Pop Culture Roundup

By
I finished In It for the Long Haul, and my feelings about it can pretty well be summed up in what I posted earlier this week. A lot of the material was familiar to me, such that I wound up thinking, "Really? This is what it takes?" Interestingly enough, the book says little to nothing about how to keep the creative energy going after the first few years; how to keep things fresh and vibrant. In various ways it dances around this subject, i.e., making sure that one take time off for renewal, evaluating programs rather than just the pastor, but that's it. That's what I found disappointing about this book.

I also finished Walden this week. This quote from the end sums up the whole book in a sense: "There is an incessant influx of novelty into the world, and yet we tolerate incredible dulness." Thoreau spends quite a bit of time appreciating the natural beauty around him; on living in simplicity and seeing life through alert senses uninhibited by what most people concern themselves with. For him, the self-preservation and over-cautionary ways with which we conduct our day-to-day lives have dulled our minds to wonder and awe; to fully living. This book became a great unintentional aid to this time off.

I picked up the new Dead Weather album this week, entitled Sea of Cowards. This is a more bluesy, more mellow album than the last. It isn't as crunchy. That's not to say that it isn't good, though. It's just different.

Pomomusings has been added to the blog list.

Here's a guy doing a poem entitled, "I'm Sorry I'm a Christian:"



And here's a video noting that "contemporary/relevant" worship has a few recognizable features:

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.



And here's Jose Feliciano singing the National Anthem as part of a tribute to late Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell:

Order my books!

Sign up for my author newsletter!

powered by TinyLetter

Popular posts from this blog

Libraries and Churches

By
Image
I've had a life-long appreciation for public libraries. I remember being pulled in a wagon down the sidewalk from our house to the library when I was probably 4 or 5 years old. One of my first jobs was at a library working as a page (as in, person who shelves books, not an actual book page). My dad's second career was as a reference librarian. And I enjoyed working at the library in high school so much that I worked at my seminary's library later on while a student there.

Since having kids, I've gained an entirely new love for libraries. My daughter and I make a trip every Monday to our own library, where she not only chooses a new batch of books to read, but she also takes time to play with the toys that they have set out for kids' enjoyment. Sometimes she plays with others, sometimes she prefers being by herself. But every week she asks if we're going, and every week I'm pleased to say that we are.

As always we took our weekly trip this past Monday. It wa…
Read more

Book Review: Cultural Savage by Aaron J. Smith

By
Image
All of this is my reality of living with mental illness. I hope it gives you some insight into the lives of people around you who live with these illnesses. But listen to their stories. Mental illness is different for each person. Don't assume that I can speak for the entire population affected by mental illness. Still, I hope you will hear my words [and] they will help you see those of us suffering. We deserve to be seen. - Aaron Smith, Cultural Savage

The world needs more personal stories about living with mental illness. And the Christian community is in special need of such stories that wrestle with how to reconcile faith with such illnesses. While many in general hold conscious or unconscious stigma, there tends to be an extra layer of misunderstanding and cruelty in the church, as the message many receive is that it is a sign of weak faith or needing more prayer. While faith and prayer may assist one in pursuing health, it is not the only thing that one needs. Therapy, medic…
Read more