Thursday, August 27, 2009

You make me grouchy.

I have a problem. Actually, somebody else has a problem. Every morning, my dad brings me to school in his shiny car and drops me off up in the soccer parking lot. Then, I start the long trek down to the highschool building. About halfway there, I run into a crosswalk. On some days I am able to walk right across but on most days I run into my problem. Some parents think a good place to drop off their kids is at this crosswalk. Like, right on top of the crosswalk. Like, right in my way. Now I have to walk around their car and onto the grass, the muddy, wet grass, because somebody thought it was a good idea to have a sprinkler system. I have to then trudge into school with my slippery when wet fake converses. Squeak, squeak, squeak... I feel like a mouse. Sometimes I want to get right up in the driver's face and say "HEY! Why not park NOT on the crosswalk?" But no, I'm a nice, polite kid and I do not want to offend. So I keep the anger inside, growl a little, stomp my feet, but don't audibly complain. I've considered other alternatives to walking around the car... maybe I could climb over the car or open the door and walk right through it - that would sure get my message across baby.

Here is what you, humble student of FPD, can do to help this situation. If you are a little middle school kid who gets dropped off by mom every day (or a big high school kid like me who gets dropped off by dad every day), tell your guardian to stop right before this crosswalk. If they refuse, beg them or bribe them. Do the right thing, make my life easier. For the love of all that is good in this world.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Adriana

I might say that Adriana was a cool person, but I won't. She can sing; I remember one time I was in this play called Starmites and she sang a duet with Anne Strickland and it was really something beautiful. She is short, and she used to have braces on her bottom teeth. A very encouraging person, she'll come up to me in the hallway just to tell me to have a good day. One time, she gave me a flower and I ate it. She can play that Panic! At The Disco song on the piano and she loves the music from the Windwaker. Her spanglish is hysterical, but walking to her house might give you pneuomonia.

David Darnell says I should explain all the these inside jokes, so I will. One time, Adriana had braces on her bottom teeth and I made fun of her, and now if I make fun of her I say "at least you don't have braces on your bottom teeth." The flower thing is a true story. The Windwaker is a video game and the Panic! song is called "I Write Sins Not Tragedies". Oh, and, on the phone with her mom she mixes Spanish and English together in a truly hilarious way. Also, this girl named Colby got pneumonia just because she walked to Adriana's house. Thanks, Adriana. At least you don't have braces on your bottom teeth.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Satanism in Christian music?

The sun won't rise, my spirit dies, All hope has withdrawn,
So here I lay because either way I know we'll all be dead by dawn.
A chainsaw can remove a limb or act as a replacement,
Smell the gas as hours pass, contrary to my statement,
The corpses wish to cover me with kisses,
So just maybe I'll cover this cabin with their blood,
Hail to the king baby.

You wait for me, a wretch of a man, no record of wrongs do You keep
You are comfort when I mourn, You are strength when I am weak
Jesus Christ, the king of kings
Though we ache, though we cry, never break, never die
We sing of His great love again and again
And His love reigns forever, and forevermore
Forever and ever, Amen

Believe it or not, both the above verses were penned by the same Jesus claiming hard rock band. In the conservative Christian community, Showbread is a hot topic of controversy. In response to their lyrics from songs such as "Dead by Dawn" (the first song above), as well as their affection for lip piercings and skull tattoos, an article from Worldview Weekend entitled “Christian Gore: Death Enthusiasts for Jesus?” condemns Showbread as “clearly in utter rebellion to God's Word” and asks “why would a band like Showbread be allowed on church property unless it was for purposes of evangelizing the band members?” After reading the article, most of the complaints do not seem too unfounded. What does seem unfounded is describing the band as "satanic". Hmm... there must be two sides to this story.

