I saw a man with a "Jesus is My Boss" hat on today and I couldn't help but chuckle at the church's penchant for corny fashion items which indicate the unique and special roles that Jesus plays in our lives. I thought it would only be appropriate to pay tribute to this phenomenon with my own new piece of wearable theology:
Buy it here.
My boss' neighbor, Charles, has a blog. I checked it out for the first time tonight and was greeted by this excellent intro:
"So I’ve been thinking about the nature of friendship and how it only works if the two parties are selfless. You give all of yourself to support them and their dreams, and hopefully, just hopefully, they will do the same for you. Now, I know what people will say. If you are being selfless expecting something in return, then isn’t that selfish? Of course it is, but everyone is selfish. That’s what motivates people. But if they were smart, they would figure out that the most selfish thing to do would be to be selfless."
Read more at todobien.blogspot.com. He's here to stay.
Interesting article from the "Revitalize Your Church" blog.
Exerpt:
Percentage of...
McDonald's franchises that did not sell a hamburger last year: 0%
Ace Hardware stores that did not sell a hammer last year: 0%
Salvation Army outlets that did not help a needy person last year: 0%
State Universities that did not educate a student last year: 0%
Airlines that did not fly a plane last year: 0%
WalMarts that did not sell merchandise last year: 0%
Methodist Churches that did not receive a member by profession of faith last year: 43%
Thanks to Church Marketing Sucks for the lead.
These t-shirts have been around for a couple of years. This article tries to explain the perspective of those who wear them.
To those who actually make the shirts, one may say "stop stitching."
This is the first pitch of last season's opening day. LINK
UPDATE: Erglantz's Flickr page has a couple of nice photos and a nice reflection on opening day.
The movie "V for Vendetta" pretty much sucked. But there was one concept that I can't get out of my head. Natalie Portman's character is held in prison and gets to this place where she no longer fears death. She emerges from prison with a newfound freedom that changes the way she lives.
I am more afraid of social death than physical death. My friend Bob who I meet with every Monday night said he doesn't like using "Satan" or "the Devil" or whatever. He likes to say "the accuser" - the voice in our head that tells us we're not good enough and that we have something to hide. The biggest lie in my head is that if people knew the real me then they would not accept me.
So what happens when we hide our weaknesses? In part, we also hide God's grace. My sins are covered by Jesus on the cross. I don't have to keep paying for them with shame and deceipt. I've got to own up to God's mercy in my life. A free Christian glorfies God by pointing to the power of the cross over sin. So on that note, I just want to say the following:
In the last month I have spent more time looking at porn than reading the Bible - and Jesus loves me anyway.
There, that feels good. The thing is, I'm not the only one. I read statistics and I talk to people. There are a lot of people like me in the church. When we hide our weaknesses we deprive our friends from the support of knowing people on the same path. We rob the body of Christ of our stories of struggle, mercy, and victory. We neuter the Gospel and create a culture of shame and fear.
We need to learn to see ourselves and our friends the way God sees us - holy and blameless through Christ's blood and the forgiveness of sins. We need to learn to live that way.
"And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
Somtimes I think of the park as "the gates of hell" - a fortress of evil impervious to light. Someone pointed out to me tonight that gates are stationary. We have to go to the gates and kick the shit out of them. Jesus already said they won't prevail.
I wonder who Jesus would say that I am?
Dr. John Perkins of the Christian Community Development Association stopped by 9th Street last night for a couple of hours and shared his heart with us. It was a wonderful time that I will never forget.
Listen to Dr. Perkins speak some truth.
I've started another blog with my Bloglines account. I keep track of about 65 or so RSS feeds on Bloglines and I've started blogging the posts that I take the time to view. The blog posts are just the URL link and maybe a word or two if I feel like it. So in other words, I'm not writing anything, just linking to stuff I find interesting. You can see what I'm reading here: LINK
By the way, if you look on our blogroll to the right here and you know of some really good blog(s) that are missing, please let me know. Thanks!
Yep, that's me. It was for some Christmas play or something and I'm there with my sister, Heidi. My mom made the costumes, crafty woman that she is. I don't remember this, but I've been told that I came down from the stage in the middle of the play because I had to pee.
She posted a nice prayer here.
The Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is probably the best in baseball. This is technically his third season in the big leagues, but in his first season he wasn't an everyday player. If Utley and Ryan Howard are the future of the Phillies, the future looks good.
LINK to article from Beerleaguer
In further baseball news, I began volunteering as the outfielder's coach for the Phillies RBI youth baseball travelling team whose home field is right in front of our house. I'm grateful to have a house in front of a baseball diamond. I take that as yet another sign of God's goodness to me.
I got this by searching for "Philadelphia" on YouTube.com. It's just a clip about a further investigation into the murders that Mississippi Burning is based on. An interesting look back.
LINK
I've been saying this for years: via Bankrate.com
10 bubble blowers -- appreciation should continue to grow
Phladelphia. Major northeastern cities may be the least expected on a list like this, so we were somewhat surprised to see Philadelphia show up in a favorable position on several reports. The NAR quarterly report showed a 12 percent increase in appreciation between 2004 and 2005, high enough to encourage people to buy homes, but not at such a dizzying rate as to spark panic purchases. The housing-cost-to-income ratio, at 31 percent, is quite favorable compared to other large northeastern cities (53 percent in Washington, D.C., and Newark, N.J., and 72 percent in New York City) and while job growth is small, it's moving in the right direction.
