OPENING WORDS by Chris Flinchbaugh

CHURCH AS PORN (?)

2011-09-09T10:41:00.003-04:00

Church as Porn - by George Elerick from Bubble Up TV on Vimeo. Even as a teenage worship music leader I was bothered by what seemed to be a group obsession with musical orgasmic experience as the ultimate form of Christian worship.George hits on some similar things here and quite provocatively expands on them. I welcome thoughts from the churched and non-churched alike.

BRIEF THOUGHTS: PATRIOTISM

2011-07-08T21:12:00.001-04:00

I struggle with what most consider patriotism or at least with how it is publicly displayed and regarded. I love my fellow country-people. the good things that have come from this nation throughout history, and many of the grand ideas of the founders, but despite that I still feel like an outsider when the topic comes up. One day perhaps I'll be able to put my finger on it. Until then, this is

RECIPE: CHOKLADBOLL - COCONUT CHOCOLATE OAT BALL

2011-06-18T01:19:00.000-04:00

This sweet combination of mainly chocolate, coffee, sugar, coconut, and oats is often made by children in it's native land of Sweden. My wife and I discovered them for the first time after a long shopping trip at IKEA in their little food market. I think we ate most of the box on the way home. Each time we've been back since we've ended up taking more boxes home with us than we had before. Last

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY PROJECTS

2011-05-29T20:50:00.000-04:00

If you ever wonder why I rarely finish the things I start or properly record and/or release almost any of the vast cache of music I have written, here is the answer. Minus the getting drunk part.Warning to the young or easily offended: therein is one swear word.

BRIEF THOUGHTS: THE ISRAEL/PALESTINE CONFLICT AND CHRISTIANITY

2011-05-21T21:38:00.001-04:00

There has been much talk in the media and among the common person about the unending conflict in Palestine. Self-righteous and religion laced rhetoric has exploded in the wake of last week's speech on the topic by President Obama. If you don't know the details, you can read about it via NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136491809/obamas-ideas-on-israel-face-tough-reception . The strain of

A SUPERHERO SUMMER 2011

2011-05-08T23:32:00.001-04:00

This summer at a theater near you comic book are coming to life. Moving superheros from their known medium with the creators that know them best is a risky endeavor both creatively and financially. The best intentioned and most skilled filmmakers can easily make a mess of a solid character's universe that they either just don't understand or their idea doesn't line up with the times. With that

WHERE I STAND [4]: A Vegan Lifestyle part 1

2011-03-23T21:19:00.004-04:00

In a week and a half my daughter is due to be born. Sometime after she is born she is going to start asking questions. She will be a Flinchbaugh and my daughter so this should come as no surprise. I expect that questioning to be constant, varied in topic, and no stranger to controversy and things others consider standard practice. With that in mind, here I will answer Jonathan Sigmon's (

ROB BELL'S NEWSWEEK INTERVIEW

2011-03-15T10:19:00.000-04:00

Last night's Newsweek interview of Rob Bell by Lisa Miller about Rob's new book, Love Wins, which released today. I like the way Rob turns some of the questions to what really matters. Reminds me of Jesus' way. Watch live streaming video from lovewins at livestream.com

PREVIEW: ROB BELL'S LOVE WINS

2011-02-27T21:59:00.000-05:00

LOVE WINS. from Rob Bell on Vimeo. I am excited, and proud, that Rob Bell has very publicly gone out on a limb to bring these essential questions into the mainstream of Christian culture. Whether you think they've already been sufficiently addressed or didn't know they existed, I encourage you to take the time for self-investigation and open discussion on this topic with good friends. Don't

DUELING BEATITUDES

2011-02-22T11:05:00.000-05:00

Dueling beatitudes, one is the focal point of Jesus' sermon on the mount which, most people would call, the foundation of Jesus message and the other is perhaps what many, including much of Christianity, has followed since. I hope we can see ourselves a little and learn here. 01.30.11 Dueling Beatitudes from First Unitarian Church on Vimeo.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: PORTLANDIA

