you just can't help but dress up in first century Judean garb, why not try an interactive live nativity scene? You can have Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and perhaps even magi standing around ready to answer questions about their part in the Christmas story.
Actually, the interactive nativity scene sounds like a lot of fun.
Rock on.
01 January 2009
Happy New Year
The New Year has arrived in South Korea -- fourteen hours earlier in South Korea than on the east coast of the US.
It's a new year, a new semester, and we begin to close out the first decade of the new millennium. It's a weird feeling, knowing that nine years ago, I was a sixth grader who wanted nothing more than to study volcanoes when he grew up. I was living in South Carolina at the time -- little did I know that in less than ten years, I would move to Georgia, Kansas, and back to Georgia. And before 2010 closes, I will be moving again, though to where, I do not know.
The truly weird part is that if I so desired, I could be finished with my undergraduate program in one year, though I will probably take fewer classes, take a year and a half, and enjoy my time in Athens.
2009 is going to be a time of priorities and decisions.
So here we go.
Shalom,
Drew
It's a new year, a new semester, and we begin to close out the first decade of the new millennium. It's a weird feeling, knowing that nine years ago, I was a sixth grader who wanted nothing more than to study volcanoes when he grew up. I was living in South Carolina at the time -- little did I know that in less than ten years, I would move to Georgia, Kansas, and back to Georgia. And before 2010 closes, I will be moving again, though to where, I do not know.
The truly weird part is that if I so desired, I could be finished with my undergraduate program in one year, though I will probably take fewer classes, take a year and a half, and enjoy my time in Athens.
2009 is going to be a time of priorities and decisions.
So here we go.
Shalom,
Drew
24 December 2008
Happy Christmas
It's the morning of Christmas Eve in South Korea, where I will once again be spending my Christmas holiday.
From this war zone to the war zone in Uganda, let us pray for peace.
Happy Christmas.
Rock on.
Post Script: I apologize for the size of the video and its interference with the lay-out of my blog. I tried to manipulate the size of the video, but to shrink the frame is to cut off a rather large chunk of the video itself. So, until I add a few more posts, you're just going to have to guess your way around the blocked links.
From this war zone to the war zone in Uganda, let us pray for peace.
Happy Christmas.
Rock on.
Post Script: I apologize for the size of the video and its interference with the lay-out of my blog. I tried to manipulate the size of the video, but to shrink the frame is to cut off a rather large chunk of the video itself. So, until I add a few more posts, you're just going to have to guess your way around the blocked links.
25 November 2008
Getting a Few Things in Order
This semester has really flown by as I have spread myself thinner and thinner. As such, I have not been able to devote the attention deserved to any one thing in which I am involved - this blog, classes, extracurricular activities, or even friends I don't usually see. And things will only get busier before I leave for another Christmas in South Korea.
In an effort to organize myself more readily for the last few weeks of class, followed immediately by finals, I am suspending this blog until the beginning of the year. Hopefully, by that time, I will have some well-thought-out posts that will receive the attention they deserve. I have several posts I've been tinkering with - hopefully, they will see the light of day.
In the meantime, please read this article about the resurgence of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda and the neighboring Congo. After coming so close to ending the war, new abductions and massacres threaten to plunge the war into its darkest period yet. The twenty-year-long civil war has taken a turn for the worse. While the world watches the situation in the Congo, few realize that the LRA, the cult-based rebel militia from Uganda, is steadily contributing to the turmoil in both countries. Please, write to your Senators and Representatives, to both the President and the President-elect, and to the Department of State. We should have acted years ago, and every day longer we do nothing, more children are put at risk, their futures taken from them in the name of death, destruction, and despair.
Please, visit Invisible Children and Resolve Uganda for more information.
Rock on.
Edit - 29 November 2008: For those unaware, LRA leader Joseph Kony has, to date, refused to sign the peace treaty because the ICC has issued his arrest warrant. While I have in the past and do continue to support the efforts of the ICC, I have spoken with Ugandans who say that they are more than willing to forgive the LRA if it brigns about an end to the war - following in the steps of post-Apartheid South Africa before them. As such, the Ugandan government has stated they will have the ICC lift the warrants if Kony signs the final treaty, ending the war. This article, posted by the BBC today, suggests that peace may still be within reach.
