funky presbyterian

people got a lot of nerve

2009-04-23T10:56:00.001-07:00

AWESOME. It's another super group.

2009-04-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

THE GUITARIST FROM THIS BAND...

HOOKED UP WITH THE DRUMMER FROM THIS BAND...
AND RECRUITED ONE OF THE DUDES FROM THIS BAND...
TO WRITE AND RECORD WITH ONE OF THESE FELLAS SINGING LEAD (THE TALENTED ONE)

That's right. James Iha from smashing pumpkins fame will be shredding his axe with the drummer from cheap trick (the folks who brought you "I want you to want me") while Adam Schlessinger from fountains of wayne provides bass guitar services. And yes, the kid from Hanson will be singing.

Seems like an odd match up in some ways. But in other ways I suppose it makes all kinds of sense. The potential is here for some really good music (oh come on don't pretend like "MMMBOP" isn't one of the most infectious pop songs of the last 25 years, you know you secretly listened when no one else was in the car!)

Of course they'll have to overcome one of the most powerful and universal principles of the rock and roll universe: Supergroups always suck. No matter what. They super-suck.

So... we'll see. Click the title of the post for a listen.

what is it what brand what type what influenced it's origin?

2009-04-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Charity and I were front and center for this concert twelve years ago. In fact if the camera were to pan down about a foot, you'd see us standing right in front of Gene. You can't really tell from the sound quality of the video, but it was truly one of the greatest live shows I've ever seen. Easily in my top 10. The band was tight, spot on and the crowd was really attentive. I remember Gene was really pissy that night. They started the first song and he kept yelling at somebody off stage and pointing to his monitor and then he just quit playing and apologized to the crowd and refused to play until they got sound issues worked out. Then when they came back on he played with a really cantankerous attitude- which is probably how rock and roll should be played. Three years later Gene died in his sleep.

But now we can watch this again after all of these years. This is why I love the internet.

These are things I want to do.

2009-04-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

write songs with morgan
get maid rites with birt
drive somewhere treacherous with loftis
get conspiratorial with kdny

Bono Preaching.

2009-04-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

I think this guy is the genuine article. Lots of good stuff in this, including the way he articulates his disintegrating skepticism. A must watch for those feeling religiously disenfranchised.

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Blogger lazily resorts to posting links to online news articles.

2009-04-04T18:11:00.001-07:00

Blog readers lazily abstain from offering comments.

2009-04-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Banks seek to repay TARP funds.

2009-04-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

President refuses repayment of TARP funds.

2009-04-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

2009-03-31T13:07:00.001-07:00

Federal Government Seeks Expanded Authority to Set Salaries of All Employees of Companies Receiving Federal Aid

2009-03-31T10:38:00.001-07:00

Terror Suspects May be Released in US Cities and Funded

2009-03-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Mandatory Volunteerism

2009-03-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

President, Treasury Secretary & Federal Reserve Seek Expanded Powers to Seize and Control Institutions

2009-03-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

Limiting the Deductibility of Charitable Contributions

2009-03-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Rescinding the Conscience Clause

2009-03-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

does satan exist?

2009-03-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

does satan exist part 2

2009-03-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Note To Self: stop whining

2009-03-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

2009-03-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is March Madness.

2009-03-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

As of the time of this posting, Ohio State has the points lead at the NCAA wrestling championship tournament in St Louis. In the last round they overtook both Iowa State and Iowa. The Buckeyes currently lead second place Iowa, who were thought to be a sure thing in grasping their 22nd national title. The Hawkeyes were ranked #1 coming into the tournament and the Buckeyes were ranked 6th despite finishing 2nd last year (yes, behind Iowa). Again, coach Tom Ryan (a former Hawkeye himself) and the Buckeyes received far too little respect in the polls. But heading into the semi-finals, they have four wrestlers left in competition. And the Hawkeyes have only two. This could be big for wrestling at Ohio State and in the state of Ohio generally. Championships make for good recruiting. Good recruiting makes for more championships.

Of course the Hawkeyes aren't out of it and if anyone knows how to win under pressure it's Iowa. Even so, if the Buckeyes finish in the top three this year, it proves last year was no fluke. And it means the Buckeyes have just put the Hawkeyes on notice. And nothing in this world (athletically speaking) would make me happier than a long, embittered Ohio State- Iowa wrestling rivalry. But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Stay tuned for more results!

YES. Now THATS what I'm talking about!

2009-03-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Check it out, people. It's 2009 and your flying car is finally here. (It's 25 years late, but it's finally here). The next question is how are we going to mount one of those new laser guns on it? And where can I get a shiny, silver jogging suit with a V stripe?

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Finally! Now when can I expect to get my rocket pack to go with it?

2009-03-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength
By Noah Shachtman March 18, 2009 | 11:12:00 AMCategories: Lasers And Ray Guns

Huge news for real-life ray guns: Electric lasers have hit battlefield strength for the first time -- paving the way for energy weapons to go to war.
In recent test-blasts, Pentagon-researchers at Northrop Grumman managed to get its 105 kilowatts of power out of their laser -- past the "100kW threshold [that] has been viewed traditionally as a proof of principle for 'weapons grade' power levels for high-energy lasers," Northrop's vice president of directed energy systems, Dan Wildt, said in a statement.
That much power won't get you a Star Wars-style blaster. But it should be more than enough to zap the mortars and rockets that insurgents have used to pound American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The battlefield-strength breakthrough is just one part in a larger military push to finally make laser weapons a reality, after decades of unfulfilled promises. The Army recently gave Boeing a $36 million contract to build a laser-equipped truck. Raytheon is set to start test-firing a mortar-zapper of its own. Darpa is funding a 150 kilowatt laser project that is meant to be fitted onto "tactical aircraft."

2009-03-18T08:10:00.001-07:00

I Am New

2009-03-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know who Kutiman is, but he mixes you tube. And it's incredible. What you hear is what you see. Here's an example:

this is amazing.

2009-03-17T08:12:00.001-07:00

I feel like Steve Martin in the Jerk when he noticed his name in thephone book.

2009-03-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Phoebe In Wonderland

2009-03-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

In January of 2008 I was able to attend the Sundance Film Festival in Utah with a few friends. While we were there I saw a film called "Phoebe in Wonderland". I've been waiting and waiting and now it's finally being release in "select" theaters. Phoebe in Wonderland is not a great film. It's not going to win any awards at the Oscars, nor should it (aside from the award for best actress which should go to Fanning- she is amazing in this film- and only 8 at the time it was made). The story is reasonably interesting. Some of the acting is quite good. But overall the execution of the film is only ok.

That notwithstanding, I found the film deeply moving and painfully beautiful for reasons I only partly understand. Some of those reasons are probably quite subjective to my personal experiences as a child and a father. I recommend it to all of you. Maybe some of you will connect with it. Maybe you won't.

An Open Letter to Larry Mullen, Jr

2009-03-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Larry,

In the photo on the cover of the latest Rolling Stone magazine, I noticed something unusual about Bono's face. It appears as though he is either wearing eye makeup or someone punched him in the face.

