I'm all for intensity and emotion in music.
I mean, I used to wear a bloody doctor's labcoat and rip up naked baby dolls on stage while singing a song about abortion.
I wanted people to feel my rage and anguish over the atrocities = murder that's going on in today's sterilized world. I knew I was getting in peoples' face. It was a battle I was obviously choosing to get into. Even if someone disagreed with me and went off on my performance on some blog (they'd be message boards back then, of course), I felt like I would have communicated well. Even if I didn't convince someone who disagreed with me on the issue to see my side, getting them to talk and discuss the issue was a victory in itself.
And so I'm watching the Otep video for "Warhead" this morning. The band and director Paul Brown are getting paid by the remnants of the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden himself. They really are.
Well, not really, but I bet if a member of an extremist suicide bomber terror muslim were to see their video, with images of Bush being a pig, the US spreading misery, and having gas pumps as arms (in a not-so veiled attempt to paint the war in Iraq as a greedy attempt to control oil and make money)... if my imaginary terrorist were to watch this video on Headbanger's Ball, he would smile, knowing that propaganda for his agenda was being spread openly and willingly by the USA on its young people. He might be sadded to know that Headbanger's Ball is not influencing millions of young people's minds and Otep is not leading a cultural revolution, but still this video is strongly making an emotional statement that the USA and its current leadership are evil empires that need to be eliminated.
They have the right to make that statement, just like political cartoonists will lampoon our leaders to make pointed criticism. I'm glad they have that right. I have the right, on a smaller scale, to say, "I disagree with their statement. I think their message is a load of crap. Just because I'm young (at heart) or listen to hard music does not mean I have to buy in to their politics.
It's weird having David pack up to leave this weekend.
I was glad we were able to crack open the Word and share together one last time before the day was done. He's been a good friend, and thus has been an edifying influence and encouragement to my walk with God. It'll still be fun to keep our friendship alive in the future, but certainly it's a new chapter and a difference in relating.
Man, that Korn song and video for "Y'all Want a Single" is so awesome! Needs to be said. Destroying a music store, of course, is not cool, but it's just drama.
Anyway, back to HM: I've always been in the "auto" mode of hiring replacements whenever someone left. I never stopped long enough to ask, "Do I need a replacement? Do I have to hire someone now?" I always just did it. Of course, being on "auto pilot" like that can lead to bad and prayerless decisions. Having a good ad sales person working for us (a team, actually, since there's a group on the West Coast that sells specific ads to gear companies, book publishers, and colleges) and my wife handles our merchandise sales and mailing list management, I feel confident that simply taking over the layout/design duties will be a do-able and very enjoyable thing. So, to answer a question someone left in the comments section, no I don't plan on hiring a replacement. These are job duties that are actually fun and rewarding.
I watched the Heaven's Metal Video Magazine, Volumes 1-3 last night and this morning. There was some cool, fun, and classic stuff on there. Not sure if I'll ever do any more future volumes (7+), or put the older ones on DVD, but I'd sure like to.
David Allen is leaving for Indiana this weekend. He has some very cool opportunities to do some artwork and consulting stuff for some churches. We will miss him dearly, but we're super stoked for what's in store for him. It'll be fun to watch where the Lord takes him, as he's a very special follower and he's been blessed with some art skills that he's constantly sharpening, which is impressive.
Man, in the last chapter of Judges (21), we see an example of God's people doing whatever they wanted. And the results were not cool. The men of the tribe of Benjamin ended up stealing young women for their wives. This was crazy, messed up stuff.
How our very souls cry out for standards -- rock solid guidelines that don't change with the tide of public opinion. While it might seem wise to adapt to certain things and conditions, there are some absolutes that should never be broken.
On the inside of the vinyl record (or "run off," as it's sometimes called), there are usually manufacturing and catalog numbers etched in. On Led Zeppelin's III album, however, is the creed for satanism: "Do What Thou Wilt." But that just doesn't work too well.
Wow. It's cold this morning.
I can't remember the office being this cold (I leave the heater/themorstat on about 60 when I leave), but shiver me timbers, it's cold.
It was some dark days for many of God's people during the time of Judges 17 & 18. Some spoiled kid named Micah was grown up, and his life wasn't too blessed. Maybe part of it was to blame that his mom didn't discipline him when he stole a bunch of silver from her. Or maybe it was the fact that he had idols in his house. Maybe both?
I sent the entire issue (minus a few ads) to the printer on Friday night. Every page gets converted into a PDF file, which is relatively small, and sent over the internet via ftp. The back page for this issue is really cool. It's part of an old comic that I remembered from long ago. When I contacted Cornerstone about it, I was told that it was by a classic artist, and had to start searching for him. I found him, and he was a pleasure to work with.
