this week's round-up (january 15)

Julie Clawson: What It Is Is Beautiful. Love the LEGO advertisement graphic and Julie's words are great, too.

Shane Claiborne: 12 Hopes for 2012.

LaRae Quy: Do You Lead Your Own Life?

Mark Engler: Iowa: The People's Caucus. As I've mentioned before, Mark and I used to play ultimate frisbee together (about 20 years ago), and I find him writing some pretty interesting stuff on international politics today.

Seth Godin: Simple Thoughts on Fair Use.
Semi-related: Congress Considers Paywalling Science You've Already Paid For.
In general, there is a major need to shift how we approach, consider and deal with intellectual property.

This wins simply for the Robotron 2012 reference. Love old school arcade games.

iKeepm webapp to inventory all your stuff. I haven't tried it, but something like this could have some real promise.

Dale Wasserman: Look Always Forward. Fantastic line: "In last year's nest, there are no birds this year."

Mike Vardy: Best Way to Kick the Soda Pop Habit.

Friend from college and music guru, Rudy Grahn has put together his list of favorite albums of 2011.

John Rogers: Leverage #404 "The Van Gogh Job" I've gotten into the show Leverage over the past year (or maybe two), but even if you are not a fan, I'd encourage you to check out this post. John has some great thoughts on story writing and creation, and really, ultimately about the world views we hold on to (it's a great companion piece to Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, but Rogers offers an amazing insight when he says:

"Every criticism is the tragic result of an unmet need."

Good stuff to consider.

From Jesus Needs New PR: Choir Sings "Give Me Jesus" on a Plane. In my opinion it would have been better if they sang "Nearer My God to Thee" ; )

Mentalfloss: Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?

Derek Webb: On Alcohol and Liberty - great thoughts about a difficult subject.

Lovett Weems: Will Mainline Denominations Get in Right in 2012?

Really interesting tool for ministry - The Church Online Platform - from Lifechurch.tv. I continue to be amazed on Craig Groshel and his team stove to extend their resources (for FREE!!!) to other congregations. If you are a pastor interested in online streaming, check this new resource out. (It also kills me to remember that Craig originally sought ordination in the United Methodist Church, but "the system" essentially kept him out because of the slow nature of the process and an unwillingness to embrace his vision of ministry).

Enrique Fiallo (vía Michael Hyatt's blog): 10 Mistakes Leaders Should Avoid at All Costs.

Based on Rudy's recommendation, I'm checking out the M83 album, here's one of the songs off it...

this week's round-up (january 4)

Blessed are the un-cool. Important reminder that churches should choose to be faithful instead of fashionable.

How Luther Went Viral. Interesting article suggesting the use of pamphlets and the printing press helped fuel the Protestant Reformation in much the same way the modern social media (ie Twitter) fueled the Arab Spring, both tapped into widespread social discontent through relatively new, decentralized that the status quo couldn't effectively leverage.

2011: The Year Intellectual Property Trumped Civil Liberties.

The guy who gave me my first real job in commercial radio, Dennis Green, has some thoughts on recent changes in the Cedar Rapids market and the slow decline of good radio.

Before there was the iPhone, there was the iLandline.

The Psychology of Home: Why Where We Live Means So Much. From the article:

"No one is ever free from their social or physical environment. And whether or not we are always aware of it, a home is a home because it blurs the line between the self and the surroundings, and challenges the line we try to draw between who we are and where we are."

Do we take "place" seriously enough? Are there implications for itinerant ministry somewhere in here?

10 Brand Building Steps for Beginners. I just did an interview this week from someone researching how "the church" uses social media; this is a pretty good guide to some first steps.

Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business... Gradually. There was a time when I looked forward to going into a Best Buy, now I almost dread it. While the article is specific to the business and culture of Best Buy, there are probably some good lessons for the church in there as well. How often have we delivered bad customer service and what are we doing about it?

Donald Miller: A Parable About the Church.

I'm not a big fan of classical music and so I've never really followed Yo-Yo Ma, but I did catch the end of the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors, where his work was recognized, and then stumbled upon this performance of the Silk Road Ensemble on the NPR All Songs Considered Blog. I like it, hopefully you will too...

this week's round-up (december 22)

I seem to have lost that weekly rhythm of blog posts... maybe in the new year I'll get on a better schedule. Anyway, here's what has caught my attention over the past few weeks:

Seth Godin: Tools vs. Insight. Often we don't need new tools, we just need to find creative ways to use what we've already got. Also check out Insulate Yourself...

Marcus Zumwalt: We are the 99%. Marcus is a friend I had the great privilege of getting to know when our lives briefly crossed in Ann Arbor. This post is a powerful reminder that even with the issues around the gap between the rich and the poor here in the US, highlighted by the "Occupy" movement, the issue is even more profound on a global scale. Are we really the 99%, or are we, in fact, the 1%?

Donald Miller: It's not what you do that scares me, it's what you hide.; What would change if you believed people actually wanted to talk to you?; and Do you believe in your own power to shape the world? (Side note: I'm really interested in the shift Don has taken from the usual typed blog posts to photos of handwritten messages - there is an element of beauty and authenticity in handwritten messages that I really appreciate).

