Take the log out of your own eye....

The topic of the state of the Church has come up frequently in numerous places.  Sunday school, devotionals, news stories, all over the place, even from non-believers commentary.  There seems to be less and less difference between the world and the Church in their actions and mindsets.  We know that the divorce rate in the Church is the same as the world's (although I would like to see some breakdown of those figures, I was divorced before I got saved, is that counted as a divorce in the Church?), a recent study tells us that almost 40% of children born in the US was born out of wedlock, (my first thought when hearing that was how many of those were in the Church), and STD's keep rising in our youth (and again, how many of those are sitting in youth groups?)  We have churches ordaining active homosexuals, campaigning for gay marriage, and supporting other non-Biblical causes. 

Looking back to the Old Testament, we see that God gave His people (Israel) a long list of rules to follow.  Many of those rules concerned their diet, appearance and dress.  The purpose of these rules was so that whenever an outsider saw an Israelite, that outsider knew they were seeing someone who wasn't like everyone else around them.  God's rules were meant to keep His people separate from the rest of the world.  Then Jesus came, and taught that His followers were no longer quarantined in their own little section of the world like Israel, but they were to go out of mix into the world, taking Jesus' words and teachings with them.  In the world, not of it.  The Church is not supposed to be mixing the world's yeast into it's bread, we are supposed to be mixing God's yeast into the world's bread.  Watching the current state of the Church, we are seeing an awful lot of worldly yeast in many churches.

Some people take that to mean that believers need to be out in their Christian t-shirts, listening to their worship music on their local Christian radio station, talking nothing but Jesus all the time to the heathens around them.  A recent column I read noted that Paul was knowledgeable enough about the Greek and Roman cultures he preached to that he could quote their own poets and philosophers in his letters and sermons.  Being in the world means we are aware of what is going on around us.  Not being of it means that we hold those things we see up to the standards God has given us, kind of like the way the Supreme Court is supposed to take the cases before it and hold them up to the Constitution to see if the laws are in line with that authority. Which conversation sounds more Kingdom oriented? "Did you see that movie 'Valentine's Day'?" "No, I don't go to any secular movies." or "Did you see that movie 'Valentine's Day'?" "Yes, I did, and I was so glad to see the high school couple decide that they should wait to make their relationship physical. It was such a nice change from the usual script."
 
I'm just as guilty as anyone of pointing out the horrible evils of our current culture instead of looking inward at the Church.  One of the reasons why the culture has sank so far is that much of the Church has been taking in that worldly yeast, and it has made us a poor example to the world.  We've gotten too nice, too afraid to offend, too inclusive, all at the cost of our own foundation.  Look to the epistles and Acts.  We see brethren called out publicly for their failings and false teachings.  Nowadays, sure, we see talk against Westboro Baptist, but what about Reformation Lutheran here in Wichita?  Who did Jesus call hypocrites and vipers? Was it the heathen Romans around Him?  No, He called out the Pharisees and Sadducees, the most religious of the Israelites, the people who were supposed to not only know the Law, but follow it gladly, not mechanically. 

Now, does this mean you should go up to that couple in the pew ahead of you next Sunday that everyone knows is living together and read them the riot act?  Only if after much prayer that is exactly the unmistakable instruction God gives you.  Does this mean that the Body needs to ignore the politics and activities of the world? No, but some of us need to move it down the priority list a couple of notches.  What we need to do is get back to the Biblical examples that Jesus and the Apostles set.  Clear the money changers out of the temple, call out the legalists, talk about the uncomfortable things, the offensive things from the pulpit, in Sunday school, at church dinners, in youth group, at home, at school, at work.  Done in love, tough love when needed, following the instructions God gives us through the Bible and individually (which requires delving into, learning, studying, memorizing Scripture, having it ready to support those actions) these are the things that will get the Body back on track.  These are the things that will bring real revival, set the Church on fire (spiritually), and get that fire spreading back through the world.  The band No Innocent Victim had a great album cover several years ago, To Burn Again, not only was the outline of the man on fire, but behind him were burning footprints.  That is the way the Body is supposed work.  When we are on fire, everywhere we walk, we leave burning embers, waiting for fuel to create their own bonfires.

Getting back in the groove

Ok, I've been a bad blogger.  Two weeks without an update, not good. There are several excuses, but none of them matter.  Of course based on the traffic report, doesn't look like I was missed too much.  That's alright too, because it caused great thought.

