Music: I'm in a retro mood

I have been going through my 300 old tapes under the bed lately, because I (aided by some serendipitous browsing at the library by my 14-year-old daughter) have been transferring my old casettes to CD's. Neither car has a casette player, one of the boomboxes casette doesn't work, etc . . . So like many, we turned into a CD-listening family. And untila bout two weeks ago, I had no clue what to do about my tapes, except -- to my wife's annoyance -- keep them. But not I can CD-ify them, so have been working on that as a spring/summer project.

Well, I ran across one last night that I was kind of dreading listening to again, because I really liked this guy, bought about 5 albums, went to a concert or two, but he has disapeared from the CCM and Christian Rock scene after an ugly attempt to "cross over;" Anyway, I thought the music would not hold up, that I'd be disappointed, blah blah blah, but I went ahead anyway and listened to a couple of old Mylon LeFevre albums.

Let's be honest about Mylon; the LOOK UP project did not work (it is not even available on the website store, though I did not dig through every page), and shortly thereafter he headed into worship leading and a teaching ministry, disappearing by his own choice from my radar screen -- until digging under my bed last night for music between Justus and the Level Heads. There this tape was.

You know what? Sheep in Wolves' Clothing and Crack the Sky still hold up as fun musical experiences. They are definitely 80s albums, you can't hide that, and the theological depth is not on the scale of The Choir or Rez or DA, but for what they are trying to be, they succeed. Straightforward, Southern gospel rock that even after twenty years made me smile again.

An Inordinate Fondness For Beetles

This is an expression that a famous evolutionist coined in determining what God must be like. He answered, that based on his obervations of the material world, God must have "an inordinate fondness for beetles." The statement purports to place man in his proper context by showing the wide variety of beetles. It is meant to be a statement that calls into question God's role in Creation. I think the statement points out God's creative whimsy. I am very comfortable with the statement, and what it ways for God and us. It reminds me that not a single bird can fall to the earth without His knowing. Similarly, not a single beetle was designed without his care.

Called, Chosen, Invited, and Welcomed

These are all New Testament words that are used to describe the overtures that God makes to man. I am not a scholar of the original languages, and make no claim to be, but it seems that there are fundamental differences in these terms that may be significant. "Many are called, but few are chosen" is one of the most intiguing passages in the Scriptures, and I think it is significant as an indicator of God's and our separate and distinct roles in salvation. Then we run across Luke 19:5, where Jesus interacts with Zaccheus. In this case, Jesus clearly announces his intention to relate to Zaccheus, who responds by "welcoming" him to his home. Was he called, chosen, or invited . . . what was Jesus' role in this interaction, and what was Zaccheus'? Then we get into predestination and free will, and my mind explodes . . .

I AM STILL GOING TO LINK TO IT!

It has been pointed out to me that Cornerstone Magazine has ceased publication, and it has been suggested that maybe I should stop linking to it. I don't think I am gong to take that advice.

You see, the vibe of C-Stone Mag is similar to what I am trying to convey here, so the link sends a message about this blog. And don't forget that there are some valuable archives at the site, as well as links to the fest and other important sites and info.

The Lego Church

You have probably seen this amazing site, but if not, here is a link. Pretty good recreation of a Crystal Cathedral -style church, made out of, yes, those little plastic block you remember from childhood.

Movie Review: Peretti on DVD

The Visitation is one of my favorite Frank Peretti novels; I always thought it was under-rated, more subtle than some of his other works. Anyway, it got made into a movie starring Edward Furlong and Randy Travis, and was just released on DVD.

Let's say at the outset that Christian movies have made a huge leap from the days of the church basement. Scripts, actors, budgets -- they are all better than they used to be. So the problem when reviewing a Christian movie is . . . . what do you compare it to? Not every movie has Narnia's budget or Mel Gibson's personal backing, so those are not fair comparisons.

But to the movie at hand. The Visitation compares favorably to old church movies and to low-budget independent-type films. The subtlety was lost in translation from book to film, as was some of the drama. I do not remember the specifics of the book, so I can't say how close it stuck to the original, but it the movie did seem a bit predictable, and I don't remember the book being that way.

Next up -- the Steve Taylor/Michael W Smith movie.

My Catholic Teacher

Scott Hahn is a former presbyterian who "Poped" about 15 years ago and has become a leading lay apologist for the Catholic church. I am a Catholic-friendly Protestant and find his works interesting. There are some assumptions and conclusions I can't go along with, but there are many areas of commonality that I would not have expected, as well as areas of faith and practice that speak strongly to me.

His works that I have read are: Hail, Holy Queen, about Mary, who I absolutely love; The Lamb's Supper, which ties the Mass to the Book of Revelation; and Lord Have Mercy, a work on confession.

There are about 10 more, many of which I expect to read in the next few years.

Narnia vs. Harry

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe has now passed at least two of the Harry Potter movies in domestic box office, and has a good shot of edging out the third.

This bodes well for the future; we'll get some more Narnias, and maybe some others, too. We just have to support the good ones -- even if they aren't designed to be blockbusters.

Books: Hard-Boiled Christian Detective Fiction

This series is a few years old, but I just found them -- I speak of W.E. (or Wally, depending on which edition you have) Davis' Gil Beckman detective series. Beckman is a wise-cracking former cop who works security at a California amusement park, with the typical hot-and-cold relationships with the local cops whenever tragedies strike at the park. He is also a widower, so his sensitive side is never far from the surface.

The books are pretty funny, most of the violent action is off-screen, and they are a pretty quick read.

Observing Another's Grief

I just sat down and read CS Lewis' A Grief Observed -- I had not read it before, and specifically sought it out, it being about 3 months after my mother's death. I did not go through any of the doubt and questioning that Lewis did, but walking with him through his processing of joy's death did touch me.