I thought some of you might like to know that over at the Gospel Coalition they published an article I wrote.
It’s six reasons I’m glad Pastor John was our family’s pastor. Go take a look!
Okay, so a design agency called Teehan+Lax’s Labs has developed a tool to create videos from Google Street View images. They’re called Hyperlapses and they’re very cool.
Here are a few that I created of some of my favorite locations:
Cascade Lodge on the North Shore of Lake Superior
There is beauty of God’s creation to be seen on the highways of America.
(Be warned – these take a little time – less than a minute – to load up.)
Which locations did I miss?
Update: Over at my Minnesota State Parks blog, I added a post with unique Minnesota Hyperlapse Videos.
I think it’s fair to say that most people have tasks, list items or chores that they put off. The question is – from the perspective of your creator, how important is that thing you are avoiding doing, and how unimportant is the thing you’re doing instead?
You know that guy who is a failure in what you think is very important? God might be speaking to you through him.
Also the really smart guy who seems so pompous and has everything in his life so neat and tidy.
Also that person who has a worldview so different from yours.
Please take a look around.
I’d also love it if you’d check out the project my family has been involved with – Fighter Verse Songs.
The newest CD has the entire Sermon On The Mount set to music.
As we often do on the way home from church on Wednesday nights, my kids and I were listening to MPR’s Fresh Air last week, and Terri Gross was interviewing the comedian Louie C.K. It was an interesting interview from several angles, but one section of it specifically caught my attention.
Terri asked him about the response from Christians to some of his more offensive material (and it is quite offensive), and he responded with a story -
I did this thing, this clip that went viral on “Conan” about everything is amazing and nobody’s happy, and it just was about appreciating what the world is like and not, you know, grousing about it. And it got really popular with Christian groups. And I heard that a lot of pastors would play it before their services and stuff. Anyway, so a lot of people that saw it would go to my website and be horrified by everything else that I say.
My comment to pastors:
So I guess here’s more evidence that you should do your research before you put up videos during sermons, or ‘like’ a clip on Facebook, or link to them on your blog. Because as a result of your actions, your congregation – those people who trust you – could be taken in directions you didn’t mean them to be.
He continued:
So I got a lot of emails from people saying, why can’t you just keep it clean? Because I am now shut off from your act by the horrible things you said, and that’s such a shame. And I would not really respond to them because I don’t usually return emails, but in my head and to a few of them I said, well, you’re the one putting the limit. Not me. I mean I’m saying a bunch of stuff, and you’re saying that I should only say one facet of it. That’s a limit…. But at the same time, when these people would write to me, I kind of liked them. So whenever I’ve encountered a Christian saying, why don’t you stop talking like that so that I can hear you, you know? I think, well you’re the one putting the earmuffs on, but at the same time, I wish you could hear me because I like you…
My comment to Christians:
Did you see that? Despite the fact that he’s heard from lots of Christians complaining about his act he still ‘kind of liked them?’ He said it twice. Whoever wrote to him, good for you. You apparently didn’t alienate him. I’d like to know what you said.
This is yet another reminder that our message to non-Christians (even critical messages) can be made more palatable to the receiver if we say it in gracious ways.
He continued further:
… There’s been a lot of really simple vilification of right-wing people. And it’s really easy to just say, ah, you’re Christian, and you’re anti-this and that, and I hate you, and you should just go away. But it’s more interesting to find out, what is this kind of person like and how do they really think? Do I have any common ground with people like that who find me really, really offensive?
My comment to Louis:
It was encouraging to hear you say that you liked us. Or some of us. Thanks!
Yes, there is common ground. Listening to other parts of the interview, I heard that you love your daughters and want to protect them from offensiveness. We do, too, and we call that honorable. It sounds like you’re fairly strongly against suicide. We are, too, and we think positively about your comments calling it wrong, considering what they may prevent. You like honesty. We like it, too.
But there’s one other very important common ground that we share (at least I assume we do): You and Christians both care about what happens to you, Louis, and your soul when you die.
If we Christians are thinking biblically, this is much more important to us than any offensiveness in what you show on your website. Can we talk about it?
Music helps you memorize. Go find out about the new Sermon on the Mount Fighter Verse Song CD.
It’s available on Amazon and iTunes.
Given how many times Jesus says to the disciples, “Oh you of little faith”, is there any chance he might say that to you or me if we told him about our activities, fears or goals?
Can I just say that I’m glad that the expression “First World Problem” has been invented and is in use?
Be hesitant to describe a family as being very hospitality minded, or to describe yourself as loving to have people over. Because everyone who hears your positive words and hasn’t been invited to the hospitable home will think, “Well, what’s wrong with me?”
