My Favorite Music of the Decade

Inspired by my friends (and fellow Disturbed Christians) Scott and Diana, here is my list of the best albums of the Aughts:

-Radiohead: Kid A. After the success of “OK Computer,” fans were eagerly awaiting a follow-up. But instead of making a carbon-copy, Radiohead surprised everyone with an album of mostly electronic music. Nevertheless, “Kid A” proved to be just as good, if not better, than “OK Computer.”

-The Strokes: Is This It?. Sure, they didn't set the world on fire the way Nirvana did in the '90s. But you can't deny that, along with the White Stripes, the Strokes brought indie music to the mainstream. Too bad their follow-up albums weren't as good.

-Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. My generation's Sgt. Pepper! This album took Wilco from alt-country darlings to one of the most innovating bands ever.

-Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago. The most beautiful record I've heard in quite a long time. Unfortunately, sometimes the mythology behind the album--how Justin Vernon wrote the entire album in a secluded cabin--overshadows the actual music.

-Iron and Wine: The Shepherd's Dog. Beautiful album by Sam Beam and co. The closing track, “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” was used for the Twilight movie.

-Sufjan Stevens: Illinois. The song "John Wayne Gacy Jr." still gives me goosebumps.

-No Kids: Come Into My House. The best album no one’s ever heard of! The album is an eclectic blend of piano pop (“Great Escape”), electronica (“Listen for It”), Timbaland-inspired beats (“The Beaches All Closed”), and even barbershop (“Four Freshmen…”). Gorgeous arrangements, soft vocals, and catchy melodies you can sing along to.

-Arcade Fire: Neon Bible. Bombastic. Dark. Melodic. Apocalyptic. However you describe it, Arcade Fire’s second album is a masterpiece.

-Brian Wilson: Smile!. For the longest time “Smile” was known as the greatest album never released. It was supposed to be the follow up to the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” in the mid-sixties, but Brian Wilson had a total meltdown so the project was abandoned. Nearly 40 years later, though, Wilson finally completed and released his masterpiece, and it was well worth the wait!

-Kanye West: Late Registration. Before Kanye went batsh*t crazy, his first two albums did away with same old boring hip-hop cliches and made the genre interesting again.

-Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine (bootleg version). Some things just go together, like Fiona Apple and producer Jon Brion. And even though the official version of "Extraordinary Machine" was good, the bootleg version is mind-blowing!

-Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavillion. When I first heard this album, I thought, "What the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks is this???" But then I looked past the weirdness and discovered some truly amazing songs.

A Blog Meme Worth Passing Along

My name is brandy. And I have a blog.

And a plea.

I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds. Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog- as personal as the dude that I adore (who I actually met through my blog- single ladies, let that be a very good reason to blog, the possibility of meeting someone as wonderful as my man), but I need your help. And it involves my dude.

He’s a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He’s the kinda guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job. He’s the guy who sent flowers to me at school- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He’s a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred. He’s made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He’s listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.

The holidays have hit us hard. He’s recently been told he may have something called multiple myeloma- an incurable cancer, that gives a person an average of five years of continued life. Though this news has came as a shock, he continues to be exactly who has always been- spending his time worrying about me, rather than worrying about himself. He’s the most selfless individual I know- (he stayed late on Christmas Eve to work, so his co-workers could leave early) and a post like this would never be something that he would promote or encourage but when I’m overwhelmed and feeling helpless, the blogging community has always given me tremendous support and comfort, two things I desperately need at this time.

As I write this, the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s happening. He’ll need to see an oncologist soon, to verify what’s going on in his body. My hope is that everyone who reads this think positive thoughts and if you are a person who prays, could you add him to your list? (You can refer to him as ‘brandy’s hot awesome dude’). If you don’t pray, please keep him in your heart. This cancer is only a possibility and I believe that the prayers and positive thoughts of people can make sure it never becomes a reality.

I want to give a big thank you to the blog owner who scraped their original blog plans and graciously put this up. My goal is to get as many people as possible to see and read this post. If you are reading this and want to help, copy and paste my plea into your blog or send a link through twitter, so more people can keep him in their thoughts. I would be so very grateful (even more grateful than I am to my friend who first showed me the picture of Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. If you haven’t seen it, google it. You. Are. Welcome).

