15 albums i'll always love (and a heartfelt facebook diatribe)
Thu, Sep 2 2010 01:30 PM
| recommendations, personal, social media, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff, lists
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dante alighieri stopped too soon. you see, in his classic, the inferno, he depicts 9 circles of hell. but alas, there is actually a 10th circle. what resides in this deepest circle of endless torture?
facebook memes and games.
yes friends, those who engage in mafia wars or farmville (or any other game) or those who tell you to repost this message if you really love jesus dwell in the darkest pit of virtual hell. basically, anything that requires a regular & concerted effort to suck one's time (and others' time) while partaking in the black hole known as facebook are a special breed.
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weekend worship: reflections on the west memphis 3 rally
Tue, Aug 31 2010 07:51 AM
| personal, emergent, eikon, little rock, christian subculture, theology, favorites, arkansas, church, jesus, music, popular culture, current events, politics
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sunday night, we had one of my favorite worship gatherings to date at eikon church. there was a good energy, the music was unquestionably the best it's ever been and i think we really tapped into the heart of what it means to be a community of people connected by jesus. it was truly a beautiful night of worship.
and then there was that other worship gathering.
no, not the one i attended on sunday morning. and no, not some other church event i participated in some other time during the weekend.
i'm talking about the one saturday. at robinson center music hall.
yeah, that one.
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two in review: july/august 2010
Fri, Aug 27 2010 07:56 AM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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a couple months ago, i began a new blog series, of sorts, in which i compiled a mix of the best music i had discovered in the preceding two months. the series and mixes are called, two in review. here's what i wrote in the original blog post:
i consume a lot of music. it's probably some kind of music ADD thing. i should probably seek out some kind of music junkies anonymous meeting or engage in some kind of full-out intervention. ultimately, i just love music and thus, consume quite a bit on any given week or month.
the tweet heard 'round the world: a few words about segregation and educational options
Mon, Aug 23 2010 09:04 AM
| christen, general life, personal, little rock, olive, christian subculture, theology, arkansas, lucy, family, popular culture, children, current events, max, politics
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By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard 'round the world.
so begin's ralph waldo's emerson 1837 masterpiece, concord hymn. the line that closes the stanza, of course, has become a cultural idiom. the shot heard 'round the world is in reference to the american revolutionary war, specifically the battles of lexington and concord. indeed, those shots reverberated around the globe and set our nation on a new course.
and then—on august 21, 2010—there was this:
worth not just a read, but extended reflection for LR people / RT @GOOD: Are students pre-segregated before high school? http://su.pr/9msbx1
ryanByrd
ryanbyrd
which was immediately followed by this:
in addition to what the @GOOD article says, it's also worth reflecting on "self-segregation" (parents who put their kids in private school).ryanByrd
ryanbyrd
ah yes, the tweet heard 'round the world.
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why we should stop letting black people live in the quapaw quarter
Mon, Aug 16 2010 07:56 AM
| personal, jesus, theology, family, popular culture, politics, current events
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our family moved, in early 2009, into the quapaw quarter (in little rock). we really enjoy being so close to downtown and our neighborhood is relatively quiet and friendly. there's a diversity of people here that you simply don't get in other parts of town.
but i'll get to that whole diversity thing briefly.
several months after moving in, we attended a 4th of july breakfast at the empress (our immediate neighbor) and had an opportunity to meet the large majority of our neighbors. i had a lengthy conversation with a man who, along with his wife of 30-something years, has lived in the quarter for well over 20 years. he offered a bit of history of the neighborhood and one particular story stood out among the others. he said that a little over 20 years ago, a gang of about 6 or 7 black guys jumped a white man (who lived in our neighborhood) while he was walking his dog. apparently the guy was pretty messed up and after a few days of intensive care, he died from internal bleeding. whereas several of the black guys were subsequently arrested, the two main leaders of the group got away and were never arrested.
he said, for obvious reasons, many people in the neighborhood were shaken up pretty badly and even after having some candlelight vigils and racial reconciliation-type conversations with some of the predominantly black churches in the area, tensions ran high.
he and i talked about some of the backlash and anger that, to this day, still exists in this neighborhood and we came up with only one logical conclusion.
ban black people from living in the quapaw quarter.
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listen to new ray lamontagne tracks: 'for the summer' and 'the devil's in the jukebox'
Tue, Aug 3 2010 06:47 PM
| reviews, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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it was beautiful news a couple months ago when it was announced that ray lamontagne will be releasing the follow-up to 2008's gossip in the grain on august 17. the album, god willin' & the creek don't rise, will be released under the moniker, ray lamontagne & the pariah dogs. shortly after the announcement of the new album, ray did us all a beautiful favor with the youtube-embedded release of a new track, beg steal or borrow.
now, two more tracks have surfaced.
anne rice's guide to quitting christianity and keeping jesus
Fri, Jul 30 2010 01:31 PM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, eikon, quotes, christian subculture, theology, books, popular culture, writing, current events
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i've never read an anne rice book.
i've never seen an anne rice-adapted movie.
i've never been interested in vampires or books about vampires.
despite these things, though, i've been a distant and intrigued observer—over the last 10 years—as anne rice has come back to faith. growing up in the catholic church, at the age of 18, she left her faith in exchange for nearly 4 decades of ardent unbelief. after garnering legions of followers and authoring blockbuster books, she once again chose faith and for the past decade, she's been publishing books about the her faith and the life of christ.
but anne rice has never reached "christian celebrity" status like other celebrity purveyors of faith such as mel gibson, stephen baldwin or—god help us—chuck norris. despite her marked switch to literary works about the life of christ, she never seemed to fully embrace the prevailing values of white, evangelical culture, which is the key to unlocking full-on christian celebrity status.
well, the possibility of that status is official DOA.
anne rice is quitting christianity.
