No one commented on my last note over at facebook so I'll try again. It's summetime peoples and time to get your groove on. Now I have fairly eclectic tastes in music so I really think there is something here for everyone. So, are you sitting comfortably? Good! Let's begin -
Willie Nile has been writing songs, playing, singing and recording them for more than 25 years. And he has avoided being a huge commercial success by being way better than the vast majority of so-called "artists" that get peddled to you by "the machine" as Pink Floyd aptly named it. What's Willie's music like? Well some have compared him to Dylan & Springsteen. I'd add that there's a healthy dose of Lou Reed, Tom Petty and John Hiatt in there somewhere too. This album was recorded in New York City and that fabled musical locale oozes through every jangly guitar chord and joyfully shouted chorus line. Willie rocks, writes solid melodies, has a peculiar voice, dares lyrics that would make most songsmiths blanch in fear and has a way lot of soul. Visit his website for a free download of "Give Me Tomorrow" which is a great song but only one of my favorites, including "Run", "Doomsday Dance" and the title track, from his new album "House of a Thousand Guitars".
I listen to everything I get and rate it all. Every song on "House" got 5 stars from me except two which got 4 each. I developed a keen sense of "good" after 5 years at Kelly's Stereo Mart and House of Stein where I had to ignore the music constantly playing in the record department in order to work. It developed in me a sensitivity to better music which would penetrate my defenses. If Willie Nile had been playing, I'd have stopped dead in my tracks to listen. You should too.
http://www.willienile.com/main.html
Joshua Radin is relatively new on the music scene - his debut album appeared in 2004 - compared to Willie. Joshua is also from another part of the musical spectrum, although a closely connected part to where you find Willie Nile. Some of Nile's tunes and lyrics could be embraced by current folk aficionados, or earlier ones too (check out "After The War is Over"). Joshua is much closer to the folk world. His predominately acoustic arrangements and personal, introspective approach conjure up images of Simon and Garfunkle, James Taylor and Harry Chapin. But Joshua has a tuneful way with a song and a thoroughly 21st century perspective. You can hear clips from three songs from his new album on Mom & Pop Records - "Simple Times". I just can't accurately describe how infectious his songs are and it's a shame that one of the clips isn't for his tune "Vegetable Car". Still, if you want to enjoy about an hour with a truly gifted songwriter who can put you "in the story" with effortless grace as he plays, you owe it to yourself to listen.
www.joshuaradin.com/
LIGHTS is an enigma wrapped in a mystery and tied up with a riddle. OK, that may be a bit too much but there is very little biographical info (from trustworthy sources) available currently about this extremely talented, multi-instrumentalist from (supposedly) Toronto. Her latest self-titled EP notes inside that she is managed by none other than Jian Ghomeshi - host of CBC radio's pop-culture daily show "Q", and former "King of Spain" as a founding member of Moxie Fruvous. Jian has been around Canada's pop music scene for a while and he knows people. He also obviously knows a good thing when he hears it and LIGHTS is VERY good. Now I have come to the temple of pop/dance/techno only recently, mostly because I was put off by the heaps of trash piled up around the doors left by no-talent also-rans who thought they could craft a good tune. But, there is some real gold in those halls and I'm a sucker for a well crafted pop song. LIGHTS gives me the same feeling I got the first time I heard Fountains of Wayne play "Stacey's Mom". If you listen to radio you have already heard "Drive My Soul". Every time I listen to this 6 song EP my estimation of each song goes up a notch. Good fun. Clean fun. Canadian fun. What more could you ask for?
http://www.iamlights.com/
I first heard The Stills when they opened this year's highly disappointing Juno Awards show with their killer tune "Being Here". To say the show went downhill from there would do downhill skiing a nearly irreparable disservice, but The Stills shone - brightly. Their penultimate album "Oceans Will Rise" has the feeling that that may be a joyful response to attending one of their live shows as opposed to some sort of ecological prophesy of doom. Some critics have labeled them as having an "80's sound", but that pigeonholes them too tightly. They definitely have a rock presence, but they also layer their sound with acoustic guitars, piano and rich harmonies. The songs swagger, strut and sway with hypnotic rhythm and purposeful intent. Echoes of The Clash, early U2, Simple Minds - before they we co-opted by the movie biz - and hints of The Cure waft tantalizingly through the music The Stills produce. They also easily stand toe-to-toe with current bands like The Killers, Matchbox 20 and My Morning Jacket. This year's Juno Awards caused me to despair that not much good was happening currently in Canadian music - but The Stills are shining a ray of hope. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, after all Great Big Sea did a KILLER version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" to close the show - waitaminit, that song is around 40 years old. Yep, it's a long walk, across dry land to find something "good" AND "new". Speaking of "new", The Stills have a new album available now - "Without Feathers".
http://www.thestills.net/2006/main.html
OK it just cleaned up last year and it was on sale on Amazon.ca so I bought it. Yep I'm talking about Coldplay's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" (Ever notice how feminists never complain when "Death" or "The Devil" are referred to using male pronouns? But god has to be a "she" - so let's tear down the double standard and erect a brand new one on top of its bones - but I digress.) What can I say - this time the "great unwashed" and those who lead them got it right. I won't add much to what has already been written, spun, gushed and otherwise bellowed from the rooftops about this one except to say this is the first Coldplay album I've heard where I've really, really liked more than one song. In this case LOTS more than one song. Coldplay are the current standard bearers of the ongoing "British Invasion". I think they have finally landed for good - certainly better. Oh, and did I mention that it's currently on sale?
http://www.coldplay.com/
And finally in the "This Just In Department": Dala has just released a new album. I was introduced to this exceptionally talented Canadian duo at "Stuart McLeans' Vinyl Cafe Christmas" show last year. My best attempt at describing the amazing two-part harmonies these girls create is to say that if the Everly Brothers had been sisters they would have been Dala. Their 3rd album "Who Do You Think You Are" is still in very high rotation on my playlist after 6 months. Their new album "Everybody Is Somebody" arrives on June 6th. If you frequent the movies you'll see an add spot for it. My suggestion - buy "Who Do You Think You Are" and "Angels and Thieves" (their fist album) on Amazon.ca because they are a package and pre-order "Everyone Is Someone" (on sale for only $9.99). Trust me, you'll love their stuff. Have I ever been wrong before?
Trust me!
http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/dal/default.asp
http://www.dalagirls.com/
By my count that's two Yankees, a band of Brits and three Canadian acts. Balanced music coverage for your listening pleasure. I've done all the hard work so it's your turn now. And I'd like some feed back this time IF you're not TOO busy.
So "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!". It's summertime! Music time!
Shalom
Monday, June 01, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Star Trek - No Spoilers
J.J. Abrams is a consummate artist and a certified film genius. Everyone on this project should be extremely proud of their work - it was to a man and a woman - outstanding in every respect. They have collectively achieved the nearly impossible.
You should have seen the faces on the folks leaving the theatre with me - all smiles - every single one of them and a few tears, too. If that ain't the result of great movie making then I don't know what is!
'Nuff Said!
You should have seen the faces on the folks leaving the theatre with me - all smiles - every single one of them and a few tears, too. If that ain't the result of great movie making then I don't know what is!
'Nuff Said!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Back to School?
I was one of those students for whom High school was a breeze. It made me unpopular with my peers so I tried flunking for a while. That made me unpopular with the teachers and my parents, and they had the power to detain and discipline me. That didn't compare with the power my peers had to torture me emotionally.
My solution - I dropped out. Intelligence has nothing to do with wisdom.
Twenty-one years later I went back to school as a "mature" student. The criteria for determining "mature" status was my age - 38 - and my financial ability to pay the tuition. My academic prowess was assessed and it was discovered I still had "it" - whatever "it" was that made me a good student before was still there and largely functional, plus I had a new asset - motivation. Peer pressure - no longer a factor. The only threat of discipline was the possibility of watching $20,000 go "bye-bye" with nothing to show for it - oh, and the resulting response that my wife would no doubt share with me. "The fear of the Lord (or your spouse) is the beginning of all wisdom."
With my shiny new Master's degree under my arm I entered the ministry. Later I discovered the darn thing did not inflate like a "Mae West" life jacket, nor did it contain a parachute, soft pillow to fall on or even a tiny pink umbrella I could hold over my head to deflect the boulders falling on me. Instead, I discovered the "better questions" I had acquired as I pursued the degree were the new tools I was using to seek better answers. And all that stuff every single prof, instructor, sessional lecturer and staff member at the seminary had told me about trusting Jesus - all of that was Gospel Truth.
I'm seven years down the road in ministry and I'll be 49 this July. I should be taking a sabbatical (I'll wait for the apoplectic laughter to die down out there), but instead I'm considering what feels like another call from God to go back to school. It feels like what I followed eleven years ago - but different, too.
The school I attended has been/is in turmoil lately. Big changes. Unsure future. Huge decisions to be made. Financial stuff, too. But the seminary portion is (should be) largely unaffected by all of this. And they have or are in the process of creating a Doctor of Ministry programme. The president of the school and the person in charge of church and alumni relations have assured me this is so - and I trust them.
My why reason to go back is because I am feeling prompted in this direction by God. I have no illusions about the amount of work and effort this will take (OK maybe I do, but the thought of school does scare me pretty much so I figure I'm being at least a little rational here). My goal is to become more useful to God and His church in any way I can. My hope is to teach a little bit one day in a seminary or other more formal setting than the local church (Yeah I'm weird that way - I like school).
But there is a lot of uncertainty - not the least of which is how in the heck I would pay for something like this (which was one of the big questions eleven years ago, too). So I'm praying - you could pray with me, too (It couldn't hurt.) I have given myself until my birthday next year to either enroll or set it aside. Of course quite a few other things will have to be in place before then if I am to go this way.
It's probably too soon to start sharpening pencils and buying loose-leaf paper, but I do have a nearly brand-new lap-top so maybe I'm more functionally ready than I think I am.
I guess I'm waiting to hear the school bell.
Shalom
My solution - I dropped out. Intelligence has nothing to do with wisdom.
Twenty-one years later I went back to school as a "mature" student. The criteria for determining "mature" status was my age - 38 - and my financial ability to pay the tuition. My academic prowess was assessed and it was discovered I still had "it" - whatever "it" was that made me a good student before was still there and largely functional, plus I had a new asset - motivation. Peer pressure - no longer a factor. The only threat of discipline was the possibility of watching $20,000 go "bye-bye" with nothing to show for it - oh, and the resulting response that my wife would no doubt share with me. "The fear of the Lord (or your spouse) is the beginning of all wisdom."
