578 posts

The Evolution of God

2009.10.14 13:06

I have said many times, about the Bible, that the more you read and study it the more questions it raises and that those that are the most steadfast and certain in their positions are typically the one's who haven't done much digging. The more I 'dig in' to the text of scripture, or the whole amazing, reckless and cosmic story line, the more I find myself in a labyrinth of interpretations and potential ambiguities. The Evolution of God is a book for those who are interested in the 'digging'. Wright digs deep but not where you might expect. I assumed, unwisely, by the title and the fantastic color choices of the cover that I was going to be reading a very different kind of book. It looked very clinical and self important at the same time. Instead of exploding our minds with succinct presentations of scientific data that show that the idea of God 'evolved' in the human mind, Wright digs into the Old Testament. I mean really deep into the Old Testament. Pointing out the similarities of the Polynesian Hunter Gatherer societies with the hunter gatherers of OT Canaanites. He raises some provoking questions about the possibility of the monotheism of the world three largest religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) evolved out of the Pantheon of Canaanites gods. The Yahweh that we now understand seems according to the comparative textual evidence as a fusion of both the god EL (the god of gods) and the God of War: Yahweh. although this is shocking partly because of how it resolves the scattered dual nature of the OT God who has so many names (even in the Hebrew texts themselves) seems to be so violent and waring in the OT and more loving and merciful in the NT through the incarnation of Jesus. He says a great deal of things that will make your head spin as he pulls you into a winding web of translation, editing and interpretive license that all come along with a modern rational reading of scripture. I love the fact that he is so deeply engaged with the text and is actively wrestling with how exterior forces such as economics, international stability and others have a major impact on the way God is viewed. When it served the consolidation of power to unite behind 'the One True God", Yahweh was left standing in the wake of Israel's great reformer king Josiah. After his men got ahold of the scriptural texts (which where not canonized, yet, beyond the first five books of the OT) the OT takes a decidedly monotheistic turn towards the God of War - Yahweh, who can beat his rival Baal at his own game by raining fire or just simply raining. He shows convincingly during passages from Elijah's life (like the one I just notes where Yahweh and Baal have a steel-cage-to-the-shame battle) that a turning point of political and evolutionary forces swiftly consolidated the nation of Israel out of the Canaanite peoples of Northern Judea (or the Promised Land). I don't agree with everything he says but he has really forced me to take a larger view of all things related to the scriptures. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in 'digging' but be willing to sort through a few heavy coughing nights before you find the diamonds.

Physical : John Cox and Heino Schmid

2009.09.21 13:20

I recently had the chance to view the new works on display at the Central Bank of the Bahamas gallery by John Cox and Heino Schimd. The security (and policeman) would not allow me to take any pics so sorry you will have to go see for yourself. Heino's work offers shadowy human forms that are upright but appear suspended in a state of visual tension by the style of the painting or drawing. The figures invite reflection and show a fine grasp of the mechanics of human anatomy. The figures are extremely minimal but seem to give off an emotional quality or depth by their positioning and posture. They seem sad or trapped, I couldn't decide for sure. I might be way of the mark here because they also have a sense of motion that captures the frenzy of modern life. each of Heino's series are striking and startling in their simplicity. John Cox's new work appears to be a movement within his I against I series, incorporating both the single worded themes (this time rendered in a more integrated and personal way into each piece) and the use of boxing figures. The works explode the series into new color palates while also incorporating new elements of pattern and symbolism. Most of the works seem closer to John's roots and incorporate a broader range of his styles than anything I've previously seen. There seem to be hints both to his artistic influences like Rauschenberg as well as an engagement with cultural mores (see Jesus as an example) It seems that although these large canvases (each with it's own a small red square asymmetrically attached to the side) The canvases convey a sense of dreamlike vision. Perhaps we are staring into visual maps of the mental states of Heino's suspended figures, we are peering into the suspended unconscious that hides behind the physical. Together Heino capturing the shadowy outside of the physical world that we see and John presenting us with the interior meaning maps that prop up this shadowy world is a very heady and full visual presentation of the : Physical.

The Informant

2009.09.19 17:14

First of all I have to admit a distaste for Matt Damon, so seeing him as an out of shape man 10 years older than Matt is, wasn't a thrilling visual. The Informant tells the true tale of a very wacky bi-polar corporate executive who stole somewhere between 9 and 11.5 millions dollars from his corporate fat cat bosses. The story is interesting but unravels by placing Damon at the center even when his behavior is outrageous it is polite and without any real clear motive. I was amused to see Joel McHale from The Soup as an FBI agent (wonder if he will one day be nominated for an academy award like former Soup host Gregg Kinear?) It won't be for this wooden and almost invisible role. Scott Bacula fails to make the quantum leap he would have needed to resurrect his career as his acting is staid and pedestrian. If it wasn't for the lunacy of the story I would probably have walked out...

Christianity's Dangerous Idea

2009.09.17 15:56

,br> This book is a very interesting look at the reformation and the many offshoots that it has created. The main "Dangerous" idea is that the nature of Protestantism leads to a undoing of power and and doctrine. McGrath closely traces the beginnings of the reformation in the writings of Eramus to Luther, Calvin and the whole lot. He shows, in pretty convincing detailed, how the protestant tendency to define itself in opposition to other groups and sets of beliefs, has led to a fragmentation and the erosion of any structure to serve as a higher an overarching authority. He walks slowly though the establishment of the Church of England, onward to the present day spread of Pentecostalism throughout the world. His prose is very readable and his historical commentary knits together a wide ranging network of divisions and interconnections between the Protestant church. Although the feel of the book was less dangerous than the cover implied, it still was a worthy scholarly study of how we have arrived at where we are now. Read it...

Inglorious Basterds

2009.08.26 18:59

I have been waiting for Quentin Tarantino to make this sort of movie for many years since I first sat with a huge grin in awe while the credits rolled on Pulp Friction while the Jungle Boogie funk blasted through the theater. the memory becomes even more vivid as the plot of IB revolves around a theater and the world of cinema. (At least Quentin's fantasies about the world of Nazi cinema during the later end of WWII) The things that raised this film above the Kill BIll bar was that, although he used all of his typical elements - mexican stand-offs, bare women's feet, skillfully crafted violent and gory sequences, great casting and even better dialogue. Instead of tipping over, this film balances all of these into an entertaining, however revisionist, tale of war, espionage and cinema. Below the surface of the story of a young jewish girl, Shosanna, who escapes the Nazi 'Jew Hunters' in France to find herself, inexplicably the owner of a beautiful film theater in downtown Paris. There are film star spies and a few subtle but effective cameo's that bring both humor (Michael Myers hidden behind pounds of makeup) and Tarantino self reference (Harvey Kietel's voice for a few key moments over the phone without ever seeing his face) I have to end by saying two things about the acting, which is strong all around, but particularly the way Brad Pitt holds the center as a loose canon who you can't help but want to take the ride with even through you know it will be a crazy and death defying ride. Christoph Waltz deserves a Best Supporting Oscar for his portrayal of Hans Lander for playing the role with such vigor and gusto. He literally seduces you into liking him regardless of what you see him doing onscreen. On one level the film seems to be grasping at a statement about the lust for violence in movies, while at the same time, delivering a film that's full of it. Maybe he's being ironic or maybe he is just rubbing our faces in it or maybe he just knows what we like... I am going with the third option! Go See It Now!

Seeward is Going to be a Daddy!

2009.08.22 15:13

I have been pre-occupied over the last several months due to the fact that mrs seeward and I are having our first child: a little girl! We couldn't be more excited as you can tell by our reactions in the above short video. I think I am starting to wrap my head around it and ready to begin regular posting shortly. Until then ENJOY Brayden Skye McCabe.

Seeward on TV

2009.07.18 07:45

Earlier this week I was on Dr David Allen's talk show discussing the Hermitage in Cat island and the life of Father Jerome. I edited out the commercials so its not too long but I hope its informative and inspires more people to go to Cat Island and see the Hermitage.

Wilco (the Album)

2009.07.11 12:34

With the recent passing of Wilco's ex-axeman/ambient noise generator Jay Bennet it is hard not to listen to the new Wilco album and think of what kinds of contributions and collaborations he might have produced. Their is a decidedly less country influence than on previous Wilco offerings but that could just be Jeff Tweedy expanding as a songwriter. they even have a song called Country Disappeared but although it is a lilting ballad, has little to do with Country music and eventually becomes a call for Social Justice. The biggest change I see in the band is the new guitar player/noise creator is much more progressive and less blues based than Bennet. Therefore the album marks a different sonic direction for the band. Light rockers like Wilco (the song), and You Never Know both set a very nice groovy vibe. There are songs that sound a bit forced into the "standard" Wilco sound such as Sonny Feeling. It sounds like a retread of some of their better songs that tries to take it further but fails. On the whole the album is a successful experimentation with the Alt-country sound that has come to mark Wilco for the last few albums. Some great lyrical moments pepper the tracks as well and taking a close look at the lyrics will prove rewarding. Everything alive must die Every building built to the sky will fall Don't try to tell me my Everlasting love is a lie- Everlasting Everything - track 11

Alex Grey : The Comic Christ

2009.04.13 12:44

I am speechless at this man's depth of creative vision and his amazing levels of technical and spiritual detail. It seems as if his eyes or his 'way of reading reality' are what sets Grey's work apart from lots of other 'trippy' painters., His work evokes a harmony and balance among all things that also integrates huge tensions and paradoxes. This little video is his talking about my favorite of his pieces, The Cosmic Christ.

A Global YouTube Symphony

2009.04.15 15:09

Tonight at Carnegie Hall the first live performance of the YouTube Orchestra will take place. The above video is a mash up of the submissions (taken through YouTube from almost every country in the internet world.) Pretty cool use of technology if you ask me! Check out more about the project here.

Sometimes You Have to Breathe In

2009.04.29 18:48

I have been running this tiny blog in this comfortable little corner of the internet since December 14th 2001. I have randomly commented on and been responded to on a variety of topics and themes that have held my interest at the given moment. As of late I have given more time to the video side of my interests. That being said, I intend to redesign seeward.com in a video blog format in the coming months. I am not sure how much I will post in the meantime but don't expect too much. When I relaunch with a new design and format the posts will resume at the typical irregular but continual pace and I still plan to post on the usual topics and themes of culture, music, books, spirituality and all things inbetween but until then : It's Time to Breathe In...

New Mexico

2009.03.17 08:35

In this photo (taken at Solarize 2006) Richard Rohr is blowing my mind (not a difficult task!) I am sooo excited to be going to New Mexico later this week to the Emerging Church Conference and see old friends, make new ones and generally just disconnect from ministry life in Nassau for a few days. Still quite a few things to finish before I leave but I am looking forward to it! Check out a video I made of Richard during Solarize Here.

Ryan and Mandy Sitting in a Tree...

2009.03.12 13:09

Regular visitors to the site will be familiar with my love for Ryan Adams, the rogue genius songwriter extraordinaire. Everyone else in the world will be familiar with Mandy Moore, whom he married yesterday. What an odd couple. She likes to do films for Disney and he likes to drink so many shots that he falls off of stages face first. I find the potential musical connection very amusing and wonder if we will be hearing Mandy's pitch corrected vocals backing Ryan on his next album or Ryan writing songs for Mandy's next teen girl mega-product? He has already proven he can have success with writing for female singers (see the Corrs and Bono singing Ryan's wonderfully written When the Stars Go Blue: check it out here

Jason Mraz : We Sing, We Dance...

2009.03.10 14:53

A few weeks ago I caught Jason Mraz on Saturday Night Live and was blown away. He did a nice reggae (with a full horn section) rendition of I'm Yours and a flawless performance of Lucky with Colbie Cailat (which just might be my favorite song at the moment) The whole album is a diverse and yet simple collection of songs that all have great melodies and the playfulness of his voice never gets boring. I have been a big fan since his first few songs and although he is not as raw and risky as on past favorites as The Remedy and their are not pointed jabs at the Spice Girls but the album is still a brilliantly produced collection of feel good pop gems.

William Alexander Taylor

2009.03.09 10:14

One of Mrs Seeward's old friends in Jo-burg is an amazing digital artist. He is responsible for the new vector-ized little Seeward you see typing away at this post in the upper left hand corner of the page. He has some amazing stuff on his Facebook profile but I can't find a personal site for his art. Here is a link to a company site that has a small portfolio section : One Plus One. When I get the link to a personal site then I will post it in the comments sections but this is it for now.I want to thank Will for the fantastic opportunity to see what I would look like as a cartoon. Thanks!

Watchmen

2009.03.08 18:40

In a parallel universe where 1940's style, retro-future technology and shadowy politics collide, Watchmen unfolds an unorthodox tale that weighs down the action and obscures the character so much that we hardly care whether they live or retire. it was clear from the smaller details that they used lots of digital technologies to achieve the retro look, but that never really translated into any real action. The strange and sometimes though provoking characters, created by Alan Moore are recreated faithfully and do lots of interacting but not much happens. Since the movie takes place in the USA there was ripe soil for political commentary. This takes the form of a virulent anti-war vibe that pervades the whole film. The film ultimately seems to fail on the standards already set by V for Vendetta on of Moores' less faithful adaptations. There just doesn't seem to be much going on beyond the glossy 1940's stylistic aesthetics.

Scripture as Spirituality

2009.01.24 08:27

I have been a devout reader of RIchard Rohr since I first picked up a copy of 'Jesus' Plan for a New World.' The title intrigued me and the content re-shaped my whole understanding of faith, conversion and the deeper dimensions of the spiritual life. You can find some short thoughts I had on it here. This particular book: Things Hidden : Scripture as Spirituality, proved to have all the hallmarks of Rohr's style and insight. It seems that, while I find myself on the Protestant side of the great divide, most of my favorite theologians are catholic (and monastics as well) I am not sure if that means that I am becoming more catholic in my theology or if we are experiencing a re-formation or re-uniting of the two main halves of Christendom. (No offense to Eastern Orthodoxy but they are less engaged it seems, at this point, in relating outside of their paradigm) For now I think it is the latter rather than the former because most of the writers that grab my attention are not too popular in mainline catholic circles (Anthony DeMello, Gianni Vatimo, Leonardo Boff, John Caputo...) Sometimes I am surprised at how much some of them get away with in the order of criticism from within about the catholic church. Maybe the public image of Pope Ratzinger is not as heavy handed as one might believe? That being said, let me mention what I loved about this book on spiritual reading of the scriptures. One of the things I like about Rohr is that he putting new language to the faith and along the way revealing some fresh insights into concepts that have become wooden and stale over the centuries since they were originally conceived. Here is a great example: "Paul frequently uses the expression 'in Christ.' We are saved by standing consciously inside the force field that is Christ - not by getting it right in our private selves... We can't always be correct, but we can be connected. All we can do is fall into the eternal mercy."His ability to re-voice old concepts (and introduce a few new one's as well) has helped me connect with my own understanding and practice of faith in ways that have stimulated and inspired my journey. I also like that he weaves a deep knowledge of the way people are now talking about life and themselves into his writings. This makes him very current and his writing stand alongside some of the more popular contemporary 'gurus' while still maintaining a clear connection to the Christian tradition. "What the Biblical revelation is achieving is basically a very different consciousness, a recreated self, an 'identity transplant' - like a kidney or heart transplant. The text is inviting us slowly, little by little, into a very different sense of who we are." He also says some helpful things about some core Christian doctrine in new ways that don't violate 'orthodoxy', if you believe in that sort of thing, but shift our perspective in ways that allow us to see these ideas and concepts that were once hidden come to new life: On Biblical Inspiration: "Read inspiration primarily meaning that God is slowly evolving the reader's consciousness, so that it can receive an ever-clearer understanding of itself as the beloved of God"This I love because it helps me understand that inspiration doesn't just mean 'when the Bible was written' but also means 'when it is read and interpreted.' On The Fall of Man "The English mystic Julian of Norwich said, 'First the fall, and then the recovery from the fall, and both are the mercy of God.' It is in the falling down that we learn almost everything that matters spiritually. As many of the parables seem to say, you have to lose it (or know that you don't have it) before you can find it and celebrate fittingly (see all of Luke 15)" There are many other quotes that really grabbed my attention in a way that affirmed thoughts or wonderings that I had already begun to consider and plenty that stretched me into new understandings and ways of making sense of this mystery called faith. If you like Rohr or if you like reading books about the spiritual life voiced in new ways then I suggest you pick up a copy of this book. You will find much to chew on and digest and hopefully little that gives you spiritual indigestion.

Wikipedia Diving

2009.02.11 08:00

I invented a new game for all the information junkies out there: Wikipedia Diving. Here is how you play: You select a random topic that you are interested in, such as "Sky Diving" then you type that into the wikipedia search engine. YOu MUST read the entire article, no matter how long it is. When you get to the bottom of the article you got back up and click on one of the internal Wikipedia links that will take you to a new topic and repeat the process. You must read the Whole article and then select the next internal link. WHen you are ready to end the game you click an eternal link at the bottom of most articles and then either read or bookmark that external link. You could set a time limit on your diving (30 min to an Hour) or set an end goal topic such as "I am going to play until I reach something that relates to 'Auto Racing'."Not all the info you encounter will be correct but it will be an interesting ride into areas that you may never had thought were out there and you might find some interests that you didn't realize you had. I was gong to call the game "Info-Porn" but I thought Wikipedia Diving is more accessible.

Eat this Book : Eugene Peterson

2009.02.03 11:46

I have decided that I do not like audiobooks for non-fiction titles. I listened to Eat This Book in 6 hrs on my iPhone but I will have to spend almost that amount of time trying to find the info that I need to use when I need it for a class I am going to teach or message I am going to give. Maybe there is a way to set bookmarks on the iPhone but I couldn't figure it out. That being said: Eugene Peterson (the translator of The Message) writes with passion about seeing the Bible lived out in peoples lives. Along with painting some fantastic images of our relationship to the Bible, he also gives a firsthand account of how The Message was born in the basement of a little church bible study of Galatians. I am going to have to order the paperback of this book because I was very enlightened by so much of it that I need to pull out my highlighter and page-markers before it gets filed away. One other note, the book is written for the average person but is so full of scholarly references that you really get the sense of Peterson's depth of reading and knowledge and all of that speaks to his competency as a translator. I have used the Message, almost, exclusively in our Sunday gathering for the last three years and so many people have commented that they are understanding the scriptures for the first time in their lives, which is what he set out to do. This book only made me trust his translation even more and I will most likely never pick up a KJV again!

Son Lux : Walls and Mazes

2009.01.23 14:33

I have fallen in love with a great new artist (courtesy of my musical connoisseur mate Barry!) Son Lux's one man electronic composition : At War with Walls and Mazes, is the first work of post-modern worship I have ever experienced. I say post-modern because the album seems to hold together so many diverse and even opposing genres, sounds and grooves. One moment a song is lilting along with a soft synth sound accompanying his dry and fragile vocal phrasing and within a few seconds it is crashing and surrounded by a swirl of break beats and church choirs drenched in gallons of delay. Some of the songs are a lesson in rhythmic mastery, as they test the boundaries of time signature and the limits of groove. Somehow it all seems to hold together in a space that is so full of emotion and atmosphere that you are transported to another realm where the traditional rules of structure and melody no longer apply. One of his best devices is that he keeps the lyrics on the minimalist side of the fence. Rather than trying to show how clever he is lyrically he goes with repeated phrases (all ripe with meaning and substance) that weave in and out of the mix as it unfolds and enfolds you into its universe of sounds. Where have all the holy ones goneNo one is left to condemn usThere are sounds here that I have only ever heard in my head and I really can't say enough about the beats. They are really the center piece to an ensemble of layers that will take you to other worlds but not dream worlds. These songs sound like what it sounds like to be alive today: touched with sadness and doubt while clutching after a measure of healing and hope. What more can I say : I am in love with this music!He has lots of free downloads and remixes on his blog: Son Lux Blog He also did a fantastic remix of a Radiohead song you can download here: Son Lux Radiohead RemixFinally here is a little video to give you another sense of what he sounds like:

He's Just Not That into You

2009.03.02 15:02

Earlier in the week we caught the ensemble cast driven tale of love and not-love called He's Just Not That into You. I found it to be very funny and, although at times predictable, an entertaining movie. For me, that is saying something given that Jennifer Anniston is in the film and I think she plays dead better than acts alive. The characters lives connect loosely and share similar desires for love and deeper happiness but none of it scratches beneath the surface of this Robert Altman type cast drama. I loved some of the people involved like Entourage's Kevin Connolly was funny as a niche market real estate agent but much of the rest of the cast was uneven. Jennifer Conolley was difficult to watch as the wife of man tryinf to hide a secret addiction (or several) The Mac guy is in it as well and some others but it Scarlett Johansson stole the screen as the flighty and clearly dysfunctional Yoga instructor/ evil temptress. I found the writing to be very funny so overall I would recommend this movie for a light evening of entertainment but don't expect too much depth for your dollar.

U2 : No Line on the Horizon

2009.03.04 07:52

After a few seconds of twitter and crash of the opening track and title track, very much in expected U2 territory, as Bono's voice enters, it becomes clear: U2,as a band, have outgrown Bono as a vocalist. (see "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" or further evidence") I don't mean to say he sounds bad, it's just that his voice isn't able to be variable and fluid as the arrangements have become. It would have been better for him to use the spoken and drool Leonard Cohen/Lou Reed style of the verse of "Cedars of Lebanon" rather than the screaming and cracked style he emplys elsewhere. He still has it the lyric writing area, with gems such as : "It's not if I believe in love If love believes in me" From my, so far favorite track, Moment of Surrender. Get on Your Books have a nonsensical lyrical style that mirrors Beck but attempts to approach to approach Bob Dylan but falls short. Breathe is the only other track that has really grabbed my attention so far. While a little earnest, tis is what we have come to expect from U2. I am thankful they haven't taken the Rolling Stones route of sticking with a tried and true branded sounded and risked themselves on this album, again, with new and unusual sounds that continue to showcase the strengths of Edge's musical arrangements, and guitar playing (there are actual guitar solos on quite a few tunes) and Larry Mullen's exceptional ability to add rhythmic complexity to often simple grooves.I feel the need to add to this review that for many years of my childhood I slept under two six foot plus posters with these guys faces staring back at me from the Rattle and Hum and Unforgettable FIre days. I haven't really liked much of their more recent music but I felt it was time to check in with the lads from the green country and see what aging rock stars do with their spare time. Ultimately it seems there are enough ingredients to make this a huge album, some of it sounds like old school U2 from way back to New Year's Day and I WIll Follow. I predict we will see their faces all over the telly again as the album climbs up the charts.

City of Angels

2009.01.19 19:43

Here is a three part video I put together from the 27 gigabytes of video I shot while in Los Angeles. Watch for some of Mrs Seeward's wonderful photographs at the end of the video as well!

III Text : In Real Life

2009.01.13 17:50

I have been neglecting the site lately because I have been soaking up so much wisdom and experience through dialogue and travel. I attended a gathering for the online theology class I have been doing called III Text and I went out to LA for a few days with Barry Taylor. You can get a feel for bits of the III Text conversation in the short video above. I have lots that I am ready to start posting about so I stay tuned!

Cole and Isabella

2008.12.30 20:53

Here is a short video of the adorable twins. Seeward is now an uncle! the video features photographs taken be mrs seeward.

Christmas in the Big Apple

2008.12.24 13:44

We took a day trip into the city to have a look at the decorations and to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It was a great time just hanging out as a family but it was also sooooooo cold! I had forgotten what real cold weather felt like and now I think my ears are permanently going to stay pinkish red and sore.

Ryan and Friends Golf Outing

2008.12.21 18:21

What a wonderful event and chance to raise money for The New Providence Community Centre Hurricane Shelter! Everything went off without a hitch except that I didn't win the portable DVD player that had an HDMI cable output (for the non geeks that means 'cutting edge') Check out the video and you will get a great feel for the day and how much fun we had!

Golf is in the Genes

2008.12.20 14:05

This is how it's done ! I apparently wasn't as rusty as I thought. I also made some nice drives that you will see later!

Bahamas at Sunrise

2008.12.01 07:17

I woke up before the sun this morning to talk about the Advent Conspiracy and Rethinking Christmas.com. You can check out the clip above to see if my brain is fully functioning at 6am!

Bolt

2008.11.27 11:17

The other night we had the privilege of looking after two children of our good friends. So we took them to see the new Disney animation movie Bolt. I went in with no expectations and left pleasantly surprised! The animation, action and plot were all very well done and kept the big kid in me interested throughout the whole film. Even though it is not in the Shrek vein (kids movie with very obvious adult jokes) it was still very entertaining and felt more like a proper action movie than a cartoon. On a side not, it won't be long before the quality of resolution in digital animations is right on par with movies shot on film with real actors. I wonder if Shia Lebuef is getting nervous that he will be replaced with a much cuter animated version?

Symbiosis at the Ladder Gallery

2008.12.11 12:46

I am so proud of my wife Mrs Seeward! She had her first photography exhibition this week and it was a huge success! Well attended and quite a few images sold on the opening night (which is always a good sign!) Check out the video to see the evening and a closer look at the images she had in this, the first of many, exhibitions for her, I am sure!

Election Day Song

2008.11.04 07:02

Election Day (Finally)The Democrats in Washington get ready for a feast While Republicans count their money and wonder who this will hurt the least When both sides climb from their pulpits Will they realize their both the same They might be chanting different slogans But their both playing the same game And people want change Will the poor have a voice at the table That isn't only smoke and mirrors Will the white man trust the black man After centuries of violence and fear I give my better graces to all those called to lead But an empire's not the safest thing to leave in the hands of greed It's time for a change I hope my fears are foolish and better nature wins But the way the winds are blowing We might be paying for their sins It's time for a change It's time for a change The Democrats in Washington as preparing for a feast

Quantum of Solace

2008.11.17 09:04

While not feeling like a traditional James Bond film, the action packed Quantum of Solace is an enjoyable ride through the early beginnings of the 007 character. Instead of relying on high tech gadgets, Craig's rougher Bond deals with most of his conflict in a hand-to-hand manner. Beyond the missing gadgets, the villain didn't have the 'super-villain' feel that have come to mark the Bond brand. Not missing however are the stunning, and fully disposable Bond Girls. The plot moved so quickly that it never had time to impress upon the audience how sinister the villains endgame might have been. If I had to guess he, and his Ibiza reject looking right hand man, were planning to blackmail third world dictators by selling them natural resources that they had somehow hidden within the dictators own country. That aside, seeing James do some pretty impressive stunts and finally getting revenge at the end of the day, was worth the price of admission and will ensure that the Bond brand stays relevant for another few years. Speaking of relevant having Jack White write a song for Alicia Keys as the theme was a brilliant idea and the song is one of the coolest opening numbers to a bond film I have heard in years (remember Sheryl Crow's Bond theme?)

Ryan Adams : Cardinology

2008.11.13 10:48

While rocking harder than my favorite Ryan Adams albums, Cardinology is a solid collection of songs that continue to amaze me that this man can write such compelling melodies and interesting lyrics and live such a seemingly reckless life. Maybe it is all show but every time I have seen him on TV he seems about to lose control and smash his face repeatedly into the base of his mic stand to beat out the anguish and heart ache that have always haunted his better compositions. So far "Born into the Light" and "Let us Down Easy" are my stand-out favorites but I can tell that after a few days they will all hold equal sway.

Seeward Skate Pro

2008.10.31 13:00

There is a very good reason why this video has no sound!

CCDA 2008 : Miami

2008.10.26 15:02

Just got back from an inspiring time in Miami at the CCDA Peace in the Streets conference. So many things really touched me but they had a no video rule so i was only able to capture a few bits of footage on the sly. It still gives you a sense of the experience but it doesn't show you the most impressive thing about the conference: meeting John Perkins(80+ civil rights leader) who blew everyone away with an hour and a half morning bible study that taught more than I ever dreamed.

Ordination

2008.10.20 21:58

This morning's Ordination service was such a joy to be a part of. As the above video shows I was honored to be ordinated my my longtime mentor, friend and cousin, Clint Kemp. We ended the service with a song of mine that had helped me through many rough patches in in life and I'm sure will also help through many more... I know this isn't the OSCARS but I want to thank my parents, many soul friends who are too numerous to mention and my wife for supporting and nurturing me over the ups and downs.

SUGAR at Popopstudios

2008.10.25 18:40

Last night was the opening of the SUGAR show at John Cox's Popopstudios. Seeward was extra excited for this show, have been invited to participate. My piece (meditation hemet) was called SugarMind - which will soon get its own post!) The show was great to attend with many works stimulating interesting thoughts. The Obama/McCain diorama shows how the USAmerica election has gone global. Better to just watch the video and see for yourself the diversity of work on display, all inspired by the idea or SUGAR. I found it interesting that none of the arts made reference to Sugar's slavery entwined history, which sys something about our culture moving forward. Moving the culture forward, seems to be the mission statement of Popop so I would call the evening a success!

Spanish Wells

2008.09.29 06:45

Ordinatio

2008.09.23 10:39

I have submitted the following website as my ordination papers : Ordinatio. You can read my thoughts and comment as well. There is nothing earth shattering, just some simple responses to My Journey, The Creed, The Kingdom of God, and the Church. Feel free to browse around and check it out if theology is your bag or you want to see if I am as heretical as I look. =)

Burn After Reading

2008.09.18 14:20

[SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU HAVEN"T SEEN THE MOVIE THEN DO NOT READ FURTHER] I realize that I am not the only one who thinks Brad Pitt is more than just a pretty face, but I didn't expect him to steal this movie from such talents as John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand. Although they each turn in solid performances and clearly revel in their characters, Brad's Chad is the heart of this circular tale that is less about espionage and more about stupidity and emptiness. Although I usually like George Clooney, he rarely misses an opportunity to turn the audience off with exaggerated and odd body language with more than a few classic silly faces thrown in for good measure. John Malkovich is also in great form and gets a lot of laughs for being the biggest (and possibly most intelligent) loser in a world populated by a parade of soulless spooks and body obsessed opportunists. Although I ultimately enjoyed the film, I couldn't help but feel that, midway through, the reason I was watching was just shot in the face. from that point on the film fully sank into the sad reality that it had constructed.

All Rebel Rockers

2008.09.11 14:06

The only thing more exciting than a new Michael Franti and Spearhead album is one produced by Sly and Robbie in Kingston! All Rebel Rockers is the reggae-fied follow up to Yell Fire! (which still gets much play on my iPod) This time out the heavy rock guitars are replaced by all manner of dub sounds. The reggae vibe bounces around the spectrum from the old school Ska of the opening track Rude Boys Back in Town to the thoroughly modern dancehall of A Little Bit of Riddim with stops at the rock tinged Hey World and Sound System. Franti samples Bowie and The Police with equal effectiveness without ever feeling too derivative. All I Want is You is a very spaced out dub ballad that has some incredible sounds layered around a very simple song structure. Overall the songs seem a bit less engaging than Yell Fire! but there are plenty of them that really groove so its all good. Lyrically the same themes arise throughout: love, justice, anti-violence and the power of music to heal and liberate the inner soul. You came here to chillBut I came to rockAnd to smash the empireWith my beat boxIf you want to hear what conscious reggae/rock sounds like in 2008, All Rebel Rockers is cut straight from the source.

The Language of God

2008.09.10 13:31

Francis Collins is an interesting character. At once a leading geneticist and the man, partially, responsible for cracking and mapping the Human Gnome. In his book, the Language of God, he sets out to articulate why he, as a scientist and believer in God (the Bible, Jesus...) how he reconciles his faith and his commitment to reason. Most of the book is a series of C S Lewis quotes that give theological underpinnings to Collins' arguments against both naturalistic evolution and "God of the Gaps" Intelligent Design. Preferring instead to fuse the main points of both worldviews into what he calls Bio-logos. By fusing both the scientific "bio" (Life) and the spiritual "logos" (word), Collins does a deft job of weaving current evidence with profound philosophical questions. I appreciate his approach and the way he sees both science and faith operating in different systems of meanings and both offering important answers to different kinds of questions. Some questions that science will never be able to address : Why is the universe here? and some that faith is poorly designed to communicate: How did we get here in the first place?Although there is plenty here that will not doubt infuriate certain fundamental types, I am certain that anyone who reads this book with an open mind will find their positions changed and enriched. Also be prepared for a seriously in-depth explanation of DNA and how it functions within a cell. You also get a lecture tacked on at the end about BioGenetic Ethics if that's your cup of tea!

Waiting for the Great Leap Forward

2008.09.04 13:38

It is not very often that a song immediately gets under my skin. Even some of my all-time favorite songs required a few listens to really sink in. Then along comes this little number by Billy Bragg: Waiting for the Great Leap Forward. Basically a three chord folksy tune that really puts its finger on the pulse of our modern times. With verses dealing with the corruption in Cuba to the war in Iraq:The cold war is over but the stakes are getting higherNow I'm afraid of collateral damage and of friendly fireI don't believe we can defeat no axis of evilBy putting smart bombs in the hands of dumb peopleHis commentary doesn't end with war politics as he looks into the promised future expansion of humanity with a slightly cynical stance. One leap forward two leaps backAfter all this time you can still send me a faxHere is a clip of Billy performing it live:The best version is available from a live recording on iTunes. He makes some very funny jabs between lines that remind me of early Bob Dylan humor and commentary.

Nicole's Photo on Display @ Starbucks

2008.09.05 20:42

We were making our daily pilgrimage to Starbucks and we were excited to see that one of Nicole's photos was hanging in the little gallery space that they have on the wall. Thanks to Flixwagon and its iPhone video live streaming to the web, you can share the moment with us!

Redesign by Nicole

2008.08.30 17:58

Nicole had the opportunity to exercise her interior design skills on a room for a friend's twin girls. She did a fantastic job and the room looks awesome! I love the bright colors and the playful but clean feel to it all. You will see in the video that the twins themselves where so overjoyed that they became speechless just like on the television design shows. Well done Mrs. Seeward!!!

God of Promise

2008.09.09 08:20

God of Promise Spinning around getting down with the world again Looking for places and spaces where I can fit in It seems that some would have me lie down Some would make me crawl There's hardly any space at all A mind can explore sometimes from simply reading the news In the midst of the floods and the wars and people being abused It seems that some would have me lie down And do what I am told While some are bought and some are sold We can't serve the God of Justice And turn away from someone's need We can't claim the God of Comfort With much more than we need Try as I might I find it hard to label the blame What's wrong with the world and with me are somehow one in the same It seems that some would have me called out And made to feel ashamed It seems that some enjoy the pain The harder and stronger I fight hoping to defend It all comes crawling and crashing back to me in the end It seems that some would help me fall down And swallow what I'm sold With their prescription pots of gold We can't claim the God of Justice Right along side our gods of greed We can't serve the God of comfort Then use violence to bring peace

Isabella and Cole McCabe

2008.08.27 11:46

Although they were early, they are breathing on their own and doing as good as can be expected. Many prayers were send out for them and their proud parents Jared and Danielle. Here is a little video of Isabella:I am looking forward to seeing them soon! Continued prayers for the little ones and their mommy and daddy.

Grandpa McCabe

2008.09.04 07:44

Here is another video that my brother shot. This time it is Grandpa McCabe holding little Isabella. Looks like Jared has created a Vimeo account and plans to be posting more videos! Stay tuned for more McCabe babies...

Seeward is an Uncle x2!

2008.08.30 09:07

The babies are doing really well and Jared and Danielle both sound excited and send many thanks to everyone who has been praying for the little ones!

Anthony De Mello Online Resource

2008.08.23 15:05

The Anthony De Mello is an online archive of stories, videos and mp3 recordings of Tony De Mello's spiritual reflection on a wide range of subjects. The above video is a sign of a cheesier video production style than the hipper christian world uses today but the teaching is still engaging and relevant. I love how relaxed and calming his presence seemed to be. For the interested, here is a link to a short bio of Tony written by his younger brother.

Women are Heroes

2008.08.19 20:41

Women are Heroes is an international art project that uses the urban landscape as a canvas for social action and contemplation. Their website describes the project this way:The Women project wants to underline their pivotal role and to highlight their dignity by shooting them in their daily lives and posting them on the walls of their country. On the other hand, by posting the same images of these women in Western countries, the project allows everyone to feel concerned by their condition and connects, through art, the two different worlds. I love the surreal effect that the large scale human features has on the landscape. I would love for this sort of idea to spring up in Nassau. The human images transforms the buildings into a larger whole, as if you are seeing the spirit of the neighborhood. Roght now they have projects in Brazil, Kenya, South-Sudan, Sierra-Leone, and Liberia but they are looking to spread the idea further with help from like-minded individuals abroad. They even have them on the sides of monorail cars that stare down on the city in wide-eyed wonder at night. Great idea and execution and raisin awareness for such a worthy cause: women!

Memory @ the Ladder Gallery

2008.08.11 09:47

For the next few weeks the photography of Wellington Chea will be on display at the Ladder Gallery at NPCC. This, his second collected exhibition, aims includes photographs from as diverse geographic locations as Hong Kong, Havana and the Blue Hole of Long Island. Many people commented on the timely nature of the Blue Hole shot since it was the location of a tragedy just a few weeks ago. In the shot you can see people playfully sunbathing near the murky hole that drops to incredible depths. Seeing the photo and reflecting on the fact that three people drowned at this spot, most likely on a sunny day not unlike the one in the picture, we are reminded about the fragility of life. Other stand out shots included a very ornate interior of a temple in Hong Kong as well as a Cuban Lady full of life and song. Check out the images for your self if you are in the area!

Hit and Run : Part Two at The Hub

2008.08.16 17:10

AJ has done it again with another collection of diverse and engaging art oblects. Everything from painted cardboard pizza boxes to high end custom kiteboard graphics shows evidence of his strength in choosing images and color combinations. In the above video you can hear AJ give commentary on a few of the works including my favorite piece with Barack Obama locked into a gun site. You can read my comments about the piece here". The whole event seemed to be charged with an electric quality and most of that came from frantic energy of the works (and the rest came from the fact that the event was sponsored by Red Bull) AJ also injected a bit of humor with a piece called Million Dollar Baby with the highest price tag I have seen on a work by a local artist. One of the most impressive works was a hand drawing that had a very subtle beauty that isn't emphasized in the full frontal pop of the stencil forms. After his show in Oct at the Ladder Gallery, AJ has said he was going to take a year off from exhibiting. There is no telling where all that free time will lead his creative mind. His first 2010 exhibition might take place underwater!

Tropic Thunder

2008.08.18 18:25

With the possible exception of Zoolander, Ben Stiller makes formula movies that poke fun more than truly satire whatever genre he sets his sites on. Tropic Thunder takes double aim at the War Movie genre and the whole Hollywood movie making machinery. Although the thin plot and gruesome special effects worked on my patience, it was worth the money to see Robert Downey as a blackface stereotype hard-ass and Robert Downey as a ridiculously posh Australian thespian and even Robert Downey as a Kabuki faced Vietnamese farm women. We get quite a few uncomfortable moments with Tom Cruise updating his break-out dance chops from Risky Business. Tom's character is exactly what I imagine Harvey Weinstein to be like. They sort of played him that way in Entourage a few seasons ago and it stuck with me when I saw Tom spewing rapid-fire verbal abuse into a cell phone. Danny Mcbride makes another funny appearance as a special effects coordinator with a half blown-off ear. Jack Black offers his (by now tired) physical comedy in the Chris Farley school of "fat guy rolls around". Ben Stiller has a funny Col. Kurtz moment while clutching a little twig oscar that really made me laugh out loud! I liked how the movie started with a few trailers that catch you by surprise (escpecially the sweat) There has been lots of talk on the internetz about the politically incorrect language and that scene struck me as unfunny and possibly designed to attract the very sort of negative publicity that it has successfully generated.

Pineapple Express

2008.08.09 16:52

If Super Bad was the Fast Times at Ridgemont High of this generation, then Pineapple Express is the Up in Smoke.I have had a hit and miss attitude towards Judd Apatow and his sometimes overly juvenile but occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. I think I enjoyed this movie because it felt very much like the rambling hijinks of Superbad with a slightly more adult story. Seth Rogan plays the loser with a heart of gold who gets embroiled in a drug war after witnessing a murder while blasted on the rarest of chronic that gives the film its title. There are plenty moments where the plot weaves close to the same stoner adventure territory of Superbad but there are enough new ideas and subtle comedic chemistry between Rogan and the other two stooges who go along for the bloody and mega-violent adventure. The movie ends well with the three sitting around at a Denny's type cafeteria recounting the craziness of the night before and all of the sudden we are not so far from high school after all. Check out this movie if you want a good laugh.

Conor Oberst : Conor Oberst

2008.08.05 12:38

It isn't until the sixth song on Conor Oberst's first 'solo' album that it begins to feel like a Bright Eyes album if only a slightly less overwrought than usual Bright Eyes album. That sixth song is a Johnny Cash inspired tune called I Don't Want to Die (In This Hospital) It rocks, in a retro-country way, into familiar territory as Conor allows his voice to be shredded in a way that perfectly pitches his angst and emotional abandonment. Not all of the songs have as much musical depth and many lack the kinds of full arrangements that have become a signature part of Conor's recorded sound. There a few stand out compositions that stretch a bit beyond the usual folk-song genre, sometimes to great affect on Milk Thistle and Moab. There are, as always, a few Biblical allusions such as Lenders in the Temple and the previously mentioned Milk Thistle with its reflections on heaven. Souled Out!!! is one of the more intriguing tunes on the cycle. Mostly a country rock fuzz anthem about Conor's neighborhood (two streets over from the barrio) which devolves into a chanting chorus of :"You won't be gettin' In You know by now We're Sold Out in Heaven." As catchy as this songs is it is hampered by Conor's self conscious production style that allows the song to be interrupted by random studio babble and waves of crashing noise and whistles. Sausalito sounds as smooth southern california country as Jackson Browne or Tom Petty. The collection seems to have been rushed out rather than fleshed out and so contains a slightly looser feel than most of Conor's other recordings. That being said, Conor is still channeling his, often fragile, emotions through interesting melodies and rhythmic textures while he contemplates death like "Flying kites in the winter time". I am one person who is glad that he is...

Born at the Right Time

2008.08.01 13:17

Francis Scott Key, Mother Jones, Pancho Villa, Dom DeLuise, Michael Penn and Jerry Garcia are all born on Aug 1st but I am most proud to share my birthday with Chuck D of Public Enemy! It's also quite a Kosmic treat to have a total eclipse of the sun happen on your birthday. Although the eclipse is only visible in the northern most regions of the globe, you can see what it looked like with the help of modern satellite technologies. This eclipse is part of a series of eclipses called "The Midnight Eclipses" given that they happen during Midnight Sun. I feel this birthday is going to continue to be a great one given that someone(actually a group of people) just guessed my age at 27! I didn't have the heart to tell them that they can add 10 years!

Cape Town

2008.07.25 09:15

Here is another one of our South Africa videos from the wonderful city of Cape Town. It was very cold, cloudy and rainy for the one day we were in Cape Town so you will notice the dampness and grey mood but we still had a blast walking around the harbor and seeing what we could. Still more videos to come!

Spook Country

2008.07.30 09:23

William Gibson always has his anxious fingers on the surging pulse of our not so distant future. So it has been an exciting ride to read his latest book set, not in the future, but in our current age. The plot weaves its way through some of the fringe uses of technology and is riddled with characters who, in one way or another, have been effected greatly by the collision of high tech and low life. This book had me from the opening chapter as our heroine Hollis meets up with a locative artist to see his latest virtual reality piece on the sidewalk outside of the Viper Room. I was enthralled by the effortless way he reeled me into the story by dazzling me with new technologies and referencing a moment in pop culture that had a large impact on me(the death of River Phenix) I recommend this book for its brilliant prose and edgy story but I am really struck with its vision of where things are headed in our techno obsessed world. Imagine a day when virtual reality technologies have reached the point when they can fit into sunglasses. Now imagine a world where those millions of mobile virtuality reality goggles are overlaying graphics and even moving video on top of reality. Hook the whole system up to the internet and global positioning satellites and you have a world that will be very odd and customizable. A lot like google earth with all of the plugin features turned on seems to be where our reality is headed. One of the characters early on in the novel makes the statement that "we populated cyberspace and now it has grown so huge that cyberspace is spilling over into our physical world. The internet is unfolding and transforming our experience of reality in ways we could have never predicted" This idea really stuck with me as one character in the book wakes up to a field of Monet flowers superimposed over her bedroom floor and through the walls so it looks as if her bed were resting in an endless sea of slowly waving impressionist lilies. Imagine all the customizing and cosmetic aspects of our current world unfolding onto our experience of reality itself. You could, with the help of a simple set of sunglasses, live in a world that is completely redesigned to match the cartoon aesthetic of the movie Waking Life. People have been talking for years about fears that internet use was such a private and isolated experience that we were going to become less social. I know think that the kinds of tribal sub-cultures that congregate on the web will gravitate over into the real (or blended reality and digital effects) world of our not too distant future.

Sharad Lightbourne : Kinesis

2008.07.24 08:53

I received an email this morning that I was going to delete because I didn't recognize the sender, when I saw this familiar face peering out of the boy of the email. It was Andre Chappelle once again finding his way into the Nassau Art Scene. (Follow the link in his name to get a bit of background on Andre) It seems that Sharad Lightbourne is a photographer who is back in the Bahamas after attending the Savannah College of Art and Design. The website for his show is pretty stylish : Kenisis. The site and the show even have an original musical score produced by Zoltan Johnson. The show is set for Sept 18-19 and if it matches up to the excitement that I feel about the photos of Andre an the website, it should be a fantastic experience. I am intrigued about his choice of Andre as a subject. Here is what the site says about Andre:"Andre Chapelle is one of the most prominent faces in Nassau. His life of experiences, judgments and consequences made him the perfect poster model for the show." Also an update on Andre: A few months ago his sister came back to Nassau on a mission to get him off the streets and into a treatment facility in the US. Apparently Andre accepted their help and they are making passport and police record arrangements in order for him to fly to Florida. maybe the photos from this Kinesis show were taken around the time of his sister's visit because I have not seen him that clean in many years.

Wanted

2008.07.24 18:39

Wanted is a full-on action fantasy with flipping cars and bullet bending stunts. James McAvoy plays a loser who is ready to step out of his dead end life and into the kill or be killed world of international assassins. The visual effects in the movie owe a great deal to the Matrix trilogy but the movie lacks any of the Matrix's story telling depth. What it lacks in the story and dialogue department it hopes to make up for in stylized action. We get fiery car chases, a spectacular train battle hovering over a mountain chasm and finally an army of explosive rodents. Although this is stimulating you are left asking some confusing questions about the generic elements of the story. For instance Morgan Freeman is forced to say the absurd phrase "International Fraternity of Assassins" about six times. After the first few times it seems like a parody. Overall the action takes the center stage and the audience goes on a energy fueled ride through the surface of an underground world of International Assassins.

Hermanus

The above video is a compilation of our time in Hermanus. This is the town where Nicole's parents live as well as the breeding spot for the Southern Right Whale. You may see a jumping whale in the video (if you don't blink!) More videos to come...

The Remember Garden

2008.07.19 07:15

Our community is making a large meditation garden on our grounds. It is made up of five VERY large stones that each represent issues that we feel called to focus our attention on: Grace, Environmental Justice, Economic Justice, Hiv/Aids and Racial Reconciliation. On Wed we gathered to paste small pennies on the Economic Justice stone and bits of broken sea glass on the Grace stone. Bahamian artist Antonius Roberts was also on hand carving faces into the Racial Reconciliation stone. You can see a brief snapshot of the evening in the above video.

The Marvelous iPhone

2008.07.21 10:48

I, like many people, have lusted after the iPhone since it first hit the shelves over year ago. Now, thanks to my generous wife, I now have one of my very own! I have been frantically pawing it for the last few days and I have been so overwhelmed by the other features that I am just now getting around to using it to post to seeward.com. So far I am most impressed with the Skype application that allows me to use my Skype account to make long distance calls from anywhere that I can get a WiFi connection (home, office and Starbucks, where else do I need =) As you can see it also came with a groovy Paul Smith Monkey protective rubber casing to keep it from getting beat up. A few years go I was excited about the Palm Pilot technology but it never really delivered on the promise of an all-in-one personal digital companion. Well so far the iPhone has delivered in spades. I can have mobile access to my emails, appointment calendars, music, videos, and even more! Steve Jobs for President!

Father Frank Stroud

2008.07.17 15:09

The last time I saw Father Stroud it was at a Vicars and Bunnies party where all the women dressed as bunnies and the men as, well vicars. I went all out and wore a bishops costume (my only chance to feel the inner freedom of wearing a liturgical robe) When Father Stroud spotted me I was shocked and didn't even know he was on the island let alone invited to such a sorted affair. He didn't miss a beat and loudly proclaimed, as he was vigorously shaking my hand, "I am so glad they had enough sense to make you a Bishop!" We sat for a good while and he shared with me the troubles of growing up in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood with a name like Francis. He also joked that this was the first party in his life that he didn't feel at all out of place since all the men had on clergy collars. I remember visiting him at his Jesuit home in Fordham university a few years ago and being lured in by his easy laugh and the slightly sly grin that would come across his face when he was about to deliver the punch line of one of his very humorous stories. I have learned a great deal from him and from his mentor Anthony DeMello. I have met very few 'spiritual' people that I felt were truly free and Father Stroud was one of them. Sadly, as I was away in South Africa, I received the news of his passing after a long battle with cancer. He was such a fun-loving and wise person, I think everyone should go out and buy a copy of his book : Praying Naked because the proceeds will go to helping keep the DeMello Institute afloat and furthering their synthesis of Eastern Spiritual Practices, Modern Psychology, NLP and the power of a good story. I can just picture Father Frank and Anthony DeMello reunited and sharing compelling stories of the time that they have been apart. Here is the last picture that we took that night of the Vicar party and it will be my permanent memory of Father Stroud:

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

2008.07.17 20:39

Translated from Icelandic into english the new Sigur Ros' album is titled "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly" This is an amazing consolidation of all that I want in an album. Epic songs that touch your emotions more than your mind (it helps that the lyrics are intentionally nonsensical) At times I am reminded of U2 if Bono had enough faith to really push his voice into strange and wonderful territories. I wouldn't put on this album unless you want to fall into a deep and melancholic mood but they make melancholy sounds so lush and shot through with fragile beauty so its a sweet sorrow.

Pater Noster

2008.07.17 20:31

This is the first of several videos I have begun editing from our South Africa trip. This is a compilation of the drive from Hermanus to Pater Noster as well as the West Cape Fossil Park and the Nature Reserve. There are some great Ostrich shots in the last few minutes of the video.

The Dark Knight

2008.07.21 20:20

Much has already been said, and rightly so, about Heath Ledger's final performance. It is riveting to watch him seem so naturally creepy. I don't know if he will win the Oscar but he certainly put all that he had into crafting a villain that is at the same time completely insane and totally somehow believable. That being said, The Dark Knight was a slightly too long action romp that blends convincing special effects with subtle political commentary about life in the surveillance culture. There are lots of direct suggestions that "good people have to do bad things to overcome the really bad people." So the action plays out as the Caped One and the Joker dance around the increasingly blurry lines between Order and Chaos. There is one particular exchange between Batman and Lucius Fox in front of what amounts to a massive bank of spy cameras that most reveals the obvious subtext. I was entertained but a little distracted by the tragedy of Heath Ledger to really say that I enjoyed it. I will have to catch this one again in a few years on cable and see if it stands the test of time.

Plasencia

2008.07.03 16:16

We are having a great time in Spain! The above video is of Plaza de Mayor in Plasencia which is a few blocks from our hotel. The city was built in 1118 and the square has been there since the beginning. Every week for almost 1000 years they have an open air market in the square. We are staying in a building that used to be a convent and monastery so all the rooms have very monkish rustic style to them. I will post more videos and some of Nicole's photos soon but for now here is a short video of one of the dozens of giant storks that nest on the roof of the building: Yesterday we even saw a huge eagle with about a 12 foot wingspan flyin gover the pool area but I didn't have my camera on me. I will be on the lookout for him later though!

