Three Things...

I like....
1. Denison Witmer's Music
2. Deli Pickles
3. Ping Pong


I dislike....
1. Jeremy Camp's Music
2. Ingrown Toenails. OUCH.
3. Clogged Showers

My Beautiful Business woman

Giddy Up

Things that I find strange....

1. People who sing harmony when there are 20 people in a room singing worship songs.
2. Ok, that is really the only thing I find strange right now.
3. Sorry to get your hopes up.
4. Man, I can't think of anything.
5. Nevermind.

Music that feels like this.....

There is certain music that fits the theme of fall, the winding down of a year, the reflection that usually takes place during this time, the feeling you get when you walk outside and it's starting to get cold. Here are a few of the things that I enjoy in the fall:

CD's:
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fear
My Morning Jacket - At Dawn
Counting Crows - August and Everything After (Makes Sense)
Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac
Azure Ray - Azure Ray
Denison Witmer - Safe Away

Songs:
Ben Kweller - In Other Words
Pedro the Lion - The Longer I Lay Here
My Morning Jacket - Bermuda Highway
Gin Blossoms - As Long As It Matters
Denison Witmer - These Days
Ben Folds - Magic
Toad the Wet Sprocket - I Will Not Take These Things For Granted
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Josh's Wedding 

I hate the Strokes for doing this to music.

The Strokes took music in a direction that I wish never would have happened. After the Strokes, Hives, Vines came out all pretty much at the same time music has been doomed for copycat after copycat in the last five years. I'm not against The Strokes, Hives, Vines but tired ot the wearisome copying. I'm so tired of The French Kicks, The Kills, The Libertines, The Shins, The White Stripes, especially The Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Jet, and yes, even Franz Ferdinand. All this crap sounds the same. I'm so bored. Now every song sounds exactly like Last Nite by the Strokes. Come on, you don't believe me? Listen to every song by Jet. I hope they start concerning themselves more on the music than how they look. Yes we know, you're all creative, you wear ties while you play rock music and some of you even wear blazers. Wow! Impressive!
Anyone listening to anything creative these days? I'd love to hear any suggestions.

Good Find From Last Year

The Wrens

I just read about this band so I downloaded a bit from the record and it's very good. Besides having a great cover, the music is surprisingly upbeat, muffled, filled with electronics and original, well, as much as you can be anymore. Check it out.

I'm a Real New Yorker

Tonight it finally happened. I feel like my 2 1/2 years have paid off living here. Tonight as I was walking along 3rd St. and Ave. B I was solicited by a prostitute. She (or he maybe, not sure) was a tall black woman (man, still not sure). She had an unbelievably short skirt on, in fact it was above her underwear (panties, whatever you prefer). She walked straight up to me and said, "How much baby?" I didn't really know what to say so I said, "How's 50 dollars?" Just kidding, I kept walking but it was a celebratory walk. There were actually quite a few prostitutes over in that area.

The night got even better when I was talking on the phone to Kelli standing outside on Ave. A. Five college girls came by and one of them said, "Oh baby, look at you, those tight jeans, that hot shirt, I just want to........................(taken out because it is too dirty to repeat). And then they were all cheering for me as they walked away and one girl grabbed her ass and growled. Wow, I was flying high!

And then as I walked to my building there he was. A man standing in the crosswalk peeing. He wasn't trying to hide it, in fact he was facing oncoming people traffic. Wow, I feel at home here. You can see everything on my block. Come visit, we'll have a good time I promise.

Brilliant!

This whole thing is hilarious. Kind of like The Onion but based on the Church and written from people who know the church pretty well. Oh man, i'm still dying over here.

http://larknews.com

Thought these were particularly funny.
Some of my favs. http://larknews.com/august_2004/secondary.php?page=6

http://larknews.com/july_2004/secondary.php?page=4

http://larknews.com/may_2004/secondary.php?page=4

http://larknews.com/may_2004/secondary.php?page=6

This is really well done. Read through the whole thing.