UPDATE: from a January 30th Daily News article:
"PMI Group, a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based research firm and mortgage insurer, gives the Philadelphia market a risk factor of 98 on its quarterly U.S. Market Risk Index. That means there is a 9.8 percent chance of a local drop in real estate prices in 2006.
Compare that with San Diego's risk factor of 588, Boston's 579, and New York City at 477. The index, which uses 1995 as a base year, ranges from one to 1,000. The smaller the number, the lower the risk.
"Philadelphia's numbers have been low for a while and even though appreciation has slowed, it's still pretty good," said PMI spokeswoman Beth Haiken.
I know some people won't get this, but I started smoking for Jesus (sorry, Mom). I don't do it often and when I do, I don't really like it. I've only bought three packs since last fall. (Step 1: Admit You Have a Problem...) Perhaps tonight will help you understand why I started.
Cigarettes are like a currency in the streets, especially in my beloved park. If I light up a cigarette within 50 feet of someone, it takes about a minute before they're asking me for a light or a cigarette. This, by the way, is also a way for guys on the down low to initiate their "relationship" so I have to make some things clear every once in a while.
I just got in from a late night stroll to the main meet-up site in the park where guys (can I be real for a second?) go to approach each other for oral sex. I had a great conversation with a 20 year old man named "B." He's bright, funny, street smart, and cocky. I love it. He was just there to smoke weed, supposedly, and he might have been telling the truth. Either way, our conversation started as so many of them do...
"Ole head. Ole head. Ole head. Ole head. Hey you, white dude. Are you a cop?"
I hate this question. Everyone in the park believes that a cop is legally obligated to identify himself/herself if asked. I always get asked. After clearing that up, B. opened up about a lot of things. We talked about race, religion, and the streets. He wondered why I was out there instead of safe at home and he was telling me that it's dangerous out there. I told him that I try to be friendly with people and don't bother anybody. I just come out there to hang out, observe, and get away from life. I told him that I've never had any problems but if anyone ever messes with me they've got "a little surprise" waiting for them. That line always works. People assume I have a gun or I'm some triple black belt or something. I have pepper spray and quickish feet. That's about it. But that line always gets a good response, so I like to use it.
After reading Alan Groves' post about flossing as an act of hope for someone who may soon die of cancer, I thought about these late night strolls in the same way. If I allow fear to take over, I'm giving up. This neighborhood should be a place where anyone can walk safely at all hours and I will keep walking out there until it kills me or things get better. B. liked this idea a lot.
The smoking piece is similar. Tonight I not only talked to B., but to three other men as well. There are very few reasons why anyone is in that park at night. I assume that everyone I meet out there is dangerous. But those people are not beyond the reach of God's grace. I don't normally mention that to them, but I try to engage on whatever level seems natural.
Notice how many times B. had to say "Ole head." I knew he was talking to me (even though I'm only 28!) but I let him come to me. Being over eager doesn't work. It makes you suspect. There is no way for me to approach anyone in this park where people keep to themselves unless they want something. I don't want sex (not from them anyway...) and I don't want drugs. If there is a plausible way to engage them, they have to come to me. When that happens, I can share the gospel with them. I may not share it explicitly, but I don't think you always have to. Besides, getting to know people in the streets is like foreplay. You gotta take it slow (er, so I've heard...). You can't blow your wad all at once or you'll lose the moment. You've got to earn it.
So I hope to see B. out there again. And I'll keep smoking cigarettes and waiting for others to come. I might be wasting my time, but I believe that it's important to try. Jesus goes after the lost sheep. In this context, I let them come to me. It's an act of hope, and a pack of Newports always helps.
p.s. - you think I'm nuts? Let me hear about it.
I'm interpreting this awesome video as a statement about copyright law and the futility of enforcing it. I love the allusions to drug busts and paraphanalia. I just love it all around.
via Apollo Pony
UPDATE: Intellectual Property's Worst Excesses - great article.
Do I love this neighborhood or do I just love myself? I went to get tags for my soon-to-be-running motorcycle today and I had total distrust (er, disdain?) for the dude at the tags place. I thought, "Is he trying to screw me over? Can I trust him? If I were back home, I know I could trust those people." That set off a chain reaction of thoughts that had me questioning if I really love this place or if I just think I'm cool for moving to the "hood" and making a little life for myself. Sometimes I think there is a fair dose of the latter, but that may just be an accusing voice that tempts me to complacency.
Right now, I seem to be easily annoyed about a lot of things. There are so many small things that grate on your nerves living here. Today I was at the bank and I saw this big plume of smoke. Some kids had dropped some kind of firebomb into a clothing donation recepticle outside of a laundromat. Well, I guess that isn't a small thing, but compared to some other things I've seen, it is. I have to admit that I thought it was a tad funny at first because that's the kind of prank I would have pulled at their age, but that sentiment faded when flames burst out of the box and began to threaten the building.
Fortunately, the fire department arrived just in time. Watching the store owner freak out made me sober up and realize that I am not immune from vandalism. That thought is with me every day. Whenever I leave the house to drive somewhere, the first thing I do is look to see if any of my truck windows are busted. I never had to do that in Indiana. I have three iron rods propped between the garage door and the ceiling joysts to provide extra security because I worry someone will break in and take my motorcycle. Someone did take one of our bicycles from our fenced in and locked back yard a while back. I carry pepper spray with me wherever I go. This is partly because I go to some dangerous places on a regular basis as part of my whole effort to learn about this place and go where Jesus would go, but it is also due to the fact that random violence is a very real possibility. My roommate Wayne got punched in the face one day for no good reason and what's to say that today or tomorrow is not my turn?
