Favorite Albums of 2008 (1 through 5)

5. Andrew Peterson - Resurrection Letters Volume II

Five Star Songs:

Invisible God

I like Andrew Peterson because he writes good folk music about faith that is deep and epic at the same time. When I listen to Resurrection Letters it makes me feel like I am outside in the woods, in a cave, or out in a field experiencing something very ancient and spiritual. I don't know if that really makes sense. Maybe you just have to listen to AP to know. The theme of resurrection in the songs on this record really came at a good time in my life. I needed to be reminded that nothing truly dies. Every end is just a new beginning, and we see it all over - from a seed being planted in the ground to the sun coming up each day to a man finding grace and renewal in Jesus. Resurrection Letters tells this over and over again in a very beautiful way.


4. Thrice - The Alchemy Index Volumes III & IV (Earth and Air)

Five Star Songs:

Come All You Weary
Broken Lungs

If I made of special award for "Album worth digging into the most," The Alchemy Index would definitely get that award. With most albums I don't get out the liner notes and follow along with the music. I would but I don't have the time. For Thrice's new album I read the lyrics along with the songs and I even looked up words I didn't understand. It seemed that within the words of each song was hidden some sort of mysterious, divine truth. This was very rewarding because I am terrible with literature and poetry, I rarely ever see the deeper meaning in anything. When I took a closer look at the music and lyrics of The Alchemy Index, I found more than music that just happened to be cool because the earth CD sounded earthy and the air CD sounded like wind.

The Alchemy Index is deep, which is important because Dustin Kensrue writes songs about faith that are poetic and meaningful and not shallow. He makes the song "I Am a Friend of God" look like the alphabet song. It just isn't fair how good Thrice is.


3. Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings

Five Star Songs:

1492
Cowboys
When I Dream of Michelangelo

Counting Crows is a good band to listen to when you are sad or feel like being pessimistic. I got on a big Counting Crows kick last fall, and it carried over into spring of this year. They were my favorite band for a really long time, not because I really felt like being sad or anything. Adam Duritz is just a really honest and open -not to mention talented- songwriter. His singing voice is incredible and CC's folk rock sound is exactly what I like to spend my time listening to. Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings packs more of a punch than other CC recordings. It starts out fast and hard but mellows out after about song 6. A very solid record, I listened to it probably too much.


2. Ben Shive - The Ill-tempered Klavier

Five Star Songs:

She Is The Rising Sun
4th of July
New Year

Faith and doubt have sort of been a recurring theme in my life for the last couple of years. I have been doing a lot of questioning. Ben Shive's album sort of represents how I believe God communicates to people through art and beauty. Nowadays, everybody puts so much emphasis on reason and rationality when really the human brain is designed so that we make decisions holistically. People seem to think that something is only true if it is measurable and tangible. I took a sociology class this semester with a professor who had a PhD and was really a pretty darn intelligent guy. From what I gathered, the guy's personal religious beliefs were agnostic. He said once that he goes to church, but only because his family does. I liked listening to his teaching, we had discussions about all the really touchy subjects in his class - issues like politics, race, and religion. I remember sometimes I would leave his class after a really deep discussion wondering if God really existed at all. It was good because it forced me to think about my faith, and I think that I've come out stronger for it. But some days I would really be perplexed.

After one particular class I walked out and put my iPod earphones in. I was thinking and wondering about some things, feeling some particular doubts that haunt me every once in a while. The song that came on my iPod at that moment was a song by Ben Shive called "Rise Up" and these are the lyrics I heard in this particular moment:

Every stone that makes you stumble
And cuts you when you fall
Every serpent here that strikes your heel
To curse you when you crawl
The King of Love one day will crush them all

And every sad seduction
And every clever lie
Every word that woos and wounds
The pilgrim children of the sky
The King of Love will break them by and by

And you will rise up in the end

It was just a cool moment for me because at that very moment I probably couldn't have heard something better than that. Looking back it was a key moment for me because now I'm coming to the point where I feel pretty safe in my belief again, and it has been a gradual process with moments and happenings such as this over a long period of time.

The Ill-tempered Klavier is a beautiful and unique album. Ben Shive's songwriting is brilliant, and his lyrics are both captivating and thoughtful at the same time. It is a really great CD.


1. Relient K - The Bird and the Bee Sides/The Tennis EP

Five Star Songs:

The Lining is Silver
Up and Up (acoustic)
Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (acoustic)

When I was thinking about making this list, I decided what would be the #1 album before I ranked any others. Relient K's new release was basically a clear choice. It has (I think) 26 songs total, and not just songs that are alright but songs that are REALLY GOOD. I could listen to this CD all the way through and not get tired of it because truly it is good all the way through, even though it is more than an hour long in its entirety. And it's more than just a bunch of good punk songs. There are some acoustic versions of songs, some new songs that are acoustic or piano-driven. "Curl Up and Die" is definitely not your typical Relient K song, but it is one of my favorites on the whole album. Over the months that I have actually owned the CD, it has been one of those go-to albums that I could listen to no matter what I was doing or what kind of mood I was in. It's good for singing along to, listening to, playing with friends, etc. It is truly a great all-around release and I've had a lot of fun listening to it.

Favorite Albums of 2008 (6 through 10)

Not that you care, but for the few people out there who might (and in the interest of keeping with tradition), I've made my list of my favorite albums for 2008. While I am no elitist when it comes to musical taste, I did go through a friend's iPod today and was horrified at poor musical choices he has apparently made in his life. Whether you consider it good or bad, I love the music I listen to. I won't force it on you, but I highly recommend it.

This year I included the songs that I gave a five star rating on my iPod. iTunes allows you the opportunity to rate your songs, which is one of my favorite features. 5 stars is the best and 1 star is the worst. I included the 5 star songs to show my favorite songs of 2008.

So that being said, on to the list:

10. Sandra McCracken - Red Balloon

Sandra actually had two albums released this year. One was the Ampersand EP which she co-produced with her husband Derek Webb. It released on Valentine's Day, which was appropriate since it was a CD full of love songs. If not for having only 6 songs, it probably would have made the list as well. Red Balloon, however, is much more experimental and original than her other releases. Just like all her albums, it took me a while to actually start enjoying the songs. But every now and then I would find that one of her songs was stuck in my head and I didn't realize it. While Red Balloon has some good songs on it, there isn't that one song that I have to listen to over and over - that "Portadown Station," that song that floors me every time I hear it. Still, the album is very strong and Sandra has proven again that she is one great songwriter.

9. Norma Jean - The Anti-mother

The Anti-mother is the first Norma Jean release since Bless The Martyr, Kiss The Child that is both brutal but at the same time equally appealing to listen to. This album has a raw, chaotic sound that I haven't heard anywhere else or from any other band, though my days of listening to hardcore music are mostly behind me. I have had a lot of fun listening to this CD, though. Some days I just pop it in to my CD player in my truck and turn it up way too loud. Of course, I can only take that for about 4 or 5 songs. I'm getting old I guess, but it still is a lot of fun.

I really like where Norma Jean is going with their sound. It seems like the songwriting is just plain better. It's not so focused on being too technical or too heavy. It's just good, and I like it, and that's all that matters.

8. Matthew Perryman Jones - Swallow the Sea

Five Star Songs:

Save You

I have never found anybody who could write songs that were simple and catchy, yet sounded original and deep at the same time. MP Jones writes choruses that are so easy to get into that I find myself singing along sometimes without even knowing it.

7. Andrew Osenga - Letters to the Editor: Volume 2

Five Star Songs:

Good Things Always Are
Let Us Know You

An EP inspired by ideas from fans, Letters 2 is simply vocals and electric guitar, except for one track where Andy O let fans record themselves singing and/or playing a part in the song and then send it to him to add. This album is a great tribute to just how talented Andy O is and how he can write good songs as well as execute them with only guitar and vocals. When I posted my iPod Top 25 Most Listened To Songs, tracks from this CD were all over it. Letters 2 would probably be the soundtrack to my fall semester of college. I listened to it at school more than anything else, and in a year or two when I stumble upon it again, I know that the songs are going to remind me of the last few months.