Michael Stipe already has the "aging rock star front man wearing eye make up" category pretty well covered and it seems to me that we really don't need more than one of those guys.

Anyway, I know there are lots of people who would like to punch Bono in the face, so maybe that's what happened. I don't know, but if somebody could fill us in concerning what's going on with that general region of Bono's head, we'd appreciate it.

And if it turns out that Bono is wearing eye makeup, maybe you could just go ahead and punch him in the face. Thanks so much.

Rampage vs. My Wife

2009-03-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is one bad, bad, hombre. He's actually here in town this week for his upcoming fight against Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine, so if you have children or small pets, you should probably keep them inside until at least Monday morning. Now, Jardine is no slouch and is capable of beating the very best of opponents on any given day- as he has shown in the past. But Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio will he be able to deliver the goods against Jackson? If I were a gambler, I'd put my money on Jackson. But it would still be a gamble.

Rampage and Jardine are both just lucky they aren't slated to meet my wife in the cage anytime soon. While she's an amateur with no actual fights on her record, I have no doubt that she would cake walk through both fighters. Simultaneously probably.

Let me offer my analysis of said match-up. Rampage and the Dean each bring an obvious abundance of experience, skill and physical power to the conflict. But aside from decades of training in the arts of hand to hand combat, hundreds of hours of preparation with the sport's most accomplished camps, and the 70-80 pound weight advantage , what chance would they really stand? Slim to none.

We've got four kids. Out oldest is home schooled and has an attention span of about four seconds, the next has a chronic auto immune disease for which he takes multiple medications including steroids and thus experiences the related emotional swings, our two year old princess is a destroyer of worlds who just happens to have the flu this week and then there is our one month old daughter who is currently engaged in the following regiment- eat, poop, scream, eat, poop, scream, eat, poop, scream, brief nap, repeat until insane. And my wife endures this training pattern without a break, seven days a week. Now you tell me, what is Rampage going to do to equal that kind of abuse? What's he going to do? Seriously, what? Punch her in the face? Kick her in the stomach? Ooooh! That's so scary. Puh-leeze. She's been kicked before. For nine months straight. Four times. That's 36 months of being kicked. FROM THE INSIDE! Do you understand what I'm talking about here?

Whatever he does, he's not going to make her teach him the multiplication tables while bouncing a screaming infant on one hip and breaking up an altercation over a barbie doll between a four year old with roid rage and a two year old with pig-tails, a fever and a mean-streak like a chupacabra. Whatever submissions he attempts, it's never going to equal the will breaking, life sapping routine of trouncing up the stairs eighteen times a night to wipe snot from the nose of a crying toddler, delivering twelve glasses of water to three different children who were SUPPOSE to be asleep hours ago, enduring seven to eight unbroken years of changing diapers, wiping bottoms, and wrestling each child to the ground in order to get them to EAT SOMETHING- (which is something I once thought the natural inborn survival instinct compelled all living creatures to do- I was wrong). This one just eats macaroni. This one, yogurt. This one whatever you're NOT cooking for dinner and this one, quite literally only wants to suck the LIFE ENERGY straight out of your flesh like the most darling little pink vampire you've ever seen.

Seriously. What would Jardine or Rampage bring to the cage that my wife wouldn't laugh at? And she would laugh. But not at the fight. She'd be laughing into the telephone nestled between her neck and her shoulder, deep in conversation with some long-distance friend- all the while only barely aware of the large muscular man who's blacking-out in a head-lock death grip under her right arm. And bouncing a baby on her hip with the left.

There is nothing to fear. Your government loves you.

2009-02-10T10:44:00.001-08:00

So, check this out. Hidden away in the deep recesses of the stimulus package passed by the senate is a provision which creates an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This office and it's Coordinator, will be established for the purpose of safeguarding your confidential medical records. They will create a "nationwide health information technology infrastructure" to "ensure that each patient's health information is secure and protected". The government just wants to protect us. (It really is for our own good, you know).

Additionally, the Coordinator, the Office and the infrastructure will "help guide medical decisions at the time and place of care". Oh my gosh! That is so NICE of you, government! Thank you so much for helping to guide the medical decisions made at the time and place of my care. Thank you for helping my doctor to decide how to treat me and for helping to keep the costs of my treatment down.

But, some of you may be asking yourselves, "What if my doctor doesn't WANT to follow the helpful medical guidance the Coordinator so generously and helpfully provides at the time and place of my treatment? What if my doctor or hospital doesn't want me to benefit from the all wise and helpful guidance of the government?" Oh, fret not, little one! your government has thought of everything. For those medical care providers who are not "meaningful users" of the helpful guiding system, a series of unspecified penalties will be applied! Oh yes, indeed. And of course the Office will also continually improve the medical care we receive by "requiring more stringent measures of meaningful use" of the system and it's helpful guidance.

Sleep well, America.

Local church goers risk life and limb to attend Grace Central!

2009-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

Local news can be a bit dramatic. But we appreciate the free publicity!

Ivy & The Whole Family

2009-02-04T16:41:00.001-08:00

Ohio Duo's Latest Effort Recieves Five Star Rating

2009-02-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

February 1st at 12:31 am Charity gave birth to our fourth child, and second daughter. Her name is Ivy Jane. She is short and round with brown fuzzy hair and a pointy little elfin chin. 20.5" & 7 pounds 7 ounces. And (surprise!) looks like her daddy.

Charity did fantastic in labor and delivery. She made good progress then stalled out for about four hours! Eventually she progressed and delivered with no drugs, and no epidural. I am proud of her. She refused the use of a wheel chair throughout the ordeal. The nurse refered to her as "little miss independant". (I'm pretty sure Charity didn't hear that comment, because the nurse left her rotation with all of her teeth still intact). For part of the labor, we watched "Anchor Man" on the large flat screen in our room. Ron Burgundy will forever occupy a special place in our hearts for the profoundly inane distraction he provided.

I'd post a picture, (and even brought the camera with me to do just that) but I left the USB cable to upload pictures at the hospital! Sorry, you'll just have to wait.

Please don't fight the bears.

2009-01-25T06:25:00.000-08:00

Baddest Man on the Planet?

2009-01-25T06:15:00.001-08:00

Last night Fedor ko'd another former Heavyweight Champion. My favorite thing about Fedor is that he's just this kind of dopey, doughy guy who always looks like he just woke up from a nap. And then he makes grown men cry.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

This is the easily best film I've seen in three years. You should see it while it's still in theatres.

Interpret my dream...

2009-01-21T11:12:00.001-08:00

Just like MLK, I too have a dream. Well, not just like MLK. My dreams are senseless and strange and motivate no one. Here's one from last night. All of a sudden it came back to me in a flash...

