anne rice's guide to quitting christianity and keeping jesus
Fri, Jul 30 2010 01:31 PM
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i've never read an anne rice book.
i've never seen an anne rice-adapted movie.
i've never been interested in vampires or books about vampires.
despite these things, though, i've been a distant and intrigued observer—over the last 10 years—as anne rice has come back to faith. growing up in the catholic church, at the age of 18, she left her faith in exchange for nearly 4 decades of ardent unbelief. after garnering legions of followers and authoring blockbuster books, she once again chose faith and for the past decade, she's been publishing books about the her faith and the life of christ.
but anne rice has never reached "christian celebrity" status like other celebrity purveyors of faith such as mel gibson, stephen baldwin or—god help us—chuck norris. despite her marked switch to literary works about the life of christ, she never seemed to fully embrace the prevailing values of white, evangelical culture, which is the key to unlocking full-on christian celebrity status.
well, the possibility of that status is official DOA.
anne rice is quitting christianity.
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beetles, shaved heads and "that time of the month": a look at biblical pragmatism
Wed, Jul 28 2010 08:01 AM
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let's talk menstruation, shall we?
ok, so we can talk about more than that, but certainly, it does play a part. we'll get to that later, though.
in the meantime, how about a little biblical interpretation to tide us over?
download my latest mix, 'good. evil.'
Tue, Jul 27 2010 07:58 AM
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several days ago, a friend and i were talking about how ubiquitous religion is. obviously, we didn't stumble upon some kind of shocking revelation, but we certainly affirmed that—even more than what we may realize—the concepts of good and evil, gods and devils, dark and light are broadly washed across the expanse of global cultures. certainly, across ages and timezones, the ways that these things are expressed are varying, but nevertheless, the sentiments are consistent.
democracy wins: derek webb covers huey lewis' 'power of love'
Mon, Jul 26 2010 03:51 PM
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over the last half a year, i've blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. earlier this year, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album has been in the process of being recorded over the span of 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. over the past 6 months, webb released the first six tracks, which was the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps, coldplay's fix you, bob dylan's the times they are a-changin', gnarls barkley's who's gonna save my soul, sufjan stevens' chicago and u2's where the streets have no name.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb is revealing each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the seventh one.
long on diagnosis, short on cure: remembering rob with don chaffer
Thu, Jul 22 2010 08:02 AM
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time flies when you're having fun, right? well, what does time do when you're living in the wake of loss?
truth be told, time has flown and we're approaching 6 months since we lost rob. i was actually going to wait to write this until august 13—the 6 month anniversary of his death—but this is just one of these things that i need to write. now.
rob's been on my mind quite a bit lately and i think, more than anything, it was triggered by a don chaffer house show last friday night (which was great). don chaffer—1/2 of folk/worship/nebulous band waterdeep and one of my favorite artists—plays a significant role in my final memories of rob.
i'm rubber, you're glue: letting go of the negative
Wed, Jul 21 2010 07:58 AM
| general life, personal, church, eikon, confessions, family
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it's 5th grade. you're on the playground. you see billy mcgee—the class bully—coming your direction. billy doesn't beat people up with his fists. but billy knows how to beat people up with his words. you know it's coming.
"hey you. yeah, you. your mom's so dumb she brought a spoon to the super bowl."
his entourage—little eddie hankins and robby smits—laughs devilishly. "this kid's good," you think, trying to avoid eye contact.
"your mom's so fat that when she wears a malcolm x t-shirt, a helicopter lands on her."
you've gotta do something as the laughter mounts. think fast.
"yeah? well…i'm rubber, you're glue. whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"
like kryptonite to superman, big bad billy mcgee and his weasely entourage shrinks away, knowing that he's lost this battle of pre-teen wits.
ah yes, back in 5th grade, the "rubber/glue"—much like "sticks & stones…"—held great power and were deep words of wisdom.
the world was simple.