I think I'm going through this phase of shedding the romanticism I had when I was renting. I am now beginning to own the flaws of the city and of my neighbors. I never stopped to realize that these flaws came with the mortgage. As a renter, my messed up neighbors were a novelty that intrigued me and spurred new thoughts in my head. As an owner, those are the people who I'm going to live next to for a long time. Their disfunction is not as cute when it is something that will inevitably intersect with my life at some point.
So, what's in it for me? I have a strong belief that people generally act out of self interest. Sure, we'll do something selfless occasionally, but when it comes to the nitty gritty we want to get something out of it. So what am I getting out of this? Is it just the chance to be the Great White Hope? Don't get me wrong, that thought is somewhere in my brain. (A little self-disclosure here - I've actually had the thought that if I could figure out a way to fix all the problems in the park they might name it after me when I die.) Cheap living? That is one huge benefit to living here. Proximity to my friends and my church? Check, that's a plus.
I think the main reason I am here is that I still don't know what I believe about God. I believe in the Bible, but I want to take the whole notion of redemption literally. Is that too much to ask? One of the things that compels me to stay here is that I'm looking for signs of God's redemption. If I can see those signs here, then I can believe the other stuff in the Bible. I don't know if that makes sense. Basically, this neighborhood is a proving ground for the things I hope are true.
Is it then accurate to say that as the neighborhood goes so goes my faith? I don't think so. This is about relationship. I have felt quite strongly that this is where God wants me. So I'm waiting on him to deliver the goods. He may not come like I want or expect him to (sound familiar?) but I'm expecting him to come and I am expecting to know his voice when he does. I don't have a cutoff date, but I do let him know when I'm getting anxious.
I want to see this neighborhood transformed. I'm tired of some of this bullshit. I saw two crack addicts trying to order at Taco Bell today and it broke my heart. I felt bad for the young trainee behind the register and I felt a sort of helpless compassion for the crack addicts. I sat down with my food and tried to ignore what was going on. It suddenly hit me that I live in a place where crack whores walk the streets. I treat my dog better than these women are treated. No human should live like that. And yet this is the image of God. In some ways that makes sense the more I think of how I abuse him every day and I do believe there is a special place in God's heart (and even his Kingdom?) for these women.
So am I here because I love myself? Am I here to save the world? I don't think so. I have more questions than answers. If there is a hero in this story it is God. He created this place and set this story in motion. I believe he will restore Hunting Park back into wholeness through him. If he can keep me sane long enough to see the substance of these things hoped for, I will be eternally grateful. If not, I hope the relationship will carry me through.
p.s. - I feel so emotional lately. WTF?
And a Christian guy "buys" it, hiring the athiest to visit local churches as an objective critic. Interesting stuff all around.
Ebay auction site
Athiest's blog
Wall Street Journal article on church's website
Maybe driving by this will save his soul.
...that a website called MoveToPhilly.com would have a New York phone number. Otherwise, it's an awesome site. Kind of basic, but as their FAQ explains, "the average person probably couldn't handle more than these two pages of awesomeness."
Exerpt from FAQ:
Are you real estate speculators?
Nope. We encourage people to find neighborhoods they love, communities they want to live in and to become involved in quality of life issues concerning not just themselves and their (extended) neighbors. We believe that this type of community based action helps. Or could help. Or can't hurt. Citizen displacement is a reality in a lot of the rapidly changing areas of Philadelphia and many of the organizations advocating for the people trying to stay are community run, by the kind of people we're hoping will move to Philly.
Move to Philly!
At first glance, I missed a couple of key words and I was like "WTF!". Upon further inspection I found "besides me" and then I calmed down. But it was interesting how visceral my objection to the notion of no savior was. That was kind of a cool realization. In the same way, it never ceases to amaze me how our society will tolerate talk of all kind of gods, but when the name of Jesus gets thrown into the mix, everyone gets uncomfortable. I bought this iTunes video of a Marilyn Manson remake of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" a while back and I have to admit that I love it. Mr.(?) Manson, Trent Reznor, Madonna and many others have built careers out of mingling the sacred and the profane and singing about Jesus in unorthodox ways. I wonder if the popularity of such expression is due to the fact that Christianity is the primary religion of the United States or because, like the old hymn says, "there's just something about that name."
Isaiah 43:11 (English Standard Version)
"I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior."
I think I like Mobuzz.com more than I like Rocketboom.com and that's saying a lot. Anyone else want to weigh in?
I think I'm becoming a geek.
Per Josh's suggestion I checked this out today. Also read the first couple chapters of Genesis from the Message, reflecting on what I read from David looking at the word "ezer," the word most often translated as 'helpmate.'"
It's not easy being white. It's one thing to take the blame for broken levees, but now comes this story. Our ancestors fought to oppress many generations in order to maintain unequal rights and ensure that no soccer mom would ever have to answer to an uppity negro restaurant manager.
I applaud Ms. Gotleib's heroic inner strength. In one simple act of whining, she carried us all on her shoulders and exposed the absurdity and injustice of IHOP policies. Kudos to the media for making room for stories of the white experience. Take heart, dear pilgrims, take heart. We shall overcome. We shall overcome someday. 