I was eating dinner in a restaurant somewhere in the south (kentucky? tennesee?) with my good friend, Birt. We were driving somewhere far away and had stopped to eat. The restaurant was busy and we were sitting by the window. The booths had red vinyl seats. Outside the window there was a man tuck-pointing the brick work on the building. We noticed it was our friend Bash. We waved and made faces at each other. We were laughing. He was laughing. But we gave no indications of surprise at finding Bash tuck-pointing brick work outside of the very window where we sat eating dinner, hundreds of miles away from home on some unknown journey in the south.

offer your interpretations:

Reserved Inaugural Optimism

2009-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

Today I went home during lunch so i could watch the inauguration of President Obama with my family. It was truly a monumental day for our nation, and it's really quite incredible in a couple of ways. First, of course it is evidence that we are a better nation today than we were a hundred years ago with respect to race and unity. Second, it is an amazing thing that we are able to peaceably redistribute power like this on a regular basis. A nation is pretty divided when 54% of the vote is considered a landslide. And yet with a million plus in attendance, power was exchanged with no riots, bullets, bloodshed or uprisings. Considering how unpopular President Bush has been for quite sometime, it should probably be considered historically anomalous that he wasn't ousted earlier by some sort of violent coup or rabid mob on the white house lawn months ago. All in all, we're a remarkable nation when we function according to our principles and ideals.

Additionally, I am dually perplexed. Tuning in to some conservative blogs, and broadcasts I've been "hormusified" (it's a new term I've coined to express the sensation of being simultaneously horrified and amused, or the sensation one experiences when one's president spontaneously invents new terminology during public discourse) by the criticism that is already being leveled at Obama. I have no problem with the Hannity and Limbaugh types getting critical. It's all part of the delicately balanced dysfunction that makes the two party system somewhat workable. I do find the recent level and nature of the criticism curious given a simple fact: HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET. At least let the guy make a mistake first. geesh. Equally as "hormusifying" to me is the level of adulation and veneration Obama seems to be receiving from the mainstream media and his supporting public generally. The only thing I've ever seen that compares is the response of many in St Louis when the Pope came to town in January of 99. Now I've got no problem with being incredibly enthusiastic about one's president. But heres the thing: HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET.

How about we settle for some reserved optimism?

2009-01-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

helvetica

2009-01-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Last night after church I watched a documentary. About helvetica. The font. And it was awesome.

2009-01-10T16:42:00.001-08:00

Penn

2009-01-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

From Crackle: A Gift of a Bible

funky presbyterian goes to church circa 1977

2008-12-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

Apt

2008-12-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

Right here at the last little stubby end of 2008 I've stumbled upon the lyric that seems custom written to summarize our 2008. It's not much in the way of poetry, but there's gotta be something said for aptness.

It's first line on the first track of the most recent Ryan Adams & the Cardinals album, Cardinology. The song is Born into a Light:

For everything that's wrong there is a worried man,
There is a reason why
We just don't understand but will, you gotta keep the faith
be patient oh the past is just a memory and heal.
Heal your vines, you'll heal inside eventually

We were born into a light.

listen here.

The Award for Most Pleasure Inducing Album Recorded by Someone Else and Listened to By Me in 2008 Goes To

2008-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Midnight Organ Flight, by Frightened Rabbit

The Award for Best Fiction Book Read by Me in 2008 Goes To...

2008-12-19T11:48:00.001-08:00

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

The Award For Best Non-Fiction Book Read by Me in 2008 Goes To...

2008-12-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

The Reason for God, by Tim Keller

whole heartedly recommended for your Christmas listening needs

2008-12-15T11:47:00.001-08:00

low- christmas
rosie thomas- a very rosie christmas

unadulterated cheer and goodwill never make for satisfying christmas carols. advent always requires those undertones of melancholy, longing, and humble restraint. these two albums deliver the goods. put one in your stocking this year.

Vintage Funky Presbyterian on a Television Antenna

2008-12-04T06:34:00.001-08:00

2008-12-02T13:45:00.001-08:00

2008-12-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

2008-12-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

2008-12-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

Science Community Narrowly Avoids Apostacy

2008-12-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

The title of this post links to an article in discover magazine. It's a scientific magazine, not a religious magazine. What seems odd to me is that the scientific establishment will go to such great lengths to protect their belief that there is no intelligent creator of the universe, even though they admit such a conclusion is not based on scientific method. They are willing to postulate the equally unscientifically verifiable solution of infinite universes in order to avoid saying what the data seems to suggest: the universe was intelligently and intentionally designed to accommodate us, that life is not random or peripheral, but central to the purpose of the universe.

Now, I don't have any problem with people postulating theories which are not scientifically verifiable. What I do find curious is the scientific community's insistence that they are not religious and that their beliefs about the world are developed from empirical evidence and scientific methodology. Clearly at this point their methods cannot sustain the beliefs to which they have committed themselves a priori. And yet they hold them regardless. In one sense, I'm completely ok with that. There is no other way to hold beliefs about the world! I just wish they'd write a follow up article admitting that they too are religious and have an orthodoxy to which they hold and which exists independent of, and prior to the criteria by which they judge the evidence. But they can't because in the modernist, scientific religion, doing so would amount to apostacy.

I guess what I'm saying is I am suspicious of their metanarrative. Call me a religious skeptic.

Call it a fluke, a mystery, a miracle. Or call it the biggest problem in physics. Short of invoking a benevolent creator, many physicists see only one possible explanation: Our universe may be but one of perhaps infinitely many universes in an inconceivably vast multi verse. Most of those universes are barren, but some, like ours, have conditions suitable for life.
The idea is controversial. Critics say it doesn’t even qualify as a scientific theory because the existence of other universes cannot be proved or disproved. Advocates argue that, like it or not, the multiverse may well be the only viable non religious explanation for what is often called the “fine-tuning problem”—the baffling observation that the laws of the universe seem custom-tailored to favor the emergence of life.

Physical laws clamor for life: the universe knew we were coming.

“For me the reality of many universes is a logical possibility,” Linde says. “You might say, ‘Maybe this is some mysterious coincidence. Maybe God created the universe for our benefit.’ Well, I don’t know about God, but the universe itself might reproduce itself eternally in all its possible manifestations.”

nobody panic.

2008-11-25T06:31:00.001-08:00

RUSSIAN ANALYST PREDICTS DECLINE AND BREAKUP OF USA
Tue Nov 25 2008 09:04:22 ET

A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."

The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events.

When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."

When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: "Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia."

Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."

He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions."

He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.

He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all." Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare.

The Latest Sign of the Apocalypse

2008-11-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

This from the New York Post-

Asked about his perspective on social issues—gay marriage, abortion—Prince tapped his Bible and said, “God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’ ”

I guess I don't know what to say. Except this: I can't wait for the new Prince & the Revolution Study Bible from Zondervan.

back to basics...

2008-11-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

It's been a time of getting back to basics for me lately. I'm rediscovering the beauty of the Bible. Not that I ever stopped reading it, but one can read the Bible in different ways and to discover different things. Recently I've really enjoyed the simple beauty of passages like the 23rd psalm and the gospel of Mark. Both very different works, by the way. But similar in their simple, and profound beauty. For instance I've spent a lot of time considering the ways in which my Shepherd "makes me lie down in green pastures" and what that means for me on a day to day or moment by moment basis. And I've though a lot about the theme of rest in the book or Mark and how Jesus is continually in need of rest, but wherever he goes, people find him and his apostles disturb him and he can't even get through a meal or a prayer or a nap without interruption from people in need. And he always meets the need, without bitterness or self pity. And then I've been thinking a lot about the fact that I'm not Jesus. But I am his sheep. And the sheep can rest precisely because their shepherd does not. The implications spin out in a million directions.