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counting sheep: one more thought about guns, fear and becoming a sheep
Fri, Jul 16 2010 08:02 AM
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ok, ok, i know: enough with the sheep, ryan. yes, there's only so much ryan-poo-poos-on-guns talk one can take. i get it. i swear. one last post. ;)
in the aftermath of my previous posts about guns and the culture of fear, i got quite a bit of feedback. it varied from people retweeting the link to posting it on facebook all the way to people sending me rambling, scrolling emails telling me i suck at life (not really…but sorta…) and a couple people bravely posting actual comments on the blog. what i was most struck by were the couple people who said something like the following: "if you had ever been affected by violence you would think differently" or "just wait 'til you get a gun pulled on you and i think you'll change your mind."
well, i have.
and i thought i'd share about my experiences.
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listen to the new track, 'big wave', by rilo kiley frontwoman jenny lewis' latest incarnation, jenny and johnny
Thu, Jul 15 2010 07:57 AM
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a few weeks ago, newly formed group jenny and johnny—consisting of my music crush jenny lewis and her boyfriend johnathan rice—released the first track, scissor runner, from their forthcoming debut, i'm having fun now (august 31). (you can listen to it here.) yesterday, they released another track, big wave.
more sheepishness: a few thoughts about our culture of fear
Wed, Jul 14 2010 08:02 AM
| christen, general life, personal, olive, christian subculture, theology, church, jesus, lucy, family, popular culture, current events, max, politics
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the bible's a funny thing. and so is following that guy jesus.
at best, they're frustrating. at worst, they're maddening. even illogical. counterintuitive.
you see, in scripture, we're referred to as sheep. basically, mindless followers that roam without proper self defense or the ability to find the way on our own. we just sorta hang out with the flock and go where the shepherd leads.
we're sitting ducks. but, you know, in the sheepish kind of way. (a shmuck?)
quite frankly, sheep should be frightened.
but the bible's a funny thing.
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feeling sheepish: a few thoughts about concealed weapons in church
Mon, Jul 12 2010 07:54 AM
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If you're like most Americans, there's probably been a time in your life when you've been sitting in church, listening to a particularly ennui-inducing homily or enduring another warbly version of "Holy Holy Holy" and thought, "Man! I could really reach for some steel right now, squeeze off a few rounds, and let these fools know what the score is!" Well, in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal has recently signed into law a measure that would allow you to at least feel comforted by the presence of your gun in the house of the Lord.
so begins a huffington post piece (sometimes you just gotta grab a great quote and use it…) about the newly-adopted law in louisiana that allows people to pack heat into houses of worship. yes, the good, god-fearing
god bless america.
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one month down: new pictures of max
Wed, Jul 7 2010 07:58 AM
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better late than never, right?
it's hard to believe, but tomorrow, july 8, max will be one month old. wow. at the risk of total cliché, time has flown by. it really does seem like yesterday that we were going to the hospital to prepare for his arrival. and now, fast forward a month…and we're just now taking pictures of him. yes, in the household of a photographer (christen), we're just now getting around to it. i guess that's just how it goes at this point…
it's hard to believe, but tomorrow, july 8, max will be one month old. wow. at the risk of total cliché, time has flown by. it really does seem like yesterday that we were going to the hospital to prepare for his arrival. and now, fast forward a month…and we're just now taking pictures of him. yes, in the household of a photographer (christen), we're just now getting around to it. i guess that's just how it goes at this point…
the boy who cried twitter: how to make your message meaningless
Fri, Jul 2 2010 07:57 AM
| personal, social media, popular culture
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one of the beauties of social media is that it allows for a wide variety of usage. for some, it's strictly "social" in the truest sense of the word, serving as a place to foster conversation and casual interaction. for others, it's a mode of relaying and broadcasting information or a vehicle for relationship-driven branding/marketing. i see all these uses (and there are plenty others i could name) as valid, if executed properly and within the bounds of social norms of the "community" in which one is operating.
lately, i've been examining the way i utilize social media (twitter, most predominantly, in my case). i don't think i've necessarily crossed any boundaries or used it in inappropriate/ineffective ways. rather, i've witnessed too many people who have and it's caused me to pause and exercise some caution.
