Jon Stewart

I am fond of Jon Stewart and his little Daily Show - we'll leave it at that....he has entered our home throught the new dish and is a welcome addition to the crap that is american politics. (I heard that - calling me a socialist behind my back...)

Anyways, he goes on crossfire and simply rips on these right/left guys and tells them they are ruining America. You can watch it here: crossfire vs. Jon Stewart

Also - from now on if you call me with a pre-recorded message I will not vote for you. I will vote against you. You don't even know me. As LJ would say....stupid politiks.

Branded, Alissa Quart

I picked up this book for $1!! - Unbelievable! It was recommended by a culture writer in YouthWorker journal and it was definately worth the read. The author came off a bit presumptious at times - working with the basic presumption that kids selling their souls to A&F is a bad thing, which I agree to, but many don't agree. Overall, an excellent survey of american teenage consumerism - with a superbly fantastic acknowledgment and assessment of their parents roles and influences.

Here's what she had to say:

"I was entering the world of the self-loathing, branded adolescent."

"US teens spent $155 billion in 'discretionary income' in 2000 alone..."

"The success of free software movements, including Linux and music sharing sites such as Napster, reveals a subversive, communal impulse, as do various Do It Yourself scenes in which teens attempt to make their ovwn cheap or free entertainments to entertain one another."

"...these names [brands] now define teen identities."

"...those under twenty-five are now the fastest-growing group filing for bankruptcy."

"Fantasy Credit Cards...mock passports from the country of the branded."

"Raised i nthe era of confessional literature [james: just look at most myjournals or xangas], having seen how secrets can be traded for celebrity, teenagers are selling their own experiences before they know they have a story that should be protected as their own or a self that has yet cohered."

"antitrend"

"The thousandes of kids...feel on some level that the world has always thought of them as a demographic for Pokeman or Nike on one hand, and as hooligans who need to be made to walk in straight lines on the other."

-Alissa Quart

Books...more aftermath!

I am no longer going to review books, I am going to read them and post interesting thoughts and quotes from them. Things that were remarkable enough to get underlined.

And these will go into the books section of the blog - with the link on the right.

West Coast Blogging

It's no secret I love west ocast living and west coast blogging is just another part of that. For a long time I have felt (God's pull) pulled to be out here and ministering in this social context. This is where the sun sets on the world and where the sun sets on the church - in a very real way...

I want to live as close to people who don't know Jesus as possible...I love the west coast.

Bar Code Art by Scott Blake

Came across this online - it's art made out of barcode, and there's even a barcode Jesus... kind of a neat artistic expression.

There's also a place where you can create your own ISBN number - it's what you've always wanted!

TONY JONES!

Hey Everybody!

Hey Dr. Nick!

I am now regularly reading Tony Jones' blog - he's an awesome guy who really let me start to see and understand what I had been sensing about postmodernism - I appreciate what he writes....although he is really smart. He understands postmodernism - not the way that the Christian marketing machine does, but the philosophy itself - but I will rant on that later...stupid Christian marketing machine, killing kids...

Anyways - I appreciate Tony Jones and I get ot sit in one of his seminars in about 34 days in PHATlanta!!

OH Meier and Frank!

I have reached a new level of craziness!

I went shopping on the weekend and found the best sale ever at Meier and Frank - so I'm giving them props! They are a store that sold me stuff that lets me be me and still live up to the dress code I have to do on Sundays...

Anyways - I am killer swamped today and can't post anything intelligent, thougth stuff is perkolating in my head -

VCR alert -hip hop honors next Tuesday night on VH1!

What is the Bible's gender?

I really do like this question - I think I'd go for interchanging he and she at random... not allow anyone to pin down a specific gender on the word. I am sure that gendering the Bible like this will make some people uneasy, especially (sadly) if given the female persuasion...

I was inspired by this question on Doug Pagitt's blog, check the title link.

I also like the "they" concept, as the Bible's own nature is an argument for community. Written by so many, inspired by a triune God - a story of people, not just a person - even if Christ is central...he is there for everyone else..

What do you think?

Dang! ... catching up in the blogosphere.