When Animals Run Attack Ads.

Dan Dick: Christmas Affluenza. Also: The Nice Curse.

EmergingUMC: What Brings People to Church?

Fred Clark: Millennials Will Change the Future of the Church.

The Economist: How Luther Went Viral. Fascinating article about social media and church history and how about "new" advances in communication and collective action aren't really new at all.

Dear Congress, It's No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works.

How to Live Better on 24 Hours a Day.

2011 - The Year in (Lego) Pictures.

Nerd Porn - 47 Year Old Television Signals Are Bouncing Back to Earth. Fascinating article about how "something" approximately 25 light years away is reflecting TV signals back to earth, which means that some "lost" programs, like episodes of Doctor Who, can be recovered and recorded.

Insiders and Outsiders and the future of the Church.

Forget Planes and Cars: The Beginners Guide to Traveling by Bike.

DIY Star Wars Snowflakes. I tried a couple of these and they actually came out pretty good.

Brian Owen (via Michael Hyatt's blog): What an Acting Coach Taught Me About Public Speaking. Also from Hyatt: 5 Ways You Can Be an Everyday Hero and How a Shift in Your Vocabular can Instantly Change Your Attitude - the "have to" vs. "get to" thing has already been a help for me.

19x2

Another year, another playlist for one more trip around the sun...



Notes:
3. U2 - saw them in Lansing this past summer - AMAZING performance.
4. Decemberists - The King is Dead is probably my favorite album of 2011.
5. Andrew Bird - The third song in an "end of the world" medley for Harold Camping, and the Mayan calendar set to end a year from now. The world is always ending. The world is always beginning. It all depends of your perspective.
7. Blur - love the line: "I'm a professional cynic / but my heart's not in it / paying the price for living life at the limit." Here's to the century's remedy.
16. Das Racist - explicit language on this one; you might want to skip.
18. Timelords - old song, novelty pop song, but I still think Dr. Who is one of the best shows on TV (in close running with The Walking Dead).
22. Tori Amos - hard to believe Nirvana's "Nevermind" is 20 years old this year. This version by Tori Amos actually helped me "get" Nirvana. Also started my love affair with a great cover versions of songs.
23. REM - RIP. Didn't listen to the last few albums, never saw them live, but I was a pretty big fan back in the day.
24. Jonathan Coulton - sorry I missed his show with They Might be Giants this year; also see #18.
26. They Might be Giants - This summer the KKK put some "recruiting" material out in the town where I work (apparently they had a pretty strong presence in the area a number of years ago), so I think about this song probably more than the average person does. (Also, just so I'm clear, I've never witnessed racist attitudes among the members of the church I serve).
30. B-52s - always loved this simple instrumental track.
32. Mumford and Sons - Lyric I'll always wished I had written: "It seems that all my bridges have been burned / But you say that's how this grace thing works / It's not the long walk home that will change this heart / But the welcome I receive with the restart". If my years of preaching could be summarized in a song, that would probably be it.
33. Lou Reed - thinking about mortality this fall, led to recalling Reed's "Magic and Loss" album. Even though my job involves being around a lot of death, you're still never quite prepared for the loss of friends.
35. Over the Rhine - just discovered this track this past week. Another song with great lyrics: "All my favorite people are broken / Believe me / My heart should know... All my friends are part saint and part sinner / We lean on each other / Try to rise above." Thanks to those friends who live this out with me.
36. Grateful Dead - Crossed a milestone when my aunt suggested at Thanksgiving that I visit her stylist to get my "color done."
38. Willie Nelson - haven't taken the kids to see the latest Muppet movie, but this song (and this version) is always a personal favorite.

Christmas Eve Welcome

This came to me last year in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve and I used it for worship then (and think I shared it here as well). Thought I'd put it up again for anyone who might find a use for it in worship this Christmas; feel free to use or adapt as you see fit (there in info at the bottom of the blog about Creative Commons - if you do use, I prefer attribution and that any derivative works retain the "share alike" philosophy).

We come excited,
We come exhausted,
Welcome to this place.

We come hopeful,
We come humble,
Welcome to this place.

We come with deepest longing,
We come distracted,
Welcome to this place.

We come compassionate,
We come confused,
Welcome to this place.

We come joyful,
We come just-happy-to-have-made-it-through-another-day,
Welcome to this place.

We come faithful,
We come fearful,
Welcome to this place.

Welcome,
to one and all,
to this place,
where we can be who we are,
confident that God meets us,
as we are.

Welcome to this night:
Welcome to the Marys pregnant with possibilities,
Welcome to the Josephs returning to their hometowns,
Welcome to the travelers, weary after a long journey,
Welcome to the inn-keepers, making room for one more, wherever they can.
Welcome to this place
Where angels sing
and shepherds seek
welcoming a King
born in Bethlehem, long ago
called Emmanuel:
 God-Is-With-Us
and Still Is With Us
Welcoming us,
 receiving us,
  redeeming us,
even on this Holy Night.
Welcome Christmas people.