Ed Young Cover Up

I got hip to Ed Young maybe six years ago. I subscribe to his podcast for several months.

Not long after that I unsubscribed. I found him fake, shallow, and empty of any real biblical knowledge.

I had the same feeling from listening to his podcast, that I get from watching commercials.

So this story doesn’t surprise. My fears are it’s just the tip of the iceberg. And not just for Ed Young but for all Rock Star pastors who are living a life that alienates Jesus.

There is no excuse for his actions.

Another sad, sad story of a pastor living the good life off the gospel of a homeless Rabbi.

symphonic progress

I ‘ve been playing around in garage band lately. Using the pre-installed loops to create my own sounds.

This is one I just finished. Really digging it, it’s about 3 minutes long.

Symphonic Progress

Rage Against The Machine, #1 single in UK

If you haven’t seen this story, it’s brilliant.

The winner of the X-factor, the British version of American Idol. Has had the #1 song for the last four years over Christmas. This years winning Joe McElderry, was set to release his new single “Climb”.

But thanks to a Rage fan who started a Face Book campaign to break the X Factor pop music dominance and get Rage’s song “Killing In The Name” to the number one spot instead.

In the end Rage sold 50,000 more copies of their single, then Joe sold of his. Even the likes of Sir Paul McCartney stood behind Rage…. I love it.

The real question is though, when is Rage going to come out with a new album?

Survival Of The Sickest

Survival Of The Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem

This was a highly entertaining book. I can’t point to one section where I found myself bored and wanting to skip any pages. It does a great job of leading the reader on a journey of connecting dots to form a larger picture.

The book deals with why certain diseases are still in our genes if evolution is really about the survival of the fittest. At some point would evolution breed these diseases out of our DNA to form healthy people? Turns out there may be a reason we are sick.

Find out why deadly diseases are bred into our genetic code – and learn the answers to such provocative questions as:

* Can a person rust to death?
* Can sunglasses cause sunburns?
* Why do we need to pee when we’re cold?
* Can the tanning salon lower cholesterol?
* Who gets drunk faster-Europeans or Asians? And why?
* Why are African-Americans more prone to hypertension?

My favorite chapter was chapter 8: Why You And Your Ipod Must Die … Read it here

The same reason a product must be replaced is the same reason we must die. To make improvements and pass along those genes to future generation so they can make improvements. It’s all about survival.

It’s why a better ipod comes out every year. There are improvements that need to be made, extra features that are added to make a better overall product.

I recommend this book, it’s a nice change from my normal reading list.

Animal Farm by Orwell

I read this one last year, and decide to re-read it at the beginning of this year. I’d easily put it in my top 5 favorite books, and at only a little over 100 pages, it’s a quick read.

The book is set during the events leading up to the Stalin era before World War II. The whole book is an allegory of communism and tyranny. Brilliantly writing by Orwell to simplify the issues so all readers can understand.

I love the Seven Commandments:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.

Then as the story progresses, how the commandments that bind everyone start to be watered down and rewritten to benefit the pigs, until they are ultimately replaced by one commandment.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others

It’s a great read about how absolute power corrupts. not in dramatic overnight changes, but by slow incremental changes that hardly seem noticeable.

It certainly speaks to our society today and the incremental build up of a police state.

This Blog Is Now A Book

I used lulu.com to publish my blog into a 400 page book. Just got it in the mail the other day, looks pretty good.

I just copied and pasted my post into indesign so I could control the formatting. Exported as a PDF and uploaded it to lulu.

There’s some typos and formatting issues I’d change but That’s to be expected with anything I write.

About 90% of the pages are from this blog, about 5% from my We Are Change Blog, and another 5% from my rechurched blog.

I wanted to publish my content only because heading forward I may just use this blog for book review or such. My bloging has fallen off a cliff in the last 6 months. Mainly because it’s a blog and I’m a guy who sits in an office all day. What I say isn’t that important.

That’s why I put the tagline on the front cover of the book as “nobody likes your blog anyways”  …. never take yourself to seriously.

Goal for 2010

Not real big into make New Years resolutions. I do however have a small list of things I’ll be working on in 2010.

