I played racquetball this afternoon, the second time in a week -- after a break of more than 4 years. I've been surprised that I still have some of my skills intact, although a strong, highly talented player would probably crush me -- just as I've crushed the two younger guys from church that I've played against.
Still, it's good to get back in the swing of things and add an extra reason to visit the gym, and we all know I need as many reasons to get down there as I can.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
A good time in Old Sacramento.
Went down to Old Sacramento on Saturday with my friend Trista (yes, I know I'm late in posting, but better late than never, eh). We had a good time walking around, checking out some of the unique stores down there, and enjoying a dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. The weather was perfect, and the company was fun.
One of the interesting moments was coming across some "Jesus Junk" that would make Marko proud. In fact, it's probably appeared on his blog before. But this picture is Trista holding up the Jesus Action Figure. I thought about buying it for my office, but decided to hold off for now.
We also ran into some former youth workers from my church. It was great to see them and talk for a few minutes, and then they came to our sunrise service yesterday. Good stuff!
How should we judge Easter 'success'?
So, today is the "day after" and I'm still in recovery mode from Easter. I've managed to get some productive work done around the office, but I'm definitely not running on all cylinders.
One thought bouncing around my head is how to judge the "success" of an Easter weekend. Is it just about numbers? Which numbers matter most? Is something entirely different beyond numbers?
Here's what I know about our weekend. We had a strong Good Friday service, with around 60 folks at noontime. We had a great Easter Sunrise service, with around 80 people at 7AM. Our 9AM service had 260 people (usually around 100) and 11AM had 285 people (usually around 160), plus our kids areas had at least 40-50% more than a typical Sunday.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We had dozens of volunteers get involved in our weekend activities. I had a crew that showed up at 6AM Sunday just to set up tables and chairs outdoors. We had about three dozen people involved in the actual Easter presentation, and we had new volunteers serving throughout the weekend.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
Things flowed nearly seamlessly throughout the weekend. We had no major problems, no major obstacles. The power didn't go out, the donkey didn't drop "Jesus" in the Palm Sunday scene, and we had enough parking for everyone.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We don't actually know how many first-time guests came Sunday, but we had response cards from 13 (we usually get 3 to 5 most weekends). We had at least 5 people indicate that they made a decision or recommitment to follow Jesus, and I'm sure we had others who said a prayer but didn't respond to let us know.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
I guess that last paragraph has some of the most important "numbers" and info. The other areas are important, too, so it's hard to say. I'd call this weekend a success, but I'm still struggling with what was most successful -- and if our level of "success" could have been higher, and if more people could have responded to a chance at a relationship with Jesus Christ.
One thought bouncing around my head is how to judge the "success" of an Easter weekend. Is it just about numbers? Which numbers matter most? Is something entirely different beyond numbers?
Here's what I know about our weekend. We had a strong Good Friday service, with around 60 folks at noontime. We had a great Easter Sunrise service, with around 80 people at 7AM. Our 9AM service had 260 people (usually around 100) and 11AM had 285 people (usually around 160), plus our kids areas had at least 40-50% more than a typical Sunday.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We had dozens of volunteers get involved in our weekend activities. I had a crew that showed up at 6AM Sunday just to set up tables and chairs outdoors. We had about three dozen people involved in the actual Easter presentation, and we had new volunteers serving throughout the weekend.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
Things flowed nearly seamlessly throughout the weekend. We had no major problems, no major obstacles. The power didn't go out, the donkey didn't drop "Jesus" in the Palm Sunday scene, and we had enough parking for everyone.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
We don't actually know how many first-time guests came Sunday, but we had response cards from 13 (we usually get 3 to 5 most weekends). We had at least 5 people indicate that they made a decision or recommitment to follow Jesus, and I'm sure we had others who said a prayer but didn't respond to let us know.
Does that mean Easter was a success?
I guess that last paragraph has some of the most important "numbers" and info. The other areas are important, too, so it's hard to say. I'd call this weekend a success, but I'm still struggling with what was most successful -- and if our level of "success" could have been higher, and if more people could have responded to a chance at a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A good reminder for drivers.
Just came across this story; it's a good reminder that we California drivers have some new rules to follow come July 1:
- "Come July 1, drivers in California who make or receive phone calls other than emergencies will be required to have a hands-free way of talking. Motorists who don't can be pulled over and cited, $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent violations.