I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making- but this is life. Right now. And I’m throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you and if you know anything regarding MM- please email me (my email is on my blog). This isn’t a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It’s just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be with the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Maybe it is silly, but I really do believe that positive thoughts can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading this and if you haven’t already? Please tell someone you love them today.

I did.

Monday Morning Awesomeness

Good morning! On the previous incarnation of "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side," I had a series called Monday Morning Awesomeness where I would post a video of something cool in an attempt to make your Monday morning less crappy. Today I'm going to try to start it again.

Today's Awesomeness is brought to you by Vampire Weekend's "Cousins:"

Why I Hate The So-Called "Culture War"

We're all aware of the so-called "culture war:" left vs. right. Red states vs. blue states. "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays." I don't know about you, but personally I'm sick of it. . . mostly because I don't know what side I'm supposed to be on.

In certain circles, I might be considered an "elitist." On any given Saturday you can easily find me at the local coffee shop, drinking a skinny white mocha, listening to the latest hot indie band, and surfing NPR's website with my MacBook. I try to buy products that are both environmentally safe and fair-trade. I don't think the current health care bill is going to solve everything, but from what I hear it's not the evil communist plot some people make it out to be. And not only do I believe global warming exists, but I'm thinking about buying a hybrid car.

And yet many of my beliefs closely resemble traditionalist conservatism. Like Russell Kirk, I believe in a divine moral order, the variety and mystery of traditional life, and property rights. I also think that mankind has lost touch with nature and simple living. We're so attached to our gadgets that I wonder if we ever really notice life happening around us. Furthermore, I don't go to either a mega-church or an Emergent church (although I am fascinated by people like Brian McLaren); instead, I go to a small Lutheran church that's rich with tradition.

So what would both elitists and populists think of me, who points to the sky yelling "Tradition!" like Tevye while holding a fair-trade organic latte with the other?

Or maybe, just maybe, we've got it all wrong. Maybe we've demonized and stereotyped each other so much that we no longer see each other as complex humans, but as demonic caricatures. As The Bible tells us, "[O]ur struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) The culture war mentality, on the other hand, constantly tells us we have to fight either "those latte-drinking hybrid-driving socialists" or "those intolerant Bible-thumping backwoods rednecks."

In the new year, I hope that we can shift the focus off of stereotyping one another, and instead focus on reconciliation.

Stuff You Should Check Out: 12/25/09

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here are this week's eye-catching (at least to me) stories:

-First, the biggest news of the week: the Senate passes the health care bill.

-If you're like me, you are hopelessly addicted to Dr. Drew rehab shows. Well, according to "Sex Rehab" star Duncan Roy, things aren't what they appear to be.

-Also on The Daily Beast, Meghan McCain reveals her list of the ten most intriguing people of 2009. The list includes Kelly Clarkson, General McChrystal, and the Tea Party protesters (whom I personally think are more "annoying" than "intriguing").

-President Obama's first line of action was sign a bill that would close Guantamano Bay in one year. Well, according to the New York Times, it's going to take a little bit longer.

-Bill O'Reilly calls Laura Ingraham a "blind ideologue" and a "Kool-Aide drinker". Well gee, Bill, I could have told you that a long time ago!

-Keli Goff at Huffington Post asks movie goers to stop being jerks.

-Two retail workers demonstrate how HP web cameras' face tracking system does not recognize black faces.

-Terry Mattingly asks Whatever happened to Advent?

-And finally, if you thought David Bowie singing with Bing Crosby was weird, wait until you see Michael Buble on the Glenn Beck Show!

Fun With Stereotypes!

It's been said that every stereotype has a hint of truth. After reading all the recent "Stereotyping People by their Favorite ______" blog posts circling around the Internet, that statement might be right.

It all started with Lauren Leto's original stereotypes based on favorite authors list. According to Leto's list of authors and coresponding stereotypes, I am a kid who doesn't fit in (J. D. Salinger), an Umphrey's McGee fan (Jack Kerouac), a guy who was in the third coolest frat of a private college (Dave Eggers), a youth group leader who picked my nose in 4th grade (C. S. Lewis), and some one who liked the "Ya Ya Sisterhood" movie but didn't read the book (Elizabeth Gilbert). I don't know what Umphrey's McGee is, I've never been in a frat, and I've neither seen nor read "Ya Ya Sisterhood," so I don't know about those stereotypes. However, anyone who knows me knows I have troubling fitting in anywhere, and even though I'm not a youth group leader I've picked and grinned many times when I was a kid.

