I have a crazy idea.
It's probably wrong.
But such is life, no?
So I'm going to put it out there anyway.
I don't know if you've noticed, but my blog has a tagging feature where posts related to a similar topic are sort of grouped together. I'm not as good as some other bloggers are with tagging my posts but I do what I can.
I'm going to start a new tag, and I'm going to call it, "christians."
Whenever I run across an article or podcast or video online that I can share, I'm going to put a link up to it on my blog and tag it with this "christian" tag.
Here's the thing.
The people whose articles I'm linking to - they might not actually be christians. I mean, they might be, but I'm not going to check. But I'm going to tag them as such anyway.
Here's why.
(And here's where I'm probably wrong, but I hope you'll see my point.)
I believe that living a life that exhibits the values and teachings of Christ is far more important than praying some so-called salvation prayer or claiming to grasp four "spiritual laws," or following the Roman Road - if such a road was so important, why is it strewn about the Bible so?1
And so when I find someone who is living in a Christ-like manner, I'm going to post them up and tag them as a christian whether they claim to be one or not.
Why?
Because I'm tired of christians who think that because they jumped through some evangelical hoops that they are somehow better and above those who didn't jump through those same hoops. I'm tired of christians who think that the hoops are the point and that once they're through that their only remaining task is to wait for death or the second coming.
Because I believe that among the primary tasks of christians who claim to follow Christ are these: reconciliation, healing and being a conduit of peace, joy, and love in a dark, dark world. I think anyone who tries to accomplish Christ-like tasks such as those are far more christian than those who just pray a prayer and feel content to leave the world as it is.
And so, here are the first two people who I am tagging as christians. And after listening and watching, let me know. What do you think. Are these christians? If they didn't claim to follow Christ, what would you call them?
Listen to this amazing story about Hal Halvorsen, aka Uncle Wiggly Wings. (Click on the "Listen Now" link just under the title of the story).
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91906449
And then watch this amazing presentation by Benjamin Zander - a man who wants to bring beauty into people's lives through art - classical music to be precise...but DO NOT let that stop you from watching his presentation - you won't regret it!
(if the embedded video doesn't work, try clicking here
1 Now don't get me wrong, I do believe in orthodoxy and I don't mean to make light of tools that have been useful in leading people to Christ, but just as I wrote in my last post about how the stuff of the church can get in the way of what the church is supposed to be, I think sometimes the stuff we teach can get in the way of how we're supposed to live.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
302. what if. . .
A good friend of mine, still back in Hawaii, wrote an amazing blog entry a few weeks ago.
Funny story about him before I get to his post. I first met him in England of all places - in a little town down south called Okehampton. I was in England with a band I used to be in called Apartment 3 (they're now called Sunday Morning Chaos). So we're playing the first of two shows that we had up there (long story) and after our first song we turn to the crowd and say something like, "hey, we're from Hawaii. Anybody else out there from Hawaii?"
At the back of the crowd, one hand went up.
That's how I met Blake.
Turns out he had been backpacking and skateboarding around Europe. Somehow he heard something about some band from Hawaii playing somewhere in England so he jumps on the Chunnel and finds his way to Okehampton. Turns out he got to the town too late to get into the local hostel so he had spent the night before sleeping on a street bench.
Blake is cool like that - he's indestructible.
He's also a Christian who's with it and on it and understands that following Christ isn't about becoming the big man in church or about knowing the chords to the latest hot, hip worship song or about pasting little fishies on bumpers.
He's the guy whose idea it was to start up the house church I attended before moving to Seattle.
He's also a kick ass writer, which brings me, finally, to the entry he posted a few weeks ago.
I had two reactions to his post. First off, I knew exactly where he was coming from. He's had to deal with a lot of church politics bullshit in the past - really stupid things like not giving him support to go on a mission trip to Indonesia (or was it New Orleans?) after the hurricane because church leaders thought he didn't put enough of the folding chairs away after service, nevermind the fact that he wasn't putting away chairs because he was busy going out of his way to meet newcomers and people who he knew were hurting. This myopic, missing the point completely way of doing church is still all too common in Hawaii (the emergent thing hasn't really hit the islands yet...not that that's the barometer for authentic church life). Far too many churches think that the church is the walls and the chairs and sound system.
GONG!