In addition to the Bible, I've been rediscovering Bob Dylan's catalogue. I recently picked up The Bootleg Series Volume 8 as well as Bringing it All Back Home and Planet Waves. And I have come to a conclusion. I don't need to listen to any music other Bob Dylan. Nobody does, really. From now on, it's Bob and only Bob for me. It's like the atkins diet for my ears.

Here are a few songs for you that capture the tenor of our lives for the past few months. Why is it that listening to sad songs makes a guy feel better? Click the little blue triangle to listen to song segments, and for petesake- get your hands on some Dylan albums this year.

http://www.bobdylan.com/#/node/140
http://www.bobdylan.com/#/node/855
http://www.bobdylan.com/#/node/90
http://www.bobdylan.com/#/node/195

How to Tell If You're Raising PKs.

2008-10-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I reminded that the children we are raising are not um... normal. They are pks. Pastor's kids. The following questionairre formed from real-life Blosser family experiences may help you identify if you too are raising PKs.

1. Your four year old recieves an expensive gift in the mail from a family friend. What is the occasion?
A. a birthday
B. Christmas
C. Reformation Day

2. Your firstborn is just a year old and notices snow falling for the very first time. What does he exclaim?
A. snow!
B. pretty!
C. manna!

3. When arriving at an outdoor party wherein many people are gathered beneath a large colorful tent, your two year old says which of the following sentences?
A. Oh look! A tent!
B. Oh look! A circus!
C. Oh look! A Tabernacle!

(if you answered "c" to any or all of the above there is reason to be concerned).

just like old times

2008-10-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw Bill Mallonee play at a little bar around the corner from my house. I sat there with my friend Jeff and it occurred to us that we'd been following Mallonee's career for about 18 years. That's a long time. We felt old.

ESV study bible

2008-10-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

I know study Bibles. I've got study Bibles. I use to sell study Bibles, when I worked at a bookstore in St Louis where I got an employee discount. Which I used to buy more study Bibles. I've got the Literary Study Bible, the Serendipity Study Bible for Personal and Small Group Study, the NIV study Bible, the Nelson Study Bible, the New Geneva Study Bible, the Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, the Thematic Study Bible, the Thompson Chain Study Bible, and somewhere around here I have my old Student Study Bible from highschool. After a while it began to take a bit more to impress me in the way of study bibles. I guess study bibles are like most things in life. There are always several ways to do it well, but a million ways to do it poorly! I still love my old Thompson Chain. I've gotten great use out of the Thematic Study bible and the Spirit of the Reformation's cross referencing of historical protestant confessions has saved me hours of work. The NIV study Bible has been for quite a while your best bet for an all around resource. But with the release of the ESV study Bible it looks like the NIV Study Bible is about to be eclipsed. The video below is a cheesy little promotional thing, but I must say I'm impressed. Check it out.

Rashad Evans defeats Chuck Lidell

2008-10-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

I thought this doctored photo was hilarious. I've posted it along with the original for your enjoyment. (The original is the one on bottom, in case you couldn't tell).

psalm 147:10-11

2008-09-30T06:52:00.001-07:00

His delight is not in the strength of the horse

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

but Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

A Vote Against Cynicism.

2008-09-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, here's my dilemma:

I am cynical when it comes to politics and politicians. And as we all know, there is nothing more hip, more cool, more (dare I say it?) "funky" than cynicism. Heck, without cynicism one can scarcely maintain one's indie cred. So far so good...

But alas! As the title of the blog indicates, I am a Presbyterian. Which is a roundabout way of signifying that I am (among other descriptors) a Christian. And as it turns out, cynicism is completely and utterly incompatible with Christianity. Jesus was no cynic. And so I probably shouldn't be either.

You see the problem, yes?

So in an effort to combat said cynicism I have endeavored to post about the two major presidential tickets in a completely sincere and non-cynical manner. I am determined to write only positive and honest reflections about each candidate. (for those of you trying to read between the lines, I did presidential candidates first, vp's second and alphabetically by last name respectively).

As a pastor it is very important to me to keep my ballot secret, or at the very least to purposefully refrain from offering any hints as to my preference of candidates in any public manner. The reason is because a Christian pastor is to call people to Jesus, not to any human being or political party. Of course there are political issues which are important to me! And many of those issues are based on what I believe to be Christian principles derived from the life of Jesus and the Scriptures. And of course there is a time and a place for a pastor to address social (even political) issues when the Bible speaks to them. But my blog is not the time or the place. Frankly, I care much more that you resist the allure of cynicism than I care who you vote for this November. Our next president will be gone in four years. Eight, max. Cynicism is much more difficult to depose. So vote often.

John McCain

2008-09-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

John McCain was a horrible student. He finished 894th out of 899 in his graduating class at the Naval Academy. Of course given the trajectory of McCain's life, his political career, the universal respect of his peers and his undeniably courageous record as a prisoner during the Viet Nam war, the fact that he finished fifth from the bottom is more of an indictment of our culture's faith in grade point averages and class rankings as reliable indicators of one's potential success or usefulness to society.

John McCain's experience as a prisoner of war is generally known. Some have accused him of playing up the story for political gain. I can't say wether he has done this or not. But should he be elected to the presidency, his five year imprisonment gives me confidence that he would serve his country with integrity. The fact that McCain was offered release and declined it so as not to demoralize his fellow prisoners and disobey the Code of Conduct, speaks volumes to me about the man's fortitude and character, even if it says nothing about his political skills and policies. What could McCain be bribed with that he has not already denied for the sake of honor & duty? What could McCain be threatened with that he has not already endured for his country?

I'm not saying that character and integrity are reasons enough to elect a president. One could certainly have character and yet be incompetent. A president could have integrity and yet exercise it in favor of policies that are unwise. But character and integrity aren't bad places to start, either. Plus the dude must be tough as nails. As it turns out, character, integrity, and fortitude don't really show up well on the academic transcript.

Click the link to read about McCain's imprisonment in his own words.

Barak Obama

2008-09-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

Way back when Barak Obama was just another name on the list of democratic candidates who would inevitably lose out to Hillary Clinton in her waltz to the nomination and the White House, I was speaking to some family members and told them in no uncertain terms that I believed Obama would be president of the United States. Maybe not in 2008. Maybe not in 2012. But eventually, I assured them, he would be president of the United States.