2011-02-02T20:56:00.002-05:00

If you have access to IFC via cable, satellite, or the internet, may I recommend to you the invention of SNL's Fred Armisen and Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein: Portlandia. From an elitist Feminist bookstore and the loca-vore/organic/cruelty-free movement to radical cyclists, Portlandia has a lot of fun showing how things get a little crazy even in great ideas. So far, Steve Buscemi, Kyle

QUOTE OF NOTE: ON VIOLENT METAPHORS

2011-01-11T12:19:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from a statement by the Friends Commitee on National Legislation regarding the January 8 Tuscon Shootings: Found among many others in the square of Manheim, PA. "The shooting rampage appears to have been the act of a single disturbed person. His actions take place, however, in a culture where violence and demonization of those with whom we disagree appear to prevail. When violent

A NEW IMAGE OF THE CHRISTMAS WARS

2010-12-28T10:28:00.003-05:00

A display table of gift ideas at a local supermarket in December. While you are recovering from this year's bout in the Christmas Wars and deciding toward which side you'll end up for the next one, consider this image as metaphor for what might actually be going on. In other words, if one is so concerned with either (1) "keeping Christ in Christmas" which now seems little to do with eschewing

ANDERSON AND COPPOLA'S STELLA ARTOIS COMMERCIAL

2010-12-19T21:29:00.001-05:00

Writer/directors Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Fantastic Mr Fox, etc) and Roman Coppola (CQ, music videos for The Strokes etc) made an ad for InBev/Annheiser-Busch's Stella Artois brand which is based in Belgium. In my opinion, the beer is just ok but a nice choice among the more widely available brews in your average bar. While Stella is probably the most popular beer actually brewed

RECENT LISTENING: More Christmas Music 2010

2010-12-14T11:11:00.002-05:00

RECENT LISTENING: Christmas Music So Far 2010

2010-12-08T08:07:00.001-05:00

More to come.

MUSIC PICK FOR THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T10:57:00.000-05:00

Wondering what music to listen to this Thanksgiving morning and throughout the day? Maybe you already started listening to Christmas music last week but it doesn't quite feel right today. Have you been asking yourself, "Why isn't there Thanksgiving music?" Should the music be folksy, classical chamber music, or choral? All would work fine and perhaps do well on a shuffle mix especially with the

A DELICIOUS VEGAN THANKSGIVING ROAST - HAZELNUT CRANBERRY EN CROUTE

2010-11-21T21:04:00.001-05:00

On my first Thanksgiving morning as a vegan I removed my Tofurky roast from the freezer to start cooking. As I read the instructions, which I thought I read completely before, I realized that the one hour cooking time assumed it had already been defrosted starting twenty four hours before. My cooking time was going to be more like three hours which put me an hour past when I was supposed to meet

BREWS OF CHOICE FALL 2010: TWO BELGIAN STYLE ALES

2010-11-09T12:11:00.006-05:00

Brooklyn Brewery's Local 1 reminds me a lot of a favorite true Belgian beer, Atomium Grand Cru which so far cannot be found in my area save for on tap at Horizons in Philadelphia. Thoroughly complex flavors with sweet and deep orange-citrus notes, especially after a good mouthful, nicely mask the higher alcohol content making this an amazingly refreshing and enjoyable drink. Great to share over

POLITICAL COMPASS ON VOTING DAY

2010-11-02T11:50:00.001-04:00

Over dinner a few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked where I see myself on the a simple scale of pure capitalist to pure socialist. I remember answering simply and then elaborating how the Political Compass gives a truer read than a simple right to left or anything else this to that. Turns out I was a little off on my memory of my standing on the Authoritarian/Libertarian scale. On voting day in

A WORSHIP SONGWRITING AND CULTURE CRITIQUE: "WE WILL WORSHIP YOU"

2010-10-31T23:47:00.069-04:00

Preface: I purposely chose a song that I had no history or connection with to talk about / critique for a number of reasons, some of which will be apparent as you read. It is also worth saying that I realize I cannot know the circumstances of this song's writing, what group of people it was originally written for, or the specifics of the writers' personal faith journeys. Those things do matter

RECENT LISTENING: New Music From Blonde Redhead / Sufjan Stevens

2010-10-24T17:04:00.000-04:00

SUPERMAN'S SOCIAL NETWORK NIGHTMARE

2010-10-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Aaron Gotwalt for the find.