Not to be outdone, Flavor Wire recently posted their list of stereotypes based on favorite indie bands. This one is a little more accurate, because according to Flavor Wire I'm a big crybaby (The Antlers) who has low self-esteem issues (Bon Iver) and believes in Jesus and Juno (Sufjan Stevens). Sounds about right, doesn't it?

And then there's Matthew Paul Turner's list of stereotypes based on favorite Christian authors. And according to this list, I'm a new bike owner (Donald Miller) who is following Jesus in Hollywood (Lewis), and I'm trying to appreciate and understood the point of "Drops Like Stars" (Rob Bell). I don't get it.

The blog posts are fun, and sometimes there are hints of truth. But it's best not to take them too seriously.

Favorite Albums of 2009

Let's look back this year's best music:

-Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective. When I first heard Animal Collective, I was like, "What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is this?" But after I heard "Summertime Clothes," I was hooked.

-The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's self-titled debut. Indie pop that'll make you dance this mess around! Surprisingly this band wasn't as popular as their indie rock peers.

-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix. Another catchy-as-heck indie pop album.

-Stockholm Syndrome by Derek Webb. All controversy aside, Webb continues to be one of the most innovating Christian artists out there.

-Hospice by The Antlers. Even though you can hardly hear what they're singing, it's still a beautiful album about love and loss.

-Album by Girls. Sunny California beach rock with a modern twist.

Christmas With My Father

When I was five years old I got an unexpected Christmas gift. That morning I woke up at my usually time of 7 a.m. (I was a light sleeper even then) to find an array of toys under the bright Christmas tree in my grandparents' basement. I quickly fell on my knees to look through each and every thing Santa delivered over the night. And then, from the top of the stairs, I heard, "Ho ho ho!"

I knew that voice anywhere. It was my father!

Sure enough, there was Dad in his long leather coat, dark shades, and fedora hat coming down the stairs. The old familiar smell of beer and cigarettes--left over from nights tending punk rock bars--lingered on his shirt. I don't remember what all I got that year, although I'm sure I got a lot of great toys. All I remember is that Dad took the time to spend Christmas morning with me.

Dad was more like a fun uncle that would occasionally visit, rather than an actual father. As a child I would sit by the window and eagerly wait for his next visit. When will he be here? Why is he late? He said he’d be here. Is he going to bail out again? Finally a car would pull into the driveway and there he would be: punk band t-shirt, Converse All Stars, beer and cigarettes on his breath. During his visits, we wrestled in the living room, fished at the park, and played with nearly everything at KB Toys. He introduced me to punk rock, and taught me the comedic genius of poop jokes. Then he would leave again, and I wouldn’t see him again for another six months. Maybe even longer.

For a while Mom never told me why she and Dad divorced. Whenever I asked, she would just say, “It just didn’t work out” and leave it at that.

As I got older, I saw less and less of him. Sometimes I would be years before he would visit again. Around the same time, Mom told me why they divorced: the drugs, the women, and finally one day packing up all his stuff and leaving behind only a note on the dining room table. Ever since the divorce Mom often had to work two jobs so I could have enough to eat, since she never received one child support check from Dad. As I learned all this, the image I had of my dad being some golden idol quickly tarnished; now I only saw a pathetic man who refused to grow up. I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

But after a strange series of events--including finding out that I have a younger half-brother--Dad and I got back in touch. And he's really grown up; he now has a seven-year-old daughter who means the world to him. For her, spending Christmas morning with Dad isn't just a once-in-a-lifetime event. It may have taken him a while, but now Dad knows you can be Mr. Punk Rock and still be a parent.

It would have been nice if Dad knew that sooner, but then I wouldn't have had such a memorable Christmas that year.

