tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36205362012-01-23T14:30:43.100-05:00Formless Ramblingsthe ramblings of a self-professed postmodern existentialist christian mysticSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.comBlogger871100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-58865484022683731482011-12-15T22:17:00.002-05:002011-12-15T22:19:28.055-05:00You know, it's okay to tell me happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas, even if you're a fellow member of my faith. I'm not going to get in your face about how you're not "keeping Christ in Christmas."I don't care if you use Xmas either, because I understand the history of the X (and that it precedes both Malcolm and Stan Lee).I understand that Constantine and his ilk thoroughly mixed the birthSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-51638902998600314012009-05-27T17:53:00.001-04:002009-05-27T18:10:03.233-04:00FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Sean Taylor170 Huntington CircleAlpharetta GA, 30004404.429.7663sean@22FIVE.comwww.22FIVE.com22FIVE NOW ACCEPTING CONCERT DATESAlpharetta, GA, May 24, 2009— You may have seen them back in the day as Reign, but if not, you can catch them all over again as the newly reformed 22FIVE. With a new show filled with rocking original songs and a few favorite cover songs, Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-2832964221187992482008-12-04T15:18:00.001-05:002008-12-04T15:18:41.361-05:00UPDATED -- Best Redemptive FilmsDon't be surprised not to find these recommended by churches or anything, necessarily, but at their core, films all have messages that "preach" better than most sermons.And yes, if you're a moral majority type, be warned that a lot of these are rated R and include things like "bad words" and some nudity.In no particular order...1. The Spitfire Grill2. The Apostle3.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-69259492414295900572008-12-02T20:37:00.001-05:002008-12-02T20:40:07.240-05:00My favorite t-shirt design I created:Even folks at my church really dug this one. If I could find a distributor interested in my designed, that'd be great.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-39968345938610404972008-12-02T16:22:00.001-05:002008-12-02T16:22:33.928-05:00Current Events and Past Events (the circle of history) While I've been working today, I've been watching/listening off and on to a special on the History Channel about the history of the KKK. According to the show, the KKK had all but died at one point, but fears about immigration and the loss of national identity laid the groundwork among many Americans for the explosive rebirth of a renewedSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-79105161372624193382008-09-27T16:08:00.001-04:002008-09-27T16:08:50.662-04:00Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that the band I'm a member of, Nothing Regal, now has a Facebook page up and ready to go. Feel free to "become a fan" at the following link: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Nothing-Regal/32931750876Thanks.See ya there,SeanSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-20615936535845427802008-06-14T00:31:00.002-04:002008-06-14T01:25:00.852-04:00If a man is known by the company he keeps, then my name just picked up a lot more notice. I have been approved for a Red Room Author Page.Just in case you didn't know, Red Room is a networking and authors' site that can boast of many of the top writers and thinkers today, including Amy Tan, Maya Angelou, Salman Rushdie, Ivory Madison, Janny Wurts, Clive Barker, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-52864590876343781792008-04-23T23:18:00.001-04:002008-04-23T23:18:57.092-04:00Josh Medors Benefit Auction @ ECCCWed, April 23rd, 2008 at 2:30PM PSTUpdated: Wed, April 23rd, 2008 at 4:30PM PSTOfficial Press Release23 April 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - Unknown to the general public, FRANK FRAZETTA'S SWAMP DEMON, RUNES OF RAGNAN, WILLOW CREEK, GI JOE and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT artist Josh Medors has been fighting cancer for the past several months. In his time of need, Image Comics and Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-12822684682282328182007-12-31T13:04:00.000-05:002007-12-31T13:05:43.836-05:00 What's your theological worldview?created with QuizFarm.com You scored as Reformed EvangelicalYou are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-62941896866164263912007-11-21T15:12:00.001-05:002007-11-21T15:12:47.684-05:00Thank the Lord and Pass the Patriotism? (by Obery Hendricks)reposted from the God's Politics BlogIn many pulpits during this Thanksgiving season, love of our country and pride in our citizenship will be pronounced in the same breath - and often with the same intensity - as declarations of love for our God. But we must be careful, for patriotism can be destructive as well as constructive. Worse, Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-36058463373484386622007-11-15T11:28:00.000-05:002007-11-15T11:29:12.709-05:00Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." -- Matthew 26:52Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-31263725741490666822007-11-08T12:36:00.001-05:002007-11-08T12:36:53.538-05:00Found this article in my inbox from Christianity Today a few days ago, and I've been mulling it over. "Faith is relevant for many people, but church is not," says Bryan Wilkerson, senior pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts. "People want to attend to the spiritual side of their lives, they are interested in God, but their experience of church has not been relevant.Spiritual growth, Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-90175313479846431662007-10-10T17:21:00.000-04:002007-10-10T17:23:43.221-04:00Seemed appropriate, after the previous post...Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-26702122189158740712007-10-10T17:10:00.000-04:002007-10-10T17:13:24.917-04:00Two strong op ed column blogs... (I think)Coming from a position of Christianity, and a Christian position that seeks to reveal many of the fallacies of the conservative fundamentalist slant in my chosen faith, I found these two blog entries really interesting.I think the article names in the links below say plenty all by themselves.=================http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2007/10/Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-40946449512600943132007-09-27T17:34:00.000-04:002007-09-27T17:41:22.870-04:00Karl Barth back in prison?!I don't know if you've been following this story about religious books being pulled from prison libraries, but thank God it has a happy ending... for now. Yet another example of throwing the baby out with the bath water in order to root out the dangerous religious extremists. This kind of lowest common denominator thinking is just more proof that the collective wisdom Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-10702671976420957262007-09-11T10:53:00.000-04:002007-09-11T10:59:55.257-04:00Thought on War from a ChristianWell, here's an article that just reinforces the fact that people should listen to what he has to say.Taken from this article.My favorite bits:"Our previous president had a love affair with a young Jewish intern. This was despicable to many of us, disgusting, dishonoring. Our current president also has a kind of special affection - with Evangelical Christianity. Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-38743532356884936082007-09-08T10:24:00.000-04:002007-09-08T10:24:39.813-04:00More books...Asking the big questions …A Grief Observed by C.S. LewisThe Problem of Pain by C.S. LewisHoly the Firm by Annie DillardPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardThe Manger Is Empty by Walter Wangerin, Jr.Living the Questions by Carolyn ArendsJoyful Noise edited by Rick Moody and Darcey SteinkeDisappointment with God by Philip YanceyHungry for Heaven: Rock ‘n’ Roll & the Search for Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-82444953165186306572007-09-07T07:19:00.000-04:002007-09-07T07:19:41.197-04:00the view from...Brian McLaren(For Brian's official bio, go to http://www.brianmclaren.net/biography.html)Formless Rambings: Tell us a little about how you became a Christian. What experiences led you to believe that there had to be something more than just this life?Brian McLaren: I was brought up in a committed Christian family, and like a lot of church kids, I had to reach a point where I Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-30658907453284948852007-09-06T07:30:00.000-04:002007-09-06T07:26:46.789-04:00NOTE: Another old one, but one of my favorites.===============================What kind of choice is that?Okay. Here's the scenario. Jonah's hanging out with his friends at the Dead Sea Beach Club discussing the current headlines and why the resident priest needs to be impeached when all the sudden the conversation shifts to the free will of man. Well, Jonah (still wearing big fish belch marks Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-31330928461203619702007-09-05T09:09:00.000-04:002007-09-07T07:21:25.396-04:00The best redemptive films...Now, I'm not proposing that these are necessarily Christian films (not that a film could be Christian or not, but the directors, writers, and actors could or couldn't -- yes, I know, it's a semantics issue, but an important one for me), but they are definitely films with a strong redemptive storyline.The Spitfire GrillThe ApostleSavedThe Shawshank RedemptionChocolatTheSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-4930384433872004642007-09-04T08:17:00.000-04:002007-09-04T08:18:04.541-04:00NOTE: Here's another old one. In this case, a really old one. But I think writing this one so many years ago really helped begin shaping my understanding of my life of faith. So, in essence, this one's one of my formative ones.====================================The Great MoralizationA man walks into a doctor's office with a knife stuck in his back. Of course the receptionist sends him straight Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-7904310829578977302007-09-03T19:41:00.000-04:002007-09-03T19:43:10.230-04:00Living by fiction ...Till We Have Faces by C.S. LewisLilith by George MacDonaldPhantastes by George MacDonaldAt the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonaldThe Girl I Left Behind by Shusaku EndoThe Final Martyrs by Shusaku EndoSilence by Shusaku EndoThe Brothers Karamazov by Feodor DostoevskyCrime and Punishment by Feodor DostoevskyWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyDivine Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-39994834111666319992007-09-01T23:48:00.000-04:002007-08-31T23:49:11.308-04:00NOTE: This is one I wrote years ago, but after reading over it again recently, I was reminded how much it still holds true for me, so I wanted to share it again.