Some shots I captured after the final stanza of the most recent ice storm...

Check this out...holy water...IN BOTTLE FORM! It's about time somebody got this stuff marketed. It's WATER, PEOPLE!!! The Newsweek article below is a funny read (if you're looking for something about which to shake your head)...

You need only go back to the first chapter of Genesis to see how elemental water is to the observance of faith: "And the Spirit of God," the Bible says, "moved upon the face of the waters." In the Torah, water is used to ordain priests and to purify the sons of Aaron before they enter the temple. In the New Testament, John baptizes Jesus with water from the Jordan River. Observant Muslims wash hands and feet before they pray, orthodox Jewish women take ritual baths once a month--and every Christian denomination still uses water as part of its sacred rites. Mormons, when they take the weekly sacrament, drink water instead of wine.

So it's not surprising that a few savvy marketers would seize on this universal symbol of purity for financial gain. Inspired, perhaps, by vitamin and energy waters, a number of new companies have begun making more explicit claims: their water doesn't just promote good health, it actually makes you good. Holy Drinking Water, produced by a California-based company called Wayne Enterprises, is blessed in the warehouse by an Anglican or Roman Catholic priest (after a thorough background check). Like a crucifix or a rosary, a bottle of Holy Drinking Water is a daily reminder to be kind to others, says Brian Germann, Wayne's CEO. Another company makes Liquid OM, superpurified bottled water containing vibrations that promote a positive outlook. Invented by Kenny Mazursky, a sound therapist in Chicago, the water purportedly possesses an energy field that Mazursky makes by striking a giant gong and Tibetan bowls in its vicinity. He says the good energy can be felt not just after you drink the water but before, when you're holding the bottle.

The most recent entry in this niche is Spiritual Water. It's purified municipal water, sold with 10 different Christian labels. The Virgin Mary bottle, for example, has the Hail Mary prayer printed on the back in English and Spanish. Spiritual Water helps people to "stay focused, believe in yourself and believe in God," says Elicko Taieb, the Florida-based company's founder who was formerly in the pest-control business. All three companies give a portion of their profits to charity.

This small band of feel-good entrepreneurs may face objections from a surprising quarter. Some religious believers, also convinced of the elemental importance of water, are campaigning against its ubiquitous sale and packaging on the grounds that the practice is neither ethical nor good for the environment. "Water is life," says Sister Mary Zirbes, a nun in the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minn. "It really should not be a commodity to be bought." The Franciscan Sisters, together with a community of Benedictine nuns nearby, have launched a letter-writing campaign against the largest producers of bottled water and they've designed coasters to encourage people to drink glasses, not bottles, of water from the tap. The Vineyard church in Boise, Idaho, sells slim reusable plastic bottles in its bookstore, and it has placed water stations throughout the church. "In a world where a billion people have no reliable source of drinking water, where 3,000 children die every day of waterborne diseases, let's be clear: bottled water is not a sin, but it sure is a choice," says Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals. "Spending $15 billion a year on bottled water is a testimony to our conspicuous consumption, our culture of indulgence." Taieb calmly refutes the implication that his Spiritual Water is bad for the planet. People put fewer of his bottles in the trash, he says, because they don't want to discard images of Jesus or Mary. Instead, they refill them with other beverages. Obviously, even do-gooders can disagree. Some believe that water is life, while others believe that water is their livelihood.

Seriously...some religious guy walking around a water bottling factory is filling someone's bank account! At least these larger companies are donating some of their funds to charitable organizations---probably to help smolder the ruckus they've caused. I'm JUST curious enough to give the water a try. Maybe I should buy a Jesus action figure while I'm at it...putting him on the same shelf as my Incredible Hulk action figure might turn the Hulk into Flanders.

Well, I'm welcoming the month of December blogging under an ice storm warning. And it's NASTY out there. The weather can't decide whether to snow, sleet, ice or rain...so it's doing all of them at once. Apparently, this is supposed to continue till tonight...then it's supposed to rain all night...then snow tomorrow. Yay. What a blessing to have a warm home...enjoy an unplanned day off...and a FIREPLACE! Here's a shot from our place...

Here's a news story from CBS 2 in Chicago...who recently looked into the emerging church. Though there are plenty of similarities between with the current modern church movement and the emerging church movement, there are also plenty of differences. This news story doesn't get into the theology aspect of the differences. It's interesting to see the buzzwords "emerging church" in the mainstream news...