6. Copeland - You Are My Sunshine

Five Star Songs:

The Grey Man

I really like listening to Copeland's "You Are My Sunshine." I don't think I can even explain why, I just like it. The Grey Man is one of my favorite songs to listen to, and has been for a while. Copeland's sound is just so original and unique, it has been a breath of fresh air in a year when not a lot of good original music has come out.

"I don't know" is such a bad thing to say these days

Life is such a great mystery. I think I’m figuring that out the hard way. The other night I got home pretty late and when I got out of my truck I looked up at the stars and was amazed at how bright and clear they were in the night sky. I was so caught up in the sight that I walked around to the other side of my house where there are no lights to get a better view. It was incredible. I live out in the country, but even where I live there is a lot of light. In spite of all the lights, a remarkable amount of stars were visible. I could see the big dipper and Orion, two of the three constellations I can correctly identify (the other being the little dipper).

Even from what little bit I know about stars, I was still filled with a strong sense of awe at their sight. Stars are huge, bright, burning balls of gas just like our sun. The stars we see are part of our galaxy, the Milky Way. They are so far away from us that it takes like millions of years for their light to reach our humble planet. I tried to put it in perspective from what the ancients knew. They believed the earth was flat, that it was in the center of the universe, and that the sun revolved around it. From their perspective this was the right way of looking at things. Even though they were wrong, it is clearly easy to see how they made that mistake.

Still, now that we know that we aren’t in the center of the universe and all that, it doesn’t take away the mystic and awe-inspiring quality from looking at the stars. They are a mystery to us, and even though we have a better understanding of what’s out there, we still are grasping onto crumbs of the actual truth of what it is.

I think that in approaching life people have to embrace that mysterious quality of it - that “we don’t know” factor. It’s great that so many people are out there researching, thinking, and trying to unlock some of the mysteries that the universe holds. In the last century people have made tremendous gains from an increased amount of knowledge and understanding. We know more about the world we live in, and greater technology has provided us with things like better medical treatment and automobiles.

But we are becoming a people who only accept the concrete, the explainable, and the provable. The mystical understanding of the world that the ancients had is starting to fade out because we think we really know the world we live in. We know what stars are and how they got there. We have an idea of how our world got to be the way it is. And because of what we do know, sometimes we use that to keep us from believing that life may be something more than atoms held together by gravity.

In high school and college I have learned a lot about old scientists, philosophers, and thinkers who formulated certain theories about all sorts of things. And what they do in these theories is try to offer an explanation of how the world works. Lots of times these theories deal with ideas that can’t actually be proven, but are generally accepted based on the evidence that we have. That’s how their theories end up in our textbooks. I noticed that when approaching a subject, a text won’t just give you one guy’s theory and say “this is the way it is.” No, they usually give you multiple different theories that all sort of explain things but not quite. It’s like these brilliant thinkers were able to offer an explanation that sheds some light on a problem, but doesn’t exactly nail it.

I don’t think that people, no matter how brilliant, can use what we know to offer some universal theory that encompasses all of life and the universe. We just don’t know enough, and we don’t have all the information. With what information we have, we have to break it down into formulas, rules, and laws that make it simpler so we can understand it. We are only a small group of organisms who understand only what we can observe and try to apply it to the whole of existence. We are trying to make something way too small encompass something that is way too big.

It would be kind of like being a person who lives in a primitive African village. You never wander more than 15 miles from your home. Your people hunt, fish, and grow food. Your clothes are made from animal skins. You don’t have TV, the internet, transportation, or any other convenience of modern life. Now imagine being dropped in the middle of New York City. Upon returning to your small, primitive tribe, how do you think you would be able to describe New York City to your villagers? You would have been exposed to new sights, people, and ways of life that you have never experienced before and probably didn’t have a word in your vocabulary to identify. How would you be able to understand New York City, much less communicate it to your fellow villagers?

Chances are you would probably use metaphors. That skyscraper was like a mountain, or that plane was like a bird. You might even invent other ideas by reasoning that because the people wore extravagant clothing they were gods. Either way, the fact remains that with your primitive, tribal understanding you wouldn’t be able to come up with anything that sufficiently explains New York City. In fact, you may have to just tell other tribes people “You have to experience it for yourself.”

This is why science can be a flawed way of looking at the world. We have to see things more holistically. It is useful and it does teach us important things, but science can’t encompass all of it. Any person who reduces life experience to what some scientists discovered in a laboratory is throwing away a lot of important information.

With religion, I think people also make the same mistake of trying to offer too much explanation on things that we really don’t understand. We have a really hard time even using the Bible to explain the intricacies of God, but we still try to. How does an all-loving God send people to hell? Why does the God of the Old Testament seem different from Jesus? What is required of a person to be saved? How can Jesus be a man and God at the same time? I could go on all day long. Do we ever get any crystal clear answers to these questions? Aren’t churches and denominations divided over some of these very issues?

We are using our own human logic and language to try to understand God, and it’s not working. In fact, it seems counterproductive. The Bible does more pointing to God than it does explaining Him. That’s why it includes so many metaphors, stories, and poems. Jesus told parables, his miracles were called signs. They were pointing to something bigger, something Jesus liked to call a “kingdom.” But they weren’t the kingdom themselves. They were just there to show the way.

I’m a person who is hardly ever sure of anything. I have found that when I try to act like I know a lot and throw my opinions in other people’s faces I sometimes look like a complete idiot. Sometimes I would be better off saying I don’t know. I think a lot of people should come to this point. The jury is not in on a lot of things, and I think that rather than trying to explain away everybody’s questions when sometimes it can be futile, I would rather let my life point to what I believe in. And I use that word believe because I don’t know. I simply believe. And what I believe in will never fit inside my head, and I can’t write it down on paper. So all I’m going to do is simply live and point.

A Pre-New Year's Ramble

I'm really glad that it's one of my favorite times of the year. Today I just finished putting lights up on my house and my thighs are very, very sore from climbing on the roof. My goal is to make the Christmas season as "Christmas-y" as possible. I'm trying to go the extra mile this year by putting up lights, getting people gifts, and trying as hard as I can to be kind and cheerful to people.

But to be honest, what I have been waiting a really long time for is not Christmas. I love Christmas and I'm going to enjoy every minute of the season for the next few weeks, but for at least 2 months now I've been thinking about New Year's.

I like the end of the year because it is a good time for a person to reflect on the year, what they did and didn't do, what they were or were not able to accomplish. I really like songs about new year's such as Death Cab's "New Year" and Five Iron Frenzy's "New Year's Eve" because they are reflective. My favorite episode of the old Nickelodeon show "Pete and Pete" was the episode about new year's. It's good for me because I have this habit of getting way too caught up in the moment. While that's good in some ways, it has been bad for me because I tend to lose sight of long-term goals and directions. I'm that guy who puts the short-term goal of taking a nap over the long-term goal of studying to get an A on a test. New Year's is a chance for me to step back and try to remember what kind of person I'm trying to be and where I'm trying to go with my life.

Last year my only new year's resolution was to not be a douche bag. Did I achieve that goal? You tell me. I think that has always been kind of an unsaid goal of mine - don't be a douche bag. Sometimes I can be. I try not to. It's very hard.

This year instead of having one resolution that is basically a given at any time in my life, I have come up with a laundry list of things I would like to do better. And that list goes from things like "play music more and videogames less" to "be more optimistic" to "stop sleeping so much." I really am going to have a lot to live up to in 2009. Changing is so hard sometimes.

But there is one specific thing that I am really going to have to key in on next year. One of my biggest struggles and hardest things for me to do in life is to care about anybody other than myself. If there is one thing I really hate about me, it's that. I can be so selfish and self-centered sometimes, completely unaware of the people around me without even realizing it. I'm sure I've hurt a lot of people at one time or another by acting like this, and just know that I hate it.

But I'm going to try to do better. This past year I put a lot of emphasis on trying to learn and understand life a little better, and if I've learned anything it's that I truly don't understand anything. The mistake I think that I made is one that I think a lot of people, and a lot of Christians, make at times. It's like I tried so hard to be right that I forgot that I'm supposed to be good. I don't think Jesus came to earth and died so that he could make us all right. I think he died so we could know him, and that along the way he taught us how to be good people.