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download my latest mix, 'good. evil.'
Tue, Jul 27 2010 07:58 AM
| jesus, christian subculture, theology, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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several days ago, a friend and i were talking about how ubiquitous religion is. obviously, we didn't stumble upon some kind of shocking revelation, but we certainly affirmed that—even more than what we may realize—the concepts of good and evil, gods and devils, dark and light are broadly washed across the expanse of global cultures. certainly, across ages and timezones, the ways that these things are expressed are varying, but nevertheless, the sentiments are consistent.
democracy wins: derek webb covers huey lewis' 'power of love'
Mon, Jul 26 2010 03:51 PM
| reviews, personal, movies, awesome, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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over the last half a year, i've blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. earlier this year, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album has been in the process of being recorded over the span of 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. over the past 6 months, webb released the first six tracks, which was the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps, coldplay's fix you, bob dylan's the times they are a-changin', gnarls barkley's who's gonna save my soul, sufjan stevens' chicago and u2's where the streets have no name.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb is revealing each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the seventh one.
more sheepishness: a few thoughts about our culture of fear
Wed, Jul 14 2010 08:02 AM
| christen, general life, personal, olive, christian subculture, theology, church, jesus, lucy, family, popular culture, current events, max, politics
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the bible's a funny thing. and so is following that guy jesus.
at best, they're frustrating. at worst, they're maddening. even illogical. counterintuitive.
you see, in scripture, we're referred to as sheep. basically, mindless followers that roam without proper self defense or the ability to find the way on our own. we just sorta hang out with the flock and go where the shepherd leads.
we're sitting ducks. but, you know, in the sheepish kind of way. (a shmuck?)
quite frankly, sheep should be frightened.
but the bible's a funny thing.
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feeling sheepish: a few thoughts about concealed weapons in church
Mon, Jul 12 2010 07:54 AM
| personal, church, jesus, christian subculture, theology, family, popular culture, politics, current events
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If you're like most Americans, there's probably been a time in your life when you've been sitting in church, listening to a particularly ennui-inducing homily or enduring another warbly version of "Holy Holy Holy" and thought, "Man! I could really reach for some steel right now, squeeze off a few rounds, and let these fools know what the score is!" Well, in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal has recently signed into law a measure that would allow you to at least feel comforted by the presence of your gun in the house of the Lord.
so begins a huffington post piece (sometimes you just gotta grab a great quote and use it…) about the newly-adopted law in louisiana that allows people to pack heat into houses of worship. yes, the good, god-fearing
god bless america.
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the boy who cried twitter: how to make your message meaningless
Fri, Jul 2 2010 07:57 AM
| personal, social media, popular culture
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one of the beauties of social media is that it allows for a wide variety of usage. for some, it's strictly "social" in the truest sense of the word, serving as a place to foster conversation and casual interaction. for others, it's a mode of relaying and broadcasting information or a vehicle for relationship-driven branding/marketing. i see all these uses (and there are plenty others i could name) as valid, if executed properly and within the bounds of social norms of the "community" in which one is operating.
lately, i've been examining the way i utilize social media (twitter, most predominantly, in my case). i don't think i've necessarily crossed any boundaries or used it in inappropriate/ineffective ways. rather, i've witnessed too many people who have and it's caused me to pause and exercise some caution.
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best albums of 2010 (so far)
Fri, Jun 25 2010 08:02 AM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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for those concerned with nerdy, useless information, at noon on friday, july 2, the year will officially be half over (or, um, half full?). as the cliché informs, the year has flown by. so far, i would affirm that it's been a good year. no doubt, some particularly terrible things have occurred personally, but then again, some particularly incredible things have occurred as well. you win some and you lose some.
in addition to personal experiences, it's been a good year for music. as i've mentioned before (and beyond the obvious observation), i consume a lot of music and it's been a good year to do that. a little over a hundred albums have graced my itunes in 2010 so far and of those, some are good, some are bad and some are just plain ugly. some, of course, have been particularly great. i thought i'd share the great ones with you.
in addition to personal experiences, it's been a good year for music. as i've mentioned before (and beyond the obvious observation), i consume a lot of music and it's been a good year to do that. a little over a hundred albums have graced my itunes in 2010 so far and of those, some are good, some are bad and some are just plain ugly. some, of course, have been particularly great. i thought i'd share the great ones with you.
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listen to the new track, 'unholy triad' from kevin max's forthcoming, 'cotes d'armor'
Fri, Jun 18 2010 01:15 PM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
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several weeks ago, i posted the latest track, on yer bike! from one of my favorite artists, kevin max. the new track was the debut release from the august 24th-slated album, cotes d'armor, a part remix, part new original offering from the once-famed dc talk frontman. yesterday, he released a new track.
two in review: may/june 2010
Fri, Jun 18 2010 08:01 AM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
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i consume a lot of music. it's probably some kind of music ADD thing. i should probably seek out some kind of music junkies anonymous meeting or engage in some kind of full-out intervention. ultimately, i just love music and thus, consume quite a bit on any given week or month.