With my shiny new Master's degree under my arm I entered the ministry. Later I discovered the darn thing did not inflate like a "Mae West" life jacket, nor did it contain a parachute, soft pillow to fall on or even a tiny pink umbrella I could hold over my head to deflect the boulders falling on me. Instead, I discovered the "better questions" I had acquired as I pursued the degree were the new tools I was using to seek better answers. And all that stuff every single prof, instructor, sessional lecturer and staff member at the seminary had told me about trusting Jesus - all of that was Gospel Truth.
I'm seven years down the road in ministry and I'll be 49 this July. I should be taking a sabbatical (I'll wait for the apoplectic laughter to die down out there), but instead I'm considering what feels like another call from God to go back to school. It feels like what I followed eleven years ago - but different, too.
The school I attended has been/is in turmoil lately. Big changes. Unsure future. Huge decisions to be made. Financial stuff, too. But the seminary portion is (should be) largely unaffected by all of this. And they have or are in the process of creating a Doctor of Ministry programme. The president of the school and the person in charge of church and alumni relations have assured me this is so - and I trust them.
My why reason to go back is because I am feeling prompted in this direction by God. I have no illusions about the amount of work and effort this will take (OK maybe I do, but the thought of school does scare me pretty much so I figure I'm being at least a little rational here). My goal is to become more useful to God and His church in any way I can. My hope is to teach a little bit one day in a seminary or other more formal setting than the local church (Yeah I'm weird that way - I like school).
But there is a lot of uncertainty - not the least of which is how in the heck I would pay for something like this (which was one of the big questions eleven years ago, too). So I'm praying - you could pray with me, too (It couldn't hurt.) I have given myself until my birthday next year to either enroll or set it aside. Of course quite a few other things will have to be in place before then if I am to go this way.
It's probably too soon to start sharpening pencils and buying loose-leaf paper, but I do have a nearly brand-new lap-top so maybe I'm more functionally ready than I think I am.
I guess I'm waiting to hear the school bell.
Shalom
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Cats
Shadoe - our 14-year-old black cat is in my arm, purring up a storm. She has been extra affectionate recently - probably because our son, Steven, is back at school all week and she is feeling neglected. She's making it hard to type this post because I'm using one hand - and one finger on that hand for that matter. OK - she just left so I can get down to it now.
We took her and her sister, Sweet Pea, to the vet yet again today. Steven (home for the weekend) had to pull Sweet Pea out from under our bed to put her in her carrier. She didn't fight, but she didn't want to go either. I say "again" because we've had problems with the girls (yes they are spayed) lately and we've been to the vet quite a bit - over $2500 worth - lately getting tests and such like.
The practical reality is that they are getting old and are starting to suffer common cat health problems that come with being the equivalent of around 80 human years old. As such they are both remarkably fit. They need a special reduced protein diet and Shadoe may need some medication for hyperthyroidism but other than being a bit set in their ways they are still active and affectionate.
So we are facing their age and mortality. When they joined us Steven was 7, Matt 9 & Duncan 11. They have been the only real pets (fish don't count) our boys have known. Susie always had cats. I grew up with dogs until my last one left me for someone else (a story for another day and place). Susie and I had another pair when we were first married, but we had to let them go. (Ouch! A very painful memory.) So these two have been the pets for most of our lives together. If they hold out two more years they will officially have been in our lives for over half of our marriage.
But we will lose them one day. The costs are a bit of a concern. We can't put out money indefinitely. Our commitment is that they should not suffer or be forced to endure a severely reduced quality of life. Don't ask me to define that yet. Susie and I both hope we will recognize that when we see it. It does mean that we will have to take responsibility for their lives (as we have all along) and ultimately their deaths. We won't replace them. When they are gone our pet owner days will have come to an end. It will be sooner that later. But not too soon we hope.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
I used to love baseball.
My dad loved baseball. We watched it together. Played "catch". Dad sent me to ball camp (twice). He taught me to appreciate the game. I was never a "hockey" kid. I played for 2-3 seasons in the really early years. It was curling in winter and baseball in summer at our house - oh and we both loved to watch the CFL (for that matter I still do).
One of my best memories was spending an afternoon with my three boys and my dad at Telus Field in Edmonton watching the Trappers. It was a beautiful summer afternoon and we watched, ate, talked, ate, cheered, ate, sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" in the 7th inning stretch, ate and just loved each other.
I remember there were some other kids in our section running over, under, around and through (we were in the bleachers and there was room to run over, under, around and through) and generally disrupting what was otherwise a great day. Their parents were yelling at them, occasionally corralling them only to have them break lose later to do more acting out. My boys were happy and content to sit watch and, of course, eat.
Steven was only 4 or 5 and when we came to dessert he ordered a cone that was a bit too big for him. He looked at me with plaintive eyes about a third of the way through it and said, "I can't finish this dad." I said it was OK and just found an empty food try to put it in. No muss. No fuss. No worries.
Later, as we were leaving a lady who had been sitting a few seats away came up to me and said, "I just wanted you to know how wonderful it was to see how gentle you were with your boys. It was nice to have you all here watching the game with us." I thanked her and caught my dad's eye. He was grinning with pride and joy. His son and grandsons did good! It remains to this day the best compliment I've ever received from someone outside our family regarding my parenting skills. It still makes me feel warm 15 years later and it happened through, around, in the context of baseball.
Now the sports press is hunting Manny Ramirez with self-righteous zeal and the commissioner has benched him for 50 games. No court. No hearing. No proven evidence. No process. No justice. No game.
Let me firmly state that I am appalled by the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports, but what really is appalling to me is the hypocrisy and evil manipulation the owners of teams, commissioners and governors of sport embrace for their own selfish gain at the expense of the lives, health and well-being of the athletes.
The truth is that illegal or banned substances are simply at the extreme end of the continuum that also includes cortisone shots for hurt knees, surgery for torn ligaments, pain killers, hydrotherapy, oxygen and a host of other medically accepted treatments employed to help the athletes keep performing. We live in a consumer society which offers us all a pill for whatever is bothering us or holding us back or making us sad, mad or glad. On top of this, the pro athletes are under pressures that few others have to face and the powers that be have conveniently ignored the problem of illegal drug use in sport and even been complicit in its use.
There are only two options that I can see that have a hope of working. The first is 100% drug testing of all athletes in a particular league or sport coupled with crippling sanctions for failure to comply or test clean. Don't even begin to suggest that cost or complexity would make this option unworkable. As long as the players and owners enjoy incomes and lifestyles that are in the top .0001% of all humanity on Earth that argument is only valid if you are a complete idiot or in collusion with those who earn their livelihoods off the breaking and broken bodies of abused athletes.
The unfortunate reality is that this scenario will always result in more scandal, ongoing investigations, controversy and escalating efforts to find ways to beat the tests, devise new drugs and keep cheating. The downside will always be out weighed by the upside as far as the athletes, coaches, owners and league bosses are concerned. A few busted cheaters, a few destroyed careers, a few wrecked legacies, a few records tainted will always be "acceptable losses" when compared with the rewards of winning - even if you cheat to do it.
The alternative is to open it up and manage the use of performance enhancing substances in the open. Again 100% testing will have to be used but the reasons will be different. Essentially, the teams as corporations and the owners must become responsible for the ongoing and long term health of their employees. Rather than benefit from the achievements of cheaters who risk their lives for money, fame and glory while having no obligations towards them for the consequences of the risks they have taken, the teams, owners and leagues would become legally responsible for the use of these substances and their effects on the players.
This would create a strong motivation for the teams to closely monitor their athletes use and health. The whole sport would have a vested interest in making sure that use was as safe as it can be made. We as fans would know exactly what was going on and players could choose whether or not to use substances based on their career objectives and personal moral codes instead of under the pressure of having to deal with these choices illicitly. Fans could actually decide if they preferred to idolize athletes who use performance enhancers vs. ones who don't. Corporations could choose athletic spokespersons based on their read of which type of athlete would best represent their brand to their clientele. We could do away with the witch hunts, shattering revelations, debates about asterisks in the record books and the host of other uncertainties this issue is creating.
Most importantly, tragic outcomes like the horrible end faced by Lyle Alzado for example could be largely avoided or at least the team, owners and leagues would be obliged and able to provide support and compensation to afflicted athletes and their families. Also, the risk to young, non-professional athletes would be greatly diminished as the whole issue would be dealt with in the open instead of the dark corners of the clubhouse and dressing room. We do not know even now how many young men and women have been damaged by succumbing to the pressure to use these substances and incur the consequences of their use before ever (if ever) entering the ranks of professional sports.
In the meantime as we debate the morals of the athletes who are suspected of using banned substances we ignore the obviously reprehensible morals of owners, coaches, league officials and corporations who have all turned a blind eye to the obvious use of these substances by their employees because they have enjoyed the obscenely huge profits these men and women have generated for them by sacrificing their bodies and long term health.
It's time that the people who get rich through professional sport, including the athletes, stand up, take responsibility and face this problem head on. Continued banning, testing and sanctioning will only continue the cat and mouse game and subject whatever sport is in view to ongoing suspicion, ridicule and fan disenfranchisement.
I believe if the choice to use or not use was able to me made in the open we would see that the very best athletes and best organizations would have little or no abuse. As it is there is now no one who can be trusted, no one who's hands are clean, no one who's motives are pure and no one who holds the high moral ground. This is because the default position we have all adopted is "it's OK as long as you don't get caught". The system rewards those who cheat well and it destroys those who cheat poorly. In that we probably shouldn't be surprised, it's just another game with it's own rules and it's own winners and losers. But for my money it's a lousy game.
For my part I want to love baseball and other sports again, but for that to happen they are all going to have to start being honest with themselves and with me as a fan.
When that starts to happen I'll be back in the bleachers.
My dad loved baseball. We watched it together. Played "catch". Dad sent me to ball camp (twice). He taught me to appreciate the game. I was never a "hockey" kid. I played for 2-3 seasons in the really early years. It was curling in winter and baseball in summer at our house - oh and we both loved to watch the CFL (for that matter I still do).
One of my best memories was spending an afternoon with my three boys and my dad at Telus Field in Edmonton watching the Trappers. It was a beautiful summer afternoon and we watched, ate, talked, ate, cheered, ate, sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" in the 7th inning stretch, ate and just loved each other.
I remember there were some other kids in our section running over, under, around and through (we were in the bleachers and there was room to run over, under, around and through) and generally disrupting what was otherwise a great day. Their parents were yelling at them, occasionally corralling them only to have them break lose later to do more acting out. My boys were happy and content to sit watch and, of course, eat.