Leaving Paradise...

2008.07.01 13:23

We have made it out of the paradise of South Africa and we are now in a little town in Spain called Plasencia. It is about 2 hours drive out of Madrid and the location of many 15th century vacation homes of the rich and powerful. More about Spain will be coming soon because we have a very fast wireless connection in our hotel room so I am going to catch you up on some South Africa images and video and then hit you with the Spain posts.We were sad to leave Jo-burg and Nicole's sister Angele's family. We had a great day hanging out with Nicole's niece Jenna and nephew Joe. We played some basketball and walked around their beautiful neighborhood which includes a wildlife preserve where we saw some black swans that were swimming with their little baby swans: I have never seen so many strange and wonderful animals as we have seen on this trip. Just walking in their neighborhood we saw a very weird bird with a very long beak that the kids said are deadly. How about that! Deadly birds just wandering around the hood! Speaking of wonderful birds: If you check the photos on the right hand side of this page you will see some more images from the Jo-burg part of our journey. For those in the Bahamas, we also hung out with someone you might recognize:Stay tuned for more updates from Spain as we settle in and begin to enjoy the country that brought the world Picasso, Goya, Dali and more...

Jo-Burg

2008.06.29 10:54

We are with Nicole's sister and her family in Johannesburg. We have been having a great time and hanging with Ryan. I can't post pictures because I am not on my own computer but everyone sends their love from across the world! Hopefully I will be able to post some image and video from Spain. Stay tuned!

Ancient Africa

2008.06.27 02:07

Right now we are resting in Hermanus until we fly to Joberg on Saturday. The above image was taken by Nicole on our ride back from Pater Noster. We went to Pater Noster only because it was recommended as a great vacation spot. While we were playing scrabble in the living room of the guest house, Nicole opened a tour guide type book and we discovered that the region around Pater Noster was famous for much more than great vacation spots. It is home to the worlds largest and richest fossil collections: This video shows the excavation of what used to be a river bed. Over the last few decades they have discovered skeletons of animals long extinct and dating back 5 million years! It was interesting to see the jaw bones and teeth fully preserved after such a long time. Then we went onto the West Cape National Park which is home to one of the most important historical discoveries ever found. Eve's Footprint is a fossil record of a human female dating at least 117,000 years ago. Around the corner from there is the location of the Saldhnaha Skull which is the olderest piece of human skull bones ever found (at least 115,000 years old) We took a drive through the park and foudn this look out point called Seeberg which means 'seeing mountain':It was breathtaking to consider that we were walking on land that some of the earliest human beings walk on. What struck me was how fertile the land was. Even the cracks in the giant rocks had little forests growing out of them even without any soil just the water and sunlight. It was as if things couldn't hep but grow in such a rich climate. We spend a good deal of time just silently wandering around the site and taking in the view: In the video about halfway through the pan you will see a little village and that is the location of Eve's footprints. The mountain used to be made of wet sand but has been transformed by the elements over the 117,000 years into a solid rock structure. We are leaving Hermanus tomorrow and today is pretty rainy! I hope to secure an internet connection in Jo-berg (and then Spain) but if not then that will explain my lack of posts from here on out. Thanks to all who have commented and pray that I can keep up the posts for the rest of the journey!

Pater Noster Part Two

2008.06.26 02:04

How could I post a video of an ostrich prancing and not get ANY comments! Oh well, moving on to other interesting things. The above video is a quick pan of our room at the Dunes Guest House in Pater Noster. This place was truly amazing down to every last detail. We woke up and had a wonderful breakfast before taking ne last drive through the little sea shore town: After a short drive we stopped at one of the richest fossil deposits in the world and a wolrd famous national park. I have some more stunning photos and videos (even some of ostrichs but you clearly don't like the big birds) I will post more soon but just to give you a hint ClickHere. I understand that you are either too busy to comment or you are just a bunch of:

Pater Noster

2008.06.24 14:07

Today we drove up north of Cape Town to a little town called Pater Noster (Our Father). It is right on the sea and was founded when a group of Portuguese sailors shipwrecked on the rocky coast. They eventually settled here and named the town after their tendency to pray the Lords Prayer. The town is very unique and a favorite vacation spot for South Africans. On the way we stopped to take photos and I spotted an Ostrich prancing on the side of the road: What a treat to see an ostrich running along the side of the road! To be honest I had to throw a small rock at him to get him to run but it was worth the effort to see the lazy bird strut.Once we arrived in Pater Noster I was immediately struck by the beauty of this little fishing village. The main industry is tourism and most of the men in the town also go out on the rocks and fish for their daily food. We are staying in a four star guest house that is owned by two interior decorators from Jo-burg. It is called the Dunes Guest house and the place is fabulous inside and out! Nicole and I are in the one on the right and gregg and debra are on the left. We went to a nice lunch and then spent the afternoon hanging in the great room playing scrabble and drinking nice wine. Soon the sun began to set and I pulled out my video camera just in time to catch the sun as it made its final decent into the chilly sea: After the sunset we had a nice dinner of crayfish (a cousin to the Bahamian crawfish but they serve the whole thing not just the tail!) We are now back at the guest house and turning in for the evening. Tomorrow I will post more shots of Pater Noster and anything interesting that finds its way in front of our cameras! Thanks again for the comments they really do make us feel loved!

Things Are Looking Up!

2008.06.20 12:11

The above video is of the house band at Mama Africa. We went there last evening for a wonderful dinner! I had the mango chicken kabobs while Gregg had the Wild Game Platter featuring Ostrich, Kudu, Springbok, Game Sausage and Crocodile skewers. I tasted the Croc and it tasted like chicken (as expected!) Just for the record to clear up an earlier post, Monkey Gland is the name of a sauce that is put on beef burgers and contains NO monkey parts!This morning we drove to Stellenbosch (which you would have already known if you are checking the little travel calendar on the left hand side of this page) Before we left Cape Town we walked around the waterfront one more time with Gregg and Debra. In this shot you can see me pointing out which direction to the next scottish ale house for a few more breakfast beers! We arrived at our lodge at were amazed at how it looked! We are staying just outside of Stellenbosch at the Papyrus Lodge that sits right on its own private lake!This place is really quiet and peaceful and looks amazing even with the clouds and the slight bursts of rain that keep cropping up. We spent the first few moments just roaming around the area taking photos (some of which you will see in the right hand photo section) I was able to catch this short little video as two ducks flew over the little lake that our chalets are sitting on top of: After the walk we headed over to a winery for a very classy lunch of Goat Cheese and Mussel soup with some of their own Shiraz to wet the palette. The food and wine and atmosphere were so classy that I felt out of place in my jeans and wrinkled t-shirt but they were very nice and our waiter was one of the most humble and gentle people that we have come across. We even tried to rattle him a bit but I think he just assumed that we were arrogant Americans instead of foolish Bahamians!Tomorrow we have a drive through the mountains and the weather (left sidebar) is looking to improve (thanks for the prayers and posts!) Stay tuned for more Africa!

Experiencing Hermanus

2008.06.24 00:29

We have been spending the last two days exploring the sights of Hermanus, where Nicole's parents live. Yesterday was Sunday and we took a nice drive to a fantastic restaurant called Milkwood Lodge for a wonderful lunch. I had a 200 gram steak fillet that was the best steak fillet I have ever tasted (and the cheapest!) Then we went on a little sightseeing tour. First to the top of the mountain range that borders Hermanus. We had to drive up on a road called Rotary Way. The project to build the road up to the amazing sightseeing vista was spearheaded by Nicole's grandfather Bill Le Barrow in the 1960's (her mom's father). They wanted to name the road after him but he insisted that because the Rotary Club donated the first 100 pounds to build the road that it be named Rotary Way. The project was well worth it because the view from almost 710 feet above sea level is stunning as you can see from this video: If you look closely you can see the Hermanus Golf Course in the video. It costs almost $200 to play a round on the course and the waiting list for membership is over two years wait and thats just to get on the waiting list. After taking in the view for a bit we moved on to Voelklip Beach for a bit of whale watching. We actually just going for the wonderful view of the ocean waves: We were sitting there for a few moments watching the seagulls and surfers and then all of a sudden Debra yelled, "hey look over there!!!!" When we turned we caught a glimpse of two Southern Right Whales jumping out of the sea. Gregg went running back to the car for his camera and I pulled mine out of my pocket and caught this little gem of a video: Tomorrow we wake up early and drive to a little sea side town called Pater Noster. It should make for more exciting images and videos so stay tuned and continue to comment because it makes us smile on the inside!

Beautiful Drive Back to Hermanus

2008.06.22 09:03

Yesterday I didn't post because I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the mountain drive we took from Stellenbosch back to Hermanus, where Nicole's parents live. Nicole took the above picture that just about captures how I felt seeing such stunning scenery! We are now back in Hermanus and it is Sunday afternoon. We had a hearty lunch and then drove to the top of the mountain that borders Hermanus. I got to shot some more stunning scenes that will have to wait for future posts. Just to wet your appetite for the longer videos I will be editing together of this trip, check out this little clip from the drive yesterday: I have a title for the longer video I will be making of our journey: The Secret Heart of South Africa Tomorrow I should be posting more of the videos and images. Also Gregg has been taking some impressive images that I will hope to post soon so everyone can check out!

Cape Town on a Rainy Day

2008.06.19 14:16

This is a little statue of Nelson Mandela that sits along the busy Cape Town harbor. I really liked it because it is oddly proportioned and his legs look really small compared to the rest of his body. We checked into our hotel and then walked over to Nicole's favorite restaurant Spur for a Monkey Gland Burger and a banana milkshake. After some really good shopping for clothes we went back to the hotel to rest and watched a strange movie Harsh Times on the hotel cable. Here is a little video of the cloudy harbor: Tonight we went to Mama Africa and had a great dinner and saw a live band that deserves its own posts with pictures and video tomorrow, so stay tuned for more in the morning (which will be in the afternoon for all of you folks on the other side of the world!

Another Cloudy Day and Coffee...

2008.06.19 03:31

Yesterday was another cloudy and chilly day in Hermanus! We took a quick trip to the waterfront and had coffee at a very cool coffee shop called Essence that was in the center of the waterfront area, and on the second floor so it had a great view, which you can see in this video: After the coffee we took a quick little walk to the water but there weren't any whales mating so we just spied on a Dassie (rock rabbit) for a while and then went to rent some videos: We spent the afternoon watching 3;10 to Yuma (enjoyed it!) and then Samuel L jackson in The Cleaner (enjoyed it not so much!) We had a great day relaxing and getting geared up for the second leg of our vacation. Today we woke up this morning at 5:30 am and drove into Cape Town to collect Gregg and Debra White from the airport. The arrived safely and we are now in our hotel on a rainy overcast Cape Town day. With weather like this it REALLY reminds me of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. We are planning to go for a bit of shopping and maybe a walk later if the weather clears. Tonight we have a dinner planned at Mama Africa where we went two years ago with Nicole's sister and saw a fantastic Marimba band playing! You can check out the video on our old vacation site here. Stay tuned for more posting and thanks for all the comments! They make us feel connected to home even though we are a LONG way away!

A Drive to Somerset West

2008.06.17 15:13

Today the clouds began to clear away a bit in the Western Cape and we took a nice shopping trip to a mall outside of Cape Town. On the way we stopped at a little farm (pictured above) and saw the official animal of South Africa, a Springbok:Nicole and I ate nice spicy meat pies and had a great time driving and laughing together and being blown away by the amazing scenery! We also sorted out a permanent internet connection so I will be posting some nice videos in the next few days! (For you tech people out there, our internet connection is running through a Bluetooth wireless connection to a Nokia cellphone, not a great data rate/speed but very mobile since we can use it anywhere we can get a cell phone signal!)After the drive we had a great dinner with Nicole's family (including Nicole's 11 year old doggie, Snuffles, who is pictured above) We were also joined by Nicole's sister Rochelle and her boyfriend Franklin:A special thanks goes out to Shelly for letting me borrow her tricked out cellphone for posting on seeward.com! After all the food, shopping and driving I was beat and ready for a good nights rest which I am about to dive into.More posts coming over the next few days so stay tuned and comment so I know you're out there!

Cloudy Day Trip

2008.06.16 04:27

This is a short video clip taken on the waterfront in downtown Hermanus. I still haven't sorted out a permanent internet connection so I can't upload any long videos (yet!). Yesterday we went for a day trip to see Nicole's aunt (her dad's sister) and a few friends of the family who live around the Cape Town area. On the way we stopped for Nicole's parents to shop for a new car:They had quite a selection to choose from since all the cars were vintage Rolls Royce's and Bentley's:After much test riding and kicking of tires this is the one that Dave finally selected:HA! Actually these images are from a Vintage Car Club that was eating at the same wine farm restaurant that we took Nicole's father to for Father's day. Since Dave is a car lover it was essential that we took some photos (and videos) of the wonderful autos before we left. Things are going very well and we are overcoming our jetlag nicely. The weather has been rather overcast and cloudy so no decent images of the scenery have emerged yet! Today is a public holiday so we are heading home to curl up by the fireplace with a nice movie on the telly. Stay tuned for the weather to clear and the beauty of the Western Cape to be displayed!

Made it to Hermanus!

2008.06.14 07:27

View Larger Map We made it to Hermanus, and Nicole's parents new cottage, safely and are still trying to sort out an internet connection. So far we have already had a few great home cooked meals (Lamb Roost Dinner and Pork Sausage Breakfast). The next two we will not be posting since its Sunday and then Monday is a public holiday. Hopefully early next week we will be able to get into regular posting. So far we haven't even taken any scenic photos since the weather is cloudy and we are still jet lagged. Stay tuned though, we will be sort out soon!

We are Off (Almost) !!

2008.06.11 11:14

View Larger MapIf you zoom (using the control on the upper left hand side of the map) you will see a nice overhead view of our little place in Palmdale. Where I am sitting writing this first post before we leave for the airport. If I get a connection in the London airport, then I will post again tomorrow during our layover (almost 9 hours!) If not then we will post when we arrive at Nicole's parents house. You can also follow the blue lines on the map and zoom back down to an overhead view of their cottage by the ocean. The little calendar on the left hand side of this page has all our travel info. Just roll your mouse over the dates to see where we are or where we are headed! I am so excited I can barely type! Peace!

Arrived in London!

2008.06.12 07:22

It is about 2pm London time and we are in the middle of a long lay-over until our evening flight to Cape Town. The flight over was very smooth although I do not recommend eating onion rings prior to your flight because Nicole and I went to the Green Parrot and filled up on Conch Fritters and Onion Rings and it gave us a bit of excess wind, which is not very cool on a cramped airplane!. The in-flight entertainment was pretty cool! I watched an episode of one of my favorite shows Flight of the Conchords and then fell asleep until they announced that we were landing at Heathrow. Nicole watched the movie "The Incredibles" and then had an on-and-off night of sleep. We are sitting in Starbucks and wishing we could do some Yoga to loosen up our stiff muscles and bones. I have to say that the Starbucks here has a MUCH better selection of food items than the ones in Nassau. We are eating Greek Yogurt with a granola mix - way too healthy for the Bahamian palette! All Around the Heathrow Airport is much like an upscale shopping mall - a fun place to spend a few hours browsing around the things we can't afford!View Larger MapNext stop Cape Town(we arrive tomorrow morning and then a short drive to Hermanus! I am not sure how long it will be before I can get a permanent internet connection sorted out but stay tuned I will figure something out!

We Think We've Fallen

2008.06.03 10:52

if we get too close to the light we will burn our wings and soon we begin to realize why angels cry when they sing when they sing for us oh they sing for us if we drift too far in the night and we loose our way where the angels no longer guide us through the darkness of our days then they cry for us oh they cry for us when they sing for us oh they sing for us 'cause we might never be the same again we were battered by the rain and wind we might never find our home again we think we've fallen now we stumble around we think we've fallen we think we're chained to the ground we run too fast for our spirits till we lose the pace as if the angels were trying to catch us to wipe the glory off our face but they sing for us oh they sing for us though the chains no longer bind us we still struggle with their weight and the angels try to remind us that we all share the same fate then they cry for us oh they cry for us

The Other Side of Hope

2008.05.31 16:10

This image pretty much sums up, for me, the knife edge mixture of hope and chaos that is being radiated from the US presidential marathon election. Obama is riding a very real wave of dissatisfaction and a hunger for change but it is constantly mirrored by the other side. The side that is unwilling to have things any other way than they think is best. Those types have already proven themselves more dangerous than we are often willing to admit. And so the razor continues to cut its way towards election day. Hillary mentioning RFK was less a personal revelation than an indicator of how desperate the times are. This image is one of the strongest I have seen in a good while really capturing the way the moment feels to an outside observer.

The Countdown Begins...

2008.06.05 20:05

With less that a week before we head off to the other side of the ocean, I have made a few changes to the site in order to prepare for the (hopefully) daily posting of our adventures. The above photo was one of my favorite photos from our last trip. Nicole took it after we stopped on the side of the road to shoot some video of the amazing landscape. We leave next Wed the 11th, in the evening so stay tuned for posts after that of photos and videos (If I can secure the wireless cell-phone internet access that I am hoping for!) If you do come and check out the posts, please be kind and leave a comment so we can feel the love from all over the world. Look out South Africa (and Spain!)

You've Come to the Right Place

2008.06.08 20:01

If you have found your way here then, very soon, you will begin seeing updates from Christian and Nicole's trip to South Africa (and Spain). This space will show the most recent updates and the photos to the right will also be updated (In Internet Explorer the photos might be at the bottom of the whole page - scroll down to see them!) Right now the photos are just random images from the last few months but they will change when we get over there. We will begin posting shortly after we arrive in Hermanus on June 12th: View Larger Map The above map has markers for all the places that we will be during our trip. Navigate using the Google maps controls and you can follow the journey. All of the previous sections of seeward.com are still online and accessible from either the above subject links or the main section links on the left-side bar. The time and weather from South Africa will be up for the duration of our trip so you can get a sense of winter on the other side of the equator. Take some time to leave comments and check back often!

Worship Team Beach Fun Day

2008.06.09 11:57

After all the hard work that went into the iWorship fundraising event the NPCC worship team took a much needed day of beach fun and relaxation. Thanks to Brooks and Chris for boating all of us up to a private little getaway on Rose Island for a wonderful labor day adventure. The fundraising was also a success and we met our goal of over $10,000 for new equipment for the stage!

Indiana Jones Returns

2008.05.27 19:14

In 1981, I was ten years old and Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of the first movies that I went to the theater to see. (Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian and Blazing Saddles were also among the first I saw on the big screen) I remember being almost as excited about the video game coming out on the Atari 2600 as I was about the movie. I can't remember much of the first movie but I still remember the excessive amount of hours spent trying to get a smudge of little pixel cubes that were meant to be Indy to slide into a little opening in a pyramid. I remember finally getting him to the finish line and feeling disappointed that the reward was not much of a payoff after the long wait. Well after seeing the barely resurrected Indy in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull I feel the exact same pang of disappointment. The pace of the movie was far too fast to do anything other than sit back and drift along. The plot could have been stolen off of any number of conspiracy/UFO-logist forums and even with its obvious twists and turns doesn't feel very inspired. It was kind of cool that they found a few gophers that had SAG cards because everyone else seemed tired and not just from running for their lives.

The Extraterrestrial is My Brother

2008.05.13 14:27

For so many years the church has been behind the curve on scientific issues: gravity, the solar system, etc. This time it seems that they want to be way ahead on the Extraterrestrial issue. Today the Vatican's top astronomer announced that "the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones." He even went on to say that it is important that, if aliens exist, we see them as children of God just like human beings. This shocked me on several levels. Who knew that the Vatican had an official astronomer and more than one! Also that the Vatican would comment or speculate on such a strange issue seems odd to me when there are so many other things to have a position on.

Robots Got Soul

2008.05.14 09:09

We are truly living in new territory! This past week saw the first ever symphony conducted by a robot. The very cute Honda Asimo conducted the Detroit Symphony to a warm response from both the audience and the musicians. This kind of thing really excites me and I am not absolutely sure why. A few years ago I heard Kevin Kelly, futurist and editor at Wired Magazine, speaking about spiritual issues facing the church. He said the most important issue we need to wrestle with is "What are we going to say when robots ask us 'am I human?'". This really stimulated me into new areas of thinking about what it means to be human. If robots acquire all the external dimensions that we tend to think of as human then it might force us to look further within to find our identity as human beings. If a robot can play or conduct music in a way that moves our hearts and spirits then what does that say about where that emotion and inspiration come from? Maybe that emotional response to music is not being communicated by the soulfulness of the musician, as we tend to think, maybe it is coming purely from within us as a response to the external sounds. It is possible that music is not carrying any emotional resonance but is simply being used (by the listener) to unlock inner realities that normally lay dormant. All of this requires more thought than I have given it so far but one thing is certain, I want my own musical robot!!

iWorship

2008.05.26 16:55

I have been busy the last few days working towards the iWorship event we held at NPCC. The above video is a very rough audio mix from the 24track that I used to record the event. We will be producing a cd of the concert and I will post some mp3's when they are finalized.

Elvis Costello : Momofuku

2008.05.12 15:02

Momofuku Ando created instant noodles and Elvis Costello titled his instant album, momofuku, as a verbal tribute. I think 2008 is shaping up to be a great year for music. Dig! Lazarus Dig! hasn't worn out its welcome after a month of listening and along comes a new album by the bratty Brit that is often too smart for his own good. This time out he rocks through a number of songs that sounds like retro nods to his former glory and mixes in a few odds numbers that seem to take the album way off the standard rock/pop landscape. Elvis' voice and song-writing seem as strong as ever but his lyrics are beginning to show cracks in the armor that has established itself over the last 30 years of lyrical gems. Some of the songs sound great but lack the extra wit that many would expect from EC. He sings some very nice vocal harmonies and occasionally wants to enter into Burt Bacharach territory but that isn't a bad thing. I read an interview with EC recently where he said he misses the times when people sat down and put on a record and listened to the whole album in one sitting. He said that he was still making albums to be listened to in that fashion but no body did it anymore with the Ipod and it's shuffle features. So I listened to the whole thing in one (iPod) sitting and decided that he has a point. After only browsing a few songs previously none of them really grabbed me: however, during the complete listen the songs seems more well developed and even complemented one another in both arrangements and pacing. If you are an EC fan and want to here some new tunes from the best pop star with the worst teeth, even before Madonna, give this album a chance.

The Band Sway

2008.05.08 20:28

The above video is from last New Years Eve at the Ichiban Steakhouse. The entertainment for the evening was the wonderful band SWAY who are not only great friends but also the subject of my newest website design project. Click here to see the site and listen to some demos that I recorded and produced as well!

Iron Man

2008.05.04 19:50

There are more than a few things that amazed me about Iron Man. 1) This movie has been in production with three different studios with almost 12 writers since 1990. 2) Director John Favreau allowed the actors to write their own dialogue for 90% of the film. 3) One of my favorite guitarists, Tom Morello from AudioSlave and Rage Against the Machine, has a cameo as the first person that Iron Man tosses into the side of a very dark cave.This movie is so well done on all levels from technical aspects to the brilliant casting choices. I am already excited about the two sequels that are planned but until then I will have to wait for Tony Stark's role in the upcoming Incredible Hulk (Written by and Starring Edward Norton). Comic book films are really beginning to pull some serious talent and dollars judging from the box office returns that Iron man is already showing! It must feel great to Marvel that they are finding such success with the first movie that they fully financed themselves. So maybe with all that new cash they will hurry up and make an epic Avengers movie.

Albert Hofmann dies at 102

2008.04.30 11:09

Some of the best things in life are discovered completely by accident. Such was the case of Hofmann and his most famous discovery while looking for medicinal uses of fungus found on grain and wheat. I wonder if his discovery and lifelong relationship with his "problem child" had anything to do with his long life? One thing is for sure, his work has had a profound impact on the world we live in and also on my experience of it. Rest in Peace!

Seeward is ill

2008.04.30 08:33

Not ill in the hiphop way of being cool or hip - ill in the sense of falling off of the map for a good while. I have been held up in the house with a wicked cough and will be visiting the doctor today to remedy the situation. Regular posting will resume shortly after my health improves!

Dig Lazarus Dig !!!

2008.04.17 16:25

"I don't know what it is but there'sdefinitely something going on upstairs"From the opening dissonance of what sounds like a rusty saw being scraped with a carnival drill, you can sense that the bad seeds are ready to play bad. Gone are the soft soothing string arrangements that represent the softer and more reflective side of Cave's persona. This collection of songs is full of menace and swagger. Even the beautiful Hold on to Yourself is driven through with a dark and slightly twisted timbre. Jesus on the Moon offers a classic Cave narrative style that drifts nicely towards a lush and satisfying conclusion. Night of the Lotus Eaters is a tasty bit of wordy weirdness. The mood is so thick and the band is very understated only creating more pent-up energy and tension.More News from Nowhere closes out the cycle nicely but maybe chugs along for a bit too long. One of my favorite tracks has been Accidents Will Happen from the pre-release EP. I am a sucker for a ragged voice and a folksy guitar. When the band drops in the songs becomes anchored and eventually deconstructs into a wildly poppy harmony-fest. We Called Upon the Author is a fantastic song on man levels. it has some rather unusual sounds and an even better lyric packed with witty wisdom. I love the line "I go guruing down the street..." Brilliant! Glad to see that Nick fallen into the same curse that plagued some of Leonard Cohen's middle period recordings. I Dig it Dig it Lazarus Dig it !! "There is a chord in you that I could not find to strum" - Jesus of the Moon

Hit and Run @ the Hub

2008.04.19 06:58

My friend AJ continues to push deeper into the Bahamian art scene with a one night only, one man show called Hit and Run. The show featured a combination of mediums from stencil on canvas to skateboard and kiteboard designs. The theme for the evening was punk and the word really summed up both the presentation and the feel of the show. Aj's strength in portraits really infused a human quality to the rugged and often color heavy paintings. By taking and manipulating some of his fantastic original photos, AJ recasts the faces in a way that invites a deeper reflection. This show also saw AJ branching out and spraying onto a variety of surfaces: masonite, cardboard and plastic. The show was well attended and really generated a lot of conversation around both the images and the combination of canvases and objects displayed. Good on ya Arjuna!

New Jersey 2008

2008.04.15 18:15

The Bank Job

2008.04.06 20:39

The Bank Job sets itself apart from the usual caper film almost right out of the gate. Opting for gritty hands on thuggery instead of the typical high-tech gadgetry, the plot is more smash and grab than elaborate con. Jason Stratham plays his established type as a likable thug who isn't afraid of mixing it up with some heavies. The based-on-real-events plot is intriguing and keeps the story interesting enough to last until the end. I wish all caper films were this well done and had as interesting a back story but for every Bank Job we get three or four Ocean's Fifteens.

On the Road to Emmaus

2008.04.04 21:46

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Spirituality

2008.04.02 12:44

I have been reading a book lately that has been stirring up some thoughts. I realized that although I have given my life to learning about, exploring and teaching about Spirituality, I don't have a working definition for the word. Some would argue that a single definition is not possible and the word is a symbol or catch-all category for a wide range of ideas and experiences. I tend to agree with this assessment but I also thought I would reflect on what, in my own journey, the word has been used to catch. Here is my attempt at a working definition of the word Spirituality: Spirituality is our capacity to consciously experience and respond appropriately to the Divine Presence in our daily lives. I am sure that I read a similar definition along the way in my studies but I can't say for sure where. To follow from this definition, anything that helps bring the Divine presence into consciousness and helps us respond well is, in my book, considered spiritual. In all my searching and learning, I have yet to find anything as helpful as Jesus in discovering the Divine Presence and a model for how to respond to it in the midst of our daily living. May your spirituality grow each day to sense the Divine Presence in all things and in all people.

3 Shirts for $30 Dollars

2008.03.31 16:37

This is seeward's new line of Bahamian inspired T-shirt design. Someone should get on this and make a little cash out of the idea! I think the idea of Moneygami is inspired! It reminds us that money is best used to make something beautiful. If money becomes an end in itself then it looses its beauty. If it is intentionally crafted to cause something of higher value to occur then it can becomes a tool rather than a means to security. Here is a simple guide to make your own wardrobe!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2008.03.29 11:34

Kevin Spacey has a knack for picking good movies to be associated with (with the exception of the stinker The Life of David Gale) So I had high expectations for 21:the movie. I can't say that I was disappointed but it did seem to lack any real depth beneath the trying-very-hard-to-be-hip-and-sexy vibe. Spacey anchors a cast of youngsters who do a decent job of holding their own, particularly the lead Jim Sturgess as the math genius who is recruited to lead the MIT Blackjack Team towards Vegas bliss. Interestingly for a movie about counting cards, you never get a clear explanation of what the card counting process actually is even though they keep referring to it as 'simple math'. That is most likely due to the fact that the real life people who the movie was based on have mostly made a living selling card counting help books and holding desperate gamblers weekend retreats. They can't give away for the price of admission their current livelihood now that they are banned from playing in the casinos for life. I am not nit picking because without any real knowledge of what is being done on the tables the action gets reduced to sexy close ups of cards being flipped over too high intensity techno music and you are left feeling that it was too easy. In real life the MIT team spent years losing lots of money before they perfected a system that only gave them a 4% better than chance advantage over house. The movie makes it seems like they are printing money. It was entertaining enough but it could have been so much more but what do you expect from the guys who brought us Legally Blonde.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

2008.03.24 18:41

"Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said: Father, it's time. Display the bright splendor of your Son So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent."- John 17

MoneyGami

2008.03.24 17:14

Where art and commerce collide: The Art of Moneygami!

Sk8ting

2008.03.24 13:40

A few posts ago I mentioned that my friend AJ had given me a custom painted skateboard as a gift. If you check out the above video you will see that my skating skills haven't changed a bit since I was in junior high school. I still shred it up to the Violent Femmes as well!

What Does Easter Mean to You?

2008.03.22 17:29

I made this short film for our Easter service. It is a series of short interviews about the meaning of Easter. It features a combination of footage that I shot and footage I gathered off of the web (the best footage came from Work of the People). Towards the end you will see a super-macro shot of a honey bee working on a fresh flower. I shot that with the marco setting on my video camera and it turned out great!

KidRobot Invades

2008.03.22 17:08

A few minutes ago something caught the corner of my eye and as I turned I realized that tiny Kid Robot had found his way into our house and was slowly sneaking up on the other clay figures in our collection. I was able to startle him and snap this quick shot before he scurried off talking on his futuristic robot cellie. It sounded like he was talking to his agent so you may soon see him making appearances in upcoming seeward films.

New Mind Reading Technology

2008.03.21 19:42

Texas Instruments has set a high standard on two fronts. One for developing the first bit of technology that can read a person's thoughts. They also score top honors for having the creepiest presentation of said technology. This little shows a demo where the machine, undercover as a styling turtleneck, intercepts the brains signals headed to the vocal cords and then interprets them back into the intended words. Right now it only has about 150 words in its vocabulary but things are improving quickly. We are truly living in unusual times and the rate of change does seem to be speeding up.

Digg!!! Lazarus Digg!!!

2008.03.21 16:57

"I used to be down the faithful manNow I'm hanging with the doubting Thomas's" - Accidents Will HappenIf the two songs on the pre-release EP by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is any indication of the quality and tone of their forthcoming new album then we are in for a real treat. The title song strikes a swagger and grooves through the best of Cave's Grinderman experiments in grit and grizzle. Accidents Will Happen is a country-fied stomper full of loose and lively lyrics that wrap around a dense mix of layers that eventually give way to a background vocal part that sounds like the beach boys before a rusty guitar melts the mix in half. The Ep also comes with a fantastic video for Digg!!! with Nick and the boys channeling Ron Jeremy's mustache in front of a project urban scape. "I don't know what it is but there's definitely something going on upstairs!"

The Transpersonal Self

2008.03.20 08:47

Since Freud, possibly with a little help from cocaine, gave us a well formed view of the Self as a static construction, there have been other models of psychology and the Self that are gaining traction in our increasingly fluid modern world. One view that makes a lot of sense to me it is the Trans-personal view of the Self. Psychologists tend to see the Self as a static identity(or Ego) that is strengthened or weakened based on whatever particular neurosis we might adopt to distract us from the terrifying reality that we are going to die. Trans-personal psychology conceives of a much more fluid model of the self that really resonates with my own personal experience of reality. I will attempt to explain my understanding of this model and how it relates to spiritual experience.Lets not think of the Self as a static thing but a process that brings the illusion of stability to our experience of the chaos of reality. Rather than our static self reacting too and bouncing off of external reality that is outside of ourselves and concrete, imagine the self as an organizing mechanism that takes in all experiences and does the heavy lifting of interpreting those bits of experience based on our current stable map of reality. One way of looking at it would be that our minds form a map of reality that acts as a slightly pliable container not unlike a water balloon. We take the diverse and disconnected contents of reality (in this case the water) and it fills in our map and gives it shape and density. We experience this filled balloon as ourselves. The surface of the balloon is constantly being molded and slightly reshaped by our experiences. No matter how large our balloon of self may be, it will eventually bump into parts of reality that do not fit within the stretched membrane that has become our map of reality. These new bits of experience could be new information, they could be painful experiences or they could be anything that challenges the way we think the world works. When we are confronted with these new bits of reality that challenge us we only have two options: 1. We can tighten up the balloon and harden the edges and refuse to accept the new information. In this process we also lose touch with reality over time and use up a great deal of energy avoiding or denying the truth. This course of action is what makes religious fundamentalists who waste immense amounts of energy defending a rigid and incomplete view of reality (or scripture). 2. We allow the balloon to break and begin the process of creating a new deeper and more flexible map of reality. This process feels like death to our inner selves because we often mistake our interpretation and map of reality as reality itself. When we become overwhelmed by reality as it truly is, this can cause a great deal of trauma within ourselves. For a period we are forced to observe the world with fresh eyes and are required to revisit and reinterpret things in new ways. It can feel like becoming a child again. This makes intuitive sense and we even have a cliche ready made for the occasion when we help people see a bigger view of reality : "I don't want to burst your bubble but..."What we call the self is really a complex process of trying to bring order and meaning to the chaos of living. This order has been shown to move through a few predictable phases as we develop and grow:Phase One - Self Identification : We see the membrane of our balloon only stretching over the parts of ourselves that we accept and identify with. The other parts of ourselves that we can't accept get projected onto others and we interpret others through the cracked lenses of our own divided self. For instance we might have deep insecurity issues and therefore we are disgusted when we see someone else who appears insecure. We are really interpreting ourselves but we haven't learned to allow those parts of ourselves into our balloon.Phase Two - Shadow Identification : The balloon breaks and we accept that we are not perfect and that all of the things that we hate in others are also found within ourselves. The chaos of this realization begins to find stability in a new map that interprets reality more accurately because there is less projecting our inner issues onto reality. We then begin to interpret others more accurately.Phase Three - Familial Identification : Our balloon expands to include the parts of the world that we really love and enjoy but rejects the parts (and people) that we do not like or agree with. A similar process that happened within us at the previous phase is now happening in our larger interpretations of reality. We are less self focused but we are still interpreting reality from a very self obsessed place. All value and meaning is based on our personal perspective and desires. Phase Four - Non-Dual Identification : We begin to accept all people and things as part of reality without defending ourselves or rejecting anything. This is a state of being that allows us to truly see the world as it is and interpret it accurately without the imposition of our own defensive attempts at dealing with chaos and uncertainty. This is just my best understanding at this point about what I am processing and is in no way a full and complete explanation. It is just my attempt at understanding what is happening within me : and all of us. Jesus put it like this:"Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." - Matthew 9:17

Lucid Dreaming

2008.03.18 08:12

I had my first lucid dream last evening. Meaning that in the middle of the dream I realized that I must be dreaming and then was able to take control of the dream and do whatever I wanted. The dream began while I was swimming in the pool in the house that we used to live in in Miami. A got out of the pool and realized that my glasses were broken. In real life I broke my glasses a few months ago so the reaction was fresh in my mind. In the dream, for some reason, my friends son Jack, was to blame for the broken glasses and I was bitterly blaming him for the real life broken glasses also. In the middle of the rant I suddenly asked myself "Could this be a dream?". Everything was so real and vivd. At first I struggled and decided that it wasn't a dream and that my glasses were actually broken again. This made me even more angry. Then I remembered something that I had read about lucid dreaming. Light switches do not work in dreams (no one knows why this is the case but it seems to be for all people). I walked over to the light switch and flipped it up and down. Nothing happened so I turned to the 'dream Jack' and smiled. Then I got excited and fully accepted that I was awake in my dream! I walked over to a group of strangers that suddenly had appeared in the living room area of the house and grabbed one of them by the cheek. It felt so real, even the feeling of razor stubble and the weight of the head as I tugged on his cheek. I decided that if I could do anything then I could think of much cooler things to do than tug on some strangers face. With that thought I leaped off the ground and flew straight through the french doors that separated the dinning room for the pool area. I continued to rise as I flew through the screen and off towards the sky. I made a quick fly over of my old elementary school and was just about to cross over the Florida Turnpike when the excitement woke me up. I quickly got up and wrote down the details so I would remember them for later. i have read that one of the benefits of meditation is Lucid Dreaming and now I know for sure. The practice of meditation, or lowering your brain-wave frequency while staying awake, trains your brain to be able to enter deeper wave patterns with more blood flow than normal. When you are asleep your brain goes into a delta wave pattern which has very little energy and blood flow in the brain. In fact the frontal cortex that is responsible for self-directed thought isn't even active while dreaming. That is why you feel like the dream is happening to you not that you are controlling it yourself. So when your brain gets used to going into deeper wave cycles while awake, the increased blood flow allows the frontal cortex to fire up while you are in deep sleep. Some life long meditating monks never lose consciousness even in deep dreamless sleep. I could not imagine what it must be like to be conscious 24 hours a day! I am no Zen monk but I very pleased to have been surprised by this little adventure and when it happens again I will try to not get so excited and enjoy it for a bit longer.

Max Taylor : The Other Side

2008.03.13 09:30

Last night was the official opening of the Popopstudios Centre for the Visual Arts. The evening featured a retrospective of Bahamian artist Max Taylor. (you can scroll down for an interview that John Cox did with him for the show). The work was all across the board from pencil and ink drawing to dark umber portraits and large, bright African inspired paintings. A series of what looked to be watercolors really spoke to me. The forms were so delicate and the faces were stylized in a fashion that I can only describe as 70's cartoon. The pieces I liked were from the early 80's and had a much more sophisticated look than the more rough and incomplete feel of the larger canvases. Max is quite a talented wood carver and apparently a potter as well since there were a half dozen bowls with colorful fish painted on them on display as well. In the interview Max talked about the Social Voice of art but this show lacked that edge of commentary and drifted quickly into purely aesthetic realms. Although I spied a group of what looked like hooded clansmen in one of the pen and ink drawing, I wasn't really able to tell if they were actually clansmen or just clergy. Maybe that was the point but that kind of social commentary could have only made sense in Max's new home in USAmerica. Kudos to John and the POPOP crew for making the ground and gallery look splendid, I am looking forward to the coming shows in this new space.

Boxed In @ The Hub

2008.03.12 12:52

This week is the biggest week for art in the Bahamas! With the Transforming Spaces exhibition taking place this weekend and involving 12 gallery/exhibition locations and just about every artist in the country, it is a busy week for art lovers. Last night we attended the first exhibition in a cool new space called The Hub. It was a group show featuring 6 established artists: Jonathan Murray, Holly and Lynn Parotti, Margo Bethel, Jackson Pettit and AJ Watson. The above image is from Jackson's film Black Liquid which featured a male model (artist Jonathan Murray) being soaked in black paint. It was quite a powerful film for only lasting 1 minute and evoked many strong reactions (not all positive which is a sign of effective art as far as I am concerned). AJ Watson, under the DECYPUL moniker, presented two custom skateboards: AJ has continued to make his mark on the cultural scene and is one of the few artists who is displaying this weekend at a number of featured galleries. He even gifted me with one of the custom downhill boards! The feel of the event and the rough trade look of the place really captured my attention. I am looking forward to great things from The Hub in the future, not just as a gallery space but a point of connection for creative and like minded people to gather and explore new possibilities for life and spirit. More reports from the other galleries will be forthcoming as the week moves on!

Max Taylor Interview

2008.03.11 10:16

I was fortunate enough to film John Cox interviewing Max Taylor yesterday at the Popop Center for the Visual Arts. Check out the video above as he discussed color theory and the role of social and political activism within artwork.

Let Go of Your Life...

2008.03.11 08:58

"Anyone who saves their life, will lose it: Anyone who loses their life will save it" - Jesus People have been willing to die for many things. Some have put their lives on the line for the environment, while others have risked their lives for political ideologies and lost. But what did Jesus feel was worth sacrificing it all for? He asked His earliest disciples to give up all earthly possessions, turn away from Father and Mother, and even to carry their own crosses as they drank from the martyrs cup: but why? The idea of suffering for doing the 'right' thing or for obeying God was deeply imbedded within the Jewish world view and Jesus even referenced it during the Sermon on the Mount when He declared those who suffer, like the Prophets of History, for the coming of God's Kingdom will be blessed. One a emotional level it makes sense that anyone who lives with a fear of death has already died, since every action is taken in a cloud of fear and caution. A life that is worthwhile and genuine can only begin when on is willing to die. What could motivate that type of radical change of heart that allows someone to step outside of the natural structures of hesitancy and fear? I believe Jesus' answer is: People are the only thing worth dying for. It is the heart obligation of love and compassion that you would do anything required to remove the suffering of those that you love, even if it meant that you began to suffer. It is the threshold of suffering, and death, that keeps us from the freedom of real love for one another. It is our fear of death that is barring the open door to God's Kingdom. It is love and compassion that leads us through the door and lightens our burdens of fear and caution that have kept us in darkness. Only when we lose ourselves enough to the sacrifice of love, do we get a glimpse of God: for God is love. It is in these small, but profoundly challenging ways, that God's spirit moves out advancing the Kingdom. Sometimes it causes me great pain to realize that we (the Church) have avoided wrestling with these core issues by creating a theology around personal holiness and the management of sinful behaviors. he didn't spend a great deal of time trying to teach people how to avoid temptations. He spent His time trying to build our faith in a new kind of life in God's Kingdom. A life where we are willing to lose our lives for the sake of others so that we may be reborn as Children of a Loving God. "The Son of Man did not come into this world to be served but to serve and offer His life as a ransom for many" - Mk 10:45

The Marley Resort

2008.03.09 18:30

We had the pleasure of celebrating our good friend Debra Higgs birthday last night at the newly opened Marley Resort and Spa. The place was fantastic even though the restaurant, Simmer Down, hasn't opened yet but the bar, Stir it Up, is fully functional and stocked with a fine selection of beers! There was a sirt-of wedding reception going on there so teh place was very crowded and quite loud which made for a lively time. My favorite part of the night was when I got mistaken for Johnny Depp (which made Nicole as happy as it made me =) They have put so much work into making the place loot fabulous, it is a pity that most sections were too dark for my camera to get good shots of. Interested parties will have to check out the link above.Happy Birthday Debs!

Christian is Fierce!

2008.03.06 15:10

Call it the subtle influence of people I respect, I have become interested in fashion all of a sudden. Not that I am going to run out and buy a couture suit or anything, I am just beginning to appreciate the design and creativity that goes into making something beautiful to wear. I been watching the final few episodes of Project Runway and last night the infant terrible Christian won the final $100,000 prize after designing a line of clothes that were edgy and sleek at the same time. Guest judge, Victoria Beckham, said she would love to wear his clothes (we'll forgive him for that one!) While he is only 21 years old he has a firm command of his creative process and continually delivered things that impressed me (and the judges) I must be getting old because yesterday I caught myself daydreaming about buying a stylish suit!

The Feeling : 12 Steps and Home

2008.03.03 14:56

Apparently good music still finds its way through the rusted corridors of what has become of the music industry. UK based The Feeling have crafted a sophomore album full of catchy tunes and more Beatles musical references than you can shake a pair of tight leather pants at. "Love it When You Call" has restored my faith in pop song-writing, while rocking like early Cars and swooning like the Beach Boys, this tune is pure aural ear candy! Rose' is a nice mid-tempo track anchored by a soothing arrangement of lush vocal melodies and piano twinkles. From the first track, Sewn, the hooks just keep coming and the production is full of nice subtle surprises without ever sounding contrived (A hard thing to do when the band trades in such familiar retro-ish territory). I have only been listening to this album for a few days but already its my favorite collection of songs in many months!

The Head Trip : Jeff Warren

2008.02.29 09:14

The Head trip is a guided tour around your own brain in nice bite size and digestible chunks. Have you ever wondered what happens during deep sleep? or why we sometimes fall into a low level trance when driving the familiar path to our home? By giving his personal observations alongside personal interviews and extensive research on everything from hypnosis to entrainment of brain waves through neuro-feedback loops, Jeff Warren weaves a masterful, if scientifically biased, tour of consciousness. What I mean by scientifically biased is that he is intentionally distancing himself from the average new age 'brain science/kosmic spirituality' gurus that have cropped up lately. By staying close to the research put forward by the world's foremost researchers and only using his personal experiences as a support, the book steers clear of sounding like a self help manual, although I am sure it will be very helpful to lots of interested people. At times the physiology of the body/brain begins to sound very much like a computer system. i am not sure if this is just a simple metaphor because of the proliferation of personal computers of whether the design and architecture of personal computing was imprinted with the blueprints of brain mechanics. Either way, the idea of 'harnessing' each of these various states of consciousness (deep sleep, hypnosis, and more) seems very empowering. take the story of Thomas Edison who developed a way to tap into the brain's most creative state: The Hypnagogic - that moment right before you fall into a deep sleep. By taking an intentional nap in front of his desk with two small steel balls in each hand. Edison was sure he would wake up as soon as he drifted off and released the balls to smash hard on two metal plates that he set on the floor. As soon as the crash woke him up, he would quickly lean forward an write down what was on his mind. This way of tapping the deep layers of unconscious activity associated with sleep for creative inspiration was also mined by Salvador Dali who devised a similar technique involving metal keys rather than steel balls. Dali would paint whatever image he brought up out of his sleeping mind (this explains a lot about Dali's work!) This technique even has a practical history beyond the invention of the light-bulb. Paul McCartney has said that the song Yesterday (voted by Rolling Stone to be the greatest pop song written so far) came fully formed as he awake from a dream. The Head Trip is full of interesting applications and explorations for each state that the average person passes through in their head space every day. I can't begin to image a world where this kind of practical knowledge about what it means to be human is taught to children as part of a more holistic educational paradigm. Anyone who wants to see just a small glimpse into the brain-tech future should do a little searching for the concept of Binaural Beats. We may never be the same again!

Fashion Art Crime

2008.02.28 13:19

I have gained a new appreciation for the level of creativity that goes into creating fashion from watching this season of Project Runway. It is not the type of show that normally appeals to me but the diversity of creative expression that the designers pour out so quickly raises them a notch above the other rats-in-a-digital-cage judging shows. The above fashions are not from a lost episode of Project Runway, they are actually from this week's Paris Fashion Week. The design house Viktor & Rolf were apparently trying to make a statement about 'Fast Fashion' (the types of made in china street-level fashions that most of us can afford) The look is very surreal and one that I can see catching on in more popular (read cheaper) versions. It would be fun to walk around with an object jutting its way out of your outfit. Image the crazy possibilities!

Vantage Point

2008.02.24 15:59

Forest Whitaker's bulging and shaking aside, there isn't much of a point to Vantage Point. On the surface it is a political thriller with a generic terrorist gang attacking the US president. The main problem is that is fails to go below the surface. It does have some original coverage of the old car-chase on a crowded street driving the the opposite way but even that wear thin after a short while. The film had some great talent in Forest and Sigourney Weaver but it really failed to get them into any interesting situations. The first half of the film has about seven pause/rewind tricks that replay the assassination of the president from almost every possible angle. After the third one you are left feeling that Freud might have some thoughts about the filmmakers dark sub-conscious repression of hostility. But when the film actually begins to move forward the hostility is fully unmasked as every last member of the President's entourage are shot like fish in a barrel, most before they even saw it coming. I am not a prude when it comes to onscreen violence but when it is utterly devoid of a compelling narrative it just feels disgusting. I felt similar feeling during Mission Impossible 3 watching the violence careen into comic book dimensions while my actual entertainment flat-lines. Did I mention that Forest Whitaker is a very shaky and bulging man.

No Fumar!

2008.02.19 13:53

It has been over a year since I smoked my last cigarette. I would love to say that it was the product of much prayer and spiritual strength but I am certain that it was simply the practical fruits of reading Alan Carr's How to Stop Smoking the Easy Way. If you have any loved one's who want to quit, I HIGHLY recommend this book to them as a tool that retrains your brain. I feel so much healthier and generally stronger and more hopeful than I did last year. I realize that might have other causes but it does fill me with hope to think that something I had almost lost hope of ever letting go of, is now more than a year behind me! Life is truly full of limitless possibilities!

Obey Obama

2008.02.18 18:06

Since I don't live in the United States this isn't really an endorsement but merely an observation. The above poster is a statement on how inspiring Obama is to creative people like Obey Giant 's Sheppard Farey. It is also a statement on the increasing role that the street art urban forms are playing in mainstream culture.

The Bible : Karen Armstrong

2008.02.12 10:16

"Reading the Bible is not an academic exercise, it is a spiritual quest!" - Karen 'Runaway Nun' ArmstrongIt takes a great deal of time for the truth to filter out to the masses. This is even more true when the masses are threatened by the truth and build huge walls of defensiveness and denial around their ignorance. For instance, it has been a number of centuries since critical theory has been applied to the Holy Scriptures but it has only been in the last few decades that the masses have had to wrestle with the implications of these new techniques. Often this is understandable given that many truths spend far too lang locked within the language of the academy and are rarely restated in ways that are accessible without a great deal of intellectual investment. Karen Armstrong is among a special group of writers who have a gift for retelling the scholarly and academic perspective on things in a way that make sense to the average person. But even though she has done a great deal of the work for you, reading The Bible will still prove to be a task that requires investment. As she winds through the multi-layers of Hebrew thought and theological editing of what we call 'The Scriptures' she is assaulting many sacred cows whose blood may spill over those whose minds are closed against new ideas. She walks a fine line of showing tremendous respect and even submission to the scriptures while purging many unhelpful concepts that have embedded themselves within the Christian tradition. What remains after the journey is a richer and more mysterious view of the purpose and value of sacred writings and the ways that history has sharped (and at times obscured) the message contained with The Bible. If you are interested, like me, in seeing things as they are then this book will be helpful in seeing the scriptures in fresh and historical ways. If you are prone to holding your convictions with an iron fist then you should steer clear and use you time to write a Christian commentary on the final Harry Potter novel.

The Study of Imagination

2008.01.29 07:01

I came across a wonderful site for the Multi-Disciplinary Study of Imagination. It is a group of artists, poets, doctors, writers and more who are getting together to share ideas and research on the human imagination. You can see a diverse and thought provoking mix of videos here or read more about the upcoming live webcast events here. The group is taking part in an interesting three month project called Brainwave in NYC. Brainwave is worth checking out for its interactive blend of fringe science and creative arts projects. Last week to kick off the event a man set the world record for being locked in a tank full of ice for over an hour and tomorrow evening Lou Reed is going to be discussing his newest poems on meditation with a neuro-biologist. If you go to the site be sure to check out the round table discussion on the way the brain works during dream states.Its easy sometimes to forget that we live in a mysterious and wonderful world full of potential and possibilities.

The Assassination of Jesse James...