My family has never "celebrated" Halloween. I can remember passing out boxes of raisins to trick-or-treaters one year, but that's all I can recount of our participation with (what some people still figure as a) "holiday". Since then we would refrain from handing out treats and put a sign on our front door saying so. More often than not, parents accompany their children as they go from door to door, so we weren't concerned about getting tricked (though we did get the occasional egg from year to year).

From a Christian perspective, how are we supposed to approach Halloween? Do we involve ourselves with the festivities? My dad taught a class study on Halloween ten years ago, and I still have his notes and thought I would share them with you. He doesn't answer these questions, but presents some pretty dynamic and historical info...enough to allow people to make their own choices. Read on...
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What are some of the things we associate with Halloween? Witches, cats, bats, pumpkins, pranks, masks, costumes, tricks and treats, communion with the dead, divination.

What is society's perception of Halloween? Innocent fun; evil isn't real.

Is it okay for Christians to participate in Halloween? Is Halloween really tied to Satan and the occult?

Occult influence has been around since the fall of man. Eve was without sin and yet was tempted by Satan. The Old Testament has many accounts of sorcery, divination, and idol worship. Kings and Pharaohs all had their team of advisors (cf Exodus 7.11-12, 1 Samuel 28, Daniel 2.1-3).

Fall celebrations or festivals date back to the book of Leviticus where God orders the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23.29)...also known as the "Feast on Ingathering".

American traditions associated with Halloween can be traced back to European Celtic culture. The Celts' origin dates back hundreds of years before Christ. Descendants of Noah's son, Japheth, who moved north to the land then known as Gaul (current-day Europe).

The Celts, according to history, were a pagan and barbaric people steeped in tradition and ceremony. In the generations before Christ, they were illiterate. They had no written works, no form of government, and knew nothing of the highly educated Green or Roman culture. The culture was passed on orally through the generations. Everything taught had to be remembered. The cultural leaders were those who were most influential with their speech.
Knowledge was considered a "spiritual gift". Archaeological findings are all that substantiate the existence of the Celts of that time. Celtic writing didn't start until approximately the fifth century A.D. Explorers from Rome recorded stories of their contacts with the pagans of the northern forest regions. They noted specifically their amazement at the Celts' memory skills, eloquence and story-telling abilities.

Celts believed in the immortality of the soul. After a period of time, the soul of a deceased person would pass to another body (usually a newborn child). Evil spirits were believed to inhabit animals...particularly cats. Horses were believed to be a sacred animal, probably because of their size, strength, or beauty. They were sometimes used as sacrifices to appease a perceived angry spirit.

Druids were priests of the Celtic people. They held great power over the people. Their three main functions were 1) the source of knowledge for the tribe, 2) administer law and justice, and 3) oversee social and religious ceremony. Druids were known to practice animal and human sacrifices. They practiced magic and divination using the bones of the offering. Cats and horses were caged in wicker baskets and burned alive. Humans, if they weren't burned alive, were stabbed or shot with arrows. The manner in which the sacrifice died (motions, sounds, etc.) also was used to divine the future.

The most sacred of the festivals for the Druids was the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead. Held on November 1, it was the first day of winter and also New Years Day. On the even of Samhain, October 31, (Celts counted by nights, not days--midnight to midnight) the ancestral dead would rise from the grave and, along with demons, roam the earth and cause trouble. Great bon fires were built on hill tops on the eve of Samhain. Druids conducted divinations from the Samhain fire and performed magic that night because they believed the barrier between our world and the powers of darkness was weakest. The spirits of those who had died that year, they believed, were judged by Samhain that night. Good spirits were allowed another 12 months of death; bad spirits were sentenced to 12 months inhabiting a lowly animal.

Families put out food and drink (treat) for dead souls to appease them, so they would not cause harm to them or their property. An angry spirit, they believed, would kill livestock, spoil milk and food, or cause sickness (trick). People disguised themselves in goulish costumes so the evil spirits would think they were of their world and wouldn't harm them.

Bon fires build on hilltops served more than one purpose. They were the center of ceremony--a guide for the spirits and a place to offer sacrifices. One tradition was for family members to mark stones and place them in the fire. The next morning any stone that was missing meant that person would die in the coming year. People were to extinguish all fires in their homes on the eve of Samhain. The Druids would light a torch from the Samhain fires and walk around the village re-lighting the fires in the homes. It was customary and expected to give an offering (treat) in exchange for the sacred fire. If you didn't the Druids were likely to torch your crops, your bull or your house (trick). As a sign of good-will, a jack-o-lantern was placed in the front of your house.