"Do I really look like someone who needs to skip out on a bill for a few rooty, tootie, fresh and fruities?" Gotlieb said
---------
Did I wake up in The Bizarro World without someone telling me? Watch the video on this story and flip the race of the different people involved. She's talking like she's in 1960's Birmingham. This woman is ridiculous and NBC 10 is ridiculous-er for making this their top story. Had to pay in advance? Cry me a river. What a joke.
I wonder who does look like someone who needs to skip out on a bill for a few rooty, tootie, fresh and fruities? I think I saw an article in Martha Stewart Living about how trustworthy white suburban women are. It even had studies to back it up, so it must be true.
I'm sure Ms. Gotlieb is a fine upstanding citizen, but this is beyond stupid. It's hard to suggest that the media might be twisting her words because the video shows pretty clearly how she feels. I would love to hear her tell her story to my neighbors and friends. I suspect that, while she would rightly be annoyed at the IHOP people, she would lose some of her steam for going to the media crying about racial discrimination.
There is a tendancy among all of us white people to say it's not so bad anymore and everyone has an equal chance. I sometimes feel like Ms. Gotlieb when my white skin merits sneers from guys on the corner or people on the bus. In reality, sometimes we are targeted for being white. But if I don't like it, I can buy a house next to Ms. Gotlieb. By staying in the neighborhood, I opt in to any racial hostilities I may face. But I suspect that my neighbors do not have the luxury of opting out of these problems simply by change of location. Sorry for your unfortunate experience, Ms. Gotlieb, but it just doesn't compare.
I wonder if my dad's lawncare business would have been as successful if he were a black man in rural Indiana. I wonder if my high school English teacher would have given me that D- instead of the F that I earned (...and my math teacher...). I wonder if the woman I bought my house from would have still sold to me even though there was a better offer on the table. I wonder what color was the skin of that person with the better offer. I wonder if I would have gotten away with all the crap I've pulled.
There is a lot we take for granted and I wonder how much of it I have yet to understand, but the events I suspect were aided by my white skin have been huge. My teachers' mercy got me out of high school, my dad's business paid for college, my house has been a great blessing, and those are just the big things. This stuff goes deep.
It's easier to say we've all got the same access and advantages, but reality seems to indicate otherwise. Ms. Gotleib's indignation displays an offensive misunderstanding of the way things really are.
I stumbled upon a friend of mine from church here in the blogosphere. Turns out he's a great musician and a deep thinker. All I knew until today was that his son is really tall and likes baseball. Check him out:
18 Years - this song kicks ass.
Jesus is Not Glue - thanks for keeping it real, Christian.
This is officially my umpteenth post today.
"Lately it crossed my mind that flossing my teeth may not matter any more. If I’m dying, what’s the point? My teeth are in good shape (one of God’s providential blessings in my life is that I have never had a cavity.) Just think—going to bed without any pre-bedtime rigmarole. Bliss. But somehow I just couldn’t do it…And it wasn’t the guilt of abandoned habit or improper hygiene crying out to my conscience. Rather, I realized that I would be caving in (in a small way) to hopelessness. Flossing your teeth is hardly earth-shaking. But somehow, it felt like giving up. I don’t know what God is going to do with this cancer. So many people are praying for me/us. God might choose to extend my life, even bring me healing for years to come. I have not given up hope, and I’m not going to start a slide down the slippery slope." Read more.
Don't Waste Your Cancer - by John Piper
I wrote an email to MC Hammer off his blog and he wrote me back yesterday. When I did Mission Year I lived in the Oakland, CA neighborhood where he grew up. I wrote him a couple reflections on the neighborhood and the great season the A's had that year I was there. I went to a ton of games that season. He might have made "Pumps and a Bump" but Hammer is cool and now he's my homeboy.
From: mchammerblog@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Hi Hammer
Date: March 20, 2006 5:03:11 AM EST
To: ClumsyFly@aol.com
What's Up Ryan,
That was a great season! Yes, thats my old hood. I'll check out the links.
best,
Hammer
UPDATE: Hammer's latest post is some good Oaktown nostalgia.
LINK to original
I cannot express how much I love The Philadelphia Flickr Pool. Every time I open my web browser, my homepage is my Bloglines account and the first thing I look for is new Philly photos. Pretty much every time I check there is some new view from the city waiting to greet me. The Philly Flickr RSS feed helps me fall in love with this city a little more every day. Technology often alienates us from our world, but in this case it is actually shaping my appreciation for the real world around me.
Doctor My Eyes.
This is the 200th post on 9th Street Records. Thanks to everyone who's been checking us out!
I've decided that every (hopefully) morning for the next six weeks, I will write a brief post by 7:30am. Can I be honest for a second? I don't read the Bible. Well, not much anyway. I don't do devotions. I don't study. I'm lazy. I like my bed. I never liked reading the Bible and for the last year I've basically eliminated books in favor of "digital media." I'm so modern. Autographs to follow.
So this morning I read today's little entry in this book called "Daily Light" which kind of amalgamates all these scriptures along a theme and has an entry for each morning and each evening. Not really my preference, but it's what I've got laying on my desk, the evidence that all of us Christians leave out for any visitors looking for visual indicators of our faith. You know you're guilty too.