The Worst Christmas Song Ever

A few weeks ago I named "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" by David Bowie and Bing Crobsy as the coolest Christmas song ever. Now, unfortunately, it's time to name the absolute worst Christmas song ever recorded to date. And boy is this one a doozie! A thousand nails on a thousand chalkboards could not equate the horrible sound of this horrible saccharine-coated pile of dog droppings.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . "The Christmas Shoes" by Newsong:



Oh, how do I loathe this song? Let me count the ways:

1. The obvious theological mistake of thinking that your dying mother needs to "look good" if she's about to "meet Jesus." Apparently Daddy never told this boy that when you die you leave all your earthy possessions (including shoes) behind. Besides, many of Jesus' early disciples were too poor to afford shoes, so I highly doubt that He's all that concerned about footwear.

2. The overall hopelessness of the song. Even though the boy got his shoes in the end, his mom's still gonna die.

3. Not only did it spawn a crappy book series, but also a crappy TV movie with Rob Lowe.

I would go on, but I feel as though this song is about to burrow its way into my brain like a parasite, so I'll leave it there and listen to "Christmas in Hollis" instead.

Stuff You Should Check Out: 12/18/09

-Jonathan Merritt interviews climate scientist (and wife of pastor Andrew Farley) Katharine Hayhoe.

-A New Zealand church gets into trouble over a controversial billboard.

-Relevant Magazine lists their favorite books of the year.

-Even though it's from March, I just discovered this conversation between lesbian Emergent blogger Adele Saklar and the more conservative Christian Kevin Davis.

-And this week Scot McKnight announced his new project with HopeChest.

Why I Don't Get Mad When I Hear "Happy Holidays"

I think there’s something wrong with me. Christmas is just a week away, and yet I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to. Don’t get me wrong, I am preparing my heart for celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, but something’s missing. It seems that no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get angry whenever I hear phrase “Happy Holidays.”

Believe me, I tried. I really did. I spent hours watching Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, and listening to James Dobson’s “Focus on the Family,” but it just didn’t work. In fact, whenever some one wishes me a happy holiday, I automatically smile and say, “Same to you.”

Yeah, I know!

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t care about keeping Christ in Christmas. Far from it! I just think we have bigger things to worry about than the phrase “Happy Holidays.” For starters, “Happy Holidays” really isn’t such a bad expression. It’s basically a short way of saying “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukah,” “Happy Kwanzaa,” and “Happy New Year” all at once. There’s certainly nothing wrong with wishing everyone a happy holiday, whatever that holiday is, is there?

To me, the biggest problem we Christians have to face during the Christmas season is not the phrase “Happy Holidays,” but the increasing consumerism that’s taking over the meaning of Christmas. On Sunday mornings during the Advent season we sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” preparing our hearts for our Savior’s birth. By Sunday afternoon, however, we’re running around the mall ducking and dodging the other shoppers on our quest to grab the latest hot gift before they’re all sold out (or no longer on sale, whatever comes first). At church we greet each other with “Peace be with you,” but at Target we grumble “Watch where you’re going!” to each other as our shopping carts nearly collide. I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling this wasn’t what the angels had in mind when they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

But then again maybe I just have my priorities mixed up. Maybe the phrase “Happy Holidays” really is part of the radical Left’s socialist agenda to destroy Christianity, or something like that. Either way, have a very merry Christmas . . . or a happy holiday.

Why Popular Blogs Do Not Automatically Make Good Books

Even though I thought the movie Julie and Julia was alright, Chelsea Latimer of Chelsea Talks Smack thought it was inspiring. Excerpt:

[A]s a blogger, I was obviously inspired. Inspired by the fact that this whole blog world really DOES have the power to change your life, in ways beyond your imagination and also inspired by the COMMITMENT. Blogging is like signing a lease, an unofficial agreement- that you will work through and share your life- you will commit to a community and to your MIND and that you will give it a platform to release it's mind-y thoughts on. And in turn, you'll lessen your crazy by becoming your own personal therapist through each blog post and you will possibly, just maybe, put yourself in the position to have something fucking GREAT happen to you. I.E. Julie Powell. She committed. She committed to her beef bourguignon and her blogspot and BAM she's got a damn movie.

(Yes, she really writes like that)

True, the film does show the importance of perseverance. And yes, many popular bloggers have moved up to bigger and greater things. However, I just want to point out one thing: just because your blog is so popular you get a book deal, it does not mean that you will automatically produce a great book.

Consider the original Julie Powell memoir Julie and Julia. While I thought that Powell came off as egotistical and whiny in the movie, I didn't want to automatically assume that she was like that in the book. Well, after checking out the original Julie and Julia book yesterday at the library, allow me to reassure you, dear readers: yes, she really is like that.