2008.02.07 09:03

America has always had a love affair with the Outlaw Spirit. This film does a great job of putting you inside that affection during the late 1800's fascination with Jesse James and his train robbing gang. Long before the thug exploits of modern outlaws like 50 cent or John Gotti, a generation of people were entertained by the outside of the law adventures of Frank and Jesse James. Brad Pitt is his usual crafty and charismatic self, adding the occasional violent outburst to round out the character, who comes across as menacing more than likable. The real stand out here is Ben's little brother Casey who holds together a very complex mix of fear, ambition and courage. There are times when you are rooting for the coward Robert Ford and other times when you are disgusted by his insecurities but overall he is is impossible to dismiss. Nick Cave was involved in making the musical elements pitch the tone in a decidedly more moody key than many period pieces. Nick even makes a short cameo as a rambling minstrel singing a rowdy folk song about Jesse's death. In the end, for me, the movie was about the hunger for fame and the emergence of celebrity-mania. This is the broad stroke, brushed over a very intimate portrait of a certain kind of life led outside of conventions where even your friends might shoot you in the back.

Happy Birthday Bob!

2008.02.06 09:21

There's a natural mystic blowing through the air If you listen carefully now you will hear. This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last Many more will have to suffer, Many more will have to die - don't ask me why. - Natural Mystic

Tim and Selima Hauber

2008.02.04 16:25

Click here to download the movie for yourself!

I AM JOHN COX : PROJECTS

2008.01.25 17:48

The creative and code-writing wheels have been spinning overtime for the last few weeks as I finish up a new interactive website for artist John Cox. The site is a collision of various images, videos, and writings that offer another layer of experience for John's ongoing abstract conceptual works. Check out the site : HERE and I also put a link into the right side link bar for the future. If you check it out, be sure and leave a comment.

Ken Wilber Has Famous Friends

2008.01.22 21:50

I was beginning to worry that Ken Wilber, and the future of spiritual evolution, had run its course when I noticed how commercial the posts on Ken's Blog were getting. Every other post just a sample of what they are selling over at Integral Naked. But from this image you can clearly see that Ken is still making money with his integral psychology practice. Famous clients like this must have Ken rolling in the moulah - or samsara! Its not easy being Integral.

Nassau Ink

2008.01.21 18:21

Eels : Useless Trinkets

2008.01.16 10:13

When I was a youngster working the racks at the local music store, we used to get our choice of the promotional albums that the managers had already picked through and decided were crap. Boy did they make a mistake with a the disc A MAN CALLED E. I was intrigued by the odd looking man playing a toy piano on the cover and when I finally heard the music it contained I became a committed fan of Mark Everett or the mysterious man called E. He reminded me of Brian Wilson but with a less hippy-fied take on the world. I continued to purchase his two fantastic solo discs before he formed, probably my favorite all time band : Eels. When I worked at Sony Music Studios in NYC, the highlight of my employment was the chance to sit in the front row as Eels taped their Sessions at West 54th Street, TV gig. I was like a school girl seeing The Beatles - really! I say this all to set the context for my thoughts on their newest release of rare and unreleased tracks : Useless Trinkets. It is a comprehensive (50 tracks) romp through their experiments, remixes, live recordings and songs that just never made it onto their official releases. For an Eels fan the title is a bit misleading because, for my money, the BBC live recording of Manchester Girl is far from useless. We also get to hear unexpected bursts of genius or tour-weary insanity in tracks like My Beloved Mad Monster Party and My Beloved Monstrosity, both punked up and jazz twisted takes on the very beautiful and delicate My Beloved Monster. Saw a UFO ends the eclectic cycle and hits all the notes of classic Eels material: aching melancholy, beautiful melodies, observations about the strange times we live in and a childlike hunger for love. I hope E is cleaning out his closet to move forward but I hope he continues to write with such honesty, playfulness and depth.

Wonderfully Made

2008.01.14 14:45

A short film from the children's ministry in the art studio. They learned about the importance of community and accepting all people as beautiful creations of God while making freaky figures out of clay. Some of them turned out really nice and the overall effect is very cool!

Shattering Surfaces: Wynwood Art Magazine

2008.01.12 18:49

The newest issue of Wynwood Magazine has an article that I wrote last year covering the work of John Cox. The article explores the context of John's work and offers a bit of commentary about the place of Bahamian cultural development and the definition of Bahamian Art. You can read the article online here.

Make Art Not War!

2008.01.10 17:09

Yes these are sculptures made from old guns. In an interesting project in Cambodia, UK artistSasha Constable worked alongside 22 emerging artist to create these (and many more at the from her name) works made from guns:"The 23 young Cambodian artists who worked with PAPC were all fine art students from The Royal University of Fine Art in Phnom Penh (RUFA). They ranged from 20-28 years old and were from the Painting, Sculpture and Interior Decoration departments. "Not only are the sculptures well executed but the ideas that it generates are just as impressive.

Punk Marketing : The End of Rebellion?

2008.01.07 16:30

What happens when the underground becomes just another marketing platform? It seems that there is a crusader who will make sure that once something is street, it stays street. Meet Splasher a self proclaimed undoer of corporate co-opting of the graffiti and street art forms. I can understand why he (or she) may want to splash paint on the street posters of Obey Grand Wizard Shepard Fairy's work. I was reading a Q magazine a few weeks ago and saw that Shep had created some images to sell Crown Royal Bottles. It seems that this really upset Slasher and he went on a bit of a rampage destroying all the OBEY posters he could find. I am not sure I completely agree with this reaction but I do think its interesting that subcultures like street art have a certain organic self governing system. If you step too far into the mainstream then some punk will step up to give you a splash to the face.

Setups | Situations | Solutions

2008.01.07 20:54

The latest exhibition at the newly expanded popopstudios featured new works by the trio of John Cox, Heino Schmidt and Blue Curry. As always the work offered many interesting directions to guide the wandering mind through the collision of mixed media and traditional techniques like painting and pencil drawing. All three artists featured new work that all seemed to be addressing or responding to different ideas with equal levels of wit and invention. Heino Schmidt's Six of One, half a Dozen of the Other was a very satisfying combination of shaky dashboard video driving through Nassau's streets and some well executed line drawings of a rugged looking man in 360 degrees. Heino articulated just enough to give the drawing character but still allowing you to fill in the details. Check out the video to see what I mean. This has got to be the most moving piece of Heino's that I have experienced. i will have to go back and watch the whole video loop.Blue Curry's video installation traces the history of a statue that was unveiled in 1900 in Nassau to great celebrations. Within a few years the holiday honoring the man in the statue was taken off the books and a few years later the statue landed in the back of the Bahamas National Library storage. Blue heard about the statue's sorry state from a Tourist's comment post on an internet forum. Being from the Bahamas while living in London, Blue tracked down the statue in the storage closet and gave it a makeover complete with fetching blue eye shadow and a sturdy duct-tape necklace. It is as if new technologies are helping to reboot our discarded histories by re-infusing it's artifacts with meaning - or irony, I am not sure which direction Blue might have been leaning. Reading the timeline that he had printedJohn Cox continues in his intriguing exploration within the I Against I series. Four of the six canvases this time do not feature words and simply offer shadowy sea greens and low res blue images which convey a much less confrontational stance than previous works in this series. The absence of textual symbolisms to guide (or distract) the viewer gives the pieces a soothing calm. The final two pieces are a study in opposites. I Against I's cold blues and shocking night-safety writing is a cluster of clashing energies while Champion is a soft mesh of tranquility. This piece speaks to me of resolution. As if the first piece when you enter is the first punch that starts the fight. we get a few rounds of give and take and then suddenly the knock out punch. With the figure of Cox now buried beneath an cloudy mix of zen floral shapes the overall image is beautifully abstract and decidedly more feminine in tone than anything I have seen in Cox's previous work. I am currently working on a new website project featuring three streams in John's current work. I will surely post the link when it is soon finished. I really enjoyed this exhibition and look forward to going back to see the work again.

Vimeo is the Way to Go

2008.01.03 21:12

After a year long search for a new online video hosting service that doesn't destroy the quality of uploaded videos, I have found the answer : VIMEO. Not only do they leave your videos in high definition, they also allow you to use any aspect ratio so the videos have a much smoother film-ish presentation. This video is an older video I worked on for John Cox. Check out the same video on YOUTUBE here and see the difference.

Salvation and Expanding Consciousness : Part One

2007.12.18 11:29

"I pray that they may be One" - Jesus in John 17I once believed that salvation was only about the forgiveness of sins. I was taught that the whole of God's message to human beings involved a spiritual/legal transaction that removed the punishment of sins and the burden of guilt from those that had the wisdom to choose salvation by repenting and asking for forgiveness. While I still do hold onto the metaphysical framework that underpins these concepts of sinfulness, salvation and repentance, I no longer feel that salvation is only about the forgiveness of sins. I tend to think of this framework of sin/repentance as the ground floor in a much larger building that is being constructed through the lives of the Followers of Jesus. In order to understand the purpose of the entire building we must look closely at the foundation and see what purpose it serves in holding up the subsequent floors. At the early stages of our development as human beings we become aware of ourselves and we don't always like what we see. We are confronted with parts of ourselves and parts of our pasts that we would rather not have to face. Some people are very accomplished at blocking out those unwanted and undesirable aspects of themselves but that is a subject for another day. Lets focus primarily on the type of person who has had the courage to see themselves as they really are. What do we do with the unwanted parts? How do we reconcile the fact that often we would like to be loving and kind but find ourselves, instead, being hurtful and petty? How do we move forward when it seems that, somewhere deep within, we are broken and incomplete? This is where the message of sin and repentance enters into our lives in positive and life giving ways. We are taught a whole framework for looking at the world that not only acknowledges our brokenness and unwanted parts but also offers us a way of accepting them. If we believe that these unwanted and broken parts can be forgiven by the ultimate authority : GOD, then it can help us in the process of accepting them as part of ourselves. "To be saved" in the traditional sense is a way of learning tools that help us to accept and integrate our shadow side rather than spending wasteful time on guilt and shame. For people who are struggling with accepting themselves this can be a powerful message of freedom and healing. This is a message of personal inner salvation. The problem I struggle with is that Jesus talked about a whole lot more than just the forgiveness of personal sins (a strong case could be made that he rarely talked about sin in personal terms but rather mostly in terms of a communal or cultural sin) For Jesus the struggle he most seemed to addressing was not so much the inner struggle with guilt and sin but the society's struggle with integrating the unwanted or unlovable aspects back into the whole. One of the main ways that people became 'shadow' (or rejected and shameful) people in Jesus' world was by their inability to perform up to the standards of God's law. The same dynamic of integrating the broken and unwanted parts of ourselves is recast within the drama of the Gospels as Jesus' life and teachings seem to be knitting back together the shadow sides of society in the same way that the forgiveness of personal sins help knit the individual back into an integrated whole. Jesus' mission seemed to enact the integration of all people back into God's whole. Is the message of 'Oneness" any less a message of salvation than the 'forgiveness of sins"? In my view, it is an even wider and expansive salvation that points toward the greater reality of the connectedness of all people (and all things). Stay tuned for part two about the consciousness part of the title.

An Unethical God

2007.12.12 08:24

"I've had a vision and you know I'm strong and holy, I must do what I've been told." - Story of Isaac - Leonard CohenThe story of Abraham and Isaac has never sat very well within my heart. It has raised, within me, countless questions about the nature of God and the real purposes behind this biblical God's interactions with His people. On one level, the idea that God would ask for a father to kill his only son reaps of violence and only makes sense once you come to the final act and see that God rescued Abraham from committing the sacrifice of his beloved. I can wrap my head around the story, as long as it remains, on the surface, a story about obedience. Where things go south for me is when I begin to enter into the story, not as a complete package but as an unfolding narative experience. When I ask the questions about Abraham's inner turmoil during this little episode, then new questions enter into my mind. If this is a story about obedience, then we are forced to ask, "What is Abraham being asked to obey?" Either way you look at it, Abraham is locked into a paradox of emotional pain. On one hand if he obeys God and kills his only son then his heart is broken. If he refuses to obey God, and spares Isaac, then he may suffer a crueler fate than heartbrokeness. Is God simply testing Abraham or is He teaching him something about the fluid and situational nature of what it means to obey God?We often think of obedience in terms of following some prescribed system of morality or ethics. "To obey" often means to do what is mandated in some external system such as God's Law or our community's established standards for behavior. But what do we do when the author of God's Law asks us to do something that is forbidden in the law? Doesn't this paradox beg us to consider that obedience is not simply an external, or measurable, matter but also a deeply personal matter of the inner workings of God's spirit within us. In John 3 Jesus says, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the spirit." This idea that following the fluid movement of the spirit is a more difficult undertaking than simply following the rules, is beginning to unlock the meaning of the Abraham and Isaac story for me. In his wonderful and probing book, Fragments of the Spirit, Mark I. Wallace says, "God as Spirit is the wind who blows as she wills; and as such, God as spirit can be no more understood within the confines of an ethical or philosophical system than the wind can be explained by reference to a weathervane." I love this picture because I believe that, at the core, we often misunderstand the essential point is to know God and bring God's will to bear in our lives. God's will is not contained within a legal system of "do's and don'ts". It is this freedom beyond established ethics that got Jesus into so much trouble with His contemporaries. The meaning of the Abraham and Isaac text seems to be centered around our dynamic faith and obedience in relation to God's radical freedom. Is it possible that Abraham was being taught the ways that he had misinterpreted God by God himself shattering all preconcieved notions of the Divine nature. God is a good God who also kills. The paralells between the story of Isaac and the story of Jesus are startling. In Jesus, God enacts the same sacrifice of a son that Abraham confronted and we are left with the brutal truth that God cannot be fully known through our ethical and moral systems, even the ones that are "God ordained"

Salvation and Expanding Consciousness:Pt 2

2008.01.03 11:08

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is theinability of the human mind to correlate all its contents... some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein." - HP Lovecraft I no longer think of enlightenment as the ascending of some mystical ladder into the heavenly realms. Rather than a "raising of the levels", it seems better to think of expanding consciousness as a process of widening rather than climbing. Like a fractal that extends outward in all directions and leaves an ever increasing complex web of beauty behind, the expanding of human consciousness seems to be about knitting together a fuller map of experiences and information. Lovecraft made a great point in the above quote and I think he touched on a major tension of our times. With new vantage points that we have been provided by new technologies, the view of reality that has emerged can be "terrifying". It is at these new points of intersection that we are forced to either invent new ways of connecting reality together or to expend massive amounts of energy to try and hold the center that is rapidly dissolving under our feet. If we can risk jumping into the tensions and not avoiding them, we may be able to knit together new world-views that will, for awhile, give us back our illusions of certainty and comfort. This widening process is also thrust upon every individual person as they journey in life. More experiences and more information have a way of forcing us to accept new connections that we might not normally see. I think of the moment when someone first considers that the person who they felt threatened by or even opposed, was, in many profound ways, very similar to themselves. What do you choose to do with this new information? Do you allow it to challenge your deep seated convictions and then reform a model of relationship that offers compassion and love to even your enemies? When you risk this new way of loving, I believe that your consciousness has expanded to include (rather than oppose) more of reality. The main problem is that in order to allow this expansion we must allow the painful death of letting go of our older ways of connecting the dots together. I still believe that Jesus has many powerful tools to offer a person who wishes to go through the process of "death to life" but I also think that Jesus was primarily connecting dots that are now becoming self evident. We must go off the charts towards the mysterious and unexpected movements of The Spirit in order to navigate into the new world that is being birthed before our eyes. Many of these thoughts are still conceptual but I intend to circle around thee themes for awhile as I work out articulating what I am discovering. I would welcome any thoughts.

New Beginnings

2008.01.01 12:20

Another year break onto the scene. Lets pray that 2008 is full of blessings and new advances in the way of Grace and Peace. I have a few things cooking for the site in the New Year so stay tuned and you just may become famous:br>for 15 seconds!

The Best 5 Albums of 2007

2007.12.12 20:01

5. The Reminder : FeistThis album finds a nice middle ground between the bristling pop of 1234 to the sleepy wash of Brandy Alexander. Even before the iPod commercial, I was flipping around on the television and I caught the first verse of 1234. I paused to listen and by the end of the song I was hooked. The rest of songs stay midtempo but completely satisfying.4. Grinderman : GrindermanThis album is full of more cock and swagger than an aging Nick Cave should be allowed to flaunt. The guitar tones will melt half of your face right off if you lean into the speakers at the wrong moment. Cave's profound grasp of literary device give the lyrics an equal sting. No Pussy Blues just might be the pinnacle acheivement in the evolution of the crotch rock genre. You get a real sense that Nick and the boys are having lots of fun playing in the mud - "I must above all love myself!"3. Cassadaga : Bright EyesIt appears that young Connor Oberst is growing up, but slowly. Cassadaga is a jangly romp that seems to present a more restrained Conor coming to terms with his inde-cult fame and pans for the future. The title is a telling reference to the Cassadaga Spiritualist Centre where Conor went seeking a spirit guide for the future. Coat Check Dream Song is one of the true songwriting jems that Mr Oberst has shuffled forth.2. In Rainbows : Radiohead"It's about that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, 'I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something else' " is the way Thom Yorke characterized the themes within In Rainbows. When I listen to this record I feel in many ways that I am finally listening to OK Computer's anticipated sequel. That is both because some of the songs and fragments have been featured in Radiohead live shows since the OKC period but because the band has fused together in interesting and hypnotic ways that have been more fragmented on the albums inbetween. This one will last longer in my iPod than Amnesiac.1. How to Sell Soul to a Souless People Who Sold Their Soul : Public EnemyAfter 7 years of watching from the sidelines as hiphop literally slides into the gutter, Chuck D steps up to the mic and lays it down with power and prose. I could have used a lot less Flava Flav and a few more guests to round out Chuck's wisdom. Nothing slams harder than Black is Back and both album versions of Harder than you Think but the most impressive track might be The Long and Whinning Road where Chuck mellow raps the titles to every Public Enemy album as well as about 50 Bob Dylan song titles. A word play that I think might have even impressed Mr Zimmerman himself. On a final note they should give an award for the best album title ever and it should go to PE for this album!

2012 : Daniel Pinchbeck

2007.12.10 20:30

Pinchbeck is an intriguing figure in the post-everything journalistic hinterlands. At times his writing bristles with an energy as if it was blasted through the complex patterns of a fractal. Crossing the map through many back alley fringes of contemporary and ancient cultures, Pinchbeck really knows how to weave an interesting, if intensely personal tale for our liminal times. It is quite impressive that he is not only able to find academic connections between so many varied sources that all seem to be telling a similar tale of apocalyptic transition and further evolution of the human species, but that he is also brave enough to share so much of his personal baggage as well as insight. It is strange that with so much various bits of experience that get presented in 2012, I seemed to be really moved by one fragment of a line:The Secret Road to the Open HeartWhile I had a time in my journey when I might have argued differently, I am not convinced that long term use of psychedelics is that secret road. I identified with many of his stories of powerful insights coming from the use of LSD and other exotic concoctions such as Ayahuasca but I also felt that he was stretching to make some personal intuitions more universal. The eventual thrust of the book is a narrative account of Daniel's life as he travels around to different shamanic cultures and lets them blow his over intellectualized western mind. Just to make sure that all bases are covered, he also conducts his research in the chaos-city of Burning Man. While I dissagree with him on many points, I do agree with his central thesis that we are in a phase of human development that is causing rapid waves of expanding consciousness that could well change the basic experience of being human. He mentions a few of the potential transformations:1.Our relationship to and understanding of Space and Time shifting on a scale that brings the psychic realms of spirit and soul into fuller view. 2.The emergence of the intuitive self over and above the ego self and related to that the re-establishment of the female or mother archtype into western culture. 3.The realization of the fully networked self that understands itself completely in relationship to others rather than in opposition to them. All three of these points have come up a lot lately in my various readings but Pinchbeck does a masterful job of knitting them together into his personal narrative prose. When I finished reading the book, fully amused and uniquely inspired, I found this great discussion between Pinchbeck and the always insightful Douglas Rushkoff. Douglas says somethings during part one of the video that really nails some of the tensions I had with 2012. I am not so sure that the kinds of change we are experienceing will come together so quickly. I am certian that things are speeding up and I can sense many of the transitions that he is talking about but I still can't see how this will all come to a head and crystalize by 2012. Rushkoff also makes some really interesting comments about the Bible and the way that the stories that it contains are the source code for western civilization. if we are beginning to learn how to hack into or realities, then these stories offer us the keys to the kingdom in order to understand how things can be shifted and transformed. For more interesting things from Pinchbeck's online universe Reality Sandwich click here.

Turning to One Another

2007.11.07 07:26

A few years ago I read a very interesting book called "A Simpler Way" by Margaret J Wheatley. It was full of the most eloquent prose and divided nicely with lots of striking photos and poetic elobarations on the central idea of how to simply one's life. I was excited to discover that an online learning experience that I am a part of had chosen to read another one of Wheatley's books "Turning to One Another". In short this book is about the lost art of conversation. The most interesting thing is the wonderful questions that she asks throughout the book:Can we restore hope in the future?Am I becoming someone I respect?Do I feel a vocation to be fully human?What am I willing to notice in my world?The quiet wisdom that fills each page is quite a treat. The emphasis is on small changes to the ways that we think and act in the world, not on large visions of swift revolutionary change. Again she has peppered the pages with wonderful poetry (some of hers but mostly others). This is the perfect book to begin conversations and life-changing discussions with because it never even approaches the tired road of religious debate but stays on the firm and uniting ground of conversation. Here is a short poem that really grabbed me: If we were not so single mindedAbout keeping our lives moving,and for once could do nothing,perhaps a huge silencemight interrupt this sadnessof never understanding ourselvesand of threatening ourselves with death. - Pablo Neruda

The Ghetto Prophet

2007.11.16 09:19

I posted some new recordings in the music section of the site. It is the last cycle of songs that I wrote through 2007. Here is a bit fo a breakdown on the songs: Intro-Function :This is a raw and funky mash up with a sample from a 1930's radio ad for the Edison Phonograph. It features Arjuna Watson playing some smoking harmonica licks. Want it to Be :This track started as a test for a new drum program that I downloaded and evolved into a spoken word/hip pop groove. The main vocal part was improvised in one take. I really like the line "we're all naked in our branded clothes". This song definately marks a different direction for me in the musical future. It is also the newest song in the batch. If the hrad drvie hadn't have failed I was going to add a reggae chanting type vocal performed by a friend of mine. I was able to add some smooth back groudn vocals by mrs seeward! A Living Power : This is on of the few tracks that I was completely finished with. It is a very loose and trippy reggae influenced instrumental backing a sample of Ghandi talking about his perception of God - A LIving Power. Rise and Fall :This is not a cover of the great song, Rise and Fall, from the first band I was ever in called The Reign (or Tuen depending on who you ask) This is a different song that I wrote a few years ago after a very sudden visit to NJ. The song was a way of expressing how the slow process of growth in our lives is like learning to find the ryhme of life. I really like the line "I need a new king, one that doesn't need a throne" This was a reference to Jesus being the kind of King that didn't oppress us like all the other things that we give power over us. Refuse to Shine :This song was written a few years ago when this website was getting heat for being dangerous to people who are not prepared to think. In many ways I had to feel the weight of personal attacks in order to learn a new way of seeing the world and myself. 'all true lovers were torn apart by the darkness' Positively 4th Street :I recorded this bit of Dylan venom during that same period that I referenced above. The two songs seem to work together in my mind, the first representing the way I was struggling to find a path of love and still choosing to be a light and this one was a way of exorcising those parts of me that just wanted to howl. AJ also plays some really nice harmonica on this track. All his harmonica parts are recorded in one take, cuz he is just bad ass like that! Change the World :I have had this song around for a long while. I have tried to record it in so many different styles but nothing seems to fully be where I hear it going. This jerky reggae version was a very rough mix that Gregg White did one day while showing me some protools tricks. It is the only mix from this incarnation of the song that survived so enjoy! Go to the music section now to download your very own copy!

American Gangster

2007.11.05 08:33

This film is one of the best epic gangster movies that I have seen, and I have seen them all. The acting is top-notch and the cast is well balanced between heavyhitting pros and moving-from-hip-hop-to-hollywood newcommers. I enjoyed watching Common and Method Man playing both sides of the law/drug lord fence. Denzel is wondeful as he almost always is and this character is a tense and pent-up quiet storm of a man. It is always hard, I suppose, to tell this kind of story without glamourizing the illegal and brutal lifestyles that are being portrayed but Ridley Scott did a great job is pitching the tone of the film in a more realistic frame than cinematic flurry. The locations, the costumes and the cast all seemed like real life not some over glossy hollywood life. The same goes for the violence which is in heavy supply like the packets of heroin that Frank Lucas used to break the back of harlem in the late '60s early '70s. Before you get the title shot and credits you witness a brutal, and brief, murder that sets the tone for more quick and brutal violence that follows. For my money, Russel Crowe steals the show as the Boy Scout cop who heads up the newly formed DEA and takes on the drug dealer who might have had a hand in killing his former junkie partner. Even with all of the cop/bad guy tensions this film is more about corporate business and cutting out the middle man than anything else. You get to see inside the business end of the underworld because the obession that Lucas had with running his business in very particular ways. Maybe Oscar nods for both Russel Crowe and director Ridley Scott but I think Denzel's part wasn't challenging enough to get the statue.

Saul Williams : Niggy Tardust

2007.11.02 14:39

"Hail Mary, Mother of GodI got a whole host of angelsShufflin in my iPod Saul Williams has to be one of the most interesting people that I discovered while floating through the Integral Universe. He is a crazy post-modern black poet that sounds like his head is exploding with spontaneous wisdom when he speaks. His newest disc is produced by Trent Reznor which accounts for the gritty synth tones and the heavy beats driven sound. While Saul's most impressive gift is an almost fluid like flow that bounces way, way beyond the normal hip-hop playground. Although I wouldn't call this hiphop, it has more than a few nods to the mothership and 70's funk but the overall tone is much harder. The verses rarely seem to get up any momentum but when they do it becomes a heady blend of ideas and eloquence. The idea of having a Niggy Tardust alterego already tells you that Saul is directly engagin with black identity and his constant use of the n-word can only be assumed as sarcastic. The chorus of Niggy Tardust is a flip on the standard hiphop call and response :"When I say Niggy, You say nothing"Niggy .........Imagine a masterful poet having some fun stretching his high level awareness into the often stuffy box of pop culture. At times it is brilliant and at times it simply breaks apart under the strain of trying to be accesible. I like it better than most NIN I have heard. Another cool thing about the album is that is is offered for ANY price, ala _in_rainbows. Download it here.

Soularize 2007

2007.10.30 16:22

Well the much anticipated Soularize 07 conference is over and in a flash. It was a great time to hang with Barry Taylor and hear some interesting people talk about interesting ideas. The video above is a little montage of some of my footage. You can join up to get all the content from the workshops and the main sessions here. It is well worth the small fee to hear such a diverse selection of ideas and experiences. My favorites were Richard Rohr, speaking on the concept of contemplation and its essential role in spiritual development. I also enjoyed Rita Brock and her emphasis on paradise rather than overcoming sin. I got to meet some cool folks as well and will be posting links to their blogs in the future. For now, check out this little preview of a conversation between Bishop NT Wright, Brennan Manning and Father Richard Rohr. They were interviewed by Barry Taylor and are answering his first question about the future of the church.

The Power of Dialogue and Humor

2007.10.31 12:03

After the official Soularize event ended, a few people got together with Richard Rohr to explore contemplation. Thanks to a bit of Scottish hospitality at the end of the first day Nt Wright, Brennan Manning, Richard Rohr and Barry Taylor had an organized chat surrounded with about four video cameras and various mp3 recorders. Below are some of my shots but you can get the whole conversation as well as the whole conference over at Soularize.net:The conversation was interesting but the highest point came not from one of expected speakers but from a very funny and slightly bent Irish lad named Gareth Higgins. Cheeky Lad, that Higgins.

Honeymoon in Havana

2007.10.16 18:03

'Honeymoon in Havana' sounds like an old movie title starring Frank Sinatra and filmed during a casino inspired visit to his mobbed up associates. Havana is not just the city that got stuck in 1959 it is also the magical location of our second honeymoon after our second wedding ceremony (more to come on that front! can you say SA) There are many interestign changes to Cuba since I was there almost five years ago. One of the most obvious is the restoration program that is bringing color and life to some of the cities most beautiful buildings. The other is the increased amounts of capitalism that is creeping into every aspect of the country. For instanceCheck out the first of the images to the lower left that Nicole took and you can see the way that the Cuban government will stop at nothing to sell a t-shirt. We had a great time walking through Old Havana with Renier, our Cuban tour guide. He said the average Cuban makes about 23-26 US Dollars a month. He has a degree in chemistry and used to work at a water purification factory. He was a great guide and had a sweet spirit. Overall it waas a wonderful time that would have been even better if the food was better. I am not one for fancy eating but the food in Cuba is quite awful. We both left with a touch of upset stomach and a deep hunger for two quarter pounder with cheese extra value meals.

Decypul by Arjuna Watson

2007.10.15 17:04

I made a short film for my buddy Aj's art exhibition this week. It has some interesting quotes on his work and his thoughts on a diverse cross section of ideas. Check it Yo!

Our Unforgettable Wedding

2007.10.01 11:51

On Saturday evening many of our friends and family were invited to a surprise 'wedding shower' at my cousin Todd's (and his lovely wife Lorna) beautiful home in West Ridge. What they didn't know was that we had a beautiful surprise for them. Once they shouted 'surprise' I told them that we were about to get married right now. Everyone was very shocked and one cheeky person even shouted a funny question : "Does Nicole know she is getting married tonight?" - She did and we did! The above image was taken just as Nicole pulled up with her special drivers (John and Archie) and that is one of the flower girls catching a sneaky peek. The girls looked adorable in matching dresses and flowered hair. After the short but beautiful service led by Clint Kemp we had a long and passionate kiss: We were so blessed to have our friends David and Angie Sacks join us for the event and have David capture the magic with his keen photographer's eye. We laughed and kissed and then kissed and then laughed some more. Nicole was having so much fun posing for the camera and looking so cute at the same time:We took a few posed pictures of the wedding party which included my brother Jared as the Best Man and Nicole's good friend Chris Awkew as the Maid of Honor: We also got a few great images of my family standing with us as well:After the photos we moved into the back yard which was decorated wonderfully by Chris, Paul, Randy, John and Archie. The food was wonderful and the spirit of joy and celebration filled the air:We want to say a special thanks to everyone who helped make this night the best we've ever imagined - particularly my mom and dad for their generosity and for being at the center of the deception! We look forward to celebrating again with Nicole's family in South Africa next year and we have many more pictures that we will be making a larger website for. So if your not in any of the images then don't worry, we still love you!

Old Havana

2007.10.11 12:02

For the next few days I will be mooning with my honey in the city that time forgot. I will lift a toast to all the seeward.com readers and try to dance well into the night.

Radiohead : In Rainbows

2007.10.10 11:55

When I scroll through my iTunes library most of the realestate space is taken up by Radiohead songs. I am a confirmed fan and so today was a special day with the release of their newest offering: In Rainbows. The critics have been supportive of the music on this disc and skeptical of the distribution methods. Each customer is allowed to set their own price for the digital-rights-free download of the album. They should have added some sort of incentive to pay more, something along the lines of the highest price paid gets free tickets to the first show on the upcoming tour. The songs all seem to naturally sit alongside the rest of thier rather extensive catalog. There are plenty of dense and moody atmospheres for Thom's voice to slide and twist around. The drumming is always a standout for me and already these songs have some of the most interesting grooves and percussion sounds I have ever heard. It usually takes a few listens for me to 'get' where they are coming from but this one seems to be accesible right away. I already feel in love with : Nude and Reckoner. While some of the songs sound like they could have fit onto Yorke's solo project, however as a whole, they are less laid back and more minimal than previous Radiohead albums. If you liek Raidohead and want to get your digital copy go here be patient, milions of people are trying to download all at once (or at least hundreds =)

Bahamian Artists Podcast

2007.10.10 10:24

I have been very busy as of late and have fallen behind in posting. Here is a link to a new site that I am developing that will be a series of short video podcasts featuring Bahamian artists working in all medium. Click here to visit the site!

Free Burma

2007.10.04 15:39

Doggie Style at the Ladder Gallery

2007.09.25 13:30

The newest show at the Ladder Gallery is an exhibition of photos by Sabrina Lightbourne. The phots feature a mainstay of the Bahamian cultural scene: the pot cake. The Pot Cake is the name for stay dogs in the Bahamas. They get their name from the burned bits of rice that remain caked on the bottom of pots when making Peas and Rice. The burned parts, called "Pot Cake", have the most flavor and add zest to the already spicy concoction. Sabrina has spent the last few months capturing the canine characters in a variety of settings. The mood of the images spans a wide range from sad to playful and almost every emotional note inbetween. You can see dogs sleeping alongside busy headlight lit roadways sleeping safely just out outside of the deadly fate that many stray dogs meet on our streets. You can see bright smiles: and tired stretches:For a bit of novelty (that could have been a larger part of the show) she doctored up one image to resemble a pop-art type presentation. Overall I really enjoyed Sabrina's choice of subject matter and her keen eye for mood and setting. Each image tells a story and also reminds us of the beauty of life that often goes unnoticed or even despised among us each day. The show also presented the works of another photographer named Christine Graham whose work didn't have as much emotional content or clear point of view. One piece stood out above the others:I look forward to seeing much more work from Sabrina in the future. She has made me consider what life is like for 'man's best friend'

There's Never Too Much Cute

2007.09.19 14:48

If you are ever having a bad day (like the poodle pictured above) then head on over to Cute Overload and within a few minutes you will be full of smiles and wonder over the abundance of 'cute' that exists in the world. I think the Japanese are onto something with an extra-cute aesthetic, it brings out a little flutter of joy!

The Making of Pudgy

2007.09.17 22:30

I had a wonderful time on Saturday helping out with the production of a short film called Pudgy. It is a short story that Dr Allen has used as a type pf parable in his teachings. A few years ago I wrote a theme song for the story and so I got a nod for the music to be in the film (and my hairy self as well!) I met some great people and I learned a lot!

Say Goodbye to Your Mouse

2007.09.12 11:47

I used to be addicted to my laser mouse but for the last two years I have completely weened myself off using it and have been using the trackpad on my Macbook Pro. It looks like the world of user interfaces is about to be revolutionized in huge ways!

Shoot'em Up

2007.09.10 10:15

I always thought that action movies were already parodies of real life until I saw what a parody of an action movie looks like. Complete with a mysterious hero, with inexplicable personal habits like only eating carrots, a sympathetic but not completely trustworthy female love interest and a bad guy who is meant to be smarter than everyone else, Shoot'em Up is an action movie on steroids. It is a farce but not in the same vein as direct spoofs like "Scary Movie" but more of an over the top homage to all the classic action movie conventions. With the better than your average action movie talents of Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti, this short but to the point romp is worth a few thrills for the price of admission. There are plenty of points that you have to laugh out loud to keep from destroying the illusion but somehow it still seems to work enough to keep you interested. It actually worked better than some of the non-comedy action movies I have seen. Paul Giamatti is brilliant as always!

Salvation, Meditation and the Ego

2007.09.07 12:14

On the journey of our human development, we face two potential sidetracks that can stand in the way of our progress or growth. If we think of the ego as simply the dividing line between us and the rest of the world, then we can begin to get a sense of what the course or arc of our development might look like. One way of looking at what is means to be a healthy person is that we we equal to everyone else. One one hand many of us have been formed towards feeling like we are less than others. We might feel deep in our spirits that something is wrong with us or that we are shameful for the things that we do. Often we spend time focusing on the areas of our lives and behaviours that we are not pleased with and that becomes the measure of our worth to ourselves. This state is really evidence of an underdeveloped or wounded ego. We haven't yet learned that we are no worse than anyone else, so we don't know how to give ourselves permission to just simply be where we are at. Instead we end up allowing other people to push us around and often take advantage of us. In times where a healthy ego would have stepped in and defended us, our underdeveloped ego just slips away into passivity and co-depedance. On the other hand, many of us spend no time at all focusing on the negative parts of ourselves and we end up with an overdeveloped ego. We really come to believe that we are better than other people and that somehow other people are weaker or more broken than us. We take this overdeveloped ego out into the world and often end up pushing around others with a less developed ego. These two positions are where most therapy begins. Most of the time it is those with the underdeveloped ego that turn to therapy willing ly and those with an overdeveloped ego that are forced in by crisis. Jesus message is very different to these different types of people. To those in His day that were self-righteous (the Teachers of the Law as an example) He spoke a messege of judgment and harsh critique. Calling them to look at the brokenness and 'sin' in their own lives that they were practiced at avoiding and denying. To the outsiders, like the Samaritans, who thought they were less than dogs, His message was one of acceptance and forgiveness. As the popular saying goes He "comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable". In a sense, Jesus was offering very practical therapudic frameworks for establishing a healthy ego or 'sense of yourself'. An ego that didn't see it self as any more or less important (or holy or lovable) than anyone else. On either side of the coin there is the possibility of transformation by either accepting that the 'burden of your sins' had been lifted and you no longer needed to carry shame and guilt or by showing you that you were not as perfect as you thought and therefore humbling you so that you can truely embrace others as yourself. The major difference between how spirituality and psychology form a healthy ego is simply where the work is thought to be accomplished. In spirituality is it is done by God while in psychology it is done by the therapist (or the patient depending which school of thought). Once we establish a healthy (non-shame based or self-righteous) ego then the real work of transformation begins. The practice of meditation is really the willful practice of disolving the ego and learning to not be defensive. You can think of meditation as allowing your ego to be plunged into the Divine. I have, at times, in meditation felt as though I was connected to every single living person. I am not saying in an intellectual sense but in an experiential sense. I felt that connection. However real that feeling might, or might not have, been, it is a hard thing to carry out into the everyday world. It is easy to forget that I am really one with every other person. My ego is always on hand to jump up and rush to defend my puny sense of myself. As soon as I feel challenged or the need for affirmation, I shrink down into a reduced and singular entity called Christian McCabe. The practice of meditation, over time, can allow a person to trancend the ego all together and from a place of oneness, a person might enter the world as I see Jesus entering it - full of Grace and Truth without the need to defend himself or even argue others into affirming Him. Trusting that 'those that have ears to hear' will hear.

Nicole is Cooking with Gas

2007.09.03 15:30

This little video is of ms seeward cooking for the first time in her new kitchen! She is making a very tasty pasta dish that even has a special ingredient (see if you can catch it in the video). Cooking with Gas is an island way of saying 'you are getting along well or doing just fine". It is sort of a like 'Rolling steam-pressed" Nicole is surely cooking with gas!

Bahamian Artists #1: Edrin Symonette

2007.08.28 12:05

This is the first in a new series of video podcasts that I am creating focused on interviews with Bahamian Artists. I will ask each artist a few questions related to creative and cultural issues and showcase some of their current work. Edrin became the first in the series after we bumped into each other in the Ladder Gallery. His work is a nice blend of styles and techniques and with a nod towards graffiti styled figures cast in bright primary colors, Edrin's work feels both urban and joyful at the same time - a hard blend to represent! Stay tuned for many more artist to come.

Superbad

2007.08.26 17:38

Superbad is super funny! A well acted romp through the mind of two adolescent boys means the plot revolves around sex, sex, and after a few attempts to procure illict booze, more sex! This movie could have been miserable if it were not for the brilliant timing chops of the two young actors, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. The writer (and star of Knocked Up) Seth Rogen shows up as part of a cop duo that adds another level of entertaining hi-jinks to the plot. If you liked Sixteen Candles then this movie will give you an updated version more suited to the way the youth of today roll. McLovin' is Superbad!

Bahamian Artists #2: Arjuna Watson

2007.08.28 12:07

Clearly my definition of Bahamian Artists wouldn't match up to the rampant nationalism that I see displayed in some of the older truly Bahamian artists. Arjuna is kicking it from as deep down as Melbourne, the home of some of the world's finest stencil artists. In this podcast, he talks about the beginnings of his craft and his unique take on beauty.

Reveal

2007.08.23 17:31

It has been quite a long time since I read a book that came from the WillowCreek Association Resource Mill but this one is different. I was told about this book by someone who I trust and was assured that the infomation inside would be relevant and valuable: it was on both accounts. The book is simply a summary of some research that "Super-Mega-Church Willow Creek Community Church commissioned a few years ago. The main thrust of the research was to look deeply into the strategies for spiritual growth and development that were being used at most contemporary evangelical churches and assess if they were effective. I knew the findings were going to be interesting when they opened up with a quote from Jesus teaching in Mark 4 "The Kingdom of God is like a seed that a farmer cast into a field and then went away and forgot about. When He returned it was fully grown and he had no idea how it had grown." The basic assumption of most church sanctioned spiritual development strategies is this: more involvement in church activities (bible studies, service opportunies, small groups, Sunday services) will stimulate a positive growth pattern in a persons life. Right away in the forward by Super-Mega-Pastor Bill Hybells, it is clear that the findings didn't really support that assumption. In fact most of the findings show something very different than you might expect. Nothing in this book really came as a surprise to me personally because I had already picked up intuitively on the weaknesses of the current 'spiritual growth strategies' that focused too disproportionately on aquiring knowledge and/or purging of certian hot-botton 'sinful' behaviours. What this survey revealed was that the church is only really a launching off point for a healthy spiritual life. A place that can, but doesn't always even realize that they should, help instill some spiritual practices that will aid a person in their ongoing personal growth. As a person grows they can actually become staled by expecting the church to stil be holding their hands and 'feeding' them. What really feeds people as they grow is for them to take the intitiative and begin to reach out and serve others. It was interesting to hear that all across the USA in the church of various denominations and sizes, 'mature' christians were griping about the same things that I hear from the disgruntled in our community - we need deeper bible teaching, we need more times of connection, we need more clear evidence of successful evangelism.... In the very back of my mind I used to harbor insecurities that maybe they were right and that somehow we just didn't know how to do 'it' correctly, whatever 'it' happens to be. Now I have taken a very deep breath and settled into the fact that people will do almost anything, including shift the focus and try to put you on the defensive, in order not to move on in their own journey. I have been following Jesus for over twenty years now and, although I have gone through times of intense frustration and confusion, I have never once thought that it was the church's fault. Maybe because before I began to follow Jesus I had already discovered the value of practice. Whether musical practice or spiritual practice that I picked up during the times that I checked out Buddhism, I grew to quickly realize that, ultimately life is what YOU make out of it, not what someone else makes for you. That being said this book is a very reassuring read to anyone who is trying to move this 'way of Jesus' into the future because it helps cut some ties that have allowed tensions and too many needless arguments. Here in our community we are much further ahead than the massive Willow Creek for two reasons: 1 We went with our gut and didn't need to conduct a national survey to prove that things were wrong with the limited and 'church-dependant' spiritual formation strategies and 2 Because we are small and we can take bigger risks without wasting 180 million dollars. Stay tuned as I write future blog entries about NPCC's newly constructed strategy for holistic spiritual development. We are just planting flowers of truth, beauty and goodness.

Derek Roderick @ The Ladder Gallery

2007.08.21 08:29

The latest collection of work on display at the Ladder Gallery is a series of tropical photographs, mostly underwater, by Derek Roderick. The collection is an explosion of wonder and color that moves between the complex organic structures of sea coral to the imposing creature captured above. These large format prints really transport you into the undersea realm full of tranquil life and hidden beauty. Derek has logged many hours underwater as a dive instructor here in Nassau but his eye for composition sets his work apart from most of the underwater shots I have seen. Some of his close-ups are thrillingThe show will be up until Sept 30th so come and check it out!

Jazz by the Sea

2007.08.20 21:13

aught Mizpah Bethel playing by the ocean in Sandyport. The wind was so strong that the audio was ruined but the video came out very nice. I am really beginning to hate what Youtube does to the videos. The quality gets reduced so much that all videos look the same. I am interested in finding a new video host but I already have over 30 videos uploaded to youtube so I guess I will just have to keep playing with what resolution I send them.

Public Enemy : How to Sell Soul...

2007.08.16 12:49

About two years ago I remember watching Flava Flav straight clowning on VH1 and thinking "I wonder what Chuck D is thinking about all this attention Flav is getting?" With the release of the new Public Enemy album (the first on in almost 8 years) we can safely assume that it made him angry! This disc might be the best hip=hop as political tool album ever. It is loaded with powerful funky beats, blistering social commentary and more than enough crazy hype-man Flavor Flav. There is even a song rapped by Flav himself that details his life in the surreal life/flava of love spotlight over the last few years. Chuck D and his straight to the gut tone and factual commentary. Chuck is going after the rest of the hiphop community and showing no mercy with lines unleashed at 50cent and Krs-one with a guest spot leveling of P=Diddy Once upon a time in jamacia queens An icon gets shot and no-one knows what it means It was just another murder scene so lets get on with the bling-bling the Ching-Ching and half naked chicks that can't singThe production style is more wu-tang than kanYe but that provides more weight and grit to Chuck's flow. I just have to add that the title "How to Sell Soul to a People Who Sold Thier Soul" is the greatest album title I have ever heard - Chuck D should be recognized with the stature of people like Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton because I bet he has the ears of quite a few young soldiers - lets hope his messege gets through.

The Aerosol Arabic

2007.08.09 10:10

He has a very famous name, Mohammed Ali, and a visual sense right off the streets of NYC. The Aerosol Arabic is the graffiti name of a British Muslim artist that blend Islamic script with a very urban asthetic. At the beginning of the rise in graffiti as a legitimate artform it seemed to be a much about an ideology as it was about a visual style. Artists who chose to present their work on the sides of someone else's property were reclaiming public space and to a certian subtle degree making a statement about the notion of private ownership. The Aerosol Arabic is not embracing the anarcistic values of your typical street artist but he is instead, through his use of sacred words stenciled in Arabic script, fusing the street level artform with a sense of the mysterious power of words to influence us. If you recognize that the words confronting us from all sides plastered on countless billboards and poster ads actually effect us in not-so-small ways, then it makes sense that we could also be effected by these visual prayers. In this piece he is praying for the Earth. Thats a prayer I could get behind!

Miami - Ft Lauderdale

2007.08.14 08:36

Went over to Miami, Ft Lauderdale and here is the proof. I am working on another longer video with highlights from the WORK exhibition from the POPOPSTUDIOS artists. In this little video you can see the sights in Miami Beach and a bit of driving around (in a convertible mini-cooper) and doing what you do in the States - shopping!

Another Sort of Links

2007.08.06 08:55

The top video is a quick loop of my golf swing and the bottom video is the swing of some pro that we met out on the course at the Cable Beach Golf Course. I had a great day - shot 87 (with three double bogeys) I had a great time playing with, and beating the socks off of, the drummer from the Baha-men, Moe and a few other notable friends. Next time I need to convice them to play for money (or munny's)If you listen closely to the pro's video, at the end, you will hear that his ball hit a tree, again!

WORK @ The DiasporaVibe Gallery

2007.08.14 23:41

Bahamas in the House! In what I believe to be their first international collective exhibit, the artists from POPOPSTUDIOS presented a fine collection of works that surely stimulated much discussion and reflection from the large crowd in attendance. During her introduction, the curater of the gallery pointed out that the work was edgy, interesting and worthy of investment. While most of the work was clearly not designed to be sold but to simply be experienced or considered. For instance, Blue Curry was displaying a humorous conceptual piece that recorded the process of removing a large section of beach in the Bahamas and replacing it with the following signYou are invited to watch the process of collecting the sand looped on four video screens or behold the majesty of the individual collection bags laid out across the gallery floor. I have always felt that this piece worked as a not-so-subtle critique of the Bahamas as both an escapist vacation paradise and a stopping off point in the international drug trade. I like it when art is able to offer a bit of ambiguity so that the process of interpretation is stimulating an several levels, even if some of those intepretations were not intended in the original inspiration of the piece. Speaking of inspiration, I have no idea, for certian, what Hieno is asking us to consider by offering the interplay between a projected loop of a fly-swarmed dead dog and a series of equally creepy paintings of the same canine corpse. Is it a reflection on death or how, like a dead dog rooting right in front of us on the pavement, we must learn to live in the face of death? Either way it was a bold way of breaking through the sometimes unrewarding process of experiencing a work of art. Like they say, you either loved it or hated it but it forced you to choose a side. I like art that doesn't allow you to sit on the fence. For the record, the paintings were well executed and less unsettling than the video. Toby Lunn had a few interesting visual images blending both color and movement into emotionally engaging pieces that were a nice foil for the harshness of the dead dog video projected near-by. Jason Bennet displayed a large piece that seemed to float it was so smooth. I could just stand staring at his canvases for hours. They don't as much suggest visual forms as they conjure up emotional or interior landscapes. Places on the piece will be almost lined up geometrically and then out of nowhere a patch of cracked and weather comes raging out of nowhere just like the way some days feel unpredictable and almost lining up with some form of order. Seeing the series of paintings offered by John Cox was much different seeing them lined up along large wallspace. they seemed even more confrontational and intense. The series emerged as a grouping rather than just each individual image. Also from a greater distance they had a punchier visual feel blending elements of superflat graphic design with well placed objects adding organic textures to the self portraits. It was exciting to see the work being so well recieved. The Miami Herald was there and seeward even gave an interview to someone claiming to be from the Nassau Gaurdian (I hope I didn't say anything stupid!)

Balls of Fury

2007.09.03 12:09

Christopher Walken has been on the screen during more than a few of my favorite cinema moments. He is always able to find a way to make his characters become larger than life and still totally within the bounds of reality. Unfortunately by the time he shows up in this movie my patience was already being tested. It wasn't that the movie was completely bad it just never really offered anything substantial in the way of laughs. The few times that it did make me laugh was from classic prat falls and sight gags (or sight-challenged gags if you think its funny that a blind man might fall into a large hole). Walken does his best to carry the total comedy load and succeeds at times: his email address is pradalover217@gmail.com - that was funny after seeing him in about ten of the most over-the-top wardrobe choices I have ever seen. Even with the Matrix-style stop motion effects, ping-pong is just not that interesting to watch. If you put the surreal land of Kung Fu movies and an old James Bond flick into the micro-wave, after 30 seconds you will have Balls of Fury - undercooked and lacking flavor.

The Bourne Ultimatum

2007.08.06 07:53

When I was in high school I read the Robert Ludlum Bourne Trilogy and was forever cursed with a mindful of conspiracy theories and distrust for the US government. I wouldn't call myself a fullscale conspiracy theory nutter but I love hearing a good story(Like this one about the rea reason the bridge collapsed in Minn) This final installment of the movie versions of the tale did not disappoint. There are so many conventions in the modern action movie that they can quickly get in the way of the story and leave me checking out. The Bourne Ultimatum has some of the most believable and well directed action that I have seen onscreen in a long time. A sign of a good action sequence for me is when you are pushed almost to the point of disorientation but not quite. If the action is fast paced but you can still follow the moves step by step then I know that the director is very skilled and focused on every detail. Having read the books, the climax of the movies was a bit underwhelming given that they just didn't have time to give all the detail that Ludlum wrote. Matt Damon is,again , great as the small guy who packs a large punch and he rest of he cast round out the corners with the exception of Julia Stiles who always seems out of place to me. I would recommend this as a fast paced and well executed romp through the winding halls of CIA Black-ops, Mind Control and the occasional blast of explosives like only hollywood can provide.