Watch and pray.
Edit - 30 November 2008: Kony was a no-show.
In an effort to organize myself more readily for the last few weeks of class, followed immediately by finals, I am suspending this blog until the beginning of the year. Hopefully, by that time, I will have some well-thought-out posts that will receive the attention they deserve. I have several posts I've been tinkering with - hopefully, they will see the light of day.
In the meantime, please read this article about the resurgence of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda and the neighboring Congo. After coming so close to ending the war, new abductions and massacres threaten to plunge the war into its darkest period yet. The twenty-year-long civil war has taken a turn for the worse. While the world watches the situation in the Congo, few realize that the LRA, the cult-based rebel militia from Uganda, is steadily contributing to the turmoil in both countries. Please, write to your Senators and Representatives, to both the President and the President-elect, and to the Department of State. We should have acted years ago, and every day longer we do nothing, more children are put at risk, their futures taken from them in the name of death, destruction, and despair.
Please, visit Invisible Children and Resolve Uganda for more information.
Rock on.
Edit - 29 November 2008: For those unaware, LRA leader Joseph Kony has, to date, refused to sign the peace treaty because the ICC has issued his arrest warrant. While I have in the past and do continue to support the efforts of the ICC, I have spoken with Ugandans who say that they are more than willing to forgive the LRA if it brigns about an end to the war - following in the steps of post-Apartheid South Africa before them. As such, the Ugandan government has stated they will have the ICC lift the warrants if Kony signs the final treaty, ending the war. This article, posted by the BBC today, suggests that peace may still be within reach.
Watch and pray.
Edit - 30 November 2008: Kony was a no-show.
03 November 2008
#430 - Pretending to Like CS Lewis
From Stuff Christians Like.
I started reading Mere Christianity because it was what good Christians do. I didn't read The Chronicles of Narnia growing up. MC was my introduction to Lewis, and even then, he was over my head.
Then I read The Screwtape Letters. Again, because it's what good Christians do. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I had finished Mere Christianity. I probably got through the first few chapters and put it away. Anyway, Screwtape is what really got me into CS Lewis.
Now, I'm a huge CS Lewis fan.
Just sayin'.
Rock on.
I started reading Mere Christianity because it was what good Christians do. I didn't read The Chronicles of Narnia growing up. MC was my introduction to Lewis, and even then, he was over my head.
Then I read The Screwtape Letters. Again, because it's what good Christians do. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I had finished Mere Christianity. I probably got through the first few chapters and put it away. Anyway, Screwtape is what really got me into CS Lewis.
Now, I'm a huge CS Lewis fan.
Just sayin'.
Rock on.
31 October 2008
Happy Last Day of October!
Tonight, I will be visited by one of two entities:
In honor of Halloween and Reformation Day, here are a few old posts from years past.
First, for those curious about Halloween, here's my take on the controversial holiday.
But, since today is not just Halloween, but also the anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
For those who are completely unfamiliar with the history behind Martin Luther, I wrote a brief post a few years back concerning the event.
The traditions and teachings of Luther, though, are alive and well today, and influence most western Christians. While I am not Lutheran, nor would I ever dare to consider myself a great theologian, I cannot deny the importance of Lutheran thought in my own writings. Below are several posts I have written throughout the past two and a half years that demonstrate Luther's legacy.
Sobald der Gülden im Becken klingt / im huy die Seel im Himmel springt
"I am Yours. Save me."
"...of whom I am the worst."
Sin Boldly (But Believe in Christ More Boldly Still): Thoughts on Evangelism
The Simple Beauty of Salvation
Luther was known for his wicked sense of humor. And just because I can, I proudly present "I Got 95 Theses, but the Pope Aint One"
Rock on.
Hat tip for the video: Locusts and Honey
- The Great Pumpkin
- The ghost of Martin Luther
In honor of Halloween and Reformation Day, here are a few old posts from years past.