The movie That Thing You Do follows a little rock and roll band in the mid 60's through the ups and downs of fame.  In one scene, the band falls apart in the studio, leaving the drummer (the main character) dazed and confused.  Enter the jazz pianist said drummer had met in a club the night before, who just happens to be recording in the same building.  Drummer tells pianist that his band is gone, and he doesn't know what he's going to do now.  The pianist tells him that bands come and bands go, but to just keep playing.  Doesn't matter who with, just keep playing.

That covers how I feel about writing.  People have told me I'm pretty good at it over the years.  God doesn't give us talents to sit and gather dust. Whether or not anyone is reading is irrelevant.  Just keep writing.  Ideas keep coming into my head, whether they be sermons or political rants or just shooting the breeze about something cool I found.  So with that, I renew my resolve to regularly update this little corner of the internet, even if the public entrance is covered in dust and cobwebs.  Not sure if the Monday updates will remain, hopefully I'll kick into to gear and be updating more than once a week.  Enjoy the trip, I know I will. 

The search for good music (on a tight budget)

Alright, what to write about this lovely evening?  Have I left out enough details online to talk about the report at my new job that there is significant animosity between the union folks whose high hourly wages and Cadillac benefit plans pushed to the company to outsource an entire department?  Nah, I'll wait until I get called a scab.  :-D  How about the "war of words" going on between Bill Clinton and Rush Limbaugh?  No, I'm in a good mood tonight, no reason to blow it on an press hungry former president. 

Instead, I feel like talking music.  Like a large part of the US workforce, I'm not making enough money to shell out for CD's or iTunes.  But music is still a big deal to me.  Do I turn to piracy to feed the hunger for new tunes?  Preferably not, although questions about the illegality of getting digital copies of albums owned on tape or out of print music come to mind, but we'll save that for another day.  No, instead we turn to the world of free and legal download-able music.  Simply googling for free legal music, MP3s, or other terms tends to pull up sites that lead you on a wild goosechase of links, or the most original one I ran into, offer free downloads of popular songs, as covered by the sites own house band.  It's one of those occasions where Google just doesn't cut it.  That's where I come in. 

The main focus will be Christian music, mainly of the hard and heavy persuasion.  One of the best places to start is blabberdownload.com.  The gentleman that runs it hangs out on firestream, the believer's heavy metal refuge (so do I, I'm righteous_slave there, just like on twitter) and dredges the web for the best in free, legal, Christian metal, punk, black metal, hardcore, ect for us cheapskates to download.  The site doesn't host anything, instead providing links to where bands and labels have their songs, demos, EPs and sometimes full albums available.  Just lots of music to go through, new stuff and old stuff that bands want the public to have access to.

The next example is one I found through blabberdownload, and that is record label Indie Vision Music.  From the homepage there, go to the downloads tab and feast your eyes on a massive selection of tracks, exclusive EPs again a few whole albums, and most importantly, some HUGE label samplers.  The Summer Slam Vol. 3 comp alone is 56 songs ranging from death metal to metalcore to emo to pop punk.  Get this one quick, because it's moving towards the bottom of the list, and a few other big samplers have disappeared.  The label's roster runs that same gamut, with a huge variety of genres to choose from, and they work to support Christian bands in the underground. 

Speaking of record labels, search for your favorite record label's website.  Very often they will have free samplers for download, a few tracks from their various bands, or links to the individual band's websites/myspace where tracks may be available.  Facedown Records regularly puts out samplers of their excellent hardcore punk bands (one is available right now).  They also have links to each band's myspace under the "family" tab, where you can often find more download-able tracks, or at minimum some streaming ones to check out.

On the streaming front, there are several sites that let you build a library of music to listen to online, if that is your preference.  Last.fm is my personal favorite, they have a huge selection of popular and not so popular music, but don't be surprised if your favorite top 40 artist doesn't have any full tracks available to listen to.  There are also some social aspects to the site, again, I'm on as righteous_slave there.  And look around, some bands have songs to download through this site as well.  For streaming, a close second for me is Reverbnation.com.  The focus here is building up local scenes, so you can search for bands not only by genre, but by location too.  Again, look for righteous_slave if you want to say hi.  (Notice a trend there?)  Note, neither of these sites focus on Christian music, but there is plenty to be found on them, whether you like metal, worship, or rap.   