I'm going to still try to learn and do well, but more than that I'm going to try to do good. I may misunderstand God, life, culture, politics, and religion sometimes, but hopefully I will learn how to be kind to my neighbor. Maybe I can learn how to forgive my enemies, give to the poor, and take up my cross. Maybe I can learn how to lose my life instead of spending every single day trying to find it.

iTunes 25 Most Played

So today I just discovered that there is a playlist in iTunes that records the Top 25 Most Played Songs on my iPod. Since I have owned my iPod for almost a year, it has been pretty interesting to see what songs got the most playtime. Just for fun, I thought I would post my list. I was really surprised by some of the stuff that's on here. Some of you probably will be too.

1. Andrew Osenga - Good Things Always Are - 19 plays
2. Andrew Osenga - Let Us Know You - 17 plays
3. Thrice - Broken Lungs - 17 plays
4. Counting Crows - Monkey - 15 plays
5. Andrew Osenga - Staring Out A Window - 14 plays
6. Andrew Osenga - House of Mirrors - 14 plays
7. Counting Crows - A Long December - 14 plays
8. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday - 14 plays
9. Andrew Osenga - Four Horses - 13 plays
10. Andy Gullahorn - Original Cliche - 13 plays
11. Brand New - Not The Sun - 13 plays
12. Five Iron Frenzy - Give Me Back My Sandwich - 13 plays
13. Brand New - Jesus - 12 plays
14. Jimmy Eat World - Just Tonight - 12 plays
15. Caedmon's Call - Expectations - 11 plays
16. The Killers - Mr. Brightside - 11 plays
17. Secret Country - Andrew Osenga - 10 plays
18. Andrew Osenga - Marilyn - 10 plays
19. Andy Gullahorn - Desperate Man - 10 plays
20. Andy Gullahorn - That Guy - 10 plays
21. Brand New - Degausser - 10 plays
22. Caedmon's Call - Sacred - 10 plays
23. Caedmon's Call - There is a Reason - 10 plays
24. Counting Crows - 1492 - 10 plays
25. David Crowder Band - (Repeat/Return) - 10 plays

I already knew I listened to Andy O a whole lot, but I was a little surprised to see FIF's "Give Me Back My Sandwich" at number 12. I honestly did not see that one coming.

Anyways, that's what I listen to the most. Anybody else want to share their iTunes Top 25 Most Played?

Not-So-Sad Semester

It's hard for me to believe that I have only two weeks left for the fall semester. Even knowing that it always seems like semesters go by much quicker in college than they did in high school, this one still seems fast. Pretty soon the fall of 2008 will be history and I will continue my journey towards a bachelor's degree with a new slate of classes to take.

The last few months have actually gone much better than I expected. This semester has gone by with absolutely no burnout and very little stress. Since both of these conditions are as common to college as textbooks, this comes as a major surprise. I haven't even thought about changing my major, and if anything I am more reassured that I have made the right choice. For the longest time, I changed my mind on what I wanted to do literally every few days. I never was sure about anything, but now I wake up in the morning and I look forward to studying history. What could be more reassuring than that?

I think taking a year off really made all the difference. A person can't get through college without motivation, and back then I didn't have very much of that. I found excuses to not go to class, put assignments off for way too long, cut corners, and never studied. I developed a lot of bad habits, and while I was never a bad student, I was never a good one. After I realized I had been to college for 3 years and had little to show for it, spent over a year working a job that I didn't like, and saw my high school peers graduating and going on to bigger and better things while I was left working at a thrift store I obviously gained my much-needed motivation.

And it worked. I made up my mind that it was time to grow up, time to own up to my responsibilities. A specific turning point that set my head straight was the day that I found out my financial aid fell through and I wouldn't be able to attend UAH this year. I took lunch that day and walked over to Jack's, frustrated and disappointed. Nothing had gone right for me. I sat there and, upon realizing that I would be taking a step back to community college for a year, made up my mind to not settle for anything less than excellence. For the first time in my life I actually set a goal: A's in every class. I told myself that the subjects I would take that fall would become my life focus.

Looking back on it now, I may not actually reach that goal, but I am going to be very close. Some people just learn things the hard way. And I know that this semester I've made some mistakes. Sometimes I neglected my studies, sometimes I procrastinated too much. Other times I let my mind wander in class, I got lazy, I let myself lose focus. But it encourages me that I've been able to correct a lot of problems I had before and, even with my mistakes, I'm still doing very well.

So on that day (if and when it ever comes) I get my degree, I am going to be very happy. I may be up to my neck in debt for college loans, but I will still be happy. It will be worth it.

The Alchemy Index

I thought that I would post some song lyrics on here in case anybody felt like reading some pretty thoughtful and profound poetry. I find lyrics to be way too simple, cheesy, or abstract sometimes, and many times I don't even pay attention to the lyrics to songs. It is uncanny how much I like these lyrics though. I posted one song earlier this year. They were written by Dustin Kensrue of Thrice. Each is from one of a set of four discs, and each disc is based on one of the four elements - fire, water, air, and earth. The final songs on each disc are all similar in their structure and they kind of sum up the entire album. If anybody has been wondering when I was going to take a break from all the cynical, political posts, this one is for you.

The Flame Deluge (Fire)

I feel that I was meant for something more;
My curse, this awful power to unmake.
And ever since you found your taste for war,
You've forced me onto those whose lives you'd take.

While Guernica in peaceful valley lay,
And Dresden dreamed of anything but death,
The day was turned to night, and night to day;
You let me loose upon their fragile flesh.

And so I hid among the smallest things;
You found me there and ferried me above.
The flame deluge is waiting in the wings;
The smallest thread holds back the second flood.

And who will stand to greet the blinding light;
It's lonely when there's no one left to fight.


Kings Upon The Main (Water)

This lesson you'd do well not to forget.
Your life could be the one it's wisdom saves,
At sea, when you're beleaguered and beset,
On every side by strife of wind and waves.

Despite the best of maps and bravest men,
For all their mighty names and massive forms,
There'll never be and there has never been
A ship or fleet secure against the storms.

When kings upon the main have clung to pride,
And held themselves as masters of the sea,
I've held them down beneath the crushing tide
Till they have learned that no one masters me.

But grace can still be found within the gale;
With fear and reverence, raise your ragged sail.


Silver Wings (Air)

From tender years you took me for granted.
But still I deigned to wander through your lungs.
While you were sleeping soundly in your bed,
(Your drapes were silver wings, your shutters flung)

I drew the poison from the summer's sting,
And eased the fire out of your fevered skin.
I moved in you and stirred your soul to sing;
And if you'd let me I would move again.

I've danced 'tween sunlit strands of lover's hair;
Helped form the final words before your death.
I've pitied you and plied your sails with air;
Gave blessings when you rose upon my breath.

And after all of this I am amazed,
That I am cursed far more than I am praised.


Child of Dust (Earth)

Dear prodigal, you are my son and I
Supplied you not your spirit, but your shape.
All Eden's wealth arrayed before your eyes;
I fathomed not you wanted to escape.

And though I only ever gave you love,
Like every child you've chosen to rebel.
Uprooted flow'rs and filled the holes with blood;
Ask not for whom they toll, the solemn bells.

A child of dust, to mother now return;
For every seed must die before it grows.
And though above the world may toil and turn,
No prying spades will find you here below.

Now safe beneath their wisdom and their feet,
Here I will teach you truly how to sleep.

The Abuse of Power

I live in a dry county. Businesses can't sell alcohol here. On election day, we had a chance to vote on whether to stay dry or not, and by a 60/40 percentage margin we voted to stay dry. Before the vote, a person couldn't drive down a road in Blount County without seeing either a "vote yes" or "vote no" sign. It was obvious where the line was split: churches were saying no and gas stations were saying yes. Some of these signs are still lingering around on the sides of roads. Yesterday I was driving on 231 and I saw one that said "What would Jesus do? Vote no on alcohol sales Nov. 4." I was confused. Jesus drank wine. He even turned some water into it at a wedding. Is it really that obvious what Jesus would do? Would he really go to the polls and vote for Blount County to stay dry?