QUOTE OF NOTE: A MERTON PARAPHRASE

2010-10-05T11:51:00.011-04:00

I don't always know the right thing to do, Lord, but I think the fact that I want to please you, pleases you. - A paraphrase of Thomas Merton via The West Wing by Aaron Sorkin

RECENT LISTENING: The National / Feist

2010-10-03T11:08:00.001-04:00

The National - HIGH VIOLET Feist - LET IT DIE

CONFLICTING ETHICS - THIS IS THE TROUBLE WE, THE RELIGIOUS, THE CHRISTIAN, ARE IN

2010-09-21T08:23:00.001-04:00

Never has a person said to my face "I think all people of the ____ race should be put to death" or worse yet "Let's go kill all of the ______ people". At least, not exactly. In the weeks following the tragedies of 11 September 2001 more than a few times I overheard strangers, acquaintances, friends, and parents of friends suggest that perhaps "their whole desert" should be "nuked". People were

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: FRONTLINE - THE VACCINE WAR

2010-09-04T20:57:00.005-04:00

Working in a natural food store and being surrounded by many people in my life who are skeptical about one thing or another, the topic of childhood vaccinations has come up many many times. I have overheard many quips about the "money-hungry" and "corrupt" pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines as just part of their plot to keep people sick and in the dark about it. Some of the same and

THE 24 TYPES OF LIBERTARIAN AND THE PARODIES

2010-08-28T23:18:00.001-04:00

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch Stereotypes? Sure. But don't we all slip into the stereotype of our assumed political stance now and then? It seems to me that most people, regardless political label, likely fit somewhere in here at least a little bit... Oh wait a minute, here are some more fits to spread the parody around a bit. Parodies of the parody. Authors unknown. Can we see even a bit of

HOMEOPATHY HUMOR VIA DILBERT

2010-06-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

via Friendly Atheist What do you think? If this isn't a conversation starter..... No really, go ahead. You first.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: TELEVISION BY AARON SORKIN

2010-06-09T21:37:00.001-04:00

Dramatic playwright and screen writer Aaron Sorkin has created, written, and produced three wonderful shows, so far, that Megan and I recommend to you: Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. All are available on DVD and at least one of them still runs in repeats on cable. This evening we finished Sports Night's all too short two season run and can only hope that Sorkin's

A DEFINITION OF "EVANGELICAL" / "BORN AGAIN" / "CHRISTIAN"?

2010-06-08T12:07:00.004-04:00

In an article, summarizing survey research done on "busters", published in 2008, The Barna Group reveals how they classify the terms "Evangelical" and/or "born again". In the next few days I will write more about the article but for now here is the classification: "Evangelicals" are born again Christians. In the survey, people qualified as evangelicals if they met the born again criteria (i.e.,

VEGAN PICKS: RITTER SPORT MARZIPAN AND DARK CHOCOLATES

2010-05-31T21:24:00.002-04:00

Tonight at Target, while fruitlessly looking for something I didn't find at Home Depot or Lowes, it dawned on me that I should bring a chocolate bar home for my wife. Working for a natural foods store I generally have no shortage of access to tasty vegan chocolate. Usually at mainstream retailers -- book, big box, and grocery -- the only "dark" chocolates available have at least one form of milk

MATURITY GRAPH AND CERTAINTY

2010-05-20T20:41:00.002-04:00

Graph from Naked Pastor. On the way to, back from, and at the transFORM east coast gathering in DC the topics of over-certainty and vast uncertainty came up. Mostly they were in regards to knowledge of God, claimed or otherwise, and all else spiritual, theological, and moral. During Friday night's evening session Peter Rollins spoke at length about the veneer of (false) certainty slathered all

GOOD WINE - COPPOLA DIAMOND SERIES CLARET 2007

2010-05-19T20:03:00.001-04:00

Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Series Claret 2007. This is a great under twenty dollar wine that I recommend. Tonight we drank it. By the way, the lettering is only red looking because of the table cloth, normally it is gold. Wine.com has this to say about it: A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 3% Cabernet Franc. The 2007 vintage got underway earlier than

SUPER-HERO POWER PERIODIC TABLE

2010-05-18T22:21:00.001-04:00

Calculate your own power formula set! Super-hero power periodic table as devised by ComicsAlliance.com .

