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There is an interesting story in the Gospels where Jesus' disciples come to Him and tell say that they found some outsiders csting out demons and preaching in His name. They said that they didn't understand the methods that these outsiders were using so they told them to stop. Jesus tells them to leave these people alone saying "whoever is not against us is for us" (Luke 9:46-50)
I bring this up because it seems to be at the heart of all the criticism that this site, and my willingness to be honest about my life and thoughts, stirs up. It seems that many people have a very defined image of what a "man of God" should do, say and think. When they come across my site, it doesn't fit into this image. They are left with two options. 1. Throw out their limited and unbiblical image of what a follower of Jesus is and accept me for who I am, just like God accepts me. or 2. Hold desperately to their limited image and throw me out by judging and casting suspicion on me and my motives.
I am not that concerned that many people choose option two. Even Jesus first disciples clearly chose option two. But know this! I come into this world in the name of Jesus the Christ. I have willingly become a slave to God's word and will continue to pursue God in spirit and truth with my whole being. You may not understand or even condone my methods, thoughts or actions and outside of a personal relationship with me you may remain convinced that I am doing more harm than good. I can accept your fears and I respect the level of integrity with which you so strongly desire to please God. I am convinced that he loves you entirely just as you are.
I decided to make things easier for everyone to sort out my motives and make sure that it is easy for people to see me as a man of God. My new forehead tattoo should do the trick!



I wonder if, in his wildest crazy dreams, Vincent Van Gogh could have ever imagined that hundreds of years after his death Chinese people would be carving his image out of watermelons? It is truely amazing what kinds of creative things people will find to occupy thier time. I was beginning to feel a little strange for spending time making little clay people but now that I have seen this slideshow I feel much better about myself! You have to click the image above and go to this little slideshow of watermelon carvings. Not only is in a very unigue idea but the types of things that the artists decide to carve are out of the ordinary. My two favorites are the image above and a little cyclist(no doubt in honor of great chinese cycling hero Lance Armstrong.



I have been so moved by the life and writings of Father Thomas Keating. He is an 84 year-old monk who has retired and committed his remaining life to fostering inter-religious dialogue and promoting the lost practice of Centering-Prayer. I have been listening to a video series where he teaches the practice of centering prayer. I have been practicing centering prayer for three years now and he stated that anyone who has practiced for under ten years is still a novice. That's easy for him to say after 84 years of life! His website is packed full of wonderful spiritual insights. He also displays his amazing generosity by giving away the text to ALL of his 13 books(in the articles archive section) I wonder how he got his publishers to go for the idea of making his books availible for free online? What a wonderful gift. I recommend "The Kingdom of God is Like..." He takes the parables of Jesus and interprets them in very revolutionary ways. He is a true mystic in a time when mystics are needed most by the church to bring balance back to a faith that has been over intellectualized for the last 4-500 years since the reformation.



During the month of July, I worked at the NPCC summer arts camp. It was such a wondeful experience. I started off the first week very stressed and not really enjoying the children. After a few days, i was fully in love with them! They are so full of life and energy. We had some great artists working along with the children to produce art around such themes as : racial reconciliation, HIV/AIDS, and enviornmental justice. Toby Lunn, Maria Govan, Andrew Jones, Samantha Moree, and Sabrina Lightbourn all did a wondeful job teaching them the power of creativity. The image is of the HIV mural that Toby Lunn work with them on. Pictured are Asia and Cameron who were both very adorable.



Ever since I was a little twelve year old break-dancing fool, I have had a love for graffiti and street art. You can imagine my joy when I discoverd this wonderful website dedicated to capturing the street art/graffiti scene all over the globe. This site is run by a husband and wife living in NYC. Everyday they post images from all over, that inspire and challenge traditional views on art and culture. i have been introduced to many exciting artists through this site and you should visit now and see for yourself. Be sure to check out the VitaminF mixes(lower left side of the page) These mp3 mixes are created by street artists and reflect the kinds of tunes that they listen to when they are working. Creativity knows no limits!



Can you feel the love? friday night was the opening of the new group exhibition LOVE at the Popop Gallery. As you first enter the location teaming with people and energy, you are caught right away by the invitation of a seven foot sign whose blood red and stained letters proclaim LOVE. Is this a declaration or a confrontation? You are invited to exorcise your personal angst by smashing dark ink filled eggs across the sign. I am not sure what Blue Curry intended with the interactive installation that greets you at the door but it was totally engaging and quite fun as well. Knowing the artists involved, I couldn't imagine a romantic presentation of the idea of love. So right away with Blue's egg sign I was ready to engage all of my senses. Once you stepped indoors you were completely immersed in images and motion. From John Cox's large banner stretching from floor to ceiling around to Micheal Edwards video projection, your eyes were pulled in many directions. Toby Lunn's work seemed to relax into the softer and more pleasant dimensions of Love, fitting nicely with Heino's fragile sculptures of light and tissue. John Cox had a piece with "that's my boy" written on it. I really like the piece! I like that it's subject matter caught me off guard. Speaking of being caught off guard, one of blue's peices had very interesting little images of couples expressing very physical love. The piece was called Love is Messy. I agree with him entirely. These are just some first impressions of the experience. It was a little too crowded to take all of the work in, so I must go back next week and have a slow wander around. My overall experience was exciting and engaging even in spite of the fact that there were many things to distract me from the art. Click the image above to download a short video I put together of the event. you must have quicktime installed to view the video. You can get it for free here : apple.com/quicktime If you would like a fullsize version of the movie, email me and I can send it along.



Recently the writer/director of the wildly popular Matrix trilogy, admitted that his inspiration for the ideas in the movie came from noted(and reclusive) philosopher Ken Wilber and his integral (AQAL) writings. Ken's work is an endeavor to reunite all of the divergent paths of inquiry that have risen out of modernity. Rather than taking a postmodern/deconstructionist view of reality, Wilber has tried to integrate it all together into one grand map of reality. In this book No Bounderies, He takes on the idea of religion and spirituality. I love the way he retells the story of the fall of man. Instead of original sin being any specific action or behaviour, he describes it as the process of creating conceptual dividing lines that separate one Ultimate Reality into many differentiated parts. These dividing line(both external and internal) are the route of all abuse and suffering in our world. I have been reading a few books by Wilber and i am really enjoying his writing. His wesite is even better. Click the image above to go to www.integralnaked.org - it is pack full of videos, essays and lots of things that will blown your head off. You can also get one months membership for free!



Have you ever searched for your own name on Google? Usually when I do it, I only get npcc or seeward.com pages. This time I decided to do an image search and I got this image of my long lost twin. Named Christian McCabe and born in the same year as me('71) I wish there was an email so I could try to talk some sense into him about his lack of personal style. In a strange way, he looks alot like I did in High School. I am much younger now!



Two weeks ago 50 members of our NPCC community took a tour of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. Many thanks to John Cox and Michael Johnson for thier wonderful insight and commentary about the works. There were several pieces that touched me but a Peace called Stop by JACE really hit me hard. It was about the homelessness situation in the Bahamas. It had a red figure stopping a car and asking for money. John mentioned that the homeless man was Andre Chappelle. A notorious bahamian street person(by choice) Andre used to live with my family in Miami until one thanksgiving afternoon he went to the store for my mother to get a ham and never returned. Apparently, he drove right to the airport and flew over to Nassau to get high. He has been on the streets ever since. Sometimes when I pick him up in my van, we chat about old times and I am blown away by how good his memory still is after years of drug abuse. He even remembered the street address of our house in Miami. I have long since forgotten the address myself. Click the image above to see the gallery's wonderful website designed by Heino Schmidt.



I have to ssay that I was curious about this movie for two reasons. 1. I really liked Boyz-n-da-Hood from the same director Jon Singleton and hoped this film would be another masterful balance of gritty action and authentic drama. 2. I wanted to see if Andre 3000 from OutKast could actually act. Four the first 30min of the film I was very intrigued. The plot seemed to open up nicely around the adopted inner city Detroit youths avenging the murder of thier mother. Andre has a very strong screen prescence and I can see him having more dramatic depth than Snoop Dogg but he was still a bit weak in the authenticity department. It might not have been his fault, the whole film was a train wreck in the authenticity department. There is one scene where Marky Mark =) waves a gun around from center court at a highschool basketball game. Not only does no one run or scream, the only person who runs from the scene is the exact person they are looking for. Other scenes seem to be hinting at Quinten Tarrentino style mashing of ultra violence and mundane domestic life. There were a few laughs throughout but not always in the right places. Most of the violence plays like it's taking place in a cartoony vacuum. In the end it was better than War of the Worlds and most likely cost less than a quarter to make.



Everyone had to learn from someone. I learned to play the guitar, and explore the soul of music, from Jonathan Kreisberg. I am glad to see him working so hard to keep making his own music. Click the image to see his website and listen to some of his brillant jazz tunes.