At the same time, a companion law will go into effect that prohibits drivers younger than 18 from using any type of electronic communication device to text or talk - even hands-free ones. However, it's a secondary infraction, which means it can't be the main reason a driver is pulled over."
Thursday, March 20, 2008
My brother is moving to Iowa.
For most of his life, my brother Rick has lived here in California. Our family moved here just before his 1st grade year, he went to college in CA, and he's lived in the Golden State (with the exception of some extended trips overseas).
But this week he's moving to Iowa. He'll be living in the same town as my dad and stepmom, and it should bring a whole host of fun, new experiences for him.
Dad and Rick stopped by Wednesday evening on their way east, traveling on I-80. We grabbed a quick bite at Wendy's before they went back on the road with the U-Haul and Rick's car in tow. Best wishes to them on this trip, and to Rick in this new season of life!
Monday, March 17, 2008
'24' comes to an end.
Well, OK, it's really just Season 1 of 24 on DVD, but it did conclude tonight -- remarkably, with the same outcome as every other time I've seen the final episode. Our crowd was a little smaller this week, but it was still fun. We've been watching at my house every Monday night for the last 11 weeks, and next week we'll launch Season 2 on DVD. Sure wish the new season was running, but if it's as horrible as Season 6, maybe we'll just keep watching the DVDs over and over and over...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Every Sunday is "Open House."
This evening, our preschool and our K-8 school are hosting their spring open house. Staff members are feverishly cleaning, assembling packets, trimming shrubs and making sure things look just right. The economy is tough right now, but we're still hoping and praying for a strong turnout tonight and a strong interest for fall enrollment.
Hearing the lawn mower outside reminded me that churches generally don't hold "open house" events for the community -- at least, not in the usual sense. But the truth is, every Sunday is an open house for a church! We have guests every weekend checking out our facilities and ministries and people. We have people walking through the doors who are looking for information and are considering "enrolling" in a church. We have folks who are just checking things out, and others who are ready to make a major commitment.
The question is, are we ready for those guests each weekend? Do we treat Sundays as an "open house" event for people in our community?
Hearing the lawn mower outside reminded me that churches generally don't hold "open house" events for the community -- at least, not in the usual sense. But the truth is, every Sunday is an open house for a church! We have guests every weekend checking out our facilities and ministries and people. We have people walking through the doors who are looking for information and are considering "enrolling" in a church. We have folks who are just checking things out, and others who are ready to make a major commitment.
The question is, are we ready for those guests each weekend? Do we treat Sundays as an "open house" event for people in our community?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Are you a cruise control leader?
Some years back, I began talking to teens about how Christianity is a journey, not just a destination. While traveling this past weekend, I spent a lot of time on the freeway and a lot of time using my cruise control. It’s a wonderful invention for long trips, but leading a ministry with a “cruise control” style is risky. How do you know if you’re in danger of being a cruise-control leader?
You’re content with current results
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we always want more people to show up, more lives to be changed, more volunteers to get involved – basically, we’re unwilling to settle for the status quo.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re OK with a “solid, steady” crowd through our doors. We’re happy that people still love God, even if they aren’t inviting their friends to church and they can’t remember the last time they shared God’s love with a stranger. We love our volunteers to death, but we’re just too busy or content (or maybe even tired) to recruit, train and release anyone new.
Cruise control limits us from accelerating to see increased results in our ministry.
You’ve lost your big-picture vision
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we keep our eyes focused on the big picture for our ministry, our congregation and our lives. Our ministry’s purpose is consistent with the direction for our whole church, and we look for ways to support all the other ministries – and even other churches in our community.
But if we’re on cruise control, we lose sight of the world beyond our ministry’s walls. We know that God has a big plan and a big purpose, but right now we’re just happy with teaching and leading this week. We aren’t on the lookout for ways to strengthen other members of our “team,” and if we pay attention to other churches, it’s only to compare and see who’s doing a “better job” in the community.
Cruise control limits us from cooperating with other leaders headed in the same direction.
You don’t get enthusiastic about new ministry ideas or opportunities
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we’re dreaming up new ways to create passion, impact and excellence in our ministry. (Call it the PIE phenomenon.) We’re filled with a hunger for doing things differently. We’re experimenting with new ways of discipling or reaching people who don’t know Jesus. We’re looking for new strategies to connect people and help them move into a place of honoring God, growing together, and serving others.