As Blake's post makes clear, far too often the physical, material stuff of the church turns out to be a hinderance because people start equating the stuff of the church with the church itself. Maybe this is part of the reason why Christianity is often vibrant and passionate in places where the church cannot meet in public. Because in places like that, the church isn't seen as a safe place to hide from the world...because there is nowhere to hide. They don't have to come up with ministry plans to reach non-Christians because they're out there with non-Christians every hour of the day.
But.
But I had a second response to his post. There was a time when I would have been right there with Blake, tearing down the walls, but instead I found myself defending the church. In the comments section of his blog, I wrote:
And at first it surprised me that I would respond by supporting the church. And then I realized that I wasn't the same angry, frustrated Christian I used to be. And in large part, this change has to do with Quest, the church I attend here in Seattle, as well as the C-Group (Bible study) I attend.
Quest church, the leadership as well as many of the congregants, are all about living out Christianity in such a way that it's not only about building up the church building but about redeeming the world at large. There are lots of people who serve part or full time at non-profits and lots of people who donate money to these organizations. And then there's my pastor who's going to be starting up his own non-profit soon.
One of the really unique things about the non-profit that he's setting up is that it's a non-religious non-profit (see point one of this post). Why? I'll let him speak for himself:
Unfortunately he's gotten flack for this from some other pastors. They say they can't support his organization because it's not a Christian organization. I don't know which churches have said that, but I suspect that they're probably very similar to the churches that Blake and I were frustrated with back in Hawaii - churches that are missing the point of Jesus and the Gospel.
The way I see it, an organization that is run by Christians with Christian principles behind it IS a Christian organization. Period.
This non-profit organization that my pastor is setting up is just one example among many of the amazing, world-changing things that people at my church are a part of. I feel honored, privileged, and blessed to be there.
And that's why I surprisingly found myself defending the church in response to Blake's post.
And so I'll leave you all with this. For those Christians out there who think that the church in America has completely lost its way, please know that there are churches who are about far more than just growing their weekly attendance and retention rates or raising their weekly giving numbers. There are lots of churches like Quest who are grass-roots and hands on both in the community where they meet as well as in areas around the world in need of support; churches that understand that Christianity is not about waiting to go to heaven or waiting for the second coming but about bringing a bit of heaven to where we are here and now as well as living now the way we will after the return of Christ.
You are not alone.
PS. keep writing, Blake!
Funny story about him before I get to his post. I first met him in England of all places - in a little town down south called Okehampton. I was in England with a band I used to be in called Apartment 3 (they're now called Sunday Morning Chaos). So we're playing the first of two shows that we had up there (long story) and after our first song we turn to the crowd and say something like, "hey, we're from Hawaii. Anybody else out there from Hawaii?"
At the back of the crowd, one hand went up.
That's how I met Blake.
Turns out he had been backpacking and skateboarding around Europe. Somehow he heard something about some band from Hawaii playing somewhere in England so he jumps on the Chunnel and finds his way to Okehampton. Turns out he got to the town too late to get into the local hostel so he had spent the night before sleeping on a street bench.
Blake is cool like that - he's indestructible.
He's also a Christian who's with it and on it and understands that following Christ isn't about becoming the big man in church or about knowing the chords to the latest hot, hip worship song or about pasting little fishies on bumpers.
He's the guy whose idea it was to start up the house church I attended before moving to Seattle.
He's also a kick ass writer, which brings me, finally, to the entry he posted a few weeks ago.
A New Way
What if we as Christians tore down every single church building,
had no worship team,
no microphone for a witty, dynamic message,
and no place to fellowship?
Where would we praise?
How would we worship?
Where would we hear the Word of God?
And where would we be safe to fellowship?
Would we find that praise resonates in the depths of our hearts and share all the good things that God has done?
Would we find that worship is a state of mind and a life devoted to God?
Would we start going to the Word ourselves and allow the Holy spirit to bring revelation into our very own lives?
And would we realize that we were never meant to be safe? That we were never meant to be separated from the world?
That life is harsh and love is raw and gets dirty.
If we tore it all down there would be no walls, no division between us and them.
There would be no church names, just names of people.
There would be no ministry teams, but we would find that ministry lies all around us.
There would be no paid positions, only those willing to serve.
We would no longer ask, "Why are they not coming to church for hope, love and truth?" because we would be bringing truth, hope and love into every aspect of life in a real and tangible way.
What if we realized that God never wanted us to go to church, but that church is the "Body of Christ" and the "Body of Christ" are the people who follow the Lord?