LIFE MAGAZINE "IN PRAISE OF CLASSIC COMICS"

2010-05-08T18:08:00.004-04:00

LIFEembedDrawGallery(40202);If you didn't already know, or hadn't guessed, I like comic books and have since the early 1990s.

LYRIC SNIPPET: "WEAVING"

2010-05-07T00:06:00.002-04:00

Some days I exhaust myself with my own thinking. What has been, what could be, what could have been, what is, what is not, and what I should be or should be doing. Surely there is a time for a measure of that sort of self investigation, but recently it has worn me out. There is a creative collective spontaneity that I miss. To get there it requires risk, trust, and time. Apathy, fear, and

LIST: RECOMMENDED THEOLOGY/RELIGION READING

2010-04-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the summer my brother-in-law asked me to put together a list of theology/religion books that I'd recommend. A little while ago I finally finished it narrowing them down. (Sorry it took so long Jonathan!) You can already find them in the sidebar under "READING LISTS" but I thought I'd post it here also. I left out many books that I love and/or learned from but I wanted this to

BRIAN MCLAREN ON EMERGENT CHRISTIANITY (AND THE PERCEPTIONS)

2010-04-21T21:56:00.006-04:00

In response to a slew of recent articles and public pronouncements on the pending death of Emergent Christianity, Brian McLaren, a philosophical/spiritual/theological hero of mine, has weighed in on its history and future. You can find links to some of those articles in Brian's copied blog post below. If you are interested in background on the movement there is plenty opinion online from those

QUOTE OF NOTE: Ray Adkins on divine revelation

2010-04-16T21:16:00.005-04:00

This gem came from one of many Facebook discussions based on a blog post by Shawn Anthony over at LoFitribe.com . Cheers to all the participants and most of all to my friend and conversational sparring buddy Ray. "I guess the answer I've found is that you don't need a single word of the Bible for divine revelation. The ancient word of God is riddled in mystery and cryptography. The cold truth

What is wrong with "ma'am"?

2010-04-14T23:28:00.002-04:00

I think of myself as a somewhat sensitive guy. In fact I have been told that I am by my wife, at least occasionally, and some of my coworkers. What does sensitive mean in this case? I gather that it boils down to me being able to listen to others, empathize with their point of view even if it is not my own, and proceed accordingly in conversation. That said, with all the progress that has been

VIDEO: The Story of Bottled Water

2010-04-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

The Story of Bottled Water is brought to you by the fine folks at The Story of Stuff Project. A lot to think about here. As a start to following through, I recommend the SIGG water bottle. Thoughts?

Is your God really "pro-life"?

2010-03-24T21:24:00.007-04:00

I realize that I am opening up a very large can of worms here but the time has come for some tough questions. Believe me, I know the topic is sensitive so I'll try to tread accordingly. During the recent and present healthcare debate there has been much talk of how many people don't want their tax money (federal funds) used for abortion. Many people of faith, particularly conservative

Fun with iPad, Flash, and The Flash

2010-03-21T23:02:00.000-04:00

If you didn't already know: Apple is releasing the iPad in April, comic book companies have been struggling (generally and) to standardize a format for digital comics, Adobe Flash is not supported by the iPad or iPhone, and The Flash (DC Comics charecter) doesn't get enough respect but is my favorite. [FoxTrot] This, featuring the 1990 CBS television's The Flash, is also funny: You can find it

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: THE GODS AREN'T ANGRY - Rob Bell

2010-03-14T23:30:00.004-04:00

I haven't been to a church in about a month. Before that it had been at least a month and a half and that was intentional. So this is not a confessional. I burned out, along with plenty of other folks, after the church community we helped plant had its fill of crisis and persecution from the outside establishment. We plan on visiting some places in the near future but tonight we enjoyed a sermon

VEGAN PICKS: Amy's Rice Macaroni w/ Non- Dairy Cheese

2010-03-12T21:17:00.004-05:00

This was lunch one day last week: the best vegan mac 'n cheese I've had! It is dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free but full of buttery, cheesy, and calorie-full goodness. I recommend it for those looking for delicious Land 'O Lakes style box mac 'n cheese. Amy's Rice Macaroni is just a few minutes and a microwave away!