I bring this up because I think that people should be careful about pairing up their own causes with the cause of Christ. You can definitely control people if you can get them to believe that God's will is the same as yours. This is especially true when it comes to politics.

I have said before that it is hard for me to listen to Christian radio without getting angry. Since I work at a place where Christian radio is played almost all the time, I can't avoid it. I have several reasons for my frustration - some good, some not - a lot of it probably has to do with me being forced to listen to it all day and then needing to vent. It's true, I am a little bitter, but I do have reasonable complaints.

It's no secret that I have supported Barack Obama in this election. I'm not surprising anyone there. If you were to ask me I would tell you that I voted Obama both in the election and the Democratic primary. But let me make it clear that what I am saying is that I support Obama. I am not speaking for anyone but myself. And while my faith has a lot to do with my decision, I am never going to say that God supports Obama.

Christian radio, at least the station I listen to, is different. During the weeks and months when John McCain and Barack Obama were campaigning, WDJC would occasionally have a report or ad providing coverage. Every time I heard one of these reports, it was always slanted in favor of John McCain. He was always the clear, good guy. He was our guy - the Christian guy. And Barack Obama was that shady, liberal, other guy. From the coverage I heard, WDJC might as well have come out and officially endorsed McCain. It was that obvious.

I have a problem with Christian institutions supporting candidates like this. So many people around here listen to Christian radio because it's Christian radio. And of course they associate Christian with Jesus and therefore the DJs, advertisements, and songwriters might as well be speaking for God. When you, as a Christian radio station, support a politician like that you are basically saying to your listeners, "Vote for so-and-so because he is the Christian candidate. If you are a Christian, then this is your guy."

The problem with this lies in the ownership of WDJC. I'm not talking about God, I'm talking about a man named Don Crawford. Crawford Broadcasting is the corporation that runs the station. WDJC may be a ministry in some ways. You can call it whatever you want - it's still a business. Not only does Crawford Broadcasting run Christian radio stations all over the country, but it also is invested in another type of radio genre - conservative talk radio.

While there are those who think these two are one and the same, they're not. Christians come in a variety of flavors. Some are conservative, some are liberal, some are in between. Some say to-may-to, some say to-mah-to. All have their own Bible-based reasons for their own views. God lives and loves and works inside of them all.

On the radio, everyday during the commercials, Don Crawford has one little segment called The Crawford Stand, which is basically him talking about and promoting conservative ideals - on a Christian medium. It would be like a company with a liberal owner also controlling a Christian radio station and using it to promote liberal ideals. Both situations are bad. The masses are given one take on things and it is presented as the Christian take on things. There is no rebuttal, no counter-argument, no antithesis, and no one to object - because the guy pulling the strings is in control of what the listeners hear. And the guy at WDJC is an intense conservative. During the election process there was no hint of the possibility that Barack Obama, or Ralph Nader, or any other candidate other than the Republican would have possibly made a better president. Christian listeners all around central Alabama were presented with only one viewpoint.

That's not teaching you how to think, it's telling you what to think.

God is not a Republican. He is not a Democrat, or Independent, or even American for that matter. He doesn't work on a campaign trail. He is God over the entire world. A person may act and choose and vote based on his or her faith, but that does not mean that God always supports that person's cause. He is much bigger than that.

If WDJC can't be fair and objective, then it shouldn't cover politics at all. Just keep playing the music, promoting concerts, and giving out t-shirts as prizes for stupid games. Don't promote an agenda, don't tell people what to think. Let us pray and talk and decide on our own. Being at the head of a mass media company is a powerful position to hold.

So stop abusing it.

So I hear Canada's nice this time of year...

Right now my clock says 10:33 am on Wednesday, November 5, 2008. Next to me, laying on my bed, is a copy of The Birmingham News with a giant portrait of Barack Obama and a headline in giant, bold letters that say "OBAMA WINS." This is sort of the moment I've been waiting for, ever since I made my decision to support the Illinois Senator back in the spring, voted for him over Hillary Clinton on Super Tuesday, and finally cast my ballot yesterday at the local town hall.

Last night, after most of the votes were in, I watched John McCain give his concession speech. I thought it was a great speech. I thought that the way the senator carried himself was remarkable in light of the circumstances. He showed dignity, respect, and humility. He quieted the crowd, whiched booed at the very mention of Barack Obama's name. He admitted to mistakes, taking all the blame on himself, even though it wasn't really his fault he lost. He made no attempt to show any kind of bitterness, selfishness, or anger. And he did his best to promote national unity after a long election process that got ugly at several points. Even though he lost the election, I am glad that John McCain still has a place in the Senate.

Now, just hours after Obama has been declared the President-Elect, and I've seen what some of John McCain's supporters are saying, I have come to the conclusion that all these people didn't vote for John McCain so much as they voted against Barack Obama. A person would almost think that this is the end of America from what many people are saying. All of a sudden gay people are going to run rampant in the streets, terrorists are going to invade our "weak" country, faith and morality will cease to exist, communism will make a comeback, and a turban-wearing President Obama will declare himself dictator and fly his dragon through the night sky of Washington D.C.

Now that I think about it, no one has told me why they like John McCain. It has all been about why they don't like Obama. And most of the time it hasn't been about policy. It's been things like, "I just don't trust him" or "He is way too liberal" or (my favorite) "You can't be a Christian and vote for Obama." (Well I can, and I just did.) Rather than stating what good John McCain can do for this country, people have just been stirring up fear of how Barack Obama is going to trash it. Not only is that insulting to Obama, but it is unfair to John McCain.

I am glad that when I cast my ballot yesterday, I actually voted for somebody. I can safely say that I wasn't motivated by fear, by the illusion that the other guy is inherently evil. It is my honest belief that Barack Obama is going to make the United States a much better country. Instead of being an international bully, we will become a nation that champions justice and rational decision making when it comes to war. Instead of being a polarized society with an enormous gap between the poor and the wealthy, we will be a country of opportunity.

All the rest of you, enjoy your time in Canada, or Italy, or wherever else you claim that you're moving to.

You Are My Sunshine

Aaron Marsh sings like a girl. This is something that is regarded as true, especially lately. Just ask my sister, who burst into laughter after hearing only a few seconds of Copeland's new album You Are My Sunshine. But I don't care. While liking Copeland may not add any points to my manliness scale, I still can't seem to keep myself from being transfixed with their music.

Not that I am trying. I have been a Copeland fan for several years now, ever since Beneath Medicine Tree was my favorite album for whatever year it was that it came out. For the longest time "When Paula Sparks" was the best song I had ever heard, and the rest of that album was almost as good. But that was way back when Copeland was more of a rock band. That was when crash cymbals and distorted electric guitars were heard a lot more than piano and other keyboard-like sounds. Even back then, I still remember thinking they were a much heavier band live when we saw them live at Furnace Fest.

But as time has gone on and their sound has evolved, Copeland has gone from a rock band to a genre that I don't know if I can name. I just don't know what to call it. They've gotten a lot softer and developed their own sound. Aaron sings even more like a girl, and he uses his high falsetto voice more than ever. They have written a lot more slow songs and have effectively defended the title I give them as "band most likely to make you fall asleep."

That's not a bad thing, though, and that's what I'm trying to get at. I bought the new CD the other day and I find myself constantly going back and listening to it. On the same day I bought You Are My Sunshine I got Anberlin's new album New Surrender, which is more rock/pop and a heck of a lot catchier. But I haven't listened to Anberlin nearly as much as I listened to Copeland. Why is that?

Originality.

Over time I have learned that what I value more than anything in my choice of music is the fact that it's unique or original. This is why I am such a big fan of bands like Lovedrug, Counting Crows, mewithoutYou, Norma Jean, Caedmon's Call, and Copeland to name a few. All of these bands have a unique quality about them that I haven't found anywhere else. And while they are all capable of writing good music, they also are so creative and unique in their sounds that I find myself drawn to their tunes more than just a catchy, typical rock band.

