Patron Saint

Out of curiosity I searched who was a patron saint on my birthday. Guess who one of the biggies is?

Modern Renaissance

Dick Staub talks about the need for a modern Renaissance. I definitely agree with that. Thanks Looking Closer for brining this too my attention.

Worth Reading for 8/21/2005

A friend of mine was telling me recently how there is a rise of Christian churches in Africa and Asia. The Burr In The Burgh seems to agree. I think we American Christians probably could learn something from their example.

Far Country Tell has a bad habit of reminding me of what is going on in the world around me.

My only regret from Amanda's recent post entitled Shaking Dirt and Finding Money is that it didn't spark more discussion. Unlike most intellectual crap I see out there this is something actually important.

And seeing the trend of entertainment being passed off as church there is more truth to Jack Worship than I think Keith Drury realizes.

And normally I do not like to do this, but these articles were so bizarre I had to link to myself!

Whacky Things People Do

And things keep getting wierder and wierder.

UPDATE 08/23/2005:
And it looks like it'll just keep getting wierder.

UPDATE 08/25/2005:
And here I am thinking it can't get any wierder! And with that I think I am done for this week on this subject. I can't take it anymore.

Working So Much I'm Lazy

I want to add something to a post I wrote recently. It was about being content in your circumstances. Well, yeah, you should be conent in your circumstances, but you also have to keep yourself open to the move of the Holy Spirit or you can just stick around a place for no reason. I discovered that today. I just quit a part time I was working at to make ends meet. By day I temp in a title company, by night I work in a coffee shop. I work anywhere from 10-15 hours a day. It was exhausting. The iron was I got lazy. I stopped knocking on doors, as christ would put it. I am thinking of the apostles as I write this for I want to enter the full time ministry. There's just one problem. I haven't done a darn thing to bring this about. Not tried to talk to Bible colleges, or meet with my church council, tried to find part time work in that area, nothing. So while I've been contenting myself with this long hours I've also grown quite lazy. Could you imagine the apostles knowing they should follow Jesus, but just staying in the fishing boat, or the tax booth? Which is exactly what I am doing. Is contentment a good thing. Definately, but not when it keeps you in a place other than with Jesus.

The Business of Jesus

Found an interesting article on The Huffington Post about how pastors are being hired now more for their marketing ability than preaching or counseling. Am I the only one concerned by this mega-church mentality? It is more than just getting butts in the pews (or these days comfortable stadium seating). And we wonder why Christians are either uber-fundamental or weak and ineffectual.

The Week of 08/14/2005

I have decided to comb the blogosphere I inhabit and try to find the ones I find most interesting or useful. Hopefully even a tad amusing.

Whether she wants to admit it or not it has become about Cindy Sheehan. I got this one off of The Huffington Post. This sight isn't necessarily fair and balanced, but it is better than most.

And Far Country Tell has a great piece on World Youth Day and the attempt to re-ignite faith in Europe. Plus it is one of the few that he has written that a non-intellectual like me can understand. He's too smart for words.

To be honest when I read about a preacher raising the dead I was very skeptical. Turns out I had good reason to be. It's a shame. I want something like this to be true. Thanks Religion News Blog for this great one.

And here's a good wrap up of Millinerd's trip to Europe this summer.

Honest Ministry

Diary of A City Priest - by Father John P. Mcnamee

When I expressed my interest in entering full time ministry to a friend he, perhaps knowing me too well, recomended a book a book written by a friend of his. All he told me about it was how Father Mac (as he's affectionately called) came from a wealthy family, but after reading Simone Weil he decided to give up the comforts of an upper middle class life style and become a priest in the poorest part of Philadelphia. He also told me the book was about his experiences working in the slums and at his insitance I have to meet him.

OK. What's the big deal reading about a priest working in a poor neighborhood? There have been many stories like that over the years from The Cross And The Switchblade starring a country singer and a member of Chips and the incredible Romero. These guys had all the answers, faced incredible odds, and did it with perseverence and dignity.

Then there's this book. Father Mac faces a lot of the same challenges as the other two. But he has never made himself out to be a hero. He admits very candidly about his struggles, lack of faith, and deep moments of depression. Now I get it. He didn't want me to read another story of a super man, but a regular man doing all he can to serve God and keep it together. In other words, he gets it. I am looking forward to our meeting in the near future and hope to write about it in more detail at another time.

What I'm Digging

List ten songs that you are currently digging. It does not matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they are no good, but they must be songs you are really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they are listening to.