When I first bought this disc, it was because I wore out my copy of thier earlier disc "Things Fall Apart". Have always had respect for them doing HipHop with live musicians. Although this album is a departure from strickly live productions, it is still loaded with funky grooves and witty quips. The Tipping Point was a great book by Malcom Gladwell but there is no reference to the book in any of the tunes. There are a lot of sports references though. The lyrics are fantastic :
Yeah, it ain't nothin like I rush I get, in front of the band
On stage wit the planet in the palm of my hand
When a brother transform, from aynonomous man
To the force, crush whoever might of thought I was playin
I'ma flame some, sentence the shit, the cold twist to slang
Thicker than big boy baby, mom, sister pain
That's tight! Click the image to go to a very well designed website about this album.



I am just filling in some of the old posts that got deleted and I couldn't pass up this image. I am growing my hair and I heard that cornrow braids make your hair grow faster. Do you need another excuse to look like a gangsta? I sure don't!



I try not to ever get political but when you come across something like this image above you just have to say something. Yes that is infact a photomosaic of George Bush made up of images of Jesus. Who would do such a thing? I hope it was done in irony. When I watch america on TV, my feelings slide quickly from doom to dread to terror and then back to doom. The image of Jesus is being distorted in a way that makes my blood curl. All of this talk about the new supreme court justices and the religious right are making me physically ill. I guess I shouldn't be so sad, jesus should be able to stand up for himself =) But when I read Phil, George Bush is the last image that comes to my mind relating to Jesus. If you click the heresy above you will be taken to an interesting site called Theocracy Watch. A group of concerned citizens who are fearful that the religious right's agenda is world domination in the name of Christ. Talk about an oxy-moron. I have nothing deep and pointed to say, just venting my angst. "Dear Father.... Your Kingdom Come"



Bob Marley in the rawest form! Before Chris Blackwell had a chance to add some white musicians from Texas, this album was already rockin. The band sounds so militant. They have a razor sharp groove and Bob's voice just sounds like it comes from the wind. This album has two of my favorite Marley songs : Stir it Up and Rock it Baby. You just have to listen to the bass part on Rock it Baby. Pure Genuis! I wonder if Bob felt insulted that they added more musicians to help his music find a wider audience? Why do intelligent record executives always underestimate the tastes of thier consumers? I loved this reissue and the liner notes are quite interesting as well. I would highly recommend this to anyone who like Bob Marley (are their people who don't?)



I am working on a talk about Howard Finster. His story is so interesting. After 40 years of pastoring a church he has a mystical encounter with God and is led to begin making sacred art. His definition of sacred is a little off center and I love it. He paints St John next to Elvis next to George Washington. In the remaining years of his life he created over 40,000 pieces of sacred art on everything from soda cans to plywood. His story led me to a Bahamian folk artist that I have always loved named Amos Furguson. Amos and Howard both painted by faith the visions that God gove them to paint. What a wonderful and powerful God! Make Sacred Art!!!!!



If the image above is moving, there is a good chance that you are stressed out. This image was created to test people's ability to manage stress. If you manage it well then the images will remain static. If you manage stress poorly the image will appear to breathe or slight waves will appear. If you are on LSD everything on this page will be breathing and you clearly manage stress very well!



I finally got around to working with my new batch of FIMO clay. I have been learning new sculpting techniques from the guy who makes all the figures for WB and Disney stores. I also finally got a new batch of Model Magic so stay tuned for the attack of the robots.



When I was studying for the talk on Finster, I was reminded of a Bahamian artist that also was inspired to paint by a vision from God. While Howard's vision was God speaking in paint, Amos' was a dream that God gave his nephew. I love that when the sophisticated New York art people came to see him, he asked them if they know anything about art. When they replied yes, he said"we'll see". If you want to read more about his life story click here



Christianity is not intellectual suicide! After taking part in a very disturbing and close-minded dialogue about creation vs evolution, I was reminded again that lots of people are convinced that they have the right to tell you what you should think and believe. As if becoming a christian was the same as agreeing to never doubt or question. Why are christians so fearful? Why does their faith need to be proved or why is it threatened by different interpretations?
On Saturady I took part in a very open-minded dialogue with a Jewish scholar and I was floored by the differences in the way Jews and Christians relate to their faith, the scripture, and God. Within Judaism there is this prevailing idea that God wants us to wrestle together to seek after Him. How did that openness and diversity fall away from the christian faith? The link above is a great blogring of christians who are willing to question and wrestle with their whole beings (body, mind and soul) with the deeper issues of life on God's terms. Check out the dialogues if you have the faith.



|I was checking out a new music magazine called Paste and I came across Matisyahu. He is an Hasidic Jew and a very talented reggae artist as well. Welcome to the post-modern milieu =) I downloaded his first two albums and they are really good. He throws shoutouts to "bob nesta" and others. I am starting to believe that reggae is God's language.



This picture was taken during last week's sunday gathering of New Providence Community Church. While I was taking a few pictures for an upcoming magazine article about our community's vision, I was reminded how much I loved being a part of NPCC. Last night we had a Creativity and Spirituality discussion about the work of Nick Cave. The discussion centered around, among other things, the difference between spirituality being mediated and controlled by religion and true spirituality calling people together in loving community. Christianity has been practiced as a power-based religion of power and oppression for so long that many people cannot see the power of authentic community. They are always looking over their shoulder expecting the long arm of heirarchy to smash them into line.
i am proud to be a part of a Christian community that has no desire for power and control but is in love with Jesus. I am not at NPCC out of any feeling of religious duty but out of a genuine desire to share my life with others as we learn what it means to lvoe God, ourselves and each other. Today I am thankful! |



I was flipping through channels on the Devil's Fishbowl a few nights ago and saw Bob Dylan on three different shows. I went into a panic, thinking that he must have died to be getting all this press. Then I landed on the PBS documentary No Direction Home by Martin Scorcese. I realized that Bob wasn't dead, he was just lingering back into the pop cultural landscape. This time not as the young punky revolutionary but as the wise old guru. The narative that was presented was so inspiring. It centered around his development as an artist. One of the most exciting and even awe inspiring things was the way he faced boo-ing crowds with such power and confidence. He taunted them and then played so loud that their boo's were drowned out. I think that, more than any other songwriter, Bob Dylan has given me permission to write what I feel. I just wish more songwriters had an ounce of his talent.



My friend Rob Bell has written a wonderful and insightful look at the spirituality of Jesus. I didn't grow up in the church but I have, for a long time, noticed the huge disconnect between what Jesus was focused on and how Christianity is practiced. Rob has put a fine point on where the church has slipped off course. His metaphors are engaging and rich. His writing style is very conversational and challanging. The truth is that this is the book I would have loved to write but couldn't from my perspective. I have been so excited about following Jesus that I haven't spent much time reflecting on how people get misguided in their journey. Rob has done a fantastic job of pointing out the true nature of faith and the temptation to replace it with certianty. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in understanding how Jesus might have looked at the spiritual life. I look forward to his next book or books!



I have had enough! I pray that God will forgive all of the Christians in the world for their arrogance and judgment. I can no longer call my self a Christian. I am more in love than ever with the Jesus that they claim to follow but I feel very sad that they don't take his words seriously. How can they truely know Him and His love for them and still be so insensitve and cruel? How can so many people be so misguided and naive? Why do people carry around so much fear and then dump it out onto people? Who is my neighbor?
Forgive me Lord of the sin in the center of my very heart and protect me from those that would further wound the world in Your name. I guess to truely love is to become aware of the magnitude of unlove in the world.



I got the chance to meet Spencer Burke the creator of theooze.com this weekend. he is a great guy with tons of energy and insight! He came down with Barry Taylor(speaking of energy and insight!) We had a great time! Click the image above to see the ooze.



It is cool to rip all of the files off of your friend's Ipod. This weekend I was fortunate enough to grab Barry Taylor's music selection. I now have 1786 new song files to search through! The first one I checked out was a singer/songwriter named Jospeh Arthur. It is very rare that an artist grabs me with such intensity so quickly. It has happened before but not often. After about two lines of his song Redemption's Son, I was sold. His music is so beautiful and intense. I don't know enough about him to know if the content in this song is autobiographical but if it is then this is one of the most touching songs I have EVER heard.

I know i'll never make it on the cross -
Spent my days looking for what my daddy lost -
He was too proud to have a boss -
Sold himself out then he couldn't afford the cost
No one knows how he felt -
Hung himself in the country jail -
There were those who said he would burn in hell -
I don't think they knew him very well

Angel of love -
Shine a light on us -
I was born to be -
Redemption's son

Why do people like Britney Spears make millions and true talents like Joseph Arthur go unnoticed, maybe a line from another one of his songs says it best "the devil is the lord of this world... ...none of the good dreams come true" Have mercy on us Lord



I am in the process of making the whole cartoon band Gorillaz out of FIMO clay. This first figure is the guitar player Noodle. He has a few special details: His guitar is on a strap and can be removed. His shirt/shoes/ and arm bands glow in the dark! Soon I will move toward the rest of the band.