So, I'm taking suggestions on a "devotional." I'm really not wired for this type of thing, but I read so and so's article and thought it was a good idea. So, if you read this blog you know what I'm about. Got any suggestions? Drop a line.
p.s. - I read Psalm 139 in the Message after the "Daily Light" thing. There's a Delirious song that says "Investigate my life" and that's how the last stanza of the Psalm starts according to this translation. I like that. I wonder if God speaks with an Austrailian accent? God knows your native tounge.
Kind of corny, but interesting article about ants and the church.
Exerpt:
Ants don’t quit or get easily discouraged. Ants don’t give up. When ants build an anthill they are persevering to a fault. You can squash the anthill, and they immediately go back to work as if nothing happened. As comedian Brian Regan says, “You would think that they would take at least a second to look at what happened and go ‘OH MAN!’”
I find myself so easily discouraged with the church sometimes. Every once in a while for good reason, other times because I’m being completely immature. It may be through an article I read or lackluster weekend-messages, but I can often get discouraged about my current church situation. But I’ve realized I have to find a way to brush it off; I need to focus on what’s really important. I need to focus on the mission—what’s really important—not just food for the colony, but Jesus for the world.
This recording of someone flipping through New York's FM dial shortly after the breaking of news of John Lennon's death is fascinating.
Thanks Boing Boing.
This kid is awesome. Imagine if the seed of what you see here is nurtured. I love the internet.
LINK to kid lipsynching to Switchfoot's "Meant to Live."
"We want more than this world has to offer."
I used to work as the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee's Northeast "Church and Community Consultant." What a mouthful, right? In that job, I spent a lot of time talking to churches about neighborhood transformation, a notion that was supposed to connote something deeper than community development, getting at an idea of building God's Kingdom and restoring Shalom. It's pretty cool stuff and I enjoyed that job quite a bit. If it didn't take me out of Philly so much, I would have stuck with it. But alas, I felt God calling me to spend my time here trying to actually work towards transformation rather than dressing up and talking to strangers about it.
Tonight I encountered two different notions of "transformation." Both remind me of how lost and vulnerable we are and how great is our need for true transformation.
I decided to visit a local "church" in our neighborhood that has been running interesting ads on television. It was about a fifteen minute walk from my house to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (see here and here). I go by there quite a bit and always notice their large sign which reads "Stop Suffering". (Is that a command for me to no longer suffer or is it a mission statement stating that they seek to end suffering?) Well anyway, the tv ads showed people walking under a large cloth and getting healed. So I went to see what the fuss was all about.
When I arrived, there were about 8 people standing at the front of the sanctuary and the pastor was talking at them pretty good. I decided to have a seat in the pews and rejected his hand motions asking me to come forward and join them. I gave him the "Oh, no thanks. I'm trying to quit" type gesture. He asked if anyone had problems and of course everyone said they did. Then they brought out the "mantle", or large piece of cloth, and as they all clung to the "mantle" he prayed vigorously over each individual commanding evil forces to "get out!" in the name of Jesus. He had one lady walk up to the cross and touch the "mantle" and that was supposed to cure the hip pain she had been having for one day. She made the trek and came back unconvinced. But after a few more minutes of prayer, he had her jogging in the front of the church and claiming that her pain was gone.
Then everyone sat down and he asked us for money. I gave them ten bucks because he said if you give ten bucks or more you can get a free book entitled In the Footsteps of Jesus by Brazilian multimillionaire media mogul/church founder Bishop Edir Macedo. I looked at the book brieflly.
The one line that stuck out to me immediately was on page 69,
"The tithe is important for God and for the Church. In a capitalist society it is impossible for the Church to save the lost without money."
Oh, really? Impossible? I find that interesting because on page 68 Macedo quotes Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This of course was in the context of an encouragement for Christians to dig deeper when giving. He follows by saying, "Money is essential to the work of God. It can TRANSFORM the world by making the widespread preaching of the living and powerful Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ a reality."
I felt bad watching this service. Everyone seemed so desperate for hope. Each one was obviously poor. One guy was clearly homeless and another couple had a sick child. They came to this "church" to find hope and healing. They came for TRANSFORMATION. I am afriad that all they found was a scam. So I chatted with the pastor a little and told him of my skepticism. He invited me to come back. We'll see.
I began the trek back home and took a little detour at the soccer field in the park. I really like to walk around the track at night because it is more quiet there and you can sort of see the stars (tonight was cloudy though). So I'm walking on the track around the field and praying out loud to God as I often do and I say to him, "God, show me who you are." I kid you not, at that very moment I looked off to my left and saw a magazine named "TRANSFORMATION: The Magazine Created for Men Who Enjoy Being Women." What kind of answer to prayer is that? I've been carrying Grace's camera around with me and so I kicked a nearby 40oz malt liquor bottle to where the magazine was and snapped a photo. 
I don't know any transexuals very well. I know a couple from the park - one who I never knew was a man until she told me and another who is obviously male and very cool to talk to. My assumption is that it must be a terribly frustrating life. I can't imagine the forces that would make someone redo their whole image and sometimes bodies for this stuff. I will never understand that world. But I think it is very fair to assume that after a transexual goes through the process of desiring, undergoing, and completing a change there will still be a deep emptiness. I cannot believe that a sexual transformation will bring much solace to a troubled heart. And here again we have a promise of TRANSFORMATION that can't deliver.