First, for those curious about Halloween, here's my take on the controversial holiday.
But, since today is not just Halloween, but also the anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
For those who are completely unfamiliar with the history behind Martin Luther, I wrote a brief post a few years back concerning the event.
The traditions and teachings of Luther, though, are alive and well today, and influence most western Christians. While I am not Lutheran, nor would I ever dare to consider myself a great theologian, I cannot deny the importance of Lutheran thought in my own writings. Below are several posts I have written throughout the past two and a half years that demonstrate Luther's legacy.
Sobald der Gülden im Becken klingt / im huy die Seel im Himmel springt
"I am Yours. Save me."
"...of whom I am the worst."
Sin Boldly (But Believe in Christ More Boldly Still): Thoughts on Evangelism
The Simple Beauty of Salvation
Luther was known for his wicked sense of humor. And just because I can, I proudly present "I Got 95 Theses, but the Pope Aint One"
Rock on.
Hat tip for the video: Locusts and Honey
26 October 2008
Gun Control and God
From Congressman Paul Broun:
Guns and religion. You, sir, are clinging to them.
I don't care enough about guns to have much of an opinion on the Second Amendment. Yeah, you should be licensed to own one, just as you are to drive. Outside of that, I meet both sides of the argument with an astounding "Meh."
But to say that gun ownership is a "God-given inalienable right" while at the same time arguing that universal health care is not part of the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is insane.
Rock on.
All of our rights come from God, not from government. Our Founding Fathers understood this. They understood that the role of government, is to recognize and preserve our God-given, inalienable rights. Therefore, they wrote the Second Amendment.
Guns and religion. You, sir, are clinging to them.
I don't care enough about guns to have much of an opinion on the Second Amendment. Yeah, you should be licensed to own one, just as you are to drive. Outside of that, I meet both sides of the argument with an astounding "Meh."
But to say that gun ownership is a "God-given inalienable right" while at the same time arguing that universal health care is not part of the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is insane.
Rock on.
20 October 2008
mewithoutYou
I first started listening to mewithoutYou my senior year of high school. It was a period during which I would buy and listen to pretty much any album released by Tooth and Nail records. As a result, I have a lot of really crappy CDs (Does anybody want my copy of Hawk Nelson's Letters to the President? I've been trying to ditch that thing for two years now...)
mewithoutYou's three albums, though, are the highlight of that period.
Falling somewhere between modern Sufi music (lead singer Aaron Weiss's mother was a Sufi) and post-alternative-hardcore (a catch-all category for music that is beyond simple classification) with elements of Roma/Eastern European folk music, mwY is one of those bands that has a very distinct style, but avoids the trap of repeatedly making the same album.
The first album of theirs I bought was [A->B] Life, which is much closer to their hardcore roots. Their second LP, Catch for Us the Foxes might be my favorite (the videos posted below are both from Foxes), though Brother, Sister - their third release - is what got me through freshman year of college.
"January 1979"
"Disaster Tourism"
I was fortunate enough to see mwY in concert at the 40 Watt, but I've already written about that.
As far as musicians go, the guys from mewithoutYou are out there; Aaron Weiss has taken vows of poverty and chastity, and the bus is run off of used vegetable oil. But for all of their eccentricities, or perhaps because of, their music stands out in a world where rock is finally starting to become innovative again.
Rock on.
mewithoutYou's three albums, though, are the highlight of that period.
Falling somewhere between modern Sufi music (lead singer Aaron Weiss's mother was a Sufi) and post-alternative-hardcore (a catch-all category for music that is beyond simple classification) with elements of Roma/Eastern European folk music, mwY is one of those bands that has a very distinct style, but avoids the trap of repeatedly making the same album.
The first album of theirs I bought was [A->B] Life, which is much closer to their hardcore roots. Their second LP, Catch for Us the Foxes might be my favorite (the videos posted below are both from Foxes), though Brother, Sister - their third release - is what got me through freshman year of college.
"January 1979"
"Disaster Tourism"
I was fortunate enough to see mwY in concert at the 40 Watt, but I've already written about that.