Talk about a wicked sense of humor, and wicked sculpting talents! This is only the second piece from my clay disciple(and girl friend) Nicole. She tells me that she is advanced from her art school training. I have to say that she really has an attention to detail and an eye for humor. You should have seen her first figure, all tits and ass! Too bad she was so hot she burst into flames in the oven. I expect great things from this student!



Me and my disciple/girl friend made clay self portraits as gifts for our much loved and missed friends: Paul and Randy. We wished that we could have gone up to Toronto to see them this weekend so we decided to sneak little voodoo versions of ourselves into friends luggage. I will post close-ups soon showing Nicole's wine glass and ciggy as well as my Guinness bottle and Bible. Karl Barth said we must do theology with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, I have updated his idea. We must do theology with a Bible in one hand and a bottle of Guinness in the other.



The funniest thing about the experience of getting my new tattoo was that the artist was actually an actor (who isn't in LA) A few years ago I had decided that I wasn't going to get any more tattoos but then I have been watching shows like Miami Ink and Inked. Both of them opened my mind up to how wonderful the process of decorating yourself can be. This tattoo is the largest, and most painful, tattoo that I have gotten so far. At this point I am happy with what I have but I am not making any promises about never getting another tattoo. Even though it was painful I really enjoyed the process of getting the tattoo. The artist even said I "sat very well". I am not sure what that says about me but at times the inner feelings were very much like a meditative state. I felt connected to my body but at the same time I felt a part deep within that was stronger than the pain that I was feeling. It would have been easy to completely block the pain out but instead I decided to relax into it and feel it. At times this was very difficult and I felt myself tensing up but at other times I felt a wash of warmth and even pleasure. Maybe it was the endorphens rushing towards my back to ease the pain. Oh the sweet pain!



The world has gone crazy! I was walking in Santa Monica yesterday, waiting to cross the street at a light. A homeless man came up to the girl(about 20 years old) standing next to me and asked for some money for food. She politely told him no. Then he punched her square in the face! It was the most disturbing thing I have ever seen, and that is saying alot. She went down like a sack of potatoes. What was also remarkable was that almost all of the 15-20 people standing on the corner just casually crossed the street when the light changed. I was in shock! The homeless man began ranting about how she deserved to be hit for not liking black people. This little asian man in his forties began to bum-rush the homeless guy. They had a five minute mexican stand-off with fists and vioces raised. It was chaos! I knelt down to see if the girl was OK. She was except for the blood and drool and vomit coming from her mouth. After about 5 minutes she gathered herself and asked if her lip was cut. At that point a very strange looking punkrocker had call the police on his cell. A policeman slowly walked up to the scene and calmly handcuffed the homeless man. He then threw him hard into a wall and forced him down onto the sidewalk face-first. For the first time in my life I was glad to see a little police brutality. I felt like kicking the man in the face while he was handcuffed on the ground. It was all so shocking and after a few minutes it was just depressing. As I walked away from the scene after giving a witness statement, a young hippy looking homeless kid asked me for a dollar to buy cigarettes. I gave him five!



I am in LA for the week spending time with my friend Barry Taylor. Every morning I have walked down to the local Starbucks for my daily caffiene injection. He lives in an area with an over abundance of celebrities. So far I have seen Dennis Quade and Dabney Coleman. The first night I was here Jakob Dylan was in there with his kids but I was waiting in the car. I also got to see one of my favorite directors at a screening of his new film - Land of Plenty: Wim Wenders. The lead actor in the film John Diehl was also at the screening. I will write a review later but for now just know that I am loving LA and doing my part to feed the starving celebrities.



Truth is the only thing that matters. This book contains truths that are beyond words. I started this book on the plane back from LA and got to the two hundredth page. Last night I picked it up again at around 9pm. I became so engrossed in the story that I could not put it down. Five or six times (at around 3 in the morning) I tried to put it down but simply could not. I was addicted. Addicted to the raw honesty and depth of brokenness. Heartbreak, chaos, victory and devastating pain pour off of every page. This book made me sick, made me cry, made me laugh and made me desperate. It also gave me permission to take a fearless look at my own life. It encouraged me to trust myself and the unspeakable power within. His story is one that I have some degree of connection. having gone through my own addictions His story brought me back to a earlier time in my life. It reminded me of the desperation and sickness. After I finished the last page I cried a tear of heartbreak and hopelessness. I wept for all of the people in the world who are desperate and alone. Then I said a simple prayer of thanks to God that this book and this story exists. I will never for get what it has burned into my being.



Its that time of year again. The time when every child from 6-60 needs to run out and see the newest installment in the epic Harry Potter story. I have to admit I have never read any of the Potter stories but I did enjoy the first two movies. I skipped the last one because the oversized spiders in the second movie just freaked me out! I was enticed to go and see this newest Potter film by the world's cutest Harry Potter fan. I am glad I did. I even had dreams about witches and sorceror spells last night! The movie had an interesting dynamic this time around. The added dynamics of puberty and the abundance of sports competitions. Both of these show me why this series is so successful with pre-teens. JK Rolling really has a way of speaking a child's language. The special effects in the movie kept up with the best drug effects I have seen on screen. My heart was racing during the Potter vs. Dragon scene and the underwater evil rasta/mermen were stunning as well. At times I thought the plot was a bit thin but I guess that is only my overgrown adult side talking. For children it was totally engrossing, I am sure. I wonder what will happen in the next few years when the actor who plays Harry continues to grow up and gets facial hair. There were a few really nice facial hair examples in the film. So maybe he will get to grow a wicked goatee! I give the film four out fo five stars.



I have always loved Johnny Cash, and I have also always loved Biofilms about musician's lives. Ussually they are very punchy and try to hit all the cultural high points and personal low points, all in two hours(unless you are Oliver Stone and you need over three hours to tell the depressing story of Jim Morrison and the Doors) Usually the bio's are written from an perspective of someone looking in on an artists life. This film about Johnny Cash - Walk the Line - is the opposite. It was based on His autobiography so it is much more personal. Johnny isn't that interested in mythologizing his past with grand stories of the early Sun Records days with Elvis and others. That is touched on but only from a very personal emotional viewpoint. Not much is made of his musical development or even the creation of his iconic image of the rebel in black. These things are mentioned but quickly dismissed. What he is concerned about sharing is his lifelong love for his second wife June Carter. The music and the enigma only serve as a backdrop to the building tension and tender intimacies of their relationship. Some interesting facts about his life do emerge. His older brother was killed in a woodshop accident when he was 12 years old. Something that his uncaring and cruel father blamed on him. His relationship with his father and his struggle with addiction are the only subplots to the John and June show. The movie ends at the point where June finally accepts his fiftieth marriage proposal in front of hundreds of fans during a concert tour. They eventually get married and move into Johnny's lakeside house in Henderson Tennessee. I enjoyed that part, given that during one of our family vacations to Tenn in the 80's we drove outside of Nashville(and Elvis's home) to visit Johnny's house in Henderson. I can't recall why we made the drive but up until that point I had no idea who Johnny Cash was. For a long time after that, I mistook him for Waylon Jennings. The movie was still engaging even though it didn't cover the years most younger people would know Johnny from. His recent work with Rick Rubin. Maybe there is a part two. I heard that He and Rick used to take communion everyday for 6 years. Even if they were apart, Johnny would call Rick on the phone and lead him through communion. Rick kept up the practice for months after Johnny died. That is a testament to the power of Johnny Cash's influence.



A few weeks ago I got to hang out with my buddy Shane. He is becoming famous(or infamous depending on who you ask) In and earlier post I mentioned visiting him at his home in Philly during a circus camp they were doing. This time our meeting was in a more tropical environment. There are so many things about Shane that I love and so many things about him that challenge me. His commitment to the poor in Philly, his spending time with Mother Theresa, his kick-ass firebreathing skills. These things inspire me and bring a smile to my face. His going to Iraq days before the impending US "shock and awe" invasion, his courage to put his own life on the line for what he believes, these things challenge me. We got a chance to chat about his first book that is coming out from Zondervan in the new year. Not only does he name corporations and executives that practice injustice but he has also committed to give away all of the proceeds from the book sales. On top of that he also is releasing his book for free on the simple way website. Click the image above to see their site. Designed by another kick-ass guy Micheal Brix! Peace to north Philly!



"Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "let me take the speck out of your eye", when all the tiem there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will clearly see to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces"
- My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:1-6



He had a bad reputation (Luke 5:30). The legalistic religious people thought he was evil (Mark 3:22) and plotted against him in private (Mark 3:22-30). These are all evidences of how small minds react to God's great wonders. But for me the most powerful picture of why I love Jesus is that He stood silent, when his life was on the line, he did not defend himself (Matthew 26:63). And on the cross he prayed the most merciful and loving prayer ever uttered "forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
God give us the faith to live that kind of life, where it doesn't matter what they say about us, and it doesn't matter what they do to us, they will NEVER kill the truth within our hearts (John 3:16)!