Another place to look for free stuff is mail order sites.  Yes, there are still places that will ship you CDs, and as the brick and mortar stores keep closing, web stores are becoming the only place to get those shiny disks that one sticks in the computer to rip the songs to your iPod.  Divine Metal Distro has a free sampler up right now, although you have to fill out your info except payment data just like a regular order, and even though it's not free, Undark.net has a 50 cent sampler available for download (come on payday!).  If you're not po' (that's so poor you can't even afford the last two letters) both sites have some good specials on CD's and downloads to check out as well.

And finally, don't forget to check your favorite band's website and myspace.  Frequently bands will have tracks, demos, live recordings, or b-sides up on either or both of these options. 

So there you have it.  Just from what's listed here, one can enjoy many hours of new and new to you music, all at no cost or possibility of imprisonment.  Like I said, these sources, except where noted, provide much Christian extreme music to fill your hard drive with.  If screams of "Jesus is Lord" ain't your cup of tea, that's fine.  The hints listed should net fans of any genre at least a little bit of free stuff.  It may not be the same songs coming out of your radio, but commercial radio seems to have really hit the skids lately, with every station, regardless of their format, apparently pulling from the same pool of around 150 songs.  So, with that, I bid you happy searching and downloading. 

What parachute are you using?

"Minds are like parachutes, they only function when open" is a popular bumper sticker these days.  The idea of course is that by keeping one's mind open to all possibilities, only then you can understand the world.  Shutting out any option means you are close-minded, and may be missing a great truth or revelation that comes from worldview or philosophy different than your own.  According to one of the preachers I was listening to on the radio today, the Jewish definition of open minded was significantly different.  (transcript John McGee Grace To You) In the ancient Hebrew world, an open mind was a simple one, an open door, one that not only let everything come in, but also kept nothing from going out.   Sound like any open minded folks you know?  Changing ideologies with the wind, always on the lookout for something new usually to fill in the spiritual gap in their life? 

Either definition of an open mind is a house built on sand.  There is no foundation to build on, only a shifting mass of thoughts, possibilities, ideologies and if-thens.  Bill Watterson illustrated this indirectly in a Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin could suddenly see all sides of everything at once after a discussion with his dad where he was shown both sides of an issue.  His world turned cubist, and movement or even perception was made impossible until Calvin "eliminated all viewpoints but one".  When we take in all the possibilities, we are left immobile.  Look at what has happened to the politically correct movement.  In an attempt to see all side of various cultural issues, it has become difficult, if not impossible to interact with people without the possibility of offending someone within earshot.  In the attempt to not favor any ideology over another in the public square, it has become a ridiculous shell game devoid of any common sense when dealing with numerous situations.  Take our counter terrorism actions.  The majority of people who are involved in the various plots, successful and unsuccessful have been Middle Eastern males.  Yet the PC police say that focusing on Middle Eastern males in our security details would be racist.  So we get scenarios where elderly women are pulled aside to be wanded because of their hip replacement, but the Fruit of Kaboom bomber made it on board a flight to America with his paid in cash ticket and plastic explosives in his drawers.  (1. No, not every male of Middle Eastern decent should be banned from getting on a US or US bound flight, we just need to acknowledge who is plotting and performing the majority of these acts and pattern our reactions accordingly 2. My point was not to go off on a political tangent this evening, but I'm tired from a couple of weeks of manual labor)

Has the open mind become an excuse for not setting down principles?  Time and time again, we hear that even on Christian college campuses and in the church itself, ideas like absolute truth are falling out of favor.  Acknowledging absolute truth means closing your mind to other ideas and marching forward in faith that you have chosen the correct mindset, and that very idea has become an anathema to modern Western civilization.  Pragmatism and relativism are the order of the day, because they carry no risk.  If you are wrong in your thinking, just change it.

Jesus did not stand up and say "I am A way, A truth and A light."  He said "I am THE way, THE truth and THE light." (John 14:6 emphasis added) Do you want that assurance, or do you want a worldly parachute?  I know which one I've got my trust in, and He has kept me sustained and going and softened many a landing a far cry better than that worldly parachute so many are relying on. 

The Greatest Self Contained Epic Ever Told!

