charlieDEAN’S Blog

I read a book about a year ago called How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci, and one of the techniques recommened to improving your brain was to create lists. So, I’m going to attempt to post a new list every Friday (at least for a while). If you have lists that you’d like to see, please feel free to submit. This is the one that’s been in my head for a while.

Rock Albums that I can’t Believe I don’t Own:

1. Nevermind [Nirvana]
2. Appetite for Destruction [Guns n Roses]
3. Automatic for the People [REM]
4. Dookie [Green Day]
5. Bringing Down the Horse [The Wallflowers]

I’m trying this for the first time…right now the process is a little cumbersome, so we’ll see how it works. The video isn’t quite the quality that I’d like, so I’ll try some more posts in the future with a higher quality.

I read a book about a year ago called How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci, and one of the techniques recommened to improving your brain was to create lists. So, I’m going to attempt to post a new list every Friday (at least for a while). If you have lists that you’d like to see, please feel free to submit. This is the one that’s been in my head for a while.

Rock Albums that I can’t Believe I don’t Own:

1. Nevermind [Nirvana]
2. Appetite for Destruction [Guns n Roses]
3. Automatic for the People [REM]
4. Dookie [Green Day]
5. Bringing Down the Horse [The Wallflowers]

I’m trying this for the first time…right now the process is a little cumbersome, so we’ll see how it works. The video isn’t quite the quality that I’d like, so I’ll try some more posts in the future with a higher quality.

It’s funny how you can listen to a song for a long time and never really catch what it’s about…these lyrics got my attention today…cuz I feel like this a lot:

I’ve this creeping, suspicion that things here are not as they seem.
Reassure me, oh why do I feel as if I’m in too deep.
Now I’ve been praying, for some way to show them I’m not what they see.
Yes I have done wrong, but what I did I thought needed be done, I swear.
Oh, unholy day, if I leave now I might get away.
Oh but this weighs on me, as heavy as stone and as blue as I go.
I was just wondering if you’d come along.
Hold up my head when my head won’t hold on.
I’ll do the same if the same’s what you want,If not I’ll go, I will go a long…
..long way, ah, from that fool’s mistake.

Dave Matthews, “The Stone”

A friend posted on his blog that he wouldn’t be attending The DaVinci Code becuase a church leader he admires told his congregation to abstain because it is such heresy that Christians should have nothing to do with it. Lee Strobel, on the other hand, says Christians should go to the film and attempt to engage seeker friends in discussion. Who’s right? What’s the right response to this movie?

Another friend thinks that Focus on the Family is the cat’s meow. I’m not so convinced. Who’s right? What the right take on Focus on the Family?

Someone believes that Sunday mornings are to be about Christians worshipping God. Our church believes that church is supposed to be for lost people seeking after God. Who’s right? What’s the right way to do church?

Someone believes that Christians should homeschool, because the public schools are junk. Other people believe that as Christians are children need to be in the public schools, influencing them for good. Who’s right? What’s the right way to educate our children.

Maybe this is a function of age, or maybe I’m becoming a relativist, or maybe I just don’t have the energy to argue anymore, but in each of these I think that both sides are right. I really believe that the Holy Spirit will lead some people to abstain from The DaVinci Code, but I also believe that the same Holy spirit will lead others to go. Same with all the issues above. I believe that the Holy Spirit leads some people to become Republicans due to moral issues like abortion. But I also believe the Holy Spirit leads some people to become Democrats because of moral issues like capital punishment, care of the poor and environmental issues.

I’m not saying that every issue is “up for grabs,” but I am saying that as Christians trying to navigate the gray area of living holy lives in a secular world, there may be more than one way to go about it, that is faithful to God.

Before you respond…read this first.

It’s funny how you can listen to a song for a long time and never really catch what it’s about…these lyrics got my attention today…cuz I feel like this a lot:

I’ve this creeping, suspicion that things here are not as they seem.
Reassure me, oh why do I feel as if I’m in too deep.
Now I’ve been praying, for some way to show them I’m not what they see.
Yes I have done wrong, but what I did I thought needed be done, I swear.
Oh, unholy day, if I leave now I might get away.
Oh but this weighs on me, as heavy as stone and as blue as I go.
I was just wondering if you’d come along.
Hold up my head when my head won’t hold on.
I’ll do the same if the same’s what you want,If not I’ll go, I will go a long…
..long way, ah, from that fool’s mistake.

Dave Matthews, “The Stone”

A friend posted on his blog that he wouldn’t be attending The DaVinci Code becuase a church leader he admires told his congregation to abstain because it is such heresy that Christians should have nothing to do with it. Lee Strobel, on the other hand, says Christians should go to the film and attempt to engage seeker friends in discussion. Who’s right? What’s the right response to this movie?

Another friend thinks that Focus on the Family is the cat’s meow. I’m not so convinced. Who’s right? What the right take on Focus on the Family?

Someone believes that Sunday mornings are to be about Christians worshipping God. Our church believes that church is supposed to be for lost people seeking after God. Who’s right? What’s the right way to do church?

Someone believes that Christians should homeschool, because the public schools are junk. Other people believe that as Christians are children need to be in the public schools, influencing them for good. Who’s right? What’s the right way to educate our children.

Maybe this is a function of age, or maybe I’m becoming a relativist, or maybe I just don’t have the energy to argue anymore, but in each of these I think that both sides are right. I really believe that the Holy Spirit will lead some people to abstain from The DaVinci Code, but I also believe that the same Holy spirit will lead others to go. Same with all the issues above. I believe that the Holy Spirit leads some people to become Republicans due to moral issues like abortion. But I also believe the Holy Spirit leads some people to become Democrats because of moral issues like capital punishment, care of the poor and environmental issues.

I’m not saying that every issue is “up for grabs,” but I am saying that as Christians trying to navigate the gray area of living holy lives in a secular world, there may be more than one way to go about it, that is faithful to God.

Before you respond…read this first.

On the way back from my noon shower (read previous post), I was listening to NPR and there was an article about Barry Schwartz’ book The Paradox of Choice. (Here’s an earlier post.)

Anyway, the article quoted a proverb (not a Biblical one, but a proverb none the less.)

Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.

They were talking about how some researchers believe that one of the paradoxes of the proliferation of choices we America’s have about virtually everything is that we can never be satisfied, leading to mental anguish. For example, as soon as I buy a computer/T.V./iPod there’s a better one out a month later that makes me bummed.

Jennifer and I, sometimes just make a decision without seeing all the options. I know that some of you think we’re crazy, but frankly I don’t need the stress. I don’t care if I can buy item X for 1% cheaper at another store. It’s not worth the time/stress/etc. to hunt things down. I don’t care if store X has colors A, B, & C, but store Y also has it in pink — it’s just not worth it, most of the time.

Simplify is the word of the day.

Today I met with a guy from Morton who has a holy discontent about twentysomethings ministry in his church…it was cool & stimulating to talk through approach/philosophy/etc. We met at Starbucks (this is important to the story).
Tangent: The blackberry green tea latte is terrible…just my opinion. In order to cleanse my palatte, I order the dependable caramel machiatto.

So I’m doing my best to keep up the “cool pastor from the mega-church” image (a charade that I can only keep going for a small amount of time). We talked for about and hour fifteen and then it happened. I knocked over my grande, no fat, no whip, extra hot caramel machiatto right into my lap.

Nothing says ‘doofus’ like spilling one’s latte all over oneself.

So I finished out the meeting, and then went home and showered. (The only “reusable” clothing item was my socks).

On the bright side, I got to see my family in the middle of the day and take a noon shower.