Jesus is looking for disciples not students. Students want to know what the teacher knows. Socrates and Plato had students. Disciples want to be like their master is. The sad fact is that I run into so many students of Jesus who think following him is all about having the right information about God or interpretation of the Bible. Far too often these same students live in a way that is an offense to the core of who Jesus actually was. Jesus was Love! There is no way to get aroudn the fact that Jesus lived a life of selfless love that allowed the whole world to misunderstand and abuse him. He loved people too much to over power them or even to judge them. He reserved his judgments for the people who thought they already knew all that they needed to about God. But these same arrogant people were living lives of judgment and pride that allowed them to feel morally and spiritually superior to other people. Jesus had Very harsh words for these kinds of people. I am always heart broken when I encounter people who, in the name of Jesus, go about judging others(on moral or spiritual grounds) In order to pass judgment on another person(especially a person who declares the name of christ) you have to violate Jesus' own life and the core of his message. Jesus gave only one new commandment to his disciples "Love one another as you have been loved by God the father". The only conclusion that I can come to is that all of these judgmental and hypocritical people who go around judging have not experienced much love from God. That is sad because his love is freely offered. But in order to experience his love you have to go through the painful process of dying to yourself. Most people would rather feel superior to another person than risk being completely wretched in the eyes of God. The Apostle Paul took the risk and called himself the Chief of Sinners. That kind of self awareness and humility are the marks of a disciple not the air of superiority and judgment.
Did I mention that I am a humble and wretched disciple of the living Jesus!



I just accidentally pulled the toenail off of my little toe and it reminded me that I haven't posted a review of Syriana yet. I admit I am a fan of George Clooney. I just like to watch him onscreen no matter what character he is playing. This time around he is part of a very talented ensemble cast including: Jeffery Wright, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet and Christopher Plummer. The movie weaves a very complex web of corporate corruption, american CIA operatives and the energy crisis facing the world. Locations jump from the middle east to Switzerland and the US. The plot takes a while to come together but the story is relevant and engaging. I have a suspicion that it is closer to the way things actually happen than most of us would like to accept. Executives piss all over the laws that are meant to reign in their greed and the US goverment betrays it's own people in a drop of a hat. Matt Damon's character gets to offer the harshest and most honest lines but it is Clooney that attracts your sympathies. He is a CIA operative that gets caught between the truth and the way things need to appear. There is a torture scene(involving fingernails) that reminded me of Quintin Tarantino. I think anyone with a healthy dose of courage and a strong stomach would enjoy this film. I heard that Clooney was a producer on this film. That proves he has a talent for seeing when a story is worth telling. Five out of five stars in my book!



I have to confess at the onset that I have never read the Chronicles of Narnia. I have heard all of the hype about the story being a mythic retelling of the gospel story so I was intrigued. I tried hard to put myself in the mind of a child as I watched the film with about 50 other people from NPCC. We have been doing a three week series leading up to the viewing of the film. I have to say that I got much mroe out of the services reflecting on the film than the actual film. I can clearly see the symbolic aspects fo the story. I know I am going to sound like the grinch who stole Naria but I wasn't impressed with the overall story line. It, like most of Christianity was focused down on the atonement. Not that I am down playing the atonement in any way but that is not the whole of the gospel. The most striking issue for me was that after the Savior Aslan was killed as an atonement for the sins of Edmund, no other character was called to embody that same spirit of sacrificial love. In fact they were suited up with very real weapons and rushed off to a very violent battle. It wasn't the violence in a kids movie that disturbed me, it was the conflict between the spirit of war and the spirit of selfless love that overcomes all war. It seemed to play into the very human thought that as long as you can tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, then it is ok to use any means to overcome evil. This is not the gospel of Jesus or of Paul who encourages us to imitate Christ and lay down our lives in love to overcome evil. It is never as black and white as an army of good lined up against an army of evil, not even in own own hearts. The final twenty minute battle scene left me cold and completely overshadowed the spirit of Aslan's sacrifice. I have to keep reminding myself that this is meant for children so i can't be too critical but I am not so certian that C S Lewis' theology takes into account the life of Jesus as well as his death. If we are called to enter the battle of good versus evil, and I believe we are, then it would have been great to see more symbolic reflection on the only weapon we have in the fight: sacrificial love.



The guy I buy my DVD's from occasionally has a copy of a movie that I have never heard of before. Mostly they are extremely violent gangster movies in the Boyz in da Hood vein. This week he handed me a copy of The Business by writer/director Nick Love. he gave me his usual review "Dis serious acktion, buey!" Normally I pass but this one I decided to take a chance on after reading that it featured East London hoods living the high life in the south of Spain. I am so glad I did because this is one of the most well written movies that i have seen in the gangster genre. The characters are engaging and fully developed without embracing stereotypes. The story is well developed and paced perfectly. If you are looking for a gangster flick with heavy doses of 80's nostalgia then this film is for you: five stars!



Loved, feared, misunderstood, inspired, insane! These are just a few of the words used to describe Clint Kemp. I tend to prefer human(with a heart for God) but that's just my perspective. Over the course of my life, Clint's fatihfulness, strength, and courageous honesty have had a huge impact on my life. Since I just found this self portrait(taken at Sacred Space ) It caused me to think for a moment about the person behind the image. I have no doubt that God is looking down and smiling that Clint is working in His Kingdom. I am smiling as well!



They couldn?t take your passion
They couldn?t take your soul
They couldn?t take your fire away
With their hearts cruel and cold

So they spit on your body
And clothed you in shame
They laughed at your vision
And they mocked your sweet name

And even in danger
With your life on the line
Your mercy was endless
And your love was divine

Instead of your vengeance
You extended your grace
But in spite of the torture
And the tears on your face

You offered a prayer
Of forgiveness and peace
You carried their burden
Until you were the least

And in the last moments
When your body had failed
All of their violence
Hung on those nails

But your spirit was lifted
Above earth and all man
So we all might find healing
In the scars on your hands





2006! Wow it seems as if things are speeding up here toward the end! 2005 has been very good to me. I have seen ups and downs but mostly ups. It seems as though, at times, we are just drifting along and not much growth is really happening. But if we look back over a longer period of time, we can see a different perspective. I am proud to say that even with copious amounts of facial hair I don't see to look much older. There is still a glow in my eye and, even if it is a little worn, a smile on my face.
I would like to thank everyone who has made this year such a wonderful one for me:
My Girlfriend: for being so pure and beautiful
My Parents: for being such wonderful examples of forgiveness and love
My New Landlords: for giving me a place that feels like my own private island
My Teachers: for pushing my boundaries and lighting my way, even the ones who are way off the acceptable map!
My Lord: for strengthing my faith and showing me that I have nothing to fear.
My Spirit: for believing at all
My Friends: for teaching me just how far I still have to go
My Critics: for proving that someone's paying attention and that I must be making an impact
May you all have a blessed 2006!



- 3.1 million people lost their lives in 2005 from HIV/AIDS
- 4.9 million people were newly infected with the virus
- 40.3 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS
- 25 million children will be orphans by 2010 because of AIDS
- 27+ million people have died of AIDS since 1980

What makes me so sad is that many people who read this post will be more upset by the word Bullshit than by the horrible statistics about the world AIDS crisis. The book of James says that "caring for widows and orphans" is the only true religion that is pleasing to God. So we find ourselves in a world where AIDS(the new leprosy) is making widows and orphans by the thousands everyday and the church is obsessed with nit-picking people's othodoxy and promoting homophobia. When will it end? How can so many hearts be blind and selfish? When the above picture was taken(at the NPCC AIDS day prayer vigil) my heart was hurting for the absense of the church in our modern world's greatest crisis. I agree with Bono that unless the church wakes up to this issue, history will not be kind to the memory of Christianity. If you want to read more about this issue and how you can get involved, cimply click the image above to go to aids.com.



A few months ago during my trip to LA, I had the pleasure of meeting David De Sabatino and seeing a screening of his new documentary - Frisbee: the life and death of a hippie preacher. The film was really interesting on several levels, not the least of which is that he found God as a result of a 3 day, naked acid trip alone in the southern california desert. Can you imagine him walking into a church ans telling that conversion story! It seems that the late sixties were a time of great faith (or desperation) because not only was he welcomed into Chuck Smith's newly formed Calvary Chapel but he was hugely successful. Within months he had drawn thousands of unwashed hippies to his wednesday evening bible studies. There is footage of him baptizing hundreds of people in the cali surf. He moved around a bit during the first years of his ministry, leaving hugely successful ministries in his wake (vineyard and clavary chapel are two of the largest nondenominational churches across the USA) All was going well, until it was discovered that besides being clearly called by God, lonnie was also gay. This brought his ministry to a sudden and premature halt. The movie is laced with wonderful music by Larry Norman.
I bring all of this up to say that I just read about a seattle screening of the film where Larry Norman showed up and freaked out about the content of the film. I am confused, given that his music was used by permission in the film, he appears in the film, and he released an album recently entitled : Frisbee. What could have him so upset? I read about this on Militant Pastor Mark Driscoll's psuedo-blog here. I am going to do more searching to get to the bottom of this but in the meantime checkout the film if you can, it raises some challenging questions.