This is one of the reasons that I am so turned off by current Christian contemporary music, especially what's on the radio. There is absolutely no originality and little creativity in many of these songs. The lyrics are cliche, the tunes sound like something that was good 20 years ago trying to fit in and be cool with the modern music of today, and it just isn't working.

But I digress. I just don't want to hear the same stuff recycled and fed to me over and over, and that's why I like bands like Copeland who continue to experiment and evolve their sound. I really didn't expect to like their album nearly as much as I do.

Aaron, thanks for singing like a girl. Not many males do it but you do it and you do it well. I'd rather hear that than Mac Powell's overrated voice any day.

Taking the Low Road

So we are finally reaching the home stretch of this election season. I'm kind of glad. It's been fun and exciting the whole way, but it will be nice when all the political tension goes away. I'm looking forward to casting my vote, getting my "I voted" sticker, and waiting to see what happens. We have some fireworks left over from the 4th of July and I've never figured out a good occasion to finish shooting them off. Maybe if things turn out the right way on November 4 then I will have a good reason.

I've been watching the debates and some of the coverage and I just want to ramble some thoughts really quick while they are fresh on my mind. So here goes nothing...

First, I'm getting the feeling that the McCain campaign is trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator these days. The polls are showing that Obama is leading and many people believe he will be our next president. I'm not comfortable with this because this kind of coverage may get the McCain supporters to rally and possibly make a late push before the election. Even with that possibility, the Straight-Talk Express does seem a little desperate now.

Maybe you have seen the footage, maybe you haven't. I've seen it a few times. It's of some of the McCain-Palin rallies. While the candidates are giving their speeches and getting the crowd (or maybe you could call it a mob) pumped up, some vocal McCain sympathizers are shouting things like "terrorist" and "kill him."

Really?

This is coming to that?

Now I have to give John McCain credit in showing a little disgust in this sort of behavior. But I haven't heard him officially come out and condemn those kinds of statements. Sarah Palin, who was giving a speech while things like this were being said, made no attempt to rebuke her audience. This kind of thing is offensive, over the line, and very dangerous. Barack Obama is not a terrorist. He is not Muslim, Arabic, Jewish, or whatever other stereotype someone can draw up from his name/appearance. I was talking to a friend the other day and he told me he believes Obama is a Muslim and a terrorist. I asked him why and he said because that's what Obama said. I said, "Where did you hear that?" He said he read it in an e-mail.

An e-mail.

I don't want to come out here and say that the McCain campaign is encouraging this kind of stuff. I honestly don't think McCain is that kind of person, he is better than that. But it does make me wonder when Sarah Palin is quoted saying things like, "We're gonna find out who the real Barack Obama is." And I don't think anyone can deny that this has been a major focal point for their campaign lately.

In my opinion, this kind of stuff appeals to the lowest common denominator. If you're voting for John McCain, that's fine. I don't have a problem with that. But vote for John McCain because you agree with him on the issues, because you think he would make a great president. Don't vote for him because you are buying into this garbage about Barack Obama being an Islamic Communist terrorist who wants to teach sex ed to kindergartners.

There's a higher road than that. Take it.

Some open-ended thoughts on story

Over the last two years or so there have been various subjects that I have been learning about. These are subjects that keep coming up in my conscious thought, either because they are current issues and events that everybody is dealing with (i.e. the election) or because they are just something that seems to be personal and meaningful to my life, and I’m trying to sort them out. What I’m talking about now could be both, because I am hearing more and more talk about it in the Christian community and also because it affects the way I look at the world, and my role in it. I am talking about story.

Today I read this blog by Don Miller and I found it both funny and compelling. There are certain things that get under my skin so easily. For example, Christian radio gets under my skin very easily. It is hard for me to listen to it without getting angry. In the same way, teenage TV shows annoy the living daylights out of me. I couldn’t watch an episode of Hannah Montana or any of these other similar shows without getting mad. They always seem very shallow and superficial, emphasizing “cool” based on the stupidest things – how good you look, who you are dating, etc. Every character, especially the most important ones, are attractive and the parents are cool and the worst problem a kid could have is whether they have a date to the school dance or not.

This is not reality.

But how much influence do these shows have on kids nowadays? Miley Cyrus can go on tour and probably sell out a show in any city she wants. I see kids all the time with Hannah Montana apparel. Teens and kids alike love this stuff. My question is how much does a show like this affect a kid’s values, outlook on life, and self-perception?

With this in mind, it’s interesting that Don mentions one of my favorite TV shows, House, and mockingly calls it a documentary. I had to laugh at this, because clearly House is not a documentary. It’s a compelling show, but the “reality” of this show is brought into question by a few various occurrences, a few of which I’ll go ahead and point out. One of House’s nurses looks more like a supermodel than a medical professional. This is not to say that there aren’t hot nurses out there, but it does lean more to the fact that this is a TV show. And because it is a TV show there is no chance of an ugly nurse getting a place on House’s team. That’s just how it is. Also, in season 4 House stuck a pocket knife into a plug outlet to see if there was an afterlife. He died, was revived, and by the end of the show we find out that there is no afterlife. Thanks for clearing that up for us, House. Add to that an overly dramatic bus accident that left a woman with a leg impaled by a metal bar and you have the beginning of a list that illustrates that House is not as close to reality as I might like to think sometimes.

It’s funny because over the past year I have watched every episode of House I could get my hands on. And after watching this show I have to admit that it has had a certain amount of influence on me. It’s crazy but by viewing this show it’s like a part of it gets inside of me and adds to this growing soup of influences left on me by people, books, songs, etc. I can see it in how I act and how I look at things. I even look at the world in a different way, partly because of this show.

Another example of this is in my other favorite TV show, The Office. One of the characters, Dwight, often starts to ask a question by saying something like “Question – What is the easiest way to track a bear?” A few times, without realizing it, I have needed to ask somebody a question and just like Dwight I have said something like “Question – What did we eat for dinner last week?”

It’s no question that the things that I watch, read, and listen to leave an impression on me, but I have been wondering lately which of these impressions are affecting me in a positive way and which ones are affecting me in a negative way. Like a kid watching Hannah Montana, is the impression that is left on me something that is positive or is it something that is making me a worse person? For example, is it bad that I like a character who is an outright atheist? Or is it harmful for me to look at reality through the lens of The Office, which is a show that is funny and entertaining, but doesn’t represent the whole of reality?

The interesting aspect of this is that all of these TV shows tell stories. Whether it’s Hannah Montana, House, or The Office, they are all telling stories. And it’s interesting to me because all good stories follow a universal set of principles that are in place and we have no idea where these principles came from. For example, all good stories have elements like setting, characters, conflict, and climax. Without these elements, there is no story. We have these elements in our everyday lives but stories are powerful because they bring these elements together in a way that is meaningful. In fact, Robert McKee says that stories give meaning to our lives. I think this is true, because what is life? Is it a set of random facts and occurrences that ultimately lead to nothing? Or is there an overall narrative that streams everything together in one universal story?

Another interesting aspect of stories is their ability to resonate with people. I love watching the Lord of the Rings movies. I would watch them more often but they are just so long. But whenever I do watch them for some reason I want so badly for the stories to be real. I really want to believe that somewhere there are hobbits, elves, and dwarves fighting orcs over some majestic landscape in an ultimate battle between good and evil. I watch the great wizard Gandalf defeat a Balrog, an ancient demon hidden in the depths of Moria, and so badly I want to be brave, wise, and powerful like Gandalf. Great stories just seem to stimulate something inside of people, and where does it come from? How did that get there?

Once, several weeks ago, I was sitting in church and it was church like any other Sunday. Sometimes I like to look around at other people sitting in the pews. Do they look bored? Are the engaged? Are they asleep? Like I said, this was a Sunday like any other Sunday, and many people looked bored and kind of tired. The sermon wasn't bad or anything, but I noticed that not everybody seemed to be all that captivated by it, and neither was I.