CHILDHOOD SOUNDTRACK: Paul McCartney

2010-03-06T16:35:00.001-05:00

My Dad was and is an avid Beatles fan so their albums and their subsequent solo works, particularly McCartney's, were staples of my childhood soundtrack. I remember the big square vinyl cover for albums like McCartney's Wing's Back to the Egg on the living room carpet in front of the stereo. I remembered staring at it in wonder, smelling its magical cardboard and paper sleeve, but I didn't

February's Second Storm: Views From The Inside

2010-02-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

Our second February snow storm started Tuesday the 9th at 5pm and stopped, at least for now, around 7pm Wednesday. Lancaster Pennsylvania is a hushed winter wonderland. Highways, schools, and businesses (my work included) are closed and tomorrow is my birthday! Coincidence?! Who knows. The backyard on Wednesday morning. The backyard again. So rustic and majestic when covered with snow. Obi and

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: Beer Wars

2010-02-05T13:32:00.001-05:00

During my second day of recovery on my back, I watched a great documentary called BEER WARS. It is the closest thing to a FOOD INC type movie for the United States beer industry. Directed and guided by former Mike's Hard Lemondate head Anat Baron, with a quick summary of its history here the film moves onto detailing how it has changed through buy-outs, distribution channels and shut-outs, shelf

FAVORITE THINGS: 2009 [part two - music]

2010-01-30T16:49:00.025-05:00

It is almost February so I'll keep the rest of this brief. Here are my favorite albums of 2009. St Vincent - ACTOR Annie Clark's songs and arrangements are truly magical. This album, while a bit less pop accessible than her debut MARRY ME, is a beautiful exploration of artifice by way of dark Disney-soundtrack-like sounds. She is charming, graceful, and cute as a button when she is not scaring

FAVORITE THINGS: 2009 [part one]

2010-01-10T12:41:00.001-05:00

TWIN PEAKS: THE COMPLETE SERIES and the marathon Our friends, Aaron and Kristin, had one of the best theme parties I've ever been invited to. It was a Twin Peaks marathon. Without giving all of their original ideas away I can say the party's food reflected key foods from the series. A late addition to the food creativity, or early quitter preventative measure, was that we wait until each food

Inner Metro Green: Two Big Announcments

2009-12-20T00:47:00.006-05:00

Friday night members of the board and staff of Inner Metro Green, the faith community of my wife and I, met for a few hours to discuss our collective future. It was one of the most honest and open discussions that I have been a part of. It was full hope and doubts and sorrow and relief. Most of all, I think, it was full of peace. Here are two announcements, or "status updates" in current lingo,

RECENT READS: BLACKEST NIGHT

2009-12-18T00:51:00.012-05:00

BLACKEST NIGHT script - Geoff Johns / pencils - Ivan Reis / inks - Oclair Albert Basic idea: "The dead will rise". Dead heroes and villain of the DC Universe are resurrected into the worst, and most gruesome, versions of themselves and chaos ensues. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and the Flash (Barry Allen) are trying to solve the mystery questions. Plenty of other beloved characters make

Inner Metro Green: Sunday of Worship and Meditation

2009-12-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday my church community, Inner Metro Green, broke out of our normal music -announcements -communion - offering - sermon routine. We spent our sunday service praying, listening, reading, waiting, and singing together for a little over an hour. We set this time aside because we aren't sure where we are going, what we are doing, or who will be along for whatever happens. So, we listened and

A Thanksgiving Poem: "For the Silent and Small"