º Read 24 Books (2 books a month, should be an easy goal for me)

º Record an EP with garage band. Maybe just 3 or 4 songs and a couple instrumental tracks

º Finish a rough draft of my book

º Brew a batch of Killer Beer (just a batch that I really enjoy, not a literal beer that kills you)

º Move (been considering this one for many years)

º Learn Something New (like how to make soap, cheese, or build something)

º Increase my garden from last year

º Create 2 or 3 amazing designs to add to my portfolio

Neon Horse

Currently into Neon Horse. A secret tooth and nail “super group”. I can place Mark salomon from stavesacre as lead vocals, Jason martin from starflyer 59 as lead guitar. But I have no idea who the other vocals come from. The bass and drum player are supposed to be former project 86 members.

The band does not name it’s members, and of course no one would care, except their good! Solid rock, with synths and loops, and creative vocals.

It’s different, but in a good way that makes you want to listen again and again.

Drops Like Stars Tour // Columbus

When downtown last night to see Rob Bell at the Palace Theater in Columbus for the Drops Like Stars Tour.

Really enjoyed the night. This was the third time I’ve seen Bell. Saw him twice in Cleveland for the “Everything is Spiritual” and the “Gods Aren’t Angry” Tour, so it was really nice to get him in Columbus to avoid the drive. The difference this time is I haven’t listen to him in two years, I just happen to run across his tour coming to Columbus. I even asked myself if I really wanted to go, I’ve changed quite a bit in the last two years, so  wasn’t sure I’d enjoy it.

The reason I decided to go: Bell is one of the few people who inspire me. The way he view things, phrases things, and frames them is worth the price of admission. I’ve hit a rut recently, I believe it is completely possible to work your self to death. Almost the same way you boil a frog. The heat and pressure of work and life slowly get turned up on you and one day you wake up and realize you’ve boiled yourself.

The Drops Like Stars Tour is about creativity and suffering. The two are bonded together. Some the greatest works of art come out of intense suffering. Life is not nice and neat. It is a full contact game, that gets messy and ugly at times. And in the process of Life you will at times notice parts of you laying on the floor.

The choice however is yours. If you want to be bitter and angry, the world will give you plenty to be bitter and angry about. But if you choose to take the sufferings you’ve had, the pain, the agony and make yourself better, you might just come out the other end a better person.

For me the money moment of last night came when Bell said

“ Pain has a way of making you honest“

So true. Think about all the things we bottle up, that only come out after we hit the wall and can no longer keep them in. The honest words that often sting our loved ones. We live our lives in such a way that we try to avoid being honest with anyone.

So we suffer

………. we keep it in, and it slowly kills us

………………………………. yet when we let go

………………………………………………… we actually start to live

Something happens when we suffer. Maybe it’s the fact that we are forced to pay a price. Maybe it’s we are forced to clean up our own messes. Maybe it’s just the point that we are not in control of everything and are forced to confront reality. It has a way of making us honest.

It makes me reflect on marriage, and the pain and suffering two people can go through together.

If you want to get divorced, the other person will give you plenty of reason to do so. Because Life is not all nice and neat. It’s hard and painful and at times down right ugly. But when two people suffer together through hard times, or sickness, or death, there comes a point when you look back and love each other not for that person does for you, or what they bring to the marriage. But love that person in such an unconditional way because they were by your side when you suffered.

Best Books In 2009

#4 How To Brew by John Palmer

Started home brewing this year in February, and this book has been a life saver! I remember when I first got the book, the whole second half of the book made no sense to me, it was just over my head. Now I’m turning to the back pages to get specific answers. I decide to skip extract brewing and go right to all grain, which is by far more complicated. To me extract brewing is just making tea, The real art of brewing is in all grain.

The best part of all is you can read the whole book online for free. Though having the book is priceless.

#3 The God Virus by Darrell Ray

I really enjoyed this one. Darrel Ray has some great thoughts about what religion does to society. He’s not exactly anti-religion, he seems to give the impression that church is fine, and religion is fine IF you understand what’s going on. If your aware how religion can manipulate your thinking. A strong advocate for free thinking.

#2 The Naked Now by Richard Rohr

Just finished this. It’s one the few books in the last two years that has actually inspired me in a positive way. I have spent a lot of time laying in bed this month with different chucks of this book eating away at me. I connect with the way Richard Rohr thinks, I don’t think everyone will. I can easily see where most christians would criticize him for being to loose with his theology. I think thats a shame because this book really presents a great opportunity  to open the way you think.

#1 Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

1100 plus pages and seven months worth of reading. This one requires some discipline to finish, but in the end one of the best books I’ve ever read. John Galt’s ideas of work and life are contagious and inspiring. Is there a better way to live? I would suggest there is.