At Dawn

My Morning Jacket 

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It is absolutely beautiful lyrically and musically. It is very raw sounding, almost muffled but the more you listen to it you can tell that it is just how this band sounds. It's different. It took me a few times of listening to it for it really to connect with me. It is a band you would like to see in a small bar after a few drinks sitting down. Incredible. I would suggest giving it a listen if you like depressing music as much as i do.

Two Favorite Tracks:
1. Death is the Easy Way
2. Bermuda Highway

Laundry is Stressful

For some reason doing laundry always stresses me out. I have this fear that I'm going to get my clothes ready, carry the 800 pound bag over to the laundrymat and there's going to be no washer's available. It's going to be packed and I'm going to have to wait around forever and fight other people for washers and dryers. I think something is wrong with me. That is my greatest fear doing laundry. I don't mind the actual laundry part. It's a good chance to sit down, relax and read although it is 90 degrees in the place, eventually you get used to it. Taking the clothes back in the bag is stressful too because i'm afraid that by the time i walk across the street to my apartment the clothes are going to be wrinkled and I don't know how to use an iron. Hmmmm. Laundry is filled with lots of fears. I have to pray before I go to remain calm.

THE BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!!!!!

THE BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!!!! 
Woohoo, I just got a copy of The Relevant Church in which I wrote chapter 11 and the book turned out good. It's got a good look to it and the other chapters are good. I read Mark Driscoll's and Alex McManus' so far and they're better than mine, no surprise there. Oh well, it was exciting to see just the same.

So buy your copy now! www.relevantbooks.com.

I don't know why i'm trying to sell this to you. I don't get any extra money if you buy it! I got ripped off.

D

Bicycle Mayhem

Last night I was walking to meet some friends at Niagara on 8th and Ave. A. and I ran into Critical Mass which is a big bicycle tour that happens every month in Manhattan. This involved thousands of bicyclists peddling through Manhattan and shutting down traffic for a few hours. It's generally pretty crazy but this time it was more chaotic because of protests of President Bush being in town with the RNC next week. There are a ton of protests planned this next week which is going to make getting around a pain. I have heard protestors complaining that the RNC is disrupting the city when in reality the only people disrupting the city are the protestors themselves. Protesting never does anything, all it does is prove that you don't have the power to make decisions. If you did you wouldn't have to protest so keep displaying your weak presence in the city and we'll all keep laughing.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/27683.htm

My Girlfriend Has Taken Over My Blog! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

It's amusing to me how women take over. We take over situations, problems, children (even if they aren't our own), other women, but most of all MEN. i'm sorry men but once you fall in love your life is no longer what you thought it once was.
your time is not your own.your money is not your own.
your TV is not your own.your food is not your own.
your clothes are not your own.
your decisions are not your own.
your laundry soap isn't even your own.
your life is not your own.

we have entered it and quite frankly feel as though we need to do some "house cleaning" for lack of a better phrase. but there's no need to feel that this "intrusion" is a hostile takeover. rather, women see this "union" as well, a pajama party. every girl that has ever walked this planet has attended a pajama party. (for those of you females who have not, please call me and we'll have one. although i'm 25, i'm still a sucker! for a pajama party.) i digress, it was at these pajama parties where every girl learned ALL they needed to know about relationships in the future. you must understand that pajama parties have it all - friendhsip, joy, junk food, games, laughter, junk food, hurt feelings, crying, apologies, junk food, secrets, scary movies, junk food, security, late night talking, junk food, sharing covers, sleeping in, continued friendship and still more junk food. all kinds of drama converge on these specific nights to shake things up a bit and help us girls develope not only our character but our dedication to friendship. it was here that women learned how to share life, both the ups and the downs. we shared every feeling whether joy or pain. we shared emotions whether laughter or crying. we shared security in friendship and moments of fear. we shared late nights and early mornings. we shared clothes and covers, beauty secrets and bathrooms,! junk food and jokes. we learned relationships in these moments when we were together 24/7 through the ups and downs of girlhood. so, when we barge into your life stealing the remote and cleaning your kitchen it's because we love you men. you must remember it's hard on us as well. we commit to entering a stinky (sorry guys) environment with hopes of vanilla bean candles and window treatments. i promise we come in peace. i promise we mean no harm (to your ego atleast). i promise we will watch Sports Center if you just let us pluck your unibrow. i also promise that once you experience one of our pajama parties you will be just as hooked. you will love our friendship, games, junk food, fights and making up, secrets, late night talking, sharing covers, sleeping in, and unconditional love. your life wasn't really that great before us anyway, right?