As far as musicians go, the guys from mewithoutYou are out there; Aaron Weiss has taken vows of poverty and chastity, and the bus is run off of used vegetable oil. But for all of their eccentricities, or perhaps because of, their music stands out in a world where rock is finally starting to become innovative again.
Rock on.
19 October 2008
WALL E
Bravo, Pixar. Bravo.
I have long been a fan of Pixar movies. They know how to tell a good story, and with style.
With that in mind, I must say that WALL E is Pixar's best movie yet.
The creators have managed to look back on the history of cinema and look forward to the future of consumerism and affluence in popular culture - in a kid's movie.
The movie starts with a bleak look at the future of earth. The camera flies over a city overrun with garbage, piles of compacted trash reaching higher than the surrounding skyscrapers, and every thing in sight is produced by the same conglomerate - "Buy N Large". This wretched landscape stands in very stark contrast to the cheerful music playing behind it. Our hero, a trash compacting robot with a pet cockroach, triggers adds as he walks by, and we discover through fading holographic videos that humanity left earth because we had so completely poisoned it.
So it goes that WALL E works day in and day out to clean up, saving little pieces of trash - a spork here, a light bulb there. But here's where Pixar shows their true brilliance. This movie is not just an environmentalist critique of our culture. WALL E is Charlie Chaplin. NPR had this to say in their review:
On top of the scathing critique of consumerist culture, WALL E is full of allusions to other movies. Of course, Charlie Chaplin is the inspiration for WALL E, but he looks an awful lot like Number 5 from Short Circuit. Auto, the ship's autopilot, is H.A.L. 9000 (Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey) - right down to the glowing red dot. And continuing the ode to 2001, Johann Strauss's "On der schoenen blauen Donau" and Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra" both recieve their moments of glory in the film. Life on board the ship is somewhere between The Jetsons and Star Trek. Even the animated short (a Pixar tradition) gives a wink and a nod; the entirety of Presto is reminiscient of Bugs Bunny and a Merrie Melodies short, though Presto's magic hat resembles more closely that of the sorcerer from Fantasia.
As the credits role, we are treated to the evolution of art - from cave paintings to post-impressionist, van Gogh-esque scenes, the credits continue to show Pixar's brilliance and finish the story; the credits are a well-animated post script in a culture that walks out as soon as the credits roll.
One of the more interesting aspects is the importance of touch in this movie. WALL E spends most of the movie trying to hold EVE's hand. The humans afloat in space have become so dependent on technology that they no longer even converse face-to-face. As such, two humans (one voiced by Pixar's favorite actor, Cliff the Mailman) begin a relationship at first touch, and later rediscover the ship's pool and the joy of splashing water.
WALL E also serves as what one of my professors would call a "chaos monster". For the humans of the film, everything seems to be going fine. Not that things are fine, but nobody realizes how completely screwy things have become. Enter WALL E, who upsets the status quo - first, with the other robots, and then with the humans. As he roams the ship, everywhere he goes becomes a site of change. Like the children in Narnia, WALL E's presence disturbs those around him, awakening them from the trance-like assistance that has become life.
Pixar has a long tradition of telling stores with the lessons that need to be told - rites of passage, acceptance of yourself and others, courage, and the importance of remembering your past (seriously, who didn't get that from watching Toy Story 2?). With WALL E, Pixar has set a new standard for not only artistry, but themes in children's movies. Hopefully, other production companies will follow this shining example.
Rock on.
I have long been a fan of Pixar movies. They know how to tell a good story, and with style.
With that in mind, I must say that WALL E is Pixar's best movie yet.
The creators have managed to look back on the history of cinema and look forward to the future of consumerism and affluence in popular culture - in a kid's movie.
The movie starts with a bleak look at the future of earth. The camera flies over a city overrun with garbage, piles of compacted trash reaching higher than the surrounding skyscrapers, and every thing in sight is produced by the same conglomerate - "Buy N Large". This wretched landscape stands in very stark contrast to the cheerful music playing behind it. Our hero, a trash compacting robot with a pet cockroach, triggers adds as he walks by, and we discover through fading holographic videos that humanity left earth because we had so completely poisoned it.