I've noticed something lately.  Stories that have a definitive beginning and end are much preferable to stories that meander along, constantly trying to keep people coming back, usually for the next month (comic books), next week (TV shows) or next release (movies).  Comic books seem to be the best illustration of this.  Lacking time and money to keep up with the current crop of comics, I still flip through a few on the newsstand on an irregular basis, and there just seems to be a lack of desire to start a story, tell it, and move on to the next one.  Instead there are constant tie-ins, hints, and teasers, all designed to get one to buy next month's issue to see what the next big event is. 

Most of the best comic stories I can think of were very closed.  Yes, there was some room for expansion and exploration, but the story itself was self contained.  Watchmen, Alex Ross' Kingdom Come, and The Dark Knight Returns can all be picked up and enjoyed by themselves, without knowing the depths of comic continuity, or having to pick up a dozen other issues to find out the rest of the story.  (Marvel did this for a few years, running a massive crossover through all or most of their title's annuals each year.  The stories were frequently good ones, but the set up required buying books that an individual might not be following just to get the whole story, which was very annoying for some of us.)  The Age of Apocalypse, a massive X-men story from several years ago is a great example of a closed storyline, because there were only two ways for the tale to end, and both involved the destruction of the AoA universe. (It all makes sense if you read the story, which has been collected into four tradepaperbacks.  Look 'em up at your local comic shop)

Personally I see this same closed storyline in the Bible.  In it's pages we start with God speaking Creation into existence, and end with the final destruction of that Creation, leaving only New Jerusalem (Heaven) and the lake of fire (Hell) moving into a new and final era.  In between we see man created, man falling, God's chosen people created, God's chosen people falling, God fulfilling the promises He made by sending a perfect sacrifice for all man's sin, and the initial spreading of the possibility for eternal life and fellowship with God.  There is plenty of room left for the aforementioned expansion and exploration, as we each continue to write our own parts of the story, and look to the accounts that others have left us, but even if we never crack open St. Augustine's Confessions or John Wesley's Journals or C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, just having the basic story is enough to satisfy what we need. 

Another parallel that can be found is that sometimes, people try and take a good story and garble it up with their own additions, expansions and explorations. Just look in the religion/Christianity section of any bookstore, and one can find numerous interpretations of what the Bible and it's accounts really mean, according to any one of a number of experts on the subject.  Usually, these interpretations are little more than adjusting the Bible to agree with the experts viewpoint.  Just to throw my own ideas in here, such predispositions are likely the reason why the Bible is such a self contained account, to help prevent later additions or amendments.  Nothing in Scripture accounts for future revelations like the ones claimed by some cults and churches.  To my knowledge, the books of the New Testament specifically have stood up to the numerous questions and testings of their accuracy and authenticity, while the various "new" books of scripture that have popped up over time keep falling by the wayside.

A movie many many moons ago called Jesus' life the greatest story ever told.  In many ways, the entire Bible is Jesus' story, letting that title apply to all sixty-six books.  How could the greatest story ever told not be a complete epic in and of itself, not needing crossovers or prequels?  If it was left open-ended, with the final chapter a mystery to be waited up, would it still be the greatest story?  Of course not.  So this week, when you're reading your Bible, or even if you don't read a Bible, think about the intertwining of those sixty-six books, how they are woven together to tell such a complete tale, the entirety of this age, and the entrance into the next.  While you're thinking about that, think about how, when this epic comes to an end, there are only two options left for residence, and which one you will be calling home.  

Can you keep the rocks from crying out?

This week was Palm Sunday, marking the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the beginning of the end of His earthly ministry, and the start of our Easter season.  Like many churches, we passed out palm leaves and waved them during the service, this year in particular there was a march around the inside of the building, singing and waving.  A few things struck me during the service.  As we read the story of the entry, there is a line that jumped out this year.

 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:39-40)

I have attended several different churches over the years, and admittedly, none of them have been of the crying out variety .  Not that there is anything wrong with that, being a rather introverted individual, it's usually a good match.  But as Jesus' words above tell us, there are times when nothing short of loud, raucous celebration will do.  In this case, we have the fulfillment of a 500 year old prophecy (Zechariah 9:9-10) debatably to the day (some interpretations of Daniel's 70 weeks Daniel 9:24) that is reason enough for celebration that even if there were no people shouting, the very earth would be shouting. 