After an intense thirty second combing of the internet, I stumbled upon a blog post that Josh Dies, the lead singer/screamer for the band, had written in response to the alleged offensive content in Showbread’s work. But what first popped out to me from the blog was an unrelated post about how Satanism is simply the philosophy of “you are your own God, do whatever you want.” Well, by that definition of Satanism, Showbread certainly could fall into that category…(funny that the party on trial would be the one to explain the accusation). Anyways, the post I was looking for was at the very bottom of the page. Dies clarifies that the song “Dead by Dawn” is about a campy, low-budget, cult classic horror film called “Evil Dead” (where, get this, the main character has a chainsaw for an arm)... Now why would Christians write about such a violent topic? Dies argues that merely the depicting violence is not evil, unlike the glorification of violence. Even some passages in the Bible are gruesomely violent, such as Jesus’ death on the cross or the story of Cain and Abel. Just a bit of violence doesn't qualify you for Satanism.

But this doesn’t change the fact that a “Christian rock” band sing songs about violence and not about God. Is a band like Showbread allowed to write a fun, pointless song like “Dead by Dawn”? Or does every song have to be an “I love you, Jesus” style worship song? Chris Tomlin is all well and good, but I don't think anyone really sits down and listens to “How Great is Our God/Holy is the Lord/Jesus Messiah” all day long*. Enjoying some simple, shallow entertainment doesn't make one wholly worldly. Christianity has never been and will never be about what you can and can’t do. Is there anything sinful about a group of friends watching a cheesy horror movie, laughing and screaming and enjoying the company and growing closer together? That was all this band was trying to accomplish with their song.

Despite Showbread's a passion for meaningless, fun songs, they know when to keep it serious, and they have a passion for Jesus. “Matthias Replaces Judas” and more recently “The Fear of God” (the second song at the top) begin as simple prayers but morph into raw, obvious worship songs overflowing with respect and awe. I doubt Ingrid Schlueter (author of the anti-Showbread article) has heard either of these tracks.

What’s really inspiring about a band like Showbread is how they can go into a totally secular venue and still proclaim their faith like it’s the greatest part of them, even when the bands immediately before them are over-the-top profane and proud of it, or the crowd is violent and drunk. They don’t share in a forceful “accept my faith or go to hell” type of way, it’s more of a “don't believe anything because someone tells you to, and don't not believe anything because someone tells you to. Discover the truth yourself. I personally believe the truth is Jesus Christ, and in that truth I find my comfort.” (jumping, screaming, and guitar-ing ensue)

So should a band’s love of horror b-movies turn you away from them? (I don’t even like horror flicks myself…I scare easily…) Their unique style, enthralling lyrics, genuine charisma, and love for God all combine to make me a fan. They are Christians having a good time.

Peace

*Chris Tomlin is awesome. I am all for worship music in the right setting.

Friday, August 14, 2009

What is a blog?

What is a blog supposed to be? A diary? Should I just tell stories about my life and write about my day or my feelings for my friends and enemies? No, that can't be it. I don't think a blog really has to have a theme or any sort of guidelines. I could write about how much I hated a recent hit movie. And then fans of that movie could comment about how wrong I am, and then an intelligent argument on the merits and flaws of the movie could develop. Or if I'm feeling particularly happy, I could describe the beauty of the world. How every bird resting on a tree limb and every summer thunderstorm was meant to be. Color and shape and sound combine to create natural art, like the spray of a waterfall blasting the rocks below. And from there I could move onto the beauty of humanity. How every person driving down the highway has a different story to tell and a different obstacle to overcome ... their dreams and loves, as well as their opinions and complaints. And I could write about about how humans are a species destined to create. Whether it is creating a story in song form, or building a beautiful bridge, humans gain pleasure from making something new. Being in the image of God the creator, that must be where this desire comes from. I might throw in a political blog every now and then, and rudely bash your favorite party. Yes, since a blog can be about anything, and I am going to have many posts in the future, I felt it necessary to have some sort of rambling introduction. The meaningful, pointed blogs can come later.