This is how Bono talks about his faith after being honored, along with Bill gates and his wife Melinda, as one of Time Magazine's people of the year "I try to live it rather than talk about it because their are enough second-hand car salesman for God, but I cannot escape my conviction that God is interested in the progress of mankind, individually and collectively" I couldn't agree more!
If we look over the cultural landscape, it is truely interesting that in a time when religion accounts for so much violence and negativity in our world, someone who is so openly and honestly motivated by his faith in God can actually be respected and honored. I think it has a great deal to do with the changing role of ethics within the Christian faith. Rather than the well-worn and largely irrelevant issues that Christians tend to obsess over (moral codes, correct othodoxy, definign who is in and who is out), there are a new breed of believers who are embracing their faith in practical ways. Not simply intellectual frameworks of belief but in ethical action based on the real needs that are present in our hurting world. "People are no longer pursuaded by arguements but by models" Some would see this movement toward practical ethics as a compromise of absolute truth but I see it as a deeper acknowledgment of truth. A faith that seeing the world as it truly is, demands ethical action not intellectual posturing and debate. Real love, compassion and mercy must be brought to bear on the evil in our world, not simply rational and authoritative judgment. It is time that Christians let go of their positions of ethical superiority and get into the game of actually caring for the world the way that Jesus did. My brother Bono's faith reminds me that "to believe is to act" and when I read Jesus' teachings it becomes painfully clear that it is sacrificial love, not correct theology, that declares a person a child of God.



It seems that many visitors to my site forget the fact that they are guests. This site is an authentic reflection of where I am at at any given moment in my journey of faith and life. I am in no way perfect or above error but I am certian about my heart for God and my convictions about truth. It is unfortunate that this level of honesty and openess becomes a weapon for judgment and harsh, sometimes cowardly, criticism. Mostly by people who feel very secure in their discernment because of their relationship with Jesus. I am willing to accept the fact that people will misunderstand me and without ANY personal experience of me will have much to judge. It is my life goal to simply be myself before God and others. That will mean at times I will be perfectly in line with other people's expectations(of a follower of Jesus, of a Pastor and Leader, of an incomplete human being loved entirely by God) but I also will be way outside of those confining boundaries. I am at peace with that.
So my apology is not for being human and therefore capable of misunderstanding and even evil, it is for not making it clear enough that I don't intend to censor and water down the thoughts that I feel and explore. If anyone feels, in their spirit, that they need to come and speak with me about anything they have read on this site. I am very open to that possibility. But if you are just coming to this site to confirm the fact that I am not perfect, please stop! Find something more positive to do with your time and energy.



I posted a review of James Frey's "memoir" a few months ago and mentioned how much it had touched me. I meant that deeply! So imagine my surprise when I came into the office this week and was told that his story was being questioned on many counts by The Smoking Gun. At first when I went to their site I was skeptical, but after an open reading I was angry. The evidence and direct "off the record" quotes from Frey himself, made a pretty good case. You can check out the article yourself by clicking the image above. I have a few thoughts after watching James Frey on Larry King Live last night.
The book definately would not have touched me as much if it had been presented as fiction. I disagree with Frey when he says that the essential truths of his life aren't in question. The challenge is mostly to his criminal record that was clearly embellished but since his criminal record plays so heavily into the flow and drama of the book, you have to wonder how much else is false. Certianly the criminal record only provides context for the possibly true portions of his story but the book would not have worked without the tension of certian embellished elements. In fact I would go as far as to say that the exclamation point of the whole book(I won't ruin it for those who haven't read it but it's on the last page) the death of a close friend and pivitol character is emeshed with and apparently a result of him serving a three month prison term. If he never spent more than 5 hours in jail then that aspect of the story is completely false and leaves one to ponder if that particular character even existed. Once you start pulling apart the Million Little Lies in this book you get a very different picture of James Frey's life. Striped of the punch of real life, much of the book reads as sadly manipulative and obscene. I have to admit that while I was reading it there were a few points that I thought that this can't be real. But each time I was pulled back in by the fact that it was presented as true and by a major publisher.
How in the world could he have gotten away with it? Watching him on Larry King was interesting. His position was basically a semantic redefinition of the word memoir. At the same time, he admitted the embellishment and also claimed that the story is the essential truth of his life. Watching him reminded me of Pilate caught in the tension between what the Jews were saying about Jesus and his own convictions. He asked "What is truth?" That is an adequate question posed by the whole james Frey affair. I agree with Cliff(who posted in the guestbook-Thanks!) only two people know what is really true James Frey and God. I wish God would chime in his perspective =)



You might not think of Sinead O'Connor as a spiritual person. She is infamous for tearing up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live in the mid 90's while saying"fight the real enemy". I have been a causal fan of her music for a while but I just got to hear her album Faith and Courage. It waas released in 2000 but didn't make much of a comercial impact. I have to say that I love this album. The songs are powerful, catchy and relevant. She even seems to feel remorse about her public displays of anger:
Here are some lyrics from the song "the lamb's book of life"
I know that I have done many things
To give you reason not to listen to me
Especially as I have been so angry
But if you know me maybe you would understand me
Words can't express how sorry I am
If I ever caused pain to anybody
I just hope that you can show compassion
And love enough to just please listen
Check out "no man's woman" and "healing room" they are my favorites!



I had the pleasure of having an extended conversation with Bahamian artist John Cox. I was asked to write an about globalization's effects on Bahamian culture and John's work. When the article is posted I will put up a link to the site One Small Barking Dog. For now you can click the image above to check out the article and some of John's work.



Here is the link to the article that I wrote on John Cox and Bahamian identity. Check out the site for lots of great articles exploring the effects of globalization on culture, spirituality and more. Also check out popopstudios to see more of John's work.



The image above, of Brian Mclaren, points to a short little video piece from ABC news about the emerging church in the US. They feature two communities with commentary from Brian. I have reaad a few of Brian's books and I think he is a very wise and prayerful writer. I had the chance to sit down over lunch with he and Barry Taylor a few years ago at an Emergent conference in San Diego (back whem Emergent was running their conferences like a PoMo circuswith clowns and freaky dancing) during that conversation I really felt his heartfelt pain for the divisions and ignorance within the body of Christ. Online they are calling him a postmodern guru. I think that is interesting given that he functions in a very traditional role as a pastor of a small conservative and mostly traditonal church. He is not sporting tattoos and piercings lighting things on fire for effect. He is just simply applying his considerable intellect and insight to the state of Christendom in our modern world. I have seen some pretty harsh criticism online directed at him and his writings. Why do we always want to shoot the messenger when the message hits too close to home? Oh, I forgot, that is the price of sin: death and ignorance.



Well James Frey decided to bite the bullet and go back on Oprah live yesterday to confess about the parts of his "memoir" he embellished. It seems that he lied about many extremely pivitol points in the story. He admited that everything that the smoking gun article said was true. Then he went on to mention other aspects fo the story that were false: Lily did not hang herself(he claims she slit her wrists) It makes no sense to me that he would lie about this detail and it makes me feel that she never existed at all. Either that or she existed but he was not as close to her as the book claimed. Either way the whole book has fallen apart in my mind and heart. It is strange because I am still thankful for the experience of reading and believing the book but I will not buy any more of his books. He seemed like such a pussy on the show yesterday. nothing at all like he presented himself in the book. He had a wonderful explanation for his lies meant to incite pity(didn't work with me) He claims he had to remember his past this way in order to cope with overcoming his addictions. That may be true but then tell the millions of people who foudn strength in his "true story" that manipulating truth is the sad and weak way that he needed in order to cope. Don't write a book that continues to present the harsh acceptance of truth and honesty as the way he made it through.
This whole episode about James Frey raises the important question of how little a value our whole society places on truth as an idea. He can write a work of fiction, present it as true, be proved wrong, and still claim that he sees it as true. While at the same time admitting that he lied. That is one complicated version of truth and one that we will all have to navigate more and more in our post-modern condition.
My final thoughts are this: James Frey is one of the most gifted writers that I have ever read and he is also one of the most self decieved people that I have ever seen. May he fidn the courage to embrace the truth no matter what it costs him.