So it goes that WALL E works day in and day out to clean up, saving little pieces of trash - a spork here, a light bulb there. But here's where Pixar shows their true brilliance. This movie is not just an environmentalist critique of our culture. WALL E is Charlie Chaplin. NPR had this to say in their review:
There's actually a nice parallel between this largely silent film and Chaplin's first sound film, Modern Times. In that one, the silent clown used the soundtrack mostly for music and effects, not for speech, just as Pixar does here. Chaplin only let you hear a human voice a couple of times, and only on some sort of mechanical contraption — say a closed-circuit TV screen — to emphasize its artificiality. It was his way of saying to the sound world, "OK, everybody's doing this talking thing now, but look how much more expressive our silent world is."Humans are left out, except as videos, until nearly halfway through the movie. When humans do appear, they are lazy and overweight. It seems that life in space is everything it promised to be - with hover chairs, nobody moves; with video screens built into these chairs, nobody has face-to-face conversations anymore; having never seen the earth, nobody knows what "dirt" is. The film-makers took The Jetsons and decided to show what life would really be like in a world where nothing was more than a button away.
On top of the scathing critique of consumerist culture, WALL E is full of allusions to other movies. Of course, Charlie Chaplin is the inspiration for WALL E, but he looks an awful lot like Number 5 from Short Circuit. Auto, the ship's autopilot, is H.A.L. 9000 (Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey) - right down to the glowing red dot. And continuing the ode to 2001, Johann Strauss's "On der schoenen blauen Donau" and Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra" both recieve their moments of glory in the film. Life on board the ship is somewhere between The Jetsons and Star Trek. Even the animated short (a Pixar tradition) gives a wink and a nod; the entirety of Presto is reminiscient of Bugs Bunny and a Merrie Melodies short, though Presto's magic hat resembles more closely that of the sorcerer from Fantasia.
As the credits role, we are treated to the evolution of art - from cave paintings to post-impressionist, van Gogh-esque scenes, the credits continue to show Pixar's brilliance and finish the story; the credits are a well-animated post script in a culture that walks out as soon as the credits roll.
One of the more interesting aspects is the importance of touch in this movie. WALL E spends most of the movie trying to hold EVE's hand. The humans afloat in space have become so dependent on technology that they no longer even converse face-to-face. As such, two humans (one voiced by Pixar's favorite actor, Cliff the Mailman) begin a relationship at first touch, and later rediscover the ship's pool and the joy of splashing water.
WALL E also serves as what one of my professors would call a "chaos monster". For the humans of the film, everything seems to be going fine. Not that things are fine, but nobody realizes how completely screwy things have become. Enter WALL E, who upsets the status quo - first, with the other robots, and then with the humans. As he roams the ship, everywhere he goes becomes a site of change. Like the children in Narnia, WALL E's presence disturbs those around him, awakening them from the trance-like assistance that has become life.
Pixar has a long tradition of telling stores with the lessons that need to be told - rites of passage, acceptance of yourself and others, courage, and the importance of remembering your past (seriously, who didn't get that from watching Toy Story 2?). With WALL E, Pixar has set a new standard for not only artistry, but themes in children's movies. Hopefully, other production companies will follow this shining example.
Rock on.
Powell Endorses Obama
This is just to interesting to not pass on.
I wish I could say I have eagerly awaited Powell's endorsement, but truth be told, I nearly forgot about him.
I wonder what this will do to poll numbers.
Prediction: Obama's lead will grow in Pennsylvania and he will gain a lead in both Ohio and Florida. Don't know about Nevada, Colorado, or North Carolina.
Time will tell.
Rock on.
I wish I could say I have eagerly awaited Powell's endorsement, but truth be told, I nearly forgot about him.
I wonder what this will do to poll numbers.
Prediction: Obama's lead will grow in Pennsylvania and he will gain a lead in both Ohio and Florida. Don't know about Nevada, Colorado, or North Carolina.
Time will tell.
Rock on.
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