But if we’re on cruise control, we see “new” as a code word for “more work.” We don’t want to be stretched, we don’t want to risk our “successful” ministry for any new ideas, and we’ve lost our sense of passion. We still love people and we may still love ministry, but our comfort zone has become our ministry zone, and when we’re brutally honest, we admit that we’d rather be comfortable than challenged.
Cruise control limits us from driving new highways, ministering to new people, and experiencing God on the risky roads.
You’ve stopped planning for the future
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we can’t wait until tomorrow arrives – not because we’re tired of today, but because we know God has even better things in store. We’re placing ourselves and our ministries in the path of success and growth, and tomorrow means the opportunity to be involved in more people’s lives for His glory.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re using the same map we’ve used for the last decade – or longer. We don’t look far beyond this coming Sunday or Wednesday, and we certainly don’t have many dreams about what our lives, ministries or church will look like in 6 months, one year or five years. We aren’t failing – yet. But we are failing to plan for the future, and when the future arrives, we may look back and regret our lack of preparing, dreaming and planning.
Cruise control limits us from accomplishing all that God has in store for us in the weeks, months and years ahead.
The good news, of course, is that at any time on our trip, we can turn off the cruise control and put our foot back on the accelerator. And that’s when the journey takes on new life once again.
You’re content with current results
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we always want more people to show up, more lives to be changed, more volunteers to get involved – basically, we’re unwilling to settle for the status quo.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re OK with a “solid, steady” crowd through our doors. We’re happy that people still love God, even if they aren’t inviting their friends to church and they can’t remember the last time they shared God’s love with a stranger. We love our volunteers to death, but we’re just too busy or content (or maybe even tired) to recruit, train and release anyone new.
Cruise control limits us from accelerating to see increased results in our ministry.
You’ve lost your big-picture vision
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we keep our eyes focused on the big picture for our ministry, our congregation and our lives. Our ministry’s purpose is consistent with the direction for our whole church, and we look for ways to support all the other ministries – and even other churches in our community.
But if we’re on cruise control, we lose sight of the world beyond our ministry’s walls. We know that God has a big plan and a big purpose, but right now we’re just happy with teaching and leading this week. We aren’t on the lookout for ways to strengthen other members of our “team,” and if we pay attention to other churches, it’s only to compare and see who’s doing a “better job” in the community.
Cruise control limits us from cooperating with other leaders headed in the same direction.
You don’t get enthusiastic about new ministry ideas or opportunities
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we’re dreaming up new ways to create passion, impact and excellence in our ministry. (Call it the PIE phenomenon.) We’re filled with a hunger for doing things differently. We’re experimenting with new ways of discipling or reaching people who don’t know Jesus. We’re looking for new strategies to connect people and help them move into a place of honoring God, growing together, and serving others.
But if we’re on cruise control, we see “new” as a code word for “more work.” We don’t want to be stretched, we don’t want to risk our “successful” ministry for any new ideas, and we’ve lost our sense of passion. We still love people and we may still love ministry, but our comfort zone has become our ministry zone, and when we’re brutally honest, we admit that we’d rather be comfortable than challenged.
Cruise control limits us from driving new highways, ministering to new people, and experiencing God on the risky roads.
You’ve stopped planning for the future
If we’re cruising for new adventures, we can’t wait until tomorrow arrives – not because we’re tired of today, but because we know God has even better things in store. We’re placing ourselves and our ministries in the path of success and growth, and tomorrow means the opportunity to be involved in more people’s lives for His glory.
But if we’re on cruise control, we’re using the same map we’ve used for the last decade – or longer. We don’t look far beyond this coming Sunday or Wednesday, and we certainly don’t have many dreams about what our lives, ministries or church will look like in 6 months, one year or five years. We aren’t failing – yet. But we are failing to plan for the future, and when the future arrives, we may look back and regret our lack of preparing, dreaming and planning.
Cruise control limits us from accomplishing all that God has in store for us in the weeks, months and years ahead.
The good news, of course, is that at any time on our trip, we can turn off the cruise control and put our foot back on the accelerator. And that’s when the journey takes on new life once again.
Spontaneous substitute.
