recklessly dreaming

Well, except for updating the top picture, I think I am done with this template for awhile. I has just gotten tired of the other one - just a little too plain for my taste.

Stealing the title from U2’s song Pride (from their 1988 album Rattle and Hum’) I’ve recently been looking at different ways that people express their faith and or beliefs to others. Bono, the Edge, and the rest of U2 have used their music to express their political and religious views and have reached a wide array of people. They extend this past their music to all to action - Bono is one of the loudest voices calling attention to the AIDS crisis running rampant in Africa - and calling specifically the church to action. However recently I have found several groups that have used a completely different approach. I have struggles with posting any links to these sites (I don’t want to encourage any of them to continue, and I don’t want anyone to go and post to ’set them right’ for it would not do any good. To have a true discussion one has to be open to being changed - not that change will happen - but they must be able to hear and converse rather than speak to - the sites only want to speak - not listen.) So I offer this one site that tries to reach people through tracts (which I have never been any fan of). In fact recently it was through them that I learned of my eternal damnation (to specific tract that I have linked to - while others of you may need to find another one to seal your fate).

Fear the motivatior? In fact one line describing their DVD (I know its scary) reads ‘You can almost feel the crackling flames of Hell as you watch!’ -That’s not quite the community of the triune God that I read about in scripture. I am not quite ready to get into the discussion of the existance of hell and its characteristics - but rather if Christianity is fear based it has been emasculated - completely devoid of the sacrifical acts of love which unite the creator and the creation.

The other sites alluded to but not linked are hundreds and hundreds of pages of links, comments, and posts attacking other Christians, churches, and schools. I understand the importance of discernment and addressing issues that come up between individuals, churches, or schools. However, the tone of these sites is spiteful and contain words of hate and condemnation and not one seeking reconciliation and the resoration of community. In fact they are done on the internet and not addressed with the individuals or churches that they attack.

Its sad that the Kid Rock CD I am listening to testifies more to the need of community on the faith journey than is demonstrated on these christian sites.

Have I said lately that I love technology (coated with thick sarcasm) - our electronic blackboard system has been down all day (blackboard is a way to communication with professors and classmates - and at this important day - the sole way to turn in assignments.) Alas - my paper will have to wait to be turned in until tomorrow.

I have never been able to single task - last night I listened to a book on cd as I worked on my paper and small groups training manual (it was left over from the road trip). Tonight I have been listening to Kid Rock on my ibook as I complete this research paper on pray - thats an interesting combination. (Its even more interesting because I bought the cd at walmart - not thinking that it would be the edited version.) Hummm - I am not sure what I think about a company having enough power to make artists produce edited cds in order to sell them. I also wonder what good it does to remove all the ‘bad’ words but to leave in context that could be considered offensive but that doesn’t ‘cuss.’ Who gets to make the call of approval?

Well I have decided that sleep is overrated - and the lack of it has interesting effects. This is week has been thrown out of wack. I ended up having to make a whirlwind trip to Lubbock to sit in a dentist chair for two and a half hours. I had to get 3 (count them 1…2…3..) crowns replaced because they were not done well by my previous dentist (he was never on my happy list). On the plus side I really like my new dentist (which I know its not suppose to be a happy trip to the dentist but anyone who can replace 3 crowns with me leaving and no pain - even when the drugs were gone - and was void of all the nasty dentist smells gets a thumbs up in my book.) Even more on the plus side I got to see my entire family when I was in Lubbock - even though I was there just jsut 15 hours including sleeping. Jeff and I got to spend half an hour together - it has been a long time since we have been together just the two of us for any amount of time.

Last night I was up late working on a small groups training manual - it 59 pages long. The only downfall to short courses is the amount of work that comes due at this point in the semester (one more paper for that class and teaching one more small group session and I’ll be done!). I am currently working on a paper for my Worship class on Prayer. I started out doing “the Amen” - really its more than just a word tagged onto the end of prayers, but I was straining for time and the resources were much more scarce. Prayer on the other hand has the just the reverse problem - everyone and their dog has written on it - so it takes slightly more discernment.

The week doesn’t look like its going to be getting better - in fact next week I only have two theology of (fill in the blank) papers due and I make be making a weeking trip to Manhattan, KS for a job interview. I still need to be asking more questions to see how I feel about this opportunity. I have gotten to talk to the people there briefly and will again tomorrow - if I get to go next weeknd, I will be attending their spring retreat.

random statement from the tv while I was typing this blog: Now you can get daily text messages sent to you cell phone from the Vatican - for 30 cents a day. - I’ll let you unpack that one yourself.