So where is the real TRANSFORMATION? Where is hope? Where is Shalom? I'm not seeing it much when I look around. I have eyes to see this neighborhood as part of God's Kingdom and in my minds eye I see glimpses of a beautiful transformation. But I am also realistic and I have to admit that when I look at the immediatly tangible I see trash, broken relationships, greed, abuse, hopelessness, laziness, racism, anger, poverty, and lots of other bad stuff.
Will the real TRANSFORMATION please stand up? I'm not sure how much longer we can wait. Jesus, if you love this neighborhood, I'm calling you on it right now. Show me something good.
Roger Clemens' loss for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic could be the last pitching appearance for one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball.
I am quite amused to be getting an email like this from my 83-year-old grandmother. Check her out at: www.evonbecker.blogspot.com
Hmmm.... would she need to show a birth certificate to become part of the "Myspace Generation?"
Begin forwarded message:
From: Evon Becker <mombecker@juno.com>
Date: March 15, 2006 9:35:46 PM EST
To: clumsyfly@aol.com
Subject: Blog
Ryan,
Thanks. I talked to your mother and she sent me
the link and I clicked on it and now I got into my site.
You have been a big help. It is bedtime now so I
will write tomorrow.I will send it to you and then it will
be interesting to be able to post, when I know how.
That was something to have a picture there.
My email- mombecker@juno.com
password:- ########
Love you, and God bless
grandma.
I'm going back to that site for a few minutes.
Ryan Kellermeyer
ClumsyFly@aol.com
UPDATE: Grandma tries to download her podcast file. I think it's pretty cool that she's trying to learn this stuff. She's basically leapfrogging over 25 years of technological advances. She was born in 1924.
From: mombecker@juno.com
Subject: blog
Date: March 15, 2006 10:32:19 PM EST
To: clumsyfly@aol.com
Ryan.
It says the transfer rate is:
3.5 k b seconds and that changes each second, I guess
mp4 from media 24 a.libsyn.com
9.07 mb of 64.3 copied.
does this tell you how good my computer is, or fast or whatever?
grandma
Learn what it's all about from Wikipedia.
p.s. - not to be confused with St. Ides
Rudy Carrasco passes on this reflection on one of the songs in "Hustle and Flow" about the life of a pimp. Somehow we got it into our collective heads that being a pimp is funny and cool, but I've seen enough cracked-out prostitutes in the park to know that being a pimp is evil.
From the article:
Eighty percent of the women were sexually assaulted by pimps via sadistic sex; 71% of pimps use drugs to control the women; and 34% of the women received death threats from pimps personally or to their family.
—- Raymond, Hughes, Gomez, “Sex Trafficking In the United States, Coalition Against Trafficking of Women Study,” March 2001
Sixty-eight percent of girls entered prostitution before age 16.
—- Silbert and Pines “Entrance into Prostitution,” YOUTH AND SOCIETY 1982 (San Fransisco)
Forty-six percent of women in prostitution attempted suicide.
—- Parriot, “Health of Twin Cities Women in Prostitution,” May 1994
The mortality rate of women in prostitution, adjusted for age and race, is more than 200 times greater than the population at large.
—- Potterat, Brewer “Mortality in a Long-term Open Cohort of Prostituted Women,” AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, 2004. (Colorado)
This is a good article about developing a good, healthy rhythm in your life. I'm a long way off from this, but I keep wanting to get there. Perhaps I'll start this week...?
My Grandma came to town last week and while she was here I set her up on her own blog. She already sends mass emails pretty much every day, so I'm betting that she'll be a faithful blogger. You can keep up with her at (www.evonbecker.blogspot.com).
On Friday I had a handful of friends over to listen to her tell of her recent missions trip to the Philippines with her church. After spending a good 80 years as a Quaker, she recently joined the Church of the Nazarene in Spencerville, Ohio and they encouraged her to take her first missions trip at age 83. You can hear her story by following this link: LISTEN to Grandma's report. It's worth listening to the end because she has some pretty good advice. She spends most of the recording describing various pictures, but there are little gems throughout.
This woman has prayed for me pretty much every day of my life and I'm fairly certian that she is one of the few things that has kept me sane.
As much as I dislike the nightime lights on the Cira Center, it is one hell of a photogenic building. I love how it stands out like a big glacier all by itself.
Check out this Flickr pool devoted to the Cira Center.
Not the best montage in the world, but then again, neither are mine. The music is cool and there are some good shots. I like it because whoever made this loves Philly. Check it out.
I'm tired of the word "extreme" spelled in any fashion, but this particular spelling is most heinous. Nonetheless, it's an interesting article.
Props to Rudy.
If you're wondering about the Phillies' decision to trade Thome and give Howard the nod at first, check these Spring Training numbers so far:
UPDATE: Howard hit his seventh homer today.
UPDATE: 3/14/06 make it eight
UPDATE: 3/26/06 Thome has a great day: LINK
"On issues, Bush's approval rating declined from 39 percent to 36 percent for his handling of domestic affairs and from 47 percent to 43 percent on foreign policy and terrorism. His approval ratings for dealing with the economy and Iraq held steady, but still hovered around 40 percent.
Personally, far fewer Americans consider Bush likable, honest, strong and dependable than they did just after his re-election campaign.
By comparison, Presidents Clinton and Reagan had public approval in the mid 60s at this stage of their second terms in office, while Eisenhower was close to 60 percent, according to Gallup polls. Nixon, who was increasingly tangled up in the Watergate scandal, was in the high 20s in early 1974."