listen to the new track, 'beg steal or borrow' from ray lamontagne's forthcoming, 'god willin' and the creek don't rise'
Wed, Jun 16 2010 05:22 PM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
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ah, ray. it was sweet, sweet news a few weeks ago when it was announced that ray lamontagne will be releasing the follow-up to 2008's gossip in the grain on august 17. the album, god willin' & the creek don't rise, will be released under the moniker, ray lamontagne & the pariah dogs. as anticipation mounts heading towards the release date, ray had done us all a beautiful favor with the youtube-embedded release of a new track, beg steal or borrow.
dr. jekyll and mr. white: a look back at 'breaking bad' season 3
Wed, Jun 16 2010 08:02 AM
| recommendations, videos, personal, t.v., favorites, popular culture
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much like legions of other people, the buzz during the first and second seasons of breaking bad grew more and more deafening and finally led to my skeptical viewing of season 1, episode 1 last september. and then episode 2. then 3 and 4 and so on. i was a late adopter, but when i finally caved, boy did i ever cave. over the course of about 2 weeks, i devoured the first 2 seasons and became not only a fan, but an obsessed breaking bad evangelist.
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what my neighborhood grocery store has taught me about stereotypes
Mon, Jun 14 2010 07:57 AM
| general life, personal, little rock, popular culture, food
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a brief note: i'm particularly sensitive to issues of race. i believe racism is still very much a plague on our society in many forms. with that, i realize that this post is the blogging equivalent to trying to tip-toe through a minefield. i hope to use some introductory candor and humor to talk about a serious and often hurtful topic. i hope, in the end, to segue into some commentary that will shed some helpful light on the issue.
now back to your regularly scheduled program.
i love our neighborhood grocery store. its prices aren't the lowest. its produce is suspect. it's missing some of the brands i prefer. it (bizarrely) plays country music over the speakers. the parking lot floods with the slightest hint of rain.
and i love it.
why? because i'm the white guy. yep. at any given time, the store's population is made up of about 99% black people and then me. now, if i just happen to hit it at a crazy white person rush, there may be a whole 1 or 2 other white people.
and i love it.
you see, there's so much to learn—as a white person—being the vast minority. when the tables are turned, one's perspective becomes much different. one begins to see many things much more clearly, particularly, in regards to stereotypes.
of max and men: teaching a boy to be a man
Sat, Jun 12 2010 08:53 AM
| christen, general life, personal, olive, lucy, christian subculture, theology, family, popular culture, children, max
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in the event that you've slept through the last several days or haven't read my blog (or decided to unfollow me in the midst of gratuitous labor tweeting…), baby byrd #3–max ryan byrd–squirted into this world on tuesday afternoon. weighing in just slightly under the minimum tonnage for aspiring sumo wrestlers, all 9 lbs, 3 oz of max has spent the last couple days acclimating to his new home. big sister olive and even bigger sister lucy have also been acclimating to having a new human being in their home, especially for the fact that this new human being is a little boy.
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picking up the pieces of my blown mind: apple announces iphone 4
Mon, Jun 7 2010 04:01 PM
| videos, personal, technology, news, awesome, favorites, popular culture, iphone, current events, blog stuff, apple
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more than once (to deal in understatement), i've been called an apple fanboy. there's a certain contingency of the unconvinced (the ignorant?) that assume if you like apple's products, you must be blindly being led like a brainless sheep. but, of course, there's another contingency. that is, naturally, the contingency of the convinced: the people who have seen, time and time again, that there is simply no company that creates consistently amazing, innovative and inspiring products like apple. none.
the tradition continues today with the announcement of iphone 4.
in memoriam: the way of jesus remembered
Mon, May 31 2010 12:06 PM
| personal, jesus, chuch, christian subculture, theology, popular culture
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UPDATE (5/31/10 5:49 PM): i've come across several great posts regarding the crossroads of memorial day and jesus. one that particularly stood out was diana butler bass'memorial day: perspective from church history, in which she includes an excerpt from her recent book, a people's history of christianity. i thought a piece of it was worth adding here as a bit of an addendum. she writes:
Christians were not allowed to fight. No record exists that Christians served in the Roman army before 170. The strong consensus of the early church was that war meant killing, killing was murder, and murder was wrong. In the third century, Cyprian of Carthage noted: "The world is going mad in mutual bloodshed. And murder, which is considered a crime when people commit it singly, is transformed into a virtue when they do it en masse."
truly, these are words to remember as we reflect on a day like this.
-----------------------------------------------
today—memorial day—is a day in which we reflect on and honor all the men and women who have fought and died for the sake of the united states of america. their sacrifice has been enormous. to willingly lay down's one life for his or her country is a sacrifice that is truly unfathomable.
it's a sacrifice, quite frankly, that i am unwilling to make.
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jakob dylan talks hebrews 11
Fri, May 21 2010 07:59 AM
| jesus, theology, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
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over the last couple months, i've found myself regularly hitting repeat on what i consider one of the best albums of 2010. jakob dylan's sophomore effort, women and country, is a sonic stroll through equal parts folk, western, rock and even pop sensibilities. much like his father, dylan explores everything from american folklore to love to social issues. naturally, though, what i find particularly intriguing is some of the subtle (and even not-so-subtle) references to matters of faith and spirituality. whereas jakob dylan is far from his father's deep and outspoken points-of-view, he certainly isn't afraid to draw rich spiritual metaphors and allusions.
agreeing to disagree, pt. 2: principles of civil discourse from don miller
Wed, May 5 2010 08:02 AM
| general life, personal, church, emergent, jesus, christian subculture, theology, popular culture, politics, current events, lists
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yesterday, i posted some thoughts on the phrase, we'll just have to agree to disagree, referencing the following tweet by @midrash_lr:
my basic premise, of course, was that while i agree with the fundamental value inherent in his statement, it's a bit utopian. there are simply times when the conversation devolves into something other than a healthy exchange when one or both people cease to work within the spirit of mutual respect and learning.