Steven was only 4 or 5 and when we came to dessert he ordered a cone that was a bit too big for him. He looked at me with plaintive eyes about a third of the way through it and said, "I can't finish this dad." I said it was OK and just found an empty food try to put it in. No muss. No fuss. No worries.
Later, as we were leaving a lady who had been sitting a few seats away came up to me and said, "I just wanted you to know how wonderful it was to see how gentle you were with your boys. It was nice to have you all here watching the game with us." I thanked her and caught my dad's eye. He was grinning with pride and joy. His son and grandsons did good! It remains to this day the best compliment I've ever received from someone outside our family regarding my parenting skills. It still makes me feel warm 15 years later and it happened through, around, in the context of baseball.
Now the sports press is hunting Manny Ramirez with self-righteous zeal and the commissioner has benched him for 50 games. No court. No hearing. No proven evidence. No process. No justice. No game.
Let me firmly state that I am appalled by the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports, but what really is appalling to me is the hypocrisy and evil manipulation the owners of teams, commissioners and governors of sport embrace for their own selfish gain at the expense of the lives, health and well-being of the athletes.
The truth is that illegal or banned substances are simply at the extreme end of the continuum that also includes cortisone shots for hurt knees, surgery for torn ligaments, pain killers, hydrotherapy, oxygen and a host of other medically accepted treatments employed to help the athletes keep performing. We live in a consumer society which offers us all a pill for whatever is bothering us or holding us back or making us sad, mad or glad. On top of this, the pro athletes are under pressures that few others have to face and the powers that be have conveniently ignored the problem of illegal drug use in sport and even been complicit in its use.
There are only two options that I can see that have a hope of working. The first is 100% drug testing of all athletes in a particular league or sport coupled with crippling sanctions for failure to comply or test clean. Don't even begin to suggest that cost or complexity would make this option unworkable. As long as the players and owners enjoy incomes and lifestyles that are in the top .0001% of all humanity on Earth that argument is only valid if you are a complete idiot or in collusion with those who earn their livelihoods off the breaking and broken bodies of abused athletes.
The unfortunate reality is that this scenario will always result in more scandal, ongoing investigations, controversy and escalating efforts to find ways to beat the tests, devise new drugs and keep cheating. The downside will always be out weighed by the upside as far as the athletes, coaches, owners and league bosses are concerned. A few busted cheaters, a few destroyed careers, a few wrecked legacies, a few records tainted will always be "acceptable losses" when compared with the rewards of winning - even if you cheat to do it.
The alternative is to open it up and manage the use of performance enhancing substances in the open. Again 100% testing will have to be used but the reasons will be different. Essentially, the teams as corporations and the owners must become responsible for the ongoing and long term health of their employees. Rather than benefit from the achievements of cheaters who risk their lives for money, fame and glory while having no obligations towards them for the consequences of the risks they have taken, the teams, owners and leagues would become legally responsible for the use of these substances and their effects on the players.
This would create a strong motivation for the teams to closely monitor their athletes use and health. The whole sport would have a vested interest in making sure that use was as safe as it can be made. We as fans would know exactly what was going on and players could choose whether or not to use substances based on their career objectives and personal moral codes instead of under the pressure of having to deal with these choices illicitly. Fans could actually decide if they preferred to idolize athletes who use performance enhancers vs. ones who don't. Corporations could choose athletic spokespersons based on their read of which type of athlete would best represent their brand to their clientele. We could do away with the witch hunts, shattering revelations, debates about asterisks in the record books and the host of other uncertainties this issue is creating.
Most importantly, tragic outcomes like the horrible end faced by Lyle Alzado for example could be largely avoided or at least the team, owners and leagues would be obliged and able to provide support and compensation to afflicted athletes and their families. Also, the risk to young, non-professional athletes would be greatly diminished as the whole issue would be dealt with in the open instead of the dark corners of the clubhouse and dressing room. We do not know even now how many young men and women have been damaged by succumbing to the pressure to use these substances and incur the consequences of their use before ever (if ever) entering the ranks of professional sports.
In the meantime as we debate the morals of the athletes who are suspected of using banned substances we ignore the obviously reprehensible morals of owners, coaches, league officials and corporations who have all turned a blind eye to the obvious use of these substances by their employees because they have enjoyed the obscenely huge profits these men and women have generated for them by sacrificing their bodies and long term health.
It's time that the people who get rich through professional sport, including the athletes, stand up, take responsibility and face this problem head on. Continued banning, testing and sanctioning will only continue the cat and mouse game and subject whatever sport is in view to ongoing suspicion, ridicule and fan disenfranchisement.
I believe if the choice to use or not use was able to me made in the open we would see that the very best athletes and best organizations would have little or no abuse. As it is there is now no one who can be trusted, no one who's hands are clean, no one who's motives are pure and no one who holds the high moral ground. This is because the default position we have all adopted is "it's OK as long as you don't get caught". The system rewards those who cheat well and it destroys those who cheat poorly. In that we probably shouldn't be surprised, it's just another game with it's own rules and it's own winners and losers. But for my money it's a lousy game.
For my part I want to love baseball and other sports again, but for that to happen they are all going to have to start being honest with themselves and with me as a fan.
When that starts to happen I'll be back in the bleachers.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Last Days
During the current world-wide economic strife I have been relatively pleased that the Christian community has, for the most part, showed remarkable restraint in not proclaiming the end of days loudly and stridently from the rooftops of churches. The temptation must have been - and still is, I reckon - quite considerable.
But, the doomsayers have had their moments before and whether it was Hal Lindsay in his book "The Late Great Planet Earth" or Oral Roberts pleading for money to shore up his ministry or The World Wide Church of God determining a set of what ended up to be moving dates when the end would come (and these are only a few occurrences in my lifetime) we all know that the score stands thus: God - ∞ ; Predictors - 0.
Unfortunately the cracks are starting to show in Christendom and dire warnings of doom are beginning to leak out. I was very surprised to read such a post by David Wilkerson, the author of the autobiographical "The Cross and the Switichblade". His message is predictable, cryptic and supported (poorly) by Scripture as John Piper observes.
My personal reaction was dismay. I read "The Cross and the Switchblade" when I was a youngster. It frightened and fascinated me. I became aware of the reality that there are people in the world who will actually do what Christ would - put their lives on the line for others - and this was long before we started wearing WWJD bracelets. I admit I'm no David Wilkerson, but to now see him treading into fool's territory is disappointing.
All of this, and some recent personal encounters, have caused me to think about this and I am currently of the opinion that the church can gain no ground by taking the role of doomsayer for the following reasons:
1. We have a message to deliver already. Christ Lives! He died for all and was raised to life by the power of God. All can receive His free gifts of forgiveness, salvation, restoration and everlasting life. There is no other message we are called to deliver.
*NOTE* Generally the church as a whole does not engage much in doomsaying, despite the stereotypes the world holds of us - it is most often individuals. I suggest to those of you with such a message a very healthy contemplation of Ephesians 5:21 then don't deliver your message of destruction until there is unity within the body you are a part of concerning this.
2. The judgment of God upon the world is implicit in the Gospel. We do not do conviction - that is the work of the Holy Spirit. If in the hearing of God's Word people feel appropriate guilt (yes gentle reader there is such a thing) that is something they must address if they wish to be honest with themselves. We do not need to add unnecessary emphasis to this portion of the message.
3. We have cried "wolf" too often to be taken seriously. As an example, I suggest that the politically motivated eco-movement is currently falling under the effects of this. Recent revelations concerning "global warming" - now re-named "climate change" - questions and concerns about the adoption of policies purported to aid ecological agendas and the lack of civil debate in these matters has tainted the message of the ecologists and they are risking losing what credibility they still have. When it comes to the issue of "the end of days" I submit that the church has even less credibility, if any at all. And that sad truth alone could be the subject of an entire blog post.
4. Worrying about this inevitable event is useless. Trying to accelerate its inception, manage through its possible series of events, use it as a goad to prod people into acceptance of Christ or basing your life decisions on how you believe you understand it all will happen is, at the very least delusional and at worst violently arrogant. Especially in light of the truth that it is God's decision and we claim to accept His sovreignity. Even Christ Himself admitted that he doesn't know when all of this is going to happen. So when we say we do, who the heck do we think we are?
I heard a story recently that captures, I think, how we pilgrims should react in troubled times. This is my modified retelling of it:
At an evangelical seminary a group of earnest, fresh-faced students were engaged in a late night friendly game of Risk with one of the professors. One of them asked the group what they would do if they suddenly received the message that Christ's appearance was immanent and the end of all things was upon them. Answers ranged from "call my family and friends who don't believe and plead with them one last time" to "wake up everyone on campus so they can be ready" to "go to the chapel to confess and pray" to "call the radio and TV stations" to "put it on my blog/text it/twitter it". Finally the students turned to the professor and asked what he would do.
"Finish the game," he replied with a smile.
One other person commenting on these things said "I think brothers and sisters in countries all over the world are living through what looks like Armageddon to them right now." So why is this such a big deal to us all of a sudden? Oh yeah, right, I forgot - we all just lost a bunch of our gold. It must be the end of days, right? (sarcasm very much intended - forgive me if you can)
It is the end of days - right now.
It always has been since Jesus ascended to Heaven.
Live them for Him.
Peace
But, the doomsayers have had their moments before and whether it was Hal Lindsay in his book "The Late Great Planet Earth" or Oral Roberts pleading for money to shore up his ministry or The World Wide Church of God determining a set of what ended up to be moving dates when the end would come (and these are only a few occurrences in my lifetime) we all know that the score stands thus: God - ∞ ; Predictors - 0.
Unfortunately the cracks are starting to show in Christendom and dire warnings of doom are beginning to leak out. I was very surprised to read such a post by David Wilkerson, the author of the autobiographical "The Cross and the Switichblade". His message is predictable, cryptic and supported (poorly) by Scripture as John Piper observes.
My personal reaction was dismay. I read "The Cross and the Switchblade" when I was a youngster. It frightened and fascinated me. I became aware of the reality that there are people in the world who will actually do what Christ would - put their lives on the line for others - and this was long before we started wearing WWJD bracelets. I admit I'm no David Wilkerson, but to now see him treading into fool's territory is disappointing.
All of this, and some recent personal encounters, have caused me to think about this and I am currently of the opinion that the church can gain no ground by taking the role of doomsayer for the following reasons:
1. We have a message to deliver already. Christ Lives! He died for all and was raised to life by the power of God. All can receive His free gifts of forgiveness, salvation, restoration and everlasting life. There is no other message we are called to deliver.
*NOTE* Generally the church as a whole does not engage much in doomsaying, despite the stereotypes the world holds of us - it is most often individuals. I suggest to those of you with such a message a very healthy contemplation of Ephesians 5:21 then don't deliver your message of destruction until there is unity within the body you are a part of concerning this.
