the truest of forms

Here’s what Jim Wallis posted about his trip to Bethel and what he commented on during his time in chapel. I found him to be a tremendous speaker, and I stood with him at the end of his address. Wallis at Bethel.

You guys must see this movie. I’m not going to give out too much information about it, because if you want to know background etc…you can just go here. But, I’ve decided that Christopher Nolan is a genius. I loved “Batman Begins” and “Memento”, which he also did, and “The Prestige” only adds to his impressive resume. The plot is tremendous, and Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Michael Caine all put in good efforts…so there’s endorsement number two for me today…

On September 29th, I had the fortune of seeing Sleeping at Last perform at some random skate park in Rogers, MN. I know I have been talking this band up for awhile now, but this concert absolutely blew me away. I was expecting a good show, but it ended up being one of the best that I’ve seen. They were better in concert than on CD, and with the type of music they play, I find that amazing.

Ryan O’Neal is a fantastic musician. His lyrics are poetic and thoughtful, and he’s also a prolific guitar and piano player, switching between the two frequently, and even within songs at certain points. His brother is stellar on the drums, and the bassist was definitely talented as well, playing a little synthesizer and keyboard on the side. Also, because the band has a lot of orchestral instrumentation, they used  a sampler so that they can keep that aspect of their music in tact.

So basically, you NEED to check them out. Click here and listen to “A Skeleton of Something More”…or any of them really, and I think you’ll agree with me. Do it now.

On Monday, October 23rd, a discussion panel about Christianity and politics is coming to Bethel. The two key speakers are Greg Boyd and Jim Wallis, who have prominent books out concerning this topic. Boyd has received a lot of publicity since an article about his stance on this issue was published in the New York Times. Since then, his book has risen on the bestseller charts, and now television segments are being filmed about both Boyd’s and Wallis’ stances. For a piece that CNN is doing on this topic, they were looking for a representation of Christian evangelical youth, and Wallis’ foundation convinced that Bethel would be a good place to look for it. So, on Monday, CNN will be filming the event at Bethel and interviewing students…two of which are friends of mine. This is a really exciting time at Bethel! I’m pumped about this issue getting publicity and I’m also glad that Bethel may be able to aid in shining a solid, loving light on integrating faith and politics…and hopefully we’ll show that Christians aren’t crazy people, like some famous, outspoken Christians seem to like to do…

At a rally in St. Paul on Oct. 4th, Dr. James Dobson made some interesting comments concerning politics: “Culture bends and sways with the outcome of elections,” he said. “If you can find a politician who understands the institution of the family, … who understands that we are at war with those who want to destroy us utterly, who understands that liberal judges … need to be reined in, and if you can find a politician who lives by a strong moral code and believes in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son, … it would be a sin not to vote for him.” He went on to say that he was not endorsing any candidate, but called President Bush the “strongest and most committed prolife candidate we have ever had, and when it comes to the war and the threat from Islamofascism, he gets it.”

I don’t know if I like where DR. JD is going with this. Though he did not officially endorse a candidate, calling it a sin not to vote for a politician who lives by a strong moral code and subsequently having such high praise for George W. pushes a right-winged agenda too far and connects it too strongly with Christianity. This not only alienates democratic Christians, but also adds to the “crazy Christian” stereotype by stating that it’s a sin to not vote for George W. Bush (though inferred, it is basically what he said). I give him cred for not blatantly telling all Christians how to vote, but he basically did so through the body of his speech anyway. As the head of a major Christian organization, Dobson has alot of power and voice to the Christian community. I wish he wouldn’t futher the idea of Christians needing to be Republicans! Dobson also seems to want to push Christians to vote Republican based on only 3 topics: terrorism, gay marriage and abortion. Umm…those aren’t the only issues involved in voting!