Let's end, "We'll have to agree to disagree." This ends the convo. Instead let's try "good men can disagree" & ctn the convo.
midrash_lr
midrash_lr
my basic premise, of course, was that while i agree with the fundamental value inherent in his statement, it's a bit utopian. there are simply times when the conversation devolves into something other than a healthy exchange when one or both people cease to work within the spirit of mutual respect and learning.
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agreeing to disagree: exploring the limits of social engagement
Tue, May 4 2010 08:04 AM
| general life, personal, church, emergent, eikon, christian subculture, theology, popular culture, politics, current events
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we all know the common saying, we'll just have to agree to disagree, at least in some iteration. of course, the phrase is used when two people feel like they've reached a point in the conversation where the wheels are spinning, but it's really going nowhere. no doubt, i've uttered this saying numerous times, particularly as of late.
of protest and privilege: tim wise talks tea party and racial divide
Tue, Apr 27 2010 12:59 PM
| rant, church, news, jesus, quotes, christian subculture, popular culture, politics, current events
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whether it's a primary motivator or a smaller piece of the puzzle, most objective, analytical observers of the tea party can see that racial undertones are, well, more than just undertones. they're relatively major players within this "movement". nearly 90% of those involved are white and generally upper middle class. i'm not sure if you've heard or not, but the dude they hate and rally against is a black guy named barack obama. you know, "that one".
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rampant religion roundup: lifeway christian stores, jennifer knapp and johnny piper
Fri, Apr 23 2010 02:38 PM
| rant, christen, church, news, emergent, jesus, eikon, theology, music, favorites, popular culture, current events
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last month, the calvinist legions of bloggers hit the interwebs to lambast their chosen messiah, john piper, for what they viewed as a theological slap in the face. piper did the (apparently) unthinkable and invited rick warren to be one of the featured speakers at his desiring god 2010 national conference (in addition to speakers such as the SBC godfather al mohler and the treading-on-thin-ice-because-now-you're-making-films-with-that-rob-bell-company francis chan).
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roll your windows down: a soundtrack for spring/summer
Thu, Apr 22 2010 07:58 AM
| personal, awesome, music, favorites, popular culture, free stuff
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if you're like me, a drive through town these days is less worth the trip without the windows down and, in my case, the sunroof open. indeed, it's springtime and we're marching quickly toward a bright and sunny summer. these things are only made better with just the right soundtrack. so, i've taken it upon myself to whip up a little something and i thought it would only be fitting if i shared it with everyone.so, on this mix, you'll find a blend of spring and summer songs that should get you through the better part of the next 5 or more months. you'll notice that i tried to keep it diverse, with music ranging from indie afro-pop to a fresh prince to songs that will make you sweat. no doubt, there's something for everyone (including girls who like to wear abercrombie & fitch…).
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praise the lord!: in pursuit of the american dream
Tue, Apr 20 2010 07:57 AM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, confessions, christian subculture, theology, popular culture, politics
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a couple days, i had a twitter conversation (or as much as you can possibly have on twitter) with a good friend about the concept of amassing wealth and living "comfortably". specifically, the following values (in the context of "personal responsibility") were offered by him: "saving for retirement, living comfortably w/in means, & taking care of the poor." my response was twofold. the first:
sounds good in theory. problem, though, is 2 of those are american values & only 1 is a jesus value.
his response:
so you're going to give away ALL your $ & not pay bills or for food or shelter? Our difference of opinion is bible interpretation.
to which i replied:
poor interpretation is what has led hordes of really well-intentioned people to chase the american dream instead of jesus.
ding! ding! ding! fighters return to your corners! ;)
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letting go: jennifer knapp confirms she's gay to christianity today
Wed, Apr 14 2010 07:58 AM
| news, emergent, confessions, eikon, christian subculture, theology, music you should know, favorites, church, jesus, music, popular culture, current events
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on a fateful day in 1999, fragile, protected-from-the-evils-of-the-world christians learned of the shock and horror they previously thought unimaginable: amy grant, darling of contemporary christian music, got divorced.
gasp!
shockwaves (yes, i too wish i was exaggerating) rippled through baptist churches from sea to shining sea. after cd-burning parties, a healthy dose of potluck dinner gossip and legions of once-diehard fans disowning their christian pop princess, the lingering effects of a fallen angel still remain in some corners of christendom today.
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when heritage is hate: virginia governor declares "confederate history month"
Wed, Apr 7 2010 02:42 PM
| rant, personal, arkansas, little rock, jesus, christian subculture, popular culture, politics, current events
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i grew up here in arkansas. in the south. in one of the so-called confederate states of america. growing up, these things were quite self-evident. from confederate flags waving proudly on bubba's chevy stepside truck to the idolization of the dukes of hazard's general lee to—on the very serious end of things—seeing nooses hung at church camp one year when a black student attended. yes, indeed, i grew up in arkansas.