=======================================Why I {STILL} Believe in GodAs I type this, I sit in a cramped, coach aisle seat listening to waltzes on Delta radio while flying from Atlanta to Ft. Myers, Florida. In spite of the relaxing music, ISeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-42014760414158480492007-08-30T20:49:00.000-04:002007-08-31T01:32:54.305-04:00OutsourcingYet another group of books I recommend... These are the ones that helped me get a feel for what this culture is today that I'm supposed to be salt and light in.13th Gen by Neil Howe and William StraussGenerations by Neil Howe and William Strauss Postmodern Pilgrims by Leonard SweetSoulTsunami by Leonard SweetSoul Salsa by Leonard SweetThe God Who Is There by Francis SchaefferA Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-79002290367790105562007-08-30T16:02:00.000-04:002007-08-30T16:18:15.807-04:00New e-view coming!I've arranged an interview with author Brian McLaren, who has written such books as The Story We Find Ourselves In, A New Kind of Christian, Finding Faith, More Ready Than You Realize, The Secret Message of Jesus, The Church in Emerging Culture, Adventures in Missing the Point, etc. I'll be posting it soon, so keep your eyes peeled.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-58917749871989974432007-08-29T12:20:00.000-04:002007-08-30T00:47:52.061-04:00Pride (In the name of God?)Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice. (Psalm 51:16-17, The Message)For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. The Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-68554856936761493532007-08-28T12:41:00.000-04:002007-08-30T00:45:25.392-04:00Defuzzing the PictureThe previous list of books are the ones that helped me learn to "dance in grace," but these are some of the ones that helped me rediscover the Jesus that my years of church had sadly stripped away from me and re-learn how crucial the necessity and efficacy of faith can be. Immanuel by Michael Card The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey Reaching for the Invisible GodSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-15282371184230265072007-08-28T08:17:00.000-04:002007-08-26T08:14:26.609-04:00Heads AND TailsRighteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. (Psalm 89:13-15, NLT)We human people tend to think in terms of either/or, I've found. We see it all the way from high school cliques (either a jock or a geek or Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-38783153110875461402007-08-27T08:50:00.000-04:002007-08-30T00:44:06.907-04:00The late Mike Yaconelli was a genius...Or at least he was one of the few who actually "got" this faith thing. At least in my opinion, as the disclaimer goes.If you've not read Mike's book Messy Spirituality, you've missed out on something amazing and genuinely life-changing. Mike had a way of cutting through the garbage to get to the heart of the matter of what it means to have and live faith. Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-31311488658363635442007-08-27T08:45:00.001-04:002007-08-27T08:45:26.618-04:00A few of my favorite things... to read!Just thought I'd share a few of the books I've found to be helpful in coming to my understanding and interpretation of this life of faith. These books are the ones that helped me learn to "dance in grace" and get over the need to try to show off my Christianity for the church's dog and pony show of "my morality is better than your morality." These are some Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-43501391967540574392007-08-27T08:18:00.000-04:002007-08-30T00:42:56.257-04:00 Restoration and WorshipRestore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalm 85:4-6, ESV)Wow. When's the last time we sang something this powerful, this emotional, this desperate in a church worship service? Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-91287097637570466702007-08-27T08:15:00.000-04:002007-08-25T13:53:01.361-04:00The Uniqueness of GodThere is none like you among the gods, o Lord, nor are there any works like yours. (Psalm 86:8, ESV)A few things stick out to me when I read this verse. 1. God didn't apparently expect his chosen people to think in purely monotheistic (i.e., there is only one God) terms at all points during their road to maturity. Either that, or they were too dumb to get it, and he put upSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-86284144712066281892007-08-24T08:11:00.000-04:002007-08-24T12:42:21.598-04:00Kissing, Bowing and Telling It Like It IsThen the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus. "Truly you are the Son of God!" they exclaimed. (Matthew 14:33, Good News Bible)Worship. The principal Old Testament word for it (Shah ah) means to bow down or be prostrate. The principal New Testament word for it (proskune´o) literally means to "kiss toward"?a tender and intimate notion that goes deeper thanSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-6083782773218082892007-08-23T08:10:00.000-04:002007-08-23T08:22:25.458-04:00The Worship Conversation"Now sing praises to God! Every kingdom on earth, sing to the Lord! Praise the