2. The judgment of God upon the world is implicit in the Gospel. We do not do conviction - that is the work of the Holy Spirit. If in the hearing of God's Word people feel appropriate guilt (yes gentle reader there is such a thing) that is something they must address if they wish to be honest with themselves. We do not need to add unnecessary emphasis to this portion of the message.
3. We have cried "wolf" too often to be taken seriously. As an example, I suggest that the politically motivated eco-movement is currently falling under the effects of this. Recent revelations concerning "global warming" - now re-named "climate change" - questions and concerns about the adoption of policies purported to aid ecological agendas and the lack of civil debate in these matters has tainted the message of the ecologists and they are risking losing what credibility they still have. When it comes to the issue of "the end of days" I submit that the church has even less credibility, if any at all. And that sad truth alone could be the subject of an entire blog post.
4. Worrying about this inevitable event is useless. Trying to accelerate its inception, manage through its possible series of events, use it as a goad to prod people into acceptance of Christ or basing your life decisions on how you believe you understand it all will happen is, at the very least delusional and at worst violently arrogant. Especially in light of the truth that it is God's decision and we claim to accept His sovreignity. Even Christ Himself admitted that he doesn't know when all of this is going to happen. So when we say we do, who the heck do we think we are?
I heard a story recently that captures, I think, how we pilgrims should react in troubled times. This is my modified retelling of it:
At an evangelical seminary a group of earnest, fresh-faced students were engaged in a late night friendly game of Risk with one of the professors. One of them asked the group what they would do if they suddenly received the message that Christ's appearance was immanent and the end of all things was upon them. Answers ranged from "call my family and friends who don't believe and plead with them one last time" to "wake up everyone on campus so they can be ready" to "go to the chapel to confess and pray" to "call the radio and TV stations" to "put it on my blog/text it/twitter it". Finally the students turned to the professor and asked what he would do.
"Finish the game," he replied with a smile.
One other person commenting on these things said "I think brothers and sisters in countries all over the world are living through what looks like Armageddon to them right now." So why is this such a big deal to us all of a sudden? Oh yeah, right, I forgot - we all just lost a bunch of our gold. It must be the end of days, right? (sarcasm very much intended - forgive me if you can)
It is the end of days - right now.
It always has been since Jesus ascended to Heaven.
Live them for Him.
Peace
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
In Cars
For those of you who recognized my borrowed title as belonging to the lyrics of Gary Numan's semi-hit "Cars", congrats.
I have been fascinated with cars since my very earliest memories. I dreamed of owning the muscle cars of my youth in the '70's - Burt Reynolds' Trans Am, Steve McQueen's Mustang, and the Challenger from the cult classic "Vanishing Point". I have collected Car and Driver and Road & Track mags for years. Once, I was moments away from purchasing $5000 worth of Snap-On automotive tools and beginning a career as an auto mechanic. My first workplace experiences were in service stations and I did the usual "grease monkey" jobs, oil changes, tire repairs and some minor repairs.
I didn't end up owning my dream cars (and my newest one is out of my reach financially) but it may be a moot point as the company that builds it may not exist as it does now in a very short while. While the facts are that GM, Ford and Chrysler are all in dire financial straits currently (Ford being the possible exception) it seems they will die, not because of their own mistakes, but because of the political baggage that will be attached to any attempt by the US government to bail them out.
The short version of this is that President Obama will (already has) attached caveats to the bailout package offered to the US automakers that will severely limit the ability of the executives to run their companies in an efficient and profitable manner. The insistence on demanding that the US companies meet fuel efficiency targets their competition will not be required to, incorporate new technologies before there is a profitable business case to do so and limit the choices they can make regarding how to use the bailout funds will inevitably result in business failure in any case. These issues have been reported elsewhere and are now public record. The recent resignation of the CEO of GM was the only response he could choose in the face of what the US government was demanding. Had he said "yes" to the bailout as offered he would have been unable to do his job effectively anyway. His choice was the honest one.
In addition the the roadblocks the US government is putting up in front of the automakers the leadership of the UAW and CAW have continued to insist that the cost of labor is not a problem for the US car industry. This is in spite of the fact that the huge disparity between the average wages of their members compared to the average wages of competitors' workers in the US is so great a grade 10 student in a Junior Achievement program could spot it as a HUGE problem.
I am now predicting the bankruptcy is inevitable for the US automakers. Even if deluded leadership is found who will accept the strictures of the bailout package the end result will be failure, albeit delayed failure. The sad truth is that this ultimate result will be more the fault if the US administration and the influence of special interest groups than because of the mistakes the US auto manufacturers have made. I will not blindly defend them. They have made serious errors in judgment over the course of their history and have had to deal with their self-delusional corporate culture, but the truth is that all three US companies had already made major changes and improvements before the economic meltdown took place. The evidence of this is certainly in Ford, which currently is still relatively solvent. Every new model GM has introduced in the last 5 years has been a meritorious design, including the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu (both of which won "Car of the Year" in the two previous years). Even my beloved Cadillac CTS-V is considered a "world-class" luxury sports sedan capable of competing with anything in its class and price range.
The truth is that if the economic meltdown had not occurred it was becoming more and more likely that the US auto manufacturers would have begun to regain market share, rebuild their reputations and infuse the marketplace with exciting, innovative and worthy products. Ultimately we as consumers would have benefited with more choices of better vehicles at better prices in a more competitive marketplace. That future is all but a lost opportunity now.
Perhaps the US auto manufacturing industry will be able to rise from the ashes of the oncoming inferno that will consume them. There are historical precedences for companies being rebuilt by those who buy them, but this will most likely not be a "made in America" solution. The irony is that while President Obama is likely to flirt with some protectionist policies during his administration (and perhaps already has), in this case he seems content to throw one of his nations oldest and most storied industries to the wolves - even when there is evidence that they could still survive if aided appropriately.
For my part I'll be shopping for a lightly used GM product this spring. I like what I'm driving now, I just am wearing it out. Maybe this will be my last GM purchase. I hope not, but to me the future looks grim.
I have been fascinated with cars since my very earliest memories. I dreamed of owning the muscle cars of my youth in the '70's - Burt Reynolds' Trans Am, Steve McQueen's Mustang, and the Challenger from the cult classic "Vanishing Point". I have collected Car and Driver and Road & Track mags for years. Once, I was moments away from purchasing $5000 worth of Snap-On automotive tools and beginning a career as an auto mechanic. My first workplace experiences were in service stations and I did the usual "grease monkey" jobs, oil changes, tire repairs and some minor repairs.
I didn't end up owning my dream cars (and my newest one is out of my reach financially) but it may be a moot point as the company that builds it may not exist as it does now in a very short while. While the facts are that GM, Ford and Chrysler are all in dire financial straits currently (Ford being the possible exception) it seems they will die, not because of their own mistakes, but because of the political baggage that will be attached to any attempt by the US government to bail them out.
The short version of this is that President Obama will (already has) attached caveats to the bailout package offered to the US automakers that will severely limit the ability of the executives to run their companies in an efficient and profitable manner. The insistence on demanding that the US companies meet fuel efficiency targets their competition will not be required to, incorporate new technologies before there is a profitable business case to do so and limit the choices they can make regarding how to use the bailout funds will inevitably result in business failure in any case. These issues have been reported elsewhere and are now public record. The recent resignation of the CEO of GM was the only response he could choose in the face of what the US government was demanding. Had he said "yes" to the bailout as offered he would have been unable to do his job effectively anyway. His choice was the honest one.
In addition the the roadblocks the US government is putting up in front of the automakers the leadership of the UAW and CAW have continued to insist that the cost of labor is not a problem for the US car industry. This is in spite of the fact that the huge disparity between the average wages of their members compared to the average wages of competitors' workers in the US is so great a grade 10 student in a Junior Achievement program could spot it as a HUGE problem.
I am now predicting the bankruptcy is inevitable for the US automakers. Even if deluded leadership is found who will accept the strictures of the bailout package the end result will be failure, albeit delayed failure. The sad truth is that this ultimate result will be more the fault if the US administration and the influence of special interest groups than because of the mistakes the US auto manufacturers have made. I will not blindly defend them. They have made serious errors in judgment over the course of their history and have had to deal with their self-delusional corporate culture, but the truth is that all three US companies had already made major changes and improvements before the economic meltdown took place. The evidence of this is certainly in Ford, which currently is still relatively solvent. Every new model GM has introduced in the last 5 years has been a meritorious design, including the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu (both of which won "Car of the Year" in the two previous years). Even my beloved Cadillac CTS-V is considered a "world-class" luxury sports sedan capable of competing with anything in its class and price range.
The truth is that if the economic meltdown had not occurred it was becoming more and more likely that the US auto manufacturers would have begun to regain market share, rebuild their reputations and infuse the marketplace with exciting, innovative and worthy products. Ultimately we as consumers would have benefited with more choices of better vehicles at better prices in a more competitive marketplace. That future is all but a lost opportunity now.
Perhaps the US auto manufacturing industry will be able to rise from the ashes of the oncoming inferno that will consume them. There are historical precedences for companies being rebuilt by those who buy them, but this will most likely not be a "made in America" solution. The irony is that while President Obama is likely to flirt with some protectionist policies during his administration (and perhaps already has), in this case he seems content to throw one of his nations oldest and most storied industries to the wolves - even when there is evidence that they could still survive if aided appropriately.
For my part I'll be shopping for a lightly used GM product this spring. I like what I'm driving now, I just am wearing it out. Maybe this will be my last GM purchase. I hope not, but to me the future looks grim.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Signs! Signs! Everywhere a Sign!
My deep respect and props to Canada's own 5 Man Electrical Band and I hope they will forgive me for borrowing the lyrics from their excellent song "Signs". But it just jumped into my mind when I read a Facebook post today about how a friend of mine saw a sign at their local medical clinic warning against abusive behavior and language when dealing with the staff. Their question was along the lines of asking if this sort of thing was a regular enough occurrence to actually warrant a sign. And they opined that if it was then maybe barbarians were no longer at the gates but might have actually moved in down the block and begun frequenting the local Wal-Mart.
To be sure that question might be worth exploring, but my brain took another tack and I ended up thinking about my own medical clinic. When I visit my doctor (which I do frequently as we are monitoring a number of things that require regular blood tests - all is well dear readers, do not fear) I can read no less than EIGHT signs in the waiting room. There's the one about turning off cellphones; the one about having your government health care card; the one about how you can only see the doctor for ONE problem per visit (so don't even TRY to sneak in another one); the one about how missing appointments can get you dropped from their client list (includes instructions on rules for notifying the office if you wish to cancel an appointment); the sign about doctors' hours; the one about picking up the toys and putting them away when your children are done with them; the one about declaring if your injury is work-related; AND the one about zero tolerance of abusive behavior.