The popularity of Powell's blog The Julie/Julia Project was based only on the blog's novelty shtick: a woman cooking every recipe in Julia Child's famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. Her prose is just too forced; she's trying way too hard to be witty and self-deprecating. Instead of being funny, she ends up being self-absorbed. I think I made it up to page 7 before I finally gave up.

Now I'm the first to admit that I'm no F. Scott Fitzgerald. However, I do know that what works on the computer screen does not always work for the page. As Andrew Sullivan points out in his essay Why I Blog:

The blog remained a superficial medium, of course. By superficial, I mean simply that blogging rewards brevity and immediacy. No one wants to read a 9,000-word treatise online. On the Web, one-sentence links are as legitimate as thousand-word diatribes—in fact, they are often valued more. And, as Matt Drudge told me when I sought advice from the master in 2001, the key to understanding a blog is to realize that it’s a broadcast, not a publication. If it stops moving, it dies. If it stops paddling, it sinks.

With a book, you have more time to explore. The prose can develop itself slowly. For many bloggers who are used to quick witty posts, having the task of filling 300 pages worth of material can be a challenge. In Powell's case, she has a tendency to overdo it, making her prose even more superficial than her blog.

So let this be a lesson to all you bloggers out there: if by some strange twist of fate a publisher likes your blog and wants to give you a deal, don't assume that what works for your blog will work for your book.

The Poor Next Door

When it comes to poverty, most of us focus on either inner-city poverty or world-wide poverty. Too often we are ignorant about the poor in our own communities.

According to my local paper The Star Democrat, "Talbot County is the second wealthiest county in the state [of Maryland], but more than one-third of its students live in poverty."

The Star Democrat reports that the current number of Talbot County students qualifying for the federal free and/or reduced price meals program (a.k.a. FARMS) are:

-25% at Easton High School
-45% at Easton Elementary School
-32% at Easton Middle School
-30% at St. Michaels Middle-High School
-39% at St. Michaels Elementary School
-37% at White Marsh Elementary School
-26% at Chapel District Elementary School
-49% at Tilman Elementary School

As Talbot County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent John Masone tells the Star Democrat, "The real reading of poverty is in each school, particularly elementary schools. More often, middle school and high school families choose not to participate in FARMS. If you really want to know how many kids are poor, you really have to add the numbers enrolled at elementary schools and divide by the number of poor kids." The Star Democrat did the math, and estimates that 4 out of 10 students are classified as living in poverty.

Fortunately, there are great organizations like the Judy Center and the Talbot County Family Support Center. And today there is an article on the Star Democrat's website profiling Talbot Community Connections, which helps families turned away by the Department of Social Services. But I wonder if anything else can be done to fight the poverty problem.

What do you think? How have you seen your community fight poverty?

Favorite Books of 2009

Since the year is drawing to a close, it's time to look back on my favorite books, music, and movies of 2009. Today I want to start with my favorite reads of '09. Now keep in mind that this isn't a list of the best books published in '09, although there are some current titles mixed in. These are the best books I've read this past year.

-A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. Don's latest book spoke to my heart, and made me think about what it meant to live a good story.

-Scouting the Divine by Margaret Feinberg. Margaret always finds a way to make the Scriptures come to life, and in her latest book she discovers how the agrarian references in the Bible illustrate our relationship with God.

-Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Glenn Beck likes to think of himself as a modern-day Paine, but trust me--Beck is no Paine!

-Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community by Wendell Berry. This book was first published in the early '90s, yet eerily predicts many of the things happening nowadays with the economy and environment.

-Mad Church Disease by Anne Jackson. At first I didn't think I would be able to relate to this book, since it mostly applied to ministry. But turns out that it was a great reminder not to get too ahead of myself, and to take responsibility for the choices I've made.

-I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloan Crosely. If Crosely had a blog, I'd definitely add her to my Google Reader.

-The Conservative Soul by Andrew Sullivan. How fundamentalism hijacked conservatism (although Sullivan's conservatism leans more towards libertarianism than Burkean conservatism).

-The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley. Huh? I'm completely forgiven? Well now that I can't guilt-trip myself anymore, what am I supposed to do?