LINK to article on Yahoo
This is a photo of Barry Bonds just after hitting his 705th career homer. He's playing designated hitter right now in spring training and is supposed to make his first start in left field this Sunday against the A's. I feel like he's some kind of fine china dinnerware out there or something. I worry that he'll hurt his knee again and won't break the record. I'm such a dork, but I think the biggest thing I'm looking forward to this season is Barry Bonds. Other than that, I'm just hoping to see the Braves lose the NL East for the first time in 14 years and I hope the Phillies can get into the postseason on a wildcard or maybe even as division champs. But mainly, I just want to see Barry become the new home run king. That would make it a season to remember. I still remember watching Pete Rose get his 4,192nd career hit (Bonds doesn't even have 3,000 yet) to break the all-time hit record. They stopped the game and gave him a new, red Corvette. To me, it felt like he just got elected President or something. I love it that Pete Rose and Barry Bonds have their well-documented flaws. It shows us that messed up people, as all of us are, can do great things.
Trying means facing failure. Few would have blamed Bonds for hanging it up after last year. He's practicaly a cripple, he doesn't need the money, and he hates the media. Nonetheless, he is about to begin a long summer of standing in the hot sun chasing down fly balls, hoping his knee holds up long enough to get a few plate appearances each day and inch his way to his goal. It's like watching him run a 20-year marathon and rooting him on as he limps to the finish line. It's like pulling for Lance Armstrong to win his umpteenth Tour de France. How can you not? We all have our shortcomings. There is something redemptive in rooting for a guy like Bonds. If he can hit 755, then what kind of greatness can we achieve?
Wikipedia's rundown on Barry Bonds
Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel pretty blessed to have a house looking out over the park. I feel like the view from my bedroom where I do most of my writing for this blog is worthy of Hemingway or something. So I just thought I'd take a picture. Check out how clever I am - the page loaded onto my laptop is the Blogger "create post" page. Don't you feel like you're right in the middle of the action? Yeah.
A good article about the music industry, record companies, internet file-sharing, and the economics and distribution of music. If you're like me and you wonder which ways of purchasing music are actually good for the artist and the art, this might interest you. She seems to be saying something that I have come to believe: if the music is good, people will go to the source and pay for the original. If not, file sharing at least helps get it promoted to those who will go buy it. I can't tell you how many times I've found a free download and then went and bought the track from the artist later. This article adds to my resentment of record companies as nothing more than monopolistic distribution machines pushing inferior product in the name of profits and cross-marketing. Also, who knew Courtney Love was so smart?
LINK to article
This phone lets you post pictures directly to your blog. MC Hammer does this with his Sidekick all the time. Why do I check his blog every day? Guess I'm a loser.
So what is the difference between the two? I don't know. I just think it's a cool phone. Decide for yourself.
p.s. - our new dog will be here in a couple of hours. Okay, so will my mom and my grandma.
...if Barry Bonds used steroids or not. He's the greatest hitter alive and he just might stake his claim on history this season. In only 36 at bats last year he hit 5 homers. He's only 47 homers behind Aaron's 755. He hit 73 homers in one season in 2001 (most ever by any player). So, let's just say that he has a good shot of breaking the record THIS season. I doubt you can find a good player in MLB who hasn't used steroids. It was just part of the game and, quite honestly, it helped baseball recover from that stupid strike years ago. Remember those great home run battles? Thank steroids. Barry Bonds is a legend. I hope he has a great season and I hope he is remembered as the best hitter ever. Well, until Pujols knocks him off anyway.
Read about Barry straight from the horse's mouth.
This is, by far, my favorite podcast. If you're tired of market-driven Christian music, give this guy a listen. He's definitely kind of narrow in the style of music that he plays, but if you like indie/alt/emo type music, then this guy is your man. He plays a lot of cuts from Denison Witmer, a local Philly boy who I discovered simply because he has one of the coolest CD packages of all time.
I was at a Best Buy flipping through the CD racks when I found this album with a great Philly skyscape photo. If you've been reading this blog, you should have noticed that I like that kind of thing. So I buy the album and inside I find the best CD packaging I've ever seen - high gloss photos on sturdy cardstock with words printed in matte finish. It must have cost a fortune to print. Every song has another great photo of Philly. I fell in love with the book. Turns out the music is pretty good too. Did anyone else ever notice the direct correlation between album art and great music?
When I was in high school I used to shop at the Discount Den at Ball State University. Back then, they still sold used CD's for about $5 a pop. It was funny because there were always a ton of Michael W. Smith type CD's there. I guess kids get to college and pawn off those gems from their collection to fund their binge drinking. Well, they also got rid of a lot of other gems that found their way home to my collection. Since all we had in Indiana was crappy top 40-type radio, I picked most of the albums I bought based on cover art. It was at the Den that I discovered Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr., Luscious Jackson, Tribe Called Quest, Publiminal Sigs, Smashing Pumpkins imports, Jackson Browne, Rich Hardesty, De La Soul, Mother Love Bone, Radiohead, and pretty much most of the soundtrack to my very strange high school years. Every week, I would trek 30 minutes or so to the Den and spend a good two hours looking for that album that would take me away to some far away place. I always loved the excitement of buying a CD that I had never heard of simply on the merit of it's cover art. As soon as I bought some CD's I would pop them into my Sony Discman that was hooked up to my 1979 Volvo station wagon's tape deck and I would just sit there in the parking lot and listen to the whole thing and read the liner notes. More often than not, good cover art equaled good music. I kind of miss that with the whole MP3/iTunes experience. Someday my kids will be like, "What's a CD?" and I'll explain how there used to be a day when you could touch and smell your new music and that those sensations added to the whole experience. They'll be like, "Whatever dad, I just buy whatever is popular on MySpace and put it on my iPod. CD's are so inconvenient." I'm sure those things will be old school by the time I have music-buying kids, but you get my drift. I remember thinking that CD's were inferior to records for these same reasons, but now there is no physical connection to the music we buy whatsoever. Technology is cool and all, but I'm glad I grew up with CD's. Ah, nostalgia.