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derek webb performs unreleased caedmon's call track, 'god's hometown' —OR— a scary tale of christian subculture
Mon, Apr 5 2010 08:19 AM
| personal, church, travel, emergent, jesus, christian subculture, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
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we had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to memphis a couple days ago to see derek webb and sandra mccracken perform at the famous levitt shell (the site of what many historians consider the first "rock n' roll" show featuring elvis presley…for you trivia nerds…). the concert was free and the weather was great, so all the planets seemed to align (i'll get to where things got out of whack a little later…). webb is a great live act because of the conviction he brings to his performances and—even with his lone guitar—he brought just what i expected.
democracy wins: derek webb covers bob dylan's 'the times they are a-changin'
Fri, Apr 2 2010 08:34 AM
| recommendations, reviews, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
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over the last couple months, i've blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. a couple months ago, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album will then be recorded over the span of 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. over the past 2 months, webb released the first two tracks, which was a beautiful version of the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps and a so-so version of coldplay's fix you.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb plans to reveal each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the third one.
apple to fox news: you keep your glenn, we keep our money
Thu, Apr 1 2010 08:02 AM
| personal, t.v., emergent, theology, popular culture, politics
| permalink
it isn't rare to find me applauding the efforts of apple. simply put, they have a superior line of products. in terms of everything from hardware to the operating system to overall innovation, it isn't difficult to understand why, year in and year out, apple is voted by peers as the most admired company.
but in this case, my applause and admiration is for something, ultimately, more important than just computers or phones or product beauty. in a bold statement, apple has decided to boycott fox news by withholding millions of advertising dollars.
why? look no further than our pal glenn beck.
democracy wins: derek webb covers coldplay's 'fix you'
Fri, Feb 26 2010 09:45 AM
| recommendations, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture
| permalink
in early january, i blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. last month, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album will then be recorded over the span on 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. last month, webb released the first track, which was a beautiful version of the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps. you can listen to that track here.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb plans to reveal each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the second one.
a final farewell from Fat Ryan -OR- my plan to lose the equivalent of a 10-yr old
Sat, Jan 23 2010 02:26 PM
| christen, general life, personal, humor, weight loss, family, popular culture, children, food
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hello friends,
Fat Ryan here. yes, this is the same ryan that's been bringing you this stunning blog content since the year of our lord 2007. yes, this is the same ryan that you see every day or that you interact with on twitter every day or that you think longingly of each day. but i'm now referring to that guy as Fat Ryan.
and the Fat Ryan is singing.
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a vote for democracy: derek webb to release "democracy: vol. 1"
last year, when derek webb released his album, stockholm syndrome, several "tiers" were sold with various combinations of physical copies, digital copies, t-shirts, dvds, stickers and other assorted items. in several of the upper tiers, one of the intriguing inclusions was voting and, ultimately, free downloads of a promised 2010 project called democracy, vol. 1. this would be a monthly demo project in which he would record one cover of a song as voted by the fans.
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the coolest thing i didn't blog about in 2009 -OR- how i got published by spike lee
Fri, Jan 1 2010 07:49 PM
| art, personal, awesome, graphic design, books, popular culture, politics
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to say that 2009 was a busy year for me would be a incredibly gross understatement. looking back, there are still several big things that i just simply couldn't find the time to blog about (some are still coming, hopefully). one of those things i found out way back in april, came to fruition in november and yet, i still couldn't steal away a few minutes to post the news.
a diagram of the same sex marriage debate
Thu, Dec 31 2009 10:53 AM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, graphic design, christian subculture, popular culture, diagrams, politics, current events
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i came across this on clinical sexologist becky knight's twitter (@livingsexuality) and found it intriguing. at first glance, i thought it was a little one-sided, but i then noticed the credit at the bottom which reads, compiled from various facebook polls. that, in and of itself, doesn't mean a lot, but it is to say that these words and phrases and quotes come from the mouths (um, fingers, i guess…) of real, live actual people. these aren't just a bunch of assumptions, but actual things taken from facebook users.
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2009 in review: albums
Wed, Dec 30 2009 04:16 PM
| recommendations, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, lists
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i just wrapped up an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want to catch up on the series, you can begin with the introduction here and the move to the following posts:
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2009 in review: songs
Tue, Dec 29 2009 03:58 PM
| recommendations, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, lists
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i just wrapped up an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want to catch up on the series, you can begin with the introduction here and the move to the following posts:
25 in the 2000s: things that shaped the aughts
Sun, Dec 27 2009 04:24 PM
| personal, t.v., technology, news, christian subculture, theology, music, popular culture, iphone, politics, current events, lists
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this is final post in an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
in another blogger's recent appraisal of the past decade, it was described as "the decade that snuck up on us." his main thesis was that the decade started off very well, with relative peace and tranquility. and then…9/11. from there, we've seen war, political scandal and various disease outbreaks. but the blogger concludes that, all in all, the decade has seen more light than dark. i share that point-of-view and look back rather fondly. both personally and in terms of news-worthy moments, i think it's been a decade worth remembering. in remembering, i decided to compile a list of anything that in any way shaped the decade. so, these aren't just news stories or technological advances or any specific "category" of list item. these are simply things that shaped the aughts.
25 in the 2000s: albums
Sun, Dec 27 2009 02:06 PM
| recommendations, personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff, lists
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
i truly believe that the 2000s are the greatest music decade ever. that revelation should come as a surprise to those who know my deep and abiding love for the 90s. so that should make it even more emphatic. if you look back over the last 4 or 5 decades, there are very definable styles and descriptors. the 70s had disco, the 80s had new wave and punk, the 90s had grunge and pop. but nothing can be so finitely pinpointed over the past 10 years. and that's actually a good thing. of course, for music historians—who like to simplify and categorize—that's not so great, but the decade was, in fact, an outstanding time to listen to music. ultimately, what made the 2000s significant is that is was more of a melding of styles from the past several decades. it built on the dance music from the 70s while dabbling in the new wave of the 80s while still harkening back to plenty of angst from the 90s (and that's not even touching on the 50s and 60s which were so important in the decade in music). so, these albums represent all these things. it's a little all over the place, but that's exactly what made the 2000s a great time for music lovers.