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democracy wins: derek webb covers u2's 'where the streets have no name'
Tue, Jun 29 2010 01:47 PM
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over the last half a year, i've blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. earlier this year, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album has been in the process of being recorded over the span of 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. over the past 5 months, webb released the first four tracks, which was the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps, a so-so version of coldplay's fix you, a pretty good version of bob dylan's the times they are a-changin', an incredible version of gnarls barkley's who's gonna save my soul and a pretty good version of sufjan stevens' magnum opus (yes?) chicago.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb is revealing each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the sixth one.
so i'm the dude who crashed little rock family's mommy blogger story
Tue, Jun 29 2010 08:03 AM
| christen, general life, personal, olive, little rock, work, lucy, family, max, blog stuff
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greetings. welcome to the blog. maybe you're here because you saw me in a little rock family story about the top local bloggers. i'm the large, hairy woman in the middle. you know, the one who looks like the offspring of a lumberjack and a grizzly bear. yeah, that's me.
the lone dude.
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best albums of 2010 (so far)
Fri, Jun 25 2010 08:02 AM
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for those concerned with nerdy, useless information, at noon on friday, july 2, the year will officially be half over (or, um, half full?). as the cliché informs, the year has flown by. so far, i would affirm that it's been a good year. no doubt, some particularly terrible things have occurred personally, but then again, some particularly incredible things have occurred as well. you win some and you lose some.
in addition to personal experiences, it's been a good year for music. as i've mentioned before (and beyond the obvious observation), i consume a lot of music and it's been a good year to do that. a little over a hundred albums have graced my itunes in 2010 so far and of those, some are good, some are bad and some are just plain ugly. some, of course, have been particularly great. i thought i'd share the great ones with you.
in addition to personal experiences, it's been a good year for music. as i've mentioned before (and beyond the obvious observation), i consume a lot of music and it's been a good year to do that. a little over a hundred albums have graced my itunes in 2010 so far and of those, some are good, some are bad and some are just plain ugly. some, of course, have been particularly great. i thought i'd share the great ones with you.
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listen to the new track, 'scissor runner', by rilo kiley frontwoman jenny lewis' latest incarnation, jenny and johnny
Tue, Jun 22 2010 09:38 AM
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ah, jenny lewis. my music crush. the part-time lead singer for one of my favorite bands, rilo kiley. part-time solo artist extraordinaire of two of my favorite albums, rabbit fur coat and acid tongue. and now, part-time member of her newest incarnation, jenny and johnny, featuring her and longtime partner/boyfriend, johnathan rice.
listen to the new track, 'unholy triad' from kevin max's forthcoming, 'cotes d'armor'
Fri, Jun 18 2010 01:15 PM
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several weeks ago, i posted the latest track, on yer bike! from one of my favorite artists, kevin max. the new track was the debut release from the august 24th-slated album, cotes d'armor, a part remix, part new original offering from the once-famed dc talk frontman. yesterday, he released a new track.
two in review: may/june 2010
Fri, Jun 18 2010 08:01 AM
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i consume a lot of music. it's probably some kind of music ADD thing. i should probably seek out some kind of music junkies anonymous meeting or engage in some kind of full-out intervention. ultimately, i just love music and thus, consume quite a bit on any given week or month.
listen to the new track, 'beg steal or borrow' from ray lamontagne's forthcoming, 'god willin' and the creek don't rise'
Wed, Jun 16 2010 05:22 PM
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ah, ray. it was sweet, sweet news a few weeks ago when it was announced that ray lamontagne will be releasing the follow-up to 2008's gossip in the grain on august 17. the album, god willin' & the creek don't rise, will be released under the moniker, ray lamontagne & the pariah dogs. as anticipation mounts heading towards the release date, ray had done us all a beautiful favor with the youtube-embedded release of a new track, beg steal or borrow.
dr. jekyll and mr. white: a look back at 'breaking bad' season 3
Wed, Jun 16 2010 08:02 AM
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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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