one who rides across the ancient skies; listen as he speaks with a mighty voice." (Psalm 68:32-33, CEV)Worship is communication. That means talking and listening. (And I'd hope more listening than talking or singing. The old cliche about having two ears and one mouth and listening twice and Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-38039735977466913572007-08-22T08:06:00.000-04:002007-08-22T07:11:14.508-04:00the view from ...Kim and Jim Thomas of Say SoT-Verse: Tell us a little about how you became a Christian. What experiences led you to believe that there had to be something more than just this life?Say So: We both became Christians at an early age and grew up in the church. Later on, during our high school and college years, we began to understand that being a Christian is about more than just sinSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-54567232018463881602007-08-21T08:02:00.000-04:002007-08-21T08:50:34.892-04:00A Well and Holy Group of Us?"I can't wait to hear what he'll say.God's about to pronounce his people well,The holy people he loves so much,so they'll never again live like fools.See how close his salvation is to those who fear him?Our country is home base for Glory!" (Psalm 85:8-9, The Message)The simple truth of worship is that God loves us. I think we tend to overemphasize our own importance Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-48797015451968449252007-08-20T07:44:00.000-04:002007-08-20T07:48:05.921-04:00the view from ... Chuck DixonT-Verse: Tell us a little about how you became a Christian.Chuck Dixon: Well, I was born and raised Catholic. And no matter what that teaching stays with you. Those nuns had a big impact on me and I thought that priests had to be the coolest guys on the planet. I still do. And I suppose I'm still a Catholic in a cultural sense. But my wife introduced me to the Church Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-83777796367073439432007-08-17T07:36:00.001-04:002007-08-17T07:37:24.414-04:00 The Mixed-Up Worship Songbook of God"Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you."But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you."For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-58438882563941708762007-08-17T07:33:00.001-04:002007-08-17T07:36:15.861-04:00Another note on some upcoming posts...Intermixed with the e-views from the former Form and Matter site, I'll also be posting each day one of my "worship thoughts" that I have included in the Nothing Regal newsletter that I send out to the band each week to help us prepare for that upcoming Sunday's worship service. These are quite as philosophical, but they are more devotional in nature. I Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-40234481235161579082007-08-17T07:26:00.000-04:002007-08-17T07:30:39.320-04:00the view from ... John FischerT-Verse: Tell us a little about how and why you became a Christian.John Fischer: I grew up in a Christian home and have believed most of my life. My issue has not been believing but making real what I believe.T-Verse: What lessons have been the most valuable to you during your experience of following Christ?John Fischer: A Christian is to be real. There is no need toSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-21516539723703429262007-08-16T02:15:00.000-04:002007-08-16T02:21:02.240-04:00Said Before...(Quotes worth knowing) Chase after truth like hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coat-tails.-- Clarence DarrowIt is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all. If you are merely a skeptic, you must sooner or later ask Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-5173789471761891352007-08-16T02:12:00.000-04:002007-08-16T02:14:54.097-04:00the view from ... Charlie Peacock T-Verse: Tell us a little about how you became a Christian. What experiences led you to believe that there was more than just this life? Charlie Peacock: A saxophonist told me the story of Jesus. I wanted to become a Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-399527891330872292007-08-15T17:07:00.000-04:002007-08-15T21:20:12.004-04:00Up Around the Bend (to quote CCR)Starting tomorrow, I'll begin reposting some interviews I did with people for the old Form and Matter website I used to maintain. I need to arrange some new ones though and post them here as well. But for now, the old ones will have to do.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-55627075151991259432007-08-15T15:59:00.000-04:002007-08-15T16:34:58.841-04:00What Makes a Comic Book "Christian"? (or any other thing for that matter)Note: This is massively long, but worth the time, I hope.This is reposted from a discussion on my Christian Comic Arts Society page.The original post by me...I'm curious because I've had this discussion with pastors and youth pastors starting from way back years ago when I worked as a music buyer in a Christian bookstore. OfSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-48829671400086677012007-08-15T15:58:00.000-04:002007-08-15T16:00:35.256-04:00A creative moment, shared with friendsMidnight After the ReceptionBy Sean TaylorYou take the treasures of a queenAnd lay them at the feet of a whore,Ignoring the heavily perfumed skin,The sultry scent of sex,The eyes smear-streaked with tears,Blue and black and trailing eye shadowAnd mascara in riverlets across her