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25 in the 2000s: songs
Fri, Dec 25 2009 04:25 PM
| personal, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, lists
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
picking 25 songs from an entire decade is akin to putting 25 needles in a colossal haystack and saying, "find them." so, undoubtedly, my list is incomplete and flawed, at best. one point of clarification, though, for this list is that this—more than any of my lists—is a combination of a few factors. a good 60% of this list is purely what i like. so, there's some of these songs that i've not seen on anyone's list, but i just love them (i.e. roll to the middle by sara groves). another 30% consists of songs that had a significant impact. in others words, whereas i like every single song on here, there are songs that, even on the same album, i liked another song personally better, but the chosen song's impact was too significant to leave off (i.e. rehab by amy winehouse). the other 10% are songs that i haven't found myself putting into particularly heavy rotation, but they're just good, so i was compelled to include them (i.e. since u been gone by kelly clarkson).
25 in the 2000s: one-hit wonders
this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
it's difficult to talk about an era of music without bringing up the topic of one-hit wonders. while the conversation is inevitable, it's much more difficult to pin down exactly what defines a one-hit wonder. one on hand, it's a band who comes out of nowhere, blows up with one song and then we never hear of them again. and then, there's the bands that are legitimately good bands, but just happen to only have one song that really hits the radio waves. and then, there's the bands that have had some minor hits, but had one particular song that just blew up. this list will deal with all of those. there are some songs/bands on here that almost pained me because they're a legitimately great band (like my #1), but definitionally, they are a one-hit wonder. so, here it is.
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25 in the 2000s: cover songs
Sun, Dec 20 2009 05:54 PM
| recommendations, personal, awesome, music, music you should know, favorites, popular culture, free stuff, lists
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
ah, the cover song. we are all magnetically drawn to the power of someone doing a song previously done by another artist. it's truly unexplainable. from the newly interpreted beauty to the refreshing newfound angle to the downright funny, cover songs are a musical phenomenon that cannot be denied. so, here's my list of the 25 cover songs that rose to the top of the aughts.
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25 in the 2000s: movies
Thu, Dec 17 2009 07:50 AM
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
often, the story of a culture, a people, a time period is shared through cinema. movies transcend moments and create timeless asides from normal life. so it was over the last 10 years. during that time, the theater has seen the best of times and the worst of times. yes, we've had to sit through quite a few michael bay movies, but at the same time, we've had the pleasure to enjoy some of the truly great cinematic works of all-time. with that said, here's my favorite movies of the aughts.
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25 in the 2000s: tv shows
this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
you absolutely cannot talk about tv in the 2000s without immediately turning to reality television. it's certainly the hallmark of the decade and reveals a lot about cultural attitudes and values. but even beyond reality tv (which you'll find over in and over in my list), tv, in general, reveals the cultural climate during a time period. so, with this list, my selections should tell you something about both the decade and the lens in which i viewed it (both literally and figuratively).
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25 in the 2000s: sports moments
Tue, Dec 8 2009 08:15 AM
| videos, personal, sports, news, favorites, popular culture, lists
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
one of the hallmarks of any time period is a reflection on what occurred in the world of sports. naturally, the 2000s are no different. while it's still hard to completely put its impact in historical context, the 2000s certainly had many memorable moments and were defined by some of the greatest athletes of all time: lebron james, peyton manning, albert pujols, shaquille o'neal and many more. so, here's a look at the greatest sports moments of the last decade
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25 in the 2000s: technological innovations
Wed, Dec 2 2009 09:29 AM
| photography, t.v., technology, graphic design, music, favorites, popular culture, science, iphone, current events, lists
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
in technology standards, 10 years is a very, very long time. innovative people and programs are constantly looking for new ways to connect people, spread information and make life easier through advances in technology. in this list, i've used technology in the broadest sense: science, mechanics, computer, social media, etc. so, here's the best in what's happened in technological innovation over the last 10 years.
25 in the 2000s: religious stories
Sun, Nov 29 2009 01:29 PM
| personal, movies, news, emergent, christian subculture, theology, favorites, lists, church, jesus, music, popular culture, current events, politics
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
it seem as if the last 10 years have been a particularly explosive and salient time in the world of religion. from a new pope to the brazen use of religion in political campaigns to the culture of islamic suspicion since 9/11, religion has been at the forefront of conversation and headlines. in the following list, i'll talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of the decade in religion.