Just got done teaching a class of fifth- and sixth-graders at our Christian school. Our regular teacher had to bow out for a family commitment, so I got asked about 25 minutes before class started! Not much time to prepare, but it still went well. We talked about 1 Peter 1:14-16, and what it means to live "holy" lives for God.
Funniest thing about that mixed class is that there are just 2 boys, so quite a bit of talking amongst friends. Would I want to teach them day in and day out? Let's just say my appreciation for our teachers increased significantly in the last hour!
Funniest thing about that mixed class is that there are just 2 boys, so quite a bit of talking amongst friends. Would I want to teach them day in and day out? Let's just say my appreciation for our teachers increased significantly in the last hour!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Did daylight savings affect your church?
Remarkably, today's services weren't significantly affected by the "spring" forward on our clocks. In fact, in the service I work with most directly, we had our second strongest attendance number from the last 6 months. I guess that's more a sign of health in the ministry and improvements in our follow-up efforts with newer folks.
Still, we did have a couple of funny tales today. First, our main bulletin-distributor didn't show up on time, so we had someone fill in for her. I should have sent her a text message yesterday to remind her -- but I forgot to do that! Second, after checking on another building, I was walking back toward our sanctuary just before noon -- or 11AM, if you forgot to move your clocks ahead, as was the case for the family I saw entering. They were surprised at how full the parking lot was -- until I asked if they had forgotten to change their clocks.
Oops!
Still, we did have a couple of funny tales today. First, our main bulletin-distributor didn't show up on time, so we had someone fill in for her. I should have sent her a text message yesterday to remind her -- but I forgot to do that! Second, after checking on another building, I was walking back toward our sanctuary just before noon -- or 11AM, if you forgot to move your clocks ahead, as was the case for the family I saw entering. They were surprised at how full the parking lot was -- until I asked if they had forgotten to change their clocks.
Oops!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Good to be home.
Just got back in town a couple of hours ago after a full day of driving home (Sacramento) from down south (Orange County). The trip reinforced my disdain for L.A. and its smog and its traffic, although the OC is nowhere as bad. Driving 8 hours alone is always fun... faster pitstops, no real conversation, and lots of choices on the iPod.
Great trip, overall. Odd to see green hills almost the entire way, and even saw a little snow on some of the hills along The Grapevine. But now I'm home and tonight we all lose an hour of sleep. So it's "really" 11:19PM, and that means it's definitely time for bed!
Hmm, Blogger won't let me add a pic. Argh. And i'm tired. So maybe I'll update with the pic tomorrow.
UPDATED: Finally, I can post a pic (4:25PM Sunday)
Friday, March 07, 2008
Fun times in Southern Cal.
I've been down in Orange County for a couple of days now. Weather has been ideal, conversations have been great, and it's been a good time. A few of the highlights:
On Thursday, I got to hear/observe the recording of the Simply Youth Ministry podcast at the SYM offices. That was pretty cool, especially since it was the first time they've tried live simulcast online from their offices (an earlier session was done at a youth workers conference a couple weeks ago). I hung out for a bit, talking with Nadim and Andy and Chris, plus the podcast regulars of Doug, Matt, Josh and Jana.
Then I got to hang with Fields for a little while to talk about some book ideas. It was great to get some feedback on the strentghs, weaknesses and possible audiences for the concepts. Good stuff.
Later in the afternoon, had coffee with Sandie Morgan, a good friend for many years. I worked with her and her husband Jean over in Greece back in 2000-2001, and my senior pastor is her brother. Got to spend a little time on the Vanguard University campus, which I'd never really explored much in the past.
Today was great. I slept in. Felt so good to do! Of course, I FIRST woke up around 6:30am, and took me about an hour to go back to sleep. But after 7 hours of driving Thursday, and knowing that I still have a lengthy drive ahead Saturday, sleep is good!
This afternoon, had lunch with Josh Griffin, Jeff Baker and Tony Steward. First time to meet Jeff and Tony, and first time to finally have a long-promised lunch with Griff. Then Josh took me and Jeff on a tour of the new student ministries building over at Saddleback. That's gonna be one sweet place! (The pic is Josh and Jeff showin' off their construction best in front of "The Refinery.")
All in all, good times down here, and I head back tomorrow -- just in time to lose an hour of sleep Saturday night because of the time change! Argh...