Naquatic at the Ladder Gallery

2007.07.27 10:09

At New Providence Community Centre we have an art gallery called The Ladder Gallery. Gillian Watson has been doing a fantastic job curating the gallery and filling the walls with interesting and diverse works by a wide range of Bahamian artists from firmly established people like Antonius Roberts to a collection of emerging artists. The latest show is titled Naquatic and is a collection of works by : Abby Smith, Lemero Wright, Dandreia Bethel and Edrin Symonette. The works span a diverse spectrum of styles with a focus towards nature as a unifying element. Lemero Wright's pieces seemed to display two very different approaches, with some work being more direct and representational and others falling into the Abstract Cubism mold that I have seen in his previous work. Sprung by Lemero Wright Autumn Beauty by Dandreia BethelDandriea Bethel had some nicely textured works but they seemed oddly focused on the season autumn for a show that opened in the middle of a Bahamian summer. During the last show I was impressed with Edrin Symonette and his graffiti syled paintings. He may have been spending time with Elkino Dames because his newest works have a similar obsessive quaility that Elkino's 'brick-styled' backgrounds convey. His Lutra Pine I and II didn't speak to me as strongly as his previous multi-layered and colorful works. Lutra Pine I by Edrin SymonetteI was very impressed with the work of a new artist Abby Smith who was having her first showing. She showed both a diversity in subject matter and a versitility in technique that grabbed my attention.Jump by Abby SmithA few in her series had a cutesy element that reminded me a bit of Anne Getty's photos of babys in abnormal situations.As I Lay by Abby SmithI am willing to forego my distaste for bright florescent colors becuase this piece just seemed very well executed. By far, my favorite piece in the whole exhibition was this one by Abby:Slumber by Abby SmithOverall I was impressed with the varied techniques on display but I was having trouble sorted out the choices of subject matter and how they related to each other in some thematic way. Maybe they were not meant to and that it fine as well but I am always looking deeper into the work of artists that I encounter to see a bit of their personal perspective peeking through. I am not saying that I want to have a message in each piece but I am interested in gaining something on both a visual and asthetic level as well as an intellectual one. Maybe I am spoiled by the way the artists in the POPOPSTUDIOS collective blend both visually engaging images with subtle and sometimes profound ideas. That being said, the artists showing in the naquatic show have all made some visually beautiful images and I celebrate that whole-heartedly!

Go 'Head, Its Your Birthday!

2007.08.01 11:03

Today is my birthday but we celebrated a little early. Four more years until middle age!

Miles the Munny

2007.07.30 17:45

If you are familiar with the KidRobot universe then you would recognize the above image as a glow-in-the-dark do-it-your-self wonder called a Munny. I was gifted this lovely little blank canvas and created Miles. I used a bit of marker, some old cassette tape labels and a sheet of nifty self-sticking velvet paper. Some people really get into designing these things, you can see more here. I would love to have an army of these little guys!

The Simpsons Movie

2007.07.28 21:29

I have been a fan of the Simpsons from all the way back to the Tracey Ullman show (yes I am that old!) and it was with great pleasure today that not only did I buy a Big Kids meal at Burger King to get the little Simpsons tie-in plastic toy, I also went to see the Simpsons movie. It was great fun! From the first moments of Bart writing on the chalk board - "I will not illegally download this movie" to Green Day performing the opening theme, the fun was fast paced and irreverant. The plot involves an eco protection agency becoming the evildoers out to destroy Springfield. The evil gets so intense at one point all the people from Moe's run next door in a panic into the church while everyone in the church runs out and into Moe's tavern. There were plenty of rapidfire one liners and inside jabs to keep any Simpson's fan appeased. I personally could have used a little more Monty Burns for my taste. If you stay till the end of the credits you get to hear Maggie say her first word - "sequel' Here is what mrs seeward and I would look like as simpsons characters. Create your own here.

Common : Finding Forever

2007.08.02 15:12

A few years ago I was blown away by Common's last album BE. I was excited about the release of his next mostly kanYe West produced disc. Most of the tracks bump in a soulful way like DJ Filla used to produce and a wiki search for the ablum credits reveal that kanYe used a beat that was created by the late Filla as a tribute. Common says the album is an attempt to find music that will be timeless and still address current issues. There is much more oldschool b-boy type spitting on this disc than on BE and the subject matter is slanted in the direction of celebrity culture. it doesn't seem like he is offering much of a critque by dropping names like "Will and Jada, Jen and Vince" . The People produced by kanYe and The Game produced my Will.i.am are stand out tracks. The final track Southside features kanYe himself blowing common away with a rapisfire tribute to chi-town. Well worth the long wait and a great teaase for kanYe's own disc set to drop on aug 21st.

Manuela Wuthrich Live

2007.07.26 17:44

Mrs Seeward and I had the pleasure of playing in Manuela's band this weekend. My camera was in the hands of some film students who ran a pretty complex looking set of cameras around the room. It was great to play the catchy and well written music. The stage was also decorated with a very nice mood and set the tone for a great evening. We recorded the show on my digital 24track and plan to make a smoother mix to really make the songs and the dvd shine! Great job Manu, I am sure its just one in many more successful concerts in your future!

The Ghetto Prophet

2007.07.06 15:17

Over the last year or so I have been working on a batch of recordings of some new songs. About two weeks ago I learned a hard lesson about backing up your projects. My external hard drive that was housing my protools sessions decided to give up the virtual ghost. I was able to scrape together various semi-complete and demo versions of the songs. It is a blessing because I would most likely have continued to tweak the recordings into oblivion. It was almost like a musical cleansing process. I have been much more creative and inspired in the last few weeks since deciding to call these songs 'finished'. Here are some mp3 versions of the songs. I made up some enhanced cds with some fo the live performance videos from this site and called the package 'the ghetto prophet' a reference to Jesus from one of the songs in the cycle. Here are the tracks: Intro-Function :This is a raw and funky mash up with a sample from a 1930's radio ad for the Edison Phonograph. It features Arjuna Watson playing some smoking harmonica licks. Want it to Be :This track started as a test for a new drum program that I downloaded and evolved into a spoken word/hip pop groove. The main vocal part was improvised in one take. I really like the line "we're all naked in our branded clothes". This song definately marks a different direction for me in the musical future. It is also the newest song in the batch. If the hrad drvie hadn't have failed I was going to add a reggae chanting type vocal performed by a friend of mine. I was able to add some smooth back groudn vocals by mrs seeward! A Living Power : This is on of the few tracks that I was completely finished with. It is a very loose and trippy reggae influenced instrumental backing a sample of Ghandi talking about his perception of God - A LIving Power. Rise and Fall :This is not a cover of the great song, Rise and Fall, from the first band I was ever in called The Reign (or Tuen depending on who you ask) This is a different song that I wrote a few years ago after a very sudden visit to NJ. The song was a way of expressing how the slow process of growth in our lives is like learning to find the ryhme of life. I really like the line "I need a new king, one that doesn't need a throne" This was a reference to Jesus being the kind of King that didn't oppress us like all the other things that we give power over us. Refuse to Shine :This song was written a few years ago when this website was getting heat for being dangerous to people who are not prepared to think. In many ways I had to feel the weight of personal attacks in order to learn a new way of seeing the world and myself. 'all true lovers were torn apart by the darkness' Positively 4th Street :I recorded this bit of Dylan venom during that same period that I referenced above. The two songs seem to work together in my mind, the first representing the way I was struggling to find a path of love and still choosing to be a light and this one was a way of exorcising those parts of me that just wanted to howl. AJ also plays some really nice harmonica on this track. All his harmonica parts are recorded in one take, cuz he is just bad ass like that! Change the World :I have had this song around for a long while. I have tried to record it in so many different styles but nothing seems to fully be where I hear it going. This jerky reggae version was a very rough mix that Gregg White did one day while showing me some protools tricks. It is the only mix from this incarnation of the song that survived so enjoy! Also after the song ends their is a special song that comes in. It is called That Girl and was written just after one of the first lunches that mrs seeward and I had together.

More Blockbusters...

2007.07.06 07:47

I checked out a few more big budget hollywood movies over the last two weekends. The latest (and hopefully the last) Die Hard film starring the ever likeable republican Bruce Willis was a fun romp full of action and the rare witty remark. The plot. like the other Die Hard features, revolves around greed and an elaborate plot to cause chaos and steal lot and lots of money. I enjoyed seeing the Mac guy using a PC while playing the role of a resourceful, if fearful, geek hacker. A cameo by director Kevin Smith was also a treat even if he only played a crabby and lazy parody of the basement hacker. This movie is worth the price of admission and a med box of popcorn!I am a huge fan of animated movies and this one was a pleasure to watch. The plot was solid and the animation resolutions have improved a geat deal since the last PIXAR release. Another little movie that I watched on pay-per-view called Arthur and the Invisibles was also a real treat. Featuring the voices of David Bowie and Robert Deniro, among others. Thats all for now, I am back in the swing of things and will be posting more regularly in the coming weeks!

Extras

2007.06.29 08:04

I LOVE RICKY GERVAIS! I borrowed the first season dvds of his BBC show Extras and I am loving every minute of it!. I have been a fan of Ricky and Steve's(or should I say Karl's) podcast and xfm show for the last few years so I am already acustomed to the raw sarcasm and off color humor that abounds in the series. The set ups are the same for almost every episode which leaves plenty of room for Ricky and the rest of the very funny cast to spread their comedic wings. Steve Merchant has the all-time funniest character, playing Ricky's pathetic agent. I also really enjoy the guest appearances in each episode and the humor that comes from seeing people like Kate Winslet (pictured above) making fun of themselves. "If you star in a movie about the holocaust you will surely get an oscar!"

The Blockbuster Movie Sequel Fest

2007.06.18 19:14

Over the last few days (maybe more) I have seen a few of the current 'mega-movies' that have been disappointing the earnings handicappers. First up is the rise and fall of the Silver Surfer (or should I say the silver surfing Jesus?). While the dialogue was mostly silly and the felt about as fake as Jessica Alba's blue contact lenses, it was a better mindless romp than the other two on the mega-movie list. The action sequences were very over the top but were so realistic that you couldn't help but be amused. Their is one particular scene in London where the large ferris wheel almost topples into the Thames before it is quickly drained dry like someone pulled the stopper in a cheap hotel bathtub. When I was about 12 years old I spent way too much time trying to draw the fantastic four. I went through a stage where I was trying to create very comic book looking grafitti characters. The fantastic four were the models for the bodies as I intricately traced and shaded my way to discovering that I didn't really draw very well. Overall this movie is worth the time ,if you are in bed with a high fever and the room is spinning from too much cough syrup. The first Pirates of the Carribean was so well done and full of inresting dialog, characters and local Bahamian scenery. I was truly surprised that they pulled it off again when the sequel turned out to be about as good as the first movie. Although they left it open, I hope that this is the final installment of the series. It seems like they ran out of interesting plot angles and just opted for the full-on chaos-rain-wind-wave-pirate-swords-and noise. Everytime the action started it degenerated into chaos bouncing between so many characters that you felt completely lost. Thank God for Johnny Depp who turned in another great run as the RollingStoned Pirate. Speaking of Rolling Stoned Mr Richards is far less entertaining than when Depp is taking the piss out of him. This movie suffered from the same issues that also injured Pirates 3. It had serious issues with the story being too complicated and unclear to actually care about what was happening. In this version of the over styled con caper, they added the very funny Eddie Izzard and had him playing without laughs. They also added the always over the top Al Pacino and had him playing so small you forgot he was in the film. By this third installment it seems that the plot and characters can't go anywhere because there is way too much going on all the time. The only thing I enjoyed were the nice computer enhanced flyover shots of the Vegas Strip. After watching this film I wished they had given me a 'Billy Martin'.

Favorite Sopranos Image

2007.06.20 19:28

This picture is too funny and comes courtesy of my brother who has a very good sense of humor. He must have known that I would split my sides laughing. I hope he can post some details about the location in the comments section! This made me laugh even more than the day after the final episode when I was reading all kinds of overly intellectual theories of what happened when the screen went black. Right in the middle of two lengthy posts that quoted so many small details trying to build a case for Tony being killed, i read this one line post that cracked me up. It said, "The oddest thing is that I have been to Holstens and they do not have onion rings on the menu..." I laughed so hard that it hurt but this image made me laugh harder. BTW I was pleased to see Phil meet such a disrespectful end, as I thought he was a bad seed all along.

Who Needs a Doctor?

2007.06.27 15:00

I have been rather busy with a few new projects lately so I have not been blogging at my normal rate. lately I have been thinking of what a new way for Christianity(or followers of Jesus) to relate to the rest of the world. For years I have been put off by the exclusiveness and arrogance of the mainstream way of relating that assumes that Christian's have some corner on truth and that the rest of the world is radically compromised in a way that Christians aren't. Aside from the fact that in almost everyway you can measure Christians are no more moral or ethical, you can still her traces of superiority dripping off of the tongues of Christians who follow a Lord who thought nothing of himself. I often get asked by people who discover that I am a pastor (I don't wear it on my sleeve, the tattoos cover it up!) "what do you think of people who reject Christianity" I used to say that I have respect for them since I also reject Christianity as a religion in favor of a relationship with the living and loving presence that I am fond of calling "God". There is one statement by Jesus that has set me off into thinking that following Jesus might not be such a powerful and superior position after all. "I have come for the sick" after asking who needs a doctor, Jesus describes His followers as the sick ones. The ones who are not well and need Him to come along and help heal them and set them on a new path. Does this then imply that even in Jesus day there were those that were well and didn't need a doctor? I realize that this cuts against the tide of the churches doctrine of original sin and much of the way paul's writings are understood but how else are we to take this statement. If their are no 'well' people then Jesus was just saying another of His confusing one-liners. I think it is in keeping with the rest of Jesus life and message that those who would become his followers would learn to see themselves are less important than everyone else - not more. Just some thoughts to prove that I am still alive!

Pray for the Simple Way

2007.06.20 10:07

From The Simple Way website :6/20/07 - 3AM At around 3am community members of the simple way 3200 house awoke to the sound, heat and flames of the warehouse across the street. Residents on Potter Street were all evacuated safely. By morning, it was a seven alarm fire that consumed many of the houses in the neighborhood, including the simple way's 3200 Potter Street house.This is the house that I stayed in last year when I visited Shane and the rest of the loving brothers and sisters in Philly. Lets keep them in our prayers!

John Cox : i against i

2007.07.23 23:04

I was able to catch a glipmse of some new works by John Cox before they are shipped off to the POPOPSTUDIOS first US show in Miami next month. I will be in Miami for the opening so I will post more footage of the other artists from popop in the show. I think John's pieces are quite stunning! The subject matter deals with surfacing the inner tensions that circle around certian large themes that society presents the individual, in this case John. The themes center around male gender expectations like Hero, Savior, and my personal favorite DragonSlayer. I really dig the stencil-like way he paints onto the canvas with brushes. The pieces are very gritty and muti-layed but somehow manage to convey a sense of peace and calm. Maybe it is the use of white as an anchor or background color throughout the series gives them a sense of groundness. You can't tell very much in the video but they are also very large and imposing in size, forcing you to recieve them in the confrontational way that they seem to have been intended. I will have to explore with John what some of these words mean to him or to his take on the context for their interpretation.

Harry Potter

2007.07.26 07:47

With the release of the 5th installment of the Harry Potter movies and the final book, we are in the middle of another Potter-mania blip in popular culture. At least in my world, given that I am engaged to a huge Potter fan (who bought the latest book on the day it was released and is almost through reading it already). We checked out the movie a few days ago and I have to say that I enjoyed it much more than the earlier episodes. Since Harry, and his fan base, are getting older the storylines are able to be a bit more complex than before. The Order of the Phoenix was very different in that it wasn't as action packed and had a greater sense of mystery and foreboding. I have not read any of the books so I am a bit leftout on the reasons behond some of the new characters such as the little pasty-white girl who had all her shoes stolen and the whole sorcery government but the plot was easy enough to follow and at times involved a giant, which always makes for interesting plot development and humor! I love the little cartoon above that somebody made to mock the 'head-in-the-sand' stance that many Christians take towards popular culture -For some the head should be shoved into a more southern location on their own bodies!

The Cross Shore Dune Buggy

2007.07.23 16:46

My friend AJ - who I swear is not completely crazy - just prone to fits of twisted genius, has traded some old kit for a real live Dune Buggy. It looks just like a hot wheels car I used to have as a 7 yearold kid. You can see the action in the video above that I shot on a quick spin aroudn the hood.

My Desk

2007.07.18 20:37

I got a new video/still camera the Canon Powershot TX1 so I decided to post an image of my workspace. While I have no pictures pinned above my desk that contain nudity, I do have a copy of A Matrix of Meanings which is just as offensive in some circles. You can click the link above to see the full resolution quality of the still images. Another nice thing about this camera is that it also shoots High Def video at 720p resolution. I will be posting many more videos in the future so you can check out the video quality which i would decribe as stunning so far. You can see two more big images of my space here and here. For now you can see a bit of the video from this upcoming concert extravaganza! manuela wuthrich live at npcc.

Staff Retreat

2007.07.19 19:08

We are all suffering for Jesus down here in the islands, so today we took a break from the hectic pace of Nassau and visited Rose Island for the day. You can check out the video I shot above. I am testing a new way to present videos on the site. Please let me know if things are not working as well as the used to or the quality is compromised.

Transformers

2007.07.10 11:43

I used to have at least three of the classic transformers play figures from hasbro when I was a kid. Pretty snappy piece of toy form engineering if you ask me. I was remember being fascinated with them for at least ten minutes. They were fun to play with but they were also out during the verge of classic arcade games like pacman coming to the home via the atari 2600. The movie version of the classic tv show and toy set is just as snappy as the orignal toy designs. The action and effects really carry you through a wild ride of mayhem. I had a thought during one of the massive robot to robot battle scenes that the types of graphics and effects that were on the screen would one day be used at the virtual reality video game level. I was truely amazed at the level of detail and great camera panning to really put you inside the action. On one level this is one of the best pure fun movies that I have seen made in a comic book genre. On another level this is the highest budget car commercial that has ever been produced.

Cat Island

2007.05.25 11:27

This little movie is from our trip to Cat Island. It features shots of the beatiful beaches, the creepy crabs and a few surprises. You can also see footage of two small churches that were built by Father Jerome. (see this post for more video of Father Jerome's work)It was so great to hang with Andrew Jones and have a quick jam in the living room of Greenwood. Cat Island is a fantastic place to get away for the hectic pace of Nassau! Do you need a Bahama-vention?

R I P Chrissy

2007.05.15 15:41

Christopher Moltisanti had seen his ups and downs over the past 7 seasons of The Sopranos. From the dizzying heights of rubbing shoulders with John Favreau and Janeane Garofalo to last seasons lows of dating one of Tony's ladies and falling back off the wagon, it has been a ride that has helped make the show so dynamic in its dramatic reach. Well, at least from Chrissy's point of view, it all ended last Sunday. After placing an obviously bootlegged copy of The Departed soundtrack into the disc player, while Comfortably Numb played in the background, Tony realizes that Chrissy is high and they have a horrific accident. It seemed fitting that his last words were "I won't pass the drug test..." I think it was the fact that he admitted being high that drove Tony over the edge. I think Tony even saw it as a mercy killing to save his wife and daughter. In a short and darkly lit scene, Tony puts his once heir apparent out of his misery. I had somehow hoped that Chrissy would go down in a hail of gunfire rather than turn state's evidence, as many online were saying, but noone saw this coming out of the blue. It makes sense though when you consider how often people die from traffic accidents. Chrissy was my favorite character on the show, always good for a one liner that makes me roll over with laughter. Even this week in his final scene with Tony, he says "That's the flying ointment" - classic! Chrissy's tensions with Paulie over the years has provided some of the more entertianing moments that the show has offered. Last week they ramped up those tensions and had Paulie breaking balls and cadilac-mowing lawns, I thought they were leading to a showdown where Paulie would whack Christopher. David Chase is determined to keep us all guessing right up til the end. I could devote a whole post to the thoughts I have about Tony Soprano dosing on Peyote! "I get it!" - with tears streaming down his face. Maybe Tony meant he discovered the meaning of life or maybe he just discovered what Christopher's struggle with addictions had been about. With three episodes to go, i am sticking with my original prediction that Carmella will kill Tony and AJ will fully enter a life of crime. One thign I am sure of is that the ending is going to be hideously dark in its tone. It just feels like the Sopranos world is imploding in an atomic fashion. "Tragedy... Like a pebble in the lake. Even the fish feel it." - Christopher Moltisanti

The Hermitage

2007.05.24 09:00

In 1938, master architect John Cyril Hawes(later renamed as Father Jerome), left his station designing churches for small farming communites in the Australian outback, for Cat Island Bahamas. He had grown weary and frustrated during the contruction of his most famous structureSt Francis Cathedral in western AustraliaHe lived in Cat Island for the remaining 18 years of his life and during that time built 4 churches. (check out future videos to see some of the churches) His most complex structure was his personal Hermitage on the highest point in the Bahamas, mount Alvernia. The structure is based on a monastry from the times of St Francis. The spot is striking on a few levels. First it is a rare sight to be so high up and have such an impressive view of the whole island. Second, the scale of the building is reduced so you have to bend over to enter the rooms and walk around. This was a design feature with spiritual reasons. Father Jerome was a tall and successful man but he intentionally built the ceilings low to force himself to remain humble and bend over, as in prayer. Another of the Hermitage's unique features is the 16 stations of the Cross that dot the landscape as you walk up the rocky path towards the 240 ft plateau. Father Jerome built his own tomb on the site and used to sleep inside it once or twice a year so he could 'get used to it'. John Hawes (Father Jerome) in 1932.

Cat Island

2007.05.21 07:50

I have spent the last few days relaxing on Cat Island (the island formerly known as San Salvador) It has been a wonderful time of rest and exploration. I have been shooting lots of video and Nicole has been taking lots of pics so more will follow. For Now I am well rested and loving the fact that I live so close to such a remote and deserted island. The image above is of the Hermitage. I am editing a special video of shots from the hermitage so stay tuned!

Sacrificial Stewardship

2007.05.14 22:02

This week we looked directly at stewardship of our finances. We talked about tithing and how the NT presents a much more radical and challenging picture of a new kind of economy. You can listen here. The audio begins with the sound of a short TV ad for the lotto, where a guy is being pressured to give more into the offering place because, presumably, he had won the lotto.

Feist

2007.08.30 07:16

It is not often that an artist or a song grab me intensely and right away but the other night I caught the last few moments of Feist playing on the Late Show. I think the Polyphonic Spree were sitting in as the choir for the performance of the ultra-catchy '1234'. Her voice and the playful, yet bittersweet, tone of the song just reached out and grabbed me. I was compelled to go to iTunes and download the whole disc and I am glad I did. The songs all sit at a mid-tempo range and often sound like a less groovy, more moody, version of Dido with off kilter elements that approach Portishead. Her voice is, at times, blistering and at others sweet and pure. If you are looking for some music to help you wallow in the melancholy, this is it!

Emerging From the Shadows

2007.05.09 18:20

Antonius Roberts has been making some interesting and diverse art lately. He is firmly established as a painter, wood sculpter, and chainsaw vituoso! His latest project is focused on bringing a personal dimension to the public discussion about HIV/AIDS in the Bahamas. He painted flat outlined forms of 6 people living with HIV. The images shine with personality and the essence of the people's character seems to break through the caribbean chaos backgrounds. He invited each of the subjects to make a mark on the canvases. The above video captured the event for a DVD that will accompany the paintings once sold. It was great to support Antonius and to meet the people in the images, so full of life and energy! I also contributed a statement for the program:HIV is a very emotional subject. A subject that is often surrounded on all sides by ignorance and depersonalizing fear. Its a subject that can quickly become too complex for words. Complex because it effects not just our minds but also the depths of our hearts. Because of this complexity and emotional core, HIV and its effects, is a subject better addressed from the workshop of a passionate artist rather than from a podium on Parliament's stage. By assembling a group of HIV survivors and reflecting their images in minimalist outlines, these paintings help show us that we are all the same in so many ways. What can be seen poking out through the muted tones is the strength of character and personality that might sometimes be overlooked in these most precious people. We see signs of celebration, dancing, signs of courage and ultimately a sense of hope emerges directly through the bold red marks made by the survivors but also a larger hope that new creative ways of addressing vital subjects like HIV awareness are beginning to emerge from our nation. In these works, Antonius has reframed the HIV issue in our minds, as well as our hearts. He has reminded us that, together we are all effected by HIV and when we see ourselves as a part of a larger community then we will find more public expressions of strength and hope that the subject of HIV deserves. When it comes to HIV, there is no 'us and them' we are all a part of us. May 2007

Stewarding our Lives

2007.05.07 12:59

Part two in a three part series on Stewardship. I told a few of the stories from the Q conference. Jon Passavant, Kevin Kelly, Majora Carter, Blake Mycoskie and the ever joyful Mark Jordan made an appearance on video! The focus of the message was on the need to build a foundation around 'who God is' or 'what God is like' so we can learn to discern His voice in our lives. We looked at a text in Mark 1 where Jesus walks away from a whole town in order to follow His calling or purpose. Give it a listen here.

Spiderman 3

2007.05.05 19:47

When a movie is referred to as a 'franchise' then I usually lose interest but the latest comic book epic struggle between good and horribly scarred evil is worth a few hours on a Friday night. The usual computer generated effects are amped up to roller coaster level thrills as you speed through the NYC cityscape in high definition clarity. The plot is more of an inner struggle than any real bad guys. Toby Maguire did a very good impersonation of an evil conor oberst as the hyper aggressive side of the nerdy Peter Parker. At one point Peter parker becomes quite a chick magnet. even though he looked about three and a half feet tall. It was a bit too silly for my tastes but the audience sure loved it. They laughed as much as they did when Toby was crying from thinking he had lost his sweet Mary Jane. After the the first few thrilling action sequences everything began to feel familiar and predictable. On a positive note, this movie is proof that there is someone in hollywood geekier than bugged eyed Toby Maguire, Topher Grace!

Spray Can Artist

2007.05.05 09:24

This is my favorite clay figure that I have ever made(so far!). He is a great blend of simplicity and character. His stencil glows in the dark and he is a bit hyper-active.

Q : Day Three

2007.04.29 13:32

Q wrapped up with a few short presentations from people like Rick Mckinley, who spoke about how to take the information home with us and put it to some kind of practical use. Clint Kemp also got the chance to tell some of the stories that are happening at NPCC. The stories seemed to go over well, since he had a line up afterwards to give him the glad-hand. (he didn't have as many people as lined up for Rob Bell last night and, unlike Rob's line, to my knowledge no one asked Clint for an autograph or asked to take a picture with him =)The rest of Rick's crew from Portland seemed like a great bunch and I am hoping to make it out to Portland to do some ministry research sometime soon! We also met this great guy named Eric He works with a ministry based out of Pretoria, South Africa. It is a drama ministry but nothing like you would expect from a drama ministry. They deal with difficult issues like sexual abuse and self injury. This kid had a real glow and warmth about him that you could really feel. If the future of the church is being led by people like Eric then there will be no shortage of courage and faith! Stay tuned for video highights in a future post.

Cross-shore.com : New Design

2007.05.02 10:57

You may remember this site flash design that I did a few months ago for AJ. I recently redesigned the html/css version of the cross-shore universe. You can check out the site here. I like working with Cross Shore because I get a great deal of creative freedom and I get to muck around with the graphics! This design is a slightly reggae influenced color pallette to give the feel of the islands and a graffiti style lettering because stenciling is cool! Let me know what you think?

Q Conference Video

2007.04.29 21:45

this is a little video highlight reel from the Q conference in Atlanta : April 2007. In the video you will see Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired Magazine, Jeff Johnson, host of two shows on BET, Rob Bell, pastor with indy rock like cult status, and the very funny Rick Mckinley from Portland, Oregon. Overall I had a blast listening to so many diverse speakers and meeting some new people like Marc Elliot, Marc wins the award for being the first person to recognize me in real life from this website!

Q : Day Two

2007.04.29 13:13

Day two at Q! The first day proved to be much like trying to drink from a firehose while day two was a bit less intense, there were still some interesting ideas exchanged. The energy level was high and the lineup of speakers was very diverse. Dan Kinnamen, from the Barna Research Group made a presentation called 'unChristian' It was a bunch of statistics that he had assembled about how 18-24 year-olds think about christianity. Some of the stats were interesting - only 12% had positive feelings about Christianity while over 90 % had positive feelings about homosexuality. One thing about his presentation that bugged me was he kept saying 'this is what outsiders think of us'. I felt the use of the term outsider was not very helpful and only made it more clear why those same people might reject Christianity. I thought he should have called them 'normal people' because Christians are the crazy ones!I also got do meet Stu from 'One Punk Under God', it was fun to chat with him and find out how the Revolution church is going since Jay Baker left for NYC : things are going well, he said and he was surrounded by a posse of tattooed freaks! Andy Stanley is a second generation pastor of a very large church in Atlanta called North Point. He spoke about the church changing culture. I liked the end of his talk when he focused on the balance of grace and truth. He is a very clear speaker and has a humble stage presence.Next up was a panel discussion on homosexuality and the church. I thought it was going to be interesting but it didn't turn out to be so great. No one had read the NY Times article about the genetic aspects of sexuality and the conversation went down a very well worn road of 'love the sinner and hate the sin'. In the talkback session afterwards, some very uptight brother found the speaker's rather conservative views too shocking and he began firing with both barrels. Chris Seay did a great job of putting the guy in his place and restoring peace and order. I am still troubled by the lack of real open ended dialogue on this matter and I hoped that a conference like Q could actually be a place that radically new ideas were exchanged : not so on this issue!The Exec Vice President of American Evangelicals, Richard Cizik, spoke about his life-long passion for the environment and shared that he was recently written a letter by a large group of his peers asking that he either be silenced of fired.That was truly sad to hear, since the guy seemed to be very bright and also carrying a huge heart for God's creation. He said that the letter stated that evangelicals should only have two issues: abortion and gay-marriage - figures that more people would be excited to stand up for what they are against that actually standing for something that they are for. Jon Passavant is one of the top five male models and happens to be a pastor's kid. His talk was funny because he LOVES the movie Zoolander and also he is ridicualously good-looking! In the after noon half of us went on a tour fo the High Museum of Art. They had an exhibit from the Louvre but I was more excited about seeing the largest gallery collection of Howard Finster's art. I got a phot pass and took a photo of every single one (look for a seperate Finster post soon!)

Stewardship Part One

2007.04.24 07:49

Earth Day weekend seems like a good time to begin a three part series on the idea of Stewardship. This week we focused mostly on caring for God's creation as both an act of stewardship and an act of worship. I had to admit that I not an outdoor type of person and the farthest thing in the world from a 'tree-hugger'. You can hear the message here. I used this story from The Washington Post called 'Pearls before Breakfast'. The article is a clever twist on Jesus' words about the futility of throwing pearls before swine and also an interesting look at how our modern society expresses it's values in daily living. We seem to be running at a rapid pace and chasing after values that end up squeezing beauty off to the side. I think this has a huge impact on the way that we relate to the beauty of the environment. Anyone who has a trancendant experience that was facilitated by appreciating the beauty of nature, will end up caring for that same value in their daily living. Let em know what you think by commenting with the link below! (also you need to let the sermon audio play for a minute or so before the sound starts - the first minute or so is blank)

Q : Day One

2007.04.25 21:49

I'm writing from the lounge area of the 'Q' conference in Atlanta, Ga. The conference which is modeled after the T.E.D. conference, is a gathering of cultural influencers who happen to also be christians. The conference is founded by Gabe Lyons (pictured above) and the Fermi Project. Today was the first day and already I have had lots of great ideas to interact with. My favorite presentation so far has been by Kevin Kelly, editor-at-large and founder of Wired magazine.As you can see, he spoke about his views on the next 1000 years of Christianity. His presentation was all over the map from aliens to asking if robots should be considered Children of God. He has a very fresh perspective on many things that sometimes get christians all worked up. he said that he firmly believes that all technology is divinely inspired. This from a man who doesn't own a laptop and has never had a television in his home. My favorite part of his presentation was when he stated that he feels the most important question for the church to be wrestling with is "What does it mean to be human?". Since this is the theme that we choose for our teaching theme this year at NPCC, I felt very encouraged. Some other notable speakers included Donald Miller, who spoke about the power of living within a narrative. I have been saying that very same thing about the value of teaching people to see themselves living within the Biblical story. Josh Jackson is the founder of Paste Magazine He spoke about the need for the Church to encourage and not limit artists in their expressions and creativity. He also talked about what he thinks it means to 'be in the world and not of the world'. He had some great things to say and it was cool because I bought my first issue of Paste yesterday, not knowing I was going to me the editor and founder today! The mag is great and had a very fair review of the new Bright Eyes cd. Jeff Johnson hosts two shows on BET.He spoke about the HipHop culture and racism and IMUS. He made a nice play on words about the whole Imus "nappy headed hoes" scandal, saying 'I'm us" focusing us around the reality that we each, individually, carry the responsibility of seeing ourselves as a part of the collective 'us'. We have been having a great time and eating very well. Last night I finally got the Mexican food that I have been craving for the last six weeks! We also tried some dark Mexican beers as well!I am shooting lots of video and more pictures than I can post right now. The venue is a very old church that has been converted into a concert hall. So it feels very cool and the sound mixes are incredible! The evening sessions began with John Foreman (the singer from the band Switchfoot ) playing his songs on an acoustic guitar with a very gifted cello player. He talked about the art of song-writing and how he sees the intersection between church, culture and economics. Great stuff! More images tomorrow!

Jazz, Wine and Art

2007.04.21 20:14

The Poop Deck, a local restaurant with a very risky name, held an art event and wine tasting. It was a nice setting, right on the water on a breezy spring afternoon, to hear some smooth and funky jazz, played by the G Note All Stars and to check out some new works by local artists. The wine was nothing to write on the internet about but the art was interesting! I bought a print by a local artist with Dreadlocks, that I had never met before. His work had a very playful vibe of celebration about it that sucked me in. Toby had a very impressive large piece called Biodyn that was both deeply organic looking and science fiction-esque at the same time, almost like an explosion of elements, matter and violent gases into the birth of a new universe. John commented on how his work was not in its best context surrounded by the other mostly landscape paintings. We got a chance to chat briefly about some of his works and I am really loving the way his work is heading. Other notable artists were Antonius Roberts with a few new paintings that mark a departure from his wooden sculptures in many respects. Malcolm Rae is an older Bahamian artist that has been making some inspired work that seems to blend an impressionists eye towards the Bahamian landscape with a modern animated flat look. The results look a bit like the style of Richard Linklater's Waking Life digital effects. He also uses gold and silver paint pens to add highlights and definition that give them a slightly graffiti touch as well. It was also fun to hang with the girls!

The Human Factor

2007.04.18 09:32

You experience a violent tragedy very differently when you actually know someone who could have been a victim. The picture above is of my friends Mark, Kim and Aidan Stern. They were in my small group until last year when they left Nassau for Mark to take a job as a professor at Virginia Tech. The good news was that Mark was away at a conference on Monday and Kim was at home with little Aidan but watching the news reports on TV took on a much more emotional nature than watching a rampage event normally. The feeling of watching this tragic event on TV was much like watching the "shock and awe" stage of the latest War in Iraq, while knowing that my friend Shane Claiborne was over there dodging the bombs. My prayers are with all of those that have suffered pain and loss from this senseless rampage. I also pray that the news media begins to use some sincerity and wisdom as they probe the details of this event without drooling and foaming at their blood-hungry-headline-hunting mouths. (I am speaking to you FoxNews!)

Klippies and Coke

2007.04.12 14:47

Just got an email from a friend that reminded me of this. When Nicole and I were in South Africa I really enjoyed some Kilppies and Coke. Seeing this little bottle, on the rocks, near that beautiful rocky sea, made me extra thirsty (for both a cold glass of Klippies but also a game of HotShots)

Judah's Blessing

2007.04.17 08:48

This weekend I had the rare opportunity to take part in a baby dedication service. Our friends Shaka and Jen's little one, Judah, was being presented to the world. Boy was he excited about all the attention! He did well considering that he had a late night the previous day! The service went well and it was so great to be able to take part in a service that was both casual and meaningful at the same time. We all committed to being a part of Judah's ongoing development and growth. That shouldn't be a problem because he is quite magnetic, especially for the women! Many continued blessings for the littlest 'Lion of Judah'.

Johnny Cash's House Burns Down

2007.04.12 08:50

You know you have soul when, after you die, your house burns to the ground and collapses in a cloud of smoke and ash. That's what happened to Johnny Cash's former Hendersonville, TN home on Tuesday. The home was purchased by Barry Gibb (yes from the Bee Gees) and was undergoing renovations when tragedy struck. It seems odd to me that the family would have sold the house in the first place but who can judge how people will react to death and loss. Mabe the house was too emotional for them to return to so they decided to let it go. You can see the house featured in the video above from the fantastic song HURT. It somehow seems fitting that Johnny's legacy is so powerful it burns down everything in its path and only leaves a pile of dust and ash. Ashes to ashes, indeed!

The Bishop

2007.04.11 14:58

This little guy was made as a celebration of Easter. I had the chance to wear a similar get-up recently and I enjoyed it so much that I created this little Bishop to remind me of the feel of the robes! Already this little guy has began to take an offering among the other clay figures that he shares a shelf with. I hear he is also planning to invite them to a house group bible study as well!

Its a Jersey Thing, Faggeddaboutit!

2007.04.11 10:34

My brother emailed me this image that he took on his phone last week of the original Satriale's in Kearny, NJ to celebrate the beginning of the final cycle of Sopranos episodes. Will Tony end up in jail, in prison or worse? Here is my official prediction about how the series will end: Tony will be killed by Carmella in a rage and Anthony Jr will begin a life of crime in his dad's footsteps. We'll have to wait and see!

Grindhouse

2007.04.10 08:46

There once was a time when I would be the first in line at the release of a Tarrintino film. I fondly remember a gang of us driving all the way to the interstate to see Pulp Fiction on its opening night in Gainsville, Florida. While that movie popped and sparked full of interesting characters and witty dialogue, Grindhouse seemed to fizzle and fade rather quickly. The first of the double feature, Planet Terror, was a zombie romp that never seemed to come together. Although it was packed full of gross-out gore and some sexy machine gunning action, the overall effect wasn't entertaining to my tastes. We almost left during the two short and horribly graphic fake trailers for the non-existent movies 'don't' and 'Thanksgiving'. Next up was the once-legendary Tarrintino's Death Proof and we ended up walking out about ten minutes in to it. It seemed to me that Tarrintino has become a poor cartoon version of his former glory. In those first ten minutes we get at least 5 close=up shots of women's feet and the extra-creepy personality of Quintin himself plastered across the giant screen. Maybe I am just not cultured enough to enjoy Tarrintino but I haven't walked out of a movie since 'Kill Bill'. I might watch the rest of it when it comes on cable and I have a head cold or high fever flu.

Bunnies After Dark

2007.04.06 20:59

Our friend Jane threw a party where men had to dress up as Vicars and Lady's had to dress as bunnies. For some strange reason the thought of dressing up in the formal liturgical robes got me excited! I was so lucky to have help from the women in my life : Nicole, My Mom and My Grandmother really made the costume perfectly and I just got the pleasure of wearing it! And what a pleasure it was. I was thinking Cardinal but everyone called me bishop which I gues isn't so bad! We had lots of fun and even more than this guy:He may have had the most creative costume for the whole evening! Nicole Looked beautiful as a sexy bunny, complete with whiskers and a button nose!We even ran into a real priest - my friend Father Stroud was in town and up for a good time! He said that this was the first party in his life that he felt that he didn't stand out! You can check out a few more images from the evening by scrolling down and checking out the lower left hand side.

Blades of Glory

2007.04.08 20:15

Will Ferrell might just be the funniest human being to ever leave the cast of Saturday Night Live for the big screen. Blades of Glory is his latest character driven romp through wild costumes, toilet humor and the occasional flash of homo-erotic physical comedy (see above =) The team of Ferrell and Napolian Dynamite's Jon Heder seems to work on paper but doesn't hold must spark on the screen. Apart from the laugh-out-loud moments where Ferrell and Heder launch their bodies through movements that should be reserved for 15 year old Eastern European girls who dream in glitter, spandex and gold, there is not much here to see. Ferrell is funny but the character is not as well written as some of his other comedic gems. There is not much of a story and almost every scene is going all out for a laugh. Throw in a few cameos by former Ice Skating legends and you have the general idea. The only thing left is to sit back and take in the wonder of Mr Ferrell in all his silly genius. While it wasn't as good as ELF, Blades of Glory will bring a smile to your face.

Shooter

2007.04.06 13:26

After the attention that Marky Walhberg enjoyed following his comic relief role in The Departed, I was interested in seeing if he could hold my attention as a leading man. Shooter is a rather formulaic thriller that tells you all its secrets in the trailer. We have seen the plot more than a few times before but this time around the 'bad guys', interestingly, were not some group of foreign terrorists but high ranking and powerful US citizens. There were plenty of allusions to the current global and US state of affairs and the plot revolves around a company much like the real life and very scary Black Water Security. If you haven't heard of them, Black Water is a private security company (read private military force) founded by one of the largest contributors to the GWBush presidential campaign. These mercenaries make up almost half of the troops in Iraq and have the added bonus of not having to be counted in the death toll numbers. They have also been used to 'protect' the citizens of New Orleans after Katrina. I find the idea that a military force that includes helicopters, jets, armoured vehicles and a whole range of weapons that haven't even been approved for official military use, is availible for hire. I find it equally scary that their main contracts are with the US government. Shooter follows the fringes of this sort of group as they 'protect' an assasination atempt on the US President. About ten minutes into the film the ball starts rolling and its a cat and mouse game that mostly sticks with Marky's mouse. Some familiar emotional territory is entered with the introduction of a love interest but there is an interesting tension between Marky and Kate Mara which makes it feel fresh. Overall the production levels is very high but the story just isn't that interesting. At its center it is a story about the massive amounts of deception and violence people will inflict to stay in power. I think its time for Walhberg to make a movie where he doesn't kill everyonewho is left at the end. I heard him say that his film choosing strategy is 'I choose one for them and then I choose one for me" - I hope Shooter was 'one for them' because it didn't do it for me.

Bright Eyes : Four Winds EP

2007.04.03 08:26

There has been lots of talk about Conor Oberst, the central voice of the revolving door collective Bright Eyes, being the future of rock and roll. I would have to agree that Conor has already shown an impressive range on both the songwriting and lyrical fronts. Last year saw the release of two albums that veered violently into vastly different directions. While all the sad-hearted emo kids wait with baited breath for the newest full length Bright Eyes album (set to drop on April 8th) they will have to be satisfied with the Four Winds EP and a pre-release single ("No One Would Riot For Anything Less") from the new album. The EP is a six song cycle that seems to blend the best of last years two musical directions. There are plently of acoustic and country flavored sounds layed among the dense and electronic flurries of machine created sounds. "Reinvent the Wheel" is a rollicking journey cut from the same cloth as "Bowl of Oranges" but with a more dense arrangement pushing the boundaries towards country soul at times. "Cartoon Blues" is a rocking track that even references one of Conor's cult-classic songs "Padriac My Prince" a stand out line "People are made up of water and fear, if there weren't women present we wouldn't be here, so lets make life worth living". "Stray Dog Freedom" reminds me of Golden Smog and Wilco at times as it rushes and pulses its way toward distorted chaos and tense beauty. The EP is a solid collection and seems to be pointing further towards a new more dense and distorted Bright Eyes than we have seen in the last few years - with the except of the fantastic "Lover I Don't Have to Love".The Pre-release single "No One Would Riot for Less" is a beautifully crafted almost classical ballad that offers both sharp social commentary - "Little soldier, little insect, you know war it has no heart, It will kill you in the sunshine or happily in the dark" and stunning string arrangements. If this is what the new album sounds like then we are in for a treat! Conor's voice sounds even stronger and more crisp than on "Wide Awake it's Morning" and the mood that this song sets is very powerful. I hope the new album can walk the fragile line between heavey emotional energy and bouncey swirling joy that has been the terrritory that Bright Eyes inhabits. Until April 8th, go and check out the new tunes on iTunes! You won't be sorry!

Copyleft Infringment

2007.04.03 14:12

Copyright is one of the ideas that is being challenged at the heart of this story about EMI and iTunes signing a deal to offer the EMI catalog without digital copy restrictions. They studied the market for the last two years and decided that pirating is still an issue even though they were spending money on creating Digital Rights Managment (DRM) The whole notion that something shoud be protected against copying seems a bit naive to me. We live in a 'sampled' world. The ways that we are relating to technology have created an entirely different relationship between those that create bits of cultural artifacts (songs, paintings, etc) and those that purchase them. For instance, It is now so easy to not just enjoy a piece of purchased culture but to interact and use it to create something new. The kind of sampling that was going on in the early days of hiphop with 12 inch records has now grown into sampling of all forms of creative expression. It is just so easy to do that everyone is beginning to do it. I think this changes our relationship to art in a strange way. Because it has become so highly accesseble it has opened up new pathways of creative expression that were not possible before - think Mash Ups or even Human Beat Boxing. I think these new channels of creativity are making the average person more creative and interactive and might lead to a very different kind of culture where everyone is engaged not just a small limited number of 'creative' types. i don't want to sound Star Trekish but I think that in this kind of a future, ownership of creative works will not be an issue at all. I think we are on the verge of a creative interactive enlightenment that will leave all our current notions of art and its relationship to things like commerce completely shattered. On a side note - You should check out the video linked to the 'Human Beat Boxing" words above - it is simply a masterful beat boxer named Beardyman. Give it about a minute and then you will have your mind blown by the unbelievable display of talent.

Wounds to Worship part 5

2007.04.02 12:07

This week was Palm Sunday and I spoke about the death of Jesus and seeing it within its first century context. The thought that religion (structured ways of purification required to approach God) functions like training wheels. We explored the idea that Jesus' fulfilled God's purposes for the Law and therefore freed human beings to remove the training wheels and begin living lives focused around loving others rather than measuring sin. In short, Jesus provided us a way to go beyond religion and truely be transformed by God. One main point also was that the story of Easter is not a story about human sin. It is a story about love. A love willing to endure cruelty, injustice and evil. You can check out the message here. We need better ways of talking about our relationship with God. The story of 'the fall-sin-need for a savior-born again' is too focused on the human side. Much thanks to Barry Taylor for telling the story that ends this talk about the wonderful and moving album : Jesus Blood Never Failed Me, Yet.

Leonard Cohen Afterlife

2007.04.05 11:39

On a cold and rainy Seattle evening about 14 years ago, Kurt Cobain bummed a cigarette from me as we stood huddled in the cold outside, between acts, at a Leonard Cohen concert at a small theatre in the center of the city. I remember noticing that Kurt had a missing fingernail on his right hand and a very deep stare that made it hard to look into his piercing eyes. There wasn't much conversation among the four of us and as we went back inside I snuck in behind Kurt's security guys and enjoyed an unexpected escort to my seats which were only one row behind Kurt and his entourage. I remember seeing Kurt weeping as Leonard sang the lilting and achingly beautiful lines of Hallelujah and Sisters of Mercy. I knew the concert had a big impact on Kurt because a few months later when his newest album came out he had a line that begged for a 'Leonard Cohen afterlife'. It was about a year later when the sad news came of his suicide.I still remember the sickening feeling I felt when I heard that he had died and in such a tragic and painful way. I remember feeling a sense of pain and loss, even in the midst of my own drug crazed oblivion, that has never left me since. It wasn't so much that I was a fan of Nirvana - I was, but only casually. It was more a sense of loss for our generation and the hopes and dreams that had found an outlet in the whole 'grunge-everybody is moving to Seattle' thing. There was a sense that the world was waking up to something that the gloss and excess of the 80's had kept at bay. It was almost as if the early 90's was the morning after for the decadant 80's. A time for people to wake up and do an assesment of what kinds of damage had been done the night before. In Kurt's case, the damage was too much to bear.On this day 13 years ago, with Kurt's passing, much of the world had to face the dark and painful reality that getting everything you ever wanted can still leave you cold and empty. William S Burroughs, who worked with Kurt on some spoken word musical projects, said that Kurt couldn't continue living because he never learned to 'be alone with himself'. Lets pray that we all experience a 'Leonard Cohen" afterlife filled with beauty too painful to describe and too stable to avoid and until then we learn to be alone with ourselves.

Sex God

2007.03.30 10:35

Rob Bell is a very gifted communicator and Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids Michigan. I have had the chance to meet Rob on few occasions and he is quite a bundle of energy and insight. His last Book Velvet Elvis caused a bit of a minor stir among the over religious and his new book Sex God, at least, has a snappy title. The book explores the 'endless connections between sexuality and spirituality' and is a refreshingly open minded and even practical take on the issues of sexuality in our modern culture. Rob always does a great job of both mining the deoths of the scriptures and interfacing them with our lived lives. In this book, the chapter called 'Leather, Whips and Fruit' really touched me. The chapter is mostly about the idea of lust and how it has the power to control our lives. Rob really has great language to describe the contours of lust. The phrase that got me was that lust 'fills so much head space' and how the root word of lust actually means 'filled in the mind'. He then goes on to talk about the struggle with addictions and how the idea that we must face our lusts and addictions head-on with will-power is absurd and unhelpful. He talks about the way to overcome addictions is not to resist and repress but to rechannel that life force and spiritual energy towards something else instead - try loving, maybe!I would extend nothing but encouragement to Rob, since I see that he has become the target of the Way of the Master ministry that I have commentted on before here and here. They have produced an online rebuttal to one of Rob's Nooma videos. They are pretty rough on him, even making the statement that 'he doesn't look like a christian' . That's most likely a great thing!

I Bet Gavin Friday is Pissed!

2007.03.29 13:58

Bono is now an honorary Sir of the British Empire. I am not well informed about all that is entailed with such an honor but I think that he now gets full access to James Bond's spy gear and two weeks a year gets to enjoy the 'timeshare' suite at Buckingham Palace. I think Bono is pushing harder for sainthood than for knighthood but, I am told that unless you are as secure as John lennon, you just do not turn these sorts of things down. I think they should open up this knighthood process in the style of American Idol and have people vote: Perry Farrel for Knighthood!

The Hypnotist

2007.03.27 18:21

You are getting very sleepy.... very, very sleepy...... just watch the swinging ball.... very sleepy....... You are begining to feel very light-headed.... In a few moments I am going to say a 'signal' word and you will fall into a deep feeling of bliss..... very sleepy...... you are falling deeper now.... your arms are getting light and your slowly drifting off..........In a few moments you will feel all stress and pressures lift..... very slowly..... drifting slower........ you are almost there.... you can feel yourself getting lighter....... and the ends of your fingers........... beginning to take flight....... Your 'signal' word is........ BOOYAH!!

Rusty "Big Beats" McDowell

2007.03.27 18:12

Rusty got the nickname "Big Beats" while he was still in Jr High. He used to rip the legs off of small desks and unleash a torrent of drum and bass groove lines on its hard-wood topped surface. Before joining funkBots, Rusty used to make a living working in a factory that canned little vienna sausages so you know he is familiar with the deeper meanings of term 'funky'. Maybe the industrial sounds of the factory influenced his massive intensity or maybe he just wears his pants a shade too tight - you be the judge!

Angel of Light

2007.03.27 09:19

Last year during Easter, I wrote this song caled : Angel of Light. I have been singing it a few different ways over the last few months. Nicole came up with a beatiful harmony to add beauty to the arrangement. I wrote the song about the idea that there is a part on each of us that would rather nail Jesus to the cross than to bow down and worship Him. We performed the song last Sunday at our communites Sunday gathering. Gerrard Knowles and Ricky Nixon joined us and added their flavor to the mix. You can hear the mp3 by clicking the title above or you can save it to your computer by right clicking and choosing 'save target as...'. If you are using a Mac then its ctrl click!

American Express Has Taste!