cheeks.The room filled with latenight guests and comfortersGazes, a swarm of eyes Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-91435757650580931772007-08-15T15:57:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:58:08.307-04:00From the Desk of Saint Annie DillardAnnie Dillard writes, "Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-62652882321337569502007-08-15T15:52:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:54:41.386-04:00Reposted from a years-ago Live Journal post(but I thought it would be fun to repost here too) "It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself." -Thomas JeffersonThis one reminds me of something I almost got "in trouble" for from some fellow fundies (I say fellow, because, remember, I don't just play on on LJ, I really am one, remember, in spite of my Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-68698991491498864652007-08-15T15:46:00.002-04:002007-08-15T15:49:49.466-04:00Giving preaching back to the poets... Read this article last night and think I may have found another kindred spirit -- at least in part.Here are some excerpts:When Jesus becomes kind of an esoteric spiritual figure and not a real dude in a real place at a real time, the really subversive economic and political things he's saying get lost in an effort to proclaim him as Son of God, which we Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-40571834663741492782007-08-15T15:46:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:46:39.735-04:00Pond Scum (come join the club) "In addition to holding down a newspaper job, I was teaching a Reporting 1 class at the University of Oregon when I encountered the most irascible student I've ever taught. She questioned nearly every grade I gave her. She claimed I was not doing enough to help her succeed. She berated me in front of the class. Enough was enough. I asked her to please stay afterSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-51520154301061848692007-08-15T15:45:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:45:58.658-04:00Bucking the system? Bagging the institution? Could be. In this dichotomy you have the essence of our religion — Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise — in a nutshell:the "clergy" are paid to give and the "laymen" pay in order to receive. from http://www.christiancounterculture.com/40615/clergy-laity.htmlFor me, this has to be one of the most frustrating things about the church as I've always Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-77465459805933357692007-08-15T15:44:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:45:15.646-04:00Go ye and do likewise? I was somewhat worried how the event would be received by the general public—not so much because of the ideals embraced by the ONE initiative, but because of the event's deeply evangelical overtones. The emcee, for example, was Rev. Herbert Lusk, whose impassioned parlance and opening prayer were offered as if the event were a church service. Immediately following his Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-78678204943744647612007-08-15T15:42:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:44:23.875-04:00A reasonable faith Phew. I'll have to address this in small bits. It's too much to cover in one response, I'm afraid.Basically, the pull you're feeling goes back (articulately, at least) to Kierkegard* (sp? too lazy to look it up today) who drove one of the final wedges between reason and faith with his ludicrous notion of the "leap of faith." His thoughts were that the spiritual could only beSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-73249562821681198782007-08-15T15:39:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:40:59.358-04:00Another one falls victim to lowest common denominator thinking Reference link: http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14486“ABS got nervous with the content and how it was being told,” Ruiz explained. “It's very easy for religious organizations and churches alike to criticize and complain about how society is running amok and is out of control. But when it comes time to put Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-43213124840476839712007-08-15T15:34:00.002-04:002007-08-15T15:35:29.279-04:00Another interesting article... Not surprisingly, religion — Christianity and Judaism, in particular — fueled both the antislavery movement of the 19th century and the civil-rights movement of the 20th. The leaders of both movements didn't hesitate to quote Scripture to remind their listeners that what they stood for was morally grounded in the Bible, as well as in secular philosophy. ReligionSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-16914592077478231182007-08-15T15:34:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:34:29.478-04:00Must have slept with a muse last night... (Kudos to Gaiman fans who got the reference)More of the SameHe loosens the tie clutching his neck,The extra pounds squeezed into rolls by the net of cheap silk.He hates this place, these people,The pettiness, the way they lock himInto their definitions-not his, never his.A shepherd? Ha! More a fool.And he secretly hates them more as he risesTo the Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-7384572911017099462007-08-15T15:33:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:38:02.404-04:00Two quotes that just nail it dead-on... I liked these. So sue me.