Home of the jester in the court of the ragtag soldiers.
Archive for August, 2009
Another Song For A Small Circle Of Friends
Aug 31st
I have wonderful friends. Oh yes. They are.
I am honored and humbled to call them friends. They are living proof God blesses us, in some cases far more than we deserve. Yet He blesses us all the same.
I have friends who are in the midst of all kinds of trials; physical ailments and heartbreaking scenarios. Sometimes both are hitting them at once. Yet they ask me how I’m doing, bringing comfort and concern and care.
God bless you all.
I pray I lift your spirits half as much as you do mine.
Sunday Doubleheader
Aug 30th
Remember when major league baseball had doubleheaders on Sunday?
Anyway, here are my posts from yesterday for the Examiner.
Christians versus the corporate culture of contempt
Someone who knows how to conduct himself with honor.
One of the fundamental issues facing an evangelical Christian is how to comport themselves in the workplace. Certain elements are obvious. Primary among them is the need to be a witness by how you do your job and deal with the necessary interpersonal elements of different people coming together to meld their individual talents with the goal of creating a synergistic whole. Work hard, be honest, conduct yourself with honor. Granted, the more sarcastic among us comment on the applicability of Ephesians 6:5-8 when payday rolls around. But the basics remain the same.
Let’s look at the concept of conducting oneself with honor.
A recurring theme in Star Trek: The Next Generation and variations thereof whenever Klingons were involved was the individual living, and when called for dying, with honor regardless of how others and/or organizations went about their business. Yes, this is fiction (sorry, Trekkies), and the militaristic Klingon social order bears little resemblance to the average business environment even when the only item needed to complete the boss’ Napoleon complex is a tri-corner hat. This noted, there is a corollary to the assorted situations faced by Lieutenant Worf and a Christian in the workplace when said workplace defines ethical and moral behavior in entirely different terms than the Scriptural standards in regard to same.
In the corporate world there exists a malaise permeating a multitude of businesses large and small. It is a culture of contempt: contempt for the laws of God and man whenever they interfere with the pursuit of financial gain, contempt by management for staff for not creating wealth quicker and staff for management’s determination to treat them as chattel; serfs to be disposed of whenever the mood strikes. It is greed and pride come together to form a most unholy union.
It is an environment in which too many Christians are caught.
Just as a believer is called on to reject the mindset where men see woman as sexual playthings and women see men as providers not of love but rather social status and material wealth, so must a believer reject the aforementioned malaise of the culture of contempt by refusing to indulge in such practices regardless of how others in their place of employment, regardless of position, go about their affairs. This is not optional. It is woven throughout the tapestry of faith in Christ held on to in and in spite of a fallen world.
Such a determination to follow Christ first will bring about conflict. It is at best difficult to conduct oneself with honor when in the employ of a company without honor. When a company demands dishonorable conduct as standard operational procedure, with those refusing to participate facing discipline, demotion or termination, the economic reality of needing an income clashes with the obligation to follow Jesus regardless of personal cost. A difficult place in which to be, especially if you have a family for which to provide.
Courage never comes cheap. Quiet subservience and compromise are easily rationalized. Facing the evil is never easy when it’s you against seemingly the entire company. One can sing the “God will take care of me” song all day long. However, that doesn’t put food on the table, keep a roof over your head and keep your kids clothed. Certainly God does work directly in our lives, moving people and events in a synchronized fashion we could never hope to understand. He works through individuals and organizations we cannot imagine could ever be used by Him for the betterment of His followers. Yes, He does take care of us. Ofttimes, though, this entails our using the tools He places at our disposal. It’s up to us to not complain about God not miraculously curing our headache when there’s a bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet!
So how do we go about conducting ourselves with honor?
In a manner unobtrusive to the workflow, network with fellow believers in the workplace. Talk to each other, share with each other, pray for each other, watch out for each other. Do not make a go of it in isolation. Lone wolves cannot stand against a wolf pack.
Heed the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:26-27: “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” You will be tested. You will be asked to compromise. You will be attacked and accused. Shake it off. Don’t fight hellfire with hellfire. It’s not an option for a believer. Demonstrating it doesn’t bother you is an option. Seize it. Besides, it’s much more fun to drive your adversaries berserk by being nice to them.
Do your job well regardless of the maelstrom that is office politics and pettiness. Speak, write and act with calm accuracy. Be wise in always saving such materials as you may need in self-defense. Propose a better way when the wrong way is suggested; better not only in that it is right, but better in terms of viable profitability to your employer. Its primary concern is making money by any means necessary. So make some for it. With the right means and ways.