Transalpine Gaul (France and the Rhineland) was conquered by Julius Caesar in the first century B.C., and most of Britain came under Roman rule int he first century A.D. Ireland was never conquered by Rome (they stopped short and just decided not to bother with it). As a result pagan traditions and beliefs remained strong in Britain, Ireland and Scotland regions while Christianity was spreading across the Roman Empire. Thousands of pagans were being converted yet they were still accustomed to celebrating their rituals. In an effort to reach the pagans, the Church began assimilating their traditions into new "Christian" ones. Pope Gregory I declared...

All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows Day), established May 13, 610 A.D., was a day to remember and honor those who died for their belief. Int the eighth century, Pope Gregory III moved this day to November 1. The church was trying to change people from celebrating pagan traditions to celebrating Christian ones. Traditions with food and costume were even copied.

All Souls' Day (a Catholic feast day), held on November 2, was established in the early ninth century by Amalarius as a special commemoration of those who had died that year to help them through purgatory. In 993 A.D. it was officially made part of the Church by Abbot St. Odilo.

The reformation was initiated by Martin Luther when, on October 31, 1517, he nailed his 95 theses on the church door. The theses opposed the teachings and practices of a corrupt Catholic church (paying money for sins committed). Lutherans and Calvinists fought Catholics for 200 years, and, in the end, reformation Protestants abandoned the observance of All Saints' Day.

On November 5, 1605, Catholic revolutionary Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Protestant sympathetic House of Lords. He was caught and executed along with his conspirators. It became a celebration day for some of triumph of Protestant over Catholic. Because it was so close to All Hallows Day, traditions were borrowed. Bonfires, hollowed out turnip lamps and grotesque masks became tradition. The eve of Guy Fawkes Day became a night of mischief. Kids went around begging for lumps of coal for fires to burn effigies of Guy Fawkes.

With the Roman influence came the celebration of the Festival of Ponoma, held on November 1. Panoma was the mythical goddess of the orchard and the harvest. She was a nymph who loved pruning and grafting in the orchards. The apple was a symbol of love and fertility. Anyone who could pull an apple from a tub of water using only their mouth was destined to have great fortune in the coming year (thus, apple-bobbing).

The Catholic church continued to support the custom of remembering the dead on the eve of November 1. The three observances became known as Hallowmas. The evening before Allows was known as All Hallows Eve, which later became Halloween. But in all cultures, in one way or another, it remained a celebration of the dead.
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I'm selling my Martin guitar.

I originally bought it because I was a worship leader and needed a great instrument (after borrowing other peoples' guitars or using pawn shop quality guitars). A worship leader turned techie, I would rather invest in a Mac product instead of an instrument. It's sad really...I will always be a musician...just a musician with out a REALLY SWEET "fish".

It's on eBay right now if anyone's interested.

Earlier this summer a team of 31 journalists from The Stranger newspaper ventured into the diverse religious sectors of Seattle. Their objective was to observe and record their thoughts during Sunday morning gatherings...or, as one writer wrote, "...to take upon the mystery of things, as if I were one of God's spies." Their reactions are staggering...heavily-biased (depending on the writer's religious or non-religious backgrounds/beliefs), but they capture what any typical, critical person may say about how they see the church "doing church".

NOTE: some of the writings are profane.

Read the article here.

My friend, Danielle, posted this on her blog, and I really enjoyed it...thought I'd share it with y'all. This vid raises some great points on worship as an art vs. worship as Christian propaganda. Check it out...

I'm in the process of recovering from quite an exhausting week.  It was one of those weeks where I was working much the same schedule as, say, an O.R. doctor...insane hours...no spare time...needing to be in six places at once...

Ahh...college students are returning to the UI campus. The city seems revived with a buzz of excitement. I heard the marching band practicing outdoors earlier this past week...I had goosebumps. Our church gatherings were completely packed today, and the excitement buzz is here too. Amazing what happens when the city's population increases 150% upon the students' return. It's GO time!

Got my ears pierced today. Been wanting them pierced for the last seven years, but I was five years enrolled with a private Bible college and later worked with a four-star hotel--both of whom prohibit piercings on males. Now that those time periods are no more, I thought now would be a good time to be impaled by the cold steel.

(right ear piercing not pictured)

My fantasy football off-season has officially ended. Today begins a six-month venture into the pro football realm (essentially my hobby for the fall months). This is my third year playing, which, for a football player, is his breakout year, so I'm anticipating a crazy seventeen weeks this fall.

