listen to lissie cover metallica's 'nothing else matters' and download 'live sessions'
Fri, Aug 6 2010 01:23 PM
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as i've said before, i devour a lot of music. because of that, it's rare for a new artist to really sneak up and surprise me with how great it is. over the last couple months, an artist has done just that: lissie.
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dr. jekyll and mr. white: a look back at 'breaking bad' season 3
Wed, Jun 16 2010 08:02 AM
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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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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.
loving your enemies: a few words on criticism by don miller
Wed, May 26 2010 08:07 AM
| videos, personal, jesus, eikon, chuch, christian subculture, theology, family
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as i've shared before here on the blog, since starting the church over the last year or so, i've fought a consistently and surprisingly difficult battle with self doubt and criticism from others. sadly, it seems to just come with the territory of pastoring and particularly, it seems, church planting. in a post back in february, i shared about this struggle, saying the following:
much to my surprise, over the last half a year, i've fought a very tough battle with intense self doubt and bad case of trampled ego. i've always been the type to disallow the actions or words or critiques of others to shape my inner self, but taking the lead in a church planting project has revealed a new layer of emotions and personal battles. what you were certain of a day ago is now fodder for intense personal scrutiny and doubt.
the religion of atheism: how disbelief has become dogma
Mon, May 24 2010 01:35 PM
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over the last several years, more and more, i've attempted to engage the world around me with a continual spirit of humility. simply put, i try to live by the mantra, i might be wrong. undoubtedly, i fail often. i fight the urge to be right. it's difficult to accept when others can't just adopt my viewpoint. it's easier to clone than to create.
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listen to new tracks from fiona apple and the forthcoming punch brothers' 'antifogmatic'
Wed, May 12 2010 08:03 AM
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several years ago, much to equal amounts surprise and delight of both artists' fans, fiona apple and nickel creek went on tour together. what seemed like a curious combination turned out to be a perfect match, with the artists sharing the stage with great regularity and, subsequently, great results. since that time, it seems apple's kept a relationship with the nickel creek triumvirate and she's hooked up with chris thile's latest incarnation, punch brothers, for a new track.
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is barack obama a moderate republican?
during the 2008 presidential election, the national journal just coincidentally timed the release of their annual reports of most liberal and most conservative senators right before the primaries, revealing that barack obama ranked #1. < sarcasm > pure coincidence, of course… < /sarcasm >
naturally, that headline got a lot of traction, particularly in the midst of the lying and fear-mongering related to rampant reports of him being a muslim, his relationship with jeremiah wright and oh yeah, the fact that he's a black dude. once the headline hit, it became fuel for the fire of those who wished to paint obama as a radical left-winger.
naturally, that headline got a lot of traction, particularly in the midst of the lying and fear-mongering related to rampant reports of him being a muslim, his relationship with jeremiah wright and oh yeah, the fact that he's a black dude. once the headline hit, it became fuel for the fire of those who wished to paint obama as a radical left-winger.
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jakob dylan, neko case perform on npr's tiny desk concert series
Fri, Apr 9 2010 05:01 PM
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i love npr. even more specifically, i love all songs considered. i want to be bob boilen. he and his show are a goldmine for guaranteed great music. literally at least once a week, i discover a new artist directly because of npr's all songs considered.
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watch and download rob bell's latest film, 'resurrection'
Sun, Apr 4 2010 01:24 PM
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there are few sure bets in this world. yes, we can count on nic cage being just a little more creepy in his next film than the last. and yes, we can count on—regardless of years of reason to believe the previously stated fact—hordes of people flocking to the theater to see said next film. but otherwise, very few things, indeed, are worth betting the farm on.
enter rob bell stage left.
download rob's memorial playlist |||amp; videos
this past saturday—as noted in the previous post—we celebrated the life of our friend rob toon. it was honestly a great time, with laughter, tears and a whole gambit of emotions in between. i had the honor of participating in a number of ways, including sharing a few words about who rob was and the legacy he leaves. one of the things i was most excited to do, actually, was to put together a playlist that played before and after the service.