It seems to me that you can discover that you are in a new era when an obvious social convention starts to be used in a fashion that seems unusual. My understanding of the use of signs is that they are most useful when they communicate information that EVERYONE who reads them might possibly need to know and understand. Signs are most often warnings or information providers. We really shouldn't need them to declare the common rules of acceptable social behavior. I realize that signs often declare what common sense should already have provided, but as we can see not only is common sense in short supply - now common decency and good manners seems to be evaporating.
I always tend to think that a sign gets posted when those in charge have finally given up on relying on the good sense and judgment of people and have decided to "nip the problem in the bud". But how many times has someone yelled at or abused the staff in my medical clinic? I mean, really - about the only place I find people more subdued and non-communicative is inside elevators! Honestly, in 49 years I have NEVER seen someone lose it in a doctors' office. I know most of us WANT to - usually about the time we realize that we have been waiting long enough that if we could be paid for our time we could take our significant other out to lunch. And missing appointments without canceling - is this really happening so often that the clinic needs to THREATEN its clients with censure? If so maybe this summer's outdoor project should be digging a moat to keep the barbarians off my lawn. And what about NOT having your health card available when visiting the clinic - I mean who DOESN'T understand that we live in a SOCIALIST country and the state is in charge of the medical system? "Documents please! Please show your documents! Please have your documents ready!"
What is really worth pondering is why the clinic needs to post these signs. Does it really make for a better work environment? Does it really help the patients? Or are those signs there so the clinic's lawyers can argue that their client has done their due dilligence in communicating with their patients? And why does TALKING to one another no longer suffice?
Speaking the truth is a rare enough event these days. Speaking the truth out of love and concern is rarer still. Soon speaking itself may become rare. Perhaps it has already - being replaced by texting, twittering and (yes) even blogging. We are becoming a society and culture that increasingly responds only to images and text. Our ability to speak is being diminished as is our ability to listen. If you think I'm off base here then try this next week - make a note of every time you have to repeat yourself for ONE day. I bet you will be shocked.
The real problem with signs (which is where I came in) is that they really don't communicate - they declare. We need to speak and to listen to be able to connect. So before you put up another sign ask this - is there a better way?
Shalom
To be sure that question might be worth exploring, but my brain took another tack and I ended up thinking about my own medical clinic. When I visit my doctor (which I do frequently as we are monitoring a number of things that require regular blood tests - all is well dear readers, do not fear) I can read no less than EIGHT signs in the waiting room. There's the one about turning off cellphones; the one about having your government health care card; the one about how you can only see the doctor for ONE problem per visit (so don't even TRY to sneak in another one); the one about how missing appointments can get you dropped from their client list (includes instructions on rules for notifying the office if you wish to cancel an appointment); the sign about doctors' hours; the one about picking up the toys and putting them away when your children are done with them; the one about declaring if your injury is work-related; AND the one about zero tolerance of abusive behavior.
It seems to me that you can discover that you are in a new era when an obvious social convention starts to be used in a fashion that seems unusual. My understanding of the use of signs is that they are most useful when they communicate information that EVERYONE who reads them might possibly need to know and understand. Signs are most often warnings or information providers. We really shouldn't need them to declare the common rules of acceptable social behavior. I realize that signs often declare what common sense should already have provided, but as we can see not only is common sense in short supply - now common decency and good manners seems to be evaporating.
I always tend to think that a sign gets posted when those in charge have finally given up on relying on the good sense and judgment of people and have decided to "nip the problem in the bud". But how many times has someone yelled at or abused the staff in my medical clinic? I mean, really - about the only place I find people more subdued and non-communicative is inside elevators! Honestly, in 49 years I have NEVER seen someone lose it in a doctors' office. I know most of us WANT to - usually about the time we realize that we have been waiting long enough that if we could be paid for our time we could take our significant other out to lunch. And missing appointments without canceling - is this really happening so often that the clinic needs to THREATEN its clients with censure? If so maybe this summer's outdoor project should be digging a moat to keep the barbarians off my lawn. And what about NOT having your health card available when visiting the clinic - I mean who DOESN'T understand that we live in a SOCIALIST country and the state is in charge of the medical system? "Documents please! Please show your documents! Please have your documents ready!"
What is really worth pondering is why the clinic needs to post these signs. Does it really make for a better work environment? Does it really help the patients? Or are those signs there so the clinic's lawyers can argue that their client has done their due dilligence in communicating with their patients? And why does TALKING to one another no longer suffice?
Speaking the truth is a rare enough event these days. Speaking the truth out of love and concern is rarer still. Soon speaking itself may become rare. Perhaps it has already - being replaced by texting, twittering and (yes) even blogging. We are becoming a society and culture that increasingly responds only to images and text. Our ability to speak is being diminished as is our ability to listen. If you think I'm off base here then try this next week - make a note of every time you have to repeat yourself for ONE day. I bet you will be shocked.
The real problem with signs (which is where I came in) is that they really don't communicate - they declare. We need to speak and to listen to be able to connect. So before you put up another sign ask this - is there a better way?
Shalom
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Who's In First Place?
By now most people in North America are aware that Flatland has become an island oasis of economic prosperity awash in a sea of financial turmoil. Thanks to a slow news day at CNN, our brothers and sisters south of the 49th Parallel can now add the descriptor "Economic Haven" to their maps - which have previously shown a vast void to the north of the USA with the appellation "Here Be Monsters or Maybe Nothing" emblazoned across them. To be sure it may be a mixed blessing to have the American Giant become more aware of us than he/she/it already is, especially while desperately seeking a cure for the economic woes that plague the "Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave" (with my sincere apologies to Scotland).
But before we become a tasty morsel to be scarfed up I would like to remind everyone that we didn't get into "first place" in the economic race because we were running faster than our competitors. The truth is that everyone else - EVERYONE - simultaneously blew a head gasket. We just happen to be better off than all of the others who were in or near last place. Hardly something to be as proud or smug about as it seems we are becoming lately.
What I find ironic/frightening/disturbing is that it seems our captains of industry and politics are charting a course for us to build upon the model that just blew up so spectacularly. (That the rest of the world also seems intent on rebuilding what failed - mostly because no one seems creative enough to offer an alternative - is no less disturbing.) I guess hard lessons are learned the hard way - by repetition.
Now I do admit that our time seems to have come when it comes to commodities and new commerce. But if we don't go to school on the difficulties and failures of our neighbors, our eventual destination could hardly be imagined to be much different than theirs. I'll be bold and suggest a new model to look at. After all, what have we got to lose? Quite a lot, apparently!
Jesus spoke about money - a lot. And the "bottom line", as it were, was "it's temporary, and it's on loan - so be wise and careful". We are born empty-handed and so too will we die. In between we have opportunity to have control of much - in North America, Europe, Australia parts of Asia, South America and even Africa these days that can amount to quite a bit more than most others have.
So what will we do with it?
Now that's a question much more worth pondering over than "What will I tweet on Twitter today?".
I'm not going to tell you what do do, but if you are curious - and you must be because you keep watching all that stuff in the media about money - why don't you check out this, this, this and this?
It's a much different take on wealth and economy. And judging by the evidence at hand we could use a bit of "different".
'Nuff Said!
But before we become a tasty morsel to be scarfed up I would like to remind everyone that we didn't get into "first place" in the economic race because we were running faster than our competitors. The truth is that everyone else - EVERYONE - simultaneously blew a head gasket. We just happen to be better off than all of the others who were in or near last place. Hardly something to be as proud or smug about as it seems we are becoming lately.
What I find ironic/frightening/disturbing is that it seems our captains of industry and politics are charting a course for us to build upon the model that just blew up so spectacularly. (That the rest of the world also seems intent on rebuilding what failed - mostly because no one seems creative enough to offer an alternative - is no less disturbing.) I guess hard lessons are learned the hard way - by repetition.
Now I do admit that our time seems to have come when it comes to commodities and new commerce. But if we don't go to school on the difficulties and failures of our neighbors, our eventual destination could hardly be imagined to be much different than theirs. I'll be bold and suggest a new model to look at. After all, what have we got to lose? Quite a lot, apparently!
Jesus spoke about money - a lot. And the "bottom line", as it were, was "it's temporary, and it's on loan - so be wise and careful". We are born empty-handed and so too will we die. In between we have opportunity to have control of much - in North America, Europe, Australia parts of Asia, South America and even Africa these days that can amount to quite a bit more than most others have.
So what will we do with it?
Now that's a question much more worth pondering over than "What will I tweet on Twitter today?".
I'm not going to tell you what do do, but if you are curious - and you must be because you keep watching all that stuff in the media about money - why don't you check out this, this, this and this?
It's a much different take on wealth and economy. And judging by the evidence at hand we could use a bit of "different".
'Nuff Said!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Waiting For ....
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon
Winter doesn't want to loosen its grasp on Flatland. It seems to have dug in deeper even as the Sun has tried to climb higher in the sky. I feel I am watching an epic struggle between an unmovable object and an irresistible force. And even though I know how the story will end, it truly seems as though the outcome is presently in doubt. Like watching "Apollo 13" I am fascinated, stuck on the edge of my seat, unable to look away.
I sometimes wonder if I am the only one who sometimes sees his life circumstances reflected in the world around him. This seems so self-indulgent and self-delusional, but these past several weeks have left me with a distinct sense that there are also immense powers and principalities battling for supremacy in my life and their straining potentialities are beginning to shape my circumstances.
As a 'Christian' you might properly mock me for not being more sanguine about my seeming lack of control - and you would be right, too. I did voluntarily submit my life to my Lord and Savior and thus I have no cause to object to the circumstances I find myself in. "Not my will, but Yours, Lord." Much easier said than done.
The natural desire to defend, deflect and to even launch a preemptive attack is strong, and I am no better at resisting temptations than anyone else I know, and in most cases far less able. And yet I wake each day and put one foot in front of the other. The tsunami may overtake me soon, but I have obligations, responsibilities and even simple mundane tasks to fill my moments while I watch for darkening clouds on the horizon.
My faith seems to be sustaining me, and my ministry - such as it is - is comforting as it is frustrating. People are such....PEOPLE! Lost, angry, frightened, unreliable, dangerous, confused and reckless - they bump into my life with heart-wrenching abandon - often doing what I'm doing. Putting one foot in front of the other while quiet desperation hangs on us all like a shroud.