Church would no longer be a place we go to once a week, but rather, a NEW way of life.
I had two reactions to his post. First off, I knew exactly where he was coming from. He's had to deal with a lot of church politics bullshit in the past - really stupid things like not giving him support to go on a mission trip to Indonesia (or was it New Orleans?) after the hurricane because church leaders thought he didn't put enough of the folding chairs away after service, nevermind the fact that he wasn't putting away chairs because he was busy going out of his way to meet newcomers and people who he knew were hurting. This myopic, missing the point completely way of doing church is still all too common in Hawaii (the emergent thing hasn't really hit the islands yet...not that that's the barometer for authentic church life). Far too many churches think that the church is the walls and the chairs and sound system.
GONG!
As Blake's post makes clear, far too often the physical, material stuff of the church turns out to be a hinderance because people start equating the stuff of the church with the church itself. Maybe this is part of the reason why Christianity is often vibrant and passionate in places where the church cannot meet in public. Because in places like that, the church isn't seen as a safe place to hide from the world...because there is nowhere to hide. They don't have to come up with ministry plans to reach non-Christians because they're out there with non-Christians every hour of the day.
But.
But I had a second response to his post. There was a time when I would have been right there with Blake, tearing down the walls, but instead I found myself defending the church. In the comments section of his blog, I wrote:
I know where you're coming from and I mostly agree but there is a place for place. Tradition, while sometimes a burden, also keeps us from going off the deep end - keeps us connected with those who have come before us, who have built these walls with blood and tears and love.
I don't believe we need to burn everything down and start anew. We leave what doesn't work for us behind and blaze new trails. Some will follow, some will remain. God will use us all.
And at first it surprised me that I would respond by supporting the church. And then I realized that I wasn't the same angry, frustrated Christian I used to be. And in large part, this change has to do with Quest, the church I attend here in Seattle, as well as the C-Group (Bible study) I attend.
Quest church, the leadership as well as many of the congregants, are all about living out Christianity in such a way that it's not only about building up the church building but about redeeming the world at large. There are lots of people who serve part or full time at non-profits and lots of people who donate money to these organizations. And then there's my pastor who's going to be starting up his own non-profit soon.
One of the really unique things about the non-profit that he's setting up is that it's a non-religious non-profit (see point one of this post). Why? I'll let him speak for himself:
[My wife] Minhee and I love Christ. I am a pastor. But this will not be a Christian organization. While we know we’ll partner and support many Christian organizations, the fight against global poverty is not just a Christian issue - it is a humanity issue. We care about preaching the gospel but we care equally if not more about demonstrating the gospel. We don’t care who you are. If you care about human suffering and are involved in the fight against global poverty, we want to collaborate with you.
Unfortunately he's gotten flack for this from some other pastors. They say they can't support his organization because it's not a Christian organization. I don't know which churches have said that, but I suspect that they're probably very similar to the churches that Blake and I were frustrated with back in Hawaii - churches that are missing the point of Jesus and the Gospel.
The way I see it, an organization that is run by Christians with Christian principles behind it IS a Christian organization. Period.
This non-profit organization that my pastor is setting up is just one example among many of the amazing, world-changing things that people at my church are a part of. I feel honored, privileged, and blessed to be there.
And that's why I surprisingly found myself defending the church in response to Blake's post.
And so I'll leave you all with this. For those Christians out there who think that the church in America has completely lost its way, please know that there are churches who are about far more than just growing their weekly attendance and retention rates or raising their weekly giving numbers. There are lots of churches like Quest who are grass-roots and hands on both in the community where they meet as well as in areas around the world in need of support; churches that understand that Christianity is not about waiting to go to heaven or waiting for the second coming but about bringing a bit of heaven to where we are here and now as well as living now the way we will after the return of Christ.
You are not alone.
PS. keep writing, Blake!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
301. go speed dater, go!
One mention of the word "date" and all my friends back in Hawaii start flipping out. On the MySpace version of my blog, I got a bunch (translation: four) of comments asking about the speed-dating event I mentioned in a previous post. And so partly for them, because they make up the first and often most loyal of my readers, and partly just for myself because it was a fun event that raises some interesting issues for me, I'll restart my writing with this event.
First things first, the event came about because of a brilliant move by my pastor. He started out the year challenging the various Community Groups (aka C-Groups, aka cell group Bible studies) to be a blessing to the neighborhoods where we met or to bless a local charity. But he did more than just issue this challenge. He put money behind it and called it the Good Neighbor Fund. Basically, the church gave every C-Group $200 and instructed them to use this money to bless those around them.
