December 2010
6 posts
Soul on Fire
(ome)
“The arena that ‘Tired Birds’ would most easily fall into is the turf occupied by artists such as Beck and Moby. The truth is that I think (ome) is actually more melodic and musical than either of those “one-name-only” guys.
A litmus test for music with an experimental edge is whether you feel relieved to have slogged through it or you want to play it again and again. “Tired Birds” passes the test with flying colors as the sense of playfulness that (ome) brings to the table is both eccentric and engaging simultaneously.”
John Ziegler, For the Duluth News Tribune
Quite a review. I agree wholeheartedly.
And Soul on Fire is the cream of the crop
Jesus Box
Traditions matter. Like memory stones in Joshua 4, they remind us of what the Lord has done for us, of our past, our culture, and values that we hold most dear. Christmas is a season that is packed with traditions. What traditions are most valuable to you?
For us it is the Jesus Box. We don’t put any presents under the tree before the 25th besides a single box that has a slit in the top of it. During Advent we seek to do extra acts of service for the poor and needy on behalf of Jesus. Then on Christmas morning, BEFORE we open presents, we open the Jesus box and share with one another the various projects and efforts we have given time and resources to this year.
One of the our favorite charities to give to is heifer int’l.
This is why I love them:
“Choose a meaningful gift to give a loved one and help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant.”
However, it is not just the season that has me thinking about the poor and needy amongst us.
I’ve been reading Tim Keller’s Generous Justice and it is going to require a post all to itself. And I wonder how many others saw this crazy article on 2 California’s - that is enough to make you pause, isn’t it?
Merry Christmas everyone!
Shop Class as Soul Craft
God created us to create. There is nothing like seeing the fruit of your labor.
When I was going through grad school I had the amazing fortune of being able to work with a master carpenter from Ireland named Gareth Nixon. Working almost exclusively for ReDev of Indianapolis, we mostly laid hardwood floors, did interior trim packages, and hung kitchens. But the best was when we got to build custom windows or staircases such as this one:
(alas I have NO pictures of our work! We made ours completely out of wood, but this gives you an idea of the sort of jobs Gareth was asked to do and that I got to help with)
It was one of the most exhausting seasons of my life. But how I miss it. There is nothing like carpentry for getting a chance to see the fruit of your own labor.
However this week I was able to make some huge progress on the creation of an online course. I’m very excited about how it is coming together. This is certainly the first web project I’ve ever done in which not only are the concepts and rough design mine, but even the css and html has been edited by me! Here is the splash page for it:
All this has me thinking again about Matthew Crawford’s book on the importance of hard work. But it is not just with a hammer and nail that we can learn the value of making and fixing things.
Play
Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith →
amazon.com
Electronic Culture disembodies and separates us from those closet to us.
Most of us are quite unaware of this phenomenon and, in fact, believe our technologies are bringing us closer. The near become far, and the far become near. This is the paradox of the electronic age.
If oral culture is tribal and literate culture is individual, the electronic age is essentially a tribe of individuals. This is a confused state of being in which we are thrown together from far off places. We desire connection and community in our increasingly nomadic existence, yet we wander around the globe, glancing off other digital nomads without ever knowing or being known.