We who believe are anathema to the corporate mindset. Our values are different. Our goals are different. We have been called upon and commanded by Christ to conduct ourselves with honor, even when employed by a company without honor. Let us do so, supporting and caring for each other as we together face the challenge of living in a world where the love of money and its companion the worship of self is indeed the root of all evil.
May we always conduct ourselves with honor.
Of Christ and caffeine
Some things naturally go together.
The question occasionally arises as to why Christians, especially those of an evangeical bent, are so fond of coffee houses.
The answer is quite simple.
We like coffee.
Okay, slightly simplistic there. We like getting together with each other over coffee.
In Castro Valley, it was widely lamented when Pryfogle’s first moved to the location presently occupied by Trader Joe’s and then closed. It was in its original location a perfect combination of Christian bookstore and coffee shop, a place where one could simultaneously relax in comfortable surroundings with fellow believers and be refueled.
Let’s face it. It’s not like we’re going to be hanging out at bars. Even fern bars. If any still exist, that is. Still, we like to get together in a setting other than church. What better than a place conducive to conversation? What better to converse over than something demanding a certain amount of time to consume? And unless you’re pounding down java at the office trying to survive the day — you know, conducting yourself with honor — one is best advised to sip your coffee.
The regrettably out of business Pryfogle's.
Believers need time with each other when it’s not structured and formal and everyone is on their best behavior. In other words, not church. Church is good, church is great, church is vital in the life of a believer. But we don’t all go to the same church.
We do all follow the same Christ.
If we all spent more time together over a cup of coffee, so many things would improve. We could get to know each other better. We could talk out and work out the differences that often divide believers. We could strengthen the common bond between believers. We could spend more time laughing together, crying together, caring and sharing together.
More time celebrating Christ’s love together.
More time loving each other as fellow believers in Christ.
Now that would be a good thing.
Here’s hoping for another Pryfogle’s soon.
Some Boring Technical Geeky Stuff
Aug 29th
I’ve added a plug-in here to make the site appear slim and trim on an iPhone and I suspect other mobile devices. I’ve also changed the video player to handle MP4 files, and am starting to include the <video> tag introduced in HTML 5 so said videos will work on an iPhone. The downside to doing it this way is that when the site is viewed in Safari (the desktop version) the videos all appear twice. They should appear once in all other browsers, mostly because none of them support the tag yet!
And that’s it for geek news. 
The Less Said About Today The Better
Aug 28th
Which pretty much says it all.
Suffice it to say I am not a happy camper.
I’ll leave it at that.
Other than I need lots of prayer right now.
Thanks.
Who Will Be My Friend?
Aug 27th
In the course of beginning the work for the next book, I’m rediscovering the music from the artists who’ll be included. One of them is Andy Pratt. If the name is unfamiliar, an introduction is in order.
As I mentioned in the afterword to God’s Not Dead (And Neither Are We), it was 1972 when I first heavily immersed myself in music, this being sparked courtesy of the song “Dreidel” by Don McLean. Details are in the book (hint hint). Anyway, one of the radio stations I listened to for hours on end was KJOY, an AM station in Stockton. Its format was a mix of Top 40 and assorted FM rock cuts. Sort of a precursor to adult alternative. Anyway, in 1973 for several weeks they had a song on their playlist that fascinated me as it came squeaking out the speaker on my clock radio, the one that had tubes and would occasionally start blasting nothing but a screeching sound until I slapped it on its top. Which I did too hard one day and broke the case. But I digress; back to the song in question.
It was an piano-based Americana singer/songwriter epic telling the story of a woman who had hooked up with an outlaw and subsequently took revenge on him for the suffering he put her through. Or at least that’s what it sounded like it was saying. Discerning lyrics through the aforementioned clock radio was a bit of a challenge. Anyway, the song was loaded with hooks and melodies; genuinely brilliant stuff.
There was just one problem.
I never learned who did it.
Either the DJs who in retrospect were probably too stoned to have the slightest idea what they were doing never announced it or I never caught the name. Even worse, although I had a pretty strong hunch what the song’s name was, much to my dismay it apparently never registered high enough on the singles charts to be included in the 45s carried at the local Woolworths or Value Giant which were the record stores in my hometown. So I never bought a copy.
In following years, once in a great while the song came to mind. Usually whenever I heard the name featured prominently in the song, given that outside of cartoon strips and a musical it wasn’t all that common.
Annie.
Avenging Annie, to be precise.