I spent the entire day today preparing myself for the coming season--reading up on NFL player and team news, checking fantasy stats from last year and projections for this year, and getting ready for the draft(s) that will be happening within the next month. My brain feels somewhat swollen from the crazy amounts of info I've put in it just today.

So...anyone interested in playing? I'm hoping to join or even start a league here in Iowa.

I had to take this test...especially after an espresso the other day cured a fierce headache. The remedy convinced me I had resurrected my coffee addiction from college. So here's the figure...

I am 71% Addicted to Coffee

Every now and again, I get hooked on one specific song.

This time my ears are featuring the sounds of Mac Powell and Fernando Ortega in Our Great God. I'm a total sucker for 6/8 time signatures, and this dandy is a SLOW 6/8. I also melt at the sound of borrowed minor IV chords...geez what a gorgeous sound from the tonic. If I could boast any more about this song, let me not fail to mention the lyrics...more than fitting for Divine veneration...

I had a creative surge today, so......here's a design idea for the Ecclesiastes series comin' up...

(Obviously) ripped off from photo #1 on which John had I us vote...

We're about to enter a teaching series on Ecclesiastes, which is very much a grumble on the meaninglessness of and the desire for a significant life (sounds like the pouty-faced, self-help part of the Bible). And I can't help but wonder how we get ourselves into such a state wherein we relinquish our joys in reserve for our less-than-hunky-dory human lifestyles.

I'm reading Dan Kimball's The Emergent Church, and he makes a striking appeal in contrasting the gospel messages of the modern and emergent church movements...

Of course, the thought of the gracious free gift of being with God in person in heaven is more thrilling than we possibly can imagine. But it seems that the modern church has focused only on the problem of fixing sin (which absolutely needs fixing) through the death and resurrection of Christ. Yet heaven is not necessarily the goal post-seekers are thinking of, and their idea of sin is not the same as we would think of it. Instead, emerging generations are connecting the idea of living in tune with Jesus, placing yourself under God's reign and being a participant in the kingdom now. . .

I wonder if the way the modern church has presented the gospel by focusing on life after death has subtly helped produce a consumer mindset. Dallas Willard suggests we have basically taught in the modern church that people get a bar code, like on a supermarket product, which guarantees our salvation. With that mindset, Willard explains, "the payoff having faith and being 'scanned' comes at death and after. Life now being lived has no necessary connection with being a Christian as long as the bar code does its job."

Willard suggests that our preaching and teaching simply become focused on "sin-management" rather than on kingdom living and becoming a disciple of Jesus now, learning to live as he lived. We thus fall into a cycle of producing consumer Christians who wait to go to heaven and in the meantime turn to God simply to learn how to manage sin in this life.

The "teacher" (believed to be King Solomon) in Ecclesiastes had everything--EVERYTHING. Wealth, fame, riches, land, women, royalty...you name it, this guy had it...except one thing: personal significance. We, in America, have everything (well...just about)--we are the richest country in the world...we have food in our fridges, air conditioning inside the comfort of our mansion-competitive homes, flashy cars that work...but many of us lack personal significance.

We've become so complacent with our bar codes that we work and we play until the day we die. We "go to church" and consume its services instead of taking part in its corporate production, expecting so much yet contributing so little (and I'm NOT just talking about finances). If Christians have been saved by Christ, then we have attained the JOY of Christ...joy that should be contagious fuel for pursuing lives and lifestyles that matter and have significance...even if we work humdrum jobs, if we don't get eight hours of sleep per night, if we get sick (and tired) of the same ole routine day in and day out. We have a joy that is uncircumstantial and unconditional.

Holly and I have reached our TWO-MONTH wedding anniversary! Yay! We celebrated our one-month anny by going to Chicago to attend a conference and see the broadway musical Wicked (okay, so the musical was Holly’s birthday present…either way….

For our two-month anny TODAY, we…uh…we bought a new car…an ’07 Pontiac Vibe!





We traded in the Scion (which I’ll get to later), so we could both have a vehicle to drive (Holly despised the Scion—it had a manual tranny and is a “sports” car—it’s technically a "sports compact car" ). The Vibe has an auto tranny, four doors, a cargo rack, hatchback, better gas mileage, better warranties, and lower insurance costs. We were in a toss-up between the Vibe and the Toyota Matrix, so we left our decision up to the local dealers and how well they would take care of us. And the GM dealers ended up taking better care of us…they were very sincere in saying “[we] didn’t just buy a vehicle; [we] bought a dealership.” They pursued us and hooked us up with some great offers (the GM “liquidators” were on-site to help rid them of the remaining ’07 stock), and Holly’s grandfather is a former GM employee, so we got that discount too (thanks Grandpa!).