I'd like to be specific, but I can't. Let me just say this - I was warned that there would be days like this. But no amount of preparation can fully steel one against the onslaught that is the pain of people's lives and the destruction they leak out on others because of it. And then in the middle of this there is a moment of truth, a breath of compassion, a twinkle of joy, a mote of hope caught in the light. And it is enough for the next few steps.
Spring. Promise. Hope. Change. The chance of a well-hit tee shot flying clean and true. The powers that be may rage on unabated, but I will stoop to brush the snow away from another new flower bravely pushing through the cold earth towards the sunshine. It will be enough. Even if the Summer never comes.
Shalom
Winter doesn't want to loosen its grasp on Flatland. It seems to have dug in deeper even as the Sun has tried to climb higher in the sky. I feel I am watching an epic struggle between an unmovable object and an irresistible force. And even though I know how the story will end, it truly seems as though the outcome is presently in doubt. Like watching "Apollo 13" I am fascinated, stuck on the edge of my seat, unable to look away.
I sometimes wonder if I am the only one who sometimes sees his life circumstances reflected in the world around him. This seems so self-indulgent and self-delusional, but these past several weeks have left me with a distinct sense that there are also immense powers and principalities battling for supremacy in my life and their straining potentialities are beginning to shape my circumstances.
As a 'Christian' you might properly mock me for not being more sanguine about my seeming lack of control - and you would be right, too. I did voluntarily submit my life to my Lord and Savior and thus I have no cause to object to the circumstances I find myself in. "Not my will, but Yours, Lord." Much easier said than done.
The natural desire to defend, deflect and to even launch a preemptive attack is strong, and I am no better at resisting temptations than anyone else I know, and in most cases far less able. And yet I wake each day and put one foot in front of the other. The tsunami may overtake me soon, but I have obligations, responsibilities and even simple mundane tasks to fill my moments while I watch for darkening clouds on the horizon.
My faith seems to be sustaining me, and my ministry - such as it is - is comforting as it is frustrating. People are such....PEOPLE! Lost, angry, frightened, unreliable, dangerous, confused and reckless - they bump into my life with heart-wrenching abandon - often doing what I'm doing. Putting one foot in front of the other while quiet desperation hangs on us all like a shroud.
I'd like to be specific, but I can't. Let me just say this - I was warned that there would be days like this. But no amount of preparation can fully steel one against the onslaught that is the pain of people's lives and the destruction they leak out on others because of it. And then in the middle of this there is a moment of truth, a breath of compassion, a twinkle of joy, a mote of hope caught in the light. And it is enough for the next few steps.
Spring. Promise. Hope. Change. The chance of a well-hit tee shot flying clean and true. The powers that be may rage on unabated, but I will stoop to brush the snow away from another new flower bravely pushing through the cold earth towards the sunshine. It will be enough. Even if the Summer never comes.
Shalom
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
X-Files
With everything that's going on in the world it's not like we needed another story to confirm the extreme weirdness of life on Earth. This is the original story that has sent G.B. Trudeau, author, artist and creator of the 'Doonesbury' daily comic strip off on this storyline.
As Billy the Bard once wrote, "Oh Lord! What fools these mortals be!"
Where the heck are Mulder and Scully when you really need them?
Shalom
As Billy the Bard once wrote, "Oh Lord! What fools these mortals be!"
Where the heck are Mulder and Scully when you really need them?
Shalom
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Early Morning Connections and Miracles
Social networking is growing exponentially. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other net-based social networking sites and communities are fast weaving themselves into people's daily lives. Mine too.
This morning I was perusing my usual sites including checking out Facebook to see if any of my friends had updated, commented or posted. A friend I recently connected to who knew me over 30 years ago and had lost touch said "Hi" via the chat widget. What ensued was, I think, remarkable. And yet, it may be not so remarkable in the very near future.
We exchanged "hellos" and chatted about being up really early. We talked about my friend's upcoming vacation and then my friend shared a deep, personal loss. Just like that! Boom, it was in front of us. Tragedy had touched my friend's family. I hadn't known, but now I did. I was able to offer some meager words of comfort, but in that simple moment we were connecting and I was praying the sense of isolation that so often comes with pain would be lessening for them.
Facebook - that much maligned, virus-ridden, controversial, time-consuming, frustrating and unwieldy network - had just made it possible for me to minister to someone that I might never have been able to reach any other way.
What my friend doesn't know, and probably won't unless they read this post, is that lately I've had doubts about my ability to serve others in this way. This morning I got the chance to offer my support to someone else and I was able to do it. And I needed to know that, just like my friend needed a bit of encouragement.
It's a miracle.
Shalom
This morning I was perusing my usual sites including checking out Facebook to see if any of my friends had updated, commented or posted. A friend I recently connected to who knew me over 30 years ago and had lost touch said "Hi" via the chat widget. What ensued was, I think, remarkable. And yet, it may be not so remarkable in the very near future.
We exchanged "hellos" and chatted about being up really early. We talked about my friend's upcoming vacation and then my friend shared a deep, personal loss. Just like that! Boom, it was in front of us. Tragedy had touched my friend's family. I hadn't known, but now I did. I was able to offer some meager words of comfort, but in that simple moment we were connecting and I was praying the sense of isolation that so often comes with pain would be lessening for them.
Facebook - that much maligned, virus-ridden, controversial, time-consuming, frustrating and unwieldy network - had just made it possible for me to minister to someone that I might never have been able to reach any other way.
What my friend doesn't know, and probably won't unless they read this post, is that lately I've had doubts about my ability to serve others in this way. This morning I got the chance to offer my support to someone else and I was able to do it. And I needed to know that, just like my friend needed a bit of encouragement.
It's a miracle.
Shalom
Friday, February 27, 2009
It's Complicated
My life, that is. Stay tuned, or not, as the case may be. I'll be back with stuff to say (I hope) when the dust settles.
Shalom
Shalom
Monday, January 26, 2009
Budget Rant
I haven't put up a good old rant in a while so hang on kiddies, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Tomorrow's budget promises to offer more spending than Imelda Marcos on a shopping junket on Rodeo Drive. Over 34 BILLION in government money that does not exist yet is to be earmarked to begin being pumped into the public trough. The sound of the hogs coming to root will be deafening. If this plan goes forward our government will burn through 100 BILLION dollars that do not exist yet (that's how much of the national debt we paid off in the last decade) by the year 2013.
And why?
Because Jack (The Sky Is Falling) Layton says that we are in "the worst financial crisis since the 1930's"? Because Michael Ignatieff "sort of" agrees with him? Not so fast Jack & Mike. Unemployment was higher in the 1980's recession than it is right now. Today Canadian unemployment stands at just over 7% and it was 27% in 1932. It is today a far, far cry from every third person out of work as in the Great Depression. Also in the 1930's the numbers didn't include students or most women. We are enjoying far, far higher employment today as a percentage of our total population than at just about any other time in our history.
Now I agree that the manufacturing sector in southern Ontario is having a bad time, relative to recent years, but let's be honest for a minute here. Manufacturing jobs have been bleeding away from the industrialized western world for more than two decades and frankly, if the businesses in southern Ontario didn't recognize this and make some plans to diversify then this would have happened sooner or later. So it's sooner.
I have been reading the top auto magazines for 30 years and the editors and pundits of the auto industry have been literally begging and pleading with the Detroit so-called "Big Three" to "wake up and smell the coffee" for most of that time. I was in the parking lot at Safeway today and I parked my Impala between a Toyota Tundra and a Toyota Camry. That problem didn't happen to the auto industry last year. It's been coming for quite a while, and while I believe government can help workers with the transition, propping up an industry as obtuse and inflexible as the North American auto manufacturers makes about as much sense as holding a beer drinking contest to promote sobriety. As an interesting aside, there are now more people employed in Great Britain in automotive design, manufacturing, supply and distribution than when British Leyland owned everything. Foreign ownership made the industry BETTER there, not worse.
Back to our "bail-out" budget. The Bank of Canada just announced that they are predicting that the recession we are in will end as soon as September. That's just 9 months from now. And we have no chartered banks in any sort of situation that could be considered even mildly problematic. Our banks could probably loan other banks money right now. And we don't have mortgage companies that are sucking up dollars faster than a fat kid with a Slurpee on a hot August afternoon. American mortgage giant Freddie Mac just announced that "about 30 BILLION more dollars" would keep them afloat for a while longer. There is no such silliness going on north of the 49th parallel.
What IS going on up here is the fact that we are the highest taxed nation in the G7. We are in the top 10 world wide and we work about half the year before we start getting to the money we can spend on ourselves and others can use to create wealth, jobs and a vibrant economy. The truth is that the money we need to spend our way out of this recession doesn't have to come from the Canadian Government's Mastercard - all they have to do is leave it in your pocket and mine. All the government has to do is get it's taxation jackboot off the throat of small and medium businesses - who employ the vast majority of Canadians and who generate most of our true wealth. But nooooo.... The lobbies of the multinationals, the unions and the special interest groups will suck up the cash and determine where the wealth goes before the entrepreneurs even get a chance to make their case.
In Canada the modus operendi of our Federal Government is to take as much money from the people as they can and "redistribute" it through programs. Inefficient, wasteful and bureaucratic. But hey, we vote these guys and gals in and then they believe they can do what they want, or worse they try to figure out what we want and do what we want - sort of.
Now I KNOW you are smart. A person is smart. But people are dumb, panicky and stupid (Thanks Agent K). And what we need right now is for an adult to walk into the room and get everybody to settle down. Unfortunately for us, the adults are hiding out in the staff room and they've barricaded the door. And we are panicking because we are being told to - not because our situation is as bad as is being touted.
Now will the new budget and the wrangling over it wreck Canada? Probably not, at least not right away. We have so much and we are so wealthy that it's going to take a lot of mismanagement and waste to truly run our country onto the rocks, but the feds are giving it their best shot. No, I think what will happen will be what so often happens. We will miss the opportunity to be great. We will miss the opportunity to break out and leave the hurting USA and other economies who hitched their wagons to that misbegotten star in our economic dust. We will once again win the silver or the bronze or at least make the top 10. And the most frustrating thing about that will be that for the vast majority of us that will be "good enough".
We could be "The Next BIG Thing", but we'll settle for being "the next best thing".
*sigh*
BTW - I'm not the only one who thinks deficit spending is a bad idea for Canada.
Tomorrow's budget promises to offer more spending than Imelda Marcos on a shopping junket on Rodeo Drive. Over 34 BILLION in government money that does not exist yet is to be earmarked to begin being pumped into the public trough. The sound of the hogs coming to root will be deafening. If this plan goes forward our government will burn through 100 BILLION dollars that do not exist yet (that's how much of the national debt we paid off in the last decade) by the year 2013.
