Nevil was a cool guy, until he asked to meet in RL

Welcome weary traveler on this Hallowed eve's eve.
I have seen the future in mine crystal ball and I see you navigating away from this blog very satisfied.
I also checked my F book page.
But I left my crystal ball logged on and Dave Ward started fooling around.
He updated my status to, "Steven is trangling, as in "keep on tranglin'"... it's like strangling but without the S, and it means something different than strangling, as in "going about in a jovial yet aloof manner,""

I Love facebook, don't have to talk to all those people, just write on their wall.

I asked Dave or Dward what he thought about Facebook, he answered,
"Facebook is the devil. Wait no, Facebook is a guy named Nevil... wait no I just met a guy named Nevil on Facebook. That's what I meant to say.

That's not even true.
But it does introduce your topic of facebook."

I agreed.
Well, I listened.
But I sympathize with what I think he means, real "face time" is being replaced by online interactions.
It's nice like the article said, that we can keep in touch with people to use them for our benefit or job offers in the future.
Sounds dirty but it is a necessary evil, especially in the media, "it's who you know".
But when we start using these shallow communication alternatives with people we can actually talk to in real life, baby unicorns cry.

Luckily Dentyne has our backs in a recent commercial called, "face time". Cause the more we communicate online, the less gum we need to buy to avoid blasting our loved ones with rancid breath.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26894021#26894021

Toenails in your stir fry

I would like to go on a pilgrimage to a sacred place. Or take a vow of silence and spend a year meditating in a remote monastery. Maybe learn a few martial arts.
But like me, many people are just too lazy to do things for real, instead of going to the movies we stream Iron Man off the internet.
Instead of reading we play video games, eat Mr. Noodle instead of cooking up stir fry. Wear a hat instead of combing our hair, never take off our socks instead of cutting our toe nails, but that is why the Holy Land Experience exists. Israel is just too far away, and far too dangerous. And if people are having genuine spiritual experiences I am inclined to agree with Mark Taylor from Loyola University in Chicago, "We have to be careful about judging the personal taste of others at meaningful times in their lives."
But while I would love to visit Dollywood or the Creation Museum and see the 50 foot Jesus, spiritual enlightenment should not be undergone in the same fashion as making a snack. It should be hard, it should be dangerous, it should take lots of time. Convenience and garish entertainment simply have no place in soul searching.
But I guess if I will never get around to real soul searching then the Holy Land Experience may be better than nothing. And even though the feeling of a luke warm Mr. Noodle sliding down your throat is delicious and sates your hunger for a few hours, there is something more rewarding, more satisfying and probably healthier about picking up fresh ingredients and taking the time to roll up your sleeves and make a real meal.
Not that I ever have.
I am still metaphorically sitting on the couch, hungry and thinking about getting up. I make fun of the guy eating instant noodles but am tempted myself, sometimes I even just eat them dry... just crunch them up in the bag and add seasoning.
I wonder if we have any...

Dumbventures with Clint

6:00 p.m Monday evening, 21 hours before the blogs are due Clint and I head down to the library to check out the reserved readings.
We ask the clerk for the New Media binder and wait.
She comes back with a black binder and we go over to the photocopier, turns out we need change, no wallets.
We look through the binder and can't find the right articles; she has given us the Writing for the Media binder. We bring it back and she gives us a giant magazine and warns of naughty pictures in the back.
After looking at the naughty pictures we give it back and explain we are looking for the New Media binder. It's not there.

2:00 p.m Tuesday afternoon, 1 hour and 20 minutes before the blogs are due Clint and I head down to check out the reserved readings.
We ask the clerk for the New Media binder, and it's there! But this time we need our student cards. We bat our eyes and drop pens on purpose to change her mind. Doesn't work, and we didn't have money for the printer anyways.
2:15 Tuesday afternoon, 1 hour and 5 minutes before the blogs are due Clint and I head down to check out the reserved readings.
We put the paper into the copier and insert our money, it pretends to make two copies but nothing comes out. We try again.
We are down 50 cents.
We sit down and read the shortest article about Ipods being Icons.
On our way back to dorm we discuss how Steve Jobs secretly wrote the article to sell more Ipods.
Back in our room David Ward is playing Soul Calibre and we tell him about our dumb adventure, which he promptly dubs "Dumbventure".
I can't wait until libraries catch up to the efficiency of Ipods. They still feel like Cathedrals.

Dottie Rambo will you marry me?

"CCM has to water down the gospel in order to attract larger audiences"

"Artists uninterested in worship music should go mainstream,"

"Evangelicals have always had to reckon with the fact that God speaks through mainstream music..."

"I repent of ever having recorded one single song, and ever having performed on concert, if my music... has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely to Jesus"

"If in our worship we pervert His Word, we pervert the truth about God"

"Christian music doesn't exist, because it's arrogant for sinful people"


Hmm.

Lots of things are said about music because it's like a character trait, something we are fiercely proud of and if someone doesn't share our taste "they just don't understand."
I catch myself using musical tastes to define who I am to my peers. It can create instant, unshakeable bonds with strangers who enjoy obscure 70's Prog rock or know the birthplace of Curt Cobain. It can also polarize entire generations of Christians.
As a fan of Switchfoot I felt they sold out when they put all their most popular songs on one album and introduced themselves to mainstream music. It was a greatest hits album but also a safe bet in entering secular world. I listened to them "before all my friends", and now I was annoyed by everyone asking, "have you heard of Switchfoot? I love their new single."
Yes, I heard that song a few years ago on their second album.
Their next albums began to stray from songs with obvious references to Jesus.
Did they water down for a bigger audience? I feel they did.
Does God use their music less? I don't think so.
Watered down wine is still good to those who've never tried it (untested analogy).
But a frequent wine drinker like myself now has to search for a richer vintage when in the mood for worship music.
But is that the only use of music for a Christian?

For me music is rooted in moods rather than faith. There comes a time in every man's life when he feels sad and like a cowboy, "sings a sad, sad song." But you wouldn't bring an ipod filled with love songs to the gym.
Similarly when I am filled with angst I need some emotional music to help me "scream it out".
Other times I am feeling spiritually depressed or under attack and simply need to hear someone sing about how much they love Jesus. I don't need a sermon or answers to deep questions or philosophical poetry, just someone else singing a song without me having to interpret or put my Christian filter on, it's Christian so I can just "mindlessly" listen. And I find it soothing.
The music I listen to changes depending on where I am and what time of day it is. My faith is only a part (albeit an important part) of what music I listen to.
But wouldn't it be great to marry someone named Dottie Rambo?


Who's your wife?
Oh, you know, Dottie... Rambo!

Forktime

http://forktime.blogspot.com/