It is (Lord willing) the last day of deadline,
before this wonderful Norma Jean issue goes to press.
I'm jamming out to some heavy, dark, doomy goth music.
No candles, but it is quite enjoyable for laying out articles, placing ads, and editing the "Hard News bullets."
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
This is an amazing promise that has gotten His people through some dark and terrible times. Praise His Name.
PS About the comment about the anti-rock people:
Don't waste your time arguing with them. Have you ever tried to talk a racist out of his/her false belief that skin colors has anything to do with the value of a person? It doesn't do any good. These people have dug in and entrenched themselves with an idea. They usually are some of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. They equate changing their minds on the issue to losing their faith. They just won't let go.
It's sad how some people get down to "God told me so," when you boil it down, or they get desperate. Interpreting Scriptures, like, "I hate your festivals..." and "...your strange fire..." and "...unacceptable sacrifices..." get used to suit the argument that a certain style of music is what God is talking about.
sigh.
Man, what a great party/concert last night at the Red Eyed Fly in Austin. I've gotta hand it to Brandon Jones of the band Fairfax -- he knows how to book a show. Man, the people came out in droves. That lil' club was packed. My friend Daniel Tucek, who helped me set up and took some rad photos, told me he had to pee, but he was holding it because he didn't think he could make it through the crowd! That's always fun when people show up. The bands were rocking.
Josh, from Hundred Year Storm (who are included in this next issue's "Pick of the Litter," by the way) played his last show with the band, as he's heading off to Kansas to join up with International House of Prayer. He was so tickled (did I just say "tickled?") to see his picture with the Drama Dust girls in the last issue. He told me he'd been getting a hard time about that (but now those girls are famous, thanks to the ABC show Wife Swap).
The great slam/beat poet guy Peter Nevland was there, just hanging out and enjoying the show. It is always neat to catch up with him and get his perspective on what God is doing, his zany travel stories, and whatnot. Being real is real cool.
1 Corinthians 13 says:
"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
I love being reminded of this and seeing where the standard or "the bar" is at so I can try to measure up. It's nice to say "I love you," but when you realize a good definition of love, you see that's it's an action verb (not a sentimental feeling).
I like this definition, too:
Love is a commitment to serve; no matter what.
PS I bet our former ad sales director, Wesley M. Denton, is having fun today at the inauguration. He works for a senator in DC. I hope security is super tight there.
Just about every day, when I log onto our website to begin leaving my blog, first I look up the five most recent comments. They are always "Propecia" or "Viagara" or "Online Poker" or some stupid (oughta be illegal) spam message. It's always on an old blog, too. And it's random. Someone programmed a "robot" or software program that searches the internet for blogs with comment entries on it, and it automatically adds comments. I have over 15,000 comments on my staff blog section alone -- then 5 or 6,000 in the album and dvd review sections. Some day soon after deadline I will close up all the old blog comment entrances, so on older blogs no one can leave comments any more. I will keep all new blog comment entrances open, and once I get "caught up," I will make it a habit to close up the comment entrances on anything older than one month.
It's so cool when real people comment on our website. It makes it fun and interactive. This will remain a constant. No one usually comments on blogs or online articles that are more than a month old, and the comments that we make will stay locked on the site so people can read them forever, but adding to them will expire in a month.
I hope stating all this doesn't slow down or curtail the commenting that's been happening here lately. It's so fun to read comments and see others' perspective. I just thought I'd explain why ocassionally we'll see some goofy spam blog comment around here.
I made some strong coffee this morning. I'm drinking out of my favorite mug -- a huge Starbucks mug that says "Portland." Lots of Vanilla creamer, too. Ahhh.
In 1 Peter 4, we are reminded that Christ has suffered in the flesh; and are exhorted to "arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."
It's interesting how pursuing such lusts are really mostly all acts of selfishness. When we can focus clearly and seriously set our "course" for the will of God, it allows us to serve others with peace and joy (both of which usually can't be had in selfish pursuits). It's a sobering admonishment -- to live for the will of God. His purposes sometimes conflict with our plans, but His ways are always better.
Judges 16 tells a famous yet sad story. It is of a great and strong man who had a glaring weakness -- women. (Such a loser! Who would fall for a woman? hehe)
I've often looked at Delilah, Samson's squeeze, as a canniving traitor -- a background character that kept lying to Samson. But when I look at the bribe she was offered, (now) it's easy to see why she deceived Samson. She was approached by the rulers of the Philistines (not sure how many, but probably several), who each offered her eleven hundred shekels of silver. That's a lot of money! Let's say there were six rulers... That's 6,600 shekels of silver! Wow. It's hard to admire the "bad guy" in a story, but this Delilah was certainly shrewd (and a good actress).