“Life doesn’t imitate art. It imitates bad television.” - Woody Allen“One of the unpardonable sins, in the eyes of most people, is for a man to go about unlabelled. The world regards such a person as the police do an unmuzzled dog, not under proper control.” - T. H. Huxley (1825 - 1895), English biologist, Darwinist and Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-58957296738917947562007-08-15T15:32:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:32:32.713-04:00Hmmm... I'd like... to write a praise and worship song for churches to use in their services. The title?"I'm Not Ashamed of the Gospel But That Doesn't Mean I Have to be an Arrogant, Obnoxious Butthead About It Either."Heh.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-15211620732024568162007-08-15T15:31:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:31:49.328-04:00Was digging through all the crap (still) in the foyer... And I found this poem that I'd written back in 1997. Perhaps the first poem that took me away from the "devotional" poetry I'd written throughout college... Hmmm...Anyway, I thought I'd share.Daily NewsSwooning beneath the weight of UtopiaTwo girls threw themselves from the overpass last night.The paper had nothing to sayOf their goals,Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-46479863406065708312007-08-15T15:30:00.002-04:002007-08-15T15:38:43.536-04:00Quotes worth archiving here “Evil is being involved in the glamour and charm aspect of material existence - glamour in its old Gaelic sense, meaning enchantment with the look of things, rather than the soul of things.” - Kenneth Anger (b. 1929) American film-maker and author: quoted in the “Sunday Correspondent” (London), January 14, 1990.“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in itSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-38680113331389558332007-08-15T15:30:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:30:14.250-04:00I live in a stupid subculture. Why? Because this is an issue, and considered a major enough issue to warrant a main story in Christianity Today.My favorite part of the interview:CT: Why would a Christian get involved in horror films, of all things?Scott Derrickson: In my opinion, the horror genre is a perfect genre for Christians to be involved with. I think the more compelling question is, Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-74777282417505844962007-08-15T15:24:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:27:38.059-04:00Great Religious Poetry is...Nothing much, just a great quote I saw today:There is no great religious poetry that does not raise-as crucial to its enterprise-the question of whether it is open to the charge of blasphemy, even as there is no great erotic art that does not raise the question of whether it is open to the charge of pornography.--Christopher Ricks, Bob Dylan's Vision of SinSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-83887361544324941702007-08-15T15:23:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:23:57.028-04:00Art and Faith First, read this: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/worship/articles/070404.htmlMy favorite part of this article? This quote: "Art by its very nature is about risk-taking. Art is the risk o fexpressing in song, dance or on canvas what you feel in your heart orhear in your head. And much of the church is still afraid of the risk that comes with the arts. So, we relegate Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-73345151558549072802007-08-15T15:22:00.001-04:002007-08-15T15:22:25.961-04:00Bring on the dancing bears... "Every Sunday for a year I have run away from home and joined the circus as a dancing bear. We dancing bears have dressed ourselves in buttoned clothes; we mince around the rings on two feet. Today we were restless; we kept dropping onto our forepaws."A high school stage play is more polished that this service we have been rehearsing since the year one. In two Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-9697905982006833352007-08-15T15:13:00.000-04:002007-08-15T15:19:57.088-04:00Philosophical Gumbo a la Sean I've long held that I'm a self-professed postmodern existentialist christian mystic believer in absolute truth. Now, if you've studied philosophy at all, you'll know immediately that those are the kind of ingredients that make one strange and confusing soup in which the flavors Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-1082552687574602872004-04-21T09:04:00.000-04:002004-04-21T09:08:47.390-04:00The Matrix Revisited
I finally saw The Matrix Revolutions last night.
All I can say is that the Wach Bros have a better understanding of Christian theology than most of the Christians I know.
And I have to say that I really didn't see it coming either. I really assumed that the Wach Bros "postmodern gospel" was going to be purely surface stuff only, as I was led to be believe in the first Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-1056657803102821812003-06-26T16:03:00.000-04:002003-11-04T11:51:06.466-05:00Jesus is the Answer?
(but who's asking)
I was talking today with a co-worker, and we somehow got onto the idea of how many people walk around having all the answers. Well, it got me to thinking... which got me to journaling...
(You knew that was coming, right?)
Anyway...