The members of our C-Group put forward some ideas which were voted upon and short story shorter, we chose to use the $200 as seed money to put on a fundraiser. But not just any fundraiser - a speed-dating fundraiser!
I advocated for this option for a variety of reasons. It was meant to be a inter-church speed-dating event and getting the Body of Christ to interact has been a passion of mine for a while now. Also, I liked the fact that instead of just putting the $200 into a smoking BBQ and inviting the neighbors over or donating it straight into a charity, we were investing it, growing it, multiplying it. And of course I thought about the ever-present fact of my singleness and the fact that this event offered me an end run around my normal laziness and lack of assertiveness when it comes to dating.
Maybe it's because I advocated for this idea but somehow I got picked to be a part of the team that would try to put on this event. There were seven of us: the planning team, alternatively referred to as the Cupid Crew or the Hook Up Crew. Despite the enormity of the undertaking, we refused to let the fact that none of us had ever participated in a speed-dating event (never mind trying to plan one) stop us. To make up for this lack of first-hand knowledge, we scoured the internet, we brainstormed like mad, we grilled friends we knew who had done speed-dating before.
I mention this because I want to make it a point to say that the people I worked with to put this event on are some of the sharpest, most dedicated, not afraid to lay down the law people I ever had the pleasure of working with. Seriously, I've been a part of lots of different teams for all kinds of events but the Cupid Crew was by far the most well-oiled, well-rounded (and prettiest...you too Dar) team I've ever been a part of.
But none of this is really what you're interested in is it?
You just want to hear about the speed-dating don't ya?
(If you 're interested in the mechanics of the event, you can read about it on our wiki.)
So I got to meet 15 delightful women in the span of about two hours (more "dates" than I've had in the past five years...damn, that's sad). Each speed date lasted about 3 minutes (it's not called speed-dating for nothing). In the days preceding the event I spent some time thinking about how to best use that 3mins. I thought that I would have to be efficient, that I would have to cut to the chase without scaring the other person off. I had to come up with a question that would tell me a lot about whether I'd want to spend more time with the other person in the minimum amount of time. And this is what I came up with:
"So hypothetically, if someone were to tell you that they wanted to change the world, what would you think about that person or that statement?"
That's it.
I mean, of course I made some small talk, but I always did my best to squeeze this question in somehow. Sometimes rather inelegantly. And the responses were interesting. They ranged from, "that's impossible," to "that's great but [insert various caveats here]," to "I think that's, like, so awesome...puppies and kittens are so cute" (just kidding about that last one, all of the participants were great).
Why'd I choose that question? Well, I don't know if I've ever come right out and said it but I have a secret deep down inside of me. I normally don't talk about this secret for many of the same reasons why asking that hypothetical dating question was an odd choice. But I'm going to share it with you all here and now. Don't tell anyone, okay? I want to change the world - make it a better place, a place more like Eden and less like Babylon. (So I guess in addition to the already long list of things I'm looking for in a life partner - see here and here - I can add "someone who wants to change the world.")
And that's a pretty audacious thing to say, I know (the delusions-of-grandeur response immediately comes to mind), but I believe in it. And I'm going to go for it. Soon. (Yeah, I see you snickering and dissing me but I don't care.) And if I'm going to have a girlfriend who's eventually going to be my wife, she's going to have to be on board for this crazy idea of mine (I don't know how I'm going to change the world yet but I'm working on it). And so asking that question made it easy for me to weed out those who I could see would not be suitable partners in chasing my change-the-world ideas.
Well, maybe it's because of my question, maybe it's because I had something stuck in my teeth, maybe it's because I forgot my mojo at home, but I didn't end up getting any matches from the event. We did find out from the secret match-making team (aka "The Triad," their identities kept hidden to preserve the sanctity of the hooking up process) that everyone (including me) got put on someone's list but not everyone had mutual matches. See what happened at the end of the night was, everyone submitted a list of up to five people who they met that they would be interested in meeting again. The Triad took everyone's list and if two people put the other's name on their list, they would be sent email addresses and the rest was up to them. So in other words, my name appeared on at least one other person's list but I didn't put that person down on mine so no match for me.
Honestly, I was a bit relieved when I got the news that I hadn't been matched. I mean don't get me wrong, I met some really great women but even with the ones whose names I submitted, they weren't really what I was looking for.