On line weather reports should always have a time stamp on them.
Over at my Dad Blog I just posted a list of six good truths we were reminded of as a family at Artist Point in Grand Marais. Please check it out.
I confess to having an affinity for the demotivational posters that came out several years back. But this one – does it strike a little fear in you?
What it depicts is not what I, or anyone, wants to happen.
But just like some supposedly motivational ideas can sometimes inadvertently cause a person to be depressed, could we turn this one around and make it inspirational? I think we can. Starting with a bad memory.
Do you have memories that make you cringe every time you think about them? And you think, why, why, why did I do that?
We can categorize those memories into three groups.
1. Those that should have taught you a lesson, but you’re still repeating the failure.
2. Those that taught you a lesson and you never did it again.
3. Those where the situation will probably never happen again and give you no opportunity to fail again.
Looking at those three types, I bet most of your embarrassing memories fall into 2 and 3.
And doesn’t that give you cause for joy?
Because if it’s a #3 memory, well, it’s no longer an issue, right? Confess it if you need to and then let it be.
But if it’s #2 memory, to paraphrase the poster, it could be that God’s purpose for that memory was to serve as a warning for you for the rest of your life. And you heeded it.
And that means God has done a work in your life.
That just leaves the #1 kind of memories. If you have those, pray that God will enable to you to make changes in your choices so they will fall into the type 2 kind of bad memory.
And then you can thank God that the memories that used to make you cringe now give you joy.
I’ll just leave you with another ‘Mistakes’ poster that made me laugh.
It is a good, every good transcending, that Christ has died for you and me.
I think one of the funniest verses in the Bible is Jonah 1:10b. Not for what it says, but for what it implies.
Here it is:
For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Because – When did he mention this? Was it when he came on board? Did the first mate ask him in his brief interview when Jonah came on board as a passenger?
First mate: Name.
Jonah: Jonah.
First mate: Occupation.
Jonah: Prophet.
First mate: Reason for travel.
Jonah: Running away from my God, because I don’t feel like doing what he commanded.
First mate: <shrugs> Whatevs*. Come on up.
I mean, who knows what kind of other weird motivations to cross a sea this sailor has heard from would be passengers.
Or did Jonah mention it in the galley after dinner during a game of cribbage?
Other Passenger: So what’s your story? What’s in Tarshish for you?
Jonah: Well, not my God’s presence, for one.
Other Passenger: Huh. Your deal, Ogden.
However the conversation went, the sailors apparently weren’t bothered by this. Nor did they ask for more details.
Until the storm.
Just as an aside, on the list of dos and don’ts for a passenger on a small ship – one of the ‘don’ts’ is “Relax and have a lie-down while the waves get so big that sea-hardened sailors are ‘crying out’ like babies”.
Which is, of course, what Jonah did. But they woke him up for the Casting Of Lots. One wonders if they often did this:
Alright, who muddied up the deck with his boots? Throw those dice, Milford. We’ll find out!
In any case, ‘the lot fell on Jonah’. Can you picture all heads turning to look at him? I can.
And then I picture the captain asking politely, but with some assertiveness, “Please tell us a little more about yourself.”
And Jonah swallows and (to his credit) decides to only mention the information pertinent to the situation at hand, “I serve … well, you know the god I said I was running away from? Well, He’s the”, and he clears his throat, “…God who created the land and the sea.”
If I were writing a radio teleplay of this story, at this point I would:
SFX** – The Pulling-the-needle-off-a-record-player screechy noise. (yes, I know it’s oft-used and outdated but it still scores well with the young kids).
Then:
SFX – Silence. [I’d say crickets, but crickets is over done, and really, would this kind of insect be on a boat?]
And then the captain pauses and says, “The, um . . . the god who created the what now?”
And Jonah is not pleased that he has to repeat himself. But he does and this time he is more to the point: “The God who created the sea. Including this one.”
If I was writing a play or television screenplay of this story, I would have the Captain blink. Twice. And then calmly turn around and face his men. And then, not so calmly (in fact hysterically): Row! Row! For all you’re worth!
It’s recorded that about here in the story, some of the men also said, “What is this that you have done!”
It’s not recorded, but at this point, the First Mate might have had a few more words. Y’know, something like, “Really? You couldn’t have mentioned this before when we were initially speaking together? Wow. Just . . . Wow.”
All of this because this captain, the first mate and all the sailors are smart guys*** and they know that a god who created the sea your ship is on has the ability to wreck stuff on the sea your ship is on. Including your ship.
There are other messages in the book of Jonah, but this has to be one of them, right? And I think we can generalize: If you are somewhere that your God created, defying him is unwise.