2007.03.23 16:25

I got an email today from David Sacks. He is a very talented and creative photographer who had the good fortune of using Nicole and I as models during his last journey to Nassau. He emailed this screen shot of an image of he shot last year on the front page of the American Express website. (click here for full size image) I never really thought I had a mainstream look but after this and a few other places that my photo has popped up I am beginning to wonder. The Yahoo Life cover from three years ago was a funny place to see my shining face but the best so far has been when my cousin called me to make sure I was ok after seeing my face msiling at the top of an ad for americansingles.com. There can only be two explainations of this image being used: 1) They recognized the power of Nicole's beauty or 2) they knew how large my AMex bills are and they thought they would give me some sort of recognition! Lets see them use my new natural white rasta look =)

Christ at Emmaus

2007.03.23 11:52

There is a curious story in the gospels, after the death of Jesus.[Luke 24] Two of His disciples are heading away from Jerusalem (just as Jesus had told them not to do) and they are approached on the road by a stranger. This stranger begins a conversation with them by asking about their messiah. The two disciples express their dissappointment and the fact that they no longer believed that Jesus was the true messiah. A while later the two disciples and the stranger go indoors to have a meal. During the meal, in an instant, the truth is apparent and the stranger is revealed to be Jesus. As soon as they realize who it is, Jesus dissappears. This moment of revelation is captured in Rembrandt's classic Christ at Emmaus. This painting could almost serve as a template for all of rembrandt's paintings, in that it has all the ingredients that he worked so hard to include: A sense of heightened drama, an ordinary domestic setting like a meal, dark lighting throwing shadows about and the spark of God's divine presence breaking through the surface. Rembrandt did quite a few studies and two finished versions of this scene. This is the other one:Rembrandt made his living painting portraits of rich people and educational scenes but his passion flowed into several spiritual ideas that he returned to again and again throughout his rollercoaster of a life. I think this scene sums up the power of Rembrandt's work: the miracle of the divine spirit manifested in human flesh. Not just the flesh of Jesus but all human flesh revealing sparks of the divine. Which one do you like better? the top or the bottom one?

Van Gogh and the Church

2007.03.22 12:12

After basically being thrown out of the church for caring so much that it impacted his dignity, Vincent Van Gogh lived, for a short period, with his parents. During this time he painted the grounds of an old church that was eventually sold off to pay the bank. He cast the ld building in very dark tones, as you can tell from the image above. He also did some pencil sketches that show his growing dissillusionment with the Church.In this one you can see that the small figure of the person is seperated by many layers of shrubs and borders that seem to imply the distance and trouble it is to find your way to the church. These images and more serve to illustrate that Van Gogh, even though he was no longer a Minister, he still felt the need to make commentary on the state of the church in his day. Was it a warning or a critical prophecy? Did he hope that his contemporaries would pay attention and move towards reform or was he simply a bitter old genius? This weekend I am doing a Creativity and Spirituality workshop at NPCC. We are going to be looking at the lives and works of four artist: Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Howard Finster and Bahamian legend Amos Ferguson. It still strikes me as deeply telling that this image:is arguably one of the most recognized piece of western art and it was painted looking out the window of a mental institution. Does that say that our modern world need some serious therapy? Does it blur the line between genius and madness? Is there a chance that God was whispering a silent message, hidden within the strange and wonderous life of Mr Van Gogh? What do you think? Now would be a great time to try out the new comments feature! Simply click the word 'comment' below and speak your mind!

Grizzly Bear

2007.03.21 19:58

You may have seem them here singing while walking down a street in Paris, but the densly harmonic four piece Grizzly Bear are actually based in Brooklyn, New York. Their sophomore disc Yellow House is a fantastic collage of over the top vocal layers and strange folksy textures. The music feels very futuristic and old at the same time. Much of the song have simple arrangements that act as launching off points for all four guys to get into the vocal gymnastics ala Abbey Road Beatles on tracks like 'Little Brother' and soaring like radiohead on the single 'Knife'. While keeping things clear and simple throughout, Grizzly Bear has crafted a very original, if not bizarre at times, sound that will appeal to those that like to chuck on some headphones and get lost in the soft layers of multi-track harpsichords.

Atlantis Aquarium Tour

2007.03.21 08:08

In the Bahamas it is not what you know but who you know! Or more acurately - who you are related to! I have been fortunate to have some very well healed relatives in high places, like my cousin Todd Kemp who is very important in the Water Features Dept at the Mega-Resort Atlantis. Last weekend he was kind enough to give us a little behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium system. The tour was great and we got to see some pretty freaky fish without having to stand in a massive line of obnoxious cruiseship passengers who are in a hurry to get back to the food trough. A big think you to Todd for his time - it was fantastic (except for the fish feeding kitchen smell =)

The Majestic Lady

2007.03.20 19:01

Friday was spent lounging on Robinson Caruso Island (Rose Island actually!) in the able care of the Majestic Lady and her crew. Nicole's sister is in town from South Africa and we have been having a great time! (read: more videos on the way!) The boat trip was fantastic and the weather was perfect. It was truly a much needed break and reminder of why I live in such a beautiful place.

Rake and Scrape Night

2007.03.20 07:16

There are a few things that Bahamians can claim is truely their own and the musical style 'Rake and Scrape' is very close to the top of that list. With its stylistic roots spread across the neighboring tropical islands, the style of 'Rake and Scrape' just makes you feel Caribbean! On Friday night at NPCC we had a true 'out-island' experience with Ancient Man and Crab Man. You can see from the video that a great time was had by all and the event was planned and executed very well, thanks to the hardworking Events Team! There was even someone playing the saw which added to the unique cultural flavor. When you play the video, make sure to pause it for a few minutes after hitting play, so it can load up, then hit play again and enjoy!

Wounds to Worship

2007.03.12 20:57

Sunday was the second in a teaching series leading up to Easter called Wounds to Worship. You can download the message in mp3 format here. Dr Allen began the series last week by looking at how his pyscological work has revealed that life is deeply wounded. We picked up on this theme while looking at the Last Supper and particularly the disciples reactions to Jesus mystical and firm statements about his impending fate. We looked at some interesting words of Mother Teresa about the spiritual poverty in the west: "You in the west have the spiritually poorest of the poor much more than you have physically poor people. Very often among the rich there are very, very spiritually poor people. I find it is not difficult to give a plate of rice to those that are hungry, or to give a bed to those who have none. To console or remove the bitterness, to remove the anger, to remove the loneliness of those who are physically rich but spiritually poor takes much longer"We talked about the two kind of woundedness "the down and out" - those who have lost everything and feel hopeless , "the up and out" those who have gained all kinds of success or wealth and still feel a nagging emptiness. The message also included a reference to the art of Tim Noble and Sue Webster. (Thanks to Barry!) and a clip from the film "Saved" - the gangsta exorcism scene! We closed with this little video featuring Oscar Peterson playing a beautiful piece called "The Last Supper". Throw in a few verses from John's Gospel and this image: and you have a sermon!

Jonny Greenwood is the Controller

2007.03.13 08:17

Jonny Greenwood, as the mad scientist stationed at the guitar in Radiohead, has been the architect behind some of the most amazing sounds that were ever wretched out of a guitar (and keyboard and wall of delay/distortion effects units and 1940's style soviet army radios) His latest accomplishment is curating the Trojan Records compilation ; Jonny Greenwood is the Controller. This disc is packed with 17 funky old school reggae cuts that are sure to get your body movin'! Lee "Scratch" Perry makes three appearances with his 'Bionic Rats' being a stand out track. You've got a cool reggae cover of the popular torchsong 'Fever' by Junior Byles and a spaced out 'Flash Gordon Meets Luke Skywalker" by the Scientist & Jammy & The Roots Radics. This collection is sure to warm the hearts of reggae fans and maybe turn on some black-clad Radiohead fans to look even deeper into their affection for all things black. There is something funky, groovy and comforting all at once about the sound of old reggae. It has a smooth rythmic sense and that helps but I think its the low-fi (thick as mud in parts) that really transports me to another world. If you are interested in checking out the healthy state of pre-marley reggae and ska, you must check out this collection!

The Pope Calls Bob Dylan a False Prophet

2007.03.12 13:54

A few yers ago Ice-T made a point that you are not truly infamous until the President of the United States says your name. In Bob Dylan's case, the Pope will have to do. In a new book released this week, the current Pope recalls his times with Pope John Paul. He recalls that he did not support Bob Dylan playing at an event in the 80's, calling Bob a false prophet. You can read more here. A few week's ago Simon Scowl of American Idol, made a statement that Dylan was boring, banning forever the spirit of art and creativity from the set of Idol (unless by some strange twist of fate ZeFrank decides to audition next season as his next mission).

Wounds to Worship - Part Three

2007.03.18 20:22

Our community has been working through the Easter narrative. This week we were at the Garden and the Trial of Jesus. You can check out the audio here. I really feel a connection to this part of the Jesus story. So much tension and drama. I remember actually weeping when I read it for the first time. I was fortunate enough to hear some very interesting historical information from Bruxy Cavey and N T Wright. Speaking of NT, he is going to be speaking at a very cool conference that will be hosted here at NPCC in Oct. Richard Rohr and Brennan Manning will also be featured speakers.

Brent Malone

2007.03.09 07:41

Protective Hands with SalamanderOn a chilly Ash Wed morning three years ago, I was in LA taking a "city-break" from the island life. My trip was interrupted by the horrible news that my friend Brent Malone had passed away. I had breakfast with Brent on the day I flew out of Nassau for LA and we exchanged some timely thoughts. I am not normally one to put my cards so firmly on the table but for reasons unknown at the time, we both took the opportunity to tell each other how much we cared. I told Brent that I felt honored to know him and that he had opened up a whole world of creativity and inspiration in my own journey. Brent just laughed and called me his "Rock and Roll Pastor", a name he had used for me in many of the introductions he had made of me in the Nassau art scene. A few months before his passing I had just finished recording a cycle of songs and I gave a copy of the disc to Brent. I had given the disc to quite a few other people but Brent was the only one who really engaged me about the music. He really seemed to treat it as ART. he asked me indepth questions about the musical and lyrical content, making connections to his own journey. I remember one lyric in particular from a song called "Find My Way Home" that really resonated with him. The line was 'All the miles we've traveled down, vanish like white lines". For me it was about travelling great distances and then feeling like you are right back where you started, but for Brent it was a direct reference to the vanishing of other "white lines". In the end Brent characterized my music as "Bob Dylan-esque Gospel" and that is fine with me! The week that he died, Brent gave me a small folder with scans of some of his paintings. These are a few of my favorites:The Cross Inner journey Life WithinBrent was a manicly energized person. He could fill one single sentence with five or six brilliant ideas. During our Christmas service four years ago Brent hung a blank canvas in the front of the auditorium by the stage. During worship he invited people to join him in filling the blank space. Before anyone arrived he had painting the following words on the canvas - "I feel plain and lonely, please come and fill me up with your...." He also did some work with our children's ministry and created this piece:Brent's idea for the cross was to teach the kids that they are the body of Christ in the world. One of the last conversations I had with Brent, i was pitching him and idea of doing a discussion group for artists that would focus on spirituality. I took great pains to tell Brent that the group would be open to artists of all beliefs (or no beliefs as well!) when I finished my pitch, Brent smiled and said "That's fine but just remember that I work for a Jewish carpenter!"I haven't had that many friends die so far but the thought of seeing Brent again makes it hard not to believe in an afterlife!Rest in Peace Father of Bahamian Art, rest in peace!

Bono Wins Another Award

2007.03.09 09:17

Bono has won many awards during the span of his 30+ year music career. A few weeks ago he won the NAACP image award for his work against poverty. On the RED BLOG they said this about the honor "This is an award for a lifelong pursuit of the equality and coexistence of humanity" - not bad for a rock star! Above is a video of the comments he offered after accepting the award.

Scientology

2007.03.06 18:53

While I am not one to atack someone's belief's, I have been hearing a great deal of strange business about the celebrity-magnet Scientology lately. I was having dinner a few nights ago and a friend relayed a story about someone being trapped on a Scientology Work Ship. Their family was trying to get them off the ship and they were refused contact. Then I read this. I have always found the stories surrounding the "church of scientology" a bit too odd to be taken seriously but lately I am beginning to wonder. I think the reason that it is attractive to people is that it emphasizes technique and formula over intro-spection. The whole mystery of the human pysche is reduced to negative and positive energies. You have a very practical solution to the human problem of "too much negative energy". You hook up to this e-meter:"The central practice of Scientology is "auditing" (from the Latin word audire, "to listen"), which is a one-on-one communication with a trained Scientology counselor or "auditor". The auditor follows an exact procedure toward rehabilitating the human spirit. Most auditing uses an E-meter, a device that measures very small changes in electrical resistance through the human body when a person is holding onto tin cans and a small current is passed through them."- WikiSounds very similar to the process of psychotherapy plus the added illusion of "technology" to strengthen one's faith in the experience. I heard that recently John Travolta made the statement that Anna Nicole Smith would haved lived is she was a Sceintologist. I guess that might be true, unless of course she has a mental breakdown and has to endure a "introspective rundown". A process where a scientologist who has had a mental breakdown is forced into solitary introspection with the help of a blindfold and a mouth gag. Lisa Mcpherson had a car accident while studing to be a Scientologist at their headquarters in Clearwater Florida. Although she was not seriously injured in the accident she stripped off her clothes and began to babble. She was taken to the psyche ward of the hospital until a Scientology "away team" came and collected her. In the care of her "church", She died ten days later, showing signs of starvation, dehydration and small insect bites throughout her body. Maybe this is just something to make fun of and I may get a legal email for sayign this but : Sceintology is one of the creepiest things I have ever encountered. If you don't believe me check this out.

On Being

2007.03.05 12:31

The Washington Post has a new online video project called: On Being. They post new videos of everday people each week. So far they have a wide range of people from a nun to a gay man. Each person has a short one sentence quote and a 3-7 min video interview. The project is described by them like this "onBeing is a full screen interactive video feature that takes you into the musings, passions, histories and quirks of all sorts of people. If we learn who they are we can learn btter who we are". The site is pretty slick, from a design perspective, and if they keep adding interesting content it seems like a great idea.

EyeTV - Hybrid

2007.03.01 13:41

Every once and a while I come across a technology that really gets me excited! The last time I got this excited they had just perfected streaming multi-track audio onto a laptop through the USB ports. Now I am excited about a new piece of gear called EyeTV Hybrid. It allows you to watch tv (HD, Digital and Normal Analog) right on your apple laptop. That is pretty cool by itself but the best feature is the Tivo-like features. You can pause, rewind, record and edit LIVE TV. The software is really easy to use and the features are incredible! Within seconds (I mean it) it was up and running and I was ready to record. Not only can you simply press the "record" button, you can also schedule it to auto record shows and it will even wake your computer up and tune to the correct channel. You can hook up a VCR or DVD player and encode them to digital format for playing in KeyNote or Powerpoint presentations. You can burn them to DVD right within the same slick software that allows you to edit out the commercials. The signal quality is great even though my cable signal isn't very reliable on its own. It also has a digital antenna for those who live in the States. Most large cities in the states broadcast 18-25 HDTV channels for free over a digital format. That means that you can even use it wirelessly while on the go. Literally seconds after I plugged it in, the first channel it was tuned to was CBC. It was one of my favorite shows, The Hour, and the guest was my dad's favorite musical artist : Meatloaf. I quickly hit the record button and caught the last three minutes of Him comparing his newest Bat Out of Hell 3 album to Abbey Road and Sgt Peppers. Just last night I recorded three interesting things on-the-fly: The Meatloaf interview on The HourA Strange Cartoon about Jesus Freaksand an episode of The SopranosIf you are interested in getting into the digital television recording world and don't want to shell out the cash for a Tivo (or Cable Bahamas' $500 digital set top box) then the EyeTV Hybrid is for you! That is if you use a Mac!

Zodiac

2007.03.03 18:59

There are several things that make a true crime case stick into the collective awareness. Only a handful of murder cases, that do not involve famous people, rise out of the thousands of murders that happen each year. The case of the Zodiac Killer in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s is one of those cases. Besides the mystery of it never being solved, add to that a laundry list of bizarre costumes, crytograms and theories involving the alignment of astrological bodies. The film, Zodiac, is more a story about the effects of those mysteries on the lives of most of the people who came in contact with the insanity close-up, than it is a thriller based on the actual crimes. The story follows the lead detectives, San Fran reporters and a rookie cartoonist as they slowly become unraveled as they face the frustrations of not being able to find answers that lead to the identity of the Zodiac. The movie places you in the mindset of a detective investigating a case that is far too complex and strange to ever really get to the bottom of. I enjoyed the movie although it felt disappointing towards the end. I have visited this site in the past and was already fairly sure that the suspect presented in the film is most likely the true Zodiac. However while I was creating the above graphic for this post I had a bit of investigative inspiration. I think I may have discovered the identity of the true Zodiac. At first I spent some time working with the zodiac's own signature logo. As I manipulated it, it started to remind me of another symbol that I had seen quite a lot. That's right, it is a dead ringer for the AQAL symbol used by Ken Wilber to explain his "All Quandrants, All Lines" philosophy on reality. It seemed at first a silly notion but then I began to dig even deeper and I found this early wanted poster created in early 1970.It is a known fact that Ken Wilber was "surfing and meditating" in California during the years that the Zodiac was active. It is also a fact that the last Zodiac letter was sent in 1971. In 1978 Ken Wilber completed his first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness after "working on it for almost ten years". I think someone should look into this. Ken has been behind two other movie franchises in the past so why not Zodiac as well? I won't sleep until I figure this out, for certian........

Anna Nicole's Memorial

2007.03.02 12:51

Today was the first of two scheduled memorial services for Anna Nicole Smith. As luck would have it, the service was held at a little Baptist church that sits about 100 yards from my fiance's office window. She was able to snap these photos from the event. I wasn't at the service but I saw a few moments on the Tele while getting a Red Bull from the liquer store. The frist image I saw on the screen was of the two disputed baby-daddies Larry Birkhead and Howard K Stern. Right next to them in a very fly white suit was my friend , and Anna's personal dance instructor, Mervin Smith. It has been a media circus here and it is not letting up anytime soon. We are expecting over 20,000 members o the media for the upcoming inquest into the death of Anna's son Daniel. I may have to go down to the courts one morning and break out the Vultures Go Home song one more time for the assembled media vultures. Check out a video of the casket being carried into the church here.I heard a reporter on tv last night say "even decomposing is 'better in the Bahamas'"!

This is My Life : Wes Anderson

2007.02.27 20:42

This little gem was a high point of the oscars telecast. It's a new Amex commercial directed by Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore ,The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic) The ad is very nicely shot and gets a lot out of its short 2min playtime. The rest of the Oscars had a few high points - the wonderful choice to allow film makers to create the montages between awards. I particularly liked the one on Writers. I thought that Ellen was funny and helped the show not feel so stale. I liked the people behind the curtians making shapes - Snakes on a Plane and such.

Jesus Hates it...

2007.02.27 23:53

This little picture made me smile so I had to post it so I will see it randomly years from now and laugh about it again! It has been one week and still no cigarettes. I am still feeling unwavering in my choice to become a non-smoker. The physical withdrawls are a bit more uncomfortable than earlier in the week but nothing to complain about. Its as if the EASYWAY book did some kind of hypnosis on me - and the other million sof people who have been successful in quitting after they read it.

How to Stop Smoking the EASYWAY

2007.02.23 08:10

I have smoked on and off for a number of years and have treid a few different methods of trying to stop. I have tried the patch, the gum, the "i-am-going-to-smoke-so-many-that-i-get-sick-of-them" method and all in vain. Last year I had moderate success with the patch (I stopped for about nine weeks). Still the process was very difficult and I found myself very frustrated and angry most of the time especially the first few days. I remember going through hour long will-power sessions, fighting the urge to run out and buy a pack. I even woke up out of a sound sleep and as I was coming into my mind, I realized I was digging in a trashbag that I had thrown my old butts into and hoping to just get a taste of nicotine. I remember being depressed, especially the first days, about the fact that I was having to give up something that I appeared to love (and also hate at the same time). Well, as you may have already guessed, I decided to read the hugely popular book by anti-smoking guru Alan Carr: How to Stop Smoking the EasyWay. I had sme major doubts that a book could really make the process of quitting smoking any easier but I had seen Ashton Kutcher talking about how he stopped smoking after reading the book and I make it a point to try to follow in Ashton's footsteps (you've been punked, beotch!) The book was not what I expected at all. It is basically a reverse engineering of the addictive cycle. Most of the book is one long decontruction of the idea that smoking is something that people enjoy. At first I was not agreeing with him on this and for the first 40 pages I kept saying, "No I really do enjoy much about smoking!" But slowly as the book progressed, I really began to open my mind to another way of looking at the "habit". Rather than scaring you with the health or financial reasons for stopping, Carr simply goes to the heart of the issue and helps you see that thinking you enjoy smoking is like "banging your head against a wall so you can enjoy the pleasure of stopping". It has been two days and I am actually enjoying the process! I do not feel as though I am giving anything up. I feel as though I am being freed from a prison that I had not even realized that I was locked within. I am just as surprised as anyone that I feel this way but I have to say this little book is a very effective aid in rethinking your relationship to addictions. Much of what he says applies to almost anything that you might be addicted to. Not only am I finding it easy to stop smoking but I am really energized and excited about what my life will be like in a few weeks when I will feel the health benifits of not daily breathing poison. I am not down on smokers and I am not going to turn into a self-righteous ex-smoker. I sympathize with addictions and will only seek to love those that struggle with addictions of various forms. But as for me, i know that I will never smoke another cigarette as long as I live and that is not a depressing thought but one that I am rejoicing! YIIIIIIIPPPPPIIIIEEEEE!

The Best iPod Add-on!

2007.02.23 07:32

In the ongoing quest to put all availible technology into the palm of our hands, a new add-on for the iPod has just taken it to another level: The iBreath is both an FM transmitter and fully functional breathalizer machine rolled into one. So you are out at a club and are not sure if you have had too many, there is no need to worry, simply pull out your iPod (you certianly had it in your pocket as a plan b in case the evening was un-exciting and you needed to retreat to the saftey of your digital music and video library). Besides saving people from harm and DUI violations, having your very own pocket breathalizer might also curb other drunkeness related mishaps. Before you make a fool out of yourself by attempting to "pop that collar" in a wildly drunken frenzy or before you make a pronouncement of love to the "lovely" lady/man that you just met on the way to the toilets, check to make sure that you are not past the legal limit for love - or dancing!

Learning to be Transformed

2007.02.18 13:49

This week I spoke at our community on the topic of the spiritual disciplines and particularly fasting. We are about to enter into the season of Lent and this message was a way of preparing our community to engage Lent in a new way as a tool for spiritual growth and transformation. You can check out the sermon here and a little movie of the slides I used here. Please feel free to make any comments! I used Dallas Willard's "The Spirit of the Disciplines" as the main thrust of the message with a bit of creative sampling from one of my favorite speakers from up north. For all the hockey fans out there, I give a quick shout out to Bryan McCabe, my cousin the NHL hockey player.

Its Almost Election Time

2007.02.19 06:45

It has been a very interesting week here in the Bahamas. With the escalating Anna Nicole drama, our Minister of Immigration, Shane Gibson, has resigned his post in after pictures of him kissing Anna Nicole Smith appeared on the front page of our largest newspaper, The Tribune. When I first heard the news, early last week, that someone had broken into the house where Anna was staying, I knew things were going to get ugly. The intial news reports all mentioned that computers and computer discs were stolen in the break in. The next morning in the paper we saw a short series of photos showing Shane and Anna almost kissing. The pictures themselves are not all that interesting. The kind that you see from almost every birthday party where the guests are celebrating with the host. The next day, Shane and his wife appeared to explain the context of the pictures and that their whole family was at the party and in the room when the "shocking" images were taken. It made little difference because a ground swell of negative energy had already began to circle around Mr Gibson and his special treatment of Anna Nicole. Lets put it this way, the average wait for a legitmate permant residency grant is about 1-2 years. Anna was granted hers in less than one month. During the upcoming elections I am sure that we will here more about the misadventures of our current cabinet ministers but the truth is I am still saddened by the whole affair. It just seems to be everywhere on TV. Maybe it is so we don't realize that over 150 people were killed in Iraq on Saturday.

Do You Need a BahamaVention?

2007.02.17 09:36

About three weeks ago I began to notice a series of strange, but well executed TV ads for the Bahamas appearing in many primetime slots. last week right before the Grammy's began on CBS they played one of these "Bahamavention" ads. It seems that our Ministry of Tourism has really upped the ante with regards to our media presence. last night I noticed that The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is a proud sponser of E's wildly irreverant TV wrap up/commentary show Talk Soup. During an in show segment they mentioned the Bahamas and particularly the Bahamavention campaign. You can check out the very tongue-in-cheek website for the campaign here. I am actually pleased to see that our government is entering the modern world and employing cutting edge ad stratagies to their marketing campaign. A few years ago a couple of my friends worked on a big budget film/web project for the tourism ministry that resulted in this bright and shiny website, and now they are taking the same level of intention to their television ads. I think it is a bit strange that these ads are in heavy rotation during a time when our country is being mentioned almost every hour in news reports about the ongoing Anna Nicole Smith drama. Just in the last two days I have the following from cable news outlets such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News (just kidding I don't watch Foxnews!): "The Bahamas is known for crime and the fact that Anna Nicole's former residence was broken into is only par for the course""The Bahamas has the most dated and inefficient court system and this will make the fight for custody very tricky.""The Bahamas Minister of Immigration and Anna Nicole had a "flagrently sexual relationship". I guess Anna Nicole failed to have a successful Bahamavention.

Welcome Official Opening

2007.02.16 13:08

The official opening of the public art project Welcome happened on Feb 15th at 6pm. The event included short speeches by the three sponsors Clint Kemp (New Providence Community Church), George MarcAntonius (Kerzner Intl) and The Ministry of Tourism Minister, Obie Wilscomb. It was great to see the acceptance and excitement that was poured out on the project and the recognition to the artists whose vision made the project a strong statement overall. It must be said that from the NPCC side of things, this project would no have happened without the constant effort (and sometimes struggle =) of Gillian Watson - You Go Girl! Check out the video to hear the speeches and to get a sense of what the evening felt like.

Re-Design Complete!

2007.02.13 22:26

After a few weeks of various tweaks and additions, I think seeward.com is finished with this round of redesigning. Now its time to focus on posting again! I am really going to see if I can push the limits of this site this year. Meaning that I am going to try to upload as much information as possible and really pack it full. It is has always functioned as a kind-of journal but I am going to kick it up a notch and try to draw some larger purpose out of the random postings. When I last checked the database, I had over 550 posts so far. That's over the last 2 years. You can always browse through the older posts by using the little post sorter on the top right of this page. Choose the catagory you want and hit the "go" button. Stick around the seeward universe, you just might learn something!

Read Print

2007.02.14 14:32

Read Print.com is an interesting place to find tons of free books and other writings online. One of the coolest things is that you can search through the text of the books offered. Clearly due to copywrite restrictions, they have an abundance of classics that have fallen into the public domain but some of the classics are worth reading: 1984, The Origin of Species and a whole boat-load of Sherlock Holmes titles. Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is among the many offered and certianly a timely read given the current morphing of eastern and western ideas about all things spiritual. Along with the long form fiction and non-fiction titles, they have an impressive list of essays, articles and poetry as well. If you are into reading the classics in a new way or just wanting to use the cool search feature to see how often Arthur Conan Doyle used the word Hashish in His writings (55) you should check our Readprint.com here.

The USAnti-Heroes

2007.02.12 11:54

You must check out The USAnti-Heroes! You may even recognize some of the heroes' alter egos. They have a very entertaining video from last year's Buy Nothing Day. The Jubilee Jester looks very familiar!

The Grammys : 07

2007.02.12 11:35

Every year I watch the Grammys with my computer open. Here are the results: The Police sounded rather tight(they also sounded loose in the appropriate places) given that they haven't played together in more than a few years. I wonder of a new album is in the works? Overall I wasn't overly impressed with their performance. I was hoping for a medly or even a rearrangment that took them in new directions but I guess you don't mess with a good thing. Tony Bennet saying this "I want to thankTarget, the best sponser I ever worked for!" right after Stevie Wonder dedicated the Grammy to his late mother was a strange clash of values. Speaking of Target there was an ad with The Beatles Hello Goodbye in the background (is Michael Jackson responsibile for this? Is he selling off the rights to Beatles songs to ads to pay he huge debt? Prince's one word introduction of Beyonce. I am glad Mary J because her blowing through an extra long list of names was a bit disappointing. I wanted to hear from her at least she thanked Jesus first! =) Her second speech had a little bit message to it - the peak of fame can expose who you really are. I liked Justin Timberlake's performance but I could do without the JT in-your-face cam. The tribute to James Brown was sensational !! It was clearly a year for the Dixie Chicks (or at least anti-war sentiments being validated) and Rick Rubin, Both winning multiple awards. The Arctic Monkeys went home empty-handed and that is a shame because their album blows the doors off of The (once mighty) Red Hot Chili Peppers. I have grown tired of the RHCP as of late and particularly Anthony Keidis' mumbled nonsense. James Blunt also failed to win an award after being nominated for five. It was cool to hear Bob Wills' San Antonio Rose! I have been in love with Mr Will's and his Texas Playboys. I remember I was accidentally sent a recording of His Greatest Hits from one of those pre-internet monthly music clubs. I decided to open it and give it a listen partly because of the connection to Gram Parsons but also because of the crazy sequined suits that the Playboys were wearing on the cover. I wonder why the Eagles didn't perform to celebrate their life-time achievement award? Rascal Flats played some note-for-note renditions in their place while Don Henley was honored with another award from the music cares foundation. All in all it was a good show from a musical standpoint - much better than a few years back when almost every song performed was hip-hop. Once again I would like to thank - target!

seeward in worship

2007.02.11 20:34

My friend Derek took some great images during practice for this morning's worship service. I like the way that he captured the motion in my arm. They came out so well I used one for the header image on the music page.

Drawing the Line @ Popop Gallery

2007.02.10 08:59

I checked out the latest exhibition at John Cox's Popop gallery. Popop Studios is a sort-of home base for a group of Bahamian artists who are looking to push the definitions and appreciations furhter in our culture. I really love what these guys do and many of the Popop artists are among my favorite artists working in our country. You can check out more info and work at PopopStudios.com. This newest show "Drawing the Line" did not disappoint. I really liked John Cox's new work, especially a large piece with the name of his new-born son "shelter" adorning the center. Michael Edwards also had some very interesting large scale dot matrix looking pieces that invited mor focused stares from those attending the show. Jason Bennet's emotionally dense pieces are always a highlight for me and this time the work seemed more engaging than the last show I attended. Heino Schmidt, who is always three intellectual steps ahead of my expectations, created four pieces (two photographs and two pencil drawings) that were interconnected in subject matter. Blue Curry created a series of little illustrations that really made me laugh. He recreated, in visual and textual forms, the various bits of spam that invades everyone's inbox (viagra, fake rolexs and penis enlargement pills!) You can count on Blue to always be very accesible and deeply conceptual at the same time and that is a huge strength!I was very impressed with the progression in Toby Lunn's work. He has been pushing the boundaries of his style for the last few years and I feel he has finaly hit upon a very natural and vibrant combination of his love for bold colors and his inner zen attitude. You can see more of Toby's work here. We are blessed that in such a relatively small country there is still a core of artists who are willing and able to keep pushing art forward!

kejanard.com

2007.02.09 12:13

My friend Kenard has been working up his first website for a good while now - you can check it out here. He has some great images from both here in Nassau and in jamaica along with some up-to-date tech news from all across the web.

Welcome

2007.02.08 15:43

I taught my friend Gillian how to use iMovie and she made this little film for the upcoming launch of the Welcome art installation on the grounds at NPCC. The piece is officially being unvieled this week with dignitaries and important folks like the artists Antonius Roberts and Tyrone Ferguson and members of Government. Good job on the video, Gill!

Shane Claiborne

2007.02.05 22:13

I found a great video of Shane speaking at a youth event on youtube. It seems that Jamie Moffett (another founding member of The Simple Way in North Philly, has been posting videos of Shane and their Another world is Possible project. Jamie has some great media skills and it was nice to see some videos of Shane infiltrating the web-i-verse.

Anna Nicole Smith Dies

2007.02.08 14:57

I would never have considered myself a fan of Anna Nicole Smith but, since she appeared emotionally naked in her train-wreck of a reality show, I have felt a bit sorry for her. I realize that she has used nakedness in many forms to draw the public attention that she so desperately needed but I am still saddened by her passing. She didn't seem like an evil person but simply one that was broken and desperate. So desperate that she willingly allowed the media to lead her in a dance that sucked every marrow of shame(and sensational news headlines) out of her poor choices and psychological weaknesses. She might have courted the kind of life story that could have only led to her eventual demise, but she was still a mother of a little baby girl. It seems that the fight for that little baby will get even more intense if she is the sole heir to Anna's inheritance. A few months ago, when her son died, I wrote a song called "Vultures Go Home". We had driven to the house she was living in here in Nassau to perform the song in front of the assembled media. I really felt for the desperation for her situation and the way that the public was eating it up. Later I heard that she sold pictures of her son, taken in the hospital the night before he died - for over $600,000. Why does the media feed off of people's pain and scandal? Why is scandal an effective PR strategy for celebrities who's lives are falling apart?May God rest her soul.

Nicole's Birthday

2007.02.04 16:40

Saturday was Nicole's birthday and we had a wonderful time celebrating! We gathered at one of our favorite restaurants Indigo. Another treat was that our friends band Sway was performing that night so the place was packed full of good times! Check out the video to share in the experience! Nicole looked amazing(you'd never guess she was turning 25 ;-) and we all had a fantastic time! It works best to pause the video after hitting play. Then after a good portion loads you can begin the video again and playback will be much smoother.

DVD : I Know I'm Not Alone

2007.02.02 12:06

I posted several months ago on the fantastic album "Yell Fire!" by Michael Franti and Spearhead. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to catch a quick interview with Franti on CBC's the Hour. He was much more laid back and relaxed than I had pictured him. He was promoting his new DVD release "I Know I'm Not Alone" which documents his cultural travels throught the war torn Middle East. The DVD is a powerful little piece of guerilla film-making at its best. Scenes of families crowded into bombed out apartment buildings enjoying each others company and Franti's manic folk strumming. He bumps into a few musicians as well as some US military soldiers during happy hour. What is revealed is exactly what he says was his purpose for the trip and the film: to highlight the human cost of war. This is not so much a preachy anti-war movie as much as it is a pro-life movie. Franti has an odd charisma even when it is clear that much cultural differences seperate him from those he meets and entertains along the way. The most moving scene for me was an impromtu performance, in Iraq, for about 20 US Marines who were taking a few minutes away from trying to survive. He played a song called "We can Bomb the world to pieces but we can't bomb it into peace!" His song choice showed that he had courage to sing such an obviously anti-war song to soldiers who had beers in one hand and M16's in the other. Through the voice over we learn that he was acually quite intimidated by the soldiers at first. After the performace they said that they repected him for coming in to their space and singing such a confrontational song. Many of the soldiers expressed that they no longer supported the war and that they were just trying to stay alive long enough to go home safely and this was three years ago! What I respect about Franti is his strong convictions and his commitment to showing love to people on both sides of the issue. He doesn't condemn the soldiers who are, for the most part, just doing their jobs in a difficult situation. In fact through his lyrics on Yell Fire you can see that the real focus of his judgments are those in power who send people off to war without ever having to face the horror of war themselves (are you listening GWB?) Those who start wars never fight them Those who fight wars never like them If you buy the DVD be sure to check out the Arab rappers in the special features section - kickin' it Mulim style. Music is truely the only universal language!

Smokin' Aces

2007.01.31 18:31

Jeremy Piven leads an ensemble cast of half-wit thugs, lunatics, professional killers and professional killer-chasers. The first thirty minutes of this film were promising: lots of witty dialogue and smooth cuts between the various storylines but the payoff never came. Suddenly everything devolved into a poorly executed splatter flick that owes much to Pulp Fiction and Snatch in the style department. Some notable appearances by Alicia Keys and Common. Both of them were strong on screen with Alicia playing a semi-professional semi-lesbian hit woman and Common playing a smoother than ice member of Piven's entourage. Piven hits all the right notes as a drug crazed and paranoid entertainer with mob connections but the silly plot twist at the end leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. If this movie could have delivered on the setup and sustained its wit, it would have been fantastic. However it ends up being a rough and tumble wanna-be stylish gangster movie that could have been a great one.

Dis Be Meez!

2007.01.30 17:59

I just came across a "create your own avatar" site called MEEZ. You can easily create your own online identity by browsing through their selection of hipster clothing. There are plenty of very cool fashions to choose from, and like the real world, you have to pay for the nicer items. I was still able to get pretty close to the way I would present myself in a virtual world! I guess its a sign of the average age of their users that none of the customizable characters look older than 18 years. Still a fun site to check out for creating your own little online character.

Paradise Dive Charters and The Signature Deli

2007.01.30 15:06

I just finished up a new site design for Paradise Dive Charters. Corey and Monica has an exciting dive operation running with a personal touch. With a wide ranging set of options for dive trips and any level of training you might need. The site was fun to work on and I tried some new design techniques that I have been exploring lately. Also I designed a site for The Signature Deli. My friend Snucky Miller opened it up a few weeks ago!You can check out fantastic live Jazz from 8-11pm on Friday nights.

Oh Snap!

2007.01.30 14:50

snap.com is looking to move industry giant google off its database code driven throne. It has one of the coolest image searching interfaces that I have ever seen but the coolest feature is the nifty little popups that now grace the, newly designed, seeward.com.About the new design, I am still doing some tweaks to add new features so stay tuned! For now here is a list of cool sites that you can test out the previews: The Simple Way Wired News Warhol Blog TED Blog

Platinum Soldiers

2007.01.30 09:06

This weekend at npcc we had Carlos Reid as a guest speaker. Carlos used to be the leader of one of the largest street gangs in Nassau. Since the early 90's, He has been running Youth Against Violence. At the end of his talk he introduced The Platinum Soldiers, a hiphop group made up of boys and young men from his ministry. The video is about 10 minutes long so you might need to pause it, after hitting play, to let some of the video stream load. This will ensure a smooth playback.

How (Not) to Speak of God

2007.01.24 09:58

I haven't reviewed a book in quite awhile. I have read a few but have not found anything particularly remarkable. I just re-read Peter Rollins book How (Not) to Speak of God. I enjoyed it much better the second time around. Peter is a well versed writer that blends philosophy and rigorous thought with Biblical reflection and a healthy dose of narrative illustrations. There is much to think about in this little book with a cover that looks like someone spilled thier latte on it. Rather than going through all the ideas that I was intrigued by, I will just highlight the one that proved most helpful to me personally. In a section called "Truth as Soteriological Event", Rollins unpacks the Absolute vs Relative Truth debate by shattering both positions. Looking at 1 John's "Anyone who love's has seen God because God is love", he shows that a proper biblical view of truth is not the Absolute truth position that is based on propositions designed to describe "the real" or "Truth". What he ends up saying is that we only know Truth (God, Love ...) through our relationship to it. So instead of accepting some descriptions of truth that are meant to represent "The Truth" we instead, experience Truth and are therefore transformed by it. This position not only shows the weakness in the absolute/relative debate but also drives a wedge at the core of our Christian obessions with "correct belief". This point, and many other just as profound points, are made in simple language and illustrated like a masterful sage. I look forward to reading more from this deep thinking Irishman from Belfast!

Sex, Gardening and God

2007.01.23 09:13

I just finished a three week series at our community entitled : Being Human : Sex, Gardening and God. We explored themes of The Kingdom of God vs the kingdoms of our modern world. You can check out each week's message and a final song below: Part One: This message sets a biblical framework for the series by looking at the temptations of Jesus in Luke's gospel. Part Two: During this message we looked at advertising and how it is geared to our basic human needs for : Love, Security and Power. Part Three: Looking at passages from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6) we wrapped up the series by reflecting on Jesus invitation to a new kind of life. We Will Find No Rest: I wrote this song after reading the Confessions of St. Augustine. I found many of the ideas in The Confessions were very relevant to our world and the struggle of following Jesus' way of Being Human.

Permanently Seeward

2007.01.12 13:15

About 17 years ago, shortly after I had my first powerful encounter with God, I had a series of extremely vivid dreams. I have forgotten many of the details of the dreams except the following: I was waiting in a long line outside of what I thought was a club. There were hundreds of other people waiting in the line and I was pretty far from the front. A man in a monk's type robe, carrying a clipboard, came through the line and ushered me to the front. I was inspected by the attendants and led into the building which resembled, on the outside, an old catherdral. Once inside it looked like a very large corner store, sort of like a 7-11 but with a bit of a starbucks flavor. As I roamed the isles checking out the twinkies and various flavors of beef jerky, I noticed that there was a small stage in the far corner. The stage was set up with instruments for a band but no one was playing. I walked closer to the stage and laid down on the floor. The ceiling of the store/club/church was painted with natural looking clouds and even a little moon peeking out through the bright lights. As I laid there, the most beautiful and soaring music began to play. It was such amazing music that I didn't even look up to see if it was being played live or who was playing it. I was just enjoying it to the fullest. I remember that it was similar to early Pink Floyd with a soulful and lyrical guitar lead at the center. I don't remember many other details except that when the monk let me through the line he checked off something on his clipboard. I caught a quick glance at what was written on his paper. It was a long list of names and, when he opened the door for me to enter, he had placed a check mark next to the name - seeward For the next few days I had more dreams where I was referred to as seeward by either myself or other people in my dream. I even remember one where my guitar was speaking to me and, before me and my guitar got into a huge disagreement, my guitar had called me seeward. I became convinced that these dreams and the name seeward were connected to the experience of God that I had enjoyed a few days earlier. At the time I hadn't read much of the Bible. A few years later, after I had read more of the Bible, I discovered that it was common for God to rename people after experiences with Him. (Saul had become Paul etc) It seemed to be God's way of marking a conversion or rebirth in someone's life. Since then I have seen seeward as my spiritual name. The name for the way God sees me. Nine years ago when I started this website I registered seeward.com and have always seen this space as a collection box for the things that I am learning, searching for, creating, baffled by, inspired by or just simply things that resonate within my spirit. I am still Christian McCabe but I am slowly learning to become seeward.

John Cox Works

2007.01.22 14:57

Bahamian Artist John Cox has a newly designed personal portfolio site here. I am a big fan fo John's work and the proud owner of a few of his furniture designs. Check out his new site for photos of new works and lots of info about his work. On a connected note the collective at popop studios has a tasteful facelift as well.

Alphadog

2007.01.20 08:41

I went to see this movie for one reason: I wanted to see if JT was indeed a triple threat dancer, singer and actor. Most people have seen the A&E doc about the sad real life events that inspire this depressing tale of suburban excess so I was really just interested in seeing the actors. Before I say anymore, I have to say that JT held it together rather well considering he only had to learn about three lines and repeat them on cue : "Dude, F$%K!" , "Don't F$%K with me, dude!", and "Dude, I'll F%$K you up!" On my way into the theatre, the attendant was stopping three obviously 12-13 year-olds at the door telling them that they had to be at least 18 to see the film. About a minute into the film I had to go back out to tell the attendant that the movie was showing off centre and part of it was being projected onto the wall and curtian instead of the screen. (something that never got fixed by the way) I went out just in time to hear the attendant telling the same 12-13 yearolds that he had spoken with his boss and they were now allowed to go inside and watch the film! @#&@%#&@%#&! I could say a great deal about the excessive language, drugs, sex and violence of this film but it's enough to say there is NO WAY 12-13 year-old JT fans should be allowed in to see it! So about the movie, it was a bomb blast of overacting and mindless gansta posing (Ben Foster seems like he was in a Kung Fu movie the way his intensity boarders on absurd) Throughout the film I kept reminding myself that this was inspired by true events and that the kind of lunacy that was being portrayed actually happened 2000. (at least the core events because I am sure a great deal of it was hyped up for the drama of film) The movie left me with the same feeling I had after reading Less Than Zero. I just wanted to reach into the story and shake some sense into the characters. If you too are curious about JT's acting wait for this to come on cable. Having seen the film, for me, the jury is still out!

Davis on Frisbee

2007.01.18 07:38

I posted some thoughts, a few months ago, about the documentary Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher. Last year while I was in LA, I had the chance to view the film and meet the director/producer David Di Sabitini. I was moved and inspired by the film on many levels. Recently Erik Davis wrote a review of the film (here ) I love the way the Davis writes and he does a good job of both summarizing the best parts of the film and connecting Frisbee's story to a much larger movement of alternate spiritual currents that flow through California. You can order your own copy of the film here or you can learn more about the strange and wonderful story of Lonnie here.

How God Works

2007.01.15 10:15

Ring the bells that still can ringForget the perfect offeringThere's a crack in everythingThat's how the light gets in-Leonard CohenThis morning I was having a peaceful quiet time and I came across this little flower growing out of the cracks in the pavement. Many years ago Clint Kemp used this very idea of a flower growing through the cracks in concrete in a sermon about How God Works. At one point we were even trying to hire a photographer to stage a similar image so we could use it in our services. Well this morning as I saw the flower I felt God's presence in a powerful way. It was as if God was saying that even when everything looks broken and hard, new life and beauty can pour forth from the cracks. I thank God for this little reminder!

Signature Deli Opening

2007.01.14 16:17

My friend Snucky (the best bass player I have ever met!) just opened a new deli called the signature deli. I went to the grand opeing on Friday to hear his new band Pneuma play some smooth and funky jazz. The deli has a nice starbucks type feel and the food is very good. During the weekends they are going to feature some interesting jazz combos. The band sounded amazing (trust me because the audio from the video camera doesn't do it justice) Remember to pause the video aftering hitting play. That will allow some of it to load and the ensure the viewing will be smooth.

I Shop Therefore I am

2007.01.09 09:37

Recently I came across two articles that were a bit disturbing to my naturally contrary personality. One was about the new trend in merchandising that has shop managers rearranging merchandise in their store based on computer data of how shoppers navigate through the store. They feed the security videos through a pattern recognition program that shows them what areas of the store are "Hot Spots". What they found out was that placement of a product is almost more important than the product itself. You might have an item that sits way in the dark corners of the shop, not selling so well. Once it is moved to the "Hot Spot" it begins to sell rapidly. We are talking about all kinds of things from air conditioners to car wax. This might not come as a surprise that product placement is important, especially if you've ever bought a magazine or a pack of juicy fruit gum while waiting in line at a grocery store. The thing that concerns me a bit is that technology is being leveraged against the consumer in an invisible way that seems dehumanizing. Feeding shoppers behaviors into a pattern recognition program seems to reduce human beings to sets of behaviors that can be manipulated and exploited. I realize that all major North American retailers have been using psychological ways of manipulating the behaviors of their shoppers but this new wave seems to be a more direct avenue of coercion. The second article represents an even deeper level of invasion. You can read about it here. Researchers from three well known universities are hooking shoppers up to fMRI machines and recording the brain wave patterns that change as shoppers make choices on what to purchase. For now the research is just in the lab but all signs would point toward some form of brain scanning eventually making their way into retail outlets. The study has shown that people have different reactions and thresholds for what they think is "too expensive". Can you imagine a future where the prices of items are scaled up to suit the reactions of consumers. When a more affluent person enters a store the prices might automatically adjust to reflect thier higher income and therefore their higher threshold for deciding when something is too expensive. I am planning to write a few commentaries on a few TV ads that have caught my attention lately, if I can find them online. For now, Jesus wants you to curb your consumption!

Big News!

2007.01.02 07:31

Click here to see the exciting news!

Triston and Chase

2006.12.21 08:59

My cousin Margo and her husband Scott just had twin boys! Triston Barry and Chase Anthony Farrington are both healthy and loaded with cute!

Celebrity Saints

2006.12.19 09:05

A recent study has revealed that children under 10 think that being a celebrity is the "best thing in the world". God was only ranked number 10 in best things in the world. having good looks and being rich were the number two and three choices. Read more here. The kids also gave a list of the most famous people in the world and Jesus made it to number four, outranked by Madonna, Tony Blair and Simon Cowell. Did I mention that these were kids from the UK. I would love to see a similar study with american children. One of the hopeful things is that the survey also revealed that kids would put an end to "wars" and "knives and guns". Here is the complete list of best things in the world from the ten year old universe: 1.Being a celebrity2. Having good looks3. Being rich4. Being healthy5. Pop Music6. Family7. Friends8. Nice food9. Watching movies10. Heaven/God I recently saw a study that showed that what kids learn up to age 7 determines a great deal of how their worldview will crystalize. Its worth taking a moment to reflect on the fact that we live in a world that teaches kids that it is far better to be famous, rich and good looking than to be healthy or to know God. In our culture Brad Pitt must be the messiah because he is off the charts on the rich, famous and goodlooking scale. If there is anything positive to find in Brad's qualities as savior it is that he is raising awareness for global poverty issues. Maybe celebrity really is the new sainthood for our post everything future?

Another Round

2006.12.18 10:06

I have been out of comission lately from another round of kidney stones. I should be back to normal posting soon!

Vultures Go Home

2006.12.11 15:30

A few months ago when Anna Nicole Smiths son died here in Nassau, it was a particularly slow news week. All the major cable news channels (msnbc, e, court tv) all send video crews to camp out in front of her house. Something about the circus seemed inhumane and so we wrote a little song! We went down to play it in front of the cameras but thankfully it rained and the crews scattered like roaches!

Clergy

2006.12.04 20:33

This clip is from the Aids Day Concert ot NPCC. It features Clergy performing Refuse to Shine. The beginning of our set was a little rough in the mixing department but by this song things began to settle in better.

Andrew Jones and Spirithouse 2

2006.12.04 16:53

Here is Andrew Jones and Spirithouse performing Rushin Through the Crowd at the Aids Day Concert at NPCC. You can see the crowd was well into the music!

Anku Eneas

2006.12.04 09:27

This clip for the Ads Day Concert features spoken word artist Anku Eneas performing his piece Tonez. Anku aslo performed some soulful new songs as well!

Andrew Jones and Spirithouse

2006.12.03 19:11

Here is a video of Andrew Jones and his band Spirithouse playing at the Aids day concert on Dec 1st 2006 at NPCC. They are playing one of my favorite songs Doctor Doctor. The lovely Nicole is singing with the band! More highlights are on the way if you missed the live webcast.

Aids Day Concert at NPCC

2006.11.30 07:56

On Friday night Dec 1st, we are having an HIV/AIDS awareness benifit concert to raise money for the Bahamas AIDS Foundation. The show will be packed full of wonderful and inspiring arts such as: Anku and Leah Eneas, Vision, Andrew Jones and Spirithouse and my band Clergy plus more. The show will be webcast live at this link. The link will only work during the actual show time between 7and11pm eastern standard time. If you have the chance check it out!

Seeward is a Sports Racer

2006.11.29 14:10

I have been loving the wonderful daily video shows posted by zefrank. He is so intelligent and funny that I can't get enough. I recently sent in a little intro for his show and if you check out the video above you can see that today he used my intro! Now my hairy face will be beamed out to thousands of internet citizens.

Monster Jam

2006.11.25 09:58

This little guy is the lead guitar player in the all clay band FunkBots! He has a prototype guitar made out of silicone so it feels squishy and has tons of sustain! Stay tuned for the rest of his bandmates!

Casino Royale

2006.11.21 12:48

Wow! I loved this movie! I have been a sort-of James Bond fan my whole life but the last few bond films have left me flat. It seemed as if the over the top violence and too perfect demeanor of 007 didn't fit very well with the ultrarealism that some of my other favorite movies offered. Casino Royale is a wonderful blend of both the Bond mystique and the ultra realistic. The new Bond is a bit more thuggish than the previous incarnations and this is a very good thing. It makes Bond seem more able to fight for his life and take on the evil baddies. In this installment we get to see James before he had acquired many of his trademarks: tuxedo, shaken martinis, and sexist manipulation of women. One of my high points was seeing my buddy AJ's face filling half the screen as an extra in a Madagascar snake vs mongoose betting circle. Much of the film was shot here in Nassau, so it was also a thrill to see James driving his aston martin on the same road I take to work every morning. If you like james Bond or just like well executed action films - go see this movie!