Despite not ending up with any dates, on a larger level, the event was a huge success. We ended up getting:
We also ended up getting some really nice compliments from those who participated. And we also heard it through the grapevine that a couple other churches are thinking about holding similar speed-dating fundraisers (as an aside, one of the neat tricks about tucking a speed-dating event inside a fundraiser is that it makes participants more likely to...well...participate because they don't have to feel strange and awkward for signing up for a matchmaking event - they can tell themselves (and other people) they're doing it to raise money for a good cause).
So there it is. The speed-dating event. I have other things I want to say about the state of dating and relationships in my life but that will have to wait for another post (I wanted to keep this one on the positive tip). For those who commented asking about the event, I hope this satiates your voyeuristic curiosity. If not, drop me some questions in the comments section and I'll do my best to respond.
First things first, the event came about because of a brilliant move by my pastor. He started out the year challenging the various Community Groups (aka C-Groups, aka cell group Bible studies) to be a blessing to the neighborhoods where we met or to bless a local charity. But he did more than just issue this challenge. He put money behind it and called it the Good Neighbor Fund. Basically, the church gave every C-Group $200 and instructed them to use this money to bless those around them.
The members of our C-Group put forward some ideas which were voted upon and short story shorter, we chose to use the $200 as seed money to put on a fundraiser. But not just any fundraiser - a speed-dating fundraiser!
I advocated for this option for a variety of reasons. It was meant to be a inter-church speed-dating event and getting the Body of Christ to interact has been a passion of mine for a while now. Also, I liked the fact that instead of just putting the $200 into a smoking BBQ and inviting the neighbors over or donating it straight into a charity, we were investing it, growing it, multiplying it. And of course I thought about the ever-present fact of my singleness and the fact that this event offered me an end run around my normal laziness and lack of assertiveness when it comes to dating.
Maybe it's because I advocated for this idea but somehow I got picked to be a part of the team that would try to put on this event. There were seven of us: the planning team, alternatively referred to as the Cupid Crew or the Hook Up Crew. Despite the enormity of the undertaking, we refused to let the fact that none of us had ever participated in a speed-dating event (never mind trying to plan one) stop us. To make up for this lack of first-hand knowledge, we scoured the internet, we brainstormed like mad, we grilled friends we knew who had done speed-dating before.
I mention this because I want to make it a point to say that the people I worked with to put this event on are some of the sharpest, most dedicated, not afraid to lay down the law people I ever had the pleasure of working with. Seriously, I've been a part of lots of different teams for all kinds of events but the Cupid Crew was by far the most well-oiled, well-rounded (and prettiest...you too Dar) team I've ever been a part of.
But none of this is really what you're interested in is it?
You just want to hear about the speed-dating don't ya?
(If you 're interested in the mechanics of the event, you can read about it on our wiki.)
So I got to meet 15 delightful women in the span of about two hours (more "dates" than I've had in the past five years...damn, that's sad). Each speed date lasted about 3 minutes (it's not called speed-dating for nothing). In the days preceding the event I spent some time thinking about how to best use that 3mins. I thought that I would have to be efficient, that I would have to cut to the chase without scaring the other person off. I had to come up with a question that would tell me a lot about whether I'd want to spend more time with the other person in the minimum amount of time. And this is what I came up with:
"So hypothetically, if someone were to tell you that they wanted to change the world, what would you think about that person or that statement?"
That's it.
I mean, of course I made some small talk, but I always did my best to squeeze this question in somehow. Sometimes rather inelegantly. And the responses were interesting. They ranged from, "that's impossible," to "that's great but [insert various caveats here]," to "I think that's, like, so awesome...puppies and kittens are so cute" (just kidding about that last one, all of the participants were great).
Why'd I choose that question? Well, I don't know if I've ever come right out and said it but I have a secret deep down inside of me. I normally don't talk about this secret for many of the same reasons why asking that hypothetical dating question was an odd choice. But I'm going to share it with you all here and now. Don't tell anyone, okay? I want to change the world - make it a better place, a place more like Eden and less like Babylon. (So I guess in addition to the already long list of things I'm looking for in a life partner - see here and here - I can add "someone who wants to change the world.")