2009-11-25T23:16:00.002-05:00

Here are some thoughtful words as a thanksgiving poem written this week by my friend and coworker, Kristan McKinne. Officially it is yet untitled but I am calling it "For the Silent and Small". Enjoy and give thanks. In life's everday slow rise and fall, awash in our ball of bright and shining sun I find ways to give thanks for the silent and small. When shadows tower so tall that all glimpse

"Please Don't Label Me.." campaign

2009-11-19T21:57:00.005-05:00

How do you feel about this? For those of you of a religious affiliation or perhaps even another sort of world view or political pole, do you feel like children should be indoctrinated with their parent's beliefs? Sure, parents have a responsibility to raise their kids with morals and naturally they would want to pass along what has worked for them, but do they have to be tied to the same

WHERE I STAND [3]: Biblical "End Times"

2009-11-12T17:03:00.018-05:00

Pax RomanaYesterday, my friend Jonathan "Siggy" Sigmon posted a wonderfully balanced bit on Facebook commemorating service on Veterans' Day without praising the means of war and instead calling us all to peace. What follows Siggy appropriated from http://carrieanddanielle.com/honoring-peace-not-war-the-pacifists-dilemma-on-remembrance-day/:" I will pause to pay tribute to those who have died in

Watching: From Jesus To Christ

2009-11-09T21:34:00.005-05:00

Our small group, which we host at 6:30pm every Monday night, started watching the PBS/Frontline documentary From Jesus To Christ tonight. For some reason the DVD player played the fourth part/hour first. Our DVD player also randomly played scenes out of order when we watched Doubt last month so I'll have to sort that out. If you plan on coming next week go ahead and watch the fourth hour online

VEGAN PICKS: Breakfast Recipe "Egg McVegans"

2009-11-05T18:49:00.007-05:00

This morning Megan and I had a delicious, Earth Balance-drenched, breakfast made in our very own kitchen.: Egg McVegans. These were even better than the version we had at Sticky Fingers Bakery in DC.... I can't make sticky buns though. I found all the ingredients at Rhubarb's Market here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and I'd imagine most other medium sized natural food stores would have them as well

Church Controversy and Moving Foward

2009-11-01T09:48:00.009-05:00

Cartoon from Bizarro ArtistTwo weeks ago my dear friend and pastor of our community, Shawn Anthony, was given an ultimatum by his overseeing Bishop. Our faith community (church - if you like), Inner Metro Green, is part of the Brethren In Christ, a Christian denomination in the Anabaptist tradition that also informs Mennonite and Amish expressions. So what was the offending issue?Shawn has

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: Doubt

2009-10-26T21:04:00.007-04:00

I have devoted two Monday evenings to this film and one winter afternoon (a present from Megan, my wife) to the play on which it was based. Last week watching it with a group and this one discussing all its wonderful characters, themes, pith, and humanity. Let it be known, that I would happily spend another evening with it and shall when it finally makes its way into my library.Time with this

QUOTE OF NOTE

2009-10-11T19:35:00.005-04:00

"Maybe if we felt any loss as keenly as we felt the death of one close to us, human history would be a lot less bloody." - Ronald D. Moorefrom "The Bonding"- Star Trek The Next Generation: Season Three

In search of a Vegan Pumpkin Latte

2009-10-08T14:59:00.005-04:00

Autumn arrived a few weeks ago and with it thoughts of ciders and other seasonal drinks. Having seen sandwich boards and heard talk of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at various establishments, this year I was determined to find one that was vegan.One of my coworkers who also works at Starbucks regularly keeps me in the loop about which seasonal drinks are and are not "Chris-friendly"= vegan. There

RECENT LISTENING: Phoenix / Derek Webb

2009-09-18T07:20:00.005-04:00

Here are two album I am listening to of late. One is a inventive pop masterstroke featuring the husband of director Sophia Coppola and the other beat infused protest album informed by American Christian culture. I will leave you to guess which is which.

Video: Dawkin's on his new book

2009-09-06T01:51:00.002-04:00

Here is further information on Richard Dawkin's new book, in his own words.