But then Pastor Ron started telling a story. And he is a great story teller, really able to tell a story in a way that it makes you want to know what happens next. I don’t remember what this story was about but I remember that it had really caught my interest. I was alert, my head was up, and I wasn’t off in La-la land thinking about something else. When I looked around at others I noticed that they were all captivated too. Their heads were up and they were more alive, not sitting there like lifeless bodies in a pew. The story had us all. We cared; we wanted to know what was going to happen. How was this story going to end?

What I’m wondering is this: if story is a universal and powerful way of communicating meaning to people, then are all stories good? Or can stories be used to promote ideas and viewpoints that are harmful? Can they glorify things that are bad and make good things look wrong? If so, does this speak to a universal good vs. evil or does it depend on the values and belief of the person hearing the story?

I left this one open-ended because 1) I don’t know the answers to these questions and 2) I would like some input. So if anybody has any, it would be nice. Maybe we can sort this out together.

We Need a Montage

Question:

What do you do when your first round draft pick and fantasy football Jesus goes down in the first quarter of the first game of the season with a knee injury?

Answer:

NEVER.

GIVE.

UP.

A few years ago the answer would probably have been try to join a new league or start getting ready for fantasy basketball season. In my regrettable, not-to-distant past I have been known to bail on a few teams. But this year was different, I made a commitment to stick this one out, and that's exactly what I am going to do.

I wish that after week 1 I could have created a montage (with the Team America song Montage playing in the background) to footage of me adding and dropping players in my league. It would be even more inspirational than when Rocky runs up those stairs at the end of his training montage. I could just see myself clicking the Submit Roster button and then jumping up and down on my bed in victory. We need a montage...

Anyways, enough about my daydreams. Jay Cutler was at the helm this week. And by helm I mean the QB roster spot, and he did not disappoint. With 264 yds and 2 TDs, Jay Cutler along with Seattle's Julius Jones both put up 20-burgers on the fantasy scoreboard, leaving me with my second win in a row.

Tractor: 99
Hardcore Honky 2.0: 85

But the biggest surprise of the week is the fact that my highest scoring "player" on the team was not a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, or tight end. It was my defense. Allowing only 10 points and getting 5 sacks and 3 interceptions, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the Baltimore Defense propelled Tractor to victory. Can this be expected every week? Probably not. But you know what they say about defense and championships and how they win them.

Scoring 99 points this week, Tractor is mowing through the competition, moving from 7th place to 4th. Only 1 team scored more points this week. The only problem facing me now is figuring out how to win even though 5 of my starters have a BYE this week.

NEVER.

GIVE.

UP.

Guts, Glory, and Team Names that are Odd

So I don't know if anybody has noticed, but in case you haven't heard, football season is here. Yes, the fall is coming and the pigskin is being tossed around all over America and I couldn't be happier. The Tide has started off the season 3-0, which is great. But instead of writing yet another blog about how exciting it is that Alabama football is here (I have a few friends who are way better at that than I am), I would like to turn your attention to the tales, the ups and downs, the drama of Team Tractor and their quest for Fantasy Football supremacy. Never heard of Team Tractor before? Maybe not. But you may know the team manager. In fact, right now you are reading his blog.

I am not the kind of guy who is so into fantasy football that I get angry when a running back takes a knee at the goal line to run out the clock. I don't read all the fantasy reports and keep the numbers in my head of how many points a certain player is projected to get this season. But I do enjoy some friendly fantasy football, and in the past I have actually been pretty good at it. I have won at least as many leagues as I've lost, which is something worth bragging about.

I like fantasy football because it is such a great way of keeping up with the NFL. It is rare to find many NFL fans here in Alabama, but I have to say I am one of them. In the NFL I don't have a team that I always pull for every year, through good times or bad times. I like certain teams, but there is no Crimson Tide or Atlanta Braves - you know, that team whose success is directly correlated with your mood for that day. Fantasy football gives me the chance to keep up with the season with a little bit at stake. I can root for my players, and pay close attention to the ticker for any news of how the fantasy QB or RB is doing.

Last year I had a great season. I nabbed Tom Brady in the draft and later acquired breakout Pats receiver Wes Welker as a free agent. With that combination I cruised straight into the playoffs and all the way to a championship. While Brady, Welker, and the Patriots were busy going 16-0, I was racking up hundreds of fantasy points and celebrating yet another fantasy victory.

However, this year has been a different story. It started off the same, but things have taken a turn for the worst. Once again I managed to get Tom Brady in the first round of the draft and Wes Welker in the fourth. Along with some other notable pickups such as Plaxico Burress, Clinton Portis, Hines Ward, and Dallas Clark, I was ready to go for another fantasy gold... until disaster happened.

In the very first quarter of the very first game of the season, Tom Brady went down with a knee injury. He stayed in long enough to get me 76 yards of offense and ultimately 3 fantasy points. The news was not good: a torn ACL and MCL. Just a few minutes into the first game and Tom Brady's season was over.

And apparently, so was mine. I got obliterated by my friend and fantasy rival, Keith (whose team name is Wolfpac, by the way). He beat me by an outrageous 115-63. I posted the 7th lowest score in a league with 8 teams. This was not good. Last year, the Golden Boy was absolute gold for my team. He was so good I didn't even worry with making sure my best players were in the game every week. Sometimes a bye week would come for a couple of my starters, I would forget to bench them, and I would still win. It was one of the most low-maintenance teams I ever had. But now, with Brady gone, who would be able to fill the shoes of one of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen?

Enter Matt Cass- er, Hasselbeck.

I dropped Brady and went to the waivers to see if I could find a new QB. I picked up Philip Rivers, adding him to my roster along with my draft picks of Hasselbeck and Jon Kitna. Unsure of who to start this week, I went with Hasselbeck because I thought he could do some damage against the 49ers. I was wrong. Hasselbeck threw for 189 yards with 2 interceptions and 0 touchdowns. I got a total of 4 points from him. Rivers threw for 3 touchdowns and Kitna threw for 2.

The bad news is that my QB didn't do so well. The good news is Tractor actually won 80-63, in spite of Hasselbeck's poor performance. Even better news is that no one in the league had Aaron Rodgers or Jay Cutler, two of the NFL's best performing QBs at the moment. This morning, I picked up both of them, dropping Matt Hasselbeck and Jon Kitna in the process. So now my QB roster is made up of Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, and Jay Cutler. Kind of a young bunch, and they may never match the experience, poise, and skill of Tom Brady. But I'm holding out hope, and I'm feeling pretty good about rebounding from a week 1 disaster.

Man I'm glad football is back. It's going to be a fun season.

LET'S GO TRACTOR!!!!

Keeping Me in Check (Part 1)

It happened again. As I’ve said before, the presidential election is getting closer and closer, and now people are starting to really look at the candidates. More importantly, now people are starting to talk. Back when Huckabee, McCain, Guiliani, and all the other Republicans were battling for the nomination spot, not a whole lot of people were talking. When Hilary was clawing for any possible way to stop Obama’s surging campaign and trying to hold on to what she thought to be her historical Democratic nomination, only a few people were talking. When Mike Gravel was raving about how every soldier in Vietnam “died in vain,” still I didn’t hear much talking. But now it’s September and with the election only 2 months away, people are starting to talk.

And I am starting to talk. This whole time I have been quietly following the candidates and the issues, listening to what columnists, analysts, bloggers, preachers, writers, and friends have to say about the election. To be honest, I was kind of afraid of what was going to happen when the time got closer and the topic of politics came up in conversation more. I knew that around here my decision wouldn’t be the popular one, a decision that would surely be challenged, and I didn’t know if I would be able to defend it. I figured that my mind would go blank and I wouldn’t be able to think of something to say – something that happens way too often with me.

But the other day I told somebody I was an Obama supporter (not Faye). This lady was a McCain supporter, and we actually had a really good conversation about the election. Even while we disagreed on our candidate, we found a lot of common ground on what we wanted out of the next president. We both wanted change, but we just disagreed on which person would be more likely to bring that change.

Today I got into another conversation about the election, with someone who is also a McCain supporter, and we got into more of a friendly argument. I explained to him a few things I like about Obama and then he came back at me with criticism, and then I explained more and he criticized me more. And so I criticized him and he explained himself and then criticized me some more; and we went back and forth for probably a good half hour. Even though it was annoying at times, and difficult to get my point across to someone who didn’t see it my way, I was really glad to have that argument. I used to think I would be afraid of doing this, but today I learned I actually like it.