Johnny Cash : A Hundred Highways

2006.11.17 14:09

If heartaches brought fame in love's crazy game, I'd be a legend in my time. If they gave gold statuettes for tears and regrets, I'd be a legend in my time. Over the last ten years of Johnny Cash's life he spent much of his free time hanging out with super producer Rick Rubin. It should be no surprise that Rubin had the multitrack rolling the entire time. Out of the vault of these archives, American Recordings has released A Hundred Highways as the first of a promised series of afterlife echoes of Johnny's soul. Although his voice is less commanding and more frail than his better days, the essential elements are all there: raw and emotionally engaging lyrics, gentle fingerstyle guitar picking and a bucket load of charm. Rose of My Heart reads as a gutwrenching ode to his departed wife June even though it was not written by Johnny he lives inside of it entirely. . Many of the songs chosen are very self conciously about death. My favorite is a Cash composition called "I Have Come to Believe" I couldn't manage the problems I laid on myself And it just made it worse when I laid them on somebody else So I finally surrendered it all brought down in dispair I cried out for help and I felt a warm comforter there I am Free From the Chain Gang Now is a fitting end to the cycle with Johnny's voice in top form amid the simple but achingly beautiful arrangement. It is comforting to reflect on these lyrics in relation to Johnny's spirit now: Like a bird in a tree I got my liberty and I'm free from the chain gang now http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash

The Monastery

2006.11.17 13:39

The new show on TLC The Monastery is an interesting show. It features five men bringing their modern-life struggles into the confines of a monastery to see what the monks have to offer. The show has an interesting collision of the traditional and the current. Last week's show featured a day trip to visist a hermit who had been living alone for the last 27 years. In his solitude, he spent most of his time in prayer and daily chores. One of the modern day men asked him what his prupose or goal in life was and he said "My purpose is to die!". I find this very odd given that Jesus said to His disciples that their business was life not death. The monk's life or solitude and seperation seems to align with many of the attractive qualities of Buddhism. This is only the beginning of the mixed signals that this show is sending out. The first few episodes that I watched were heavy on the personal discipline side and very light on the ideas about a loving God. It seemed like the monks were saying that the life of following Jesus was all about hard work and disicpline. I didn't hear much mention of a larger theology that made their efforts worthwhile. Soon some of the men dropped out because they either didn't like or couldn't hack the regime of religious life. I find it interesting that the monks tend to use very mystical language to express their ideas about God. For instance, in last week's show, a man who was angry at the monks for not blessing his divorce was talking to an older monk. The monk said that their was no way to experience God except through the love of human beings. This is a thought that I have had as well but it was interesting to hear it coming from someone who has chosen to live a life that was very cutoff from people who don't believe the same things or experience God int eh same way that he does. As the conversation progressed the monk said that he felt that the TV show project was an instrument that God was using to wake the monks up to a deeper understanding of Himself. I guess I can accept that God is even using the show to expose people to to alternate views of human life. I just wish I heard more about how Jesus had inspired the monks to choose their lifestyles.

God's Gonna Cut You Down

2006.11.10 07:08

Last night the video for Johnny Cash's new single "God's Gonna Cut You Down" premiered on mtv. It was a celebrity fest featuring Iggy Pop, Justin Timberlake, Bono, Chris Martin, Kanye West, Jay Z, Rick Rubin and a ton of other notable faces. At first the video felt like a commercial for the RED campaign but as the music settled in it felt very different. It was as if the tone of the song was critiqueing the whole notion of celebrity. Ultimately saying "God is even gonna cut you down if you are famous". Check out the video on mtv.com. I will have to go and download A Hundred Highways, Johnny's last album (unless Rick Rubin has more gems up his sleeve).

Consilience

2006.11.07 08:13

In the current issue of SEED magazine, they had a feature article on E O Wilson. Wilson is an intriguing character who lives at the busy intersection of science and religion. I first came across Wilson through reading his book "On Human Nature". In that book he explores the various scientific views on human nature and tries to point toward a way that religion can fit into a more humanist view of the self. He is getting attention these days for two major areas of his work that have garnered both praise and controversy. First is his blending of the hard sciences of biology with the soft sciences of sociology into what he calls sociobiology. He is a pioneer in the nuture vs nature discussion and tends to come down on the nature side. As a child he studied the biological connections behind behaviors in ant colonies and proved that ant colonies operate through a kind of communal mind. A web of electrical networks connects the ants together into a hive mind and that determines much of their actions. Armed with these discoveries, he turned his attention to human beings. His work challenges much of what we think about personal freedom and even the impulse toward worship. He gets a great deal of heat, even from his Harvard peers, because he is a very unothodox scientist. The idea, of his, that I find the most interesting is the concpet of Consilience or Unity of Knowledge. He describes Consilience as the synthesis of knowledge from many different specialized fields of human endeavor. In other words he is trying to unite the sciences and the humanities into one unified theory. This is interesting stuff coming from a man who has publically stated that he cannot commit things to memory. He is almost 90 and he has never learned the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance. His work, at times, seems to be in a similar mold as Ken Wilber's work but his Christian background, his age and his commitment to academia make him look less like a cult figure. Here is a quote that summerizes his work : "He defines human nature as a collection of epigenetic rules: the genetic patterns of mental development. Cultural phenomena, rituals, etc. are products, not parts, of human nature. Artworks, for example, are not part of human nature, but our appreciation of art is. And this art appreciation, or our fear for snakes, or incest taboo (Westermarck effect) can be studied by the methods of reductionism. Until then these phenomena were only part of psychological, sociological or anthropological studies. Wilson proposes that they can be part of interdisciplinary research." I think this is the way things are headed and we are going to see something in our lifetimes that will bridge the gaps between the sciences and the spiritual aspects of human life. I don't however think that things will look the way that we expected. When neurochemistry gets to a point where certian behaviors can be eliminated through treatment, we will have to reconsider the whole notion of sin (as a set of behaviors that we do not engage in) This is just the tip of the iceburg when you look at the implications of Wilson's work. You can read a bit more here. Also Wilson has been selected as one of the TED prize winners for 2007. You can hear more about that here.

Monkey Ali

2006.11.04 14:51

He floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee No one can beat him He's monkey Ali After twenty five straight knock outs, Ali is the up and coming champ. He has secured the Intergalactic Middle Monkey belt and is next in line for the Grand Ape Universal Crown.

The Wizard

2006.11.04 14:41

In honor of Halloween I made a little wizard out of clay for Nicole. His name is Valdarock and he is the music teacher at Hogwart's School for Wizards. He teaches the finer points of groove and melody by animating little insects to play instruments. You haven't seen anything until you see a Praying Mantis take an extended drum solo with crickets on percussion.

Nicoledutoit.com

2006.11.03 16:02

I have put together a little portfolio site for Nicole to display her wonderful clay creations! You can check it out here for now and in the future you can visit nicoledutoit.com!

Glory in the Wonder of Yourself

2006.11.03 12:00

Last night Larry King Live (a show I rarely watch!) had a panel of self proclaimed New Age gurus discussing the intersection between new science and spirituality. Among the panelists was JZ Knight from "What the Bleep Do We Know?" fame. I must say that she is looking better than she did in the film, I am not sure if this is from positive thought or plastic surgery? You can watch highlights by visiting the link above. They went into what they describe as "the secret of the universe" that you actually create your reality and bring the relationships, possessions and either failures or successes that you experience. The main point was that we need to focus more on ourselves and everything will be OK in the world. I was a bit disappointed to see the dean of Matthew Fox's Wisdom University agreeing with some of the hooey that war being spouted. While I can agree that many forms of religion tend to skip over a healthy awareness of the self, I do not believe the answer is to turn in on ourselves and become little tyrants by our own design. I just do not have that much faith in the hearts of human beings. I also think that they made some very irresponsible (and undefensible) claims about quantum physics as a support for their collective thesis. Since I have watched What the Bleep... I have looked a bit further into some of the sciences that were discussed in the film and I am convinced that the film (and last nights larry king panel) are making some bizarre and unfounded assumptions based on quantum theories that have been kicking around for almost one hundred years. Their main point was that since molecules appear, at a subatomic level, to be in two places at once, until they are collapsed down to one location by a human observer. Then they assume that it is the actual process of observing that determines where the molecule eventually ends up. It is important to note that ALL of the scientists surrounding the first wave of these theories (Schrodinger, Einstien etc) were themselves mystics but not one of them ever suggested that these discoveries imply that "we create reality". They tended to say that these discoveries actually tell us that we may NEVER know what creates reality. I was left with a feeling of dispair after watching the show while I considered the global implications of millions of people adopting the daily practice that the panel offered: "Eveyday when you wake up, before you do anything, remind yourself that you are the one who bends reality to your will. You are the one who is divine. Take a moment to glory in the wonder of yourself then go out and bring that into your world"

Watch Out Ogre!!!

2006.11.01 16:26

This afternoon I shot an 86 !! I had seven pars, two birdies and unfortunately THREE triple bogeys!! If I hadn't had those triples I may have come close to breaking 80! Don't tell anyone but I beat my father by one stroke on the front nine - I had a 41 and he had a 42. I struggled a bit at the start of the back nine but eventually pulled it together and beat my best from last week of 89.

Happy Halloween!

2006.10.31 16:05

I know some people are scared by crazy monsters or black cats but there is only one thing left that truly scares me. The thought that soemwhere out in the universe there is a children's animated cartoon (as the video above seems to imply) with the Misfits as the main characters. That is scary in my book!

I am now a Golfer

2006.10.27 11:42

Yesterday was my fouth round of golf in the last two months. Before that I hadn't played in over three years and even then it was only once a year or so. Well, yesterday I shot an 89! For those who don't know anything about golf that is a fairly good score! I may find myself spending more time on the links!

Way of the Master????

2006.10.26 09:47

I posted a few months ago about the Kirk Cameron ministry vehicle "the way of the master". I saaw another short piece of his show last night and I had nightmares! His mentor Ray Comfort was making a case for why they use fear as the main tactic for "bringing people to Jesus". They must be getting lots of critical responses as the whole show was focused on proving their case for why fear is "the BEST and ONLY way that people come to Jesus or God". Comfort told a little story, after citing 2 Corinthians 5:11 in the KJV. "Therefore knowing the terro of the Lord; we pursuade men". The story went like this. "Imagine you were on an airplane at 20,000 feet and you discovered that the plane was going to drop out of the sky and crash. The imagine you discovered that there were not enough parachutes for all the people on the plane. (I know it sounds like the setup for a tired old joke but the punchline is not funny). He goes on, "Imagine that you find a parachute and that you encounter someone wihtout a prarchute just before you jump out of the plane to safety." He then asked the question, "what would be the best response to this situation?". I kid you not, he offered, as the best response, that "just before you jump form the plne you dangle the person, wthout the chute, for the open plane door so that they might feel the terror that is facing them so that they might make sure that they find a parachute for themselves." ?!?@?!#?!? This little story was meant to put a human real life context to what Ray and Kirk beleive is the state of man but by the end all humanity and love where completely stripped from the story. I was praying all the way through the stroy hoping that at the end he would suggest that the best response was for YOU to give up your parachute as an act of sacrificial love in the WAY OF THE MASTER. I am not even going to diginify their website by posting another link, if you want to check out more of their bizarre reading of "the master" you can do a google search for "Jesus came to scare the hell out of you!" You might need to add some keywords like helllfire, damnation and kirk cameron!

Cross-Shore Launches

2006.10.24 10:18

One of the reasons I have not been posting much lately is that I have been working hard on a new website project for Cross-shore.com. My mate AJ's Kiteboarding company has a new site here. It was designed in Flash and incorporates some new database and animation actionscripting that I have been learning. Check it out!

A Cultural Trifecta

2006.10.20 14:37

Impresario of Lollapooloza (and Jane's Addiction) Perry Ferrell interview Obey Gaint's mastermin Shepard Fairey about the work of Banksy. If you are curious about what the illusive Banksy looks like you can catch a glimpse here.

G Love : Lemonade

2006.10.18 08:02

There has always been an interesting subgenre of music percolating around the edges of funk and hiphop. I call it White Boy Stomp. Going back to the days of the original Elvis, various white boys have channeled the deep funky and raspy soul of blues artists like Robert Johnson. Lately this subgenre has broken into the edges of the mainstream with artists like Jack johnson, Citizen Cope, and G Love and his Special Sauce. G Love has been making strange and bouncey grooves for quite awhile without much commercial attention but, with guest spots by his pals Ben Harper, jack Johnson and Blackalicious, this may be his breakthrough moment. Lemonade is packed full of nice organic funk grooves that propel his gravelly voice forward and make the booty shake as well. Check out "Can't Go Back to Jersey" for an example of how infectious his songs can be. Speaking of funk, last night on VH1 they had a HipHop honors show that, in part, paid tribute to Afrika Bambaadaa with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins groove with Erica Badu, the Roots and Q-tip. Quite a mind expanding moment of cosmic funk directly from the mothership!

New Jersey

2006.10.16 15:16

I flew up to New Jersey to celebrate my brother's 33rd birthday. We had a great time as the video will show! The time was too short but we packed in a lot considering. We had some very nice meals and got to drive into NYC for a few hours on Saturday. We went to the MOMA and saw Starry Night and about a dozen of the worlds other most famous paintings. It was a bit overwhelming since there were lots of people and lots to see. I will post some individual impressions of certian pieces later but for now I have to say that seeing Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dali all in the span of about an hour is hard on the mind! Back to regular posting soon!

This is How We Do Justice

2006.10.11 11:00

It seems that the Bahamas has sentenced a convicted rapist to four lashes from a Cat-o-Nine-Tails (along with some prison time as well). You can read about it here. Although the whipping pracitce seems archaic, I know a bit about the case and feel that four whacks is not enough - he should get 40!

Seeward's Earth

2006.10.10 16:42

I am late to the Google Earth party, I know, but I am really enjoying marking up my personal desktop globe with significant places in my life: like seeward's house and seeward's church. If you download the linked files you can see the locations on your own earth. In full screen mode you can soar like a bird through the Grand Canyon or zoom down the southern tip of South Africa. I once lived next to a programmer for Cisco who worked on the US government contracts for satelite technology. One night (8 years ago) we were discussing how high the resolution is for the government satelite photos. I asked him if they could tell that we were sitting out on his deck. He said they could tell which brand of cigarette that I was smoking! Imagine a Google earth in super high resolution, running in real time! Spirit in the Sky!

Post Human

2006.10.10 14:22

Erik Davis continues to amazing me! At this year's Burning Man festival he gave a talk in the lecture series entitled "Pharmacology and the Post Human Self". You can get the podcast here. Davis talks about the impact of a new story that is beginning to weave it's way into the spectrum of human myths. The new story is married to technology, particularly brain chemistry. Instead of seeing that annoyng shadow side of your personality (your addictions, your depression, your anxiety) as demons that need to be purged or sins that need to be forgiven, it is now an option to see them as simple engineering defects. You can now hack your brain chemistry and choose which states of mind will be allowed and which will be banished. He circles around this point while touching on his new book (Altered State) and the visionary culture. Erik Davis just seems to speak my language and I love the way he thinks and presents his ideas.

Breathing

2006.10.10 13:38

Last weekend our community hosted The De Mello Spirituality Retreat with Father Frank Stroud. Father Stroud is featured in the above image. You can check out the website for the De Mello Institute here. De Mello was an American born Jesuit Priest who moved to India to start a school for spirituality. He had great success (and powerful critics). His blending of eastern language and practice with the teachings of Jesus are a bit too much for many people's faith to bear. Father Stroud and his teaching partner Johnathan did a great job in shaking up people's expectations and offering some very practical exercises that help root the theory of their talks into our psychological framework. I closed off the session on Sunday morning with this talk in our main service. At the end of the recording you can here a short interview with Father Stroud and Clint Kemp (our Senior Pastor). I am looking forward to this coming weekend when Matthew Sweeting will be speaking on Laughing.

Departed

2006.10.09 08:42

I am not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio but seeing this movie has changed my opinion of him. The Departed is a suspenceful gangster drama supported by an all-star cast of male actors. Jack Nicholson's over the top Irish gangster is the most predictable in an ensemble that includes Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Marky Mark, and Alex Baldwin among others. The plot has a nice flow of twists and turns that most revolve around the idea of double agents playing both sides of the law in Boston. Marky Mark has a great character that is always good for a laugh due to his spit fire insults and freaky Donald Trump hairstyle. I don't think I would have liked this movie as much if it were not for DiCaprio. He is riviting! I am normally inclined to like Damon who plays his nemesis. I found myself deeply involved with DiCaprio's character while I was hoping for Damon's to meet an unsavory end. All of the normal fare for a Sorcesse gangster movie are present: graphic violence, lots of male ego's comparing the size of their tools, and a vivid underworld of sleaze and crime. In the opening monologue(which made me think this was going to be an Irish Goodfellas) Nicholoson's character says a great line: "We used to have the church, which is just another way of saying we had each other" If you like gangster movies directed with a skillful hand for suspence and drama, see the Departed!

EXIT @ POPOP GALLERY

2006.09.28 18:12

Last night I went to the EXIT opening at John Cox's popop gallery. Five artists were showing Toby Lunn, Heino Schmidt, Blue Curry, Jason Bennet and John Cox. The show was well attended by a diverse selection of people. Art collectors, students, artist's families, and and misc supporters. I was really struck by some of the work. Jason Bennett had a huge (18 feet by 6 feet) piece that had a very digital, dot matrix effect. Some of his older work that I have seen had a much softer emotional texture. This piece was considerably more blunt! Toby Lunn had a selection of pieces with some zen color choices. Heino wins the award for the most abstract concept.He presented a teeth mold that had sharp points accompanied by two video monitors displaying the proces of creating the molds. The Piece also involved biting some one with the molded teeth. I have to go back and ask Heino more about that concept! Blue Curry faithfully recreated the shopping cart that a very visible local personality pushes around Nassau selling Hub Cabs. I have bought hub caps from him(actually he sold me the very same hubcaps that had fallen off my car =) He scamps around Nassua picking up old hubcaps and pushing his cart. Blue also strapped a video camera to his cart and displayed the footage on the underside of the cart. I think the piece was meant to get the viewer to consider what this man's life must be like. It had a certian shock value as well seeing that it displayed a sign saying "You rich jewish people stay home". John Cox's work really appealed to me! I purchased a little box object (you can see a close up of it in the video). John explained a similar box to me a few years ago. I remember that the box represents society as he sees it. (I have to aask if this box represents something entirely different) All six sides of the cube shape have three or four small tree branch cuts. These represent the different classes in society. When you place the box down, the side that is on the bottom is the poorer classes. Those who do the jobs that no on else wants to do. These people hold a society together with their strength and humanity. He also mentioned that the box, like society, can shift and another class can move up or down. He also covered the whole corner of his space with a menacing looking face covered, at times with lettering". One of the phrases was "god of the soil". The overall effect in that corner of the room was exciting. Like a funky po/mo camo feel. Lots of orange, red and blacks making it warm as well. It is great to see the Popop boys putting more work out there. I heard that their next show might be called guerilla and feature stencil and street art forms.

Defining Boundaries

2006.09.28 13:28

Why do we want to know "who is in" and "who is out"? I have been thinking lately about the tendancy for the church to obsess about defining the boundaries between itslef and the world around. Nevermind that Jesus life was marked by a refusal to live within the social, economic, and religious boundaries of His day. What about the obsession with boundaries makes us feel good? Is it becuase when we have the power to define the boundaries we can place ourselves on the inside and feel superior to those on the outside? Is it driven by an evangelistic obsession with "making more believers"? Is it a modern/pomo tension? If I was forced to define a boundary between in and out, I would put it like this: "there are those who have experienced God's love and therefore are loving in the world and those that need to experience love". I am concerned that the way we engage the process of drawing boundaries is actually drawing much of the church outside of the boundary of "those that are loving in the world". 1 John says:"Those that do not love have not seen God because God is love". So if the definition of love that Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 13 is accurate then the churches need to define its boundaries is a violation of the love that God wills for His people : "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." Why do many people feel that love is an inadequate boundary? They say things like "it has to be more than that" and "you are being idealistic". Why is there so little love in our world?

Derren Brown

2006.10.07 09:40

He's up to it again! The English version of Davd Blaine with a degree in pyschology, Derren Brown, is up to his old tricks again. In previous episodes of his BBC show Mind Control, Derren has used NLP, hypnosis, pop psychology and more to do some very interesting things with people's minds. One episode had him instructing a team of ad execs to come up with an ad campaign or a pet mortuary. Before they even got to work, Derren predicted, in amazing detial, what they would come up with. At the end of the show you discover that all day long the ad men were subjected to sutble (almost subliminal) cues about what Derren wanted them to create. It appears that, instead of creativity being the creation of somethign entirely new, it is actually the bricolage-type assembling of unrelated bits of information that we take into our subconcious. After watching the episode, you are let wondering if creativity is not just the function of stringing together various bits of things that have embedded themselves in our subconcious. The episode above takes his borderline sadistic techniques and turns the volume to 11. (for a sense of the sadistic in his work check out this) He invites twelve middle-management types to a workshop under the guise of learning his techniques. The real plot is him preparing them, through various mind control techniques, to commit an armed robbery (with a realistic looking toy gun). There is much to critque about his methods but you get a sense that these shows are real. The psychological reactions of the participants seem far to unguarded for them to be acting. People are clearly breaking down and their whole understanding of reality seems to shift. He seems to make them into different people, and even more scary, he gets them to do things that they would not have done if he hadn't fiddled with their minds. This show called "The Heist" was the first thing that made me believe that mind control could actually be an explanation for some of the assasains that populate the cast of most conspiracy theories. Take a look for yourself!

Interaction

2006.10.04 08:59

I have made a little blog/journal for discussions about theology and spirituality. You can join here. You can always reach this section by clicking on "interact" in the main menu of the site. This new place will be home to ongoing reflections and discussions. i will still be posting misc items, like always, here on the main site but I needed a place where people could make comments on specific ideas. Check it out and join the first discussion on "what is spirituality?"

Are You Happy?

2006.10.04 07:51

I have been loving the little talks posted at TED Talks. TED is the acronym for the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference held every year in come exclusive setting. Recently they have opened the doors and began to podcast the little video lectures from some very bright lights. The one above(Dan Gilbert) is a great exploration of why many people are not very happy. It seems that we, as humans, have a very poor ability to predict what will make us happy. It would seem that in a world of insane varieties of choice that we would be more happy. It seems that the opposite is true. When we have less choice it becomes easier for our minds to "synthesize" happiness. If you check out the TED Talks page you can see some opposing arguments (see the Malcolm Gladwell talk).

Jesus Camp

2006.09.22 16:24

A&E films has a documentary coming out that explores fundamentalist Christian summer camp for "God's Army". Take a look at the trailer and see what you think. Are the film makers sympathetic to their subjects? Are they actually mocking them? You can read what others are thinking here. I am scared by this video. It makes me believe that the world is actually headed to a religous world war. The lady in the video calls palestine "our enemy". The she goes and emotionally manipulates a crowded room full of ten-twelve yearolds. There is no talk of "love you enemies" but lots of military fatiques and camo facepaint. interestingly the camp that is feature in the movie is located in Devil's Lake, North Dakota. I think I can smell the sulfur in the air.

Seeward Joins the Bougousie

2006.09.22 08:18

While I was in S. Africa this summer I watched a lot of golf (the British Open) Since the males in my family are quite into golf, I decided to pick up the sticks and give it a go. I haven't played in over two years and even then it was only once or twice a year. Yesterday I went out for the second time in two weeks. I shot a 101 with a 49 on the front nine. If you look closely at the image above you can see that I am holding the rare "headless iron". On I was gifted with this rare club on the fifth hole when my third shot flew on the green within ten feet of the flag. The head of my club also flew about 10 feet into the lake that was just to my left. It snapped off clean at the point were the graphite joins the metal club head. The set of clubs I was using was a custom made set for my father so he is having someone dive in the murky water to retrieve the club head. Seeing the club head flying reminded me of hitting practice balls with my brother, Jared, in NYC at the Chelsea Piers. He has a picture of my first swing, just as the club flew out of my hands and slammed hard into the metal railing surrounding our little practice tee box. When I slumped over to retrieve the rental club I noticed the impact had broken the head off! oops! I did the right thing and snuck it back into the rental return box without telling anyone. =)

Social Realism

2006.09.18 17:41

In honor of the stencil artform, i offer this short video displaying some of the recent works from the elusive nassau based spray can artist DeCyPuL. Rumor has it that he is working on a website and is shorty going to take his art to the streets of nassau!

Theraputic Stabbing

2006.09.20 10:16

After almost three weeks of sinus related headaches, I decided to visit the local Chinese doctor and get some acupuncture done. The little pieces of metal in my face, in the above image, are not a hip new form of piercing but an ancient method of bringing the electrical and chemical systems within the body into harmony. You can learn more here. I really enjoyed the experience. It was relaxing and didn't hurt at all. I know it has some effect on your endorphin flow so that would make it feel relaxing. When I got up from the table, my legs were asleep and it felt like my feet were no longer connected to my legs. i stumbled around for a second and then caught my balance. I made an appointment to go back next week for anti-smoking treatment!

Banksy

2006.09.18 07:15

Those fortunate enough to be in LA this week were treated to a publc exhibition of the very public guerilla artist Banksy. Infamous for his particular blending of social critique and stylized vandalism, Banksy has been making a name for himself in the UK (and abroad) by subverting the art establishment. His numerous hoax paintings and sculptures have found their way into some high class gallerys and museums. You can see some images of his first US show that opened in LA this weekend here or you can read an interview with the anonymous agitator here.

Living Portrait

2006.09.12 07:23

Two artists together : Bob Dyan and Andy Warhol. Warhol's screen tests provide interesting and at times unsettling looks into the the ways that people react when a camera is turned on them. Dylan has never looked quite comfortable in front of the camera. In this short clip you can almost feel his fear and defensiveness.

Deconstructing KidRobot

2006.09.09 15:05

Erik Davis has a fantastic exploration of the Urban Vinyl Toy craze . He makes some great observations about the appeal of a fully animated 3-d presence. Our increasingly virtual worlds of flat internet images are spilling over into our world of objects and mass. He mentions living next to a kidRobot store in SF. It functions like a local museum for the international wave of fetishized urban lifestyle toys. He makes a great point about the toys themselves having less value as objects(environmentally questionable chunks of plastic he calls them) and the real appeal being in the hunt and aquisition of the toys as fetish items. He also makes reference to the Robot reworking you see above and its connection to psychotropic chemicals and shamanism. Every little obect can be a window into complex worlds of ancient information and Erik sure knows how to navigate those heady waters!

This Old Road

2006.09.08 15:18

"Burning up the atmosphere and cutting down the trees The billion dollar bombing of a nation on it's knees Anyone not marching to their tune they call it treason Everyone says God is on his side" Kris Kristofferson, who is turning 70 this year, has broken his 11 year hiatus from recording albums. It is clear he has been taking tips from his old pal Johnny Cash's collaborations with Rick Ruben. Most of the 11 songs are simply him and his acoustic guitar. The firey insight of his lyrics on tracks like "in the News" and "The Burdan of Freedom" prove that he has been doing a lot of thinking about the current state of our world. Often he comes down on the side of compassion and weary faith. His voice has been worn, no doubt, from years of all night outlaw jams. At times the raspy tones add depth and authority to his melodic phrases and at other times they reveal a fragility and tenderness. There is a song entitled Pilgram's Progress which might be seen as a follow up to one of his more popular tunes The Pilgrim.: I get lazy, and forget my obligations I'd go crazy, if I paid attention all the time And I want justice, but I'll settle for some mercy On this Holy Road through the Universal Mind Kris' brand of faith tends to mix language with much new age phrases like the "Universal Mind" but he seems to tie it together with compassion and love as his core of his faith. There are references to evolution and just about every songwriter that Kris has ever worked with and then some: Jimi Hendrix, Shel Silverstein, Waylon Jennings ...... Kris Kristofferson's version of patriotism is a sorely needed model. On Wild American, he sings: "When they burn your brother down in the name of Freedon I don't care if it's left or right It's wrong" It is interesting to compare the themes on this album to the themes on Bob Dylan's newest release. Where Bob seems very inwardly focused lyricly, Kristofferson is very aware of the social dimensions of life. bob makes some great observations but Kris seems to cut to the heart and engages with the world in a way that Dylan may have grown tired of doing. Just a thought! If you like to listen to outlaws telling it like they see it - buy this album.

The Twin Towers

2006.09.06 19:52

I remember seeing Oliver Stone give a talk to film makers at the University of Florida. He seemed just as paranoid and hostile as some of his best known films : Natural Born Killers or JFK. Since there are more than enough conspiracy theories surrounding the events of September 11th, I thought this movie might have a paraniod edge. The story is certianly worth telling and shows a very insider's view of the details. Following a brigade of fireman called into to evacuate the towers, Stone avoids most stock footage that has been burned into our brains. As the plot quickly unfolds you get a sense of just how little the fireman, who were in the towers, knew about what was really going on. So much has been said about the effects of 9/11 on our world. I feel that it was one of the first experiences(at least in my lifetime) that was shared globally. It cut to the collective core of our presumptions about safety and security. We all witnessed horrible things together and I believe it has touched us all in some way or another. As we all try to wrestle with the big picture questions about why this kind of thing happened(and how the leaders of the free world have responded), I have hope that it will ultimately lead humanity to a better place of understanding and genuine compassion. We are all having to consider how to end the foolishness of aggression and intolerance in our world. So if this film is Oliver Stone's way of contributing I can see the value in it. It is truely amazing what strength and courage the human spirit is capable of when its all on the line. This movie shows that spirit at work in one of the darkest days. You can check out a 3rd grader's contributon to the future healing of the 9/11 wounds here.

I'm Your Man

2006.09.04 09:13

I bought m first Leonard Cohen album (on cassette) while I was in High School. The frayed hippy behind the counter asked me if I was planning on committing suicide. There was somethin comforting about the dark and mysterious voice speak singing some of the most emotionally aware lyrics I had ever heard. I became a lifelong fan after learning to play "Tower of Song" on my first borrowed guitar. So the thought of a full length documentary (and soundtrack tribute) on Leonard's life held a strong appeal. This is not the first Coehn tribute album. The first one I foudn was "I'm Your Fan" which assemble a cast of alt rockers (John Cale, James, Loyd Cole and others) and then there was the more mainstream tribute featuring Bono, Billy Joel and Bonnie Raitt about ten years ago. This newest tribute has some inspired selections and a few that miss the mark. Some stand out tracks are : Jarvis Cocker doing "I Can't Forget". His slightly worn voice sets the arrangement buzzing with life and energy. Rifus Wainwright doing "Chelsea Motel #2" a song about Coehn having an affair with Janis Joplin in the famed bohemian hangout. Nick Cave makes an appearance on the live reworking of Suzanne and the studio recording of the title track I'm Your Man. When speaking of Cohen, it is poetry and blazingly intimate insights that rule the day. Some of His best songs are represented and refashioned to allow them access to an audience that might not be able to get past Cohen's dark and coarse baritone. Cohen himself makes an appearance on possibly the weakest tracked backed by U2 and Bono's weary fallsetto. Hearing these songs in fresh garments made me dig into Cohen Chords and relive the heady days of first learning that I could actually sing Cohen's songs with my voice!

Caster Out of Demons

2006.08.30 11:18

The official exorcist for the Pope has made statements that Hitler and Stalin where "obviously possesed by the Devil". In this article he mentions that during WW2 the actin Pope performed an unsuccessful remote exorcism of Hitler. I wonder what would have proven that it was effective? Does this mean that Hitler is ultimately not responsible for his murderous actions because he was possesed? The Vatican's Official exorcist also spoke out publically about the danger of Harry Potter novels as "opening a door in children's minds for satan" , "all magic is of the Devil". Although the idea of doing a remote exorcism seems very magical to me, he stressed that there is no grey area, all magic is a turn toward the Devil. The comments that follow the article pretty much sum up our culture's response to this kind of ancient and naive thinking: "Oh great, another magical thinking explanation for murderous behavior. We in the Reality Based World know that both Hitler and Stalin were psychopaths and murderous criminals."and "Now I have heard everything! If that is the case then nobody who commits a crime is guilty because "the devil made me do it." And by the same token, nobody who works hard to achieve greatness is responsible for their achievments, let's chalk that up to God. " People who are commited to living in the real world can smell the weaknesses in this kind of thinking for miles away. The most disturbing thing about the Exorcist's statements was his belief that whole populations could be possessed. If that is the truth, then who do we turn to in order to sort out who is possesed and who isn't : oh I guess the Catholic Church!

Modern Times

2006.09.04 08:53

"I'm raising up an army of tough sons-of-bitches, I'm recruiting my army from the orphanages" Bob Dylan has crafted another cycle of songs in a series that have had critics marveling at his longevity and lasting talent. Modern Times is a disc that holds all the hallmarks of Dyan's legend: insightful and playful lyrics, downhome blue collar grooves, solid backing musicians and a voice that sounds like a cracked bell clanging the apocalypse. Like many of Dylan's recent offerings, he is interested in death and dying. He is interested in quite a number of things as well but the all seemed to be looked at from a eye that is shaped by the perspective of life's frailty. Songs like "When the Deal Goes Down" and "Beyond the Horizon" both speak of death as a welcome release from the struggles and tensions of living. His faith seems to be at the core of his ideeas, once again, with lines like "One day I will stand beside my King" and "Love waits for one and all". There is a flavour of blues and jazz throughout that at times seems like a retro nod to the prerock era on songs like "Spirit on the Water" and "Beyond the Horizon" but mostly there are blues rock grooves pulsing forward liek the image of a train that finds its way into may of the lyrics. Most of the songs top 5min with a few that almost make it to nine minutes. The production captures a very spontaenous and live feel without ever feeling sloppy. Lots fo guitars and te occasional harmonica solo round out the arrangements with swampy tones. Much of the mud and soupy parts from the last few Dylan albums has been cleaned up in favor of a much cleaner and clearer sound. His voice has the worn crackle that fans have grown to love (and critics have learn to look beyond) So far I am enjoying i more than "Time Out of Mind" ut not as much as "Oh Mercy". It does my heart well to see Mr Zimmerman still working in the Tower of Song.

custom seeward

2006.08.29 14:54

I took sometime last night to set up my new macbook pro with a customized graphical interface. With the hep of some nifty apps like Shapeshifter and CandyBar, I was able to get exactly the theme I wanted. The final look is a combination of persoanlized touches and some great templates like Unity GK. You can check ut a closeup of the hacks here. I really like a minimal feel but I just had to add some of the very cool desktop widget from Yahoo Widgets. I have one that shows my to do list and calender from iCal and a very compact iTunes remote so you can pause and pay without showing the clunky iTnes interface. While we're on the subject of widgets, Apple has some really cool ones for their dashboard app here. I found so many really useful little dashboard widgets. One that has an animated guitar neck that wil show voicings, all over the next, for ANY chord. It also plays an arpeggio and strum of the chord for you to compare with your playing. I also found one that finds the beats per minute of a drum loop or piece of music. This is helpful in music production when you find a cool loop online but can't find the tempo. After all the customizations that computer really feels a part of me. I must be becoming a cyborg! My normal working looks less minimal and more like this.

The Screening Room

2006.08.28 10:41

The Screening Room is a very cool database of Tv commercials. You can search for themes or products or even by advertising company. Each commercial comes with the full production credits (you can can track your favorite advertising rising stars) and the high quality quicktime videos can be dragged onto the desktop for future viewing. If you are in any way interesting in studying TV advertising or just want to save that funny ad you saw last night, this site is for you! The site also features music videos, animations and short films.

A Heretics Guide to Eternity

2006.08.29 11:52

There are so many challenging and spot on ideas in this book that I don't have enough time or energy to disect them all. Let me start by saying that if you care at all about the future of human spirituality and the role that Jesus might play in it, then you must read this book! You can feel Barry Tayor's passion and clarity of thought throughout, although that maybe too much for many to bear. There has been lots of useless online dialogue about the idea of a follower of Jesus referring to themselves as heretics. Clearly most of these people haven't even read the book since the first section deals clearly with the idea that the label "heretic" is, in the historical practice of the church, not a static concept but a buzz word to marginalize many thoughts and ideas that prove too challenging to our accepted understandings. (See Luther or Gallelio) Maybe the inablility to reconcile with people who think and feel differently is the reason we have a lable like heretic in the first place and I think it is high time for people to stand up and allow themselves to be seen as the "other" or "heretic". The idea that really grabbed me when reading this book was thinking about the communication of the Gospel in a completely new world. Conceptualizing Jesus as the center of life made sense when the world was thought to have a center (first the earth and then the sun) but in a world of quantum fields and chaos theory, the idea of there being a center to anything lacks sophistication and precision. Barry asks us to see the changing times as an opportunity for the church to change its perspective. I like this idea becasue I think lack of perspective is one of the major weaknesses of the modern church. Maybe a better way of communicating the experience of Christ is more like putting on a new pair of polarized sunglasses. The new lenses filter reality in such a way to allow you to see below the surface of water that would normally be hidden beneath the gloss and shimmer refkecting the sun. There is much in the Gospels that relate to new ways of seeing and restoring sight to the blind. At the heart of many of the shifts that are addressed in this book is the advancing understandings of just what it means to be human. The cognitive and neurological sciences have pulled back the curtian on so much of the human experience and the church is still trying to squeeze human beings into a straight jacket of dualist tensions like mind/body seperations. To be honest much of Paul's writtings seems, at least on the surface, to reinforce this Platonian view of the human being. How do we rethink what it means to be a spiritual person in a new world of understanding about what it means to be simply human. It seems that anyone willing, in our day, to rethink these kinds of ideas, is quicly labeled a heretic. It is this lack of faith and intellectual integrity that reinforces the boundary model of the church that prevails. We can't consider the potential human benifits of things like meditation or Yoga because there remains this wedge between the body and the mind, and both of these spiritual technologies assume that there is not a split but a union between body and mind. I hope that there are lots of people out there who are willing to engage the work of rethinking what it means to have faith in our post-christian age of bricolage spirituality. I have faith that many, like myself, will be encouraged by this book and will continue to explore beyond the established map of Jesus spirituality. I have made peace with my heresy!

Means Justify the Ends

2006.08.28 09:57

Apparently a woman in Long Island NY embezzeled over 2.3 million dollars and spent the money on lottery tickets ?!?!? At the time of her arrest she was buying over $6000 worth of lottery tickets each week. How could she not realize that the 6 thousand extra dollars a week would have been almost as good as winning the lottery in the first place. Maybe her plan was to pay back the embezzled funds with part of the lottery winnings but she would have been much better off just using the 2.3 milion. You can read the full story here.

Seeward Stencils

2006.08.25 14:24

As you may have seen in the Cribs video, my door is almost completely covered in stencils by spraycan artist DeCyPuL. The newest editions are, by far, my favorites! He said he was considering putting an iconographic halo around my forehead but his better judgment prevailed.

Redeeming Webcams

2006.08.28 09:43

Of all the insidious uses for Webcam technology, someone has finally come up with a noble use. A Beatles fan in the US was checking out an online webcam in Liverpool, England. With the time change it was night in Liverpool, when he noticed two men breaking into one of the stores on the deserted street. Thinking quickly, he googled the Liverpool police and called them directly to report the crime. The police apprehended two armed burgulars who had no idea they were being watched by the big internet in the sky. You can read more about this story here.

The World Turned Upside Down

2006.08.25 08:51

The Story of the Diggers is an interesting one. In 1649 a group of passioned Britons stood up for peace and common ownership of land. There message was, from my perspective, very biblical: no one should own the land and Lord it over others as a way of keeping class structures in place. They were hard against the politicians and the mainstream church of their day and it cost them. "The Diggers were harassed by legal actions and mob violence, and by the end of March 1650 their members were driven off the St. George's Hill. Despite this setback they continued their work on a nearby heath in Cobham. colony was dispersed. In April the Digger movement collapsed when a Parson Platt, the lord of the manor, and several others destroyed the Diggers' houses, burned their furniture, and scattered their belongings. Platt threatened the Diggers with death if they continued their activity and hired several guards to prevent their return to the heath. " Check out more here. The reason I brought this up was because they had a wonderful theme song (not written until 1981) that was recorded by Billy Bragg. It has a nice folksy rebellious tone to it (which is what I love about Billy Bragg). Do a google search to find the recording - it is worth the download. Here is a taste of the lyrics: the sin of property,we do disdain no man has any right to buy and sell the earth for private gain by theft and murder, they took the land now everywhere the walls spring up at their command

Strange Statues

2006.08.25 08:09

One night, while I was living in Seattle, I was wandering around the Freemont area waiting for my scheduled slot in an open mic show at a local coffeeshop. Me and the two other, chemically altered, musicians saw a strange shape up in the distance underneath a bridge. When we finally made out the figure of the "Freemont Troll" pictured above we stood silent (and a bit freaked out) for a few moments. One of the other musicians took off running back for the safety of the coffeeshop and was still shaking when we arrived back to meet him. If you are interested in the weird edges of public art check this out!

Seeward and Co

2006.08.20 20:17

Last weekend I performed (with a few friends) at a fundraising event. We were raising money for a talented actress friend of ours to pay for her university. We performed a song of mine entitled "Change the World". You can check out the video here. Thanks to Brian Lee for filming the event and also designing the groovy flyers! As always with internet video, it works best to pause the video at first and after a moment or two it should play smoothly when you un-pause it.

Snakes on a Plane

2006.08.19 12:41

Only Samuel L Jackson's larger than life bad-assness could carry a film that walks such a fine line between ludacris and absurd. On one level, the title cuts right to the chase and lets the viewer know this is going to be a cartoon sized adventure full of jolts of fear and bursts of B-movie humor. The computer generated snakes have a naughty side as they tend to strike at the most tender places on the human anatomy. The plane is filled with a host of characters, some entertaining and some annoying. Besides Jackson's charisma, Keenan Thompson stands out as the funny video gamer who redeems his hours wasted playing flight simulators. You also have a Paris Hilton type repleat with a little Chihuahua sidekick that meets with an unfortunate fate and a self obsessed Rapper who is more than anal rententive. At times the humor side falls flat but before boredom can set in we are treated to another shocking snake attack. The pace is so fast that the movie rushes by without much opportunity to think about how thin the plot really is. The overall tone is not quite as zany as Airplane and seems more like a send up of the action movie genre rather than a disaster movie. For two hours of b-movie fun this one is worth a go.

South Africa Vacation Site

2006.08.20 20:17

I have been working on a site for our South Africa vacation photos and videos. It was made in Flash 8, so make sure you have the newest Flash player (9) before you visit the site. If you have an older player, you will not see all of the content and may get stuck on certian pages. You can download the newest player for free here. Also when you are viewing the videos, it works best to pause it, at first, and then after a moment or two, let it play. That way enough of the video will download for your playback to be smooth.

It Was Only a Matter of Time

2006.08.10 08:53

For the second time since its creation, Sacred Space has recieved front page coverage in our biggest national newspaper. Unfortunately this time it was to report that the sculptures have been vandalized. It seems that someone (the words "Peter C was here" were written on one sculpture) took a marker and defaced all thirteen of the African women figures carved by Antonius Roberts. One of the figures suffered more damage, as the head has been removed. The picture in the paper shows the words "Tree Killer" and a skull written on one of the sculptures and a response written by someone else who was defending the fact that the art did not harm the trees. Some one suggested that we write an open public letter to "Peter C" but I think we should investigate and once we discover who he is we have his scrotum skin pealed off with a rusty set of pliers.

Seeward Cribs

2006.08.13 23:58

When I was learning how to use the video editing software (iMovie) I made this little video of my new place. The music is by Beck and the video features the artwork of John Cox, DeCyPul, and others. You can watch the video here.

Sacred Space

2006.08.13 23:54

I made a little flash meditation at Sacred Space quite a while ago. You can check it out here. There is also an article attached that was writtten with quotes from Antonius Roberts, tyrone Furguson and Clint Kemp.

My New Office

2006.08.03 17:41

I used to have to drive an average of 12-14 mins to the nearest Starbucks. Now they have placed one (with free wireless internet) within one minutes drive (or a five minute walk but nobody walks that far here - seriously) I had a dopio espresso while listening to Brian Eno on iTunes(in headphones) and right around the corner. When I first moved to Nassau, a blackmarket video rental place was on everycorner. Now it is beginning to seem like a Starbucks is opening on every corner. There is no chance of this threatening the independant coffeeshops here in Nassau (because there aren't really any to speak of). If this is truely going to turn into my new office, I will have to ask them to do something with the decor but I do enjoy all the new space!

My Spiritual Gadget

2006.08.03 08:46

I was talking last night about an ad I saw for Motorola's new Q device. I found an interesting discussion essay about the ad campaign written by Erik Davis here. He does a good job of deconstructing all of the subtle (and not so subtle) ways that we hope for transformation through technology. I have been writing reviews of pop culture elements (movies, music , websites, etc) but lately I have been thinking about the effects of technology on the human experience. This ad, and Erik's thoughts, really make me want to dig a bit deeper into the connection between tech and spirit. I have a book floating around my shelves called The Religion of Technology, maybe its calling me to give it a read.

Sacred Grafitti

2006.08.01 15:01

Spray Can artist Paco Rosic is recreating the ceiling of the sistine chapel with areosal paint. Check out the works here. He is not using cartoony grafitti type characters although that would have been even cooler but he is spicing up the color choices.

Is Your Mind Safe?

2006.08.01 14:56

If you are one of those people who is very concerned about people jacking into their mind and making them into a robot for consumption and labour, then this site is for you. You can catch up on all the latest news from the mind control front and also order your fully refundable tin foil protection beanie. In Erik Davis' book Technosis, he traces the beginnings of this kind of paranioa (who are we to judge?) to the invention of the telephone. In fact it was Edison's assistant who first wrote, in his journal, about a man who came to him for advice on how to stop the Russians from sending messages into his head. The idea goes that since human beings had never heard, up until the telephone, a disembodied human voice, the experience of it created all kinds of wierd phsychological reactions in people. He also goes even further back to tie the invention of electricity to the idea of ghosts and hauntings. Apparently around the time of the invention of electricity their was a major spike in the public discourse about ghosts and the possibility that the undead could effect the material world. The power of electricity to invisibily make things happen (lights going on or moving a fan) created the idea that spirits could do the same thing. I wonder what kinds of mutations are happening since the invention of the internet? Are we all becoming more participatory and feeling more fear of isolation? It may be too soon to tell but the fact that the internet is changing the human experience is a certianty.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2006.08.01 08:14

I am not one for horoscopes but here is what the LA Times horoscope for today's fellow Leos says: "Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). The magic center of vibration is around you these days, Leo. If you haven't started taking advantage of this fact -- by promoting your pet project, attracting fans to your cause or simply indulging yourself as never before -- start now!" What I found funny was that every other horoscope I found online was sort of negative talking about emotional conflicts and issues from the past, but in LA everyday is a great day to boost someone's ego - especially their birthday. So I have been alive 35 years so far, in my book that is enough of a cause to celebrate! Lately I have been intentionally trying to do things different than I have always done them to see if new paths of creativity and life pop up. So in that spirit, I came to work on my birthday for the first time in my life. It has been a personal tradition that I just do not go to work on my Birthday. I usually spend the day meditating and playing guitar (mostly old songs that I wrote years ago). But this year I decided to break with tradition (until at least noon =) and go to work. There will be plenty of time to play guitar (old and new songs) and reflect on my life up until this point. It hasn't always been the case but today I can say with honesty that I am thankful for my life and the world that I am emeshed in everyday. I have always felt like a slow learner when it comes to matters of the heart and soul but I am beginning to feel I have finally made some progress (if only a little) toward becoming me!

A Gift of Beauty

2006.07.31 10:41

Yesterday at NPCC we had a diversified Service. This is when we suspend the normal Sunday gathering and explore other ways to offer worship to God that are beyond the purely cultural box of a Worship Service. This time we had a few different stations that people could engage. 1. A time of silent reflection in the midst of a Sacred Space of tree sculptures and metal decorations. 2. A chance to plant flowers grown in the NPCC garden into little gift pots that will be given to people who are in the hospital or have a death in the family. 3. An interactive art section where people made other gifts to be given out during hospital visits by NPCC's cares ministry. Of course, I took part in the art station and made the little collage that you see above. At first I lost focus and made the sun black. A very kind lady next to me gently said "if i was in the hospital and someone brought me a gift that had a black sun, i would most likely pull the plugs on my life support from despression" her point was well taken (even if overstated =) and I changed the color palatte. Before we broke up into the sections we had one of the most encouraging open discussions i have ever been a part of. People (6 or 8) got up to the mics and shared how much the vision of our community was changing their ideas about church and drawing them closer to God. Their was much talk about NPCC being a safe place and how it felt like a great big party. We must be doing something right because a party is just how Jesus described what the Kingdom of God would feel like! Luke 14:15-24

Dead Man's Chest

2006.07.31 10:29

The first of the three part series Pirates of the Caribbean was such a good movie that it caught me by surprise. The thrill of seeing Johnny Depp in a Disney movie and playing his role of Captian Jack Sparrow like a druken Keith Richards was unexpected. Part two follows the same cast of loyalists and pirates around the waters of Torgua and the like. All the major players (and a few minor ones as well) return for another round of Disney-fied fun. You have man eating cannibals, black witches, an evil monkey, octopus and shark shaped people and a host of bearded drunken pirates. Captian Jack seems even weirder this time out and proves his pirate nature by not appearing so noble. To be fair he is being hunted down by a gianormous sea beastie sent to devour his soul, so all bets are off at that point. The beautiful Bahamian seas are on full display throughout but you won't find and of the mountian filled islands in our part of the Caribbean (but you may find some man eating natives) I enjoyed this movie and I am looking forward to the next installment in the franchise. It ends with a bit of a cliffhanger but all in all it was good for two hours of blockbuster fun.

Beauty in the City : Pretoria 2006

2006.07.29 07:35

This is the first of the videos from South Africa showing some of the musical parts of the Urban Minitries Conference. This clip is a combination of the first evening's gathering and the final night's jam session. It was a thrill to play with Barry Taylor on his wonderful songs and playing on a new guitar didn't hurt! At the end of the video you can get a glimpse into South African worship culture as the audience begins to sing a song in African. Also during the reggae jam barry invited a member of the Soweto Youth Orchestra to join us and blow some trumpet. He caught on very quickly and added a wonderful flavor to the mix. Later on in the evening more musicians joined in (as you will see in some of the pictures) and the room was filled with music. Two interesting memories for me were: 1. Waiting to meet Barry the first night and seeing a South African guy sitting down reading Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis. I went over and talked with him for a bit. he was from a Willow Creek type church that was just beginning to think through issues of social justice and post-modernity. I turned him onto to Shane Claiborne's book and The Simple Way - that should do him well. 2. As we were leaving the final evening a rather large African woman stopped me at the door and said she had been trying to sort out who I reminded her of for the whole three days. After a moment she smiled and told me she figured it out and that she realized I was the guy that they use as a model when the paint pictures of Jesus. That brought a smile to my face!Thanks to Nicole for capturing the fun on video!

Npcc Visits The Simple Way

2006.07.29 07:35

This little video was made as a journal of our trip to Philly. It was a way of sharing the experience with our Npcc community once we arrived back in Nassau. It features short interviews with each person who went on the trip along with lots of video footage of the area aroudn philly known as The Badlands or Kensington. The people in the video are Pennie, Jane, Mark, Tim, Nicole and myself. It's always a good idea, with streaming video, to pause the video and allow a bit of it to load so the playback will be smooth and uninterrupted.

Miami Vice

2006.07.31 10:10

Growing up in Miami during the 80's left a permanent mark on my psyche (thank God not a permanent mark on my fashion sense!). I remember watching each weekly episode with excitement I had previously only reserved for Knight Rider and the Dukes of Hazard. I was too young to fully grasp the plot lines but the local scenery and the ocassional guest appearance by my wanna-be-actor/physical education teacher were enough to keep me hooked. There is even a rather embarrasing photo of my brother and me dressed in full pastel t-shirts and white cotton jackets floating around the family albums. Basically if you lived in Miami during the eighties you were connected, in some way, to the whole Crockett and Stubbs universe. When I heard that Micheal Mann was doing a full length movie of the show i immeadiately thought it would be an 80's nostalgia fest. I was even a little excited when I heard that Jamie Fox would be starring (my excitement waned when I heard that Colin Farrell was in it as well) This modern day vice team and the film that they populate are nothing like the characters and world that Don Johnson and Philip Micheal Thomas lived within. The plot centers on an intense crazy eyed Colombian drug Lord and the vice boys undercover attempt to shut it down. All of the glamour and music video style montages that were the signature of the original show are gone. In their place are short bursts of non-impressive gun fights shot with handheld camera's to give you that "in the middle of a machine gun battle" feel. Since no time is spent on developing the characters of Sonny and Rico, the action seems to have no real weight. At times you don't seem to care if they live or die. The pacing, between gun fights, seems to labour slowly over sexual encounters in order to build tension in the plot but this falls flat. The plot simply develops far too quickly. You are thrown right into it (without even an opening credits section) and its off to the slow parade of boats, guns, bombs and boobies. At times the plot is painfully thin and the actors are given very little dialogue to work with. Jamie fox seemed to have phoned in his role or maybe he ralized during production that the film was playing off of so many cliches that he best no draw too much attention to the fact that he is in this movie. I really wanted this to be a good movie and it was a dissappointment. I bet if I watched an episode of the original now, it would also be a huge disappointment.