Random Songs I'm Listening to......

The Shining - Badly Drawn Boy
These Days - Denison Witmer
Reach For The Sun - The Polyphonic Spree
Everyone Choose - The Wrens
New Born - Muse
Greenwich Time - Jay Farrar (Good if you like Alt-Country)
I Will Find You - Simon Joyner
If You Stay Sober - Shearwater
On Fire - Sebadoh

Good Article

http://www.the-next-wave.org/stories/storyReader$315

Good Thought From Henri Nouwen

"As you bring your body home, you will be more able to discern with your whole being the value of other people's spiritual experiences and their conceptualization. You will be able to understand the appreciate them without deisring to imitate them. You will be more self-confident and free to claim your unique place in life as God's gift to you. There will be no need for comparisons. Trust that you too have a unique vocation that is worth claiming and living out faithfully. " The Inner Voice of Love.

There is hope that someday we will stop comparing ourselves with others, imitating others, trying to please others and be able to be the person God wants us to be and nothing more.

YEEEEEEEEEEEHAW

Wow, now there are some hotties.

Some People Just Don't Get It

http://www.thecra.org/2004%20Editorials.htm

This is an embarrassment to the Christian Church and more importantly Jesus Christ. These people at The Restoration Herald need to start ministering to people in their community. That way they won't have time to tear down people for working at a church outside of their tiny little denomination. If this wasn't a denomination like the Restoration Movement Churches are always claiming then they probably wouldn't be this upset that I'm working at a Baptist Church. This makes me sick. Lord have mercy on the church.

The Restoration Movement (movement or two day revival?)

I'm starting to question not that some sort of movement happened but rather the extent of this movement and the impact it had on the church in the United States. After being in New York City for two years and being in contact with several different denominations it has come to my attention that NO ONE has heard of the Restoration Movement, no one has heard of Alexander Campbell or Barton Stone or any of those guys. When I bring it up around church leaders of other denominations they have no idea what I am talking about. This has made me question how important this so called movement was in the first place if no one else has heard of it besides some people who come from the Midwest. I'm not doubting that these things happened, i'm just not sure it was the huge revival that everyone makes it out to be. Actually i'm doubting that it was that impactful at all based on my discussions. I'm not trying to trash Restoration Movement churches but after being here for a few years it seems like most of them are behind on the times a little bit. The denominations that I see doing groundbreaking work are the Presbyterians and the Baptists. If you look at the churches that are doing incredible things i.e. Mosaic in LA, Fellowship Church, Solomon's Porch, Mars Hill, Spirit Garage, none of them are Independent Christian Churches. It's not that Christian Churches aren't doing well, it's just that I've realized that other denominations tend to stay in their circles (me included) and don't really know what is going on outside of their little circle of churches. And yes, we are a little circle of churches compared to what is going on out there. I'm just tired of seeing people sold out to their denomination over Christ and after the article from my last post, that is exactly what I'm seeing. These people worship the Restoration Movement and are exclusive to any other denomination. That is not the Restoration Movement I read about in class. That actually seemed like a cool thing, how i am seeing it play out is not anything I want to be a part of. I wish you could just start a church and not have to play the bullshit denominational games because that is all it is. In the long run i doubt God is going to care who was Baptist, who was Independent Christian Church, who was Presbyterian. I think God will care more about who is following Jesus Christ with their lives.