Reflecting on one thing I did...

Other than gain weight, I did achieve something while I was away on holiday. I finished reading (well, listening to) A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically. It's a fun, insightful book and I would encourage anyone, secular or spiritual, to check it out.

When I started reading it, I posted about that, but now that I'm done, I would like to share something really cool from that book with you. At the end, the author reflects on what he's experienced during the last year... living by following every rule and suggestion for living provided in the "old" and "new" testaments of the Bible. He comes to a very insightful conclusion about literal translation of the Bible that I agree with whole-heartedly.

Robbie Harris, one if the author's Rabbis is asked about whether a literal interpretation of the Bible's text is appropriate:

He says, "We can't insist that the Bible mark the end of our relationship with God. Who are we to say the Bible contained all the wisdom? If you insist that God revealed Himself only at one time, at one particular place, using these discreet words, and never any other time than that, that in itself is a kind of idolatry."

His point is you can commit idolatry on the Bible itself. You can start to worship the words instead of the spirit. You need to meet God halfway in the woods.

Amen. This is something I had always believed, but never brought far enough forward in my mind to put into words nearly this eloquent. What do you think?

Short Thanksgiving Break

While much of the world doesn't officially celebrate Thanksgiving the way many Americans do, I encourage everyone (regardless of where you live) to take a moment to reflect on good things in life for the next couple of weeks. There are two reasons I advocate this:

1) It's a healthy thing to do. We get so caught up in judgement of ourselves and others that it's important to search our lives (whatever our current state of mind) and look for something positive to consider. Share that good thing with someone else. Make a positive difference in someone's life... even if it's your own.

2) I'll be offline for the rest of November. I know it's a selfish thing, but there it is. I am thankful for everyone who takes the time to read these rambling blogs. Connection via virtual avenues of communication is a relatively new phenomenon and we all benefit when the activity is two-way. This blog has been blessed with all kinds of readers and posters and I'm humbled when anyone takes to time to thoughtfully read or post.

I'll miss you for a couple of weeks, but look forward to coming back and talking again very soon! Challenge me and I'll do the same. Hopefully we'll both learn something. I can't wait!

...and if you're bored while I'm out, check out the sites listed on the right of this page. There are some wonderful blogs out there just waiting for you to get involved!

See you in early December!!!!

The Year of Living Biblically

I read the Onion. We get it here for free, so I can't help but pick it up since it's funnier than the other local papers and has all the movie, club, and book reviews I could want each week. This time around, they reviewed the new book The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs which received high marks. Essentially, it's a book about an agnostic man's experience when he tries to come to terms with his Jewish heritage by reading the entire Bible (both Testaments) and living by every life suggestion, rule, and law simultaneously for an entire year.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to voyeuristically experience his very personal experiment. I've only finished a few short chapters and it's already very cool. I'll post more here as I keep reading, but here's a link so you can find out more if you're interested:

Hardcover Book @ Amazon

Trade As One

This is awesome in the truest sense of the word...

Trade As One.

I'm getting all my Christmas gifts through these wonderful people. If you're going to buy things for people, why not help out those who need your help and benefit directly from the purchases your make?

Like I said: Awesome.

Lars and the Real Girl

Run, don't walk, to the closest theater showing this magnificent film and see it today! For those with interest in finding out more, drop by the Lars and the Real Girl website (Flash intenstive & sound).

It's amazing. Don't worry... it's only rated PG-13. :D

Here's a trailer:

Couldn't have happened to nicer people...

Church ordered to pay $10.9 million for funeral protest

A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals in the belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

You know these scumbags... they're the "God Hates Fags" morons. Can't say I'm at all sad or surprised.

Watching House. Learning About Life.

Although I'm not a huge fan of network TV, I've been watching House, M.D. lately. For those who haven't, you should consider giving it a chance. I'm also not a huge fan of medical shows, but I've loved Hugh Laurie (the actor/comedian who plays the main character) ever since his early BBC days with Stephen Fry.

House is an avowed atheist and a curmudgeon. In the intense episode I watched last night (One Day, One Room), he interacts with a rape victim (intriguingly named Eve) who challenges his notions of God. There are two quotes from the show I would like to share with you:

Quote #1 - House and Eve are discussing abortion (I told you it was an intense show). Eve's contention is that everyone's life is sacred. House doesn't agree:

House: If we were to care about every person suffering on the planet, life would shut down.

Certainly life as we know it would. Sounds like a perfect plan. :D

Quote #2 - House and Eve finally get down to discussing the nature of existence and why she chose him to discuss all of this. She confesses that she doesn't really know why... simply because he was there in the room with her. He doesn't understand the irrationality of her choice:

House: Are you going to base your whole life on who you're stuck in a room with?

Eve: I'm gonna base this moment on who I am stuck in a room with! It's what life is, it's a series of rooms, and who we get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what our lives are.

Yes it does.

Neuroscience and God

Neuroscientists have been able to track down sections of the brain that light up when nuns recall epiphanous moments. So what does this mean about God and our relationship with God? Not being a neuroscientist, it doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but be certain that people will use it an excuse to argue about the existence of God.

Just because the brain lights up in reproducible ways when a person is thinking about God doesn't mean God is a figment of their imagination. It's like saying that litmus paper changes colors when I drop lemon juice on it because the paper really likes acids.