Barak Obama is important. Before you christen me Captian Obvious, let me say that the reasons I have in mind are in addition to those routinely cited. Of course it's important that he's the first african-american to receive a major party's nomination. The import of that little fact can scarcely be overstated. But in my opinion, and just as important in the long run, is that Obama is the first post-something-or-other candidate. He's not an "either/or" candidate. He's a "both/and" candidate. He is the first presidential candidate who understands the nation's emerging generations and cultures well enough to communicate sincerely in their own categories without the condescension which previously has been so transparent to me in other candidates. (Remember Clinton's saxaphone performance on the Arsenio Hall Show? How about John Kerry's windsurfing photo?) When it comes to his apprehension of the mindset and worldview of most of the men and women of my generation and younger, Obama gets it.

The reason Barak Obama is important is because he is what our nation is rapidly becoming. He is progressive. He is multi-racial. He is urban. His background includes a faith other than Christianity. His thinking is more global/local than nationally oriented. He is environmentally concerned. He has a charisma which transcends party affiliation in a time when my generation is suspicious of party alignment in general. Just recall the enthusiasm he was greeted with in his recent trip to Europe. It's this simple: Europe is basically 40 years ahead of us philosophically and culturally. Where they are now, the US will soon be (for better or for worse). Europe is our future. And the future loves Barak Obama. Some of the aspects of Obama's candidacy which are most unique today will tomorrow be the expected norm for American politicians of virtually every stripe. And then explaining the significance of Barak Obama to our grandkids will be like trying to explain to your nephew why Jimi Hendrix is important even though though now all the metal bands' guitarists sound like hendrix. That's just the point... When Hendrix played, only Hendrix sounded like Hendrix. And now everybody plays to sound like Hendrix!

I might still turn out to be wrong. Maybe Obama will never be our president. Maybe time will reveal him to be all words and little substance. Heck, I don't know. But I do know that when I first read the ideas of Barak Obama (and this was before I heard him speak) I knew instantly that this guy was saying things differently. I knew he was a game-changer. I often wonder what it would have been like to have heard Hendrix before having become acquainted with the myriad of rock bands who were so heavily influenced by him. I wonder if I would have known that the guy was about to transcend the art...

Even if you don't like Hendrix, you've got to appreciate his importance in the pantheon of rock and roll guitar gods. He changed everything. That's why Barak Obama is important. Or eventually will be.

Joe Biden

2008-09-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Way back when the democratic primary was raging on and on, back before the field was narrowed down to Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, I went out of my way to watch a couple of the primary debates. During the debates I was able to make observations and formulate opinions to inform my participation in our system of democracy, the recounting of which I will spare the reader as it falls outside of my current purpose in writing. All but one. I like Joe Biden.

I learned this while watching these debates. Everyone else seemed so uptight, or calculated, or desperate to mark themselves out as a viable alternative to Hillary or Barak. But not Joe Biden. he seemed utterly relaxed in the midst of the verbal warfare. More than relaxed, actually. He seemed to be having FUN! He was clearly enjoying it! While others were trying so hard to sound presidential, Biden would occasionally drop some one liner or make some statement so sincere and genuinely oblivious to propriety and appearances, that it brought a momentary parting of the clouds of bullshit and a single radiant beam of common sense would shine down and light upon his podium. A few years back the republican candidate Pat Buchanan had a similar pathos in his debate appearances. I think the key is that guys like Biden and Buchanan never really anticipate getting their party's nomination so they are left free to speak as they wish during their candidacies. This is probably true to some degree of guys like Dennis Cucinich and Ron Paul as well. But there's one huge difference. Cucinich and Paul have no sense of humor.

Biden may very well prove to be a competent vice president. Who knows? But I am confident that he would bring a refreshing candor to the office, that's for sure. Click the title of this post to watch a clip from the debates that illustrates my point.

Sarah Palin

2008-09-26T16:32:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know my wife and me and our (three-soon-to-be-four) children, it's probably not too much of a stretch to imagine why there are things about Sarah Palin which resonate with us deeply. First of all, she is a mother of five and we of course really appreciate large families. Secondly, she can shoot, kill and field dress a moose without ever compromising her womanly femininity. This quality is one of the very first which drew me to my wife Charity! (see the post below). Thirdly, she has far too little experience to qualify for an elected position in the executive branch of our federal government in the currently popular sense of "qualified". But I love the idea of a woman who was very recently a mayor of a smaller town being catapulted by circumstances unforeseen into a position as weighty as the vice presidency.

We are after all a Republic. So if I remember correctly from Mr. Gibson's 9th grade Civics Class at good ol' Greenville High School, the whole point of a republic is that normal men and women in order to serve their nation, take time out of their regular vocations to go and represent the interests of the people in government for a time. When that time has ended, another election is held and the power to represent the people is redistributed based on the will of the voters. The "politician" then returns to his or her prior vocation and continues life more or less as usual. I really like that idea. And while I know that occupying an office in the executive branch is a serious and weighty calling, requiring a great deal of skill, insight, integrity, and wisdom, I also believe that there are many people in various walks of life who have the skills, insight, integrity, and wisdom to serve adequately in the role of vice-president or even president. I'll stop short of suggesting Palin is one of those people, because I simply don't know. But I'm not in agreement with the line of thinking that says "oh this person hasn't been in politics long enough to have the necessary experience". In fact, I kind of think that's the way it's suppose to be.

Dear President Bush & Congress, Instead of a 750 billion dollar bail out for banks...

2008-09-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

How about a 749 billion dollar bail out for banks and a 1 billion dollar bail out for the homeless, or for urban public schools, or for aids or autism research? I mean only if you have a billion to spare, of course.

With all due respect to the governor of Alaska...

2008-09-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

...my girl was a bible-thumpin, prolife, gun totin', baby havin' evanglelical multi-tasker before bible-thumpin, prolife, gun totin', baby havin' evangelical, multi-tasking was cool.

Update on Sam

2008-08-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sam has now had three weeks of treatment and so far he seems to be responding ok. Before the treatment began Sam would not walk up the stairs himself at all. He would either wait to be carried or would just not go up to his room. Since his treatment began we've been keeping track of the number of times he goes up the stairs on his own and at his own initiation. That number has been steadily increasing week by week, which is encouraging. Even now, when he does climb the stairs, it is a whole body effort for him. Both hands holding the railing and pulling as hard as he can while his legs do all they can do to lift his body. And I think they really don't know if the perceived improvement is due to increased energy level or due to the medication actually minimizing the affects of the active disease on his muscles. Still a very frustrating process with so many questions and so few answers. But it is something. Something is happening. And that's good.

kickin' it old school

2008-08-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hope. Sort of.

2008-08-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

Twenty-one year old Cejudo wins gold.

2008-08-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

"I was born and raised in the U.S. and I don't forget that. As much as I love Mexican heritage, I'm American first and foremost. The U.S. is a land of opportunity and you choose your own path." - Henry Cejudo

This son of Mexican illegals won the gold for the USA in men's freestyle, today. He's an amazing athlete with an amazing story. Wednesday brings two more opportunities for the US to medal in freestyle wrestling when Doug Schwab (former Iowa Hawkeye) and Ben Askren (former Missouri Tiger) compete in Beijing. Schwabb and Askren present an interesting study of stylistic differences in thier sport.

