Addicted to Mediacrudy

I tried to read the Schaeffer book 'Addicted to Mediocrity'
but I got bored and didn't finish it.  I don't even think that it is in print anymore.
I probably shouldn't have been watching TV while trying to read it.
But, Tombstone is an awesome movie.
I love that movie, it's one of those movies that I have and will continue to watch over and over again.
It's a great movie, but it's not a great movie.
I love it, but it's not very stylistic or thought provoking.
It's a good movie to watch from the couch while working on a blog.
(have I breached the fourth wall yet?)

so check it, here's the best top ten list in the world.
TOP TEN CRAPPY MOVIES 

THAT I CAN WATCH A BAGILLION TIMES
1. Tombstone
2. Point Break
3. 13th Warrior
4. Lost Boys
5. Men In Black
6. Galaxy Quest
7. Cars
8. Near Dark
9. Big Lebowski
10. Wild Wild West

okay, so there are movies like Grave of the Fireflies or Ordinary People or Thin Red Line which are way better than anything on this list. But, I can't watch Thin Red Line everyday or even every year.

It takes a lot of energy to digest something heavy like that.
At then end of a long day there are just some things that are easier to relax with.
I go to McDonalds from time to time. It's terrible, the worst thing in the world that I can do for myself, but hey, the human condition is programmed for entropy.
(anyway, back to my cheeseburgers) It's simple, predictable, mediocre 

and the only challenge is in my body's recovery.
Given the choice, I would rather have a Big Mac any day over Fois Gras (which I do like).
However, on a day where I do take on something well done, if I am not in the right mode, it may as well be another cheeseburger of cheesy movie.  Although a creator may put a lot into a work, it will be wasted I don't put any effort into receiving the work.  You only get out of something what you put into it.

Back to McDonalds.

I know I'm not alone here. "54 million customers can't be wrong"
Yes, McDonalds serves nearly 54 customers world wide each day.
And yes, 54 million customers can be wrong.  If you've ever worked in retail you know I speak the truth.
Popularity doesn't make a thing good or right, it just makes it average.

(and to all my fellow non-conformists, popularity doesn't make something bad or wrong either, the zebra that strays from the herd dies just a well as the lemmings)

If you've never heard of the show 'Mr. Show' then you are right at home with 54 million other viewers that have never heard of Mr. Show.
It was crass comedy that was just over the heads of mainstream America,
and therefore didn't rate well and it was cancelled.
But it's only natural, that's how the bell curves (R.I.P. Firefly & Arrested Development).
The further you stray from mass appeal,
either higher (like Shakespeare)
or lower (like Russ Meyers)
then more narrow your audience is going to be.

This is why I love living in the digital DIY age.
I love that easy to use and affordable home recording, web based promotion, and file distribution has empowered so many independent musicians, artists, writers, and film makers.
I love that geeks can make movies on par with Saving Private Ryan on a shoe string budget.

People can now be as artsy, crass, and pretentious as they like and you can put it out there for all five of your friends to see.

but here is something that is awesome.

Well, getting back to my point.  I think that our appetite for mediocrity is why there is such a thing as popular Christianity versus true or orthodox Christianity is because of fast food religion (I'm so clever).

There are certain things that are just easier rather than authentic.  There are some things that are just more convenient because everyone else is going that way.  It is less complicated to recite a script when talking to your family instead of getting tangled in the commitments of intimacy.  

But when someone decides to follow God they stick out.  When you hit a bell it's the outer rim that resonates, that makes noise.  Since the beginning of humanity there have been millions of people that claimed to follow God and yet there are so few people that stood out.  

I know someone is thinking, 'but I follow God in quiet and humble ways, I serve people and pray and read my Bible and go to Church."  

Good for you. You stick to that cluster in the middle, let me know how it works out.

So the reason I've been thinking about all of this is because I was just reminded of a retreat that I went to where there was this goofy kid speaking about following Jesus.  The speaker threw a lot of things, but among them was the gauntlet. The theme was 'Get Out of the Boat'.  The idea was that following Jesus meant going where mortal man cannot go, walking on water (don't do it, I've tried), and that following Jesus put you on a supernatural journey.   He challenged everyone to look at their lives and see if they were on a supernatural journey.  I failed the self assessment, but I fixed it.  I have since tried to make the habit is taking up the 'God sized task', Blackaby's idea that you see God work when you take on the challenges that only God can do.  By acting in a way that makes you trust God, you get to see him work.

It makes sense for me to hear atheists say that they don't believe in God because they have never seen God.  What concerns me is when Christians say they believe in God but have never seen him.  Once again, you only get out of something what you put into it.

META-TRIBES #2

Read this doc on Scribd: META-TRIBES #2 'Secret Identities'

Randy Pausch

Okay, I know this is the most watched video in the world right now.

And thus mainstream and not in line with my blog.

I don't care.

There comes a time when anti-conformity must give way to what is profoundly authentic.

This man deserves our respect, his work deserves to be seen. 

Godzilla

I loved Godzilla when I was a kid.

I would search the newspaper TV guide every Sunday to find out if there was a G-movie showing.

About once every six months there would be, at like 2 am.