Friday, February 29, 2008
My newest addiction: Texting.
There are many good reasons I don't drink alcohol. Probably the best for me personally is because I have something of an addictive personality. Getting bottles of booze into my hands probably isn't a good thing!
Here's my latest addiction: text messaging. I'm not totally new to the world of texting, but my texting activity has reached new heights in the last few months. It really got started in November, when I asked friends to send me lots of texts, so I could see how many I'd send and receive in one month. The total? Somewhere around 1,900. Not bad -- my highest month before that was just over 1,500 (incoming and outgoing combined).
In December, the number grew to more than 3,400. In January, I passed the 4,400 mark. And this month? Well, by the end of this day I expect to have received or sent more than 5,100 messages.
This actually puts me into the realm of some students at our church. I talked with one teen yesterday, as I was reaching the 5K mark, and she was around 5,900 at that point.
"Hi, my name is Rob." "Hi, Rob." "I'm a textaholic."
Here's my latest addiction: text messaging. I'm not totally new to the world of texting, but my texting activity has reached new heights in the last few months. It really got started in November, when I asked friends to send me lots of texts, so I could see how many I'd send and receive in one month. The total? Somewhere around 1,900. Not bad -- my highest month before that was just over 1,500 (incoming and outgoing combined).
In December, the number grew to more than 3,400. In January, I passed the 4,400 mark. And this month? Well, by the end of this day I expect to have received or sent more than 5,100 messages.
This actually puts me into the realm of some students at our church. I talked with one teen yesterday, as I was reaching the 5K mark, and she was around 5,900 at that point.
"Hi, my name is Rob." "Hi, Rob." "I'm a textaholic."
Happy leap day.
Wow, an extra day on the calendar. Nothing terribly special about the 29th of the month, except when it happens in February. And this year it lands on a Friday, which is my day off from the church. I'm sure I'll find some way to memorably mark the event. I might do yardwork, or clean the house, or go to the gym, or work on some book ideas, or...
Monday, February 25, 2008
I'm hyperconnected.
This weekend, I entered the hyperconnected zone. I was on my cell phone talking to a friend. At the same time, I was engaged in two text-message chats. I also was talking to two friends in MSN Messenger, and another friend in AIM. I had MySpace open and got a few messages that way, too.
It was almost too much for my system -- meaning ME -- to handle!
How can people contact me?
1. Text messages
2. Email (I have four different addresses)
3. MySpace
4. Facebook (just joined last week)
5. AIM
6. MSN Messenger
7. Yahoo Messenger
8. Old-fashioned phone calls
Yeah, I'd say I have issues...
It was almost too much for my system -- meaning ME -- to handle!
How can people contact me?
1. Text messages
2. Email (I have four different addresses)
3. MySpace
4. Facebook (just joined last week)
5. AIM
6. MSN Messenger
7. Yahoo Messenger
8. Old-fashioned phone calls
Yeah, I'd say I have issues...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Lyrical thoughts: Volume 1.
Sheryl Crow - God Bless This Mess
Daddy’s in the hallway
Hanging pictures on the wall
Mama’s in the kitchen
Making casseroles for all
My brother came home yesterday
From somewhere far away
He doesn’t look like I remember
He just stares off into space
He must’ve seen some ugly things
He just can’t seem to say
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
Got a job in town
Selling insurance on the phone
With Robert and Teresa
And two con men from back home
Everyone I call up doesn’t have the time to chat
Everybody is so busy doing this and doing that
Something has gone missing
And it makes me kinda sad, oh
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
Heard about the day
that two skyscrapers came down
Firemen, policemen
And people came from all around
The smoke covered the city
And the body count arise
The president spoke words of comfort
With tears in his eyes
Then he led us as a nation
Into a war all based on lies, oh
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
Daddy’s in the hallway
Hanging pictures on the wall
Mama’s in the kitchen
Making casseroles for all
My brother came home yesterday
From somewhere far away
He doesn’t look like I remember
He just stares off into space
He must’ve seen some ugly things
He just can’t seem to say
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
Got a job in town
Selling insurance on the phone
With Robert and Teresa
And two con men from back home
Everyone I call up doesn’t have the time to chat
Everybody is so busy doing this and doing that
Something has gone missing
And it makes me kinda sad, oh
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
Heard about the day
that two skyscrapers came down
Firemen, policemen
And people came from all around
The smoke covered the city
And the body count arise
The president spoke words of comfort
With tears in his eyes
Then he led us as a nation
Into a war all based on lies, oh
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
God bless this mess
Friday, February 22, 2008
Odd dream.