I'll stop now... it's early and I need coffee. What do you think about all of this?

Cephalopod Awareness Day - Dang, I Missed It!

How did we miss this one. Man, I seem to be good at finding out about these things the day after they happen. Oh well... better late than never.

Cephalopod Awareness Day

Radiohead Rules, I think...

Being a musician of (very) little note, I love it when artists take control of their work and make it available to fans in unique ways. It's one of the things that attracted me to Jonathan Coulton whose Thing A Week series is awesome!

Now Radiohead, a very popular band who've sold millions of copies of previous albums, has decided (now that they are no longer under contract to EMI) to let the fans decide how much to charge for access to download their new album. How cool is that?

There's something very Jesus about this to me.

Having said that, I'm not sure what I think about the band Radiohead. I like some of the songs I've heard and am not as eager to re-listen to other tracks. I've been told they are very melancholy. I can respect that and I do respect the work they've put out so far. None of it sucks. I need to learn more about them. Anyone in here a Radiohead fan?

Unexpected Hope and Love

Even in the midst of the terrible, good can spring. There is hope.

September 22, 2007 - Purse snatcher (Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis)

Make sure to read the caption under the picture.

Vincent Black Lightning - Does it get any better?

The bike is awesome. The song is awesomer. Richard Thompson makes it all sublime. He's right when he says, "in my opinion, there's nothing in this world Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl."

The Banality of Evil

I didn't live through World War II, but I have learned quite a lot about it since then. The juxtaposition of the relaxed normality of the people in these photos and the horrible events they facilitated (and that were happening right then in close proximity to where these photos were taken) should remind us that this kind of intolerable violence can happen even when everything on the surface seems calm and normal. Without going into personal political or social beliefs, I'll just provide a link to the interactive photo album below and hope it will give you an opportunity to think.

Interactive Auschwitz Photo Album

Ending Slavery

It seems to many like this might be a subject to have been discussed 150 years ago, but (according to the Not For Sale Campaign site) there are 27 million people in slavery today in 2007. This is pretty depressing stuff, but the reason I bring it up here is to highlight things that can be done to reverse this awful fact.

So what can you and I do? Well, I don't know. The site listed above indicates that we can donate money, read books, and create art to raise awareness. All of this is wonderful stuff. But assuming that we're both very aware and willing to talk to others about it, I want to know what we can actively do right now to ease suffering and end slavery for at least a few people (if not a whole lot more).

My commitment is to keep learning what we can do and bring that information to this blog. What I would ask from anyone reading is to let me know what you know about this subject and what you find out can be done to help make a real difference.

BBS - The Parable of the Wicked Tenants (continued)

So, back in July, we started discussing the Parable of the Wicked Tenants but we didn't get very far and that's my fault. Maybe we can get further this time around...

In the version I've read, Jesus tells the parable and then asks the Pharisees and chief priests around him what will happen to the tenants when the owner of the vineyard comes back (after the tenants have killed his son). They respond that they will meet a "wretched end" and the owner will put someone responsible in their place.

Jesus then points out (and they realize) that He is talking about them and the awful way they've managed His church. It seems that the owner is God, the tenants (at least at that moment) were the leaders of the church, and the vineyard they were supposed tend is the church.

So what does this parable mean to us? If we take the perspective mentioned above, then it is interesting to me that the ultimate state of the vineyard isn't called into question. Does that change your perspective on what's going on in this parable?

Bathe in the abyss of silence.

It's Monty Python Day!

Yes, like nearly every other geek in the English-speaking world, I can recite large portions of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. When I realized that today is Monty Python Day at Doune Castle, I had to post about it.

My favorite quote, from the scene when God is speaking to Arthur (which is the rendering of Him in the header for this blog), is this:

God: "Arthur, King of the Britons, your Knights of the Round Table shall have a task to make them an example in these dark times."
Arthur: "Good idea, oh Lord!"
God (in booming voice): "'Course it's a good idea!!!"

Not laughing? Well, check out this clip (which also includes the Knights of the Round Table song (best 2 minutes in the history of cinematic comedy):

Simple Question #015a: Does Culture Trump Morality?

I think we can agree that there are cultural differences between almost any identifiable groups of people. That's a really good thing. Even if I don't happen to like the same things you do, you should have the freedom to express your individuality within your unique culture.

But when someone takes cases like Michael Vick's (where he was found guilty of dog fighting by his own admission) and tries to provide some meaningful perspective by saying that he was involved in something that was part of his culture, I see no value in that. Culture is irrelevant. That doesn't make his actions even slightly more acceptable or understandable. It is our responsibility to stand up against those things in our culture that are disgusting so they cannot survive. I would say training dogs to tear each other apart and then violently killing the losing animals, even if part of someone's "culture", is absolutely reprehensible.

What do you think?

Simple Question #015a: Should We Love Gay People Unconditionally?

I have an answer to the Simple Question this time around. That answer is an unqualified YES.

JWSTSOOY #004a: Ted Haggard is Back!

If you'll remember, this is the guy who was caught doing meth and having sex with a gay prostitute while preaching intolerance against gays and imploring others to live a righteous life like him. How do people like this get away with this kind of (seemingly inevitable) crap?

Ted Haggard is back and wants your cash.