Check out Denison Witmer if you're looking for some thoughtful Christian folk-rock type stuff.
For those who think I'm soft, I still like hip hop. Word.
This woman has been consistently rocking my world lately:
"(As a point of information, there are three parallel stories about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. I’ve heard dozens of sermons about God as good shepherd and as forgiving father. If that is true, then why isn’t God like a woman cleaning her house? Are we afraid of God looking too much like our mothers or worse yet, the undocumented immigrant housekeepers getting off the bus in Brentwood?)"
..."Here’s something else I have been learning: Just because the religious leaders say that the real action happened in the front room that I can never enter, that doesn’t make it true. I think that woman’s grief and her friends’ love and comfort was the real story that day – even if it wasn’t the official one. If the religious leaders didn’t hear what you had to say, it doesn’t mean you didn’t make a noise."
..."So I guess there are worse things than operating outside the bounds of official sanction. It has been freeing to realize that I don’t have to beg for validation like some eternal supplicant. I don’t have to try to fit my story into the official sinner-meets-Jesus-hallelujah version. I don’t know where Jesus was when I prayed for rescue, and I never will. I still feel the effects of my abuse every single day, and I can meet God in the daily lived reality of my experience, whether or not it fits into anybody’s particular theological framework. I may be ecclesiastically stranded forever, and that will be hard – but I will be okay."
LINK to Dry Bones Dance
UPDATE: LINK to a bunch of other related posts
My friend Josue stopped by the house a couple of weeks ago and after a lot of playing around we recorded this short little track which I think is pretty cool. Afterwards, I drove him home and we had a nice little heart to heart. Awwww.
LINK to Track 2
"The top auto designers in Detroit have been slam-dunked by a group of high school kids from Philadelphia who built the K-1 Attack Hybrid, a sports car that gets 50 miles per gallon and can go from zero to 60 in four seconds. During auto shop class, the group took a Honda Accord chassis, a Volkswagen turbo diesel engine and a 200hp electric motor, and put together a hybrid electric/biomass car that runs on soybeans. Now the car has won a race and is getting big-time press coverage all over the U.S.
The kicker? It beats the gas mileage/performance ratio of any production vehicle on the market today. It’s been a bad news week for the U.S. auto industry: First, American automakers aren’t occupying any of the top ten slots in Consumer Reports’ recommended vehicles this year, and now this? Wake up, Detroit!"
LINK to Gizmodo article
...Ferdinand Magellan discovered Guam today.
thanks Rocketboom
Right before this picture, he was out taking some swings at the batting cages and working on hitting opposite field. But he didn't want to make the other 3-month-old kids jealous, so he decided to pose this way saying, "This is my impersonation of Uncle Ryan." What are you trying to say kid?
A couple of good friends work at this place which is Philly's oldest homeless ministry and one of it's most effective. I work with a guy who went to Whosoever to get clean several years ago and now he is drug free, married with a daughter, and has his own business. I've been over there a couple of different times and it seemed like a really great place. It appears that it will probably never reopen again. Pray for the 60 or so residents who have been displaced as well as the staff as they look for new jobs. Here is the write-up from the Philadelphia Inquirer. 
"I can assure you that I still feel it right now," Martinez said. "I'm not willing to give up my time to work or give up anything to let the toe heal. I'm going to heal my toe on the field. If it doesn't, I'll deal with it the best way possible."
Yeah, Pedro. That's how we like it. Old school. LINK
(Note to Pedro: While I appreciate your toughness and you are definitely my favorite active pitcher, I would appreciate it more if you and your team would lay down and let the Phillies win the NL East this year. Maybe you can help us take out the Braves and lay off after that. Thanks, and I hope you like our blog. One more thing since we're talking now: What's up with the Jeri Curl?)
“No despair of ours can alter the reality of things, or stain the joy of the cosmic dance which is always there. Indeed, we are in the midst of it, and it is in the midst of us, for it beats in our very blood, whether we want it to or not. Yet the fact remains that we are invited to forget ourselves on purpose, cast our awful solemnity to the winds and join in the general dance.”
Thomas Merton
Shouldn't the number actually be 13,001 patient losses out of 26,000. When you look at it that way, it's a little less liberating. An intentional loss is still a loss, no?
LINK to Boing Boing article.
LINK to original.
I think it's cool how people have memorialized this guy who spent his life making keys. No job is insignificant. Has anyone ever read Safely Home by Randy Alcorn?
"My two interviewers said that they had just googled themselves to see what kind of presence their organization had on the internet, which made me wonder if they googled me. After all, I googled them before the interview. I know this blog is at the top of the list. So, if you're reading this - Hi, and would I get dental with this job? I forgot to ask."
LINK to Dry Bones Dance
