|
| Well friends and neighbors, I do believe this to be the big news I've been promising.
First... I think I'm going to retire this account =-o. At least, semi-retirement. In its wake, I have set up a brand spanking new Xanga... find it here. Saddle up your horses, folks, and subscribe away, b/c I promise that's where the action is.
Secondly... well, follow me to my new home and see what I have to say there =D
love,
sean
| | |
| More to come later... and it involves telling stories. And Xanga-reorganizing love.
Fire up your engines, cowboy bohemians.
Bwahahaha.
sch
PS check out the new weird al video... best thing since "All about hte pentiums"... or "saga begins".
White and Nerdy | | |
| Sometimes the reality of grace is a greater burden than the ignorance we could bear. In some ways, the reality of heaven infers the reality that everything we have here we will lose. It is a constant reminder of the truth that we don't belong here. Jennifer said, referring to Lewis, that Heaven is really the world, destroyed and made new... the 'what-should-be' which we long for so much. Everything we love here, then, we love because it gives us a glimpse into the 'what-should-be'. Sometimes a glimpse of the future, of heaven, is far less comforting as a "pie-in-the-sky" sort of future disneyland: it hurts because it reminds us of what we do not have here. Andrew Peterson's song captures it well, that we ache for what is lost. "God is at home; we are in the far country" (Meister Eckhart).
But the beauty of God's grace is that it breaks us, and the Grace that wounds us is the Grace that heals us. His grace brings everything into focus: our fallenness, the inadequacy of this world to satisfy us, and our insatiable longing for the restoration of all things... and also His redemption, the path that led from the Canaan wilderness to the cross, the Voice that starts us off, travels alongside us, and calls to us from our home. And the weight of that truth brings me to tears. I don't want to lose sight of that, don't want to settle back down to ignorance. God is in the business of radically changing lives and working His redemption in the world, and I want to be a part of it.
Sometimes I feel like the Bible is most true because it doesn't play nice with the human condition. It cuts no corners about the failures, blind spots and short-sightedness of our most "spiritual" role models; Moses seemed to have an anger problem, Abraham was worrisome, Paul was a pretty brash man, and let's not get started on the Judges... or the kings... or prophets like Jonah. I think the grace and character of God comes out most clearly when we see Him use people like that.
Flash forward. Martin Luther was anti-Semitic. Calvin was in some respects a violent man. Corrupt popes launched materialistic crusades and priests got big-headed about being the direct mediator to God. Try that flash-forward thing again. MLK Jr. had some adulterous relationship(s). Jim Baker swindled money and Swaggart got caught with prostitutes. Pat Robertson makes wacky statements about Venezuelan dictators. Does God still work through them? Do their faults (very apparent due to today's media coverage/bias) prevent God from working through them? Not to mention other issues. Big buildings. Megachurches. "Your Best Life Now" the board game (you can buy it at Target). Cloud 10 Pictures. "Safe and fun for the entire family." "You, You are, You are God God God." Ouch.
How about theological issues? Limited atonement. 6 days or 6 million years. Dunking or sprinkling. Tongues and/or their interpretation and/or their proper use and/or their existence. Christians who tell other Christians they are going to hell. Public debates over private (and minor discussions).
Or try this: shunning those who are different. Stigmatizing those with messy and difficult-to-hide sins and struggles. Killing our wounded. Double ouch.
How about nationalizing our faith and sacralizing our nationalism. God bless America, land of the white republican blue-eyed buddy Jesus who votes like us, dresses like us, and sits quietly in the pew like us. Triple ouch (and my apologies ahead of time if I offend).
Yet God is still at work. Our worst misuses, misunderstandings and exploitations done in His name are not enough to stop who He is. God even works through some of these horrendous things to work out His greater good. We can never escape the simultaneous facts that He is not like us and that His character is good. And that gives me hope. Hope that He is in charge, hope that redemption is not a losing battle, and yes, hope beyond hope that one day "every sad thing will become untrue." I know it like the air I breathe, and it breaks me in pieces. But the One who breaks me builds anew into something beautiful... built together with other daughters and sons into His body, His mosaic of redemption, and what was once all broken glass and chipped stones is illuminated by the Light to show His beauty to the world. And that reflection is the most beautiful thing in the world.
| | |
| Check out what I found when I should have been asleep...
You're a 90's kid if: [[the edited version for space and maximum appreciation =) plus highlights for the best ]]
You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
You can sing the rap to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air"
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early
on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
You got super excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
You remember reading "Goosebumps"
You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, wax off"
You have pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.
You
danced to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, Females: had a new motto,
Males: got a whole lot gay-er. (so tell me what you want, what you
really really want.)
You remember the craze, then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books.
You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence...Not...
Captain Planet.
You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green Ranger were meant to be together.
