broken//stained//glass

OVC and Relevant Magazine

My good friend Scott Hackman, who runs the premier, free trade coffee company called One Village Coffee told me that OVC was featured in a recently online article of Relevant Magazine. Check it out here.

Steven Colbert and John 14

Recently I was in Borders where I saw an end cap display for Steven Colbert's new book (I forget the title at the moment).  But the end cap had  a lifesize picture of Colbert with that well known smirk on his face pointing to his book and a sign above his head that read: "This is truth. My truth."

Now, admittedly Colbert is funny, witty and snarky, so I know the intent of that message is meant to be as such. But I found it interesting and I wondered how much of that was said in a sarcastic way...and how much of it might be partially true in the mind of Colbert -and others. The age of relativity seeps and finds its way into bookstores and onto end cap posters.

As I walked away I wondered about the words of Jesus in John 14: "I am the way the truth and the life..." We replace "the" with "my" all the time in our culture.

What if Jesus had replaced every "the" with "my"?
Would that have changed anything for followers of Jesus? 

Grace in Images

Check out this video of U2's song "Grace."

Gandhi

This week, Megan and I finished watching Gandhi, starring Ben Kingsley.
It won eight (yes, you read that right, eight) Oscars in 1983.
This 3 hour and 10 minute doozy is quite a film.

If you haven't rented it, pick it up.
It's good stuff.

Totally Like Whatever, you know?

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a poem by beat poet Taylor Mali that I first read about five years ago. Upon first reading, the poem struck me as funny, satirical, prophetic and thought-provoking. And it's worth sharing.

Totally like whatever, you know? 

In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, declare things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point
where it's just, like . . . whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation. . .ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply question authority
You have to speak with it, too.

Three new films that intrigue me

There are three new films that really intrigue me - for reasons of entertainment, exegesis and subtitle. 

(1) Entertainment
Into the Wild opens in theaters nationwide today. It's based on a eerily sad, but true story (and the book by Jon Krakauer based on the same title) about a young man who went to Alaska to live in the wild and paid the price for it. I read the book several years ago and was captivated by it entirely. I can't wait to see the movie. It's also directed by Sean Penn, which certainly doesn't hurt. Check out the movie promo here.

(2) Exegesis
I do not know much about this next film and I  am not entirely sure about its agenda, but by the looks of it I have a feeling that I won't agree with it. However, the topic nonetheless intrigues me - and its a topic that is becoming even more significant for Christ followers to address appropriately.   The Bible Tells Me So is a documentary about what scripture says about homosexuality.  The questions remain: How literal should we take the Bible? And how do we handle the question of homosexuality in the Church? What is proper scriptural exegesis?

Just like the movie Jesus Camp, I am almost certain I won't agree with it (and I don't think that I will have "fun" watching it), but I bet it will be very insightful and helpful in understanding differing opinions on the issue.  I am sure my thoughts will be provoked and stirred a bit. This looks like a good conversation starter to me. Check out the trailer on YouTube. 

(3) Subtitle
I have no idea what this George Clooney movie is about (looks like the lawyer/cop shoot-em-up-bang-em-up type), but Megan and I saw the poster for this movie when we were out on a date recently and the subtitle was so intriguing that I had to write it down. It made me let out a verbal hmmmmm.... when I saw it. The movie is Michael Clayton. (See the website and trailer here).  I probably won't see the film, but the poster was a real head scratcher in light of the postmodern shift that has occurred in our culture.

Confession

It's true...we're officially addicted to The Office.
And Dwight Shrute is my hero.

Mute Math video

You may have already seen this before, but if not, for all you Mute Math fans out there, this is a well done and mesmerizing video on YouTube of their song Typical.  (ht Kevin D).

Congratulations, Barry B*nds

Johnny Cash: Is God angry or just?

God's Gonna Cut You Down is a great song by Johnny Cash.
I love the song. It's thought-provoking.
I don't know what to do with it entirely.
Sometimes I hear it and I think Yeah, that's exactly right. But other times I hear it and I grimace, wondering where God's love is in all of this. In this song Cash sounds more like Isaiah than Jesus.

I'm eager to hear what you think: does the song portray that God is angry or that He is just?

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head's been wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee talkin' to the man from Galilee
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, "John go do My will!"

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light

Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down