Well, there was Annie Herring of 2nd Chapter of Acts fame, although she didn’t exactly fit the profile of an outlaw. Although I should try to get in touch with her and see if she’d be interested in being in the book. Thanks for reminding me, me! But back to our story.
Fast forward several years to 1982. I read in CCM magazine (this was years before I did any writing for them) about this secular musician who had become a Christian and recorded a New Wave-ish EP titled Fun In The First World. Which naturally I ordered from my local Christian bookstore. It arrived. Listened to it. Loved it. Played it to death, lamenting its brevity and looking forward to a full-length release.
Never heard another word about the artist.
Two decades plus later, and I’m mulling over Christ – Soul – Rock & Roll. I say to myself, “Self… wonder whatever happened to that guy who recorded Fun In The First World. Gotta be something on the Internet.” So off to Google I go.
Oh, yeah, that’s his name. Andy Pratt.
Oh look, he has a website. Still making music.
Oh look, here’s his bio.
Oh look, here he is talking about a song he recorded in 1973…
Yup. “Avenging Annie.”
And all these years I never connected the song with the artist who did Fun In The First World.
Dagnabit!
Anyway, I’ve been making up for lost time ever since. Been filling in my collection with his catalog as swiftly as finances permit. Made contact. He’s graciously agreed to be in the book.
Hopefully when it comes out, it’ll encourage others to discover this marvelous, pathetically overlooked artist.
It’s thoughts like this that keep me going.
P.S. Here’s Pratt doing a achingly beautiful solo version of “Who Will Be My Friend?” from Fun In The First World:
And of course the song that started this whole quest for me, “Avenging Annie”:
Collective Soul Brings The Goods (And The Good Stuff)
Aug 26th
As has been noted before, I have a strong affection for Collective Soul. So how could I not write about its new record in my latest post (which will be there in a bit) for the Examiner?
Collective Soul, the Atlanta rockers led by Ed Roland, are a rather unfashionable lot these days. Despite a lengthy string of hit records and singles, the band’s stubborn adherence to tightly controlled melodic hard rock has left them on the outs of music intelligentsia. Too aggressive for adult contemporary, too tuneful for alternative, not old enough for classic rock, not young enough for teenyboppers. Simply put, in 2009 Collective Soul doesn’t fit.
Thankfully, as evidenced on the band’s new album Collective Soul it could care less.
Collective Soul, the band’s second self-titled release (its original name Rabbit was pulled — no pun intended — at the last minute) is from start to finish a solid piece of work chock-full of its trademark sound: rich, hook-laden melody delivered with classic hard rock’n'roll gusto. Collective Soul heralds back to a day when it was possible for a hard rock band to get on the Top 40 without succumbing to the dreaded power ballad disease. Not that the band is all screamers with no dreamers; quieter moments are available. This duly noted, when Collective Soul turns it down it doesn’t turn down its intensity.
Roland’s songwriting has never approached lyrics as a throwaway element. Although preferring not to publicly categorize his own beliefs, the unmistakable influence of his upbringing as a preacher’s kid is woven throughout his body of work. Collective Soul is no exception. The references to Christian thoughts and mores aren’t as overt or prevalent in Collective Soul as was the case in its 2007 predecessor Afterwords, although “Lighten Up” is unmistakable in its roots as the lyric chides one unwilling to come to terms with faith. However, when Roland directly addresses these things he does so with raw, emotive power.
The record’s ending track, “Hymn For My Father,” is a tribute to Roland and his brother Dean’s father who passed away a few years ago. Delivered with the simple, devastatingly powerful structure of nothing but piano and Roland’s lone voice, it not only affirms the love of a son for his father but also notes his beliefs are followed by his son. He may cringe at the statement, but with “Hymn For My Father” Ed Roland outs himself as a believer.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/collective_soul_welcome_all_again.flv]
“Welcome All Again” by Collective Soul from Collective Soul
The Party Never Ends, But Alas I Must Pace Myself
Aug 25th
I regret the paucity of posts lately. It’s not that I don’t have things I want to write about (whether I actually have anything to say is entirely your call, gentle readers), but as of late time and energy are not my allies. This madcap carefree existence can be such a consuming beast.
I’ve found myself developing the habit of whenever whatever gray matter I have in a functional state comes up with that which makes a lightbulb magically appear above my head immediately grabbing my semi-trusty iPhone, opening the Notes application and… um, making a note of the idea. Otherwise it’s guaranteed to be gone as swiftly as it arrived. I used to have a mind like a steel trap. Alas, as of late it seems to have developed a thick coat of rust. And without a can of mental WD–40 to be found.