Bear with me just a moment as I play both Devil's Advocate and Devil's District Attorney (or would that be Devil's Defense Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-1056635325652749542003-06-26T09:48:00.000-04:002003-06-26T09:48:45.503-04:00Suburban Life?
The pop artist Jewel, a young woman in her middle 20s whose albums have sold millions, talked several years ago with Rolling Stone magazine about her motivations. She said, "I'm just a person who is honestly trying to live my life and asking, 'How do you be spiritual and live in the world without going to a monastery?'"
Her question rattled around in my brain, for neither can I Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-958685512003-06-20T13:07:00.000-04:002003-06-20T13:07:19.050-04:00Articles I found in my inbox today I enjoyed...
Life is a series of spiritual battles, says author John Eldredge, but "too many Christians have approached their lives as though they were stepping onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day with a lawn chair and a book to read. God did not redeem us so that we could spend our lives being punctual and well-behaved people. He called us to an abundant Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-955628222003-06-11T16:27:00.000-04:002003-06-11T16:27:49.630-04:00Web Evangelism Soapbox
This wonderful tidbit appeared in an email from an online outreach newsgroup I'm in:
But again, as I tell my speech students "You preach to the converted, but reason with the heathen." Nevertheless, too many of our "evangelistic" sites are mostly in the "preaching to the choir" category.
As is most of our "Christian" anything these days, I'd add.
I have long held that Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-955487242003-06-11T10:03:00.000-04:002003-06-11T15:27:24.000-04:00Tom Petty’s Theological Extravaganza
So I was listening to Tom Petty yesterday, and it got me thinking about church.
Yeah, I know church isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when I listen to Tom Petty (actually it’s usually that image from the “Don’t Come Around Here No More video in which Alice has been turned into a cake and is being eaten by the partygoers at the Mad Hatter’s Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-952956412003-06-04T14:58:00.000-04:002003-06-04T14:58:18.876-04:00Buffy and Christ?
Buffy: Theologian of the Year
http://thedoormagazine.com/archives/buffy.html
BUFFY THE CHRIST FIGURE [Parts 1 and 2]
http://www.mtcnet.net/~bierly/buffy.htm#ESSAY - BUFFY THE CHRIST
THE MYTHOLOGY AND MAGIC OF BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
A Look at the Layers of Meaning and Symbolism in the 100th episode of Buffy
http://www.ivyweb.net/btvs/fictionary/essays/010804A_DED.htm
I Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-952950352003-06-04T14:43:00.000-04:002003-06-04T14:43:21.760-04:00Inspiration from the Bulletin Board
I keep a quote I clipped from a magazine (along with its illustration of a man holding a guitar and staring at the earth from a point far removed from it) pinned to the bulletin board above my desk. I've had it there for years, and even when I do a periodic cleaning of the clutter, this clipping stays put.
It simply reads:
"Is there anyone out there fool Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-952949702003-06-04T14:41:00.000-04:002003-06-04T14:41:43.573-04:00From a new book I'm reading...
"The language of the arts, it can be argued, is a language born of faith. In other words, all art forms attempt to translate what is unseen into what is seen. Painter Joel Sheesley states, 'I... suggest that the definition of content in art is very much like that New Testament definition of faith that calls faith the substance of things hoped for.' Art... becomesSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-943478272003-05-14T16:32:00.000-04:002003-05-14T16:32:54.983-04:00Two spectrums of writers
(My latest soapbox)
I was thinking this morning about the different types of writers and how they tend to fall into one camp or the other (though on varying locations on the spectrum, of course). One of the things that got me thinking about it was simply remembering some of the conversations about writing I’ve had with my friend Frank.
As I see it, there are primarily Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-931327602003-04-23T16:17:00.000-04:002003-04-23T16:17:08.990-04:00"Get it?" Or not?
CT senior writer Wendy Murray Zoba and Salon.com journalist Dave Cullen were both covering the Columbine story when they went head to head over Cassie Bernall. Cullen broke the story that introduced doubt about whether Cassie's killer asked her if she believed in God ("Behind the Littleton Investigation," Salon.com, Sept 23, 1999). Zoba challenged Cullen's reporting, citing Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-919199282003-04-03T11:00:00.000-05:002003-04-03T11:00:45.576-05:00Not a rant -- More like an ad, or maybe just begging
Hip, hip, hooray! My CD, Pop Nightmare, is finally ready!
