Note to self: Don’t get too smug
Monday, November 27, 2006
My friend recently posted a comment which politely told me to lighten up and let it go when it comes to my Mac/Apple evangelism. I had recently posted that the inventor of the internet uses a Mac.
After reading his comment I clicked over to my Mac Daily News RSS feed (yes, I am that much of a Mac geek) to find this post: "Al Jazeera Chooses Apple Macintosh Technology."Needless to say, I laughed out loud. So this post is dedicated to Pete, and his words of wisdom. But will I stop posting my overzealous, nearly militant pro-Mac rants? I dunno. They make some pretty good Kool-Aid in Cupertino. I'll probably follow this post up with a righteous slam of Microsoft.
Perhaps I should seek treatment. Anyone want to organize an intervention?
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Signs of insanity
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Okay, so I don’t always get turned on to some internet goodness when it first hits. But thanks to my university pal, Sally K., I’ve got this one to share with you. 
If you’re sick of lame or embarrassing church signs, just make your own. You don't have to have an M.Div. to wax theological on a lighted marquee. The churchsigngenerator.com site allows you to choose from one of five designs and create a custom message image that you can grab and post. Here's one using the First Baptist Church flavor. As you can see, I'm a fan of totally exasperated preachers. That kind of leadership frustration leads to some great church sign ideas.Every time I do this I crack up. It seems like everything is funnier on a church sign. Try it for your self. Send me a few of yours via Email. I love 'em.
Newsweek covers the cross and politics
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Don’t miss this rather lengthy exploration of the emergence of political evangelicalism in America. 
Given the outcome of Tuesday’s elections, I found it worth the time to familiarize myself with this historical perspective, since the American conservative politicization of The Church has largely been a phenomenon that has occurred in my lifetime. The comments to the article on the web site are also very interesting.To add some perspective to this in light of last week’s other notable event (Ted Harggard’s resignation over scandal), I include this excerpt on political evangelicalism from Gordon Macdonald in Leadership Journal’s Out of Ur blog (props, again, to Knightopia, who also posted this stub).
Our movement has been used. There are hints that the movement—once cobbled together by Billy Graham and Harold Ockenga—is beginning to fragment because it is more identified by a political agenda that seems to be failing and less identified by a commitment to Jesus and his kingdom. Like it or not, we are pictured as those who support war, torture, and a go-it-alone (bullying) posture in international relationships. Any of us who travel internationally have tasted the global hostility toward our government and the suspicion that our President’s policies reflect the real tenants of Evangelical faith. And I might add that there is considerable disillusionment on the part of many of our Christian brothers/sisters in other countries who are mystified as to where American evangelicals are in all of this. Our movement may have its Supreme Court appointments, but it may also have compromised its historic center of Biblical faith. Is it time to let the larger public know that some larger-than-life evangelical personalities with radio and TV shows do not speak for all of us?
Yes, it is.
Inventor of the Web uses a Mac
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Just a little pro Mac propaganda (it’s been a while). Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist who is credited with creating the world wide web--the internet as we know it, uses a MacBook Pro. (Sorry, it’s not Al Gore after all.) Picture and link provide some nice proof.
Gee. He’s pretty smart. I wonder why he uses Mac OS when 95 percent of the rest of the world uses Windows? As for the linked story, his concerns are interesting—especially in light of mediated communication theories. I’m gonna flag this clip for my advanced media communication class coming up next session.
Wake up to postmodernism
Thursday, November 09, 2006
It's real. Get used to it. Tune in and turn on your brain. Knightopia has posted a link to some great free audio programs from Brian McLaren speaking at Wake Forest University Divinity School recently. Go grab some excellent talks on postmodernism, empire and the Kingdom. As Steve Knight says, if you have never heard him give his series on postmodern thought, this is an excellent source.
Celebrate political Ad freedom day
Monday, November 06, 2006
You may have heard of "Tax Freedom Day" where we celebrate the point in the year when the money we make is now lining our own pockets instead of Uncle Sam’s (also a date that seems to slip later and later into the each year). 
Today is "Political Ad Freedom Day 2006"—the day that TV and print Ad media once again start selling us products we don't really need instead of selling us politicians we don't really want to vote for. (Also known as Election Day.) I almost gave up TV because of all the immorality being paraded in front of me every evening (interrupting perfectly good TV programs). I’ve never been so happy to see just another Ad for Cialis in my whole life. But fear not. Next year I'm getting TiVo. Power to the people!
Your bod in a ‘pod
Monday, November 06, 2006
For the past several years I have been scoffed at because of my idea to dress up my beloved children as iPods for Halloween. To put it bluntly, it hasn’t happened. 