And that's a pretty audacious thing to say, I know (the delusions-of-grandeur response immediately comes to mind), but I believe in it. And I'm going to go for it. Soon. (Yeah, I see you snickering and dissing me but I don't care.) And if I'm going to have a girlfriend who's eventually going to be my wife, she's going to have to be on board for this crazy idea of mine (I don't know how I'm going to change the world yet but I'm working on it). And so asking that question made it easy for me to weed out those who I could see would not be suitable partners in chasing my change-the-world ideas.
Well, maybe it's because of my question, maybe it's because I had something stuck in my teeth, maybe it's because I forgot my mojo at home, but I didn't end up getting any matches from the event. We did find out from the secret match-making team (aka "The Triad," their identities kept hidden to preserve the sanctity of the hooking up process) that everyone (including me) got put on someone's list but not everyone had mutual matches. See what happened at the end of the night was, everyone submitted a list of up to five people who they met that they would be interested in meeting again. The Triad took everyone's list and if two people put the other's name on their list, they would be sent email addresses and the rest was up to them. So in other words, my name appeared on at least one other person's list but I didn't put that person down on mine so no match for me.
Honestly, I was a bit relieved when I got the news that I hadn't been matched. I mean don't get me wrong, I met some really great women but even with the ones whose names I submitted, they weren't really what I was looking for.
Despite not ending up with any dates, on a larger level, the event was a huge success. We ended up getting:
- 92 total applicants
- 30 churches represented among those applicants
- 58 participants in the event itself
- 32 matches made
- and we raised just over $1000 after expenses
- when the idea of the GNF was first presented, the guy who leads our C-group said that if we chose to do any kind of fundraising event, he would match whatever amount we raised. At first he was giddy at the success of our event but when we told him how much we raised, he turned a rather ill shade of green. Maybe we need to do another fundraiser for him.
- so if he comes through with his matching promise (and I have no doubt he will, he can handle it) we'll have raised over $2000. Not a bad return on a $200 investment.
- funds will be split evenly between two excellent local non-profit organizations.
We also ended up getting some really nice compliments from those who participated. And we also heard it through the grapevine that a couple other churches are thinking about holding similar speed-dating fundraisers (as an aside, one of the neat tricks about tucking a speed-dating event inside a fundraiser is that it makes participants more likely to...well...participate because they don't have to feel strange and awkward for signing up for a matchmaking event - they can tell themselves (and other people) they're doing it to raise money for a good cause).
So there it is. The speed-dating event. I have other things I want to say about the state of dating and relationships in my life but that will have to wait for another post (I wanted to keep this one on the positive tip). For those who commented asking about the event, I hope this satiates your voyeuristic curiosity. If not, drop me some questions in the comments section and I'll do my best to respond.
Monday, June 09, 2008
300. great googly moogly
So I'm sure you'll be hearing tons of news stories about this in the next few days but at the latest Apple World Wide Developers's Conference, Steve Jobs highlighted a TON of new features for the next-gen iPhone.
I've never been one to get all mushy and soft when new cell phones came out. I'll admit that I did consider purchasing the first generation iPhone when it first came out but 1) budgetary restrictions and 2) the fact that I've been with Verizon since I started using a cell phone, kept me from making the switch.
But...
This new version is making me weepy with envy and lust and want.
In particular:
1. built-in GPS
2. 3G internet connectivity
3. new design with a flush headphone jack
4. tons of amazing new 3rd party apps
5. (this one isn't iPhone specific but it's so amazing, I have to mention it) MobileMe - a way to instantly sync all my data between my phone and my laptop and my desktop. It's an additional $99 per year to subscribe (it's basically an upgrade to what used to be called .mac) but I'm game, baller!
And...
My economic stimulus check is still in the mail (hurry up, Uncle Sam!) AND I just got a raise at work.
Plus...
Apple lowered the price of the new iPhone to $199!
And...
While Verizon has been nice to me, and I've never really had a problem with their service, their phones are butt fugly. Particularly their smart(ish) phones.
So when the latest, greatest iPhone hits the shelves sometime next month, there's a pretty good chance I'll be in line to pick one up.
Bye, bye, Verizon.
I've never been one to get all mushy and soft when new cell phones came out. I'll admit that I did consider purchasing the first generation iPhone when it first came out but 1) budgetary restrictions and 2) the fact that I've been with Verizon since I started using a cell phone, kept me from making the switch.
But...
This new version is making me weepy with envy and lust and want.