I don't really have too many weird dreams. Sometimes I remember them, sometimes I don't. But last night I had a really weird one. (Honestly, it was probably early this morning, and we all know that's when the truly bizarre dreams occur.)
Details, as much as I can recall:
I was on a vacation to London. But we didn't visit any of the major tourist places. We were visiting places that I don't remember as being terribly London-ish, and I don't even remember who I was with. But then I recall being on an airplane headed to the next destination, and the airline was Oahu Air, so the plane flew like a dolphin, up and down and up and down. The right wing of the plane hit another plane but we were all OK. I could look out my window and see Big Ben, and then our plane flew under the London Bridge.
And then I was in an airport terminal, needing to buy tourist gifts for friends back home. I don't remember what was being sold. But I remember my mom and dad having a disagreement over what rental car to get, which is odd because 1) they're divorced and 2) I think this trip was nearly over, so what was the point of getting a rental car? (Sidenote: At least I wasn't trying to rent and drive a car in the middle of winter in Ohio.)
And somewhere around this point, I woke up and realized that it was a pretty odd dream with absolutely no hidden spiritual meaning. Only meaning I could find is that I enjoy traveling to Europe, haven't been to London since 1989, and maybe it's time to make a return visit. Perhaps? Yea, pretty weak. I agree!
Details, as much as I can recall:
I was on a vacation to London. But we didn't visit any of the major tourist places. We were visiting places that I don't remember as being terribly London-ish, and I don't even remember who I was with. But then I recall being on an airplane headed to the next destination, and the airline was Oahu Air, so the plane flew like a dolphin, up and down and up and down. The right wing of the plane hit another plane but we were all OK. I could look out my window and see Big Ben, and then our plane flew under the London Bridge.
And then I was in an airport terminal, needing to buy tourist gifts for friends back home. I don't remember what was being sold. But I remember my mom and dad having a disagreement over what rental car to get, which is odd because 1) they're divorced and 2) I think this trip was nearly over, so what was the point of getting a rental car? (Sidenote: At least I wasn't trying to rent and drive a car in the middle of winter in Ohio.)
And somewhere around this point, I woke up and realized that it was a pretty odd dream with absolutely no hidden spiritual meaning. Only meaning I could find is that I enjoy traveling to Europe, haven't been to London since 1989, and maybe it's time to make a return visit. Perhaps? Yea, pretty weak. I agree!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Jericho returns to form.
I finally got around tonight to watching this week's episode of Jericho. I was reasonably pleased with last week's season premiere, but I felt something was lacking. Tonight I realized what it was: All of the first season was filled with this foreboding sense of doom and confusion and fear.
First episode of season two? Ho hum.
But with episode two, Jericho returned to form. The conspiracy is back, shadowy figures have been revived, and Ravenwood has stormed into town.
The next five episodes should be a blast.
Political sidenote: The "Allied" states are considered red states, and the "United" states are considered blue. A political undertone? Commentary by the show's creators? Perhaps...
First episode of season two? Ho hum.
But with episode two, Jericho returned to form. The conspiracy is back, shadowy figures have been revived, and Ravenwood has stormed into town.
The next five episodes should be a blast.
Political sidenote: The "Allied" states are considered red states, and the "United" states are considered blue. A political undertone? Commentary by the show's creators? Perhaps...
Some iTunes purchases.
I'm not the kind of person to go around telling the world what iTunes songs I buy and load onto my device. There are a few reasons for this.
First, I don't buy individual songs. Call me a bizarre hybrid, but I usually buy entire albums from iTunes. Haven't bought a physical CD in a long, long time. But I still enjoy getting the entire experience of an album, and on several occasions I've discovered songs that I really like -- but they wouldn't have been original picks if I didn't buy the entire album.
Second, I haven't been buying a lot of iTunes stuff lately. I've just gotten back in the habit in the last couple of weeks. So for quite some time there really wasn't anything to say on this subject.