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25 in the 2000s: an introduction
Sat, Nov 28 2009 10:00 AM
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the year: 1999. your shopping list: several flash lights, 4 or 5 large packs of batteries, a few cases of bottled water, nonperishable food items, a swiss army knife and several boxes of zombie repellant.
why? y2k, of course.
yes, in 1999, the world prepared itself for the certain meltdown of all that we had previously known as organized civilization. now, we find ourselves in 2009—a decade later—still waiting for the world to come to a screeching halt. while we're waiting, though, i thought it would be a good time to bask in what has been a great decade: the aughts.
hbo's big love returns in january 2010
Tue, Nov 24 2009 08:30 AM
| videos, t.v., favorites, popular culture
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it's no secret that i'm a huge fan of hbo's big love. bar none, big love is my favorite tv show of all-time. it has drama, humor, mystery, intrigue, death, religion, plot twists…everything you could possibly want from a tv show.in typical hbo fashion, the gaps between seasons of big love are long and maddening. so, it's with great excitement that i post the teaser trailer for the upcoming season—season
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twitter me this: 5 twitter gripes
i love twitter.
for a lot of different reasons. it's fast, it's streamlined, it's connective, it's educational, it allows regular exercise in brevity, it's ADD-friendly, it's bridge-building, it's uniquely expressive. :) it's all this and more.
but.
i do have a handful of gripes. there's several things that consistently bug me on twitter. one of the beauties of twitter is that it's not too strictly-defined, so you can use it for whatever purposes you might have. so my list of gripes is highly personal. it isn't like these things are violations of some kind of twitter equivalent to the code of hammurabi or the 10 commandments. and while i do think my list is probably shared by a large number of twitterers, it's still necessary to say that it's just sorta "one of those things" kind of deals for me and maybe not for anyone else.
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pulaski academy, marching bands |||amp; the new racism
Fri, Nov 13 2009 08:11 AM
| rant, general life, personal, little rock, theology, family, popular culture
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when i saw, on the arkansas blog, the teaser, "A local blogger has written—unhappily—that Pulaski Academy won't send its band to a football playoff game in Helena-West Helena", i thought this was going to be a flashback to 1993 when the conway high school football team lost to pine bluff in the state championship game. after a searing defeat, some conway fans looked for a direction in which their finger could point. of all places, they found the band, saying that their minimal playing caused the team to lose. yes, you read that correctly: the band's lack of horns and drums and cymbals. so when i saw this headline, i thought i was in for the same disbelief from nearly 16 years ago.
that, though, is not what i discovered.
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a graphic debate: liberals vs conservatives
Fri, Oct 23 2009 04:46 PM
| art, popular culture, websites, politics
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every day and night, there's a political war that takes place on network and cable television, pitting republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals and certainly other oppositional euphemisms against each other. generally, it can be as mild as a unhelpful caricatures or as aggressive as an uninformed shouting match.
the gospel according to breaking bad's walter white
less than two weeks ago, i could tell you 1 fact about amc's emmy-winning drama, breaking bad: it was called breaking bad. oh wait, one more: it was on amc. i was pretty sure.since that time, i've devoured approximately 20 hours of the show, comprised of 7 season one episodes and 13 season two episodes.my initial response to this acknowledgement (or confession, if you will) might be that i was totally
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an open letter to those who have been burned by church
Tue, Sep 1 2009 08:56 PM
| rant, personal, church, emergent, eikon, confessions, christian subculture, theology, popular culture
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thanks to a tweet from @emergentvillage, i came across a great blog post from curtis honeycutt (@curtishoneycutt) today speaking to—as the title suggests—those who have been burned by church. it's a beautiful, vulnerable, honest conversation with an ever-growing group of people. so, if you've ever felt put off, not by jesus, but by the church, take a minute to read this. curtis, no doubt, shares
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brian mclaren: an open letter on healthcare to conservative christians
i would have titled this rant 3, but this isn't a rant at all (unlike rant 1 and rant 2...). this is a thoughtful, seemingly prayerful olive branch extended by brian mclaren. many people won't be able to get past the first two words of my title—brian mclaren (which he basically acknowledges)—but for those who choose to read it, i think it's exactly what i'd like to say if i would pause in my moments
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rant two: bill maher talks healthcare (insert ominous music here)
Sun, Aug 9 2009 08:36 PM
| rant, personal, popular culture, politics
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as i've discussed before (where you can read rant 1), i'm a HUGE proponent for massive healthcare reform. truth be told, as opposed to my generally centrist political viewpoints, i'm actually on the far left side of things in that i'm an avid supporter of full-on universal healthcare. for various reasons, i wish more than even the current bill is trying to do was being done to overhaul the system.i'm
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to the dave ramsey disciples: beware of moths and rust
Fri, Aug 7 2009 10:00 PM
| theology, family, popular culture
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for many people, dave ramsey—christian financial author and radio personality—is a financial messiah. he has droves of ardent disciples and masses of ready-and-willing evangelists. try googling something having to do with dave ramsey criticism and you'll quickly find blogs or forums in which hordes of his disciples adamantly tell the critic why ramsey is the next best thing to the second coming
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god resigns, appoints assistant ashley to god
Thu, Jul 30 2009 03:02 PM
| humor, theology, popular culture
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here's a piece from the never-disappointing mcsweeney's. we learn several things here, some we knew, some we didn't: god gave us mario batali (we knew this) and that's god's assistant is named ashley and she will now be our acting god (we did not know this).enjoy.GOD'S RESIGNATION SPEECH.BY LUCAS KAVNER- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dear World,I appreciate speaking
barna group research on homosexual faith perspectives
Wed, Jul 29 2009 02:24 PM
| church, emergent, quotes, christian subculture, theology, popular culture, websites, current events
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I read a fairly vast array of blogs. all the way from tony jones to even, yes, mark driscoll. i read the cry of social justice from the sojourners blog all the way to the calvinist smorgasbord of tim challies. on the more conservative wing of the blog spectrum, i semi-regularly read ed stetzer's (director of research for the evil empire lifeway) blog. stetzer—coming from a research point-of-view—is
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twitter me this: iran, protests and social media
Wed, Jun 17 2009 09:34 PM
| technology, emergent, popular culture, websites, politics
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for those of you who decided to disconnect from absolutely any media outlet, social media site or the entire communicative human race over the last several days, let me catch you up to speed with what's going on in iran right now.last friday (june 12), iran held presidential elections. incumbent mahmoud ahmadinejad is a real piece of work (famous for denying the holocaust, calling for the dissolution
isn't it ironic: indie sensibilities and the rise of hip hop
Sat, Jun 13 2009 11:42 PM
| mustaches, emergent, music, popular culture
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isn't it ironic? coincidentally (i swear i didn't plan this...), 14 years ago today, alanis morissette released her breakthrough (and still amazing) album jagged little pill and, of course, posed this very question. further, of course, we all know that absolutely nothing in that great song was actually ironic. strangely coincidental, but certainly not ironic.so, again, i pose the question, isn't it
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postmodernity according to gillian welch and madonna
Sat, Jun 13 2009 12:55 PM
| emergent, theology, music, popular culture
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chalk this up as my absolutely random post of the week. hey, it's saturday, why not?quite some time ago, i discovered a hilarious children's book being published by paste magazine called an indie rock alphabet book. basically, each page pairs up a letter with an indie artist and makes some quirky rhyming sentence. for example, birthdays, puppy dogs, breakfast in bed...nothing could be better than radiohead.