There is a Jimmy Eat World song I like called “Carry You” that has a line in it that says this:

It’s easy feeling righteous when removed
All you get is what you want to hear

I like this line because it speaks a truth that is sometimes so hard for me to accept. It points out that it is so easy for us as people to surround ourselves with other people who are just like we are and agree with everything we say - people who never really challenge us or make us think about what we believe. If I’m a voter this year and I am voting Democrat, it is so much easier for me to talk to somebody who is voting like I am than it is to talk to somebody who completely disagrees with me. And it would be easy for me to give in to that, to not engage in a debate with someone with a different point of view, but would it be a good idea? I don’t really think so. If I only talk to people who agree with what I say and I’m not challenged by other peoples’ perspectives, then it is very likely I will be wrong about a lot of things and be deluded because I will think I’m right. And I will walk around with some sort of self-righteous sense about me. But without having my beliefs and ideas challenged, the flaws will never be exposed; and instead of believing the truth, I will be deluding myself with a half-truth or something that isn’t even true at all.

What I’m trying to say is that I need to be challenged.

I bought season 4 of the TV show House a couple weeks ago and I’ve been watching it a lot lately. In the first several episodes of this season, Dr. House has to hire a new diagnostic team, a team of doctors that discuss the symptoms of their patient and help figure out what’s wrong with him/her. He finally selects a team of 3 doctors and starts training them as they learn how to work with a doctor that is as rude and quirky as House is, and lots of times his training involves making them play weird games and perform crazy tasks. In one episode, House makes his team do some absurd task that has nothing to do with the case they are on, and his team actually goes and does it without any questioning. All the while, House tries to diagnose his patient virtually by himself. So eventually, after they have finished their task, his team comes back and tells House that they did what he told them to do. So what does House do? Well, he chews them out.

Kutner, one of the doctors on the team says, “But we did what you told us to do!”

And House replies, “Well, I didn’t want you to do it. I need you to stand up to me!”

Later on in the episode, while they are trying to figure out what’s wrong with the patient, Kutner suggests a certain diagnosis and House just insults him and tells him he’s wrong. But then Kutner keeps going and stands up to House, and in doing so he forces House to consider another perspective and House solves the case because of it.

Even a genius, fictional doctor can make an error if he is allowed to come up with his own ideas unchallenged. When he was selecting his team, he chose people who were different than him – people who would think differently and react differently. In one episode, a possible team doctor comes up with the same brilliant theories as House does, and at the end of the episode House fires him. He doesn’t need a doctor to tell him what he already knows.

One thing I like about my sister is that I can tell her something I’ve been thinking about, and if it’s absurd or stupid in any way (and a lot of times it is), she won’t hesitate to tell me. And if I’m talking about something and not making any sense, she will always tell me. Sometimes the challenge will force me to explain myself better, or to think harder, and then other times I realize I’m an idiot for thinking some of the things I think and then drop it completely. But if it wasn’t for her challenging me, I probably wouldn’t realize how ridiculous I can be sometimes.

People have to be kept in check. Sometimes this takes an unpleasant argument, or a discussion where a person feels a little dumb at the end, but these things are necessary. It’s been a few months since the evolution discussion happened, but this is a great example. My conclusion is still the same as it was then, but because of the argument, I realized that my reasoning did have some flaws and weak points. It took other people pointing them out and criticizing for me to see them, because I was blind to them. Sometimes this is just what it takes to come up with right ideas. If they stand up and make sense, then they might be right. But if they fall under criticism then it exposes the weaknesses and it’s back to the drawing board.

I’m glad to know that my political ideas are standing up. Every time I voice my support for Barack Obama I feel less like an idiot. This should happen more often, it really should.

Coming Out of the Closet

Today was a long day. These happen once every week or so – brutal, lengthy days full of classes, studying, and thrift store work. Sociology at 8 am is followed by an hour and a half of studying, then U.S. History and then English to wrap up the academic portion of the day. Then it’s onward to work. Today was a little different. It was Constitution Day at Jeff State, and for extra credit in both of my history classes I skipped English to attend a talk by Alabama Congressman Artur Davis about the constitution. After this was over I left campus and drove to work to perform my part-time thrift store duties.

And that’s when it happened.

I knew it would happen eventually, and I’m actually surprised it took this long. It is something I wasn’t looking forward to. It was inevitable, especially since we are getting closer and closer to November. Well, today, September 4, 2008, it happened.

“Hey Matt! Have you been keeping up with the conventions?”

“Uh… yes.”

“Did you see it last night? Sarah Palin was amazing!”

“Oh, was she? I didn’t see it.”

“Oh yeah she did so great.”

And then someone else heard what we were talking about and joined in on the conversation.

“Yeah I watched that. I thought she did real good!”

“Did you hear how those liberal Democrats tried to attack her? And the media? She really showed them, didn’t she?

“Yeah, and did you see Fred Thompson the night before, when he was talking about the buckets? I really liked that!”

And so on…

You have to understand that as a guy who is going against the grain and voting Democrat in the upcoming election, I am a rare breed working at a Christian non-profit located in the heart of Alabama. This is a place where WDJC is played all the time, and I mean ALL the time. Harry Potter books are not allowed to be sold. The majority of workers in the store are churchgoers who are Republican, and I think that because of this everybody just assumes I am that way too.

I have never been very vocal about my political views at work. The subject hasn’t even come up much at all. But I knew that one day, as the election got closer and closer, I was going to get caught in a situation where it would come up. The lady I was talking to today, let’s just call her Faye, is an intense conservative. I have used her as an example in a few blogs before, simply to demonstrate our contrasting viewpoints. I like Faye because she is an extremely nice person who is very passionate and serious about what she believes in. She is very informed about the election, although I think she is mainly informed by those who support her viewpoint, but nevertheless she is informed. We get along very well, but today I think we may have strained our relationship a tad bit.

About 10 or 15 minutes into the conversation (which was more of a monologue by her, I couldn’t get a word in), after some Palin praising, Obama bashing, and comments about how liberal the media is, I had to tell her. I finally had to drop the bomb.

“Would you hate me if I told you I was voting for Obama?”

Once, Faye told a fellow employee at the store that she thinks Barack Obama is the anti-Christ. Oh, snap. Did I just say what I think I said?

“Faye, would you hate me if I told you I was voting for the anti-Christ?”

Was it stupid? Was it brave and courageous? Was it the right thing to do? I haven’t figured that out yet. Still, I said it. And I’m glad I did.

Tensely and carefully Faye replied, “No I don’t hate you but I don’t see why you would want to vote for someone who supports killing babies.”

And so tomorrow, the entire body of workers at Bargain Center #2 is going to know that I’m “voting for a baby-killer.”

This is what we talked about, after I dropped the bomb. Abortion, abortion, abortion. How can I vote for somebody who is pro-choice?

Well, I think that there are a few reasonable points that need to be made on the subject of abortion. One is that most Christians think that the only way to deal with this problem is to win a “moral victory” by outlawing abortion completely. We have been going at this for about 20 or 30 years and nothing has happened. Even with a Republican president who opposes abortion and has been in office for 8 years, what has been done to actually outlaw abortion? How much closer are we now than we were 8 years ago? And what in the world makes anyone think John McCain, who is not as right-wing as many voters would like, is going to do anything about it? I know that Sarah Palin is intensely pro-life, which is great, but the Vice President doesn’t have as much power as we might think. And I’m not at all convinced that she wasn’t picked as VP just for political reasons – to try to get the female Hillary Clinton supporters, and to counter the excitement over Barack Obama’s historical run for the White House.

Today I was talking to a friend about this, and she reminded me that before Roe vs. Wade, when abortion was illegal, women were still finding ways to get it done. Even on the slim chance that abortion is outlawed, it’s still not going to stop abortions from happening. Granted, it would significantly reduce the number of abortions, but girls would still be seeking this procedure in ways that are a lot more dangerous and harmful than we have now.