Samson, while falling for the lies of this woman, wasn't so dumb himself. When asked about the secret of his strength, he kept coming up with creative answers that must've kept the Philistine leaders busy. I can see them looking for fresh thongs that have never been dried with which to tie him. How they must've been shocked when Samson broke them "as easy as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame."
I never could figure out why, in the face of Delilah's whining, "You have made a fool out of me...tell me how you can be tied..." Why didn't Samson ever say, "Why should I tell you the secret? You keep trying to bind me. What's your problem?"
His end result was pain and misery, though he did exact revenge on the Philistines, slaughtering more in his death than all he killed in his life.
Today has been a relaxing day, although it's taken emotional strength to "keep on" our girls about cleaning up their rooms. They are disaster areas, with clothing and toys everywhere.
Anyway, while making some queso and chips to watch during the NFL playoffs this afternoon, I heard some familiar music coming from my 8 year old's room. It was my voice, singing the song "Rebuke" from our Fun Fun Feeling album. Then came "Big Bang." I had to stick my head in the door and see the look on her face. She smiled and said, "I thought you'd find that familiar."
That was a strange, fun feeling.
In Judges 3 we see an example of God's people being tested by God (God left a few nations around Israel as a test to see if they'd obey Him and also to train the younger generations in war). His people began to give their sons and daughters in marriage and worship their gods. God was angry and gave them over to slavery. When His people cried out to Him, He sent them a deliverer, Othniel. He rescued them and they obeyed God for 40 years, until Othniel died. Then they repeated the cycle of sin and hatred towards God (the result of idolatry, in my opinion). He gave them over to another foreign power. When they cried out, He raised up another deliverer, Ehud, a left-handed man (that's an interesting detail, isn't it?).
Ehud is a hero in the vein of Rocky and Arnold. He went to the king of Moab, who was a fat man (another interesting tidbit). As he was leaving, he turned around and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king ordered his servants to be quiet and they all left him. Ehud said he had a message from God, and when the king rose from his seat Ehud plunged an 18-inch double-edged sword into the king's belly. Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. Then he went out on the porch, shut the doors of the upper room behind him, and locked them. When the servants came and found the doors locked, they said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room" (another delightful detail). It says they waited "to the point of embarrassment," until they could wait no longer, they took a key, opened the door and saw their king fallen to the floor, dead.
Ehud escaped, gathered his people by blowing a trumpet in the hill country of Austin (er, um, Ephraim, actually), and they rushed into Moab and took them, striking down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong. That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for 80 years.
Compare those grisly details of chapter three's first 30 verses (who some might say were innappropriate for children or overly violent) with the minimal details of verse 31:
"After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel."
Somehow I can almost relate to Gideon, who we're told in Judges 8 was exhausted and asked for bread for his worn out troops, who were on their way to conquer another army. He kept on going, even though they were all tired.
That's kinda what deadline is like sometimes. I'd love to stop and rest, but this work's gotta get done. It's a quiet joy, though. And it's very satisfying to see it done.
...You learn to live again.
It's times like these
you give and give again
It's times like these
you learn to love again
It's times like these
time and time again..."
(love that song)
And speaking of songs, there's an old Leviticus song, called "Deborah and Barak," which is about the battles described in Judges chapter 4. Barak was reluctant, but turned out to be a hero because he did obey. A woman (Deborah) was leading God's people at that time. That's very interesting...
There's also another gruesome scene towards the end of the chapter, where another woman (Jael) drives a tent peg through the temple of Sisera as he slept. Gnarly.
I love what the Secretary of Defense remarked to his bent-on-protesting-Lockheed son in last night's episode of 24. I also love that old phrase:
If you're not a liberal by the time you're 20,
you have no heart.
If you're not a conservative by the time you're 40,
you have no brain.
:?) I'm 41 and conservative. Even though I'm a Political Science Major, I don't get into politics too much. I wonder if it's possible to divide the major issues between conservatives and liberals and see if there's a cause or root problem that exists between the two.
On to Joshua...
I think it's cool to see (three times) in chapter 21 that God's people had special towns set aside as places of refuge for one accused of murder. It's amazing that there was provision for that. It's awesome to see in chapter 22 that they built an altar and gave it the name, "A Witness Between Us That The Lord Is God." That's cool.