September Media of Interest

2009-09-01T08:03:00.016-04:00

Music: CURSE YOUR BRANCHES - David Bazan (releases today / September 1, 2009)If you ever heard of Pedro the Lion and never picked their music up, David Bazan was the band's only mainstay and has been one of mine ever since their first EP came out in the 90's. Bazan's talent for a turn of phrase and forceful arranging make these songs ring as true as the most powerful religious (-like) experience

The Fresh Market : Food Store Anomaly

2009-08-20T19:30:00.005-04:00

My wife and I were in the Kennett Square area yesterday after visiting Longwood Gardens' beautiful sights in the humid August air and had become pretty hungry. We were making our our way to Philadelphia when we passed one of those behemoth shopping plazas with chain stores and noticed a place called The Fresh Market which I remembered hearing about at work. I expected something like an

WHERE I STAND [2]: Universal Publicly Funded vs For-Profit Health Care

2009-08-16T18:50:00.006-04:00

As things stand now with private/corporate/for-profit health care, the health care provider makes the ultimate call for or against payment for any procedure, suture, or even an office visit. Neither the person nor the doctor controls that. They can appeal and often decisions fall in their favor but sometimes not. Sure, a wealthy person could just pay for any of it out of pocket but we aren't all

A Confession of Unrecorded Songs

2009-07-10T23:42:00.003-04:00

This is a list (partial I'm sure) of unrecorded songs. Some of them are as old as nine years old while a few of them need a little bit of finishing. Regardless, I feel they are all worthwhile but I need some regular kicks in the butt to get some of them put down. I've stalled and stalled for years now, debilitated by options and my own expectations. Sometimes it has seemed better not to ruin it

RECENT READS: 52

2009-06-29T19:46:00.011-04:00

When I started reading comic books again last year I remember paging through the first volume of the 52's collected issues at the library and thinking "This looks [visually] soooooo silly and the concept.... ummmm I don't get it. I don't think I can care about this." I was wrong, at least partly. Background first. 52 was a weekly series put out by DC Comics that ran for, you guessed, it 52

FAVORITE THINGS: ABC Coconut Macaroon Cookie

2009-06-15T23:19:00.005-04:00

This is my favorite cookie. I loooooooooooooove this cookie. Every year it is available for a few months from the wonderful folks at Alternative Baking Company as their seasonal selection which rotates four or five times a year. I go a little nuts during this block of time and eat at least a few a week. If you can't find this one, hate coconut, or read this too late, check out the Colossal

WHERE I STAND [1]: Following (Soley or Mainly) Because of Claimed Divinity

2009-06-02T09:57:00.011-04:00

Last night during a free roaming discussion in our home, ranging from the fall of Lucifer and the origin of evil to comparative religious studies and truth, the group of thirteen decided to carry part of our talk through to next week with the question:Why you do follow/believe/claim Jesus and/or Christianity?Each of us will summarize our own answers to this question next week and I'm betting the

Wendell Berry's "The Real Work"

2009-05-19T22:22:00.002-04:00

Here is a poem that I used as the opener / tone-setter for a talk I delivered at church a few weeks ago. Today another cyberspace dweller who was in the pews that Sunday asked about it so I thought I'd post it here for all to enjoy. I'd say it was the highlight of the message."The Real Work" - Wendell BerryIt may be that when we no longer know what to dowe have come our real work,and that when

Communitarianism, Don Eberly, and a Graduation Day Speech

2009-05-09T07:25:00.004-04:00

Don Eberly, having worked in government/public service for 25 plus years as a Congressional and Presidential aid/advisor, delivered the commencement address for Millersville University a few Saturdays back and I was lucky enough to be part of the rained-on and then sun-burned family and friends in attendance. Thank you Jonathan, my brother-in-law and housemate, for graduating now and not a little

WHERE I STAND [0]: Introduction

2009-03-27T06:58:00.005-04:00

Taking two previously proposed series and combining them into one, I plan to write here about where I stand on various subjects, on issues, and in current debates. While I certainly will have a point of view to explain and back up with at least some rational, I am not an unchanging or unchanged person. I have titled these exercises "WHERE I STAND" because they will speak of my present state of

IMG Worship Songs: March 22 2009 (+ video)

2009-03-22T17:22:00.014-04:00