I received my copies this morning, and they look and sound great (okay, I'm biased, but hey, it does).
Here's a shot of the cover.
The tracks on it include:
1. Pop Nightmare
2. Tarry One Hour
3. Latido Fuerte
4. Wunderland
5. Party at the End of It All
6. Bring it On
7. InterludeSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-918813392003-04-02T20:42:00.000-05:002003-04-02T20:42:43.873-05:00A new rant
(ie, "Sean gets set off on his soapbox by a news article in the religious press")
Had a news article waiting for me this morning in my inbox at work that only reaffirms to me my previous post about how out of touch people in my chosen faith are with the world at large.
Here are two quotes that I thought were really interesting.
"The fact that something like 100 million Americans Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-917521542003-03-31T22:46:00.000-05:002003-03-31T22:49:41.000-05:00A personal rant
This part is from one of my fave writers:
Those Who Would Be Christians
© by John Fischer for CCM Magazine, June, 2001 issue.
Do you ever wish we had a new word for "Christian?"
I bet there are a lot of people out there who would be Christians if they didn’t have to become a "Christian" to be one.
The rest is just a click away.
To me, John Fischer is a guy who "gets it."Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-917489752003-03-31T21:59:00.000-05:002003-03-31T22:01:06.000-05:00A word from God? Or just a dufus messenger?
(I posted this in response to something in a friend's online journal today, and thought I'd repost it here. This is actually fairly close to the truth to some of my run-ins early on copyediting for denominational workers -- well, except for the running away part. We had a pretty good working relationship, and I was lucky enough to be able to get away Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916770492003-03-30T20:34:00.000-05:002003-03-31T22:02:10.000-05:00I Yam What I Yam
I'm a product of the American postmodern culture. Not just plain ol' anybody's postmodernism, mind you, but the specialized blend of red, white, and blue postmodernism.
I'm not ashamed of it, mind you.
I take liberally from all eras to define myself. A fan of classic films. A devoted Capra nut who realizes that Capra's heroes are now cornball and outdated. I value flappers Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916770012003-03-30T20:33:00.000-05:002003-03-30T20:33:41.200-05:00Life Stinks! So What?
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?
A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; and hastening to its place it rises there again.
Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916768642003-03-30T20:30:00.000-05:002003-03-30T20:30:55.390-05:00The Real Power of The Lion King
After coming home with a torturous headache thanks to my screwed up sinuses, I semi-passed out on the couch and merely listened as my kids watched The Lion King for what had to be the sixteenth dozen time.
Even so, and even without seeing the images (since I had taken off my glasses and turned away from the TV to help ease the drum line practicing inside my skullSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916768062003-03-30T20:29:00.001-05:002003-03-30T20:29:55.890-05:00The Sun's Not Yellow, It's Chicken!
As I sit here in the office listening to Bob Dylan's "Tombstone Blues," I'm realizing all over again what a freakin' genius the man was and is with words. He could write lyrics that can make a doctoral student's head swirl, but still deliver them with just a few jangly chords that sound so deceptively simply you forget the man can actually play his guitar Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916767802003-03-30T20:29:00.000-05:002003-03-30T20:29:18.686-05:00Life Stinks, Part 2
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.
I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"
I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916766422003-03-30T20:26:00.000-05:002003-03-30T20:26:33.296-05:00It's a sad day in the neighborhood
(written Thursday, February 27th, 2003)
No disrespected intended by that title, but it truly is a sad day in the neighborhood today. I've just discovered that one of my childhood heroes has died.
Mr. Rogers has died of Cancer at the age of 74.
For the child I used to be, Mr. Rogers was a different kind of hero. Sure, I loved and followed the more Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-916765582003-03-30T20:24:00.000-05:002003-03-30T20:24:58.560-05:00Thank God somebody gets it...
I don't usually reference news articles, but I feel obligated to after reading this one. Here's the opening paragraph (from an article on Crosswalk.com, by Janet Chismar, © Copyright 2002, Crosswalk.com):
"Sermons about how to avoid AIDS are good but provide no solace to those 40 million already infected with the virus," said Franklin Graham during a Prescription Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620536.post-786296092002-07-06T19:05:00.000-04:002002-07-06T19:06:32.000-04:00Starting the blogger.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02467811780574775128noreply@blogger.com0