Yell Fire!

2006.07.27 14:48

"Everyone addicted to the same nicotineEveryone addicted to the same gasolineEveryone addicted to a technicolor screen Everyone trying to get their hands on the same stack of green" - Yell Fire!With Yell Fire!, Michael Frante has crafted an album of deeply thought provoking and groove laden songs that observe our modern world with a keen eye and compassionate heart. Mostly written during his travels through the war torn middle east, from this perspective he comments on issues of war, religious tolerance, globalization before finally circling around love and faith as his main recurring themes. "Those who start wars never fight themand those who fight wars never like them" - Time to Go HomeOne of the most engaging things about the way he deals with these issues is that he never gets mired down in us/them types of rebellions. He seems to be really commited to things that unite rather than divide. On one song he is throwing quick shoutouts to different groups of people and he includes both those that are struggling for peace and soldiers fighting overseas. It is this refusal to take sides against other people (even when he clearly disagrees with them) is the most refreshing thing about the tone of this album. While many of the songs have spiritual themes, he also refuses to allow matters of spirituality to be grounds for division basically saying in a few different ways that God is bigger than any one religion. This is a point that I think needs to be explored at length in our violently zealous times. Rather than pointing his fingers at the people who are causing the issues we are all facing he instead decides to point a finger toward hope and faith in a better world. Sweet Little Lies is an idealists escape from harsh realities that turns into a call to action with the invitation to make this better world possible."Sweet Little Lies Tell me sweet little lies When I can't stand the truthTell me sweet little liesAnd help me make them come true"Light Up Your Lighter bristles with a more realistic survey of the true nature of the war machine and the tendancy for soldiers to get high to escape the horrors of being paid to kill. As clear and insightful as the lyrics prove to be, on the first few listens, it is the wonderful arrangements and the Bob Marley meets Rage Against the Machine grooves that get under your ass and force it to start shakin. Most of the album was recorded in Kingston Jamaica with Sly and Robbie (two former members of Bob Marley's studio band who have made a lasting career of adding funk to everyone from Peter Tosh to Sinead O-Connor) The music is consistently funky even when the arrangements are simple and the tone is soulful. On One Step Closer to You the mellow groove kicks back and forth between something that Shaggy might hope to produce and old school dancehall chanting. The effect is a feeling of spontaneity and life that sparkles throughout the album. The stand out songs include : Yell Fire, East to the West, Sweet Little Lies and Light up Your Lighter. This is a collection of songs that look at our world with deep convictions and an open heart. If we lived in a better world this would win every award for album of the year but if we lived in a better world, this album would never have been written. "Everything a little upside down and the world keeps spinning round and round"

Lunar Park

2006.07.27 11:43

Brett Easton Ellis is a writer that is both respected and hated by the literary world. His first novel Less Than Zero, written as a college assignment, so captured the decadent and hollow life of 80's culture that he shot to the top of the literary A list within months. His next novel The Rules of Attraction mined the same emotionally detached sexual debuachery of college students in a small liberal arts college. His next novel American Psycho is were he turned from the slightly twisted golden boy of postmodern storytelling into the fully twisted writer thought to be taking dictation from the Devil himself. Whether ornot you like his writing (or enjoyed the movies that each of his novels has become) he has talent and can really weave a story out of sentences that often last for half of the page. Lunar Park is the story of the aftermath of Brett's personal success and emotional failures. The story begins as a very personal blow by blow description of just how far he slipped off the rails of normal. The first fifty pages offer a sometimes unsettling insight into the mind of the writer (for instance he confesses that American Psycho was written by something evil within himself that struggled to reveal itself. It was not a deliberate act as much as it was the by-product of evil parts of himself clawing to the surface) By the time the main plot begins (around page 60) you feel as though the book is going to be a confessional memior and a huge departure from the arms-length irony of his other works. As the plot develops around the writer as he attempts to deal with the death of his uncaring father while struggling to become a father himself. As the pages unfold and the characters are colored in it becomes clear that we are not reading an authentic account of Brett's personal life but rather a surreal psychologically fractured peak behind the curtain of modern suburban family life. Characters morph into one another and the plot includes all the main characters of Ellis' past novels (with a cameo by fellow A-list literatti Jay McIerney of Bright Lights Big City fame). By the end you are left feeling the writing was a combination of Stephen King and James Frey. The detached and stunted emotional tone of his previous novels is almost entirely gone by the final climax of reconciliation and acceptance. Ellis captures a great deal of the creepiness that underpins modern life and the overlapping roles of father-son-husband-writer with a deft hand and large vocabulary. This book made me think that the best work is still ahead of Ellis and that he was clearing house to make room for much more emotionally engaging work.

Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2006.07.27 11:12

Imagine waking up from a three week coma to discover that you are fully paralysed except for the ability to blink your left eyelid. Imagine that you still had the sharp intellect that marked your successful life as the chief of Frech Elle magazine. The Diving Bell and Butterfly is the reflections of Jean-Dominique Bauby. Written after he suffered a massive stroke that left him with the rare "locked in" syndrome. The book is suprisingly uplifting and the skill of the writing weaves a touching tapestry about the human condition. The reflections are a mosaic of personal memories and insightful oberservations about life and the human spirit. At times the tone places you into the anguish and pain without ever feeling the intensity of anger that Bauby states is his only way of keeping himself alive. Very often the reflections are funny and so well written that they get inside your heart and you get a sense of how charming this man must have once been. The things he remembers and fantasizes about reveal the ways that he is struggling to reconcile the fear and loss that he is determined to face. He recalls a trip to see the appearance of Mother Mary where he mused that about himself being paralyzed as a punishment. He shares, in vivid detail, encounters with a female godess figure that comforts him with her beauty. He makes brutal assesments of the hospital staff that he encounters that prove he has not lost his sharp wit even if it has to be filtered through a clumsy blinking alphabet system of communication. I would recommend this book as a very interesting and well written account of a man's struggle to remain alive in spirit. Eventhough not many of us experience the reality of "locked-in" syndrome, I also felt that his condition was a relevant metaphor for the way that most of us live our lives at times. Feeling that we have this greater potential that is somehow limited or locked away. We go about looking for the secret talisman to unlock our trueselves. Bauby's writing reminded me that when the spirit is truely alive there is nothing that can hold it back.

Something Had to Go Wrong Eventually

2006.07.24 16:38

We had a rather speedy and uneventful flight from Cape Town to London Heathrow last night. Things began to go off kilter when we landed and they announced that due to a medical emergency we would have to remain seated for an extra few minutes. Those extra few minutes proved precious since, after rushing through Heathrow onto a shuttle bus and through the chaotic terminal, we missed our connecting Virgin Atlantic flight direct to Nassau. Opps! There were a few very tense moments but eventually all proved to be well as we are now in Orlando (home of Mickey Mouse the Money Machine!). We are headed home on BahamasAir (fingers crossed) at 8:30. When we finally arrive we will have been travelling a total of 36 hours give or take a few minutes. Everything on this trip has been so over the top fabulous that we had to re-enter the real world eventually!

Leaving South Africa

2006.07.23 10:17

We are sitting in the Cape Town airport watching Tiger Woods struggle in the British Open and making our final post of the trip. What a trip it has been! The final images are of: 1- Nicole's parents little dog Mia showing that she is a pure breed fox terrior by burrowing into the couch pillows like she was bred to do into fox holes. 2- The next image is of one of my favorite things in South Africa - Biltong and Droewors! It is dried meat (beef, Kudu or various game meats and spices) pushed into a pig's intestine and hung up to dry. It tastes wondeful and we brought lots home for you to try (if we decide to share =) 3- This image is of the storm rolling into Hermanus on Friday. The cold and rain has lasted and it is still black outside from the cloud cover (I hope we don't get a delayed flight and miss our connection in London) 4- That's us sipping espresso and watching the Open on the little TV in the coffee shop. (it only seems right to finish our time watching golf since we have watched almost every minute of televised golf since we arrived.) I now have a tiny golf bug and began wondering where my clubs are? If anyone know where they can be found, I would be up for a few afternoon 9-hole rounds. - and I have the perfect hat! We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Too Rainy to Post

2006.07.22 05:14

Yesterday after we left the internet cafe the rains poured down in buckets! It got shockingly cold even in the house! It has been raining on and off ever since so I was afriad to bring my laptop out in the weather so no images today. We did decide to fight the rain and wind and make a short trip into town to secure some South African specialty foods that Nicole wants to take back home - yes we ARE coming home (on monday afternoon) I will try to post a few more images tomorrow either at the Cape Town or London airports (if we get a connection) Untill then, I have had a great time and I am also looking forward to coming home and reconnecting. Peace.

Stellenbosch

2006.07.21 03:04

Thanks for the comments! It feels nice to come to the internet cafe and see that people have commented! Just for the record, Nicole informed me that the critter in yesterday's images was actually a Donkey (not a goat!). Yesterday's journey didn't produce very many images since the weather was very cloudy and overcast. Nicole and I drove from Hermanus to Stellenbosch which is a small little town where the university is located. We drove into the Uni section of town and the streets were lined with cafe's and little shops full of antiques and African odds and ends. We sat for a quick cup of coffee among the students who had nothing better to do with their time than sip espresso. We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the posh shops. We stopped to snap the landscapes during the drive. You would not believe how picturesque everything is. You could fill up a memory stick at every turn in the road! Just for the record Nicole has been maning the digital camera and i have been on video duty - so the beauty of the images is her doing! Thats also why she is not in any of the shots. Today is a simple day - we have been dropped off in Hermanus and are going to stroll around until the mighty winds lift us off the pavement. It is getting very cold and there is a chance of snow in the mountains this evening! Tomorrow is Nicole's mom Lynn's birthday and her sister Shelley is driving down from Cape Town. It is a bit sad that we have only a few days left - maybe we won't return...

Road Trip

2006.07.20 02:47

I was spoiled into thinking this would be a two way street of me posting and everyone making comments but I guess its just me posting - oh well! Here are some more images for you to enjoy. Yesterday we went on a little road trip to Calendon to renew Nicole's passport. The trip was through the mountains and farmland. It was very beautiful. The two images were taken while we were driving at about 60 miles per hour with Nicole's nifty camera that has a "action" setting to capture things moving at high speeds. The third image is of a golf resort in the area of Hermanus called AreoBella. Nicole's dad said it was rated number five among the top South African courses and that it costs lots to play there. Next we stopped for a little lunch at a very interesting farm restaurant and right outside they had goats. I am glad they didn't also have goat stew on the menu! We had a great time and they baked fresh bread for our dinner later. The next few images were taken later in the afternoon when we returned to Hermanus and went for a little drive. The large mountain is called Babylon mountain and Nicole's parent's house is practically in its shadow it is so close! We saw the whales again for a bit and this time took videos. The final image is of the internet cafe where I am posting right now just to prove that I am still alive and well! Today we are driving again - this time to Stellenbosch to see where Nicole's dad went to university. The town is meant to be very old and full of character so the images should be great. There is a huge cold front/rain storm rolling in tonight so we will have to bundle up to keep warm. So far this has been the most amazing trip EVER! Please post some comments so I know that you are out there!

Whale Porn

2006.07.19 02:58

I guess no one wants to comment unless the pictures are beautiful and of the scenery, so here are a few scenic shots. The first three are from our drive down to Hermanus from Cape Town on Monday. It was rainy but the coast was so amazing. The fourth shot is from right in front of Nicole's parents place. We spent an hour watching whales. Let me tell you that you have not fully lived until you spend an hour watching whales humping! They were only a few feet away from the rocks we were sitting on but they are hard to capture. A bit like trying to photgraph the Lock Ness Monster, they are very stealthy, as you are when you are trying to mate in public. Today we are taking a drive further into the mountains to get Nicole a new passport and have a nice lunch to celebrate Nicole's mom's birthday. We will post more images (if there are new comments =)

Back to Hermanus

2006.07.18 04:15

We are safely back in Hermanus! We had a great time with Barry on the final day of the Urban Ministries Conference. The first shot is Barry and I playing with some African musicians during the final concert/celebration. The second shot is the rhythm section! On Saturday we drove up to Nicole sister's house in Jo-burg. We took Nicole's niece and nephew out for a quick lunch and then arcade games. The arcade was in a new fancy mall that is painted like it is an outdoor european town. I was stuck by the sign that greeted us before we entered the parking garage elevators saying "gun-free zone". I thought the sign was just a formality until we had to pass through metal detectors and were patted down before entering the mall. It sets a very different vibe to your shopping when you are forced to go through a security checkpoint before you feel comfortable. Nicole's sister and her husband showed us a great time and we ate a huge Braai (african for BBQ). I really loved their dog Duke who reminded me of Che since he was a Staffordshire Terrior (pit bull). We are going to spend the next week looking around here in the Hermanus area which is the most beautiful part we have seen so far. Yesterday we drove back from the Cape Town airport along the coast and it was breathtaking even though it was cloudy and raining. We took a few nice shots that I will post tomorrow. We found a new internet cafe that has the fastest connection we have found yet! Stay tuned for more great images (the videos will have to wait since I forgot the upload cable back in Nassau but they are amazing!)

A Day with Barry Taylor

2006.07.13 11:47

We spent the day hanging with Barry Taylor in Pretoria. We met up at the conference and caught his workshop on pop culture. It was very interesting and i always love to hear Barry talk about the intersections between faith - longing - identity and Jesus. Next we had a nice lunch at a French cafe near the Church Square. The first three images above are from the cafe and the square. Next we went to the Pretoria Art Gallery and saw some very interesting works by South African artists. My favorite was a guy named Pressler. He did quite a wide variety of styles and subject matter throughout his life. There was a large exhibit by a guy named Van der Merwe. All of his work was made with rusted metal. Two pieces struck me: one called Rust and Water was a church style pulpit and baptismal font with a little video embedded showing water drops. I t made me think he was saying that the church is just contributing to the decay of our world. I don't fully agree but it is worth considering. The next piece was a ful darkened movie theater of over one hundred seats all empty except for rusted personal effects like handbags and coats. The room was fully dark except for the backs of each chair embedded with a little lamp and the movie screen running loops of "the end" sequences from old black and white movies. The overall effect was erie and powerful and reminded me that nothing lasts forever. Thats all for now, tomorrow we are going to travel around Pretoria some more and see the sights before the big music celebration at the end of the conference. They are bringing in drummers and marimba players to join the fun!

Beauty in the Cityq

2006.07.13 02:15

We made it to the Urban Ministry Conference and met up with Barry Taylor last night. It was an interesting mix of international (mostly African) people with an interest in urban ministry. Barry spoke about the beauty of people's search for meaning and trancendance through life in the city. The music was fun but my little amp was not loud enough to be heard well. Tonight we hope to rectify the situation and jam on! We haven't taken many images yet so stay tuned for more to come.

In the Bush

2006.07.12 07:37

Last night we stayed at the Mabula Game Lodge in the middle of the Bushvelt (African for bush field) We went on two safaris and saw so many cool animals - lions - giraffe - hippos - rhinos - monkeys - bucks and more! We took a few pictures but the videos really capture the mood! The smell and the COLD were overwhelming! We stayed in true bush style in a little tent. Well OK maybe a fancy five star tent but still a tent without any electricity at all. The lodge was great and the people who ran it were very entertianing and knew a great deal about the animals. At the end of our second game drive the ranger stopped the Range Rover and we got out on foot and creeped within 15 feet of a pair of a female Rhino and her baby. It was thrilling and scary at the same time. Even the Ranger said he had never walked up that close to a Rhino before. It was all perfectly safe since he had his rifle but when we stood up the mother Rhino gave us a very stern look. We made it out of the bush alive and are now in Pretoria (Hatfield). Tonight we meet up with Barry Taylor and play some music at the conference (that may be more scary than the bush!)

Funky Cape Town

2006.07.11 01:22

We made it to Cape Town safely and had a blast with Nicole's sister Shelley! She took us out to a true African dinner at Madame Zangara's. They made everyone wear funky hats (although I was already wearing the plastic fireman's hat =) We all had steak smothered in chocolate sauce. Very interesting and rich flavour. Next we went to Mama Africa's to hear the Marimba Vibrations play. They were fantastic and very African. They played Beatles and Maroon 5 songs along with African favorites. We had a fantastic time! Right now we are in the Cape Town airport waiting to board our flight to Johannesburg. They just announced that we are going to be at least 20 minutes late in leaving - oh well, at least we have internet. The first image is of Nicole's family - what a beautiful bunch!

Leaving Hermanus

2006.07.09 07:44

Last night we had a real family night. Sitting around with the dogs(and sisters) watching the world cup. Lots of fun for all! The images are of Nicole's mom and dad and dog Sniffles. Earlier in the day we went to Voelklip Beach where Nicole used to play as a youngster. The image of us is taken from above that beach.This morning we woke up early and went to an interesting church service in Hermanus. Afterwards we had a nice lunch (nicole made her famous greek flavored salad - tasty!) We are about to leave for Cape Town and then onto Pretoria on Tuesday for the game lodge.

Haven't Seen Any Diamonds, Yet

2006.07.08 04:08

Today's images are from a breakfast trip to Hermanus with Nicole and her beautiful sister Rochelle (I know another Rochelle who is beautiful!) We sipped espresso with the most amazing view. We didn't see any whales but the whale watcher man was looking through his goggles. I had a bacon and banana sandwich (a south african treat) it was very tasty! The exchange rate from US dollars to South African Rand is very cool. The last image is of a short shopping spree. All the items(and a pair of dress pants that I forgot to include) cost less than $200 US dollars total. If guitars are this cheap, I may come home with a dozen of them =] Tomorrow we leave for the big city of Cape Town and then off to Pretoria to see Barry. We are having a wonderful time!

Hermanus is Beautiful

2006.07.07 05:21

Here are a few more images of the Whale watching spots. The little critter is a "rock bunny" they are very scary!! =] Also the little village is Hermanus, you can see the mountians in the background. We are having a great time but have not adjusted to the time change yet. More images to come soon!

Arrived in South Africa

2006.07.06 06:24

We arrived in South Africa and it is COLD! My nose is running and my brain is adjusting to the increased sinus pressure. The flight was not too bad except for the lack of comfort and sleep. The firsst image above is in London hanging with Nicole's old school pals who now live in London (Leo and his wife Nicole). Next are a few images taken just in front of Nicole's parent's home in Hermanus. They have an amaxing view and the scenery reminds me a lot or the Pacific North West - Portland Oregon and Seaside beach. last night we slept for almost 12 hours. They have thinner air (refered to as champagne air by the locals) it puts tourists to sleep! Right now, as I type in a little internet cafe in Hermanus I feel like I could drop asleep at any moment - even though I have had my daily allowance of caffeine. I shot some good video waling through downtown London that I will try to post when I have a better internet connection (this one seems to be very slow) Stay tuned for more images of Hermanus and Nicole's family.

Heading to the Other Side

2006.07.03 09:55

Seeward is heading to the other side of the great ocean that constantly surrounds his home. Stay tuned for images and video (if I can secure a high speed connection in S Africa) Peace and Blessings!

The Son Becomes the Father

2006.07.01 13:57

If there ever was a Super Hero cutom fit for the American psyche, Superman is on the top of the list. Originally created by two struggling Jewish comic book writers in 1932, the Man of Steel has since been the optimistic pop culture version of the hero's journey. This time around the story was further adapted to align with western culture's spiritual sensibilities, with every inch of Christ metaphor stretched to the limit. In order to make sure both the rational and the mystical sides of the coin were addressed, the marketing campaign has been focused around the scientific elements to the character. The plot was paced well thoughout while both filling in details of young Clark Kent's childhood development and exploring new details of Superman's tragic home planet. Most of the action takes place within the big cityscape of Metropolis and at times, I think intentionally, conjures up images of terrorist attacks that question the fragility of our modern technological advances. I am sure with a movie this large the new face of Superman must have been screen tested and focus grouped a zillion times so it doesn't surprise me that Brandon Routh did a good job rounding out the character. He looks a lot like Christopher Reeve so old school fans won't feel as angry as James Bond fans are feeling about the new 007. The funniest casting choice was seeing Richard Branson playing the co-pilot of a Space Shuttle that is struggling to take off. I am not sure that future Virgin Galactic customers would want to have an image of the company's president frantically working the controls in a life-or-death situation. I understand cross promotion but he should have thought through this one a bit longer. Kevin Spacy and Parker Posie both give off a very comic book bigness in their performances that help the film stay on an Epic scale. I felt that the plot was a bit shallow for my tastes. While there was certianly quite a few heavy action sequences, the "evil plot" cooked up by Lex Luther seemed excessively futile and rather underwhelming. Things seemed to get wrapped up a bit too quickly and I was left feeling like there was really no climax to the story at all. The special effects were quite a thrill ride of flying, exploding and flying faster. All of the action seemed incredibly natural including Super Man taking a gunshot directly in his eye that crushes as it impacts his eyeball. We are treated to a slo-mo close-up of his indestructable eye withstanding the bullet blast. At this point the audience went wild with excitment and it almost got as loud as the roar of laughter when a man fell from a 70 story building. In the end the movie was entertianing, if only for the thrill ride special effects and the comfort that comes from believing that there really are heroes and saviors watching over our world.

Why I Love the Internet

2006.06.30 12:30

Just when I was beginning to get overwhelmed by how much total crap was clogging up the limited internet bandwidth, along comes zefrank! A digital-age genius with a slick combination of video editing skills, oddly charimatic presence (he never seems to blink!), and spot one sarcasm and wit. Ze was an out of work musician who turned to web design as a way of making a living. He quickly proved to be a very entertaining personality. For the last few months he has been doing a daily three to four minute video/blog show here. The shows are a brilliant mix of social commentary, humor, catchy original songs, humor, odd observations and did I mention humor. This is the kind of stuff that restores my hope that the internet can be a powerful tool for re-inventing the future and not simply a lame storage ground for mediocre whining and pictures of tits. Ze has upped the anti and made me realize that anyone can post a video blog but only a few people have the personality to pull it off and make people think at the same time. What is your power move?

Try to Be a Little Kinder

2006.06.26 19:54

When I was in the 11th grade I was assigned Brave New World by Aldous Huxley as a reading/essay project. Our teacher was an ex hippie with who used to go into lengthy detail about her flowerchild adventures in California. Up until that point I had never found a novel that really moved me. I had enjoyed a few books (Catcher in the Rye and Hell's Angels) but nothing moved me like Brave New World. It just seemed to be engaging and accurate about the way things were headed(if only in my own personal life). A world where people are willingly enslaved in a chemically satiated future world. Huxley seemed to truely understand the all powerful appeal of pleasure drugs way back in 1932. By my 11th grade year (1989) extasy and crack had already shown that both sides of the economic spectrum could fall into chemical addictions. Brave New World just seemed to be a warning from a shodowy corner that things needed to be considered. Things such as our relationship to pleasure and power or the implications of massive shifts in our technological abilities. I certianly didn't fully consider all of the book's warnings and slowly slipped off into my own private oppressions but I often wonder if we are not living, today, in Huxley's "negative Utopia"? I recently read a statistic saying that the profession with the highest likelyhood of drug abuse was : medical students. They have access to the drugs and they have a burning pit of unfulfilled angst that they can easily trade in for a lifetime of greed and relative comfort. Everyone that I have ever met who went into a drug treatment center tells a story of being in with doctors who were addicts. A friend told me of a doctor who used to wear a hidden bag of liquid cocaine under his gown to pump shots through a tube into his (.....you get the picture!) during surgery. The stories abound from all over the economic map in our world today. Politicians and Pimps alike all addled up on their drug of choice. Everyone locked into the system by a desperate need to fulfill something or heal something. Most not even aware of their entrapment. I know that sounds grim but at times I wonder about the world around here in the Bahamas, about myself, about all of us. Huxley's birthday is coming up on July 26th. Maybe I should reread Brave New World for the occasion and reflect a bit deeper on our current world. For now here is a great quote: "It's a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'Try to be a little Kinder'"?-- Aldous Huxley

Brian Keeps Them Sweating

2006.06.26 12:51

I am not much of a sports fan (huge understatement!) but I have been following the developing story of my cousin Brian McCabe and his new contract in the NHL. It seems that the story has changed from his wife not wanting to return to Toronto (although that may have some truth to it) to a family medical emergency that has been all consuming. I hope, whatever it is, Brian can get into an office shortly and sign his name to the multi-million dollar deal and allow the Leafs fans to rest easier knowing that they will have another few seasons of Brian's blood and guts on their side.

Thoughts on Wilber : Part Two

2006.06.26 10:12

After I re-read my last post on my impressions of Ken Wilber, I realized a few things. The first thing I realized was that I have been spelling his name wrong (Wilbur instead of Wilber). I also realized that there are many more things that I could say about Ken and His integral methodology. Here are a few more observations. Ken's main aim is to integrate all the diverse paths of modern knowledge. Looking at the sciences (new and old) the arts (with a heavy focus on contemporary artists) religious traditions (east and west) and personal experience, He is attempting to create a large framework or map that can include it all (or at least the parts that support his own convictions) in one grand "Theory of Everything". What his map ends up looking like is a hyper-dense and complex chart called the "four quadrants". This chart is a conceptual way of locating the different points of view of any given event or idea. Basically the birth of Post Modernity has made our culture aware of the fact that we each see things from our own perspective. We each have a limited view of this overall experience of reality. What happens with postmodernity, often, is that all perspectives get flattened out because all people are equally conditioned by their culture to see things a certian way and also carry equal levels of self-delusion that further distorts our view of reality. So in the Post Modern world we are all stuck in our ignorance and social conditioning. Wilber's vision is to show that not all points of view are equal and that there are internal factors (both in an idividual and within a culture) that can actually be seen as developmental. This is where Wilber gets a lot of criticism. It is difficult to say, in a post modern culture, that certian points of view should be considered deeper (more developed, more evolved). When you really look at his map it feels less like an integration and more like a separation. It all seems like a hyper-modern hyper-rational way of dividing the world or mystery and change into neat little boxes. I know that Ken is aware of this because I have heard him say that he is primarily wokring in a cognitive framework to explain a reality that is only fully percieved by more capacities than just the cognitive mind. All that being said, in order to work his system (or map) you have to do some rigerous intellectual work of catagorizing and conceptualizing. I feel that this whole process actually works against his stated goal of integration. What I mean is that anyoen who becomes a follower of Ken's system is likely to move further away from experiencing reality as a connected whole. They are more likely to move towards the fractured and compartmentalized reality of the four quadrants. Also their ability to put things in the correct boxes (and lines, and states and waves) will all be dependant on Ken himself. Its as if Ken is inviting people to live in his own personal world of labels and lines. The more someone tries to use his system to live more integrated the less integrated they could become. I tend to agree with the idea that individuals and cultures actually follow a line of development. Within the church, I have seen that people approach faith, the Bible, and reality very different depending on what level of development they are at. I have found it very helpful to see four stages of development: Tradtional, Modern, Post-Modern, and Holistic. I have noticed how these different stages, when colliding together in community, create lots of tensions and misunderstandings. If more leaders understood these stages of development, then there would be less tensions within the church as new perspectives are explored and communicated. I feel that this idea of developmental stages is key to understanding the current state of the Christian church. A large group of younger leaders have moved into a postmodern(and a few into a integral or holistic) stage. This progress is being challenged and attacked by others who are not seeing reality from the same level of depth. Sometimes this makes me frustrated but lately I am beginning to realize that it is all heading in a developing direction anyway. Yes there are tensions and battles but nothing will really stand in the way of progress. No one has gotten to the bottom of the mystery of Jesus and His teachings. He has survived (not in the same form) throughout the last two thousand years of development and will survive into the future paths. I think it is a wonderful sign of the times that a groupd of people are beginning to focus on integration rather than division, even if the methods themselves are not yet developed to further that integration. Although I wouldn't call myself a follower of Ken Wilber, I have been stretched and even inspired by much of my interactions with his ideas. Maybe he is a prophet for our disconnected times or maybe he is the first incarnation of the Borg: You decide!

There is No Road Ahead

2006.06.22 10:33

About a year ago, a friend of mine, Ron Mortoia, mentioned that I should look into the work of Ken Wilbur.(pictured above with his mini-me Stuart Davis) Ron is an engaging and deep Christian teacher and I really enjoyed his thoughts in His book Morph. So I took up the challenge and looked into the dense work that Wilbur has offered. My first impression was that Ken himself was oddly mysterious. His shining bald head and his slightly vacant precense seemed to set him apart from the average academic. I first looked at his writings (One Taste, No Boundaries, Sex, Ecology and Spirituality) and found much for them inspiring and hopeful. For a long time I have been disappointed with the post-modern world and its tendancy to deconstruct everything to oblivion. I have been tired of seeing everything ripped apart and nothing left in its place. I really saw that happening within the Christian church at the time, so when I realized that Wilbur was offering a worldview that moved beyond relativism and post modern paralysis, I was interested. I joined Integral Naked, the shallow end of the pool for all things Wilbur. The website was a collection of video and audio interviews with some amazing people (Larry Wachoski, Father Thomas Keating) with Ken working overtime trying to integrate their lifeworks into his grand theory of everything. It was interesting for a while but I soon began to get creeped out by the vacant look in Ken's eyes. I know this is a very subjective observation so take it with a grain of salt but he seemed dead on the inside. He would laugh and make insightful comments but he didn't seem to be fully there. I think it might have to do with his practice of Buddhism and its obsession with nothing-ness and emptyness(or he may be a robot =). As more time passed, I began to get really frustrated with how Ken always seemed to talk as if the people he was interviewing fit so nicely into his work. It seemed very arrogant and often you could almost feel the tension but no one ever really challenged him out right (except Robert Keagan from Harvard in part one of an interview that they new posted part two of, I wonder if Keagan let him have it in part two and that is why they never posted it?). Buring this time of research, I was criticized by some quick judging fellow Christians for having a link to Wilbur on my site. I decided to overlook the fact that some people feel they have the right to legislate what people should be exposed to or not. Oh well!(I still have a link!) Here is ultimately what I have learned from my foray into Wilbur World. There are always four points of view on any given event or subject. 1. First Person (internal) - this is my internal point of view, how I feel, think or respond to any event or subject. This is the realm of psychology. 2. Second Person (external) - this is the point of view of me from the outside responding. What kind of external response did I exhibit? This is the realm of bahaviourism and Gestalt. 3. Third Person (external) - this is the point of view of observing the society or culture. What are people doing? This is the realm of the sociologists. 4. Third Person (internal) - This is the point of view of someone else. Like the point of view of the other in any situation. I might not have all of those perfectly correct but the general idea is that in order to have a deep experience of reality, someone must take all of these points of view into account when acting or deciding anything. Wilbur goes into tons of examples and ways that these points of view eventually integrate into a mystical state that he calls "One Taste" or Non-Dual awareness. This mystical state, as he describes it, is feeling all things at once or no longer experiencing the normal divides of Body/Mind Matter/Spirit etc. The next step in my processing of Wilbur was to read his critics. They had some interesting things to say but mostly they attacked the very idea that mystical states exists. Many of the intellectual attacks coem from purely naturalistic rational scientists. I personally believe that mystical states exist and have experienced them myself. I realize that these states cannnot be proven and might simply be hallucinations, we simply do not know for sure but I admire Wilbur for trying to, at least, bring some concrete data to the phenomenon. There are some other critics who observe the cultic nature of Ken's Integral community. The best two are OccultObserver and Geoffrey Faulk. I had felt similar things about how Wilbur's inner circle were acting very cultic. A few weeks ago Ken posted a response to his critics(a type of paper that I have first hand experience in crafting) and it began a virtual storm of critics. I feel the offensive tone of his response was a way of diverting attention away from the fact that a major teacher within his community was recently charged with numerous counts of sexual assault on students and staff members. I have been watching the whole process unfold and I have come to a conclusion about the value of Wilbur's work for the Christian church. He presents a fairly wide range of information about the full specturm of religions around the world. He shows how much clear overlap (expressed in different language) is really present within all spiritual traditions. This is very valuable from a cultural perspective to understand how the modern world is influenced by these various traditions but what really helps is being able to see the uniqueness of Christ in all of it. In a video conversation with Father Thomas Keating, Ken is asked by an audience member "What do you make of Jesus?". His response is very interesting, given his own Buddhist convictions and deep knowledge of religious traditions. He said that Jesus is solely responsible for the idea that God Loves Us enough to reach out to us and offer us His spirit. All of the other traditions are a challenge for humans to transcend matter and unite with spirit while Jesus taught that God is wholly other and wants to involve us in a loving relationship that will give birth to our spirit. Jesus' teachings (and the New Testament) are unique, in that people's uniqueness and seperateness do not fully dissolve into God's divine spirit; therefore, people can still have a loving relationship with God because love requires an object and subject. Essentially I am over Wilbur for the time being because I am beginning to realize that there is no New Path ahead for the world. There is only this one precious moment: now! It is only the moment of right now that overlaps with eternity. There is no new path ahead becasue ahead is an illusion. We have to learn to live in the right now not in the future. Right now I have all I need!

"Bleep" of Faith

2006.06.21 06:52

I came across an interesting article about the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?" The writer sheds some interesting light on certian aspects of the film. I didn't mention it in my original post about the film but after I saw it for the first time, I felt in a trance for few days. At the time, I thought it was just a natural reaction to the mind-blowing things that were being presented. Now I realize that the filmakers intent was to put people into a trance state. I feel a bit foolish for becoming such a quick evangelist for the film, given that even the scientific aspects of it are now being questioned severely and people involved with the film have felt manipulated. The article also reveals some interesting things about a few of the on-screen "experts" and their connection to the New Age cult leader Ramtha. It seems that the real trick of this film was in the presentation. They really weaved an interesting, if not, twisted line through the experimental and theoretical arenas of the New Sciences(and some new twists on a few old ones as well). I remember after viewing the movie a friend made the comment "how does the presentation of the Gospel have to evolve in a world where this kind of film is out there?". Good question!

A Living Power

2006.06.20 20:13

I have been experimenting with some new musical ideas. I found an audio clip of Ghandi talking about truth. I built a loose reggae type trance track behind it. Then I cut it up and made it more subliminal. I really like the things that he says: "I can thinly perceive of a living power, God, holding all things together" "In the midst of darkness, light persists, in the midst of pain, joy persists, life persists" I love Ghandi's answer to the question "Are you a Christian?" he often replied "Ask the poor". That displays a deep understanding of the nature of Christianity that most people who call themselves christians don't even grasp. This song 'A Living Power' is the first in a series of post-everything anti-religious worship music I am working on. I will post more songs(and maybe videos) as they are recorded.

Nacho Libre

2006.06.19 14:07

Jack Black is funny! This film was much better than I expected. Jack even fought in some "professional" fights as Ignatio. Or at least his studio had a cross promotional campaign going to rope in the occasional PPV wrestling fanatics. Movies are big business and this made $27 million dollars on its opening weekend. Jack walks a very fine line between silly and stupid most of the time but the silliness is the whole point. There are lots of moments when just seeing his portly frame twisted into the oddest positions just makes one laugh. (and this is even true when he is not in the ring) The story of an orphan boy who dreamed of being a Lucador is one that hasn't been told before. Think Rocky meets Brother Sun Sister Moon (Just kidding!) When I was about 10-12 yearsold I was a huge fan of professional wrestling. This was theAndre the Giant and Rick Flair days of the late 70's. The wrestling in the movie reminded me of those days. More rolling around on the mat and grappling, not the over dramatic hysterics of the modern WWF, WWE, RAW, SMACKDOWN, ECW, WCW, AWA and even AAA (is that the wrestling addictions program for the recovering wrestling fanatics?). Nacho Libre is truely laugh out loud funny!

V for Vendetta : Ken Wilbur's Thoughts

2006.06.19 13:38

A few months ago I posted some thoughts on V for Vendetta. I just ran across a blog post by Ken Wilbur. Filmmaker Larry Wachoski is connected to Wilbur (Ken recorded a commentary track for the Matrix Box set) so Ken was invited to the premiere in NYC. He has some interesting things to say about the Hollywood experience but I foudn his thoughts and intepretations of the the film interesting. He saw a lot of the same things that I commented on and arrived at the same conclusion that the film was not presenting any heros but just different ideologies (Wilbur calls them Stages of Development) and showing how they clash together. One of the strange things Wilbur mentions is that the recording (in 2004) of the Matrix commentary was the last time he had left his loft estate in Boulder, Colorado. Recently on his blog he has been commenting on the phsycology of internet blogs and forums.

All in the Family

2006.06.16 14:27

My first cousin (on my dad'd side) Bryan McCabe is a professional hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Do you see any family resemblence? Maybe the hair? It seems that Bryan is going through contract negotiations and domestic issues are holding up the works. Even if it is the case that he is reluctant to stay in Toronto because of his wife, it seems a bit over-the-top that the Canadian press would make it such an issue. I am not close with Bryan so I can't say if this is purely speculation about his wife pressuring him to move to a NY team. I am happy for Byran being such a success. I didn't see it coming when he used to bite me when we would play as children. I also remember him visiting right after my high school graduation. I got drunk for the first time ever and all night long tried to pick a fight with him. At one point, I think he simply reached out and gently pushed me over into the sand on Key Biscayne. He foudn it funny that I was so aggressive. Looking back on that night, after I sobered up, it wasn't such as great idea to pick a fight with the guy who is notorious within the hockey leagues for being tough as nails. You live and you learn!

Blowin' Up

2006.06.16 12:42

I like Jamie Kennedy and his strange characters/multiple personalities. His show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment was entirely funny and better then Punk'ed anyday of the week. His latest Comedy Central (also on iTunes) show is called Blowin' Up. It is the semi-improv adventure of Jamie and his sidekick Stu's attempts at getting a record deal for their comedy rap album. The style is Spinal Tap for the MTV generation. The songs are very funny and play off of a type of absurd irony such as "Rollin' with Saget" is the product of a series of failed phone calls to get an established rap artist to guest on their disc. Instead of giving up, when no one is interested, jamie calls in Bob Saget and the white boy gangsta irony flows. The show is also a clever send-up of many of MTV and VH1 shows such as Diary among others. They ride around in Jamie's Hummer, much like Dave Navarro used to do on his show. Their video podcast (on iTunes) is a funny parady of Behind the Music where they describe the very funny thoughts behind the songs. It seems that Stu is the major creative engine(writing most of the songs) and much of the shows humor plays off of Jamie established celebrity. Together they make a funny team. I laughed myself silly when they got made up in black face and performed as an opening act to Oscar Winning hiphop artists : 36Mafia. You should download the songs, they are very funny!

Gnarls Barkley

2006.06.16 13:18

A few months ago a friend turned me on to the first single from this DJ Dangermouse/Cee-lo collaboration Gnarls Barkley : Crazy. I really liked its laid back but groovy feel (as did a record number of people apparently) and looked forward to hearing the whole album. I was reminded a few nights ago when I saw Cee-Lo's pudgy face emerging from a Darth Vader mask on the MTV movie awards that I needed to download this album. My brother told me that his CD version of the album contained the sales pitch "this is the kind of music that Marvin Gaye would be making if he was still alive". I am not so sure about that but it is very groovy pop music. The lyrical themes and production styles are firmed embedded in pop culture. There is a song referencing Transformer's the little robot/weapons that every kid wanted to play with in the mid 80's. Feng Shui, Online, St Elsewhere and Go-Go Gadget Gospel are all examples of how Gnarls is conciously mirroring the world around. I found it thrilling to see a Violent Femmes cover (Gone Daddy Gone) on the album. During the aforementioned mid 80's I obsessively listened to the Violent Femmes in ways that may have had lasting damage. The songs are all very catchy and very short. The longest song is only 3min25secs with most clocking in at under 2min30secs. I would have loved for a few of them to have grooved a bit longer. There is a space funk vibe to most of the instrumentation and even a few parliment inspired helium funk voices. I am glad to see DJ Dangermouse being creative, his Grey Album really unveiled the power of the Mash-up and Cee-Lo has been behind some of OutKast's best joints.

I Love a Good Conspiracy

2006.06.16 11:58

Although I don't have a tin foil hat to keep the brainwashing agents from infiltrating my thoughts like in the movie Signs but I dig a good conspiracy tale. Jeff Wells over at Rigorous Intuition can sure spin a believable tale. If you like reading weird and sometimes troubling observations on the world we live in and the powers that be, then head on over and join the discussions. If fiction is more your speed (and most conspiracy tales are fiction anyway) then Tim Boucher from Pop Occulture has started a new site called Conspiracy Fiction. He is looking for submissions to add to the archive and seeward is working on a story as well. I will post a link to mine when it is completed (and if he posts it) but for now go and brush up on the best in paranoia blog-land.

Human Beat Box

2006.06.16 11:40

This little video is pretty funny! In fact, there are lost of strange and funny things on YouTube. A great deal of it is the same kind of mindless hardrive-space wasting stuff that you find on MySpace but the occasional light shines through. I liked this video because it is a clever idea and this kid has the best hair I have seen in a long time =)

This is the Cutest Image

2006.06.16 11:26

When I was growing up, like many children who grew up with Sesame Street memories (and cookie monster nightmares =), I never foudn it odd that Ernie and Bert were two single middle aged puppets living together. I always thought they were a model of true best friends. I have heard that some people have assumed that they were actually a gay couple. Either way, I think this is one of the most heart warming images I have ever come across. I realize that says a great deal about me =) Two furry puppets dodging fake rain in tiny yellow raincoats makes my heart flutter!

Draw Closer to the Light

2006.06.16 10:25

This week in our Small Group, we were led in an activity by AJ Watson. Each meeting a different person leads us through an activity that will begin a discussion that we can all engage and learn from. This session AJ had a vision of making a lamp that symbolizes the truth that there is pain involved when someone draws near to the Light. He opened up the conversation with two examples: 1. When he decided to take the Red Pill at NPCC and open up to the life of community and God, his life didn't get easier but, in fact, got more painful at first. 2. He saw a drugged out guy on the side of the road and he realized that in order for him to stop and help he had to sacrifice and live up to the light that he was trying follow in his life. The discussion took many interesting turns and everyone engaged with their own ideas about what the lamp could symbolize. In a very practical sense, we all experienced physical pain in the process by twisting and cutting the sharp metal wire. AJ wanted to use razor wire but reason won in the end and we used copper wire instead. Sharp pain is much better than missing fingers! Our conversation focused down in the relationship between pleasure and pain in our lives. We all agreed that if we could all hook up to a machine that ensured that we would only experience pleasure, none of us would take the opportunity. We decided that pain was a nessecary part of life and also one of the best teachers in life. Throughout our discussion we seemed to express the conviction that we all held a value that was deeper than the feelings of pleasure or pain: authenticity. The reason we wouldn't hook up to the pleasure machine is because the experiences would not be real. One of the odd things that came up was the fact that leprosy was a disease where those infected experienced no pain. Their nerves stop sending signals to the brain. After all the discussion, my conclusion is that "I want to be happy but not all the time". You can read an interesting website entry on this topic here where he comes to the same conclusion.

A Reminder

2006.06.15 11:56

George Benard Shaw was the author of this little truism. People - we are only on this earth for a few weekends - make the most of it! Live outside of fear and create your future now! If you don't someone else will create it for you, and it might suck!

The Monkey Chow Diares

2006.06.12 11:12

The last angry man has come up with an idea that is equally brilliant and odd. He has decided to only eat nutritional pellets designed for monkey's. His first test is only a week long but, if things work out, maybe we will all be abandoning our over fetishizing of food and eating like the rest of the primates. At first his daily video postings are a combination of Fear Factor and Super Size Me but they slowing begin a discussion that circles around issues of world hunger. What is interesting is that by doing this random little experiment, he has become an internet celebrity within a week. He has been interviewed on both TV and Radio. I like this story for a few reasons (the monkey connection and his subtle humor as he eats the crunchy pellets on video) but I also find it interesting how accesible everything is these days. Not just information but also celebrity or exposure. It makes me think of Andy Warhol's statement that everyone can be famous for 15 minutes. I recently heard an update: "Everyone is the Messiah but you have to sign up for your 15 seconds."

Things are About to Get even More Strange

2006.06.12 11:52

Does anyone remember FireFox? The Clint Eastwood movie where he steals a fighter plane controled by the thoughts of the pilot. Scientists have made a huge leap forward in making this kind of tech a reality. For now they are only able to print out letters from the analysis of brain wave clusters. Soon they will be able to quickly measure all kinds of body language as well to discern even more of the user's intentions. This has many applications beyond making a real life version of FireFox but I have no doubt that the military has an even faster version of this interface in the works as we speak. One of the interesting things the news article mentions is for paralysed people to still communicate and control a wheel chair. The article mentions Jean-Dominique Bauby the former editor of Elle magazine who was still able to write his memoirs , The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly, by blinking his left eye. I think the potential applications are even stranger. Imagine in 100 years when people will be able to control their vehicles or personal computers purely by thought. Will there be a feedback problem where the machines could also begin to slightly influence the thoughts of the users? It seems to be that human beings are becoming post-human at an amazing rate. We appear to be departing our physical bodies more and more. Moving all of our living into our minds and now extending our minds out into the world in new ways. What will happen when two people are trying to control the same thing with their minds? Will it be a matter of who has more battery power or better code in their "Reality Interface"? I think of all the Science Fiction writers William Gibson understands the potential for these types of tech in the cultural underground. His blog is an interesting read.

Bono Fatique?

2006.06.12 10:54

Have you had too much of the little leprechaun of rockstar love? Many U2 fans (and a fair bit of people who are simply pissed off about lots of things) have been posting reflections from their Bono Fatique recovery here.

Kidney Stones are No Joke

2006.06.09 21:30

On Wednesday evening I had my third encounter with little crystals forcing their way out of my tender parts. Ouch! This little shot was taken around 3am. Shortly after they administered the first round of a mild pain killer. I had told them the pain was about an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. It was actually a lot less painful than the last one three years ago, at first, Shortly after they unhooked my liquid bag, I went into a serious level 10 bout of pain. It felt like someone had jabbed me just left of my gut with a burning metal fireplace stoker. Instead of pulling it back out they were twisting it in and applying more pressure. Not fun! Before the major pain hit, I had begun to meditate and actually felt like I was somehow over coming the pain. I must have been the first round of painkillers because when the pain increased I almost lost it. I was doubled over and on the verge of vomiting (something that I did both of the previous stones). The kind nurse came in with a smile on his face and said "This should take care of the pain". Within 30 seconds I was floored. At first it came on so strong that my legs began to shake. After about 1min I was a drooling idiot. I remember babbleing nonsense to the nurse and finding it hard to hold my thoughts together. I feel fine now and must have successfully passed the stone (fingers crossed - among other things!). Here is some info about Kindey Stones that you may not know.

The Breakup

2006.06.05 12:37

The Breakup is a wonderful date movie. At times romantic, occasionally stereotypical and often humorous, this Vince Vaughn vehicle is a cut above the average hollywood romantic comedy. Vince produced and wrote the story for this movie but in fairness anyone who has ever goen through a breakup could have written this story. It plays heavily into the well worn stereotypes of male female relational needs but the acting and dialogue keep it from ever feeling false. Both Vaughn and Aniston do a good job of holding ones attention and their are a few show-steeling supporting roles that make the overall feel very engaging. Vincent D-Onfrio plays Vauggn's emotionally stunted older brother to great effect. He milks even the smallest scene to full effect with odd body positions and erratic eye movements. It seems as if they just let him go completely over the top, most of the time it is rather amusing. Jason Bateman also pulls out some laughs playing a sleazy nerdy real estate agent who capatilizes on the breakup. I also enjoyed Jutin Long (That 70's Show and Ed) as the slightly gay art gallery receptionist. I wondered if he was doing a shout out to Bronson Pinchot's Serge from Beverly Hills Cop. I am not relacing Notting Hill as my all-time favorite romantic comedy , yet but this little movie isn't that bad.

Can You Overdo Luxury?

2006.06.05 11:52

Imagine for a moment that you live in one of the poorest sections of the United States(North Philly). Imagine that you have to see signs throughout your neighborhood proclaiming "We Buy Ugly Homes.com". Imagine that the first sign you see hovering over I-95 placed right on your exit is this. How would it make you feel? You might assume that it would be easy for all concerned if you just dissappeared off the face of the earth so that the machine of empire could continue rolling along. When the Philly Mayor was asked how his city planned to respond to the mounting welfare cuts and unemployment numbers, he responded "We are building five new prisons". These are some of the tensions that I am processing since my trip to Philly. i will be putting more thoughts together soon but in the meantime check out this!

Grounds for Sculpture

2006.06.02 16:33

While in Philly, my brother took Nicole and I to the Grounds for Sculpture in Trenton, NJ. I enjoyed the day a great deal. When you drive into Trenton there is this motto written on the bridge out of town "Trenton Makes The World Takes". Kind of like "We are the good guys!" Mr Seward Johnson is a sculptor who has put together quite a collection of modern art sculptures. There is humor as well as beauty. One piece is entitled "Pondering the Effects of Exercise" it features two figures lounging at a table covered in wine and empty plates. You can check out the grounds here.

X-Men : The Last Stand

2006.06.02 16:50

Comic book based movies make for great opportunities to show off special effects. The latest installment of X-Men is no exception. The usual characters return for another round of superhuman action and CGI illusions. If you are keeping up with the plot, the theme for this film could be ressurection. Nobody stays dead (or worse) for too long before they are are right back into the action. This time their is a bit of drama as the humans have found a cure for mutants. As expected not everyone is onboard with this politically correct option and an unholy war begins. Others have mentioned the subtle fear of the female that runs throughout the plot but that seems like trying to read too much into this movie. It is a one trick pony of sorts without much points of true suspence or drama. The Jaugernaut was my favorite character due to the shoutout to this little internet gem!

An Evening with Saddle Creek

2006.06.02 16:25

As far as independent record labels go, Saddle Creek is one of the few success stories. Started as a college assigenment, Saddle Creek has grown into one of the hippest labels to ever come out of Omaha (OK, the only record label to come out of Omaha). With the strength of Bright Eyes, The Faint and Lullaby for the Working Class, Saddle Creek has, in ten short years, moved from photocopying black and white cassette labels to international distribution. This DVD is an intimate retelling of the formation of the label and most of its bands and collectives (Where are the Get-up Kids?). It seems that you need a color chart and monthly calendar to figure out who is in which band. Conor Oberst floats very close to the center of almost everything happening from being the first artist released to the first one to sell over one hundred thousand records. He has played in most of the bands at one time or another and seems to be a true fan of those that he hasn't. The interviews are pretty square, simply telling the story right into the camera. A few moments of humor and interesting antics pop up but it is mostly an opportunity to bask in the unexpected success. The best part of this DVD is the bonus section with many rare performances that shed light on the early days of emo. You get to see Conor in his first band at around 15 or 16 (Commander Venus). They rock out in Lawrance Kansas to a crowd of about 4 or 5. There is also a priceless piece of footage of Conor at about 17 or 18 playing piano with very uneven results. Again the crowd is very small but the passion and commitment are undeniable. He wails with abandon even after he falls off the groove many times. Each time he picks himself up and tries again. A lesson in perseverance as he ends with "that was the most embarrassing thing I have ever done in my life". If you are a fan of any of the Saddle Creek roster bands or just dig independant music, check out this DVD for about two hours worth of recent history.

