21.12.05
Beautiful Photographs
Here is a link to photography I found particularly moving. I know nothing about them or the photographer. I don't know what else to say about them.
20.12.05
2005 Year of the Sufjan
As regular readers will know, the Funky Presbyterian has made no attempt this year to conceal his enthusiasm for Mr. Stevens and his latest, greatest album: Illinoise. Now as the year draws to a close, we can surf the "internets" as G-dub would say, and find our favorite oddly monickered songsmith topping the lists of many critics lists. We should not be surprised.
Here's his place in the standings:
Metacritic: #1
Pitchfork: #1
Pop Matters: #2
Glide: # 4
NPR's All Songs Considered: #1
Rate Your Music: #1
This is not mention the untold number of independant music bloggers who rank him at the top and many more officaly publications where his work is in the top 10 for 2005. Buy it. Buy it now. Stop reading. Get up and go to the store and buy the album. Or... as I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU PEOPLE you can sign up for Emusic and choose this album as one of your 50 free downloads you get just for signing up (If you do, let me know before you do and I can get hooked up with 50 free tracks for referring you).
Click the link for a free track from the album. It's a song about a friend with cancer. Have the puffs plus handy.
Good job, Sufjan.
Here's his place in the standings:
Metacritic: #1
Pitchfork: #1
Pop Matters: #2
Glide: # 4
NPR's All Songs Considered: #1
Rate Your Music: #1
This is not mention the untold number of independant music bloggers who rank him at the top and many more officaly publications where his work is in the top 10 for 2005. Buy it. Buy it now. Stop reading. Get up and go to the store and buy the album. Or... as I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU PEOPLE you can sign up for Emusic and choose this album as one of your 50 free downloads you get just for signing up (If you do, let me know before you do and I can get hooked up with 50 free tracks for referring you).
Click the link for a free track from the album. It's a song about a friend with cancer. Have the puffs plus handy.
Good job, Sufjan.
19.12.05
17.12.05
That we might become rich.
when we penetrate to the mysterious and marvelous primary purpose of the Christmas miracle, I think we must conclude that both Evangelists intend that we should understand before everything else that, by means of the virginal conception, "the pre-existant Word became flesh". Mary's virginal conception, in other words, was the means whereby God became man, the means whereby he who "was rich, for our sakes became poor, that through poverty, we might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9) - Robert L. Reymond
That we might become rich.
when we penetrate to the mysterious and marvelous primary purpose of the Christmas miracle, I think we must conclude that both Evangelists intend that we should understand before everything else that, by means of the virginal conception, "the pre-existant Word became flesh". Mary's virginal conception, in other words, was the means whereby God became man, the means whereby he who "was rich, for our sakes became poor, that through poverty, we might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9) - Robert L. Reymond
free sufjan christmas album
Check out Joe's blog here where he links to a free Sufjan tvens Christmas album. Merry Christmas.
14.12.05
13.12.05
12.12.05
10.12.05
How to Make Green Beans Exciting
When you're a six year old boy you have an internal drive to make everything dramatic and exciting.
This evening as we were atttempting to persuade Jack to eat his green beans, he said "But I don't know if I don't like them or if I do like them".
To this Charity replied, "Well it doesn't matter. I cooked them and either way- you're going to eat them".
Jack looked thoughtful, and trying his very best to find the motivation to comply with our completely unreasonable demands, his eyebrows suddenly shot straight up as he enthusiastically queried, "You mean so they don't destroy the world?"
"umm... yes. Eat your green beans. So they don't destroy the world".
Mission Accomplished.
This evening as we were atttempting to persuade Jack to eat his green beans, he said "But I don't know if I don't like them or if I do like them".
To this Charity replied, "Well it doesn't matter. I cooked them and either way- you're going to eat them".
Jack looked thoughtful, and trying his very best to find the motivation to comply with our completely unreasonable demands, his eyebrows suddenly shot straight up as he enthusiastically queried, "You mean so they don't destroy the world?"