Jesus Christ had no political affiliation. Though he was pushed to enter this realm and speak on these issues, he refrained. Instead, he performed miracles, gave direction, showed us how life should be lived and chilled with all kinds of people most Americans wouldn’t even look at! I think Dr. JD should spend less time in the public arena attempting to sway how everyone votes…Loving, not politicizing, is at the core of Christianity. That’s how we want to be known, and that’s how we’ll really change the nation. Thoughts?

Read the article here.

Here are some random thoughts to throw at ya…

Fantasy football
1. My theories about David Carr, Donald Driver, Kellen Winslow, Nate Kaeding and the Ravens D have all proven sound so far. I would brag about drafting Steven Jackson too, but he was an autopick…so I can’t.

2. Jake Delhomme, Chris Chambers and Cadillac Williams are pretty disappointing as a whole. Culpepper fumbles before he can throw it to Chambers, Cadillac is the only threat for the Bucs so he’s getting stuffed, and Delhomme is just terrible thus far! I think the Panthers/Delhomme are starting to improve…I was riding the Panthers pre-season bandwagon a little too much, maybe. Chambers and Cadillac may just end up being severe downers.

3. Chad Pennington may end up being my pick up of the year or he may stink it up again pretty soon, we’ll see. This is what I have right now: 3 quarterbacks that are all mediocre/a little above average every week (Delhomme, Carr, Pennington), so I’ll never know which one to start…and in the end, it probably won’t matter which one I decide upon, b/c they’re all mediocre…I’ve set myself up for alot of stress this year in this area.

4. Nathan’s team has shown some serious power. He’s riding the Eagles train, and the rest of us need a derailment. They’ve been playing some easy competition, but still…

5. My drafting of Reggie Brown seems a little stupid since the Eagles decided to sign Dante Stallworth the very next week! D’oh!

NFL

1. My prediction about the Eagles getting to the playoffs looks good. My predictions about the Chiefs and the Panthers, on the other hand…

2. The NFC East seems like a lot of mediocrity. The Giants are no good, the Redskins are OK, and the Cowboys/Eagles are beating up on no one in particular.

3. Go Frank Gore! Even though I haven’t seen a 49ers game yet, I’m somewhat optimistic simply because their offensive numbers this year have improved vastly…until this week.

4. Eli Manning STINKS!
5. Joey Harrington should be starting in Miami as of… right now.

Teams I’m rooting for: 49ers (a lot) – Kinda rooting for: Bears (a little), Saints, Bengals, Falcons

Team I’m completely against: Packers

Teams I feel bad for: Lions, Texans, Cardinals.

Teams that stink and I don’t care: Packers, Titans, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants.

Team most likely to come back to power: Panthers

Team headed for a downfall: Vikings

Team that I love that’s most likely to keep stinking: 49ers

College

I’m upset about the Hawkeyes…I did think that we’d lose, but I thought we could keep it a little closer. Maybe if every receiver for Tate would’ve decided to catch and hold on to the ball instead of dropping or fumbling!

My H.S. acquaintence and football star Adrian Arrington caught 2 TDs for Michigan against the terrible Gophers this week. I’m pumped! He’s a sophomore there since he got a medical red shirt last season, and it’d be great if he emerged as a star in the Big Ten. This probably won’t happen until next fall at the earliest, though.

Baseball:

I’m pulling for the Dodgers in the NL, but it’s hard for me to pick someone to root for in the AL. A’s, Tigers, Twins…it’s all a push! I mean, it’d be cool to have a world series winning team in the Cities, I suppose, but watching all the depressed Twinkie fans would also be kinda entertaining…I guess I’ll go for them since I really don’t care about the A’s, although I’m glad Frank Thomas is killing it again, and no one really likes the Tigers. Truthfully, I’m going for anyone except the Yankees, who will probably win it all. Thoughts by any of you sports fans?

Best Home Run Calls:

Scott Van Pelt has some great HR comments as of late: “Make me a pie!” and “Where are my cookies?!” are my favorites recently.