I think that Obama’s got it right when he says he wants to find ways to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and work to help women who are impregnated because of rape. If it’s easier to support these children, then we can significantly reduce the number of abortions happening every year. I heard once that the least amount of abortions took place while Bill Clinton was in office. Why? Because Bill Clinton worked to help programs that provide support for people in this situation. Maybe, if we can quit spending $10 billion a month on this ridiculous war we’re in and actually focus our tax money on things that are happening inside this country, problems like this can be helped. They won’t be eradicated or abolished, but they will be significantly helped.

Whenever I let someone know that I’m voting for Barack Obama this November, the abortion issue always comes up. And while abortion is a very important issue, it is also important that we remember that it’s not the only issue we are dealing with here. During the election in 2004 we picked a president who opposes abortion but also wants to legalize torture. Do you see the double-standard here? We can’t just key in on one or two issues and then ignore the whole picture. There is more to deal with here than abortion and gay marriage. We have 2 wars going on, the economy, health care, the environment, immigration, and those are only a few. Are there very serious moral implications for how we deal with the war in Iraq? Absolutely. Is it important for us to consider the poor when we elect a president? Of course it is, and on these issues I don’t side with John McCain. I side with Barack Obama.

That conversation I had with Faye was tame, but tense at the same time. We agreed to disagree and I had to go back to work because we had been going at it for about half an hour and my assistant manager was right there. The presidential race is heating up and I think everyone is getting more and more passionate about it, including me. I don’t think that it will ever divide me against the people that I see every day, as long as the conversations stay tame and don’t become personal. I just think our country could do better, and I think that Barack Obama would be great in leading us that way. Tomorrow, when I go to work and everybody knows that thing about me that hasn’t been revealed until today; I guess I’m going to have to defend that belief.

This just gets more fun every day.

Jesus is a Friend of Mine

This is my second post in a row without actually having something to say but I couldn't help it. I just happened to come across this little nugget of delight and I had to put it up. I'm so surprised I haven't heard this on WDJC yet.

Awesome... I don't know how else to put it

Just some stuff about the Bible

I feel like I’m delving into to ancient mysteries that reveal deep and profound insight into the meaning of life. I’m puzzled by these things, but I’m glad to be thinking about them. For my history class, I’ve been reading my textbook and right now it is talking about some of the ancient civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Sumerians, that existed back in Old Testament Biblical times. By studying this, I am getting some tremendous insight and perspective on the world and life at the time when the Old Testament was written. It is fascinating to me, and while my studies are for academic purposes, it’s true that I am looking for the spiritual meaning too. This is as much a search for spirituality as it is a quest for knowledge and understanding.

Today I read through a section in my textbook about history and the Bible. It went over briefly what historical and archaeological evidence suggests on the validity of the Biblical history of Israel. On the negative side, it does call into question the truth of the historical accounts of the Hebrews. The Bible paints them as a conquering, militaristic people but history suggests that they were not so much this way. It makes me wonder if part of the purpose in writing the Bible was to preserve and glorify Hebrew tradition, making up stories and fairytales of past glory in the process. I am skeptical of this position, because there is probably just as much evidence in the Old Testament to show that the Hebrew people were fools as there was to suggest they were great warriors. And the Bible is clear that anytime they won a battle, it was because of the Lord, not because of their own heroic efforts.

Even with the questions that have been raised, I did note some peculiar things about the history of this unique group of people. First of all, Israel’s God was revolutionary. In a world where polytheism ruled and where gods had very human qualities, the message of a loving, all-powerful Creator who existed outside of space and time was rare if not altogether new. The polytheistic gods of this time were often identified with various elements and things like that. So there would be a god of agriculture, a god of fertility, a god of war, a god of death, etc. The Hebrew God existed outside of all of that, laying the rules and foundations which the entire natural world follows. In these ancient cultures, there would be myths and legends explaining that these gods exist and how they came into being. One interesting thing about the Bible is that it just automatically assumes that God exists. It doesn’t address the issue of whether there is a God or not, it ignores the question altogether. It shows that God exists, has always existed, and will continue to exist forever.

Another fact that interests me about the ancient Hebrews is that they are the only ancient civilization that has succeeded in maintaining its identity in the modern era. In the ancient world, many powerful empires and nations rose to power only to decline and disappear centuries later; or to go through drastic cultural change. The Egyptians are still around, but I don’t think they still believe in the gods that their ancient ancestors did. The Mesopotamians, Sumerians, Hittites, and Babylonians are all gone, and yet the Jews still remain. Throughout centuries of persecution, conflict, exile, and countless other problems, they still exist with the same cultural identity that was created thousands of years ago. This is remarkable because as quirky, different, and unsettled as their past has been, they still managed to preserve themselves as a people and a civilization. In reality, they probably should have been wiped out a long time ago. It also is worth noting that throughout the Bible, the Israelites are referred to as God’s chosen people. Is it possible that the fact they still exist today as their own nation is a strong bit of evidence that shows they truly are God’s chosen people?

I know that some of you are probably reading this and the answers to these questions are probably obvious to you. Of course the Jews are God’s chosen people, the Bible says so. I understand where you’re coming from. It’s just that I am a person who is trying to understand the Bible while remaining true to the context that it’s put in, and to the reality that I have become familiar with. If there are inconsistencies between the Bible and common knowledge, then I want to know. In the same way, if there are consistencies that point to the Bible’s truth then I want to know that as well. I like to see evidence of things that took place in the Bible, because after all the Bible did take place in our world.

Anyways, just a few quick thoughts to chew on.

BITR: What Animal Would I Make Out With?

(The formatting for this blog is totally messed up and I don't feel like making it perfect, so just ignore that part of it and imagine that these are actually lists that go from 5 and count down to 1.)

Before I even get into this topic I want to clear a few things up. You are probably thinking, “Wow, it’s disgusting that this guy would even write about this.” And you’re probably right. It is disgusting. I had to actually put some thought into this, and what person in his or her right mind puts any kind of thought into the kind of animals he/she would like to make out with? An Old Testament Jew would have probably been stoned for that. Fortunately for me, I am not an Old Testament Jew. I am a 21^st century white guy in America, and we have almost no rules on what we can or can’t make out with.

Still, I want to point out that, going along with the Blog in the Round rules, someone gave me this topic, which means that someone actually wants to know. And to that certain sick individual who wants to know (stephbenton.wordpress.com), I just want to say that I think you are disgusting and wrong and immoral for giving me this topic. Evil people like you should be purged from the land, because you are scum.

That being said, I went ahead and made a list of 5 animals I would make out with, because I couldn’t narrow it down to one. And then, just for fun, I made a list of five animals I would NOT make out with. So here we go:

Animals That I Would Make Out With

5. Angelfish – Any animal with the word “angel” in its name can’t be all that bad, and certain types of angelfish look pretty attractive. Making out has more to do with looks than we would like to admit sometimes. I wouldn’t be caught dead making out with a grouper. An angelfish, however, probably wouldn’t be that bad.

4. Owl – Once again, owls are beautiful creatures. They are also mysterious because they only come out at night.

3. Animal from Sesame Street – Because that wouldn’t be
boring.

2. Chicken – Because it probably would taste good.

1. Ladybug – This is the most heterosexual thing I could think of. Ladybugs are kind of nice. They have the whole “red with black spots” thing going on. The only drawback is that they sometimes smell really weird, which is kind of a turn-off.

Animals That I Would NOT Make Out With

5. Octopus – I couldn’t ever imagine any kind of scenario where making out with an octopus would be appealing in any way. Tentacles? And what about that humongous, lumpy, weird looking head? I wouldn’t be able to even find its mouth, and that would be awkward.

4. Blue whale – Blue whales are the largest mammals on earth, usually the length of 3 to 4 school buses. This just wouldn’t work…

3. Woodpecker – For obvious reasons.

2. Sea bear – Flashlights are their natural prey, but still I don’t think a make out session with a sea bear would be that much fun.

1. Black widow spider - After sex, black widow spiders eat their male partner. Now I don’t expect to get past 2^nd base with a black widow, but if home plate means certain death, just leave me out entirely.