Don't pirate music... get paid to listen

Now, instead of trading free tunes in the dark alleyways of the internet, music junkies can now get paid a cut of the money used to legally buy it online. What ever happened to the true music fans that actually support their favorite artists with their hard earned cash? The end result being they get to enjoy the art and know that they had a part in keeping it alive. Now we have to get paid as an incentive not to pirate music? Give me a break. Pretty soon we are going to be upset that restaurants aren't paying us to eat their food or that film production companies aren't paying us to see their films. What do you think? Read the article at share your thoughts.

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/09/03/1820387-new-music-site-gives-fans-a-cut-of-tune-sales

Faith in Christ Break Down

No, my faith is not breaking down! This is about breaking faith in Christ down into its fundamental pieces in order to better understand it.

In youth group we are starting a series on apologetics. We want to explore the fundamentals of our faith and discuss how we know it is true and how we can share it understandably with others. To begin the series we are having the group share what they think are the foundations of Christianity. So I pose the same question to you:

If you had to highlight the ten most important foundations/doctrines/truths of Christianity, what would you say they were? Of course, there are not only ten indispensable truths in all of Christianity, but I would be interested to see what you would highlight as your "Top Ten."

Responses?

I'm Invisible... Can You See Me?

Apparently we are not far off from being able to literally use invisibility cloaks (all my Harry Potter fans make some noise!). Scientists have discovered how to bend light "the wrong way" to create invisibility. This is pretty hard to imagine or even to believe but this article seems pretty legit. It blows my mind that this is not just science fiction anymore. Check it out. Tell me what you think. Could society ever responsibly use technology like this?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4499914.ece

All Hail the One True God of Metal!

The following is my own paraphrase of Psalm 150. It was an assignment given to me at our first staff meeting with Pastor Dan. We had to rewrite a psalm of our choice in words that would speak to us so I chose to write mine in the vernacular of a hardcore/metal show. It was because of this that Pastor Dan bestowed upon me the greatest nickname I have ever received: Metalbrook. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that name earlier.

Psalm 150: All Hail the One True God of Metal!

1) Praise the one from whom darkness flees!
Raise your fists and open hands
and pump them towards the sky!
2) This breakdown is for Him,
the One who whose hand crushes evil,
brings justice, spreads wonders!
3) Crank the amps till your ears ring
and blast the low end like thunder to God Almighty!
4) Make a circle in the pit
and throwdown like it was your last chance.
He gave you that breath that you're out of.
5) Let the double kick blast beats shake the ceiling;
the cymbals shatter the windows!
He likes it loud.
6) Scream the chorus, voices ringing, throats sung raw.
If you can breath,
you better scream these words to Him
for He is worthy!

My mind = hyperactive toddler

Man! How long will it be until my brain kicks into the supposed "grown-up" mode where it can stay focused on work and responsibilities for more than fifteen minutes at a time? I thought I would have grown out of it in college, but my mind's eye is habitually distracted by shiny objects all over the mentalshpere (new word--I coined it... I think).

Am I doing something wrong? Do I have to eat more boring bran cereal in the morning to get my big-person-brain? Maybe I should start watching C-SPAN and Bloomberg television, and I can read the Economy section in the newspaper. (Ugh... my brain just threw up a little bit on itself).

The problem isn't just that my mind wanders. It is that I feel as if I get distracted to the point of not being able to do what I am called to do to the fullest extent. I don't want to get in the way of myself or in the way of what God wants to do in and through me.

Maybe the problem is that I just don't feel completely and utterly passionate about this season of life yet. (Notice I said yet!) Life is starting to settle down a little bit, but who am I kidding... everything is still brand friggin new for me: full time ministry, full time bill paying, full time husbandry (I'm talking about the act of being a husband... not about the act of tree trimming and bush planting), and all that stuff.

How long will it take? I know it will probably take a while. Yet I, like most of my generation, am spoiled by the fast-food-express-microwave-no-wait-30-second-attention-span paradigm of our culture. How does one detach themselves from that? I belong to God's kingdom, not this one I conveniently rent my earthly dwelling from.

So... is it me? my personality? immaturity? transition? my culture? my sugar intake? my music selection (oh God please don't let it be this one!)?

Oh well.... time to go suck it up and be an "adult" I guess.

Wish me well.

Live Like it Will Burn Tomorrow

They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation" ....

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are don on it will be exposed.

Since these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness [?], waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

[2 Peter 2: 4, 8-12]

How does the knowledge that it could all burn tomorrow effect my life today, right now, at this moment? Do I even allow it to effect me? I don't live in fear of it. In fact I see that Peter thinks we are awaiting it... actually hastening its coming. But aside from not fearing it, do I ever engage the thought that Jesus' return could be at any moment? One day there will be a throwdown between God and this world... and it could happen three minutes from now or 5 days or 8 months or 32 years.... any time. But does that knowledge do anything to the way I act now? I don't think it always does... but it should. The countdown is happening, but no one can see the timer...

Tick tock...... tick tock.....

I can focus all my energy on trying to figure out how much longer it will keep ticking so I can keep living as if it isn't ticking.

--or--

I can focus just enough on the ticking to know that it is there, and that there is a countdown for me, you, and the rest of the world and let that influence my words, thoughts, actions, and passions.

Tick tock.... tick tock.... .... .... (Do you smell it burning yet?)

Since these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness [?], waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

Do I love like it is almost over? Do I live and leave imprints? Do I search for divine direction with desperation? Do I hear the ticking? Do I stand out like a pure and bright brush stroke on a tar covered canvas, or do I blend in--not quite white, not really black, more of a gray? Do I hope for opportunities to reveal Him to a hurting world or do I hide from them? Do I hear the ticking? I do not fear it, but do I fear for those who cannot hear it? The ultimate throwdown is coming? Am I selling tickets hoping for crowd casualties or am I directing traffic away from the epicenter towards the One who will shelter them from the blast? Tick tock.... am I listening?

Proof! Raise the rock fist!

Yes, I actually was in a metal band! I am the guy smackin the heck out of the drums in the back. Oh and my wonderful wife is the one who is being "blessed" by the most Metal Birthday song ever. The quality of the video and performance may not be the most amazing in the world but for only having been together for three months and not really being able to hear what we were playing, I would say we did pretty well.

Enjoy the vid

LIFE Movie Awards- Bury the Ocean