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal brought such a rad, refreshing bite to hard rock music. By the time Iron Maiden had its second album, Killers, released, the defining sound was at its peak. It's fun to listen to vocalist Paul D'anno and hear how he fit in with that band's sound.
eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrr....screeeeeeeeeeeeeecchhh!!!
On a different note, Caleb was a good man who trusted God. Originally sent out as one of the spies to check out the land that the Lord was about to give them, he was one of only two spies who came back with good news. The others spread fear about the "giants in the land." Caleb was still ready to go and conquer these giants 40 or so years later, when he was 85 years old. He was a strong man of faith, but he wasn't too complicated. He just took God at His Word.
At the end of the chapter (Joshua 14) it makes note that,
"Then the land had rest from war."
I think that this shows a glimpse of God's heart regarding war. Like men, he longs for a war to end. Like the land on which the war is waged, he aches for the bloodshed to stop. However, He does not say in His Word that He wishes there was never a war or wishes one had never started. On the contrary, you will see Him directing His people to invade foreign soil. Sometimes there is a need for war; but, like a good soldier, He longs for peace and an end to the fighting.
The church is the body of Christ. Church is community. Church is family. We are going to hang out with a family at our church tonight, which will be cool. Just hanging out together is an edifying thing. It's not "church," per se, but an extension of it. The relationships that we keep close are like evidence that the body of Christ is alive, when we encourage each other, pray for each other, and sometimes just spur each other on with "God talk," where our faith is built up by seeming "little things."
I dig that.
In Joshua chapter 9, God's people were tricked by the Gibeonites, who acted like they travelled from a long way away to make a peace treaty. Because they didn't inquire of the Lord, Who would've told them to stay away from that deal, they got burned.
It reminds me of salesmen that call and try to rush me into a decision. In the same way that I'm predetermined to believe nothing that's forwarded to me as email (read this), I am also dead set against buying anything from a salesman (in person or on the phone). When someone offers me a speaking gig or some big business deal, I like to say, "Let me pray about it and get back to you tomorrow," to which I usually get a good reception. It's those people that say I can't wait that I am sure are trying to scam me.
I am thrilled to think that this new issue will get finished. There was a time two days ago when I was wondering, 'Is this issue ever going to get done?' I was having a big case of procrastination. You could call it "writer's block," but it wasn't that I didn't have anything to write. I kind of knew the direction I need to go in, I just didn't want to tackle it. That's it! Instead of "Procrastination," I'll call it "Mark Ricker Syndrome." (He was a 19-year old strong and fast running back from Tehachapi that was in our league in high school. There was a certain fear around the subject of tackling him, wondering if he'd plow you over and make you look bad. Ha ha.
I read this morning about Achan, in chapter 7 of Joshua. He did what was forbidden, and took some of the loot from Babylonia and hid it under his tent. The next battle that Israel faced, against Ai, went horribly wrong. Turns out that God wasn't going to bless Israel on the battlefield when they acted this way, so He had Joshua gather all the families, all the clans, all the tribes, and God would point out the one who had secretly done this. When faced with it, Achan confessed and men were sent to his tent, where they found all the plunder. Achan's sin took him down, but also his family. That's some serious stuff.
I'm reminded of that great verse in 1 Corinthians (10:13), which states,
"No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
That is an amazing promise. When we feel like God isn't there or God isn't involved in my daily life, we are forgetting about this very active, very real promise. All our prayers and cries for a miracle could be ignoring the presence of God in our daily life -- His provision during temptation.
go trojans. i'm kinda glad they smothered the sooners.
And the officers told the people in the camp, "Stay ten football fields (1,000 yards) behind the Ark of the Covenant." The running backs and receivers in the camp (if there were any) would've known exactly how far back to stand. It's amazing that the parade of God's people as they crossed the Jordan (in Joshua 3) was so long and that the center of attention was the Ark that was carried by the priests upfront.
When they stepped into the river as instructed, the priests saw the water pile up in a heap a great distance away. I'd heard a non-believing relative (well, someone dating a relative) tell me about a special on tv that explained away the miracles in the Old Testament, about how there were places along the Nile where the water stopped at certain times, blah blah blah. That wasn't the case with this other instance at the Jordan River, because this happened during harvest, when the river was at flood stage.
That other incident was at the Red Sea, anyway... It's funny how we as people can be so gullible sometimes. If anyone speaks with an air of authority, especially if it's something we are prone to believe (like something that belittles authority or spells out a conspiracy or "confirms" a crazy theory, like aliens, etc). Sometimes I think it's good to be skeptical, and follow skepticism up with investigation. It's silly some of the things we believe sometimes.
"We're leaving in three days."