Since I am a bit of a ranter, and I am sick of a westernized version of the kingdom of God, I appreciated these comments.

Click on the title link to read David Hopkins go OFF!

This guy is definitely getting added to my links on the right!

TSK strikes again

tall skinny kiwi has this pic on his blog and I thought it was killer. It may offend you, but then if this sutff offends you, you probably shouldn't be here in the reorientation anyways.

Just a great night

Tonight we had invert and our first small group - it was just a great night. We had a bunch of kids growing and becoming and praying and following God.

I love being able to follow God and just enjoy the ride.

We sow in tears- we reap in joy.

John 8

If you can read this withouth being deeply affected by it...W.

I got this reflection from emerging sideways, an anonymus blog by a woman caught in a man centered church. Click on the title link and you can read her blog, I may even add it to my blogroll...



Wednesday, August 25, 2004
woman caught

i can't believe it... he set me up...

i thought he loved me... and he set me up.

i thought i loved him... he set me up.

me.

they dragged me...

not him...

just me.

he said he'd leave her for me... we'd start over... he set me up.

they didn't even give me time to dress...

i grabbed this sheet to cover myself...

i looked...

i felt... like a whore.

HE SET ME UP.

'love' he said...

he said he loved me...

he set me up.

used me like a prop for his friends...

BIG IMPORTANT FRIENDS.

too good to help me when daddy died...

had to do the best i could...

DAMN, he told me he loved me...

how could he use me like that?

what am i gonna do now?

i think i'll wait... til it's darker...

so no one sees what a mess i am.

darkness.

i can sneak home...

sneak...

i'm tired of sneaking...

and him... who was he?

'go' he said, 'go, and sin no more'.

those eyes... i've never seen anything like them before.

i've been with lots of men. felt their eyes on me.

but him...

he didn't look at me like a piece of meat.

those eyes.

that tear, running down his cheek.

it was like he felt my shame.

like he knew what it was like...

to be used...

to be exposed.

like he knew what it was like to hurt...

the shame... he knew my shame.

those eyes.

writing in the sand... he made them embarrassed...

even made them feel ashamed.

it got so quiet.

i looked up and all those self satisfied smirks wiped off their faces.

they just watched his finger in the sand.

what was he writing? i wish i knew.

shut them up though... such important men.

the town thinks so much of them.

but me... i know...

i know their dirty little secrets.

and they knew i knew, and they knew HE knew too.

who was he?

'i don't condemn you either.'

you know, i actually believe him.

the first man i've ever met who treated me with respect.

like i remember daddy did before he died...

so kind.

those eyes.

oh those eyes.

it's getting dark now.

i better get home...

get some clothes...

before momma sees me... like this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

oh momma... you're home.

yes momma... i'm a mess.

no momma... i'm not hurt.

yes momma... i was out in public like this.

yes momma... some people saw me like this...

...a lot of people saw me like this.

i'm sorry momma... i know it was wrong momma.

you heard?

oh momma... it was so horrible.

i thought he loved me... thought he'd help us momma.

he just used me...

trapped me...

set me up... and threw me away...

like trash.

i'm sorry momma...

i didn't mean to shame you.

i just didn't know how to make it better....

i thought this was the only way.

they were going to kill me momma...

stone me.

i thought he loved me...

said he'd leave her for me.

they tore me out of his bed momma...

they knew where i'd be.

he set me up momma.

they brought me to the temple, to a man momma. a rabbi.

i realized then that i was a prop momma...

a prop.

it wasn't ever about me...

just a piece of meat...

to trap him.

him...

this man...

this rabbi...

not like any of the other rabbis at the temple momma.

his eyes...

those eyes...

momma... you should see his eyes...

they asked him what to do with me...

me...

wrapped in this sheet...

my hair a mess...

covered in sex.

straight from his bed....

ashamed.

what to do with me...

should they stone me? they ask him.

and he says nothin' momma... nothin'

he kneels down and starts to write in the dirt momma.

oh i wish i could read..

wish i knew what he wrote momma.

cause those men... those important men...

their faces white...

they couldn't look at me anymore...

they ask him again.

can we stone her?

kill me momma...

he said only those who haven't broken the law could throw the rocks...

and then he went back to the dirt...

writing in the dirt...

when i looked up they were all gone...

just me...

just him...

and those eyes...

what's that in my hand?

my hand... oh yes..

a rock momma...

he gave it to me...

it was one they were gonna use to kill me...

i think i'll keep it momma...

to remember...

to remember...

those eyes.
this was written last november after this day of practicing the presence of god with mike yaconelli and fil anderson. we had focused on john 8 and i spent that afternoon writing. this is what i wrote.