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brian mclaren talks a new kind of christianity
Mon, Feb 8 2010 08:54 AM
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only a minute or two into the story of my theological journey over the last 5 or 6 years, a little book called a new kind of christian enters the story and serves as the genesis for my ongoing narrative. that, of course, was written by brian mclaren nearly 10 years ago and it continues to resonate with a whole new generation of people investigating this whole jesus idea.
on tuesday, the conversation deepens with the release of his new book, a new kind of christianity.
big love returns with season 4 and a new intro
ah yes…do you smell that? take a big whiff. it's the smell of love in the air. it's not just any little love, but big love.
that's right, ladies and gentlemen, hbo's hit drama (and my favorite show of all-time) big love is back in its fourth season. last night, the henricksons returned for what's shaping up to be, possibly, the most dramatic and anxiety-ridden season to date.
that's right, ladies and gentlemen, hbo's hit drama (and my favorite show of all-time) big love is back in its fourth season. last night, the henricksons returned for what's shaping up to be, possibly, the most dramatic and anxiety-ridden season to date.
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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: sports moments
Tue, Dec 8 2009 08:15 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.
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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hbo's big love returns in january 2010
Tue, Nov 24 2009 08:30 AM
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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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when churches attack!: scaring the hell out of the masses, pt. 2
last week, on halloween, i blogged about the phenomenon over the last 20-30 years of churches putting on what's commonly known as hell houses. to put it lightly, i didn't really give them a glowing endorsement. :) you can read it in its entirety here.
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sneaking in jesus: the amazing atheist gets it right
Fri, Sep 25 2009 04:17 PM
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several years ago, rob bell, in velvet elvis, made a statement that i have often repeated: truth is everywhere.indeed.in the bible. in the quran. in the vedas. in the words of a prophet of crete (which paul quotes in his epistle to titus). truth is, in fact, everywhere.sometimes truth doesn't only come in "sacred" texts or reverent means of communication. sometimes truth comes in strange, bizarre,
watch the first 13 minutes of 'collision: christopher hitchens vs. douglas wilson"
Sun, Sep 6 2009 07:06 PM
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on october 27, collision: christopher hitchins vs. douglas wilson releases to dvd and limited theater runs in major markets. hitchens—self-described anti-theist, political journalist and author of the best-selling god is not great—in 2007, engaged in series of written correspondence with wilson—author, satirist and evangelical theologian—debating whether or not christianity is good for the
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eureka! six years of wedded bliss.
a couple days ago, christen and i celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. it's hard to talk about anniversaries without instantly sounding cliché or resorting to your standard fare summations of your love for your spouse. so, trying to avoid that as much as possible, i can truly say that i love christen much more now than i did 6 years ago. it's a different love, but it's certainly much deeper and
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bob dylan, watchmen and the art of juxtaposition
over the last couple nights (due to my old-man-falling-asleep proclivity), we finally decided to watch watchmen. much like others, we were intrigued by the incredible trailer, not so much for the movie itself but for the incredible use of the smashing pumpkins' the beginning is the end is the beginning.while we didn't necessarily have too much of a desire to see it in the theater, we finally did get
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reggie fish to the world: "i put that on my mama that the hogs get a bowl"
not many things in life are black & white. we're all on some kind of journey, often oscillating back and forth between varying points of emotions, viewpoints and attitudes.so it is with a recent rap song (with accompanying video) put out by the tiny razorback wonder, reggie fish. i'm not saying it's terrible. i'm not saying it's great. i'm just somewhere on a journey—a strange razorback football
new video: jenny lewis sees fernando
i've got at least two more poets, prophets and preachers reflections in the works, but i thought it might be a good time to take a little break. maybe something a little more drama-free...as many long-time blog readers may know, my music crush of several years is jenny lewis. i give christen justin timberlake. she gives me jenny lewis. :)in all fairness, i'm not only in love with jenny lewis for reasons
shepard fairey and the icon process
while i don't wholly subscribe to the idea that art is just as much about the process as the finished piece, there are certainly some nuggets of wisdom there.[please, let us all pause and soak in the fact that i just dropped the phrase 'nuggets of wisdom' on you...]you may or may not know the name shepard fairey, but i'm certain you know his work.how 'bout them apples?as you can see, it's certainly