When playing power rangers with friends you fought over who got to be who............and still all ended up being Tommy.
You remember when super nintendo's became popular.
"I've fallen and I can't get up"
You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates
Two words... Trapper Keeper.
You never got injured on a Slip 'n' Slide
You wore socks over leggings scrunched down
"Miss
Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black, with silver
buttons, buttons, buttons, all down her back, back, back" SHE ASKED HER
MOTHER MOTHER MOTHER FOR FIFTY CENTS CENTS CENTS TO SEE THE ELEPHANTS
PHANTS PHANTS JUMP OVER THE FENCE THE FENCE THE FENCE
he jumped so
high high high he touched the sky sky sky and he didnt come back back
back til the forth of july ly ly he jumped so low ow ow he stubbed his
toe toe toe and thats the end end end of the elephants show show show
You remember New Kids on The Block when they were cool
You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell"
You played and/or collected "Pogs"
You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere
You watched the original Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Ninja Turtles
NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS WERE THE BEST MYSTERY BOOKS
You remember when the new Beanie Babies were always sold out.
You used to wear those stick on earings, not only on your ears, but at the corners of your eyes.
You remember a time before the WB.
You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
You know the Macarena by heart.
"Talk to the hand" ... enough said
You thought Brain woud finally take over the world
You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"
When we were younger:
Before the MySpace frenzy...
Before the Internet & text messaging...
Before Sidekicks & iPods...
Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX...
...Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.
When light up sneakers were cool.
When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.
When we recorded stuff on VCRs & paid $3.50 for a movie.
When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off our walkmans.
When the Chicago Bulls were the best team ever.
Way back.
Tag.
Get Over Here!!!! means something to you.
Hide-n-Go Seek at dusk.
Red Light, Green Light.
Heads Up 7 Up.
Playing Kickball & Dodgeball until your porch light came on.
Hopskotch.
Slip-n-Slides.
Tree Houses.
Hula Hoops.
HELLO....HOT WHEELS!!!!!
Running through the sprinklers.
That "Little Mermaid"
Crying when Mufasa died in the Lion King.
Happy Meals where you chose a Barbie or a Hot Wheels car.
Getting the privelage to sit in the front seat of the car.
CAPRI SUN
Watching Saturday Morning Cartoons in your PJ's still wrapped up in your TMNT, Power Rangers, Barbie, Fairy Princess comforter.
The original Power Rangers
Or what about:
Hey Arnold.
Rugrats.
The Secret World of Alex Mac.
Ren & Stimpy.
Double Dare.
Rocco's Modern Life.
Clarissa Explains it All.
Salute Your Shorts(CAMP ANAWANA)
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
The original cast members of All That.
Kenan & Kel.
Doug.
Magic School Bus.
Nick Arcade.
The Adventures of Pete and Pete.
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Hey Dude.
Dinosaurs.
Alladin.
Pinky and the Brain
Wishbone.
Bill Nye the Science Guy
MR ROGERS!!!!
Who could forget Snick? & Nick @ Nite with Bewitched, I Dream of Jenie, The Facts of Life & I Love Lucy.
or Nick Jr. with Face
Gulah Gulah Island
Under the Umbrella Tree
Kool-Aid was the drink of choice.
Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school.
Class field trips.
When Christmas was the most exciting time of year.
When $5 seemed like a million, & another dollar a miracle.
When Toys R Us overuled the mall.
Go back to the time when:
'Race issue' ment arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was banker in 'Monopoly.'
It wasn't odd to have two or three 'best' friends.
Being old referred to anyone over 20.
Scrapes & bruises were kissed & made better.
When playing Nintendo was the hardest thing ever.
When Ninja Turtles ruled the world.
Before we realized all this would eventually disappear
Who would have thought you'd miss the 90's so much!!!!!
Holla out with your fond memories... I definitely uttered a few "amens" of my own. Time to wake the wife (on the couch) and safely relocate her to the bed (for maximum comfort and sleepy time enjoyment).
sean
"blue fades to black
and I won't look back
with tears in my eyes I'll say goodbye
I'm desperately trying to put this to bed
But i'm not convinced that it's over
and everyone's says that they don't understand
This heart just wants to keep holding on..."
- paper route, myspace.com/paperroute
| | |
| Ladies and gentlemen, I must let you know...
I'm bringing sexy back.
Please, Please, PLEASE, buy good music. For me? For God? For the love of all things sacred and pure? I love you guys... enough to tell you not to buy trash.
for what it's worth, skillet & evanescence don't sound bad.
http://music.aol.com/songs/new_releases_full_cds <-- check here every week for new albums to stream. even bad ones.
sean
"maybe it's all not enough...
I look at a stage of parading lusts
It's always only one thing more..."
- MPJ, "one thing more" | | |
|