Third, most of my purchases are Christian music. Beyond that, most of those purchases are worship CDs. Is this bad? Of course not. But there's a certain attitude among ministry bloggers about Christian music and such. I agree that much of it is weak and mediocre. But the same can be said of most mainstream music, too. Hence the success of American Idol.
All of this leads me to the last few days.
Here are the albums I've purchased recently (within the last week, basically). It truly is an odd mix:
Detours, by Sheryl Crow
Hard Candy, by Counting Crows
God of this City, by Passion
Relentless, by Natalie Grant
We Need Each Other, by Sanctus Real
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; Isaac Stern, Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; Berliner Philharmoniker, Joshua Bell & Michael Tilson Thomas
Yes, quite a diverse mix. Haven't heard much from Sheryl Crow in years, sounded like an interesting album. Used to be a huge Counting Crows fan in the mid-'90s but lost track over the years. Love almost everything from the Passion worship people. Natalie Grant's stuff sounded intriguing. Usually love Sanctus Real (and I've been listening to it almost nonstop since last night and I really love this one).
And why two versions of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto? Each musician and orchestra interprets the work differently and I wanted to hear some new versions. I already own copies of the concerto by Jascha Heifetz and Kyoko Takezawa. Of these new versions, I really like the Bell interpretation. Stern is an incredible violinist, of course, but it's a slower rendition. Too slow for my tastes.
First, I don't buy individual songs. Call me a bizarre hybrid, but I usually buy entire albums from iTunes. Haven't bought a physical CD in a long, long time. But I still enjoy getting the entire experience of an album, and on several occasions I've discovered songs that I really like -- but they wouldn't have been original picks if I didn't buy the entire album.
Second, I haven't been buying a lot of iTunes stuff lately. I've just gotten back in the habit in the last couple of weeks. So for quite some time there really wasn't anything to say on this subject.
Third, most of my purchases are Christian music. Beyond that, most of those purchases are worship CDs. Is this bad? Of course not. But there's a certain attitude among ministry bloggers about Christian music and such. I agree that much of it is weak and mediocre. But the same can be said of most mainstream music, too. Hence the success of American Idol.
All of this leads me to the last few days.
Here are the albums I've purchased recently (within the last week, basically). It truly is an odd mix:
Detours, by Sheryl Crow
Hard Candy, by Counting Crows
God of this City, by Passion
Relentless, by Natalie Grant
We Need Each Other, by Sanctus Real
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; Isaac Stern, Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; Berliner Philharmoniker, Joshua Bell & Michael Tilson Thomas
Yes, quite a diverse mix. Haven't heard much from Sheryl Crow in years, sounded like an interesting album. Used to be a huge Counting Crows fan in the mid-'90s but lost track over the years. Love almost everything from the Passion worship people. Natalie Grant's stuff sounded intriguing. Usually love Sanctus Real (and I've been listening to it almost nonstop since last night and I really love this one).
And why two versions of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto? Each musician and orchestra interprets the work differently and I wanted to hear some new versions. I already own copies of the concerto by Jascha Heifetz and Kyoko Takezawa. Of these new versions, I really like the Bell interpretation. Stern is an incredible violinist, of course, but it's a slower rendition. Too slow for my tastes.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Great analysis of Hillary spin.
There's a great article over on Time's website talking about the insanity of Hillary Clinton's spin machine. Here are my favorite paragraphs, from later in the story:
- It's understandable that the Clintonites operate in permanent spin mode; they weathered a constant barrage of attacks in the 1990s, and they came to see politics as a perpetual war room where you say whatever's necessary to win the day. It's hard to know whether their self-justifying and self-contradictory nonsense bothers actual voters, or just the reporters who have it force-fed to them. Strategy and marketing can be overrated in the world of retail; it might just be that a majority of Democratic voters, faced with a choice between two strong candidates with similar policies, prefer the Obama product.
But the Orwellian spin and the silly gotchas certainly could reinforce Obama's message that Clinton is mired in the small-minded, zero-sum, it's-all-a-game Washington politics of the past. There was that classic debate moment when Hillary said her worst quality was her impatience to change the world, and then criticized Obama for admitting he was disorganized. The next day, Obama said that if he had known that was how the game was supposed to be played, he would have said his worst quality was his overeagerness to help old ladies cross the street. Who do you think won that argument?
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