Schwab is relatively typical of Brands/Gable/Hawkeye trained wrestlers, who tend to prefer a straight ahead, aggressive (nearly abusive) style of competing. Europeans hate it. I love it. Askren on the otherhand is known for his unorthdox approach to the sport. He does things you aren't suppose to do, and violates fundamental principles. One might think that Askren's style is that of a natural whose athleticism rewards scrambling and improvisation. This however is not the case. Askren consciously developed this radical style after entering college and realizing that his modest athleticism left him virtually unable to keep up at the division one level of NCAA wrestling. Necessity is the mother of invention, so Askren reinvented himself leading to a couple of NCAA titles and a spot on the Olympic team. If you catch any of his matches on tv or the internet, expect the unexpected.

Does China Permit Freedom of Religion?

2008-08-18T10:46:00.001-07:00

Dear International Olympic Committee,

2008-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Now that Michael Phelps has achieved the unbelievable, winning a buh-zillion gold medals and shattering multiple world records, it would seem he has no where else to go in the sport of swimming. There's no one else to beat. No more records to shatter, for this guy and he's only 23. So here's what I propose. If Phelps wants to keep competing in swimming, that's fine but there are some stipulations which now must be imposed.

1. First, no more super-fast, high-tech, rubberized swimming suit. From now on he competes in overalls, snow boots and a carhart jacket.

2. Second, enough with the World Records. From now on he's only allowed to set Other-World records. As soon as NASA confirms the presence of liquid water on Mars, our first priority should be to get Phelps to the red planet by any means necessary.

3. Third, he has nothing to prove by continuing to race people. We all know Phelps is faster than all other people. Now the other lanes of the pool will be occupied by sharks. (Chum may be utilized according to the discretion of the host nation).

4. Fourth, it may be that Phelps has simply exhausted the limitations of "water" as an athletic medium. Should the previous three stipulations fail to provide him with a competitive challenge, Michael will henceforth be required to compete in swimming pools filled with alternative substances. For instance foam packaging pellets, dead batteries, or quarters.

Latest Dr's Report on Sam...

2008-08-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sam's Rheumatologist called tonight with the MRI results. They saw a lot of increased edema in the muscles which is what they expected to see. There is no way at this point to tell what muscle is recoverable and what muscle is not recoverable. The doctor rates the severity of Sam's disease as an 8.5 on a 1-10 scale. Severity does not necessarily suggest anything about the long term prognosis or about the liklihood of a good response to treatment. She also said while some kids respond quickly to treatment, we shouldn't get too discouraged if we don't see signs of improvement in Sam for a couple of months. Charity asked her if he would be able to play sports in highschool. She said, "He won't be an olympic athlete" which seems to me to suggest that she anticipates long term, unrecoverable damage of the sort that would cause some permanent physical limitations. (So I guess your records are safe for now, Phelps).

Every new bit of news we recieve - each test result and phone call- seems to dim the lights a little lower and take a bit more wind out of my sails.

__________________

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

-from William Cowper's God Moves in a Mysterious Way

from the mouths of babes...

2008-08-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

One of the side effects of Sam's medication is pretty extreme moodiness. Think of a four year old with roid-rage. That's basically what he's going through. He's happy, sweet, loving, angry, sad, grumpy and happy again- all in a matter of minutes. As hard as it is to watch him go through the emotional turmoil all this brings, there have been some good quotes which have come out of it. These are all things Sam has said in just the last few days, each of which I find interesting for various reasons. I'll do them in order of my favorite:

5. Mommy, I love that baby in your belly.
4. Mommy, I love you just because there's a baby in your belly.

* These two quotes bring joy to our hearts! He really is such a sweet kid who has always gone out of his way to give affection. Already he loves his little sibling, and loves his mother for carrying the child.

3. Can me and Jack punch each other?

* This question was asked in all seriousness and with complete calmness and sincerity. I had brought home the game Rock em Sock em Robots for the boys to play together- thinking it might help dispel some boyhood aggression. Jack & Sam were very impressed with the game. I mean, Robots that Punch each other until their heads pop off? Come on. That's Awesome. But Sam of course, (feeling grumpy at the time) wanted to know if he and his big brother could slug it out for real. At least he asked first.

2. I want to be mean to somebody.

*This confession was offered up recently (I think it was at the dinner table). There was no context. No conflict. No yelling or crying. Just a calm, rational expression of his desire to inflict bodily harm on another human being. To which I confessed feeling the exact same desire and explained that's why daddy does Jiu Jitsu twice a week. Then I told him that if he wants, when he's older he can learn boxing, or wrestling or jiu-jitsu if he'd like. Because those are sports where it's okay to be "mean" to somebody. He was satisfied with that. (And as they say in my jiu jitsu gym after teaching a particularly painful maneuver- "It's not mean. It's jiu Jitsu.")

1. I'm sad because of grown ups.

* This was at the hospital immediately after receiving medication in the most uncomfortable manner possible. (Think "going in the out door"). He burst into tears and was crying like his heart was broken. We were trying to figure out what was upsetting him, as it's not suppose to be a painful procedure. And he finally offered up between sobs "I'm sad because of grown ups!" Yes indeed, little buddy.

[Also, Sam gave me a couple of good ideas for the working title of my memoirs, which are to be published posthumously. "Sad Because of Grown Ups" or "Can We Punch Each Other?" Both of these will work, I suppose. Maybe I'll let my Estate determine the final title.]

Three in a Million

2008-08-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I got out the kids' expandable, spring loaded tunnel fort and set it up on the dining room table. It's blue. And looks like an owl. Which is hard to imagine if you've not actually seen it, because owls are neither blue nor tunnel shaped, and are (almost never) spring loaded. Picking up our , blue-eyed boy I slid him head first into the fabric cylinder. Legs straight, arms at sides, body still but eyes darting. He listened to the clunks, bonks, and bleeps fuzzing out of the speakers of our emac. At four or five years old, it's an ancient machine when measured by the standards of an industry that survives by way of planned obsolescence. We hope it survives a little longer. It holds all of our photos. Which are really just 1's and 0's. But to us they are memories. It's always hard to imagine that it's just 1's and 0's when you're looking at the photos. There's one of Charity holding our newborn daughter on her first day home from the hospital. They both look so tired. Being born, giving birth. Such hard work.

For over a year our middle child Sam has exhibited a strange rash on his fingers, knees, elbows, toes and face. Multiple trips to our pediatrician yielded little in the way of a solution. Initial diagnosis was eczema. The treatments didn't seem to help. Soon thereafter it seems Sam began to grow weaker physically. It wasn't too apparent at first, but in hindsight we can see it. Eventually the problem became undeniable, especially when we observed him playing with other children his own age, and as we watched his little sister grow and develop and play. At first the doctor suspected muscular dystrophy. We were elated when the test results came back negative.

Now it seems we have a diagnosis. Juvenile Dermatomyostis. It is a three in a million disease. The good news is that most children respond well to the treatments and the disease can usually be sent into remission. Sometimes it never comes back. It is a very serious disease however. In the 1960's the mortality rate for JDM was 30%. In the 1970's that rate dropped to 10% as better treatment strategies were developed. Today the number is fortunately down around 1%.