-The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight. I'm actually in the middle of this, but already I love it! It's a beautifully written book about loving God and others.

-Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Don't laugh! While it sometimes made spirituality a little too simple, it was a well-written book nevertheless.

Stuff You Should Check Out: 12/11/09

-As you may or may not know, the Senate rejected an amendment to the health care bill that would restrict public funding for abortions. According to Blog Critics, Californian Senator Barbara Boxer had this to say about the amendment:

The men who have brought us this [amendment] don’t single out a procedure that is used by a man, or a drug that is used by a man, that involves his reproductive health care, and say they have to get a special rider...There is nothing in this amendment that says if a man some day wants to buy Viagra, for example, that his pharmaceutical coverage cannot cover it, that he has to buy a rider.

Keep in mind, however, that there's a big difference between erectile dysfunction and ending a life.

-Over at Progressive Delmarva, I write an open letter to Glenn Beck. But as one commenter pointed out, Beck's "too busy counting his cash" to pay attention.

-Suzi Galbik at Virgil Speaks explains why she no longer considers herself a liberal. Excerpt:

All I know is that I can hardly stand reading the Huffington Post these days. The stuff coming out of "progressive" mouths is all too often on a par with Glenn Beck's abusive rants--both sides (right and left wingers) playing thousand-pound national football with the President as the ball--meaning, kick kick kick, until you bust his dick. This truly makes me sick. (It's meant to be the rhyme from hell.)

Even though I still read Huff Post (mostly just for the news aggregation), I have to agree with her. The Left can be just a vicious as the Right.

-As you might remember, last week I criticized Rick Warren for not commenting on the Uganda harsh anti-homosexual bill. Well, I am now pleased to say that the Saddleback pastor has now publicly condemned the bill.

-One of my favorite bloggers Jonathan Merritt has an article on the Huffington Post about digital Bibles. Unfortunately, many HuffPo readers expected it to be an anti-Bible piece.

-And finally at Disturbed Christians I once again make fun of the Conservative Bible Project.

The Discipline of Writing

For me, the best part of writing is having a finished product to share with others. I love it when readers can connect with my stories. Even if I never get to be rich and famous, knowing that my words have served some purpose is enough for me.

So what's the worst part about writing? The actual writing.

I wish writing could be as simple as Hemingway said, that all you have to do is just "bleed." But if you're like me, you don't think in complete sentences. Instead, the words and ideas just float around your brain randomly like one of those word clouds. So it takes me a while to catch all the words and put them in some order.

Which is why I often take "short breaks" while I write. I use quotation marks because these "short breaks" usually end up with me watching Fanta Claus is Comin' (not most work-friendly video, so make sure neither your boss nor your kids are in the room) for the millionth time instead of writing. And then I wonder why I can't get any work done!

Sometimes I think I have to move into some remote cabin with no wi-fi in order to get any writing done. But the more I talk to other writers, the more I realize that all I need is discipline

My friend Scott once suggested told me, "If you write just ONE page a day, you'd have a 364 page book by the end of the year. One page is not even an hour of your time!." So that's where I am right now, focusing on just a page a day, and not worrying about it being perfect (Hemingway also once famously said "the first draft of anything is sh*t). So maybe it all goes back to the old cliche of practice making perfect. I guess you can't always avoid cliches.

When Lutherans Reconcile

While browsing my Google Reader's recommendations page, I came across one Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor and author of the blog Sarcastic Lutheran. At first I was like, "Okay, tattooed female Lutheran pastor . . . interesting." But the more I read, the more I realized that she has some amazing insights into the Scriptures.

One blog entry that got my attention was about a certain Lutheran radio talk show host who would often rip her sermons to shreds on air (figuratively speaking, of course). Well, thanks to a strange twist of fate, the two ended up have a conversation.

Excerpt:

Yet God paid this very little attention yesterday when, despite us both, my LCMS detractor – slash – conservative Christian radio host and I had a 30 minute long conversation which was filled with grace and honesty and in which twice he shed tears. We spoke of how desperate we both are for the gospel. Desperate enough to hear it even from each other. It’s weird that beautiful conversation happened at all since it’s basically impossible.