In particular:
1. built-in GPS
2. 3G internet connectivity
3. new design with a flush headphone jack
4. tons of amazing new 3rd party apps
5. (this one isn't iPhone specific but it's so amazing, I have to mention it) MobileMe - a way to instantly sync all my data between my phone and my laptop and my desktop. It's an additional $99 per year to subscribe (it's basically an upgrade to what used to be called .mac) but I'm game, baller!
And...
My economic stimulus check is still in the mail (hurry up, Uncle Sam!) AND I just got a raise at work.
Plus...
Apple lowered the price of the new iPhone to $199!
And...
While Verizon has been nice to me, and I've never really had a problem with their service, their phones are butt fugly. Particularly their smart(ish) phones.
So when the latest, greatest iPhone hits the shelves sometime next month, there's a pretty good chance I'll be in line to pick one up.
Bye, bye, Verizon.
Monday, June 02, 2008
299. silent all these months
Where have I been?
Two big items on my relatively small plate have left no room for blogging these past few months.
1. My band's new CD.
2. And a Speed-dating fundraiser that I helped plan and put together (and participated in).
Although most of the really hard work for both those projects is done, there's still a bit of work left to be done before I can completely sign off on them and put them behind me.
In addition to these large items, there have been a bunch of smaller things that have also been taking up my energy and my time.
a. About a month ago I put together a training seminar for people interested in learning about how to run sound at my church.
b. In addition to putting on this training seminar, I've been a part of a Worship Advisory Council (yeah, we're the whack) that has been trying to wrestle with questions regarding how we help facilitate worship on Sundays.
Hmm...you know, written out like that, that doesn't seem like much but please believe me when I say that writing is one of the things that I love to do most in life. It makes me feel special, it makes me feel whole, it makes me feel as if I'm truly using the gifts God has given me to make this world a better place - a world more like Eden and less like Babylon. Those four things (and a few others) have kept me from this thing I love - writing - and to you, my readers, I apologize.
But I'm back.
Very soon, I'll have the time once again to spill my guts, to rant and rave, to posit and to ponder.
I've got lots of things I want to say about what I've learned about myself these past few months, about what I've been thinking about the Body of Christ, about...well, you know this blog, I'm always writing about whatever random thing is at the front of my mind at the time.
Here's one thing I've been thinking about lately: if I have a limited readership it's because I don't follow any of the blogging "rules." I don't stick to one topic. I don't post consistently enough. I don't update my blogroll enough. I'm too silly and sloppy to be taken seriously by the really brainy part of the blogosphere and I'm too psuedo-intellectual for the casually surfing crowd. I don't post often enough and when I do, I write too much.
Anyway, thanks for being patient (if you're still out there).
More to come...very soon.
Two big items on my relatively small plate have left no room for blogging these past few months.
1. My band's new CD.
2. And a Speed-dating fundraiser that I helped plan and put together (and participated in).
Although most of the really hard work for both those projects is done, there's still a bit of work left to be done before I can completely sign off on them and put them behind me.
In addition to these large items, there have been a bunch of smaller things that have also been taking up my energy and my time.
a. About a month ago I put together a training seminar for people interested in learning about how to run sound at my church.
b. In addition to putting on this training seminar, I've been a part of a Worship Advisory Council (yeah, we're the whack) that has been trying to wrestle with questions regarding how we help facilitate worship on Sundays.
Hmm...you know, written out like that, that doesn't seem like much but please believe me when I say that writing is one of the things that I love to do most in life. It makes me feel special, it makes me feel whole, it makes me feel as if I'm truly using the gifts God has given me to make this world a better place - a world more like Eden and less like Babylon. Those four things (and a few others) have kept me from this thing I love - writing - and to you, my readers, I apologize.
But I'm back.
Very soon, I'll have the time once again to spill my guts, to rant and rave, to posit and to ponder.
I've got lots of things I want to say about what I've learned about myself these past few months, about what I've been thinking about the Body of Christ, about...well, you know this blog, I'm always writing about whatever random thing is at the front of my mind at the time.
Here's one thing I've been thinking about lately: if I have a limited readership it's because I don't follow any of the blogging "rules." I don't stick to one topic. I don't post consistently enough. I don't update my blogroll enough. I'm too silly and sloppy to be taken seriously by the really brainy part of the blogosphere and I'm too psuedo-intellectual for the casually surfing crowd. I don't post often enough and when I do, I write too much.
Anyway, thanks for being patient (if you're still out there).
More to come...very soon.
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