Chris Got a House!

Hey all - exciting news!

My brother and his wife Sandra, whom I have yet to met and thus have a suspicion that she is a robot...just like Dick Cheney..... have bought themselves a house.

It looks nice...blah blah blah....happily ever after.

really, they still look exactly the same as they always have, just now they pay taxes...




That's them on the porch...and I think that big antennae in the background is for tracking ufo's...Crazy Canadians!

Can't wait to see them this Christmas!

Gillian and Phillip?

I'm told this is my sister, although I don't think it is her, my sister is still a freshmanm in high school, isn't she?

Anyways, big news is that we get to visit home this Christmas!! We are all very,very excited. It'll be 5 whole years for me since I left the great white north - I'm really looking forward to it all.

Oh yeah - I think the guy on the left is her boyfriend. Nice tie.

Youth House

well, it's coming -

Here are some pictures, just a couple more weeks and we'll be completely finished. Lots of work has gone in, both by students and pros from our church. It's been a good experience!

Enjoy~

LJ and the God-dog

Here's a great photo that I just got to see of LJ and Pete - Pete "belongs" to Bill and Jan - amazing friends of ours and LJ's godparents. So I'm guessing that Pete really is LJ's god-dog?

Guest Map

I've added a cool little thing on the right column in lieu of a gesutbook, which no one signed anyways!!!

You can click and place a pin on my map and put a little message on there - very neat-o!

If you want to you can even click the second button, which will remain for only a litmited time (until I figure out the code to rid my page of malicious advertising) and get yourself a guestmap!! Once I tak eit off, jsut go to Bravenet.com and you can get one.

Very cool..

What do I hate most?

Kind of a negative feeling? But here's what I hate most: fake.

The best compliment my wife and I ever recevied was "you guys are very...real"

It made my life.

So should it tick me off that people are one way to me and another way online? It drives me crazy. I understand the desire to "try" out new identities, but I say if your experimental identities conflict with each other you are very likely a skitz.

Just a little rant...

hey kiddies, what you post online - everybody can see!!

I see these ridiculously hypocritical myspace/livejournal/loadofcrap.com sites of people and it makes me want to start a new email ministry where I email inks to grandma and grandpa and mom and dad.

So anyways - we have the first youth worship service in the new youth house tonight and we are not ready - did you think we would be?

Later-
James <><

Wild Waves

What a great weekend - I got to hang out with some up and coming freshmen students who are going to be the first students in our invert discipleship program. I was the "speaker" and helped to show the students how valuable they are and what Christ has done for them and how they can join with Him in His mission of love to the world.

It was a fun weekend, too. Speed waterslides, Micah and I doing the wave in front of 3 sections of empty stands, Jesus play - really great - I should post a link to it some time, getting Tanner to fake cry - really well! So I'm going back to my sunburn and try to relax a little today!

Yaconelli - Core Realities

I just finished this book - the Core realities of youth ministry by Mike Yac -

Fantastic book - I am going to use it this fall in developing what a discipled person in our youth ministry looks like. It is a yout hministry book, not a devotional or spiritual living book, so it's not really for everyone to go out and buy - it is for YP's who want to bring their youth ministry to the generation instead of forcing the generation to conform to a modern version of the gospel.

His core realties are:
foundation - the Bible (good start!)

1. Veracity
2. Authenticity
3. Audacity
4. Humility
5. Diversity
6. Sanctuary
7. Initmacy
8. Mystery
9. Creativity

It's good stuff - if you are a YP you will be encouraged and entheosed (excited by God) after and during this book.