Hope Positive

A friend of mine has directed a documentary titled "Hope Positive". Do yourself a favor and check it out. The terms "HIV" and "Hope" seem like complete opposites. See how they intertwine in the film.

www.hopepositive.com

A New Kind Of Christian

A New Kind Of Christian
Brian McLaren

So I finally got to finish reading Brian McLaren's "A New Kind Of Christian". Yeah I know, I'm really late in getting to read this. Anyway, when I first heard about this book, I have to admit I started feeling nautious. I thought, "Oh great. Another 'how to' book on being a Christian in a postmodern age. More principles, lists, and cool ways of being a Christian. What the hell is a 'new kind of Christian' anyway?!?!" So I avoided it for a while, thinking it was the newest fad in Christianity. Then I started hearing all the harsh criticism directed at Mr. McLaren. You know, things like heretic, gnostic, son of the devil, etc. Then I thought, "Ok, now I'm interested in reading this!"

So, like I said, I just finished it. And I loved it. It was like reading in a book all the thoughts that have been floating around in my head for a long time. So, for me, this book wasn't so "shocking" or "radical" as some make it out to be. For all the criticism I've heard about what McLaren wrote, I could pull out passages in the book to refute what the critics said. You just have to look deeper into what he's saying to see where he's coming from. To sum it up, he takes all the sacred idols within Christianity, and questions them. Yes people, isn't that so (sarcasm inserted here) radical! And what's great is that it's written as a fiction book, a majority of it being a conversation between the 2 main characters, Dan and Neo. For anyone who's constantly fed up with being religious, and for anyone who's not a Christian and is constantly annoyed by them, then this book is for you. I will end this with one of my favorite quotes in the book, when Neo told Dan:

"Look, Dan, I believe Jesus is the Savior, not Christianity."

Why do we cry?

Why do we cry?
I cry, do you?

Sometimes I cry, and the tears fail to come out.
Sometimes I cry, and the tears fall like rain.

I could be crying in front of you, and you wouldn't even know.
I may show a normal face outside, but inside I am crying.

Right now someone in this world is crying.
Are you?

The tears remind us that "we all break the same".....




"we all break the same" is a line off of Mutemath's song, "Break The Same".

We Are Pilots

Shiny Toy Guns
"We Are Pilots"

I can't tell you how excited I am with this new wave of artists bringing back synth rock. It's an invasion on pop music as we know it. And if it's an invasion, then Shiny Toy Guns are on the front line of the battle. I am blown away by their new album We Are Pilots. On here, they bring the best of synth, but they add some modern rock to create some catchy tracks that'll be stuck in your head for days. As far as style goes, think Depeche Mode meets Garbage. Lyrically, they cover a wide range of experiences we all go through in life, going way deeper than superficial topics. Some of the best tracks are sung in coversational style, with Chad Petree and Carah Faye going back and forth on each verse. Each song brings a different mood to it, taking you on an emotional roller coaster. In fact, you might find yourself in tears after a few listens to the title track "We Are Pilots". And that's what makes it beautiful. It's beautiful because it brings you into an intimate musical experience that goes beyond just being entertained. This is one of the best albums I've heard in a while.

Who needs Dr. Phil when you have.... Santa Claus

I watched The Santa Clause 3 today and heard a great line from Santa Claus.

"You don't have to be a perfect family to be a good one, you just have to be together." (my paraphrase)

That's a good reminder. So the next time you have chaos in your home, and your family resembles the Osbournes more than the Brady Bunch, you're not the only one experiencing it. Remember that in this Brady Bunch, idealistic, "American dream" society we are in, that WE ALL have issues.

That was a reminder for myself.

Thanks Santa.