I got a post about Andre Chappelle in the new little guestbook/comment section of the site. Whoever posted, I am speaking of the Andre Chapelle who grew up in the Bahamas and went to school in CT. Here is a little interview with Andre where he talks about going to boarding school in CT. The above painting of Andre is by Bahamian artist Jace from the Famous Faces show that he and Ward Minnis did a few years ago. The piece I mentioned in the other post about the NAGB was also by Jace but was not this portrait. The one I meant used to be on the nagb website but they are renovating at the moment. If you click the image of Andre above you can see the rest of the Famous Faces show.
OK, so about Andre. I am not sure what the person who posted wanted to know(if you're reading post again or email me here. My parents knew Andre's parents and when Andre's dad moved to Miami they reconnected with him. After awhile Andre moved down to Miami as well and for a short while lived with our family. That wasn't odd, our family had at least 8 different people who lived with us while I was growing up. I really liked Andre and in many ways he made God accessible to me. He was studying at the time in Bible school and would have long theological conversations with me. It used to blow my mind that he was what I considered a very religous person and he had an earring. It sort of blew my little box away at the time. Sometimes when I see Andre now I wonder if he isn't (in small ways) better off for not being trapped in our system of comfort and greed. It must be my own hearts way of dealing with the fact that someone I respected (and struggling to still respect him) is living on the streets by choice. I remember a few years ago he got chopped up by the vendors at Potter's Key for stealing. I saw him in the hospital and looked into his eye. He still had his sharp wit and insightful mind but He had stated clearly that he chose his life. I have written songs about Andre, prayed for Andre, given him shoes and short rides through town while he entertains me with memories of the days when he and I weren't that different (Now we are only different on the outside - not in the eyes of God). Between the article and my posts you can tell that Andre's life didn't turn out like many expected but even to this day when I talk to him he seems that he would chose life on the streets over comfort anyday.




I used the $50 from the sale of Jesus with the Whip to get more clay! As promised, I made a new version of The Last Supper. I made a larger version back in 2002 for Debra and Rick Talens. You can check out the old one at the bottom of this page. I haven't decided on a price for this one yet. I will give it some thought. If anyone wants to start the bidding, go right ahead!
Also check out the larger image of the whole piece by clicking the top picture above. Nice ponytails in the last pic =)

The New School - ShockYa

The New School has arrived. Jumping from the rural context of the New Testament, we make a jump into the concrete jungle of urban culture. This little buy is already spoken for but stay tuned, I plan to make a whole lot more hiphop influenced pieces. If you have a request email me here
Peace, love and hand-crafted cuteness!

link : comment() : catagory : general posted:2006.03.21 16:54

Techgnosis

Erik Davis' book Techgnosis is one of the most thrilling rides through our modern tech landscape. It is a history of the spiritual implications of technological advances. Who knew that the technology of books (instead of rolled scrolls) was pioneered by the early Christian church. Who knew that it was the invention of the telegraph that gave us the fear of ghosts. Who knew that the invention of the telephone would bring theories of communists implanting radio chips into people's brains. The book offered a deep analysis of gnostic tendancies in our spiritual tastes. The desire to leave, or transcend, the bodily world for the world of spirit. This seperation of body and spirit has motivated(sometimes unconsiously) many great technological advances.
He spends a great deal of time dealing with the internet, movie special effects and more. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the effects of technology or the twisted history of how spiritual thoughts develop and gain steam. The link attached to his picture is to his great website taht stores a collection of articles, essays and other ramblings. He is a gifted thinker and relevant writer. Stay tuned, I am putting together a long link list of sites that I check regularly for insight, inspiration and fun. Today the world is a happy place for seeward!

link : comment() : catagory : books posted:2006.03.21 16:55

Around the World via the InterWeb

Here is a list of some of the sites that I check on regularly:

Nathan Clair's Blog : nathan is a cool cat with LOTS to say about topics such as theology, the church, how kickass cs lewis is, and more! He has a sharp sense of humor and a penchant for ranting(in a good way)

Andrew Jone's Blog : I met Andrew breifly a few years ago and just recently found out about his blog. He is a great writer and comes from a fresh perspective. His site is a good portal into the mind of the Emergent crowd.

Waferbaby : another wonder from down under! I have been checking this site for a few years. Daniel has some serious web coding skills and has been adding interactive creativity projects to the site often. Check out brainstorm and hussy. The next upgrade of seeward.com will try to accomplish this level of community interactivity.

Desert Father : Desert Father (don't think its his real name=) is a gifted writer. He works at Mars Hill Bible Church where Rob Bell is the pastor. I posted a review of Rob's Velvet Elvis a few months ago and it is interesting to see how the thoughts in the book trickle down into the practice of community. If they have only a few people as thoughtful and wise as Desert Father, we should continue hearing amazing things from michigan.

The Simple Way : Its always great to check in with North Philly and see what's happening with Shane, Mike, Amber, Brooke and the crew. The site also has some very concious links that you should checkout. Also Shane has a book being released so check out the site to find out how to get yourself a copy.

Douglas Rushkoff : I was published(along with 100 other people) in a book project that Douglas started a few years ago. It was the first open source novel. Douglas wrote the main narrative for the novel and then invented a way for others to engage and add depth to his text. He put the whole thing online and invited people to add footnote commentary from the future. You can read more about it here. Douglas explores lots of interesting ideas on his blog.

Artchive : this site is loaded with tons of great information about art including many historical bios with images to put certian works of art in context with an artist's life. I keep going back because there is so much there.

Jerusalem Perspective : This site has some great historical information about the 1st century. I have heard Rob Bell talk about some of this information and I think he put the link in the bibliography of Velvet Elvis.

Integral Naked : enter the often strange and always brain bending world of Ken Wilber. A living philospher trying to articulate a map of reality that unites the divergent paths of science, spritiuality, the nature of experience, and the kitchen sink. I got some heat from some of the more judgmental vistors to my site for having a link to this site so that should make it worth checking out. Although I don't agree with(or maybe don't even understand) all that he says, at least He gives me a hope that there is something beyond post-modernism and its over-sensitive, politically correct paralysis.

Thats it for now.

link : comment() : catagory : websites posted:2006.03.21 16:56

The Hummer H3

Here is an image of my brother's hummer! Isn't technology wonderful. This image was taken and emailed from his cell phone. Soon people will be able to use their cellphones as videocams and stream instantly onto the internet. Maybe it's time to buy stock in bandwidth techonology companies =)

link : comment() : catagory : general posted:2006.03.21 16:57

Anne Lamott

"I started to realize that there was a great hunger and thirst for regular, cynical, ragbag people to talk about God and goodness and virtue in a tone that didn't frighten and upset you, or make you feel that you were doing even more poorly than you'd thought." Anne Lamott

In the article attached to the above image of me and Anne Lamott, she says that it was her little church community in the poorest area of San Francisco that saved her life. I can certianly identify with that thought. My church community and Anne Lamott have both saved my life more than once. In a supreme act of grace, I was given Anne Lamott's book Traveling Mercies at the lowest point in my life. I remember many days that passed by so painfully slow that only Anne's words had the power to nurture my soul. She is so brutally honest and at the same time able to articulate the depths of struggle at the center of any authentic faith journey. I remember when this picture was taken she had just given an hour plus talk about wheat she wanted in a pastor. It was delivered to a national pastor's conference in San Deigo. She was so edgy that many people walked out in a huff. I was also told that right before she went onstage she was told she could not mention certian topics. Her main theme was one of the censored topics. She stuck it out and gave a wondeful rambling and harsh talk. When it was over, their were very few people lingering around by the stage. One person did come well prepared and gave her the embossed leather KJV bible.

link : comment() : catagory : books posted:2006.03.21 17:30

Douglas Rushkoff

Here is a picture of me with Douglas Rushkoff in NYC. This pick was taken when i went up to NY with Luke and James Prior. Exit Strategy book release party. I have loved everything that Douglas has published. You should check out:
Playing the Future
Extasy Club
Media Virus
Nothing Sacred
Coercion

link : comment() : catagory : books posted:2006.03.21 17:31

Barry Speaks

This picture was taken while Barry Taylor was teaching at Fuller. The topic was the theology of art and fashion. I remember one student seemed very concerned that men were beginning to wear dresses and skirts. You can click the image to see his blog(Barry's not the students). Barry is coming to town next month for a little conclave with Rob Bell, Ron Mortia, Peter Block, Chris Seay and Rick McKinley. Should be interesting.

link : comment() : catagory : websites posted:2006.03.21 17:32

The Naked Cowboy

When you come across a picture or yourself with such an astounding example of our times, you just have to post it. The Naked Cowboy even has a website. Click the image to see him in all his cowboy half-naked glory.

