Weblog Archive 

July 22 - July 28, 2003

Monday 28^th July, 2003

Muddy Waters

Over at theConnexion.net, Pen, the Gutless Pacifist, tries to muddy the water with some acerbic comments about the over-the-top, less-than-biblical marketing efforts of the Christian book industry.

I tried the same, back in May last year, when my website was less than a month old. Here’s how I began:

Keep it very, very quiet, but those Mayday protestors demonstrating against McDonald’s, Nike and other symbols of US-led globalisation have picked the wrong target. If you want to see some local retailers where American hegemony reigns supreme, just check out our evangelical bookstores.

I got no response at all, and it remains one of the lesser-read commentaries on my site. Some water doesn’t want to be muddied.

Posted: 5:10pm

Sunday 27th July, 2003

Must Be a Disguise
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

Ambassador released by rouge Filipino soldiers: report

Posted: 1:30pm


GOD Delisted

It’s official. An Australian Stock Exchange announcement, not online, announces that GOD has been “removed from the official list”.

(GOD was actually the market code for the stock Global Doctor, which has merged with another company.)

Jewish Zen

With my Jewish roots, and experiences in Zen Buddhism, I enjoyed the list of “Jewish Zen” precepts that a friend has sent me. Here are a few of the best. (I don’t know where they originated. I will happily acknowledge the source if someone can let me know.)

-         The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single oy.

-         Take only what is given. Own nothing but your robes and an alms bowl. Unless, of course, you have the closet space.

-         To practice Zen and the art of Jewish motorcycle maintenance, do the following: get rid of the motorcycle. What were you thinking?

-         Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as the wooded glen. And sit up straight. You'll never meet the Buddha with posture like that.

-         Drink tea and nourish life. With the first sip, joy. With the second, satisfaction. With the third, Danish.

-         Be patient and achieve all things. Be impatient and achieve all things faster.

-         If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

The Creeps of Modernism

Thank you to Tom Graffagnino for making contact. Check out his website for examples of his art, poetry and essays. Here’s an excerpt from “The Creeps of Modernism”.

We prefer all issues blurry....
Murky grays to black and white.
And relatively speaking,
We're not even sure that's right!

Compromise is our agenda.
"Maybe!" is our battle cry....
And for those Two Noble Virtues,
We're quite willing, Sir, to die!

On second thought,....well..."Maybe!"...
Er,...perhaps,... we'll reassess!
That "dyin' thing"'s so final!
It's not worth it then.....
I guess.

It's hard to stand on Principle,
If all Principle's denied....
Who wants to die for "Maybe!"...
If there's no True Reason why?

 
Posted: 8:45am
 

Thursday 24th July, 2003
 

Genius and Passion – Spurgeon on Leadership

Does a 19^th-century Baptist pastor really have much to teach the modern church – and the world – about leadership? Yes, definitely, according to Larry J. Michael, himself a Baptist pastor and author of a new book, Spurgeon on Leadership. Larry kindly agreed to answer some questions about the book and about C.H. Spurgeon.

Read the interview here.

Posted: 9:40am


Wednesday 23^rd July, 2003

Blessings

I’ve been reading two books from Lilah MacKenzie. She’s an engaging writer, and I’ve been moved by them both.

The Blessing of Abraham Can Be Yours is about the Holy Spirit. It’s a kind of series of Bible studies, roaming through the Old Testament world of the Patriarchs and beyond. Lilah is an excellent teacher, and, like a good preacher, she is also able to draw many life lessons from these studies.

One of the greatest blessings God has given to man is the ability to sleep and be renewed by rest, and the physical body demands it. If physical rest is an essential blessing, spiritual rest is even a greater blessing. God has provided both of them for man. However, of the two, spiritual rest is far more important and needed.

We are living in a tired, restless age, and men everywhere are uneasy, fearful and anxious. They are tormented and burdened down with the condemnation of their sins. Mankind may well be compared to the restless waves of the sea.

A Dream with a Message, another series of Bible studies, emphasises the crucial importance of the church for our well-being.

In this internet age, when everyone seems to be publishing something, it’s hard to rise above the static and get noticed. Lilah writes with passion and clarity. She has something to teach us, and she is consistently readable. I hope these books get the attention they deserve.

You can read more from Lilah, and about her, at her website.

Posted: 10:05pm

Christian Music with the Colours of the Antilles

I’ve long been a huge fan of what is known as World Music – ethnic pop music from around the world. One of my favourite styles is Zouk, Caribbean pop from the French Antilles. I even own CDs by Kassav’, Jocelyne Beroard, Malavoi, Joelle Ursull and other Zouk stars, that I picked up second-hand when I lived in Tokyo.

So I was very happy to receive an email from CL Productions in the French Antilles, asking if I might link to them. The CL Productions website was created by performer Coique Lucien to promote Christian music from the region. In his own words: “Christian music with the colours of the Antilles”.

Turn on your speakers and you can listen to their beautiful music as you navigate the site. I suspect some visitors won’t want to leave.

Posted: 10:00am

Tuesday 22^nd July, 2003

Climbing the Blogging Tree – When Do We Stop?

Darren Rowse at Living Room asks what a Christian blog would look like if we applied Gospel principles. Among his concerns: should we buy into “climbing the blogging tree” – that is, do we strive to be noticed and linked by other bloggers (preferably Instapundit) in order to achieve recognition?

I’m a freelance writer, and self-promotion is a necessary and natural part of my work. If I don’t get recognised my family doesn’t eat. When I started my blog, in April 2002, I devoted some effort towards getting recognised by other bloggers. I had - and have – no qualms about that. It was my hope that I would have something to say, and I saw little point in saying it if no-one knew about it.

But something happened along the way.

Read the remainder of this post here.