But 67 million iPods later, and I don’t seem like such an idiot. The iPod seemed to be the costume dujour this year—just behind the immense popularity of pirate Jack Sparrow, Narnian characters and comic book superheros. This post points to a link of user-submitted photos on Engadget that prove home-made iPod costumes kicked a little sweet music into Halloween 2006. My favorite is this all black iPod silhouette dancer from the kinetic iPod commercials, complete with color background and white earbuds. Bust a move!
Next year costuming one of my three is gonna be my domain—be it a Shuffle, Nano or 5G. Wait and see.
Numbers that should haunt us
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The associated press reported on Halloween that political parties and campaigns have exposed voters nationwide to nearly $160 million in ads attacking congressional candidates so far this campaign season.Let that number sink in.
Consider the following relative value of $160 million (divided into $3 million per week), when compared with what a weekly United Way donation can buy. In 2006, weekly donations of:
> $1 (the cost of a lottery ticket)—provides work clothes for someone to interview and start a job.
> $2.50 (the cost of an express bus ride to downtown)—teaches two students from abusive backgrounds violence prevention so they can break the pattern of abuse.
> $3 (the cost of a latte)—helps four victims of domestic violence get counseling and legal advice.
> $8 (the cost of a fast food meal)—pays for a family of five to have a hot meal a day for one month.
> $10.50 (the cost of a dozen bagels)—provides one year of in-home meals, allowing an elderly person to continue living in his/her home.
> $20 (the cost of a manicure)—helps 83 new immigrants learn English and moves them toward U.S. citizenship.
> $50 (the cost of a floral delivery)—helps stabilize families in crisis with short-term shelter, food, and/or childcare assistance.
In capitalism, advertising serves to help sell products which support businesses and individuals with profit and income, and ultimately become living wages. Capitalism is by no means always honorable, fair and equitable, but at least it functions in the fabric of daily commerce. Negative political advertising supports no wages (other than the windfall advertising agencies and TV stations receive). It is zero sum spending—money to create messages to counteract or cancel out the messages of another candidate. There is very little, if any, redeeming value to this—and a whole lot of negative ethical value.
When you think about your candidate of choice next Tuesday, and the potential good they could do in Washington, think about how much money they have wasted to get there. There has to be a better way. I think I’d rather donate money to any one of the above causes than flush it down the toilet of election campaigning. Who’s with me?Oh yeah, vote for Pedro and your wildest dreams will come true.
Boyd now blogging
Thursday, November 02, 2006
I’m very pleased to point out that pastor Greg Boyd has taken up blogging from his newly renovated personal web site. Here’s my favorite excerpt so far (thanks Derek), as he reflects on what he should say in a CBS News interview:
Anyway, I've thought and prayed a lot about how I should use this precious 90 seconds and I got a very clear revelation from God: “Hi Greg. Explain to America how ‘will’ and ‘will not’ are not ‘logical contradictories’ but are, instead, ‘logical contraries,’ which of course means they don’t exhaust the alternatives of future tensed propositions. Explain to them how ‘will’ and ‘will not’ cannot be simultaneously true, but they can both be simultaneously false -- just in case ‘might’ (the real contradictory of ‘will not’) and ‘might not’ (the real contradictory of ‘will’) are both simultaneously true.” I said, “Lord, are you sure? I’m thinking this could take a little more than 90 seconds.” And God, being a good Open Theist, said: “Okay, I change my mind (see Ex.32: 10-14). Why don’t you just show them my beauty and tell people to stop dragging me into their ugly secular politics.” I said, “THAT sounds a bit more feasible. Thanks Lord.”
You gotta love that kind of humor.
The site hasn’t enabled any sort of blog tools like commenting for permalinks, which I hope they add later, but it’s nice to get some more of this beautiful mind out here in the blogosphere.
Check Greg out. He’s now linked in my blog roll. No anti open theism flames, please. Peace to you.
Johnny can read
Thursday, November 02, 2006
I’m pleased that the assigned reading for my interpersonal communication class has become more interesting than I first anticipated. 
No text books (a few excerpts). Just a couple of very interesting, if difficult, works on the philosophy of dialogue and the study of self-disclosure. I’ve updated my sidebar to reflect what I’ve been filling my head with this month (with relevant Amazon links). Take Martin Buber, pictured in this post. What a mind bender. Nice beard, though. Kinda looks like the grandfather in Heidi. Say goodbye to a couple of good writs from my 2006 summer list. I hardly knew ye (or thou).