dick, sotomayor and gay marriage
Tue, Jun 2 2009 10:40 PM
| theology, popular culture, politics, current events
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just a couple days ago, i blogged about obama's supreme court nomination of judge sonia sotomayor. if you read that or have paid even an ounce of attention over the last several days, you'll know that there's been quite a bit of controversy and strong reaction over comments she made 8 years ago about her the judicial benefit of her experience as a self-described "newyorkrican."in essence, what has
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supreme court nominee sotomayor: facts vs. experience vs. truth
Sun, May 31 2009 04:41 PM
| emergent, theology, popular culture, politics
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let me be very clear: i know very little about supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. here's what i do know, though:1. her name sounds like a character from some kind of international spy movie. i'm thinking like some kind of unassuming hispanic housewife turned international spy. there would be plenty of shooting poisoning russians and maybe even some kind of battle with polish hackers...2. white
ted talk: the power of design
Tue, May 26 2009 11:35 PM
| videos, graphic design, popular culture
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on a lighter note...here's a rare mention of graphic design.while i don't talk about it a lot on the blog, obviously, graphic design is a large part of my life. i love design and not only think it's just "cool" or "fun" or whatever, but i think design is a truly powerful thing that can change perceptions and define moments. it can bring people together and tear people apart. it can evoke powerful imagery
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one nation, seven sins
Wed, May 6 2009 08:34 PM
| church, christian subculture, theology, popular culture
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we've all heard—whether it be in the movie seven or through popular culture references or maybe even your sunday school class when you were 10—about the "seven deadly sins." they are, of course, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. [interestingly, as a sidenote, the seven deadly sins isn't actually a biblical concept. whereas we can find seven "abominations" in proverbs 6, for example,
brother hank on christian music
Tue, Apr 14 2009 11:03 PM
| church, quotes, humor, christian subculture, music, popular culture
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"You aren’t making Christianity cool, you’re making rock music worse." -hank hill, king of the hill (speaking about christian rock music)
theology thursday
Thu, Apr 9 2009 07:10 PM
| church, emergent, eikon, christian subculture, theology, popular culture
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this weekend, people who follow in the way of christ celebrate a very pivotal and unparalleled day known, of course, as easter. over the last several weeks, in conjunction with the lead-up to easter, there's been quite a bit of social and cultural commentary related to matters of faith.my office is a great place because it's sort of a microcosm of society and culture. while we have a lot of young people
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from the eikon blog: graphics and god
Tue, Apr 7 2009 11:06 PM
| art, emergent, eikon, graphic design, theology, popular culture
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i just posted another piece on the eikon blog about the intersection of faith and culture concerning motion and print designer barton damer. damer is two things (among many other things): an unbelievably amazing designer and a christ follower. so, i wrote a little about the interplay between the two that is found in his life and work.so, go check it out here!
jesus people and the christian music bubble
Tue, Apr 7 2009 12:03 AM
| recommendations, videos, movies, humor, christian subculture, theology, popular culture
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second only to posts about theology (81 posts), i have blogged about music more than any other topic (68 times to be exact). beyond those hard numbers, it's not difficult for long-time blog readers to gather that i'm what you could call music-obsessed. i love music—music of all kinds. by and large, i'm a fan of just about everything except country music (sorry to my redneck reader contingency out
for the love of big love
Tue, Mar 24 2009 11:33 PM
| recommendations, t.v., theology, favorites, popular culture
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WARNING: IF YOU WATCH BIG LOVE AND HAVEN'T SEEN THE SEASON 3 FINALE YET, YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ ANY FURTHER.i've talked about big love here at least one other time here on the blog and if you've read it, you know that i'm thoroughly obsessed with it. i blog about it, twitter about it and have incessant conversations with coworkers about it. in all seriousness, i truly love the show. bar none, it's
oh no, mommy...it's...the...INTERNET!!
Tue, Feb 24 2009 08:21 AM
| technology, popular culture
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i've talked about my feelings concerning copyright issues and cultural technology implications on the blog before, so i thought this cartoon—while somewhat hyperbolic (like most good editorial cartoons)—was pretty funny. beyond being funny, though, it actually raises worthwhile questions about technology advances and how the media industry always tend to be slow to change and accept the inevitable.
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