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zack attack: jimmy fallon talks reunion with our favorite preppy
if there's a person in their late 20's/early 30's who can flip by tbs between 7 and 8 a.m. every morning and not stop, i can only imagine they were either kept in a shed sans t.v. throughout their childhood or they were dropped from outer space to earth circa '95. why? because, of course, as you faithful blog readers surely know, saved by the bell is still living on thanks to the always classy tbs.so,
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derek webb stockholm syndrome: spirit vs. kickdrum vs. utter confusion
Fri, May 29 2009 10:41 PM
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this is one of those posts where i don't know exactly where to begin. if nothing else, this post will help to spread my confusion to you, the reader. :)so...for a quick background of the current status of derek webb and his new record, stockholm syndrome, go read my post from a couple weeks ago here.since that time, there's been a lot more information as well as a mound more confusion. after the first
ted talk: the power of design
Tue, May 26 2009 11:35 PM
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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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the common
for quite some time, there's been a bit of a debate—primarily in the blogosphere—about whether or not true community can happen online. moreover, some have argued that not only can a true sense of community not happen online, but that virtual forms of "community"—like blogs, twitter, facebook, etc—actually work to kill true community.i tend to fall somewhere in the middle of the debate. whereas
an ethic of fear and muslim baby-making
Sat, May 2 2009 08:30 PM
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i've had plenty of gripe moments on twitter about this issue, but i thought—after being sent a link to a youtube video—that i might explore it a little more closely (more on the video ahead). specifically, it's what i'm calling an "ethic of fear". by that, i mean living life in a way that fear makes your decisions. fear sets your agenda. it tells you where to go and where not to go. it determines
incredible video: lucy mclauchlan: tacit
two futures: a call for nuclear disarmament
Wed, Apr 29 2009 09:54 PM
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it's no mystery to my regular blog readers: i'm anti-war.under any circumstances.let me offer a singular reason for this proclamation, from which many other reasons flow.i follow jesus and i believe the things he said.that could be the end.but, there's more.even in the event that the world is at peace in regards to physically fighting a war (which i don't foresee for a very long time), it still doesn't
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god is not a white man
Wed, Apr 29 2009 09:38 PM
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well, i don't think this post/video will be nearly as provocative as the title suggests. although, it is certainly the content of said post/video.the michael gungor band—who, quite honestly, i know very little about—has released a video for a song called white man. in it, they declare, in fact, that god isn't a white man. neither is he an old man or even a man. they go on to make various declarations
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new mute math video for spotlight
mute math = amazing.so it is, as well, with their videos.last year, typical was one of the most innovative and entertaining videos of 2008 and they've followed that up with another equally (almost...) innovative video for their current single, spotlight.it's clever, funny and looks like a lot of fun to make.you can check out spotlight and the remaining material from their yet-to-be-titled upcoming
ladies and gentlemen, i give you: chicken tetrazzini
no doubt, this is my favorite clip from the soup of all-time. bar none. all-time.behold:
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will ferrell prays to diet slice-drinking jesus
Sat, Apr 11 2009 12:16 PM
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a few weeks ago, will ferrell's broadway act, you're welcome america: a final night with george w. bush aired on hbo. i just now got a chance to watch it yesterday. and it. was. hysterical.now, let me just pause and make a big disclaimer. while it was amazingly hysterical, there are certainly things in it that would be deeply offensive to some of my readers (including language and very graphic images...graphic
jesus people and the christian music bubble
Tue, Apr 7 2009 12:03 AM
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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
where the wild things are trailer
so, at this point, there's a good chance you've heard the buzz about or seen the newly released trailer for the upcoming where the wild things are. it's made quite the rounds in the last 24 hours since it was released on apple's movie trailers site.truth be told, this is the kind of movie i would typically not be interested in seeing. strangely, i actually never read this book when i was kid, although
kay pettigrew keeps it fresh
wow...this is awesome. for those who don't know every single word of the fresh prince of bel air theme song and are between the ages of 25 and 30, you should be flogged with a cultural cane. apparently, kay pettigrew, a pretty cool indie/folk artist from toronto, knows it and she proves it with this video.good stuff.