"Almost never fatal" It's one of those sentences that jumps off the page and grabs you round the neck. It's good news, right? It's good news that the disease your son has is "almost never" fatal. 1%. That's one in a hundred. How can you not be encouraged by odds like that? Paint a penny blue. Put it in a jar with 99 others. Close your eyes and pick one. Who wouldn't take those odds?

After several seconds, I slid Sam out of the big, blue owl. (No chords to cut this time). We talked about it. "Now that's sort of what it will be like. We can practice again if you'd like. And remember, Daddy will be right there beside you the whole time, ready for when you come out". So later today Charity and I are taking Sam back to the hospital for an MRI. Because we're expecting again, Charity can't be in the room with him, so I'm going to do it. I can't imagine having an MRI at just four-years old (old for a computer, young for a boy). Hopefully our practice round last night on the dining room table will take the edge off of the fear. I don't know how to calculate the odds on something like that.

don't call it a comeback...

2008-04-25T14:16:00.001-07:00

After much time, I've decided to resurrect the old blog with a new focus and a new commitment and a new header. Stay tuned.

Here's my contribution to your quality of life...

2006-07-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

"New technology links people over greater distances, but cuts into face-to-face meeting time.
The number of people who say they have no one to talk to about important matters has more than doubled, according to a new study by sociologists at Duke University and the University of Arizona.
Increased use of the Internet, along with the number of hours people are spending at work, are factors contributing to a drastic decline in the number of close friends that Americans have.
The findings are published in the June 2006 issue of the journal American Sociological Review."

Turn off your damn computer and go make a new friend. Maybe someone with a face that doesn't require a monitor and a keyboard to talk to. It's been a pleasure posting. And I've enjoyed the interaction. This blog is done.

Stay funky.

sleepy girls

2006-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

2006-07-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

2006-07-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Willie Neslon's ecclesiology is better than most evangelicals'.

2006-07-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Nelson seen here demonstrating his one point plan for church growth and revitalization. Hooray, Willie!

She thinks the fireworks were just for her.

2006-07-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Leonora Illuminata, 19.5 inches, 6 lbs 11
"Ella" was born Monday morning, July 3rd at 7:20 AM. Everyone is doing well.
We all need sleep. Except Ella. She's sleeping great.

Best Name for a Book I've Heard in a Long Time!

2006-06-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

2006-06-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Subjective artists are one-eyed, but objective artists are blind.
- Georges Rouault

Recording 6/10/06

2006-06-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Recording 6/10/06

2006-06-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Helping the Poor is Fun.

2006-06-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a great post from KDNY on his blog.

Another good one...

2006-06-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Boyish Imagination

Douglas Wilson

Part of the legacy we have (if you want to call it that) from the Romantic movement is the idea that discipline and imagination go ill together. Creativity and imagination must burble forth spontaneously from the artistic heart, we think. However, the more we have encouraged this notion, the uglier our surroundings get. Something is wrong somewhere.

Because we think that discipline and imagination cannot be friends, we therefore choose between them. We opt for discipline, as most Christians do, rejecting imagination, or we embrace imagination, saying farewell to the discipline. It rarely occurs to us to consider the possibility of feeding, nourishing and disciplining the imagination in the light of Scripture. C.S. Lewis observed this tendency when he said of much modern art and literature that it was "mere puddles of spilled sensibility or reflection." He saw that it is often the case that greater care and work goes into low-brow art. But, he warned, "Do not misunderstand. The high-brow productions may, of course, reveal a finer sensibility and profounder thought. But a puddle is not a work, whatever rich wines or oils or medicines may have gone into it."†
Boys have a vivid imaginative life. Boys also require a good bit of discipline. It should not be surprising that one of the boyish attributes needing discipline is consequently the imagination. When this is done right, our sons will grow up into very effective culture warriors. But when this is neglected, boys drift into dangerous territory. Without instruction and discipline, a vivid imagination becomes a hothouse for all kinds of sin. A hunger for easy glory can become an excuse for indolent daydreaming, and of course, when a boy is sexually undisciplined, having a vivid imagination is the last thing he needs.
Because of this, many Christian parents have simply opted to suppress or starve the imaginative life, apparently on the theory that if there is no imagination there will be no imaginative sinning. This is quite true, but it is true in the same sense as when children aren't given any food, they will escape eating disorders—because they are dead. When discipline is chosen over imagination, the result is a disciplined life, what is left of it.
Discipline of the imagination is positive, not negative. It is not applied by spanking unimaginative bottoms. Rather, boys are taught to discipline this aspect of their hearts and minds through being taught the beauty of the gospel, the power of the gospel, and how far God intends the effects of the gospel to extend.
The story of the gospel is a glorious story. We do not tell our children about it because we think of the gospel as a set of propositions in the sky, not a series of great deliverances fought and accomplished on Earth.
We start where Christians must always start, with the story about the seed of the woman triumphing over the seed of the serpent. We tell the story of Jesus Christ, as Scripture does, with our Lord in the role of the dragon slayer. The serpent in the first book of the Bible is also found in the last book, where he is described as that ancient serpent. He is the devil, the murderer from the beginning, crushed under the heel of the great son of Eve. God destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Christ triumphed over the principalities and powers, humiliating them deeply. Christ is the archtype of all dragon-slayers, the archtype of all giant killers. As He put it, when He bound the strong man, He stripped him of all his panoply. Christ defeated the devil and made off with his armor.
But He did not do this so that we could sit and watch. We are to watch, consider, imitate, and then take care to tell our sons the stories about the wars. We always begin with the war as won by Christ, but we remember that He commanded us, in our turn, to preach the gospel to every creature, to disciple all the nations, and throw down every enemy that sets himself against the course of the gospel.
The saints have been doing this for a long time. And this is why we tell our sons the story of Beowulf and how he killed the twisted descendents of Cain, and then how he gave his life killing the dragon. This is why we tell stories about St. George and the dragon. This is why we are to talk about great King Alfred, fighting off heathen invaders. And this is even why we read to wide-eyed boys the wonderful story of Jim, who allowed that he would blow Israel Hand's brains out. We tell the great story of Shasta, who turned back to face the lion. We must read The Lord of the Rings to our sons, more than once.
But our lack of imagination has us by the throat. We fuss and bother about this. Treasure Island is a work of fiction, we mutter. The Horse and His Boy is a work of fiction about a nonexistent world, for crying out loud. St. George is probably not a historically verifiable incident. And Gandalf is a wizard.
I can think of no better or truer reply to all this than to paraphrase that of Puddleglum when he was confronted with a similar argument. Fine. These are all works of fiction. But they tell a truer story—and far more real—than the empty, cavernous, and very dark world in which many parents want their hollow-souled children to live.

Word for word the best advice I ever read about raising boys.

2006-06-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Future Men

Douglas Wilson

As much as it may distress us, our boys are future men.