Picked this up from Caffeinated Adventures: was kind of curious to see what am I listening to now?

1)Dougie Mclean - Caledonia
2)Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - People Ain't No good
3)The Pogues - White City
4)The Hooligans - Go, Lassie Go
5)Luka Bloom - Dancing Queen
6)Gravity Kills - Guilty
7)Steve Earle featuring the Pogues - Johnny Come Lately
8)Barley Juice - Montro
9)Tom Waits - Waltzing Mathilda
10)Dropkick Murphy's - Amazing Grace

Here are other things I'm digging right now.
BOOK: Father John Mcnamee - Diary Of A City Priest
PERFORMER: Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass
POET: Denise Levertov
MOVIE: Ghostbusters
JOURNAL: American Poetry Review
BLOG: Millinerd

What's Your Chruch Type?

You scored as Sacrament model. Your model of the church is Sacrament. The church is the effective sign of the revelation that is the person of Jesus Christ. Christians are transformed by Christ and then become a beacon of Christ wherever they go. This model has a remarkable capacity for integrating other models of the church. Herald Model 78% Sacrament model 78% Mystical Communion Model 73% Servant Model 72% Institutional Model 39% What is your model of the church? [Dulles] created with QuizFarm.com

Christianity and Modern Art

Millinerd has made some good arguments for where Christians in the artistic community should head in the future. Though, as a poet, I often struggle with how to best write / represent / showcase (whatever) my faith in God. The desire for honesty in my struggles as well as in moments of light make me stray ever so closely to self-indulgence so common in modern art. Perhaps beginning to look more closely at iconic art is a good place to start.

Contentment

For the past year I have been without regular work, surviving on the whim of the temp agency to find me regular work. I had, up until last year, a career with the state court system. Starting off making a little bit and over time working my way up to a pretty decent job, making a good wage. But I was miserable. How could this be? I was living to a certain extent the American Dream! I have a nice little house (which felt too small and incomplete), a little money (which I used to fill up with activity and stuff), and a few close friends who were like an extended family (shouldn't I have more friends?). So my life became a complaint! I was unhappy. So what did God do? He didn't give me more to make me happy. He took things away in order to make me rely on Him and remind me what is really important in life. Contentment. A sense of knowing that as log as I have God, as long as He is in my life, what does any of that other stuff matter? So here I am making half of what I made last year, but a friend of mine summed things up rather well when he said to me:

"You seem a lot happier than you did before."

Two For Outsiders

GHOST WORLD
The first time I saw this movie it made me uncomfortable, and I couldn't figure out why. When I first saw this movie I was still pretty new to the "real world", trying to figure things out, but pretty much just bumming around taking one minimum wage job after another. I related a little too well to Enid and Rebecca, two highschool grads who couldn't wait to get out and get their lives started. This movie was a little too real for me. The characters are so vivid, well thought out, and real. From the get go they engage every facet of my being. It is often when I see a movie where I fall in love with the characters and ask myself, "what's next?"

THE STATION AGENT
This is my favorite movie. Where Ghost World made me feel like I knew the characters, this movie made me wish I did know the main characters. It centers around Finn, a dwarf who inherits a railroad station in the middle of no where and sees it as a chance to get away from staring eyes. There is just one problem, his next door neighbor is Joe, a loveable hot dog stand runner who wishes he were back in Manhattan and forces his friendship on him and a woman suffering from a horrible loss named Olivia. This will sound corny, but it really was a feel good movie. You cheered for the characters as they discovered the joy of living again.

Of Pipers and Singers

This weekend I went to a music festival at Blue Rocks Campground. The grounds themselves were quiet and isolated which is what I was looking for, but what what made it impressive was one characteristic that made the whole place worth while. Imagine the sun setting between the trees and reflecting off the rocks which gave us extra time of sunlight. Also there was a trail that lead to the appalachian trail, but I never got the chance to walk it.

Real Men Wear Kilts

The music festival was primarily about celtic music. Local band The Hooligans have thrown each year as a way to keep Irish culture alive. Ever since I was in highschool I have always been interested in my Irish heritage, but it wasn't until I met a good friend of mine when he explained to me what it means to be Irish and the history of our little island home of Saint Patrick. Several bands performed, including a few children who had more ability than I ever would. And late into the night past all hours reasonable people normally'd be up jam sessions set up around the camp fires to play songs and sing the songs we all have learned over the years.

Continued later... looking for community.