If you believe this, I recommend you live like you believe this.
* What? You didn’t know that ‘whatevs’ is originally from an early common Mesopotamian tongue? More interestingly, linguistic analysis shows that, unlike in our culture, it was used by the more masculine of speakers.
** Sound Effects
*** Although, I can imagine one newbie sailor who’s a little slow on the uptake, commenting loudly as he’s pulling on the main-mast ropes: What? What’s the big deal? Won’t anyone explain what’s going on?
[If you'd like to read other posts where I try to be funny, please see my Attempts category.]
By Vox Day 
A Twisting Fascinating Epic Fantasy
5 out of 5 stars.
===
A decade or so ago, I watched the Michael Chrichton movie Twister, and the early dialogue explained that the protagonist researchers had three complex and expensive measuring devices and their goal was to successfully place one in a tornado’s path during a superstorm. So, I said to myself, the movie’s plot will be them failing twice and then being triumphantly successful with the last machine, against all odds and competing against a more fully funded research team. And this is exactly what happened [Oh, I’m sorry, Spoiler Alert!]. So I (along with, I presume, most alert viewers) knew the basic structure of the entire plot, including the ending, before getting twenty minutes into the movie.
In extreme contrast to that experience is the reading of ‘A Throne Of Bones’ by Vox Day. On a micro and macro level, the reader is surprised (not to mention shocked and stunned), narrative directions are turned 180 degrees and assumptions are ripped away. I never knew where it was heading next.
And here’s the good news: It’s a delightful experience.
When I reviewed ‘Summa Elvetica’, Vox Day’s last fiction book, I wrote, ‘My feeling here is that this book could be a “The Hobbit”-like prelude to a much more significant fictional writing.’ This, I’m pleased to say, is what the author has done. ‘Throne’ is placed in the same universe as that book and only a few years (months?) later.
And what is this universe? Just like with Summa, imagine Rome in the fifth century, complete with a Christian heritage. Now add in magic. And elves. And dwarves and goblins and some kind of new immortal creature.
But the geography is completely different. The Empire is Amorr. In it, there are two very strong family houses that are growing more and more at odds with each other. In one of these houses, two brothers are in conflict – for good reason. And dark tidings are reaching its neighbor to the north, Savonne, about the ulfin, sentient wolf-men, attacking it’s northern neighbor.
Vox has clearly done his research and I’m guessing that there are few books that give a better picture of what it must have been like to be in an armed conflict in a Roman legion. It puts you right into the battle. One of my favorite chapters has a stream of narrative following the downfall of several named but nameless fighters. In other sections, the reader is also given a fascinating (and I’m guessing fairly realistic) view into the inner-mechanics of Roman/Amorran politics.
Each chapter is from the perspective of one of nine different characters – A rebellious daughter, a general, a princess, a dutiful son, a crafty dwarf. All of these characters are flawed. All of them are interesting and complex.
I will say that in giving this five stars, I’m rounding up. I’d like to give it 4 ½ stars. The book is not perfect. To wit -
The author says in his acknowledgements that he won’t be letting his kids read this book yet. This, I think, is wise. Unfortunately. I’d love to give most of this book to my 14 year old son to read. Perhaps 98 percent of it. The offending two percent is some brief PG13 level sexual content and some fairly graphic battle violence. And some scatological stuff. Oh well.
My other disgruntlement is that this book ends very suddenly, with very little by way of denouement (yes, I just looked up how to spell that word – by all means, let me know if I’ve used it improperly). True, this book is the first of a set, but my thought is that a first book should tie up a few loose ends or have more of a cliff-hanger. You know, like winning the battle at Helm’s deep, or leaving Frodo with the Orcs in the Tower. (I must admit, however, that it does have a face-off that was somewhat satisfying and one mystery solved, slightly disappointingly, right in the last few chapters).
But overall this is a very readable book that made me want to keep on reading. It is, in turn, humorous, shocking and exciting. There are beautiful moments, there is clever dialogue, there is deep mystery. It took some level of genius to write it. I recommend you read it.
===
As a disclaimer, I should say that I was one of the proofreaders of this book. And Vox Day is a friend of mine. It was a pleasant experience to get an advanced reading of all these chapters. So it might be correct to assume that I am a little biased.
Because we’ve grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,
And we need a little angel, sitting on our shoulder.
We need a little Christmas now.
“Will it make someone feel bad?” is a fairly good heuristic for personal, political and ecclesiastical behavior. But it is an imperfect guide.
I hereby state that I am grateful to my God for so many things.
Every time I see someone playing the banjo I think: Nope, that is not possible that that the fingers of one hand can do that.