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:32

The Sound of Many Waters

A few years ago the worship band at NPCC recorded a CD. If you click the image above of the band(I don't have an image of Duane Higgs who also played amazing bass parts on the cd) you can hear the songs. If all goes well, we will be recording another batch of songs this year! | 2006.02.10 12:02 | music

link : comment() : catagory : music posted:2006.03.21 17:33

Spray Can Artist

This little guy was inspired by my love for graffiti/street art. Watch him spin around, right round, like a record baby! His little stencil glows in the dark. I have now made 25 little figures in the last three weeks. More may be on the way today, stay tuned!

link : comment() : catagory : artshows posted:2006.03.21 17:34

Richard Rohr

I read many more books than I take the time to review on this site. Often because I have to spend time reflecting on the ideas in the book and deciding what I will make of them. This book by Richard Rohr was an exception. Clarity and difficult truth come pouring off of every page. The book is basically a theological study/reflection on the Sermon on the Mount. He clearly identifies the three world orders that control our world: The political order, the economic order and the religious order. He goes into brief but illuminating detail about how Jesus' life and teachings denied the power of these orders and replaced them by proclaiming a new order based on the reign of God that Jesus called The Kingdom of God.
He is challenging all across the board. He takes on the history of the church, catholicism (and he is a practicing catholic, better watch out for Ratzinger!) and the rational denial of mystery. His theology knits together so many constant themes in Jesus teachings and he also humbly reflects on the fact that we have only had 2000 years to sort out the implications of the incarnation. When you really think about it, the incarnation changed all of human history, and it IS pretty arrogant to assume that we already have a full handle on what its implications are.
Its not as though I am saying that God was inadequate in his communication( as John McCarthur misunderstands in his attack on the emergent church) I am saying that when approaching God we must begin with the humility of Paul and recognize that we see through a glass dimly lit. I believe that many aspects of God's revelation have been understood and frankly few have been acted on. Rohr's book seems to take a very modern systems theory approach to looking at the bible. This systems approach reveals some striking elements of revolution and resistance in Jesus life and teachings that can easily be missed when you only see the events and ideas at close range. I feel like Rohr has stepped back and taken a much broader view of the implications of Jesus and has in turn revealed Jesus again in a more complete way.
Recently a wise brother pointed out to me that when Jesus healed the blind man, he didn't see clearly right away. At first he saw people as trees, then he saw walking trees and then he finally saw that he was looking at people all along. This is the way that we approach truth and its implications in our lives. I think there are many people building wooden theologies around trees and completely missing the real truth of people right before their eyes. Click the image to learn a bit more about Rohr and his work.

link : comment() : catagory : books posted:2006.03.21 17:35

We Know Where You Are!

I found a cool hit counter that allows you to see all the visitors to a site placed on a map of the world. Right now it is not saying much but soon seeward.com is going global!

link : comment() : catagory : websites posted:2006.03.21 17:36

Irresistible Revolution

The interesting thing about reviewing books written by friends of mine is that I am excited and challenged at the same time. A few months ago I wrote about Velvet Elvis and commented on how Rob had put into words so many things that I had been thinking and studying. Yesterday I read Shane Claiborne's book in one sitting. I could not put it down! I love Shane so much and reading his book was almost like hanging out with him in person(except without the tumbling and fire-breathing!) he makes a great point that ideologies/theologies are not very attractive even if they are true. What brings people to life is life(love) itself. So the book is not purely theological(although he does go into some wonderful biblical reflections on the theology behind his actions) it is much more a memior(not in the James Frey style)
I have heard Shane tell(and been a part of some) these stories but to have them wrapped in biblical reflection was a treat for me. I can identify with him when he says that he gets strange kicks from studying the bible. I realize that not everyone does but for some reason I just love to do it. Shane(like Rob Bell) have been kicking around the same verses and ideas that have been haunting me for the last few years. Knowing the challenging way that Shane has surrendered his life to Jesus, I expected the book to leave me feeling less like a disciple of Jesus. That was not the case, the book left me encouraged that I was already an ordinary radical and well on my way to being an "extremist for love" One of the reviewers fo the book called it "profoundly biblical" and that was really the most impacting thing about the book for me. It forced me to look at the bible while still seeing economics and social responsibility. Here is the opening quote:

"Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. But the one who has love, courage and wisdom moves the world"
- Ammon Hennacy (Catholic activist 1893-1970)

link : comment() : catagory : books posted:2006.03.21 17:37

Hustle and Flow

This film should have been nominated for Best Picture not just best actor and best original music for a film. It is stunning! For the first twenty minutes I was uncomfortable and not sure I even liked the characters at all. Soon the music started bumping and the characters became accesible and stirred empathy. This film has the best music specifically written for a film that I have ever heard. Terence Howard is amazing as the lead role of a street hustler pimp/small tiem drug dealer who is following his dream of becoming a rapper. The script unfolds slowly and allows you to really get inside their dreams and darkness. There were quite a few scenes that were hard to watch for their brutal honesty but there were also scenes that you wished would go on longer for their excitement and authentic joy. I would recommend this to anyone who loves hiphop or great films. (and who don't mind seeing life and hearing foul language as it really is!)

link : comment() : catagory : movies posted:2006.03.21 17:37

It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp

36 mafia wins an Oscar! I posted a few days ago about how much I liked Hustle and Flow and last night at the Oscars the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" won best original song for a motion picture. It was cool to see the normally dry Oscar proceeding interupted by a bit of nasty flava. Diamond Grillz and bleeped out acceptance speeches are not what you normally expect from a formal hollywood affair. I was dissappoinnted that Terrence Howard didn't win for Best Actor but I haven't seen Capote yet so Philip Seymore Hoffman might have deserved it. You can click the link about to see the whole list of winners. I was suprised that Brokeback Mountain only won two oscars. I thought crash was a decent movie but it also had lots of holes in the plot that I couldn't get past. All in all the show was decent (John Stewart is the funniest human being alive!) and I am glad that the creative power of hiphop is invading even the most sacred of industries. Keep Pimpin'

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:38

David Sacks is a Genius

Last year my friend and wonderful photographer David Sacks came down for his annual visit to the Bahamas. The above images are some of the fruits of his labor. It must take alot of photoshop to get seeward to look like a model! I love the last image and I think it should be titled "Do you mind if I ask your sister out on a date?" You can click the images to see David's site or check out more of his work here.

link : comment() : catagory : websites posted:2006.03.21 17:39

Gladwell's Blog

Malcom Gladwell, author of two of my favorite books "The Tipping Point" and "Blink" has just launched blog. It is interesting to read what a professional writer writes about for fun. It may be a stretch to say that the things he has posted so far on gladwell.com were writen for fun but they are interesting amendments to his writings. You can find an archive of his New Yorker articles and some lively and l-e-n-g-t-h-y discussions in the comments sections. Be sure to check out the article about copywright infringment. It makes some interesting connections to the way that recordings are sampled in modern music and applies it to writing.

link : comment() : catagory : websites posted:2006.03.21 17:39

Bruxy Cavey is Gifted

A few years ago my good friend Tim Hauber turned me on to this strange hippy/menonite pastor from Toronto named Bruxy Cavey. I listened to a few of his sermons and was blown away. He speaks with amazing clarity and insight blending philosophy, literature, pop culture and historical christian faith. I had an opportunity to go to his church a few years ago and I was very impressed. He gave a message about a new email virus that had infected his computer and sent out a random file from his harddrive to people on his contact list. He talked about how this was a picture of the way we live our lives in fear of being exposed for who we really are. He told a very funny stroy about the guy in his church who got the random file from his computer. He was a new visitor to the church and, at first, was confused as to why the pastor would send him a long article on pride. He reflected on it and decided that he was too prideful and that somehow the pastor had known the true state of his heart and decided to email him this article to set him straight. Bruxy didn't know any of this until the guy called him up and asked to meet him for lunch to discuss his pride. Bruxy was shocked to hear the man humbly asking for forgiveness about his pride. After he sorted out what had actually happened both men laughed out loud and wondered at how God can use anything to speak to our hearts. If you would liek to hear some of Bruxy's sermons click the image of the hippy menonit above. My favorite series is "God in the Grey Matter : Jesus Dialogues with Beautiful Minds" but they are all excellent!

link : comment() : catagory : websites posted:2006.03.21 17:40

The Beginning of the End

WOW! The final season of the Sopranos snuck up on me. I have the DVD's of all 5 previous seasons and I am an avid fan of the show. At the end of every episode I get a bit sad because I don't want it to end. In spite of all the ultra-violence and depravity, I just love Tony, Pauly, Chris and the gang. I don't have HBO in my new place so I had to wait until Monday and download the new episode from BitTorrent. I was able to downlod a HDTV encoded file of the episode that plays DVD quality on my mac and iPod. If things progress smoothly over the new season, I will not have to buy the DVDs of this season! The new season really started with a bang. They worked almost all of the main characters into the first episode except Pauly. I won't give away the plot but things are really off kilter in the family. For now you can click the image above to go to the most popular Sopranos fan site Sopranoland.com

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:41

Nassau Gone German

This weekend some of the Bahamas best artists are exhibiting in Germany. It is great to see the work of John Cox, Blue Curry, Antonius Roberts, Micheal Edwards, Heino Schmind and others traveling across the pond. If you click the link above you can see the site for the gallery that they are showing at. I have seen some of the new work that they are displaying and I really like it. You can see some of John Cox's new work and here about his art here. It is too bad that John's site was taken down recently it was a cool place to see the works of many emerging creative voices in the Bahamas. I hope the German's love Funky Nassau!