And yet God went ahead and did this for me—Put me and my enemy face to face yesterday. And in the past 6 months God has sent me a bunch of Evangelicals to be my brothers and sisters, to have meals with, to love. This is what happens when God does the impossible and, like the disciples, we get swept up into it. Our Small Catechism says that I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort come to my Lord Jesus or believe in him but the Holy Spirit has called me though the Gospel and enlightened me with the spirit’s gifts.

Even though I'm always talking about how we need to talk to one another so we can learn and connect and all that jazz, I secretly don't believe in what I say. Mostly it's because I'm too egotistical to let go of my own pride and try to see another's point of view. But as Bolz-Weber says, "by my own understanding or effort I cannot have beautiful collaborative collegial relationships with Evangelicals, or have grace-filled conversations with my enemies." In other words, reconciliation can't happen without the grace of God.

It's funny how much I rely on my own strength and understanding, and then I wonder why I fail.

Stuff You Should Check Out: 12/04/09

-Conservative blogger Charles Johnson says "bye bye" to the Far-Right. Andrew Sullivan soon follows.

-Jason Boyett calls out Focus on the Family's "Stand for Christmas" crap. Personally, I'm more concerned about where a department store's products come from (e.g. were they made by kids in a sweatshop?) than whether or not they say "Merry Christmas."

-I review Andrew Farley's book The Naked Gospel on Disturbed Christians.

-Matthew Paul Turner writes a beautiful piece about World AIDS Day.

-Ravi Somaiya from Gawker explains why celebrity op-eds suck

-And even though I make fun of Glenn Beck a lot, I'm actually not much of a Chris Matthews fan either. Here's why.

The Coolest Christmas Song Ever

Ah yes, the sights and sounds of Christmas are all around us. Grandma's cookies baking in the oven, houses decorated with colorful lights, and, of course, Christmas music 24/7 on the radio. There is such a wide variety of Christmas music, from beloved hymns ("O Holy Night") to old classics ("White Christmas") to the ones that make you want to rip your ears out ("Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"). But there's one song in particular that I always look forward to every year. One song that warms my heart and puts me in the holiday spirit.

Of course I'm talking about Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth."



Don't hate, you know you love it!

People are still freaked out by seeing glam rocker Bowie singing with the old school crooner Crosby. But that's what's so great about it, because despite their differences, and the fact that they're singing different lyrics, the voices blend together beautifully. Plus, during the holiday season we think about what the angels said to the shepherds the night Christ was born: "Peace on earth, and goodwill toward men." Unfortunately, year after year we only see more violence and war. So part of the charm of this song is the optimistic lyrics:

I pray my wish will come true
For my child, and your child, too
He'll see the day of glory
He'll see the day when men of goodwill
Live in peace, live in peace again
Peace on earth, can it be?

(Trivia: Bowie hated "The Little Drummer Boy," so he asked the producers if he could sing something else. The producers wrote the new lyrics, and that was that.)

So say whatever you want of "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth." You can't deny that this song still has magic after all these years.

(Though I'm not sure why Bowie calls John Lennon and Harry Nilsson "older fellows," because they were both still alive and making records at the time.)

Exciting Blogging News!

I just accepted an invitation to contribute to Progressive Delmarva, a local news/politics blog. I'll mostly be re-posting stuff from this blog, but look for the occasional exclusive piece from time to time.

Here is my first post, which is a re-post of my recent Rick Warren post. Enjoy!

That's What Christmas is All About, Charlie Brown

I'm man enough to admit that I still get a little choked up at the end of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It's just as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.

Like many of us, Charlie Brown doesn't understand what Christmas is about, since he sees so much commercialism surround the holiday. He tries to get in the spirit by directed the annual Christmas play, but no one will listen. Then he decides what they need is a Christmas tree. Unfortunately the only real tree Charlie Brown and Linus can find at the lot is a pathetic little stick with a few pine needles on it. But that doesn't stop Charlie Brown, because he finally found something real. But then when he brings the little tree back to his friends, they all laugh at him. Once again Charlie Brown is confused about what Christmas is all about.

And then Linus speaks:

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'" That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

That's when everything changes.

Advent is a time to remember that Christmas didn't begin with a department store sale; it began with God coming down to earth as a baby, born in a stable, sleeping in a feeding trough. This year I hope to break from the consumerist holiday mindset, and really prepare my heart for the coming of Christ. And I hope you will join me.