This is what Joshua told his leaders to tell all the people of Israel, as God was giving them the land He promised. It's interesting to note that God made His people fight for the land. He didn't just use magic or miracles to hand it to them. They had to take it. I'm sure some died in battle. That would be an interesting study to do: calculate how many Israelites died in the battles to claim and take over the territory.
It kind of underlines the principle that God wants us to work for things. He's not calling us to be lazy and see everthing handed to us with witchcraft or magic or even "good clean Christian miracles." Should we really expect everything we need to just appear, like manna in the morning?
I've been told that the modern day Israel experienced an 80 to 1 kill ratio in aerial combat when Egypt attacked it back in the early 70s. That is a pretty amazing statistic -- especially when you read that the Egyptian forces were equipped with high-tech fighters from the USSR. I read some information yesterday from a Christian organization that believes that the pro-Israel supporters in the church are misinformed. They've surely come into contact with fellow believers from Palestine who have told them stories of being cruelly mistreated, and thus they feel they have experienced the "other side" of the story and that the pro-Israel Christians are sadly and blindly misinformed. While I appreciate any believer emphasizing the message of peace and I have sympathy for anyone stripped of their freedom and cruelly treated, I disagree with their conclusions that war and killing is wrong. As harsh as it sounds, war is a political topic/subject. Jesus was very revolutionary in His teachings on spirituality, but He actually opposed (and frustrated) the attempts of His followers to "get political." He didn't even denounce the cruel practices of the Roman soldiers, who occupied Israel at the time. That'd be one point I'd argue with this group on: Jesus let it be known that authority was in place for a reason. He didn't instruct His followers to stop war. If there are good reasons to not go to war, that's great. Let's listen and dialog, but let's not use Jesus the Prince of Peace as an argument.
Another aspect I'd probably argue would go something like this: Israel fought for and took the land they now occupy. This kind of action is not actually very nice or "peaceful." It's the same with France, Germany, England, Mexico, and the good ole USA. If we decided to take a "no aggression; aggression is bad" approach, we would need to give all of the land in the USA back to the Native Americans. I am deeply saddened by what and how we did to those people only a little over a hundred or so years ago. But we are not going to give this land back. That's a brutal reality. If we tried to police the world and held the Bible up and said, "No more wars over land" every time a dispute arose, we'd be exhausted and we'd have to have Solomon's wisdom over who the land rightly belonged to. There are numerous disputes all over the world, where one group takes some land and then another takes it back and so on and so on.
When one party gets ousted, they are rightly upset over their defeat. When that defeated country (or remnant) vows to wipe the other country off the face of the map as long as they are alive, then it makes sharing pieces of land and keeping peace very difficult.
Some would dismiss the attention surrounding Israel and the common hatred it faces from those around it as simply the normal reaction that an aggressor would face from its neighbors. I don't quite think that this level of hatred is that simple.
Sometimes, simply sticking your head up and asking questions like this can get it taken off (in hatred) by someone who isn't interested in debate. I certainly hope that doesn't happen, nor do I wish anger to be directed at me. I'm not forcing my viewpoints on anyone. It'd be smart just to erase all this text and not post it. "Politics and religion..."
sigh.
Wow, I didn't mean for this discussion to take this direction, especially with the text from Joshua 1 as the starting point. Oh well. It's wandering thoughts from one day.
It's January...and I'm wearing shorts to work. I love Austin, TX!
There's a few places that have more beautiful scenery to look at and appreciate, but I'm very satisfied living here (although I'm reminded at how there's a pang of unsatisfaction due to a deeper longing for New Jerusalem, but that will come in the Lord's timing). It's so rad to have warm weather most of the year.
Deuteronomy 32 has a song in it, called "The Song of Moses."
The book of Deuteronomy is not often known for its songs, but this one is beautiful. It says Moses recited it in front of the entire assembly of Israel. I doubt he rapped it, but who knows?
Some beautiful text from this song includes:
"He is the Rock,
His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God Who does no wrong,
upright and just is He...
"...In a desert land He found him (Jacob),
in a barren and howling wast.
He shielded him and cared for him;
He guarded him as the apple of His eye,
like an eagle that stirs up its next
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them...
"...For their rock is not like our Rock..."
After he was done reciting these words, Moses said,
"Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you -- they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
God's Word is like a compass, but it doesn't do us much good to look at a compass and not put it (direction) into action...
Seeing how it's the beginning of the year, let me begin by telling you (anyone who reads this) that I love getting comments. So anything -- from criticism to encouragement to a simple "amen" or question, additional commentary -- is most encouraging. [If you've never commented, you can leave anonymous or personal comments just by hitting that comment link below]... God bless you.