link : comment() : catagory : artshows posted:2006.03.21 17:41

Becoming Irreligious

A very popular mega-church's vision statement has always been "Turning irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ" Lately I have been thinking about just how irreligious the teachings of Christ are for our time. A time when choas and uncertianty reign in the public sphere. People are looking outside of themselves to find some sense of security and resolve. Some look to the government with its laws and methods of enforcing them. Some look to the economy wiht its empty promise of financial sustainability. Still many others look to religion even though, in its many forms, religion is part fo what got us into this mess and chaos in the first place. Is the goal really to engage and transform peoples religiousity? I love the little cartoon above because I think it says a great deal about how easy the externals of religion can be an avoidance of the deeper issues of discipleship. It is much easier to paste some religion onto our lives than to see our lives as truely worthless without an intimacy with God. Intimacy with God is not the same as a ritualistic observance of God. Ritual can serve to root a person's experience of God into consistent forms but it can never replace the first hand experience.
I have been thinking about the way that the bible is read and taught in many modern churches. It is very similar to the way computer software is designed and sold. The way that Microsoft relates to its applications is vvery similar to the way that the church relates to the bible. Micorsoft will not freely give out the source code to its programs for fear that people will come along and create bastardized versions of their software. This fear is shared by the church that would rather boil down the scriptures into seven transformational principles for the Sunday sermon rather than teaching people to dig into the source code themselves. When you look at the open-source software movements (linux and to a certian degree Apple) the truth is that people end up creating wonderful new applications that serve very specific purposes that will never be marketed and backed by huge corporations. They create software applications that relate to their context - see the audio recording industry and the way that new audio tools are cropping up everyday or the proliferation of open source apps for the Palm Pilot platform.
The way I see it, the scriptures can provide a context or map of reality that holds together and is true to the way things are. With that context people should be free to apply the map in their individual context without restriction. What might begin to happen is that people will come up with completely inspired applications of the Gospel that will be impossible to make into universal religious structures. People will be free to be co-creators with God. I have to give these thoughts some more time as I look for the right glue to attach my stigmata pasties.

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:42

A Short History of Myth

I have been reading up on the role of myth as a way of making meaning in our lives. Jospeh Cambell has written some great indepth studies of various mythological structures throughout the ages and the way that they have given birth to certian worldviews. Karen Armstrong takes a much wider angle view than Cambell by looking at an overview of the idea of myth and its role in certian cultural periods in history. This book is a very good look at the major thrusts of the ongoing developing myths that guide our meaning making. What I really appreciated about the book was the last few pages where she looked at the role of creativity and art to restore a sense of sacred mythology back into modern life. The book seemed to stop short. Just as she was beginning to paint a hopeful picture of a more balanced future that trusts and accepts mystery as much as certianty, it just ends. Maybe she is writing another book about this idea but it seemed blunt to even enter that terrritory without really exploring it. I would like to read a book that begins with her last sentence: "If professional religious leaders cannot instruct us in mythical lore, our artists and creative writers can perhaps step into this priestly role and bring fresh insight to our lost and damaged world.
I have been doing some work lately in refining my own mythological understandings of my own journey. In the writing I am seeing the constant intersection between that which is most personal to me and that which is most universal to all of us. This book has helped me to place my own individual process of creating myth into the context of everyman's journey.
You can also click the image above to see a short bio of Karen "runaway nun" Armstrong.

link : comment() : catagory : books posted:2006.03.21 17:43

Are Myths Relevant Anymore?

Good question! until recently I haven't given the idea of myths much thought. The flurry of energy surrounding this Christmas' release of The Chronicles of Narnia peaked my interest. I heard from so many people that the mythic qualities of the story had connected with them on a very deep inner level. I didn't have the same reaction to the story but I became curious about why we chose certian grand stories (the bible, the story of the natural sciences, or star wars) to interpret the deeper qualities of our own personal experiences.
It seems to me that the chart above is a good visual of how we all go about this myth/meaning making in our lives. We start looking for identity within our own personal pathology or worldview. Soon enough we go out into the society around us and it either reinforces our pathology with an ideology or shapes our pathology into a more mainstream worldview. These ideologies come from either political, economic, cultural, or religious structures that we meet and identify with in our society. That usually also tells us a grand story or mythological history but this mythology is heavily shaped to support and defend the ideology that we have identified with.
That is the usual path (described in more detail by several writers - see Richard Rohr) but while this journey is going on in each of our lives the true story of history is unfolding. A more multidimensional and complex history that could never be reduced to anyone mythology from a single human perspective.
I have been thinking about the Christian myth which I believe is also the revealed truth of history. God actually goes the other way on the chart and touches our personal pathological story and reinterprets it in light of a greater (and also real) mythology. When that truely happens, not just intellectually but is actually experienced, our personal story begins to take on greater meaning and fullness. I believe that on one level Jesus was saying this when he said "If you are willing to lose your life you will find it" If we are willing to let go of our small limited story and see our being as part of the larger historical journey then we will live differently in the world.
You can click the chart to read an interesting interview with Joseph Cambell talking about the power of myths in our lives. Here is an interesting quote from the interview:
"People say that what we?re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don?t think that?s what we?re really seeking. I think that what we?re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances without our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."
The reason I am personally still looking into myth making is research for the writing of a book telling my spiritual journey. I feel led to write my story for three reasons:
1. I feel that it will give me a greater sense of what has shaped my thinking and living - both postively and negatively
2. I feel that someone who reads my story will gain insight into their own journey since that which is most personal is also most universal
3. It would make a kick-ass myspace page!

link : comment() : catagory : theology posted:2006.03.21 17:43

Show Some Respect

I have gotten a few harsh posts in the guestbook/comment form for the site(I have deleted them so don't bother looking). Let me begin by reminding people a few things about this site:
1. If you are coming to this site to judge me, you would better use your time by reading more of the bible that makes you think you have the right to judge another person's life. You can click the image above of Vincent Van Gogh's bible to see a wonderful free online version in many translations. God love's me no matter what you think of me!
2. Anyone besides me visiting this site is a guest and should act accordingly to hurl anonymous judgments is simple rude.
3. I am very open to healthy and constructive dialog, if someone would like to engage me in a private forum such as email - hit me up here.
4. I will not water down or filter the things that I post and reflect on - get over it or go somewhere else on the internet where everything fits into your little boxes.

Having said that I am encouraged that the site has generated some modest traffic and interaction. It looks like it might be time to look into a comments section for each post rather than just the guestbook section.
Peace

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:44

Photo Booth Love

In spite of what some cowardly anonymous posters might believe, my girlfriend has one of the strongest relationships with Jesus that I have had the pleasure of sharing. On top of that she is drop dead sexy as well - just as God made her! This is our first photo-booth picture, taken over the weekend in Coconut Grove. It was wonderful to spend time with Chris, Juan, Ben and Nikki! Got to see Ben's band Article 66 on Thursday at Tobacco Road. I haven't been to Tobacco Road since I was in High School. It was cool to see Ben rockin' out and blowing the opening band "Sad Moon" off the stage.
Note to Scrappy - thanks for having my back but some battles are not worth fighting. Lets grab some scooby snacks and ignore the insecure from now on!

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:45

How Dare I?

There is an interesting story in the Gospels where Jesus' disciples come to Him and say that they found some outsiders casting out demons and preaching in His name. They said that they didn't understand the methods that these outsiders were using so they told them to stop. Jesus tells them to leave these people alone saying "whoever is not against us is for us" (Luke 9:46-50)
I bring this up because it seems to be at the heart of all the criticism that this site, and my willingness to be honest about my life and thoughts, stirs up. It seems that many people have a very defined image of what a "man of God" should do, say and think. When they come across my site, it doesn't fit into this image. They are left with two options. 1. Throw out their limited and unbiblical image of what a follower of Jesus is and accept me for who I am, just like God accepts me. or 2. Hold desperately to their limited image and throw me out by judging and casting suspicion on me and my motives.
I am not that concerned that many people choose option two. Even Jesus first disciples clearly chose option two. But know this! I come into this world in the name of Jesus the Christ. I have willingly become a slave to God's word and will continue to pursue God in spirit and truth with my whole being. You may not understand or even condone my methods, thoughts or actions and outside of a personal relationship with me you may remain convinced that I am doing more harm than good. I can accept your fears and I respect the level of integrity with which you so strongly desire to please God. I am convinced that he loves you entirely just as you are.
I decided to make things easier for everyone to sort out my motives and make sure that it is easy for people to see me as a man of God in case I may be behind you at Wendys. My new forehead tattoo should do the trick!

link : comment() : catagory : society posted:2006.03.21 17:46

The Day I Died

On an strange and hot day in mid-june 1994, I was released from the King County Jail. After spending the previous 48 hours sweating and puking from herion withdrawls, the only thing on my mind was how to get more herion into my rapidly failing system. In a fit of super human strength, I struggled through the sweats and exhustion to walk 47 city blocks to the area of town where my connection lived. having no money in my pocket, I stopped on the way at the same pawn shop that I had, weeks before, pawned my first guitar and amplifier. I knew that the five dollars I recieved for pawning my wristwatch would not g