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nailing jello to the wall: defining emerging church
Tue, Feb 17 2009 09:35 PM
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i've talked before on here about my mixed readership. on one hand, many of you read my blog in order to engage with my theological musings, while others of you could give a rip about this whole jesus thing. undoubtedly, most of you fall somewhere in the middle.for those of you who aren't theology nerds like myself or for those who aren't really connected to the church, maybe you've been scratching
another amazing video: oren lavie's her morning elegance
Mon, Feb 9 2009 09:21 PM
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yesterday, i posted a video that i just happened to come across that was pretty amazing and today, purely coincidentally, i came across yet another amazing video.this one—a music video of sorts for oren lavie's her morning elegance—does much of the same as the lost in a moment video from yesterday. it pairs an incredibly engaging visual with the perfect song.not only was it exciting to find such
grammy nomination predictions: success??
so, a couple months ago, shortly after the announcement of the grammy nominations, i offered the official being ryan byrd grammy predictions. so, after the grammys last night, i thought i would take a look and see how i did. (which, as a side note, if you didn't see the radiohead performance, you need to immediately go watch it. you can do so by clicking here.)(by the way, here's a bit of a legend
lost in a moment: the intimacy of sushi
i can't quit watching this video.it's an impromptu film made in tokyo by filmmakers dennis wheatley and stefan mcclean. apparently, they were sitting in this sushi bar pondering how best to set up a camera to film things all by itself while they were in tokyo. so, they decided to utilize the bar's conveyor system and let the camera take its own journey.what's so fascinating about this is the intimacy
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inaugural jesus
Wed, Jan 21 2009 08:07 PM
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unfortunately, i wasn't able to steal any time away yesterday to offer some thoughts on the historic magnitude of the day. if you've followed my blog for long, you will know that yesterday was an emotional and proud day for me, having been an obama supporter from literally day one of his candidacy. far beyond people's political affiliations and preferences and loyalties, yesterday was a moment that
mute math on jay leno
as many long time blog readers may know, i'm a huge mute math fan. they have an incomparable sound and an unparalleled live show (alternative press named them the "#1 band you must see live before you die"...pretty sufficient endorsement, i'd say...). i saw them a couple years ago in san diego opening for mae and while mae is an incredible live act as well, i think everyone in attendance knew who
funniest person on planet earth: tracy morgan. period.
blog FAIL
i haven't done it in quite awhile, but i decided to peruse the FAIL blog today. if you haven't checked it out, go there now and have fun wasting away way too much time seeing the power of failure. i thought i would share a few that were particularly funny to me.left: text FAIL: you know, the way the iphone text messaging home screen is, it's easy to text the wrong person...but come on, you gotta double
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penn |||amp; the gideon
yeah, that sounds like some kind of lost bible story just waiting to be discovered in some scroll: penn & the gideon...anyway, most of you know penn jillette, one half of the comedy/magic duo penn & teller. one of the most prominent aspects of his personal (and sometimes professional life) is that he is an ardent atheist. he isn't just your 'hey, i don't believe in god' kind of atheist. he's
oh the breadth of my blog...
video roundup: from advent |||amp; atheists to mashups |||amp; masterpieces
alright, so hopefully you took a look at our elderly rapper friends in my last post... today, for whatever reason, i came across a number of interesting videos and i thought i would just go ahead and share them here.1. coldplay ft. jay-z performing lost: seriously, you need to check this out (and get the free download...downloading as we speak, so i can't really speak for how good/bad it is, although