I would sneak out of bed try so hard to stay away to watch it, but at the age of ten, 2am is a tall order.  I would usually get to see the opening credits and then fall asleep after 30 minutes of Japanese actors talking about some environmental issue like smog, underwater nuclear testing, or dumping trash in space.

Good thing Godzilla stopped all of mother natures creatures that were sent to punish humanity for destroying the Earth.

Now days you can get every Godzilla movie re-mastered, letter-boxed, and have the choice of subbed or dubbed, complete with production extras and original trailers.

But for some reason I just can't seem to dish out the bucks to include G-movies into my library.

But some how Scorpion King made it in...

STEFANIE WOODS

QUOTES FROM AN TEEN THAT ROBS 9 YEAR OLD GIRLS.

This is what our culture is producing...

"Who doesn't like money? I mean, I don't know."

Reporter asks, "Do you have any remorse about stealing from a 9-year-old girl?"

Stefanie Woods responds, "I mean, right now, no. I'm kinda pissed because I have charges, and we have to give the money back anyway."

"I know it's a crime, but it was an easy crime."

"I'm not sorry, I'm just pissed that I got caught,"

"We went through all that effort to get it, we got all these charges and we had to give the money back. I'm kind of pissed,"

If Ian MacKaye were here, 

he would grab that Frappuccino out of her hand 

and smash it over  her head and say,

 "Chill Out"

...maybe I'm thinking of Schwarzenegger. 

The latest report is that Woods went back to the Mall with her friend to harass the little girl and taunt her.

okay, I just found this...

I just finished Dexter season 2, which is weird 

because it takes place in Florida just like this story.  It made me think about a lot of things.  Like vigilanteism.  I love comics, but the heroes are vigilantes.  They have no accountability.  Sometimes I find myself wanting legitimate authorities to have more accountability, so why would I be entertained by people that dish out judgement without any refereed investigation?

I think one of the many reasons why the concept of the Christian God is so unpopular is the idea that no escapes judgement.  There is a force above human systems that knows every hidden deed, every bit of darkness in our hearts and minds, and that all of it will be judged.

Every once in a while I catch myself wanting to see unhindered justice, and I want to see it come down hard.  This is usually when I see some irresponsible parent letting their kids run wild.  But, I'm not innocent either...

A friend of mine told me that to see evil you don't have to look much further than yourself.

ouch.

What kind of world would it be if everyone stopped holding each other (or their children) accountable because of their own guilt?

This is what our culture is producing...

Polly Tics

I don't like politics.

I try to avoid the subject and redirect whenever possible.  People have strong opinions about politics and it gets emotional pretty fast.  But, I have this blog...so...here we go.

Let's start with a positive...

I love America, I think it is the best country in the world because true virtue cannot be forced, forced virtue can only have the outward 

semblance of virtue.  I agree that all men are not angels and that we do need government.  I think that America has done more positive than negative (maybe it's a close call, I'm not that up on my history). 

And I love being able to voice my thoughts, even if they are uninformed or too naive or too cynical.

Why I lost faith...

I don't like the idea that faceless corporate entities can control the political will in this country.

I don't like the idea that our culture places higher value on power and profit over human rights and civil liberties.

I understand the concerns of people outside our borders, their concerns about the 500 pound gorilla of materialism and corruption influencing their culture.  

So...if you hate corruption and you are thinking of going into politics...do it, you have my vote.

Why I reluctantly vote...

I've often heard that I have a civic duty and I agree with that.  I would love to love to vote, and I will when there is a candidate that is wealthy enough to campaign but doesn't have any ties to pharmaceuticals, defense contractors, oil companies, insurance carriers, or any other profiteering ********s.

here's neat site  2008 Presidential Election

My personal priorities...

As a spiritual man I am more concerned with spiritual activism than political activism.

It takes a lot of personal investment to stay reliably informed on politics (I don't trust mainstream media either, but that's a different blog) and it's hard enough for me to just maintain a stupid blog let alone all my other immediate responsibilities.

But, since politics is tied to social justice (a very big spiritual issue, btw- I'll try to do a blog on genocide and human trafficing) I suppose there is something that I can do make sure the least evil candidate is put in office.

Barack Obama 

Hillary Clinton

Mike Huckabee 

John McCain 

Ron Paul 

My response to fear based activism...

Many that subscribe to my religious views would say that you have to have freedom of religion to have spiritual freedom.  I do not agree with that.  I think that the opposite is what is seen in the story of the birth of the Christian church and can still be seen today.  The fastest growing church is the underground church, this exists in areas where Christianity is prohibited and persecuted.  

My response to politicizing faith...

I see great humanitarian initiatives come from the freedom and financial resources of the western church, but...I don't fear the loss of God moving in communities or myself because of what a culture or government would say that I could or couldn't do.  I just don't feel threatened by policies that go against my beliefs.  I guess it's easy for me to say these things while I am safe in suburbia.  I might feel differently if my home was bulldozed, my baby killed, or my wife publicly lynched.  I hope that I would be able to wish grace for people that would hurt me, but I have to acknowledge that grace comes from God and all I can do is hope to be blessed with divine love when I am put to the test.

my comic check list