And why?
Because Jack (The Sky Is Falling) Layton says that we are in "the worst financial crisis since the 1930's"? Because Michael Ignatieff "sort of" agrees with him? Not so fast Jack & Mike. Unemployment was higher in the 1980's recession than it is right now. Today Canadian unemployment stands at just over 7% and it was 27% in 1932. It is today a far, far cry from every third person out of work as in the Great Depression. Also in the 1930's the numbers didn't include students or most women. We are enjoying far, far higher employment today as a percentage of our total population than at just about any other time in our history.
Now I agree that the manufacturing sector in southern Ontario is having a bad time, relative to recent years, but let's be honest for a minute here. Manufacturing jobs have been bleeding away from the industrialized western world for more than two decades and frankly, if the businesses in southern Ontario didn't recognize this and make some plans to diversify then this would have happened sooner or later. So it's sooner.
I have been reading the top auto magazines for 30 years and the editors and pundits of the auto industry have been literally begging and pleading with the Detroit so-called "Big Three" to "wake up and smell the coffee" for most of that time. I was in the parking lot at Safeway today and I parked my Impala between a Toyota Tundra and a Toyota Camry. That problem didn't happen to the auto industry last year. It's been coming for quite a while, and while I believe government can help workers with the transition, propping up an industry as obtuse and inflexible as the North American auto manufacturers makes about as much sense as holding a beer drinking contest to promote sobriety. As an interesting aside, there are now more people employed in Great Britain in automotive design, manufacturing, supply and distribution than when British Leyland owned everything. Foreign ownership made the industry BETTER there, not worse.
Back to our "bail-out" budget. The Bank of Canada just announced that they are predicting that the recession we are in will end as soon as September. That's just 9 months from now. And we have no chartered banks in any sort of situation that could be considered even mildly problematic. Our banks could probably loan other banks money right now. And we don't have mortgage companies that are sucking up dollars faster than a fat kid with a Slurpee on a hot August afternoon. American mortgage giant Freddie Mac just announced that "about 30 BILLION more dollars" would keep them afloat for a while longer. There is no such silliness going on north of the 49th parallel.
What IS going on up here is the fact that we are the highest taxed nation in the G7. We are in the top 10 world wide and we work about half the year before we start getting to the money we can spend on ourselves and others can use to create wealth, jobs and a vibrant economy. The truth is that the money we need to spend our way out of this recession doesn't have to come from the Canadian Government's Mastercard - all they have to do is leave it in your pocket and mine. All the government has to do is get it's taxation jackboot off the throat of small and medium businesses - who employ the vast majority of Canadians and who generate most of our true wealth. But nooooo.... The lobbies of the multinationals, the unions and the special interest groups will suck up the cash and determine where the wealth goes before the entrepreneurs even get a chance to make their case.
In Canada the modus operendi of our Federal Government is to take as much money from the people as they can and "redistribute" it through programs. Inefficient, wasteful and bureaucratic. But hey, we vote these guys and gals in and then they believe they can do what they want, or worse they try to figure out what we want and do what we want - sort of.
Now I KNOW you are smart. A person is smart. But people are dumb, panicky and stupid (Thanks Agent K). And what we need right now is for an adult to walk into the room and get everybody to settle down. Unfortunately for us, the adults are hiding out in the staff room and they've barricaded the door. And we are panicking because we are being told to - not because our situation is as bad as is being touted.
Now will the new budget and the wrangling over it wreck Canada? Probably not, at least not right away. We have so much and we are so wealthy that it's going to take a lot of mismanagement and waste to truly run our country onto the rocks, but the feds are giving it their best shot. No, I think what will happen will be what so often happens. We will miss the opportunity to be great. We will miss the opportunity to break out and leave the hurting USA and other economies who hitched their wagons to that misbegotten star in our economic dust. We will once again win the silver or the bronze or at least make the top 10. And the most frustrating thing about that will be that for the vast majority of us that will be "good enough".
We could be "The Next BIG Thing", but we'll settle for being "the next best thing".
*sigh*
BTW - I'm not the only one who thinks deficit spending is a bad idea for Canada.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Obama
OK. He's now officially the 44th president of the USA. The first black American president. And I must admit he is also the most eloquent and engaging political public speaker I have heard in my lifetime. He's saying all of the right things. I pray he and his administration will also do the right things. And like many of my fellow Flatlanders, I sincerely hope his influence will rub off on our leaders here north of the 49th parallel.
But, I will still contend that salvation will not ultimately come to us from either 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or 24 Sussex Drive, or the UN or from any human agency.
Yet, I am hopeful that the new American president will be a leader who will exert his influence for the common good of our world. And to that end I will say, and pray, "Godspeed, President Obama."
But, I will still contend that salvation will not ultimately come to us from either 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or 24 Sussex Drive, or the UN or from any human agency.
Yet, I am hopeful that the new American president will be a leader who will exert his influence for the common good of our world. And to that end I will say, and pray, "Godspeed, President Obama."
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Music Hath Charms
As my Christmas gift to you all I want to suggest 5 musical masterpieces you can add to your collection to enjoy in 2009. I am always wrapped in wonderment when I consider how blessed we are to be able to enjoy the creative miracles God offers us through people He has made with the skills to create joy from sound. It is even more wonderful that we have the ability to preserve and recreate these experiences through recorded music. As the Bard of Avon observed, music does have charms. In no particular order here are my suggestions:
Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers - Zoë Records, MRCD 6487; 2008. Since her debut record Failer in 2002 Kathleen, native of Ottawa, has been a busy girl - releasing two more studio albums, a live record, touring extensively and appearing on Austin City Limits just to name a few of her exploits. This 2008 release was recorded in California with excellent players including her husband, Colin Cripps (who works regularly for Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo). This is easily Kathleen's most polished album, with superb lyrics, captivating melodies, catchy hooks and deft production. It's rootsy, country, rocky and raw in places (her publishing company is called "Potty Mouth Records"). In any case it has been in medium/high rotation on my playlist ever since I brought it home.
Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long - A&M / Octone, B000891702; 2007. Loads poppier than their more introspective 2002 debut, Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 appear to have hit their songwriting stride full force. I admit that I bought this one for one song - Makes Me Wonder - and then sort of forgot about it until I heard Won't Go Home Without You on the radio last week. I pulled out the CD and gave it another listen and lo and behold 5 tracks knocked me out. If the band and their A & R people are smart they'll release Not Falling Apart next on the radio. We're gonna be hearing more from these boys.
Dala are Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther from Ontario. We heard them live at "Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe Christmas - 2008" and bought a copy of their latest album - Who Do You Think You Are? - Universal Music Canada, 0251741144; 2008. I don't have the ability to describe their inimitable harmony, but once you hear them you'll understand. They also are superb songwriters and consummate musicians - and they're pretty young so we can hope for more - much, much more - from them in the years to come. Check out their tune Marilyn Monroe and then fall under their spell. Canada is producing some of the most talented musicians to be found anywhere.
Prairie Oyster has been plying their country/blues/roots trade across Canada in one form or another since 1974. Their most recent album, One Kiss - Open Road Canada / Zoom, 7210; 2006, is a tour de force of their collective abilities, which are greater than the mere sum of their parts. Founding member, Russell deCarle is getting ready to release a solo album in 2009. I didn't own any Prairie Oyster albums until this month. That was a mistake, but One Kiss is gracious redemption. Since the advent of the CD I have found that I very rarely listen to an album all the way through (unless I'm mining my vinyl collection), but I sat through this CD and didn't ONCE want to hit the skip button. I believe you won't want to skip one tune either.
My friend Ben loves music and, like many of us I suspect, has issues with Christmas music. While I agree that most of the Christmas stuff that gets pushed at us this time of year is musical dreck of the lowest order, there are a few recordings that can transcend the commercial hype and bring true enjoyment and emotion. The self-produced album Polyhymnia by Canada's own John Sheard is one of these few gems. Because it is a bit hard to find I've included a link to help you. John may be Canada's most accomplished pianist, albeit not that well known. We discovered him through Stuart McLean as John has been the musical director for the live shows we've seen Stuart in, and also collaborates with Stuart on his weekly radio program on CBC (one of the few redeeming programs on our erstwhile Canadian radio network). Polyhymnia is a collection of 16 hymns and carols, brilliantly arranged and played by John. The recording quality is also uniformly superb. If this CD can't get you in the Christmas mood then check yourself in the mirror for physical resemblances to the Grinch.
I could offer 5 more albums, and then 5 more and 5 more after that for your consideration, but these must suffice (I have other things to do). Try one or two out, I urge you. Music is a great gift from God and a wonderful gift to enjoy at this time of year or whenever.
Shalom
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Last Post (Probably) for 2008 - Advent & Christmastide
The Holiday season is washing over everyone I know with tsunami-like vengeance, and in the midst of the most unsettled days of my brief life since the days of Cuban Missile Crisis, it is hard to get one's bearings, let alone maintain them.
Recent events in our extended family have intersected our plans and created new ones. I won't have enough time to even post at my usually infrequent "whenever I get around to it" rate. Thankfully, according to my Sat Counter widget, I am remaining fairly true to my mission and tagline (writing for an audience of one, reaching even fewer) so I am confident that I am not disappointing a large number of my fellow pilgrims. Still, I know there are a few of you out there so this message is for you.
This season is supposedly tied in some comically and warped human way to one of the greatest events in human history and the "greatest story ever told". Sadly, but not surprisingly, we have warped and marred the meaning of this event almost beyond recognition. Almost.
We are in the season of Advent right now as recognized by followers of Christ since around the 5th or 6th century, perhaps as a balance to the growing observance of Christmas - which was a converted pagan festival - that also began around those times. Regardless of either celebration's genesis, we have what we have today, but we also have choice too.
I hope you will choose to slow down and take time to cultivate holy anticipation this Advent season - anticipation being a lost and even scorned practice in our culture of instant gratification. I even saw an ad recently for a product that purports to help make the sex act happen faster, for those who don't have time to savor the moment, I guess. Things really are getting weird out there. Anyway, I will pray that you can wait in anticipation for what God is and will be doing. And then, may you enter Christmastide (all 12 days of it) with joy, vigor and wonder. Again, having a 12-day feast to celebrate requires a bit of pacing and self-control as opposed to a one-day, all-out, over-indulgent, food-and-football-fueled Bacchanalia. Besides, what good is a celebration that you have to recover from? You'd have to recover from hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, and that would be cheaper than the usual Christmas blowout we usually get sucked into.