"umm... yes. Eat your green beans. So they don't destroy the world".
Mission Accomplished.
9.12.05
Drug may help short boys be taller.
God made a world rich with diversity. Some people have dark brown skin. Some people have light brown skin. Some people have kind of pinkish skin. Some boys are tall, some boys are short. Diversity. It's a good thing.
We must make proper distinctions between diversity to be embraced and disorders to be corrected. In general, shortness is a characteristic like having green eyes or curly hair. It is to be appreciated and embraced. It is not a disorder to be corrected. My theology gives me a framework for this. Shortness of stature is not a part of the fall. Disease and injury and deformation are parts of the fall. They stand to be reversed by the advancements of technology and medicine in part in this life and the complete victory of Christ and his Kingdom in full, in the next. I am 5'5" tall. When the kingdom of God comes in it's fullness, I expect I will be 5'5" tall. (and you just might be as well-wink wink).
Why am I concerned about this? Because I am short? Maybe. But my height has never really been that big of an issue for me. In fact I think being short has helped to develop aspects of my personality and character that otherwise may have been undeveloped. I've always had more than my fair share of self confidence. There's never been much I couldn't do and being short never really hurt me in the "lady department" (as evidenced by my totally hot wife). I don't really even think of myself as short. My wife often laughs at me because sometimes I'll meet a guy who is a good three or four inches taller than me and I'll later make some comment about him being really short and she points out that he' s taller than me and I don't believe her. I feel taller than almost everyone I meet, I guess. I definitely feel wider. And that's gotta be worth something, right?
The main reason why I am concerned about "treating" shortness as a deformity, is because I've got two little boys I'm trying to turn into men and they will probably be short and I don't need the culture continually telling them that short is wrong, or weird, or unfortunate. They'll get enough of that from their classmates. Variation in height is a part of God's intended diversity for mankind. The way I see it, we've all got enough disorders to worry about without trying to "fix" stuff that ain't broken to begin with.
So here's to short people. And tall people. And in-between people. And here's to thinking clearly about the world God created and what's broken and what's not and how to fix what is and how leave alone what isn't and about the view of the world we want our children to inherit from us.
We must make proper distinctions between diversity to be embraced and disorders to be corrected. In general, shortness is a characteristic like having green eyes or curly hair. It is to be appreciated and embraced. It is not a disorder to be corrected. My theology gives me a framework for this. Shortness of stature is not a part of the fall. Disease and injury and deformation are parts of the fall. They stand to be reversed by the advancements of technology and medicine in part in this life and the complete victory of Christ and his Kingdom in full, in the next. I am 5'5" tall. When the kingdom of God comes in it's fullness, I expect I will be 5'5" tall. (and you just might be as well-wink wink).
Why am I concerned about this? Because I am short? Maybe. But my height has never really been that big of an issue for me. In fact I think being short has helped to develop aspects of my personality and character that otherwise may have been undeveloped. I've always had more than my fair share of self confidence. There's never been much I couldn't do and being short never really hurt me in the "lady department" (as evidenced by my totally hot wife). I don't really even think of myself as short. My wife often laughs at me because sometimes I'll meet a guy who is a good three or four inches taller than me and I'll later make some comment about him being really short and she points out that he' s taller than me and I don't believe her. I feel taller than almost everyone I meet, I guess. I definitely feel wider. And that's gotta be worth something, right?
The main reason why I am concerned about "treating" shortness as a deformity, is because I've got two little boys I'm trying to turn into men and they will probably be short and I don't need the culture continually telling them that short is wrong, or weird, or unfortunate. They'll get enough of that from their classmates. Variation in height is a part of God's intended diversity for mankind. The way I see it, we've all got enough disorders to worry about without trying to "fix" stuff that ain't broken to begin with.
So here's to short people. And tall people. And in-between people. And here's to thinking clearly about the world God created and what's broken and what's not and how to fix what is and how leave alone what isn't and about the view of the world we want our children to inherit from us.
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