We have a great deal to celebrate everyday, should we be out waving palm branches every day?  Every week?  Is there something to be said for such actions, or would that be moving into ritual?  Psalm 51 tells us that "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (16-17) The point of worship is not our actions, it is our motivation.  If we raise our hands or shout only because it is what everyone else is doing, or only because it is tradition, it is no different than the rich people Jesus humbled by pointing out the widow's offering of her last coins (Mark 12:41-44)  By the same token, if the urge to shout rises inside us, and we hold back for fear of embarrassment or breaking tradition, is that any different?

Easter is a season full of tradition and ritual in virtually every church.  Palm Sunday, Easter egg hunts, Good Friday, sunrise services, and communion among them.  As we go through the season, let us ask ourselves, are we performing out of obligation?  Or are we looking for the greatness in everyday and every action that calls out the kind of celebration that makes the very rocks want to cry out?

My Healthcare Reform Rant

Like about 90% of America, I'm talking about health care reform.  The Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, on a late night Sunday vote, passed their sweeping plan.  Some celebrated, some mourned.  I'm in the second group.  This bill is a major loss for all Americans, and if attempts to defeat it before it goes into full effect (in 2014, conveniently in time for Obama's re-election campaign) fail, the damage may be irrevocable.

"But what about all the wonderful things in the bill?"  For argument's sake, I'll say that there are. (No I don't believe there are, but like I said, this is for the sake of argument)  Even if economic impossibilities like forcing insurance companies to accept everybody, regardless of their health conditions are a good thing, the biggest problem in this bill is the federal mandate that all citizens purchase health insurance.  This mandate goes against all of the principles of the Constitution.  There is nothing put forth in the Constitutional powers of any part of the Federal government that give them the authority to force the citizens to purchase anything.  Look at your history, and you will see that it required an amendment to those original powers to allow the Feds to tax our income. 

That is a massive problem.  As I said, even if the other parts of the bill were good, no good is worth this kind of shredding of the basis of our freedoms.  Hopefully some of you will say "What about W's Patriot Act?"  Go for it, I will tell you that was a reactionary bill shoved through by both the President and Congress without the much needed thought that should have been put into it, and faces many of the same arguments.  Back on track, giving the Federal Government the power to force the citizens to purchase a good or service is not democracy, a representative republic, or capitalism.  It is tyranny.  It is not rule by law. 

Have we reached a point where Americans no longer value the principles that made this the greatest nation on Earth?  Have we reached a point where "feel-good" actions, regardless of their infeasibility, are more important than our freedoms?  According to Obama and the Democrat party, yes.  According to most public opinion polls, we have not.  Despite much celebration from some loud groups, there is still resistance.  States are readying lawsuits and even amendments to their state constitutions to defend against this attack on freedom. 

Our argument is not, nor has it ever been that there are not improvements that can be made to our health care system.  Our argument is that first, more government intervention is not the solution, and two, that improvement does not require throwing out the principles of our nation.  Federal mandates to purchase anything, whether it is health insurance, smart cars, or anything else is exactly the type of tyranny that our Founding Fathers fought against, that brought so many millions of people to Ellis Island with tears in their eyes, that drives people to struggle across the Gulf of Mexico to reach Florida from Cuba.

If you are reading this and support the current heath care plans, please think about the cost, not just in money, lost jobs, lost industries, lost progress, if for no other reason than that those are theoretical.  Very likely, but still theoretical.  Giving any president or congress, republican or democrat, the power to force the citizens to spend their money on anything was not the intention of our Founding Fathers, and is a dangerous path to tread.  It is the path to tyranny, period.  If a central government can order the purchase of anything, and we lay down and accept it, that government can order anything.  They can order that what medicines and treatments are available to you.  They can order what products are available on your store shelves.  There are already tons of federal regulations on those things, barely held in check only by the people's power of free speech and voting. 

And those same powers are the only way we are going to hold onto what is left of those Constitutional fundamentals.  This bill is unconstitutional.  The People don't want it.  But it was still passed.  It was passed to cheers of "Yes We Can".  It was passed by more buyoffs and questionable deals than any bill in recent memory.  That reveals a great deal about the mindset of those presently sitting in power in D.C.  And what it reveals is not pretty to anyone who believes in the foundations of this nation.