I was once leading a seminar for teachers at our Christian school and, in the course of discussion, I mentioned that many of the girls in the school would, within a few short years, be adult women and would take their place in our midst. The teachers heard all this with aplomb, but when I went on to say that within a few short years the boys they were instructing would be lawyers, airline pilots, pastors, etc. the looks on the faces of the assembled teachers ranged from concern to mild panic. Boys take a lot of faith.
This is good because the presence or absence of faith reveals whether or not we have a biblical doctrine of our future. Unbelief is always anchored to the present, while faith looks at that which is unseen. But even here we only get half the picture. Too often we think that faith only looks at unseen heavenly things, but this truncated approach is really the result of an incipient gnosticism. In the Bible, faith includes the ability to see that which is unseen because it is still future. According to the text, Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Christ, not the day when he, Abraham, would go to heaven. Faith conquers kingdoms, faith stops the mouths of lions, faith turns armies to flight, and faith brings boys up to a mature and godly masculinity.
But another qualification must be added. The faith exhibited by wise parents of boys is the faith of a farmer, or a sculptor, or anyone else engaged in the work of shaping unfolding possibilities. It is not the faith of someone waiting around for lightning to strike; it is the faith of someone who looks at the present and sees what it will become—through grace and good works.
Countless examples may be multiplied from any given day in the life of a small boy. Say a boy breaks a chair because he was jumping on it from the bunk bed. Unbelief sees the cost of replacing the chair. Faith sees aggressiveness and courage, both of which obviously need to be channeled and disciplined. Suppose a boy gets into a fight protecting his sister. Unbelief sees the lack of wisdom that created a situation that could have been easily avoided; faith sees an immature masculinity that is starting to assume the burden of manhood.
Unbelief squashes; faith teaches. Faith takes a boy aside, and says that this part of what you did was good, while that other part of what you did got in the way. “This is how to do it better next time.”
This issue of fighting provides a good example of how necessary such distinctions are. Of course parents do not want to encourage fighting in their sons. But this is not the only item on the menu. Neither do they want to encourage abdication and cowardice. There are times when men have to fight. It follows that there will be times when boys have to learn how to fight, how to walk away, how to turn the other cheek, when to turn the other cheek, and when to put them up. If boys don’t learn, men won’t know. And boys will not learn unless their fathers teach.
When Theodore Roosevelt was at Harvard, he taught Sunday School for a time at Christ Church, until he was dismissed. A boy showed up one Sunday with a black eye. He admitted he had been fighting, and on a Sunday too. He told the future President that a bigger boy had been pinching his sister, and so he fought him. TR told him that he had done perfectly right and gave him a dollar. The vestrymen thought this was a bit much, and so they let their exuberant Sunday school teacher go.
Unbelief cannot look past the surface. If there was any sin involved, unbelief sees only the sin. Faith sees what was turned aside to the service of sin and seeks to turn it back again. Sin is parasitic and cannot function without some good attributes that it seeks to corrupt. Consequently, faith must distinguish that which must be preserved and developed and that which must be abandoned as sin.
In addition, faith also sees the godliness in what many pietists have come to call sin. At the beginning of his life, a boy does not know what century he was born in, and consequently exhibits to many of his politically correct and aghast elders some of the same traits exhibited by the boyhood chums of Sennacherib and Charlemagne. He doesn’t know any better—yet. But in our day, many of these created masculine traits are drilled out of him by the time he is ten. Faith resists this ungodly process, and defines sin by the Scriptures, and not by pietist traditions.
So faith is central in bringing up boys, but it is important to remember that the faith is not faith in the boy. It is faith in God, faith in His promises, faith in His wisdom. Faith concerns the boy, and the boy can see that it concerns him. Parents are to believe God for their sons, which is a very different thing than believing their sons.
Faith is not wishful thinking; faith apprehends the promises of God found in Scripture. “The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee” (Ps. 102:28). Faith sees a son as established, and the work of faith goes on to establish him. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
God is the One who places a particular boy in a particular home. And He does so in order that those parents who believe and obey Him might come to delight in a wise son. “My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things” (Prov. 23:15-16).

Buckeye Wrestlers Make U.S. World Team.

2006-06-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

whatsthebuzztellmewhatsahappenin'

2006-06-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

1. The Annual Exodus is under way at the church. Each year between June and Septmeber we lose a bunch of people mostly due to job changes, graduation, marriage, moving, that sort of thing. Our church draws lots of twenty and thirty somethings which is a very traqnsient demongraphic, and given that most of our people are also quite educated, it means they are at the beginning of thier careers and are looking to move on, move up, or move away. It's a pretty bittersweet experience, as we hate to see peopel go for two reasons. First, because we like them! We grow close to people and it's always hard to say goodbye. Second, because we are still trying to reach and maintain critical mass with respect to congregation size at our new plant. Everything is two steps forward and one step back. But it's also very exciting to see ho God is moving people into positions of leadership and service alover the world (literally!) from our little congregation right here in central city Columbus. We get about 12 to 24 months with people at our church and in that time we fill them with the gospel as quickly as we can and try to give people a radically christ centered and grace centered lense through which to view all of life! So when people leave here, they think they are going to leave to be policemen, nurses, attorneys, mothers and teachers, students and doctors, scholars and astro-physicists. But they're only partly right. What they don't suspect is that they aren't leaving as much as being sent. And we're sending them as missionaries to the corners of the earth, with a radically grace centered perspective on the world that is absolutely upside down and backwards compared to every other view. At least that's what we're trying to do. Pray God brings new friends to us in the coming year even as he blesses our current friends in their new vocations and locations.
2. Charity is due in just six short weeks. However it seems she may have a disorder we struggled with in our first pregnancy. It wasn't very fun and is potentially dangerous for mother and child, though not so much if caught early and treated. This could bump up the delivery date quite a bit. So there's that.
3. Having our bathroom remodeled, our hot water heater replaced, new porch light put in, storm doors installed, uncovering the floors in the upstairs bedrooms to reveal beautiful hardwood floors some interior design genius covered forty years ago with grey linoleum tile, gave the dog a bath, re-organized my closet, some good people from afore mentioned church came oiver to landscape (while I napped!) and to help with the upstairs floors, and it got really really hot out this week.
4. A brilliant business idea I recently heard- For sale on hot summer days at various out door sporting events: frozen jock straps.
5. I have one beer left in the fridge. It's a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. My mother is always a little disappointed and uncomfortable when she comes to the house and I have beer in the fridge. I'm going to go drink my beer now. But what she doesn't realize is that every beer in the refridgerator is one beer not in my belly. Alas! I must go drink my last beer. Not because I want to. I'm only doing it for my mom. You understand.

"The selling of bad beer is a crime against Christian love." -- Law, the City of Augsburg, 13th Century

The 80's Were Totally Awesome.

2006-06-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

I married the hot one.

Star Wars at COSI.

2006-06-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

more photos from COSI

2006-06-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

This must be why God invented the internet...

2006-06-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

so hilarious high-jinks like these can be witnessed world wide.

Got four minutes and thirty nine seconds? Watch this.

2006-05-29T23:06:00.000-07:00