Movie Review: Edward Scissorhands

This is a great movie, with many levels of rich meaning that can be taken from it. The angle that I took the most from was this: Edward’s Scissor hands were what made him special, and were what allowed him to create beautiful works of art, from sculpted hedges to unique hair cuts, that brought joy and happiness to the community he lived in. Yet at the same time, they were the one thing that kept him from fitting in, and they kept him at a distance from most everyone. While people loved him for what he did for him, they kept him at arms length, not caring about Edward himself, so much as what they were getting from him. Edward would have in a moment given up his hands, his uniqueness, his beauty, for a chance to be normal, and a chance to Continue reading →

Afternoon Adventure

Today my mission was to get a lock for my bike. I couldn’t find any place close (downtown) to get some such thing, so the best place I could think of was the Wal-mart on Keystone, at about 73rd street. I decided to do this shortly before noon. I got online and checked the bus schedule. I left about quarter after, and it takes about five minutes to walk to this particular bus stop. Once there I waited about five more minutes for the bus (#17), and by 1:00 I was at 62nd and Keystone. I had decided that I would also get lunch while I was out, which I did at this point, because it would be forty-five minutes before the connecting bus (#26) came by, and although I could walk I new it would be quicker and easier that way. I ate, waited for a Continue reading →

Abortion, the Church and Political Issues

I received this bit of news in an email today, and thought that no matter your stance on it, it was interesting enough to pass on:

Norma McCorvey Reopens Roe Case and Asks it Be Overturned

Washington, DC — Norma McCorvey, the former “Roe” of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion, is filing an historic motion today to re-open her case and request that it be overturned. The filing is based on changes in law and factual conditions since the high court handed down its decision 30 years ago.

As a party to the original litigation, Norma McCorvey has the right to petition the court to re-open the original case based on changes in factual conditions or changes in law that make the prior decision “no longer Continue reading →

Christianinty as a subculture

Tonight I went to a concert at my church. When I arrived, a friend of mine came up and we started talking. She was asked if all the different worship bands from the church were playing. I explained that while most all of the musicians who were playing are also on the worship team, that they were all doing their own stuff. She was surprised and replied, “Oh, so it’s not all worship music?” I snapped. Something to the effect of, “Is that all that christians can do.” I then quickly apologized, and she explained that she had been told that it was a worship night. I guess that kinda set the tone for the night for me, sort of describes how it went. All the bands were good, but for the most part, quite conservative musically in my opinion. To Continue reading →

Thoughts on Worship

I recently had a good talk with a close friend of mine about worship. This was brought up due to some of the events of the previous day and our reactions to them. Specifically, there had been a worship conference, the evening of which was ended by several nationally known “worship artists” (is that a legitimate term?) leading music. My friend Brent, as well as many other friends of mine I’m sure, attended this event. At the same time, just a couple of blocks away, I was at an alternative concert of some nationally known (although significantly less popular) Christian artists.

Brent expressed some of his reservations and concerns about what he witnessed. What we came up with is this: it is better to say that you are doing a concert and Continue reading →

About Church…

(This is an excerpt from a reply made to a post on another message board.)

Western church today: A community social service center, which provides programming and events to entertain and reinforce it’s members’ normally comfortable lifestyles, and generally helps to raise their children to be “good”, as well as providing the a fore mentioned services to the kids also. The church provides opportunities for spiritual experiences, and gives it’s members peace about the future, knowing that since they believe, they no longer have anything to fear, because God is there to bless them. Of course, since God has blesses them with so much, they feel an obligation to those they meet to let them in on the “secret” of church. All they have to do is Continue reading →

The Church…

(This is an excerpt from a post I made on another message board.)

The church

  • should start caring more about what’s going on outside the walls of their own building
  • shouldn’t expect people who don’t believe in God to act like it anyway.
  • should be more concerned about others, and allow them to be honest rather than…
  • shouldn’t be obsessed about how they’re being offended, their own rights, or own agendas.
  • should become known for how they love, rather than what/who they hate/stand against.
  • ought to start looking different than the world, living with different values, rather than just buying into the consumeristic paradigm.
  • should start encouraging one another daily, not just attend a program every week or so.
  • should Continue reading →

9-11-01

Today something has happened the likes of which few if any people living in this area of the world has ever seen. I wish that I had not awakened this morning. Every airport in the country is shutdown. New York is several buildings shorter. The Pentagon has been hit. What can I say or think about it? It is a terrible tragedy—a type of which I hope I don’t see again (although I can’t claim to be completely optimistic). I feel like crying at the sense of loss and fear. But my greatest comfort comes in knowing and firmly believing in the fact that I am a resident alien; that my ultimate hope does not rest in the United States, but in the atoning work of Jesus. For if even the country should fall, or there should be a economic collapse, I Continue reading →

My Trip to Nashville

I recently went to Nashville to attend a large Christian event which was being held in Adelphia Stadium. It was a huge event, three of the biggest groups in music opened up the evening. They were followed by one of the most famous Christian evangelists of recent times. The stadium was packed with people.

I had arrived by myself and decided to take off a bit early; partly to beat the crowd, but also partly because I wanted to see a bit more of Nashville before I left for the evening. The stadium sits on a river across from downtown Nashville, and directly across from the club district. I crossed a bridge spanning the river and started down the street across from the stadium, walking beside the entrances to many clubs. I soon came to a Continue reading →

Is “Christian” Music Just a Bad Copy?

People complain that “Christian” music is/has been behind the times, and just a poor copy of mainstream music. I think that there are some reasons that this perception exists, even though it is not wholly true.

First of all, the majority of people find out about music from what is on the radio. And with there being very little in the way of progressive, rock, alternative, etc. “Christian” music programs or stations, very few people hear the “Christian” music first. In other words, a person listens to mainstream radio, then sometime later hears a “Christian” artist doing something similar and automatically assumes that the mainstream artist whom they heard first, was also doing it first, and that the “Christian” artist was just a cheap Continue reading →