Turns out we’re benefiting across the board because the Vibe is “a corporate twin of the Toyota Matrix…built at the NUMMI plant, a joint GM-Toyota facility in Fremont, California, [which] means . . . the Vibe has reliable Toyota genes and will likely provide years of dependable service.” After owning the Scion and getting a first-hand understanding of the reliability of a Toyota vehicle, I was, for a time, poised into getting another Toyota and putting the Vibe in a distant second place. But we ended up with the Vibe, and we hope GOD has blessed that decision.

Now…about trading in the Scion…there is an undeniable bond between man and vehicle that had to be severed today…her name was Jannie [JAY-nee]--(all my cars had names that end with “ie”). It was an inevitable sacrifice for my family…one of many that, I’m sure, will soon follow this one. Just so y'all know...I may be entering a state mourning…Holly is considering the purchase of sackcloth and ashes, and I may be shaving my head…okay, just kidding. But really…

The iPhone debuts this week. I was just now busting into laughter of amazement as I watched the TUTORIAL VIDEO on Apple's website. Literally, this gadget is really remarkable...the best phone, MP3/video player, Web browser, address book in any mobile device...ever. The Apple user-friendly, common sense technology along with the versatile touch screen navigator is simply brilliant. I read one review that says, "This is the most anticipated phone since Alexander Graham Bell did his."

Guess what "good thing" I'm hoping will come in a "small package" this Christmas? Next to a remote control to a plasma TV or keys to a Lexus, this could be the most expensive stocking stuffer I will be anticipating this year. :)

I was SO born to be a Mac man.

We're at the Willow Creek Arts Conference in Chi-Town. They kicked off the conference with none other than David Crowder and his band leading us in musical worship. Here's a shot of the experience from the upper deck (Level 4) from Willow's newer 7,400-seat auditorium with two 24-foot LED screens. Sweet stuff. :)

Whoa...HUGE gig for Mute Math. They've recorded the soundtrack THEME for the Transformers movie due in theaters on July 4th!

Download a preview of the "fake" MP3 HERE!

Hear the ACTUAL track on Mute Math's MySpace!

30 Gigabytes and an entire afternoon later, I now have the entire Studio squished onto my laptop. Totally stoked for using this new gem...the utilities are nearly limitless...I can create anything from slideshows to 3D movies and soundtracks. Unlocking this treasure chest of capabilities will be an endless task, but much fun along the way.

Check out the TRAILER for some visual candy!

The PV Arts Staff has put an "all alert" out for people to excavate their photo albums! We're collecting photos of dads with their kids to build a photo montage to honor our dads on Father's Day. I've answered the call with this classic (had to dig pretty deep for this one--as in searching through all FOUR active hard drives I have running right now...)


Still got the crazy hair! Or maybe I should say...I still HAVE hair! :D

Submit your photos to fathersday@parkviewchurch.org

Today I was introduced to AC power cords that can spin 360 degrees at the head. What kind of idea is THAT!? :) Seriously, what practical uses would you find with an electrical jump rope? We might as well make hammers that have a magnetic polarily to flawlessly strike the head of a nail...or maybe cell phones that constantly have full reception anywhere you go...just because we are trying to make static inanimate objects inappropriately nimble and agile. This particular extension cord, by the way, broke very easily today while trying to use it like any other extension cord--plugging it into the wall. No wonder I can't find this product on the Web. Some things should simply have never entered the patent office.

Ever since my last church, I've been amusing myself by calling my fellow techies (be they staff or volunteers) tech ninjas.

It's entertaining to think of the similarities between techies and ninjas...both lurk in the darkness behind the scenes and, very often, go completely unnoticed...their work is based on increasing the greater good, commonly thankless and rewarding only through the gratification of personal and/or interpersonal accomplishments for a higher and greater Power.

It is my meditation that we will be able to harness the shekinah glory of our all-powerful yet agape GOD. May He be the sole recipient of our individual and team efforts to connect people with Jesus in soul-stirring and awe-inspiring manifests.

I look forward with great anticipation of growing our tech dojo...maybe we can even pull off a group picture like this...someday...