Snarkiness aside, lately I’ve learned a valuable lesson. I cherish the ability to write, however modest mine may be. Running alongside this is the realization of how I need to discipline myself and, to borrow a phrase from Bono, not let the bastards grind me down. There is work to to do here, at the Examiner and with the new book project. I can’t let “them” distract, discourage or disillusion me. Ever.
Pray for me that I won’t. Thanks.
ADDENDUM: Lest there be misinterpretation, I am not referring to the day job in the above.
Thoughts For When You’re Trying To Alleviate Workplace Stress
Aug 24th
Man, I wished they would have played this at my senior prom.
Then again, they may have and I would never know, given that I couldn’t get a date to my senior prom despite asking literally a dozen different classmates. Ah well. Such is the stuff of teenage angst.
P.S. Remember, I grew up on this music. Which probably explains a lot…
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/tubes_white_punks_on_dope.flv nolink]
Thoughts For When You’re In A Weird Mood
Aug 23rd
When you’re at a wedding and this song is the first one played at the reception by the new wife’s request, the relationship may not last long…
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/tubes_dont_touch_me_there.flv nolink]
The Ivory Tower Now Has WiFi
Aug 22nd
I freely admit there are times — many times — when I am caught by surprise at someone commenting on something I’ve written. It’s not false modesty (here, I’ll save you the trouble of saying it… “dude, any modesty coming from you would be false”) to say it’s rather astonishing when it happens. Not that I’m so self-abasing as to believe my modest scribbles are unworthy of public attention. Reference the false modesty comment above. Rather, it’s observing how regardless of its public nature when published, writing is a solitary exercise. You have your say on whatever the current topic may be, slap it on the server, and away it goes. I like the illustration Kris Klingensmith of Barnabas uses in God’s Not Dead (And Neither Are We) about how making records is like shooting arrows over the horizon. Same deal with blogging, or twittering, or column-ing. You can try to aim your words. But you don’t know who you’re going to hit.
Which is a good thing, really.
It makes you more cognizant of what you write.
One of the quandaries every writer faces is how much of themselves they wish to reveal. Certain parameters are obvious: don’t talk about how hot some girl you know may be when your girlfriend reads your blog, keep your workplace commentary muted in case one or more co-workers decides to see what you’re up to online. Setting aside such common sense considerations, if you’re writing about something slightly deeper than what you had for lunch yesterday, aside from those times when you pen impersonal intellectual exercises you’re going to have an internal debate as to whether you actually want to talk about it.
Whatever ‘it’ may be.
Back in the days of yore, one could lay it on the line as much as their heart desired without fear of it coming back to them. There was a gap, a separation between artist and audience. The most personal contact possible was a letter. Now, the era of social media has erased the space. Very, very few communicators are not in some form making a direct connection with their audience off stage as well as on. The ivory tower now has WiFi.
While this has broken down the artificial barriers that previously existed between artist and audience, it has also put the artist — yes, good writers are artists — in a far more vulnerable position than was previously the case. Regardless of the reality, direct communication imparts a feeling of familiarity between those involved. At least one of the two parties involved feels as if they ‘know’ the other person. Why not? If you’re out there spilling your guts, someone is going to get the understandable notion you’re trying to establish a personal connection. If that’s not your intention, you’d better pull back pronto.
That said, if you are trying to communicate something more substantive in an artistic sense than what you had for lunch yesterday — which probably wasn’t all that artistic — you accept the penalties that come with the territory. You don’t know who’s going to read what you write. You don’t know how they’ll react to or interpret your work. And you have no say in the matter. Shoot your arrows. Some will find them sweeter than Cupid’s, some will find them poison.
Attempting to communicate truths of a spiritual nature falls under much the same parameters. The true minister does not speak impassively or impartially. They not only believe their message, they bleed their message. Any other approach, anything else is vapid yarnspinning. The true ministers give of themelves, accepting the accompanying times of exhaustion and sorrow as part of the joyful penalty that comes with picking up your cross and following Christ.
Inexorably tied into this is the realization that one must carefully put together and filter their words prior to committing then to print. As noted earlier, you don’t know who’ll read them. You don’t know who God is going to bring into contact with them. You don’t know how He will use them. You do know you’re responsible for them. Throwing whatever crosses your mind out there in the cause of verbage for verbage’s sake? Never an option.
Speak as best you can. Speak from heart, head and soul. Speak ever mindful of where your words may land. And speak minus the belief you deserve a mass audience. Appreciate those who take the time to read your words, especially those who respond.
Shoot your arrows over the horizon. But, make sure they’re worthy of whoever they may strike.