Now before you think we're not going to give and receive presents this year, or eat, or celebrate - let me say that I suspect that our events will look much like they do every year, but we are working to change the spirit and intention of these proceedings an ways that we pray will flow out into new appreciations and possibilities in our lives. Here's one example:
Being nearly 50 means that there really isn't anything much out there I need anymore (except increasingly excellent health care coverage). So two years ago my family bought some gifts for me from World Vision. And they did again last year. I don't know if they will again this year, but we have already agreed to use half of the "love gift" we get from the church I serve to buy what we can from World Vision. We have been gifted for years. Time to give back. Gift-giving is a GOOD part of this season if we work to keep God's perspective in view.
We will be spending some time with distant family and for reasons one might not think are worthy of celebrating, but we are committed to celebrating with them while we are together. Often at this time of year circumstances conflict with peoples Dickensian fantasies of what should be happening, but we are praying we will be able to truly "give thanks in all circumstances". God doesn't stop being gracious and abounding in love just because human sin and its consequences intersect our plans.
We are going to celebrate Christmastide. I'm not just certain how, but we will and we will include as many others as we can. Why not stretch the season, even in little ways? As many have observed, "it's a shame we act like this only one day a year".
To you few who read these ramblings from time to time, I send our heartfelt greetings of love, peace and joy in the name of Christ Jesus. Whether or not our beliefs agree, we cannot deny that we stand on the same earth and walk under the same sky and share the same ultimate human fate. You are our brothers and sisters and we pray for you, even if we don't know you well.
May the Lord Bless you and Keep you.
May He make His Face shine upon you.
May He lift up His Countenance upon you
and give you His Everlasting Peace.
Shalom
Recent events in our extended family have intersected our plans and created new ones. I won't have enough time to even post at my usually infrequent "whenever I get around to it" rate. Thankfully, according to my Sat Counter widget, I am remaining fairly true to my mission and tagline (writing for an audience of one, reaching even fewer) so I am confident that I am not disappointing a large number of my fellow pilgrims. Still, I know there are a few of you out there so this message is for you.
This season is supposedly tied in some comically and warped human way to one of the greatest events in human history and the "greatest story ever told". Sadly, but not surprisingly, we have warped and marred the meaning of this event almost beyond recognition. Almost.
We are in the season of Advent right now as recognized by followers of Christ since around the 5th or 6th century, perhaps as a balance to the growing observance of Christmas - which was a converted pagan festival - that also began around those times. Regardless of either celebration's genesis, we have what we have today, but we also have choice too.
I hope you will choose to slow down and take time to cultivate holy anticipation this Advent season - anticipation being a lost and even scorned practice in our culture of instant gratification. I even saw an ad recently for a product that purports to help make the sex act happen faster, for those who don't have time to savor the moment, I guess. Things really are getting weird out there. Anyway, I will pray that you can wait in anticipation for what God is and will be doing. And then, may you enter Christmastide (all 12 days of it) with joy, vigor and wonder. Again, having a 12-day feast to celebrate requires a bit of pacing and self-control as opposed to a one-day, all-out, over-indulgent, food-and-football-fueled Bacchanalia. Besides, what good is a celebration that you have to recover from? You'd have to recover from hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, and that would be cheaper than the usual Christmas blowout we usually get sucked into.
Now before you think we're not going to give and receive presents this year, or eat, or celebrate - let me say that I suspect that our events will look much like they do every year, but we are working to change the spirit and intention of these proceedings an ways that we pray will flow out into new appreciations and possibilities in our lives. Here's one example:
Being nearly 50 means that there really isn't anything much out there I need anymore (except increasingly excellent health care coverage). So two years ago my family bought some gifts for me from World Vision. And they did again last year. I don't know if they will again this year, but we have already agreed to use half of the "love gift" we get from the church I serve to buy what we can from World Vision. We have been gifted for years. Time to give back. Gift-giving is a GOOD part of this season if we work to keep God's perspective in view.
We will be spending some time with distant family and for reasons one might not think are worthy of celebrating, but we are committed to celebrating with them while we are together. Often at this time of year circumstances conflict with peoples Dickensian fantasies of what should be happening, but we are praying we will be able to truly "give thanks in all circumstances". God doesn't stop being gracious and abounding in love just because human sin and its consequences intersect our plans.
We are going to celebrate Christmastide. I'm not just certain how, but we will and we will include as many others as we can. Why not stretch the season, even in little ways? As many have observed, "it's a shame we act like this only one day a year".
To you few who read these ramblings from time to time, I send our heartfelt greetings of love, peace and joy in the name of Christ Jesus. Whether or not our beliefs agree, we cannot deny that we stand on the same earth and walk under the same sky and share the same ultimate human fate. You are our brothers and sisters and we pray for you, even if we don't know you well.
May the Lord Bless you and Keep you.
May He make His Face shine upon you.
May He lift up His Countenance upon you
and give you His Everlasting Peace.
Shalom
Friday, November 14, 2008
Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - But it Still is Disappointing
OK.
It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my disappointment in the sound at the Dylan concert at the Brandt Center in Regina on November 1st.
Here is my opinion on the subject. The band was tight and musically capable. Dylan was obviously in control of the set - the band was LOCKED onto him in a way that I haven't seen since watching Tom Coster, Michael Shrieve, Jose Arreas, and the rest of Carlos Santana's band follow his lead for over two hours of non-stop music in 1974. Magic!
Dylan was calling the shots on November 1st. That was very obvious - and you could NOT understand MOST of what he was singing.
The only logical conclusions to be made are that he, and his sound crew, were unable to make his vocals clearer or that he, and his sound crew, were unwilling to make his vocals clearer. I could clearly hear Dylan's keyboards and harmonica. I could clearly discern each solo played by the band's guitarists. I could hear the bass line and the drum fills. If all of that was possible then hearing vocals should have been no problem. I could not hear Dylan clearly for much of the show.
If the reason for the poor sound was the first explanation suggested above then Dylan can stop touring - now! It's over. We don't need any more demonstrations that the "authentic voice of a generation" has literally lost his voice. If the reason was the second explanation it may be an artistic choice. I may not know art, but I know what I like - and I did not like what I heard at the Brandt Center.
Dylan may be an artist who has risen so far above his medium that he doesn't have to pay attention to what he's doing - but in the end if art is inaccessible, I believe it loses its transformative power. I will not stop being a Dylan fan, but I believe the artist always has a responsibility to his audience to present his art in the best and most accessible way he or she can. If Dylan is only playing for an audience of one then he doesn't need my $80 or my ears - which were actually hurt by the poor sound.
Anyway, I was there. I bought the t-shirt, and the pins. I'll buy more CDs over time to fill in my collection. I'll check out any new releases to hear if they can speak to me. I'll continue to hope that Dylan creates art that I and others can appreciate, but I won't try to experience his art live again. I'll have to remain content with video and audio recordings, and forget "live".
So be it.
As Meat Loaf would observe - "Two out of three ain't bad."
But it is sad.
It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my disappointment in the sound at the Dylan concert at the Brandt Center in Regina on November 1st.
Here is my opinion on the subject. The band was tight and musically capable. Dylan was obviously in control of the set - the band was LOCKED onto him in a way that I haven't seen since watching Tom Coster, Michael Shrieve, Jose Arreas, and the rest of Carlos Santana's band follow his lead for over two hours of non-stop music in 1974. Magic!
Dylan was calling the shots on November 1st. That was very obvious - and you could NOT understand MOST of what he was singing.
The only logical conclusions to be made are that he, and his sound crew, were unable to make his vocals clearer or that he, and his sound crew, were unwilling to make his vocals clearer. I could clearly hear Dylan's keyboards and harmonica. I could clearly discern each solo played by the band's guitarists. I could hear the bass line and the drum fills. If all of that was possible then hearing vocals should have been no problem. I could not hear Dylan clearly for much of the show.
If the reason for the poor sound was the first explanation suggested above then Dylan can stop touring - now! It's over. We don't need any more demonstrations that the "authentic voice of a generation" has literally lost his voice. If the reason was the second explanation it may be an artistic choice. I may not know art, but I know what I like - and I did not like what I heard at the Brandt Center.
Dylan may be an artist who has risen so far above his medium that he doesn't have to pay attention to what he's doing - but in the end if art is inaccessible, I believe it loses its transformative power. I will not stop being a Dylan fan, but I believe the artist always has a responsibility to his audience to present his art in the best and most accessible way he or she can. If Dylan is only playing for an audience of one then he doesn't need my $80 or my ears - which were actually hurt by the poor sound.
Anyway, I was there. I bought the t-shirt, and the pins. I'll buy more CDs over time to fill in my collection. I'll check out any new releases to hear if they can speak to me. I'll continue to hope that Dylan creates art that I and others can appreciate, but I won't try to experience his art live again. I'll have to remain content with video and audio recordings, and forget "live".
So be it.
As Meat Loaf would observe - "Two out of three ain't bad."
But it is sad.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
I'll Remember
I'm not usually big on political happenings - my faith is in Someone else rather than political leaders - but I will remember November 4, 2008. Even as September 11, 2001 was a day when we all felt a horrible shift in our world, last night's results in the US Presidential election had the same pervasive impact, but this time in a positive way.
It may be fair to say that our world needs to grow beyond such seeming preoccupation with the USA, but it remains true that there still is no other nation in the world that has the same boundless potential to influence for good, or ill if it comes to that.
As I mentioned before, I have no faith in humanity, but I do have hope that when we are influenced by higher ideals, principals and morals we can rise to the occasion and do honor to God. And we can be better to each other.
Last night the USA shed a bit more of its dark past and took a further step into the light of the ideals its founders brilliantly entrenched into its founding document. Last night the hopes and dreams of so many who have worked and prayed and sacrificed to see a better day for themselves and their children took one step closer to being realized. Last night the differences on the outside of people everywhere became less important, and the ideals and hopes they share became more important.
Last night, I believe, real justice became just a bit more possible for our dear neighbours to the south.
Godspeed USA.
It may be fair to say that our world needs to grow beyond such seeming preoccupation with the USA, but it remains true that there still is no other nation in the world that has the same boundless potential to influence for good, or ill if it comes to that.
As I mentioned before, I have no faith in humanity, but I do have hope that when we are influenced by higher ideals, principals and morals we can rise to the occasion and do honor to God. And we can be better to each other.
Last night the USA shed a bit more of its dark past and took a further step into the light of the ideals its founders brilliantly entrenched into its founding document. Last night the hopes and dreams of so many who have worked and prayed and sacrificed to see a better day for themselves and their children took one step closer to being realized. Last night the differences on the outside of people everywhere became less important, and the ideals and hopes they share became more important.
Last night, I believe, real justice became just a bit more possible for our dear neighbours to the south.
Godspeed USA.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
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