Eels : with Strings

2006.06.02 13:16

Mark Everett aka E, the driving force behind Eels, has been making sweet and melodic music about overcoming misery for over ten years now. He has pushed the borders of his Brian Wilson flavored melodies to incorporate elements of both punk and funk without losing his ear for a great pop song. This time out his CD/DVD is a live recording with a string quartet thrown in the mix. The songs span the last few ablums of his career and he even throws in an unexpected Bob Dylan cover (Girl of North Country). His songs lend themselves very well to the extra layers of harmony and the occasional string flurry of the quartet. The arrangements are fantastic with the drummer really holding a master-class in how to groove without destroying the fragility of the song. The DVD comes with over 2 hours of music and various backstage tomfoolery. I always though E must be a manic despressive so it was nice to see him showing a playful sense of humor. If you like the self effacing pop of Eels as much as I do then this DVD is a must have collection of their best songs in their most lush arrangements. Be sure to check out the "Day at the Office" section in the bonus menu - very funny stuff!

Christian Anarchy

2006.05.31 08:54

I had the chance to reconnect with a lovely and sassy nun Sister Margaret McKenna, while in Philly. I had met her a few years ago in Omaha at a conclave that Darin Petersen hosted called Basilia. At the time, I was moved by her passion and uniqueness. This time she filled in even more of the details of her adventure following Christ. In the 80's she was a part of the Plowshares Movement. They staged public symbolic actions to resist the war and the machines of empire. She was a part of an action that involved climbing onto a Navy battleship, pouring her blood onto a nuclear tomahawk missle and handcuffing herself to the missile. After spending four months in prison she moved into the Bandlands of Philly and began a drug rehabilitation center called New Jerusalem. They bring life and joy to the depressed surroundings with things like this and this. We had the chance to sit in on their morning bible study, led by Sister Margaret. They were studying Revelations. She kept making strong references to the use of violence and the forces of empire being the way to understand Revelations. I have never really studied Revelations but what she said made a great deal of sense and made me want to look into it more. One of my favorite things about Sister Margaret is the little sign hanging on the door to her modest bedroom. Wild Ass Sanctuary. Wild Ass indeed!

Bright Eyes : Motion Sickness

2006.06.01 12:36

It is hard for me to really capture the way I feel about Conor Oberst and his collective Bright Eyes. I have said many times "I love this or I love that" but it seems like Bright Eyes are in a different catagory altogether. I have heard everything that Conor has released under the Bright Eyes moniker and I enjoy it all! The music and the words seem to move me in an emotional way that very few artists do (Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons) . When I read articles saying that Conor is the future of rock music, I tend to agree. He was even spoofed on SNL. Bright Eyes has also cropped up on David Letterman This Bright Eyes disc is a collection of live recording from their tour of the United States in 2005. I saw them in Miami on this tour and I remember being impressed with how well he sounded live. Altough he seemed drunk by the end of the show, his voice was solid and the small four piece band covered the multi-layed arrangements fairly well considering that some of his best songs were recorded with up to 25 musicians. Most of the songs are from his last country flavoured disc "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" (Train Under Water, Old Soul Song, The Bottom of Everything) with a few new and rare songs thrown in for good measure. The politically charged "When the President Talks to God" is a high point and a great example of Conor's relevance and power as a songwriter. The song bristles and stings with political and social commentary while feeling timeless altough locked within its protest-song template. I am looking forward to a new studio album (not due until 2007) to see whether he can hold on and not burn out. In the meantime check out this for passion and finesse.

Seeward Jr

2006.05.31 13:24

While visiting with my brother, we went to an amusement park/arcade bar called Dave and Busters. Nicole and I had great fun playing overly violent shoot'em up games. They also had this little photo-booth where you could see what it might look like if two people mated. The above picture is the nerdy result of our efforts. Thought he looked very geeky! Nicole said the funniest thing "He looks smart" I laughed out loud at that one. How does someone look smart? She meant he looks like a nerd =]

Going to Visit the Simples

2006.05.24 13:05

Tomorrow morning I leave on a trip to visit my friends at the Simple Way in North Philly. It should be a wonderful time to connect and see the Kingdom from a different perspective. One fo the coolest things will be seeing my brother on Sunday! I am traveling with some cool peeps : Tim Hauber, Mark Jordan, Nikki DT, Pennie Baldacci and Jane Seibels. Also Chris Seay and some people from his community in Houston are coming up as well. That should make for an even more interesting time! I will hopefully have internet and will be posting some thoughts and images. Peace for Now.

Having a Bad Day?

2006.05.23 08:31

Read this little story and you will feel much better about your day. This worl dis a very odd and often dangerous place. I can really see how the anxiety and stress of just staying alive can wear some people down.

The DaVinci Code

2006.05.22 12:23

Does anyone else think it is absurd that professors and Christian "experts" have come out of the woodwork to offer a rebuttal to a novel? You can purchase the dvd resource kit for yourself and see all the places that Dan Brown wrestled with historical accuracy. If you listen to Dan Brown, he wrote the novel in order to begin discussions about the whole notion of historical accuracy (and to make bucketloads of money!). He is personally and narratively questioning our ability to accept our inherited history as fact. Without understanding this point, many christians jumped at the bait and started debating the book point by historical point. Not one of the rebuttals has been as interesting to read as the novel itself. Maybe why people have so much fear about this work of fiction is that they understand at a deep level that story has the power to influence a person's perceptions. I think that the reason a story like the DaVinci Code is so compelling is because there is an absense of truely compelling works of narative that capture the historical christian version of history. There have been some attempts The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Lord of the Rings. Aside from the fact that both of those mythic stories were written almost 60 years ago, both read as an escape into an mythic other-world and therefore don't have the kind of connection to everyday life that the Da Vinci Code uses to great effect. There are some notable differences between the book and the movie. With all of the controversay about the book being presented as fact, I expected the movie to open with a Blair Witch Project disclaimer. The pacing of the novel was a rush that didn't translate as well to the film. You get the feeling that things are moving too fast. Tom Hanks' Robert Langdon, is much smarter and more "christian" than Dan Brown's original. I found this strange. The strongest scene in the book where Langdon and Teabing lay out the whole "Jesus was married and had kids" version of history, is reframed in a much broader perspective for the fim. I wonder if this was an intentional way of sidesteping more controversy? There are still quite a few things that may ruffle some feathers but all in all the movie was entertaining. The book was so widely read that this was a difficult movie to make. It was written in a way that lent itself to the visuals of film-making but the plot relies heavily on the fact that you don't know what will happen next. So when you do know what will happen next its not nearly as thrilling. People like Dan Brown, Tom Hanks and Ron Howard know this fact but also saw the huge potential to make more money, so they couldn't refuse. They played around with the ending enough to show that they were atleast tying to offer blockbuster entertainment. Listening to the book and watching the movie have left me with one burning question in my heart - What does Pat Robertson think?

The Last Supper

2006.05.21 18:59

Similar to Da Vinci's Last Supper, This FIMO sculture of the first party where God was eaten has no Holy Grail. It does have a small stone cup with little glittery bits. This piece is hidden proof of the long forgotten secret truth about the disciples: they were rastas!

Noodle

2006.05.21 18:55

I dig the Gorillaz so much that I made the lead guitar player Noodle.

Punk Prince Charming

2006.05.21 18:53

This is the punk prince charming. He was made as a gift for Barry Taylor.

Brethren

2006.05.21 18:51

Made for the NPCC talent challenge. Purchased by Jason and Debra Higgs.

Matisyahu

2006.05.21 18:49

Matisyahu is an intriging character. Hasidic Jew and Reggae/Rapper. I decided to make him out of clay.

Shock-Ya

2006.05.21 18:44

This little guy was made as a gift for Shaka. He is just about to break into a funky robot dance.

D J Futura

2006.05.21 18:42

Futura is MC Phat's DJ. He spins all the deepest gooves on Old School wax.

M C Phat

2006.05.21 18:39

This little guy is a rapper from the future. His is the biggest rapper in the summer of 2234 on the planet RonkfUNK. He was made with FIMO clay.

Robots

2006.05.21 18:36

I played aroudn with some Crayola Model Magic clay and these robots are the result. This clay is fun to work with and dries in the air without the oven.

Mooner

2006.05.21 18:30

I won't mention who this little gift was created for(you know who you are!) The moon is always full in your presence. =]

Clay Star

2006.05.21 18:22

Once I got some FIMO clay, I began to make little figures as gifts. This little clay rockstar was made for my rockstar cousin Luke "peaump" Pinder.

Claymation Band

2006.05.21 18:20

This little guy was the star of my first claymation short film. It was more like a music video for a song called "Worthy is the Lamb". I had a great deal of fun with the clay band and a webcam.

Soft Clay Flower

2006.05.20 12:51

This is the first thing I made out of clay. I went to the craft/paint store for a bit of inspiration. I was so over-joyed with making a little piece of beauty that I didn't worry about the fact that it was non-drying clay. Its beauty was fleeting but can still be enjoyed on the internet.

New Design in the Works

2006.05.20 10:35

The whole site isn't back online yet but for now you can play around with the new design switcher on the right. Now you will be able to select the style of the site you prefer. New designs are on the way as well. For now this one is called "revolution" there is also a "gothic" style and a playful clay inspired design. I have much to write about, having seen the Da Vinci Code movie and finished the 16 hours of the audio book. Stay tuned for a review.

Seeward.com is moving

2006.05.18 16:41

After almost 8 years with the same web host Altaway I am finally moving to a new home. I hadn't realized that the hosting business had gotten so competitive in 8 years. Altaway was a good home, although I now know rather over-priced and feature limited. The new seeward.com will bring many new improvements to the site. I already started the technical aspects of the move so the site might be down for the next day or two. But when it returns you will have more than enough things to play with. If you are kind, you may even get your own room and no longer have to share space. Good-bye for now!

Super Philosophical Men

2006.05.18 13:08

This is find very funny! A series of toy figures modeled in the likeness of the greatest philosophers of all time. Their thoughts have always been fun, now they are also fun to play with! The lovely figure above is none other than Hegel. Each figure has strengths and weaknesses. Hegel's are : Strength : He is infinite Weakness : He is finite That is funny business considering that Hegel is the philosopher who began to push modern thought beyond paralysing dualisms. His idea was that any dualism: right/wrong good/evil light/dark etc all exist within a larger field of meaning. If we can grasp this larger field of meaning then we might be free from the tension and battles that the polar opposites demand. So he is both infinite and finite! Wondeful folly and he can out-smart G I Joe anytime of day.

Travels in Hyperreality

2006.05.17 10:20

I have been seeing the name Umberto Eco popping up a lot recently in my studies. An Italian literati and keen cultural observer, Eco is also noted for writing a better version of the Da Vinci Code, years before Dan Brown started buying huge new homes just to store all of his cash in. Travels in Hyperreality is a collection of essays and reflections mostly written during the 80-90's. There is so many brilliant observations and ideas in this little book! His tone is very engaging and you come away feeling like you have been talking with a person rather than simply interacting with ideas. He comments on a range of topics: Christianity, the media, history, globalization and the changing landscape of sexuality. I really enjoyed his thoughts in Culture as Show Business and Multiplication of the Media. He askes the pointed question why are modern culteral forms more about execution than invention. He sites the disappointment he felt after watching Kubrick's 2001 a Space Oddessy. He make the point that since Star Wars had better technical effects, although the innovations flowed from 2001, it was more celebrated and considered more innovative. He asks why the same isn't true for paintings or other works of art. We tend to still resonate with the Old Masters even though their technical abilities have been trancended by modern painters. The line seems to be drawn, once again, between high and low culture. In high culture we have a different set of values and our experiences are enriched by the history and ongoing cultural commentary that frames the work. In low culture, things are more plastic and disposable and are therefore judged on more surface related values such as technique and execution. However, once a modern artist has been established and their is discussed and layers with commentary, their work can have lasting impact. These ideas make me think of Salvador Dali. His work first gained attention more for the technical brilliance of his execution. The content was far too strange and cryptic to have mass appeal but the power of his technique carried him through until his work became firmly established. In Reading Things, he shows how theories of textual analysis can be applied to visual and thematic elements. He outlines 24 points of textual analysis in the film Casablanca. This list of archtypes and cultural references are full of thought provoking ideas. In a world that is increasingly looking beyond the printed word in its quest for knowledge and meaning, the ability to accurately "read" things is a valuable tool. He says in the prologue, after launching a pointed critique of the paralysis of American intellectualism, that the whole collection of writings were about his field of interest: semantics. I will have to look furhter into what semantics is and how it applies to the tranlating of information into meaning.

The Way of the Master

2006.05.15 19:57

I feel like I stepped into a parallel universe. Nicole tipped me off that some strange business was going on over on the TBN channel. I was not prepared for what awaited me when I clicked over. 80's Teen Beat cover boy/90's mega christian Kirk Cameron's show The Way of the Master. I can't begin to describe how sickened I felt as he and his "master?" Ray Comfort interogated people on the street about how well they measure up to the Ten Commandments. Throughout the questioning they not so gently pronounce the person guilty before God. They then make an appeal for the person to accept Jesus on the spot. Most people just looked uncomfortable or scared to death. You can see the tone of their engagment with culture by clicking the image above. When the Evangelical Flash-o-Matic intro asks if you are a christian, say "no". (I hope God isn't keeping track of this site and using it's results in His salvation database, If so I'm screwed =) WhenI turned onthe show, they were talking to a very colorful transexual. I thought she did an impressive job of interacting with them and at the end agreeing with them and saying she was a Christian already. Then they brought up homosexuality and even recommended that she should "put men's clothes back on". She stormed off after a rant about being loved by God and Jesus saving her from suicide. I was sickened to see them immeadiately cut into a "teaching" about the danger of "confident sinners" who are comfortable in their sin and do not know they are going to hell. They even went as far as to warn against "false conversion". I guess the conversions on their website must be 100% legit. That is if you buy a $70 DVD/cd resource kit to prove you are serious about strengthening your spiritual foundations. How in the hell can a whole group of well-funded and tragically misguided people all read the gospels and decide that this kind of street-level, guilt ridden and offensively impersonal evangelism is "the way of the master".

Seeward:cribs

2006.05.15 19:12

I am learning to use the church's new video camera and I put together this nifty little montage. It was meant to be a quick fiddle with the editing software. I like how it turned out! Mostly because it features a few artists that I really dig. John Cox, DeCyPul, and the Urban Vinyl universe. The video is a bit more than my bandwidth should allow so it may load a bit choppy. It is best to pause the video while it is loading and then watch it. I am not responsible for any dizzyness or seizures that may occur as a result of viewing this video. =]

An American Haunting

2006.05.15 14:35

An American Haunting is a bit more ambitious than your average horror film. The film attempts to offer an explaination of the "Most Documented Haunting in American History" the Bell Witch Haunting. The claims that a few individual journals written 30-40 years after the incidents occurred are enough documentation to qualify as "Most Documented" seems dubious. But I guess that is what many people say of the gospels. In the style of the Blair Witch Project and The Da Vinci Code, the film works better if you are forced to consider that it might actually be true. The story is told as a flashback from an old letter found by new owners in the attic of the Old Bell House where the original hauntings took place. It is never clear if the modern characters are decendants of the Bell family but a few parallels point in that direction. Although there are a few very startling moments, the strange events become repetitive rather quickly. Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek are the two most established faces in the film but Rachel Hurd-Wood(Peter Pan) is the star of this movie. Her role demanded many odd facial expressions and unnatural limb twisting, which she executed flawlessly. The most striking element of the film is that it offers an interesting view of paranormal events. The movie closes with a definition of the word Poltergeist. "a term for a supposed spirit or ghost that manifests by moving and influencing inanimate objects or levitating people" Then the onscreen text suggests that these objects are actually being influenced by something unknown within people who are traumatized. I won't spoil the details of what kinds of trauma might explain the Bell Witch incident. It is an interesting suggestion that the people who experience hauntings are actually creating these paranormal events themselves due to the release, through trauma, of deeper human abilities that are normally dormant. The people are so convinced that they are experiencing a ghost because they have no awareness of their own power to trigger supernatural events. Although the movie was well produced, I feel that this little suggestion is its strongest merit.

R V : What's So Funny About Feces

2006.05.15 13:54

Robin Williams is a funny guy with a sometimes poor sense of what makes a good film. While he has chosen a few winners : Good Morning Vietnam, The Fisherking, and Awakenings. He has also chosen some truly boring films: Bicentenial Man, One Hour Photo and Good Will Hunting.( Just kidding about Good Will Hunting!) R V belongs at the top of Robin Williams' "At Least I Might Make Some Money" list. This movie felt like a bad retred of National Lampoon's Vacation territory. At least that movie had the edge of Chevy Chase to carry it along. Robin Williams is too straight to really make you laugh. This is a shame since Williams' can be really off kilter and funny at times. More often than not, I found him awkward rather than amusing. The plot is thinner than the paper it was printed on. Stereotypical family tensions and scatalogical humor abound. The two or three laughs in the movie come from the newcomers JoJo and Josh Hutcherson. JoJo is also an up and coming pop singer. Is it me or is the line between singer and actress disappearing, I guess that's what happens when the same corporations own the record companies as well as the film studios. Unless you have a Jeff Daniels fetish, I wouldn't bother!

24 Hour Goodness

2006.05.13 10:57

In the last few months three Starbucks have opened in Nassau. The latest is the one pictured above. It is open 24 hours a day! You can't really tell from the picture but it is actually inside of the Cable Beach casino. I guess that's a great way to keep people gambling all through the night. I am pleased that now I can get a triple espresso at any hour and people say that modern society is de-evolving. I think it is a sign of God's coming kingdom that now caffeine is delivered hot at 4 in the morning!

Poseidon

2006.05.12 23:14

In ancient Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea to whom sailors and fisherman would pray for safe travels. It looks like, once again, someone forgot to pray for this fictional cruiseliner's safe voyage. I remember watching the original The Poseidon Adventure during a rainy day on cable a few years ago. This remake ups the ante on several fronts while, at the same time, shortening the film by 20 minutes. The trailer tells you all you need to know about the plot. Big fancy boat + Huge Tsunami style wave = disaster filled with heroic potential. This time around the cast is light on established actors. While the original had several oscar winners, the remake is full of a virtually unknown cast. This makes it a bit harder to connect with the characters emotionally since the terror begins before any real character development can unfold. It was less than ten minutes into the film when all hell breaks loose. Kurt Russell and Richard Dryfuss are the most familiar faces with the brief comic relief of Kevin Dillon. I wish he would have stuck around longer since the intensity of the action could have used a bit of humor to offer some breathing room for the audience. The producers must have used all the money they saved on casting for special effects. Some of the visuals were breathtaking. When the wave hits the boat you are treated to a full 10 minutes straight of explosions, people screaming, people dying, metal twisting and general misc chaos. The camera angles were really interesting and the editing kept you in constant suspense. Josh Lucas played the mysterious hero role. I kept feeling that I was watching TV when I was watching him. I am not sure why since he has played small roles in quite a few films inculding Stealth, The Hulk, and A Beautiful Mind. He just didn't seem to pull off the leading man role. To be fair he didn't have much to work with in the script department. Most of his screen time is spent screaming franticly, swimming franticaly, or staring off with crazy intense eyes. I have never quite understood the appeal of disaster genre films but this is a solidly crafted film that could have used the extra 20 minutes to deepen it's connection with the audience. There are a few product placements (PsP2 and the Black Eyes Peas) but one product this movie certianly won't sell is tickets on cruise ships.

Meaning of Life

2006.05.09 16:11

There are a few very interesting videos at meaningoflife.tv . If you click the link above you can see a rather mind expanding interview on quantum weirdness and its implications to spiritual realities. The speaker makes a wonderful point that we actually live in three (maybe more) worlds at any given time: The Micro World - the world of molecules and atoms The Macro World - our everyday world of objects and organisms The Mega World - the world of astronomers and astro physics He makes the point that our language was devised to deal with the macro world that we live in and encounter everyday. When we try to use the same language to describe events that are happening in the quantum or micro world, we end up with all kinds of contradictions such as : nuetrons are both particles and waves at the same time and a particle can be in two different places at the same time. These are the kinds of tensions that crop up because we don't have effecient words to describe these events. The same can be said when we try to use our Macro world language to describe the spiritual dimensions of life. The Bible presents many contradictions due to the limitations of language: Jesus is both fully God and fully man, God is one but God is also three, human beings have complete freewill but God is working out a plan and purpose toward His intended goal. These are just a few of the various paradoxes that arise when you seriously look at what the Bible has to say. Many people go to the Bible to fidn resolution and I believe that as long as you stay on the surface, you will get that resolution. However, the Bible is designed to call us deeper than the surface and into an intimate relationship with the text. This initmace then becomes a neverending expansion of mystery and paradox. It seems to me that the answer to the human spiritual condition is to be in relationship with the God whose very being creates a fracture and contradiction in our world and language. This is why the great Christian mystics have always called us beyond words and concepts that explain God toward the face to face experience of God that we see the people in the Bible sharing. To hear one of the best interviews on this fantastic site check out Lorenzo Albacete.

Mission Impossible III

2006.05.06 12:00

I was expecting this movie to be full of insane action and adrenaline fueled chases. I was correct. The pacing is out of control. You barely get a chance to breathe between action sequences before you are thrown into the next explosion or machine gun symphony. I have moderately enjoyed the first two mission in this franchise although Tom Cruise creeps me out in a big way. Seeing that he is, once again, a co-producer on this film, I have to imagine that, at least some of the creative choices, were due to his influence. This installment is much more personal than the last two. Ethan is struggling with his passionate commitment to global intelligence and his newly formed domestic situation. This tension seems to be purely a way to bring emotional weight to the violence. It didn't feel authentic in my book. I felt a bit manipulated by the emotional hook more than feeling any real emotional connection. The ending was so overly sentimental that I wanted to throw up! Seeing Philip Seymore Hoffman was a treat but his character was cut from the same one dimensional villian cloth that shows up in many films of this genre. He is all evil with no human side at all. This convention always feels heavy-handed to me. I tend to enjoy it when the bad guy has a human side or at least has an extravagant personality to keep me entertained. Hoffman's character had none of this at all. Lawrence Fishburne steals the show with a few well placed lines and attitude. His character got the most reaction from the mostly Bahamian audience. I was suprised however that there was very little participation from the audience. Usually in movie like this, in the Bahamas, you have the extra treat of the most masculine members of the audience shouting out commentary along with the action. I remember seeing Rocky II when I was much younger. Throughout the boxing matches the whole audience shouted exclamation points of "bitch" and "Take that" in time with each punch. It made for an unusually entertaining experience. I was half looking forward to that seeing that the theater was packed full due to opening night. Maybe the audience failed to connect with the wonder bread white Ethan Hunt and thats why they roared at Fishburne's ethinic foil. The special effects were on the money and the action was thrilling so I guess they will please the 13-14 year old crowd. All in all, I would recommend this film for a two hour escape from reality if that is your bag.

Pimp Mobile Nassau Style

2006.05.06 11:49

I saw the most amazingly pimped out car at the movie theater last night! Check out the hood lamps and no less than 4 hood ornaments. The driver was a little old Bahamian man. He had a pimpin' hat on as well. I will have to look into where he got his custom pimping done. Something tells me this was a personal project!

Artic Monkeys

2006.05.09 15:31

I am a bit slow to the Artic Monkeys' party. I have heard the hype over the last few months but it wasn't until this weekend that I finally geave their disc an intense listen. They have been compared to many other brit pop precursors such as Blur, Oasis, and Streets. I can hear the resemblance but I also hear a bit of The Specials mixed in as well. The ska flavored "Fake Tales of San Fransisco" remind me of the Elvis Costello produced Specials. The Monkeys definately have a more current attitude and owe more to punk than to reggae but I can hear the shifting time signatures and syncopations left over from the ska craze in the UK. I love that this disc sounds like a band jamming in a garage. Albeit a rather tight and punchy band. They are pretty up front about the fact that they have only been playing their instruments for less than 5 years. This gives their music a very spontaneous edge that older musicians often lack. "A Certian Romance" bounces nicely and offers a bit of balance to the balls-out pub crashing of the rest of the albums. This is the kind of music that I want to hear when I am pissed off and I am looking for something to calm me down and remind me that a bit of edge can make life a little more fullfilling. I hope they can continue to make brisk and spiking pop songs after they have their best days crammed into smelly tour buses.

Goodbye Television

2006.05.06 15:35

Our old friend the devil's fishbowl is on the way out! Click the image above to see a glimpse into the future of entertainment. Peekvid.com has an impressive lineup of television shows streaming 24/7. I like the idea of watching a show whenever I choose, sort of like a communal TiVo. 14 episodes of the Sopranos really sold me on it though.

South Park Seeward

2006.05.04 13:33

I love South Park! I love that it is subversive and brave enough to make fun of everything. The world needs more humor and less people who take everything so damn serious. Above is a nifty image from the South Park character creator. You can click the south park seeward to go to the creator and make your own little cartoon character. On a related note, the episodes from this season where they poke fun at the church of scientology were awesome! Knowing that a major member of the cast (Issac Hayes' Chef) was a devoted member of the church of scientology did not scare them into treading lightly. The first episode was so offensive that Hayes quit the cast. His departing quote was "I thought the show was run by nice funloving guys and I found out that they are mean spirited and willing to mock people's beliefs" - Has he ever seen the show?!?! They have alwasy mocked EVERYTHING. I give them double props for making another scientology episode, after Hayes' departure, where Chef gets kidnapped and brainwashed by a cult. You have to love humor that brave!

Life on Mars?

2006.05.03 02:35

The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring the surface of the Red Planet for over two years now. Things are beginning to get interesting. There is a great deal of chatter surrounding certian photos released by NASA. Here are a few of the ones that have stirred up the most discussion about possible evidence of life. The one that looks like a face has already been exposed as simply shadows. When they look at it from other angles it is revealed to simply be a natural rock formation. Here is one that shows that if there is life, they know how to make the universal earthling symbol of "Have a Nice Day" Here is a few interesting links that have some even better images that seem very interesting. Space Magazine : Google Mars : Mars Geo It will be interesting on earth if one day the rover is cruising along photographing rocks and suddenly a huge worm pops out of the side of a dune. Will NASA still release the images over the internet if the rover meets a tragic end after being eaten by a huge desert space worm? I think not!

I Couldn't Resist

2006.05.02 14:37

While searching for images to fill the new little link engine, I came across this very funny page about Ken Wilber. Click the image above to see this little parody. I have been listening lately to the commentary tracks on the 10 disc Matrix box set that has Ken and Cornel West providing philosophical and spiritual insights into the film. The dialogue is fascinating and worth buying the set for. The set also includes a few "Making of..." discs as well. My favorite was the one called "Philosophical Roots of The Matrix" It works as a crash course for understanding modern thought. The interviews are with university philosophy professors who admit being so clued out of popular culture that they never thought to see the Matrix until students starting referring to it in classroom discussions about philosophy. If the intellectual exchanges between West and Wilber are too much to sift through, you can also listen to commentary by three mainstream film critics who hated the film. It is interesting to listen to them back to back. The critics are running on about a scene being too predictable and vague while West and Wilber are speaking of it as if it were the most concise portrayal of the meaning of life. Another example of the postmodern predicament, two perspectives seeing two different things in the same scene. For further reading from Wilber check out Integral Naked - Standard warning to those of little faith - Do not visit this link if you are not willing to be challenged.

New Links Section

2006.05.02 10:06

I wrote a new script for the little links section at the lower left of this page. Now, instead of seeing the same links each time, everytime this page loads a random new set of links is displayed from the database. You can check it out by relading this page over and over again to see the changes. I am also in the process of putting a lot more links into the database. Just for clarification, the links are sites that I find inspiring and challenging or just plain fun. I might not agree with everything on every site but I also don't believe in protecting people from challenging information. Take a look through the link portal and see what wonders await!

Visual Paradox and Faith

2006.05.02 10:01

I listened to an interesting podcast yesterday. It was Doug Pagitt and Bob Deeway debating PostModern spirituality. Doug, in typical heretical form, was taking the post modern side of the exchange. You can check it out here One of the points they discussed was whether the human mind could hold a knowledge of God. Doug argued that the human mind is incapable of holding the mystery and paradox of God, while Bob argued that God has revealed truth to human beings so they can have certianty. Towards the end of the final dialogue, Bob was stumped in his position by the doctrine of the trinity. He had to concede that the trinity is a paradox that we can not ever fully embrace without accepting the mystery of it. It got me thinking about optical illusions and how they are points where our visual sense breeaks down and we cannot reconcile the paradox. They are visual mysteries. Here is my favorite. Try to look at this image and say the color of the word not the actual word: What happens is a conflict between the right and left halves of our brain. The right half wants to say the color of the word but the left half wants to say the actual word. This shows the limited aspects of the human brain when dealing with reality. So to put this idea into context with the podcast. Why is it so hard for us to imagine that the same conflicts would arise when limited human beings are talking about a limitless God? On the modern rational side of the debate, people keep thinking that this idea makes God somehow an inadequate communicator. They fail to see the inadequacies are human. Think of all the things you once thought you understood about God, only to discover that you were very wrong. In my life it was the view of God as father. For too long I held onto the image of a loving father and I had a loving real father to use as my analogy. Then thing happened in my life that blew that image apart. I had to reconcile that God was something more than a human loving father. I realize that the analogy of Father God is still a useful metaphor but, as all metaphor eventually reveal, it is not an image that I can pin any certianty on. Take a look at these other illusions:

Orange Hill Beach Restoration

2006.04.30 17:14

Every quarter New Providence Community Church does a diversified service. These services usually offer three or four different types of environments for spiritual discovery. This time we all participated in restoring the dune at Orange Hill Beach. After the last hurricane(and poor road construction) the original dune was washed away. The community planted 300 or so sea grape trees and more sea oats and misc brush. Here are some images. All in all it was a good day and great weather. Something in me wishes this could be the normal Sunday church experience. Some one commented that only the wind and waves preached a sermon this morning and I completely agree. I spend a few moments planting but more time just hanging out and talking with people. I felt a strong sense of being a part of a movement of people. It was also great to see so many different organizations and businesses partnering as well.

Christian "The Bishop" McCabe

2006.04.27 18:25

In honor of the new season of the Sopranos, click the image above for a random mafia nickname generator. Mine came out as "The Bishop". I have to comment that this season of the Sopranos has been the best one yet. Starting with Tony going into a coma and having the purgatory vision. My favorite part was Tony getting slapped by the Tibeten Monk. Hows that for karma! Also the homosexual mobster storyline has provided a wealth of interesting and humorous dialogue. I just found out that they are going to only air the first 13 episodes and then break until Jan 07 for the final 8. David Chase (the creator) has been speaking quite openly that the ending will not be happy for Tony. It appears as if they have only filmed the first 10 so far and the other 11 will begin shooting after the summer. Several major characters are in contract negotiations. Deja Vu from a few years back when James Gandolfini held up the production for months in negotiations. It seems that from the chatter at The Chase Lounge messageboards, Vito will meet his end this coming episode. Also there are a few truely disturbing spoilers that I hope are NOT true. >br> On a side note, whenever I go to the Sopranos messageboards I feel like Jay and Silent Bob from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. If you have seen the movie you are already smiling.

The Brick Testament

2006.04.27 18:01

He calls himself reverand. He used to date Chelsea Clinton back at Yale. He spends a great deal of his free time making little images of the Biblical story out of lego. Sounds like my kind of guy (we depart on Chelsea Clinton though). His name is Brendan Powell Smith. You can click the link in the image of the last supper above to see the whole testament or click his name to see his blog.

Windows 95 and Brian Eno

2006.04.26 11:00

I just discovered yesterday that one of my favorite mad scientist/music producers composed the Windows 95 start up sound: Brian Eno. You can here the sound by licking his image above. Here is a quote from him about the project: "'We want a piece of music that is inspiring, universal, blah- blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, emotional,' this whole list of adjectives, and then at the bottom it said 'and it must be 3 1/4 seconds long.'[He doesn't say how he persuaded them to eventually use a piece six seconds long] "I thought this was so funny and an amazing thought to actually try to make a little piece of music. It's like making a tiny little jewel. "In fact, I made 84 pieces. I got completely into this world of tiny, tiny little pieces of music. I was so sensitive to microseconds at the end of this that it really broke a logjam in my own work. Then when I'd finished that and I went back to working with pieces that were like three minutes long, it seemed like oceans of time." I always thought that sound was pretty crap! I am amazed to find out that they invested the money to commission someone as expensive as Brian Eno (U2, Roxy Music, David Bowie, James, etc) All of this makes me wonder who composed the windows 98 sound with the laughing children in the background. I think the 98 sound is much cooler - sorry Eno!

Blot Me Out of The Book

2006.04.25 17:59

First let me start by saying, Yes that is an image of what you think it is: the people of Israel worshipping at Mt Sinai made entirely out of breakfast cereal. Now on to my point! I have been thinking lately about what the churches relationship to the outside world should look like. I have been looking at two key points of servant leadership found in the Bible. The first on is from the Exodus journey of Israel, when Moses goes back up to the mountian to chill with God. The people become fearful and melt all their gold into a giant golden calf to worship. God gets very angry. Moses says something so loving and so in line with the heart of Jesus. "Oh what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." - WOW! There is a true leader. Moses is willing to disconnect himslef from God for the sake us his people. He even goes on to offer himself as an atonement for Israel's sins. When we look into the New Testament, The Apostle Paul also makes a boldly sacrificial statement as well. In Romans 9 "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel." Double WOW! Great sorrow and unceasing anguish for the hearts of lost people is the starting place for the Children of God. Not judgment and frustration, contempt or violent opposition. What would it look like in our world for the followers of Jesus to be willing to give up their own relationship with Christ for the sake of those on the outside? I have written a few thoughts on this matter, you can download the word document by clicking the image above or clicking here.

The Hidden Secret Elusive and Shocking Truth about Jesus

2006.04.21 18:43

When I am in a country that has a decent bookstore (read: the Bahamas needs one!) I love to browse the shelves in the Christianity/Religion section. A few months ago I was in Miami and I was surprised to see that dozens and dozens of books have been written recently proclaiming the "secret" or "hidden" message of Jesus. Finally after all these two thousand years the "real" message of Jesus has gotten out! I was under the mistaken impression that for the last two centuries the message was very clear. I always thought the message was as follows: There are two sides in the world (good and evil, right and wrong, good fashion sense and Bjork) Jesus came to show people how to correctly divide the world into these two sides Followers of Jesus are required to shame and often kill anyone who falls on the wrong side of the line God will one day come from heavens in a cloud to vanguish His enemies and reward His true children with treasure and blessings in the form of mansions and gold In the meantime, His most beloved children will live in mansions while on the earth and store lots of gold in the form of fat bank accounts in order to reflect heaven into the lost world Isn't this clear to everyone else? Just take a look at history and you can see the real message of Jesus written in the blood of the infidels. Click the super-cute image above to see a great blog written by a secretive but humorous blogster. I wish someone would write the book about the real Ishmael.

The Cure for Information Overload

2006.04.25 15:40

Are you suffering from information overload? Click the linked image above to find the cure. What a brillant and insightful cure!

Ripples of Resurrection

2006.04.23 12:39

As a wrap up of the month long series at NPCC, this Sunday we had a panel discussion of four professional environmentalists discussing the major issues impacting our country and the world at large. We have been exploring how the power of the resurrection impacts our relationship to caring for God's new creation. The panel consisted of: Sam Duncombe - from Re-Earth Eric Carey - from The Bahamas National Trust Casurina McKinney - from Breef Elinor Phillips - from The Nature Conservancy Check out their sites to see more info and find ut how you can get involved in the future of God's world.

Oyster Bar Gig

2006.04.23 12:31

I am now playing a regular gig with Mizpah Bethel at the Sandyport Olde Town Oyster Bar. You can check us out from 7 til 10pm every saturday evening. They have decent food, beer on tap and the music is wonderful =) Another bonus, this week they finally started serving Guiness. As you can see if you look at the little bottle on top of my guitar amp.

Wise Old Man

2006.03.21 15:40

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.

Check out Those Melons

2006.03.21 15:39

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.

How Dare I?

2006.03.21 12:55

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!

Wooster Inspires Me

2006.03.21 15:42

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!

Everybody Needs Hugs Today

2006.03.21 15:41

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.

Feel Like Making ...

2006.03.21 15:44

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.

My Bizzaro Twin

2006.03.21 15:46

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!

Ken Wilber is Neo

2006.03.21 15:45

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!

Four Brothers

2006.03.21 15:49

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.

I Love the NAGB

2006.03.21 15:47

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.

Jesus Christ for President

2006.03.21 15:56

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"

Webmaster Gangsta

2006.03.21 15:55

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!

The Roots are Where it's At

2006.03.21 15:54

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.

Jon Kreisberg in NYC

2006.03.21 15:52

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.

Catch a Fire : The Reissue

2006.03.21 15:58

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?)

Never Stop Thinking and Searching

2006.03.21 16:15

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.

Are You Stressed?

2006.03.21 16:00

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!

Man of Visions

2006.03.21 15:59

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!!!!!

Man of Visions part 2

2006.03.21 16:15

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

Punk Prince Charming

2006.03.21 16:14

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.

One Love : Hasidic Style

2006.03.21 16:16

|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.

The Little Congregation that Could

2006.03.21 16:17

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! |

Long Live Robert Zimmerman

2006.03.21 16:18

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.

Where is Your Faith?

2006.03.21 16:21

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!

Redemption's Son

2006.03.21 16:24

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

The Ooze

2006.03.21 16:23

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.

I am no Longer a Christian!

2006.03.21 16:22

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.

What an Adorable Couple

2006.03.21 16:26

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.

Where are Your Secrets Hidden?

2006.03.21 16:26

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!

Gorillaz in the Midst

2006.03.21 16:25

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.

West Side Disciple

2006.03.21 16:27

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!

Will Fight For Food

2006.03.21 16:28

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!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2006.03.21 16:30

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.

A Million Little Pieces

2006.03.21 16:29

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.

Celebrity-Bucks

2006.03.21 16:29

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.

The Man in Black

2006.03.21 16:31

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.

Urban Monk

2006.03.21 16:32

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!

Disciple or Student?

2006.03.21 16:36

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!

Why I Love Jesus

2006.03.21 16:35

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)!

Welcome All the New Visitors

2006.03.21 16:34

"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

Perceiving is Seeing

2006.04.08 22:45

What do you see in the image above? I have been reflecting lately on the idea that so much of the information that we take from our external world has to pass through the layer of our perceptions. With all of the misunderstandings and ignorance that we carry around daily, this information cannot help but be corrupted by our perceptions. What do we really see? Do we only see what we want to see? Is seeing the true gift of God. Jesus makes a reference to these themes in Mark 4 after He tells the disciples that the story fo the sower is the most important parable. He follows this up by saying that without understanding this parable it is impossible to understand the Kingdom of God that He is proclaiming. The He makes a bold statement saying that the crowds will not understand the parable because their eyes have been darkened so they will "See but never perceive and hear but never understand". This has got me thinking on a few levels about the utter dependance on God for wisdom and clarity of vision. We cannot hope to perceive reality correctly without the intervention of God's spirit. I am challenged to ask myself if I am willing to humbly admit that most of what I think I understand is really the darken perceptions of my selfish heart. It has also got me thining about, with all the various things that I say and post on this site, why so many people only seem to notice my girlfriends flesh. Are we so frightened of the female body? When ever we see a female body are we only able to perceive all the indoctrinated negative temptations. I wish God would open our eyes and allow us to discover a healthy relationship to sex. One that isn't bogged down in Augustine's own personal tormet over his concubine that has filtered down through the ages and still clings to the bride of Christ like cheap leather chaps at a gay rodeo. Back to the image, I see two ten year old boys dressed in little bow peep costumes miking a goat into a pair of white tennis shoes. Behind them is a maiden modestly dressed in 6inch heels and a feather nightie, but that's just the way my mind works.

Syriana

2006.03.21 16:36

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!

The Gospel According to C S Lewis

2006.03.21 16:37

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 Business

2006.03.21 16:38

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!

The Most Reverend Father Clint

2006.03.21 16:39

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!

A New Year

2006.03.21 16:40

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

Frisbee

2006.03.21 16:42

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.

I'm Sick of the Bullshit

2006.03.21 16:41

- 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.

Looking Forward, Looking Back

2006.03.21 16:40

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!

A New Kind of Christian

2006.03.21 16:43

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.

We've Been Punked

2006.03.21 16:44

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 =)

I am Sorry

2006.03.21 16:43

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.

Faith+Courage

2006.03.21 16:45

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!

One Small Barking Dog

2006.03.21 16:49

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.

John Cox is Bahamian

2006.03.21 16:46

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.

PoMo Guru

2006.03.21 16:50

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.

Banished from the Kingdom of Oprah

2006.03.21 16:51

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.

Andre Chappelle

2006.03.21 16:52

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.

The Last Supper

2006.03.21 16:53

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 =)

Techgnosis

2006.03.21 16:55

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!

The New School - ShockYa

2006.03.21 16:54

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!

Around the World via the InterWeb

2006.03.21 16:56

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.

Anne Lamott

2006.03.21 17:30

"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.

The Hummer H3

2006.03.21 16:57

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 =)

Barry Speaks

2006.03.21 17:32

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.

Douglas Rushkoff

2006.03.21 17:31

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

Richard Rohr

2006.03.21 17:35

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.

Spray Can Artist

2006.03.21 17:34

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!

The Sound of Many Waters

2006.03.21 17:33

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

The Naked Cowboy

2006.03.21 17:32

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.

Irresistible Revolution

2006.03.21 17:37

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)

We Know Where You Are!

2006.03.21 17:36

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!

Hustle and Flow

2006.03.21 17:37

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!)

David Sacks is a Genius

2006.03.21 17:39

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.

It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp

2006.03.21 17:38

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'

Gladwell's Blog

2006.03.21 17:39

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.

The Beginning of the End

2006.03.21 17:41

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

Bruxy Cavey is Gifted

2006.03.21 17:40

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!

Becoming Irreligious

2006.03.21 17:42

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.

Nassau Gone German

2006.03.21 17:41

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!

A Short History of Myth

2006.03.21 17:43

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.

Are Myths Relevant Anymore?

2006.03.21 17:43

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!

Show Some Respect

2006.03.21 17:44

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

How Dare I?

2006.03.21 17:46

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!

Photo Booth Love

2006.03.21 17:45

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!

The Day I Died

2006.03.23 15:22

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 get me high, since my habit was well beyond $100 a day at this point but it was the only thing that I knew how to do at this point. Even the dealer laughed when I asked for a mere five dollar piece and took pity on me for just getting out of jail by adding another $5 portion to the five I had. With the tiny ten dollar piece in my left front pocket and a clean needle and spoon in my right, I headed to the bathroom of a Chevron gas station. My blood boiled as I sat waiting for the flood of security and calm that I had fallen in complete love with. It never came. In one motion, I slumped off of the toilet seat and onto the floor in tears. The full weight of my addictions hit me all at once and all I wanted was to die. I begged for my life to be over. Through the tears, I wished that I had a $500 piece and that I could end my miserable life once and for all. From a distant but firm place within my memory, I heard the faint trace of a voice. Every forgotten childhood fairytale about God and Jesus and hopeless sinners came rushing into my desperate mind. I was overcome. Suddenly there was a knock on the bathroom door. A voice called out, "Do you some help in there?". YES, YES, YES I needed some help in there. In that instant, the words of an anonymous gas station attendant became the words of God. His words gave me the saftey to die. I let go. I asked for help. I accepted the hard truth that, left to my own desires, I will destroy my own life. I had destroyed my own life. I didn't trust myself any longer. In the manner of a broken child, I wept for my life and begged for the opportunity to see it turn around. I begged, broken and foul, among the piss and shit of a gas station bathroom for resurrection. I wasn't even sure if I believed in resurrection but I knew that I had no other hope left. Christian McCabe walked into that bathroom stall but someone else entirely walked out. The story didn't suddenly get rosey and bright. I still had to deal with so much unlearning and struggle but I have never doubted that in that Chevron gas station I died so that God could live in me.

Capote

2006.03.23 17:01

I was very interested to see this movie for two reasons. 1. I love Phillip Seymore Hoffamn as an actor and 2. The little I have heard about the real Truman Capote seems interesting. The movie was rewarding on both accounts. I cannot say enough about Philip Seymore Hoffman's performance. He is stunning and dissolves completely into the personality of Capote. The movie was a bit slow in the beginning but by the end I was fully engaged. I was a but tired when I watched it and at one point thought I would fall asleep but the characters pulled me back in and I made it all the way through. The story is based on the research for Capote's nonfiction novel In Cold Blood. It follows him as he invades the lives of everyone who was touhced by the tragic murders in a small Kansas town. There are some intense moments of tension as Truman sorts through his mixed motives of caring for the murderers in order to get information and needing them to be excecuted for his book to end right. I love the epilogue to his book. I think it sums up the tension that many of us live with everyday: "Many more tears fall over answered prayers than over unanswered ones" - Truman Capote

The Wachowski Brothers are Ideological Terrorists

2006.03.27 14:15

It has been a long while since a movie stirred up as much reflection and internal tension in me as "V for Vendetta"(VfV) has. Maybe since the Matrix, and that is fitting given that the screenplay for VfV was written by the Wachowski brothers. They seem to be philosophers who understand culture enough to chose the medium of blockbuster movies to begin discourse. The Matrix sent a million pop-philosophers into the dense and multi-layed worlds of Wilber and Hegel. This will not be a review of the film but rather an exploration of some of the ideas that I has stirred up in me so don't read on if you haven't seen it. I may give away some plot details.With this new film The Wachowski Brothers are aiming for a more blunt and digestable critique of contemporary political ideologies rather than the Matrix's heady spiritual/philosophical leanings. The film is clear on its stance of opposition to the current trends towards ultra-conservatism and scapegoating. On a deeper level, rather than advocating terrorism with an "ends justify the means" recklessness, I wonder if they are hoping to reintergrate the perspective of the "other" or "enemy" back into western thought. By reminding us that Al Queda was not the first group of people in history to use such extreme means towards their ends. Is this movies ultimately trying to wake the west up to the pointlessness of the current level of ideological development and to push things forward. i wonder if the only way out of the horrorific future that this (and many other Science Fiction movies propose) it for all of us to have a greater understanding, and even appreciation for, opposing worldviews. When I look at the work of Ken Wilber (who the Wachowski Brothers are very familiar with) I see a hopeful progression beyond the tension and violent clashes of post-modernity. And if I am understanding his writing (which I very well may not =) this grand evolution will require a few things of us as a civilization: 1. The humility to see ourselves as equal to all cultures, in both our truths and falsehoods. 2. The ability to truely step outside of our perspectives and take the point of view of our opposition or "enemy" 3. The courage to rethink the basic foundations of what we mean by spiritual in light of the universal human instinct towards God. All of this to say that VfV seems to not offer alternative ideologies, but rather, takes a giant step back and shows us the ultimate futility and lack of depth that each of them displays. Take for instance the reality that the "hero" V is at times willing to play the monster in service of what he percieves as "higher ideals" There is a scene where Evey thinks she is being tortured and it turns out that V was the one doing the old head-in-the-toilet-bowl trick. Much like the role of Agent Smith in the Matrix, this can be seen as a way of showing that sometimes what we percieve as the forces that are oppressing us can actually be the same forces that are moving us toward a greater peace and strength. Another example is that very open acknolwegment by V that the evil forces at work are what has created him and pushed him towards his greater purpose. Ultimately evil is reduced to a foil for good rather than a seperate force only bent on destruction. Is what the Apostle Paul was saying when he wrote "All things work toward the good of those that love the Lord"? This kind of thining always leads me to the paradoxical role of evil in the death of Christ. If it were not for the massive evil and injustice, the cosmic redemption and revelation would not have been possible (in the way God intended) I am not saying that evil doesn't exist of it is ultimately good but the lines become more blurry than we might have ever thought. It has become very easy, in our world, to do the most horrific things and feel secure that they were actually good things. (bombing abortion clinics, blowing up the WTC, using the media to manufacture consent for fear based ideologies of war) The real value becomes the value of wisdom and discernment. To be able to discern the good well enough and deep enough to not become the evil inadvertantly. I don't think VfV presents any true heroes or villains. It only puts symbolic faces (literally in the case of V) on competing ideologies and tries to surface the tensions that result. I am sure this movies will be criticised for being pro-terrorist or anti-conservative but I think it is profoundingly anarchistic. They are dropping ideologies like bombs and we all get entertained in the process. In closing, I loved the movie and have a deep respect for the uniqueness of film makers who think so much about the content and relevance of their films. If their were more movies like this revolution might actually be in the air(or at least in the theaters)

Inside Man

2006.03.29 11:00

Let me begin by saying that, although I am a fan of Spike Lee, I have not always resonated with his choice of subject matter. However, this movie works as a purely tense crime drama. Although at times, Spike still drifts a bit off-plot to explore racial issues, this movie is crisp and to the point. I saw an episode of Mastermind on AandE a few weeks ago that might have been the inspiration for the heist in this film. Without giving anything away, the title is a clever reference to the method used in the heist. Based on the show, as hard as it may be to believe, this type of robbery has actually worked many times. The acting was top-notch! Denzel seemed to be having fun and even almost strutting his nuanced character development. There are a few interegation scenes where he and his partner seem to be having way too much fun. The other characters(Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Clive Owen) all seem so tense and driven that it really highlights Denzel's choice to play carefree and loose with his character. The pacing of the plot and the way it strings you along with just enough information to keep you interested without giving you enough to put the puzzle together was masterful. My only criticism is that a MAJOR plot element, that the whole story is built on, namely a main characters deep secret, feels a bit hard to accept. If someone so powerful had evidence of something so damming: why on earth would he have not destroyed it years ago?????? If you are willing to over look this leap of logic, this movie offers some great crime drama and colorful characters. four out of five stars

Common - Be

2006.03.30 09:56

"I want to be as free as the spirits of those who left I'm talking Malcom, Coltrane, my man Yusef Through death through conception New breath and resurrection" Chi-town MC Common Sense opens his newest disc by name dropping Malcom X and John Coltrane. A fitting opening given that the album "Be" explores black identity with spot on cultural observations that even Bill Cosby would be proud of. My friend Derek gifted me with this album a few months ago and it hasn't left my van's cd player since. Every song is a fun but dense layering of fantastic hiphop production(thanks to Kanye West!) and probing social commentary. Moving all over the urban landscape, from court room drug dramas to street corner substitutes for the family structure, Common is telling it like he sees it but only in order to get a deeper message out. Some of the content would seem at home on a 50 Cent single were it not for the added message of positivity and reflection. Common is not just painting a picture of what life on the urban streets is like, he is painting a picture to speak a pointed critique into his own cultural world. Take for instance: Bush pushing lies, killers immortalized We got arms but won't reach for the skies Waiting for the Lord to rise I look into my daughter's eyes And realize that I'ma learn through her The Messiah, might even return through her If I'ma do it, I gotta change the world through her Part of the message he is sending out is a spiritual one. The track "Faithful" explores the notion of God as woman. An interesting recontextualization for a matriarchal african-american culture. The song reflects on the reality that without positive male figures in the family and community, the image of woman could be a more resonant image of what love and fatihfulness should look like. He puts a spin on this idea a bit by not making God into a Mother but in a female lover. An image that finally comes around in the second verse to reflect on the way men should treat the woman in their life. There is so much I could say about the themes and content of this disc. I may write a longer more indepth review but for now know this: Kanye West guests as well as a quick cameo by Dave Chapelle and Common's father. If you like hiphop and are tired of the booty shakin' nonesense that is out there, you must own this disc!

Defender of the True Faith

2006.03.31 16:11

I had the pleasure of spending time with two interesting people Gene and Alicia over lunch. We talked about many interesting ideas and looked at their African artifacts collection. Towards the end of my visit Gene broke out the full medieval gear. We're talking swords, helmets, shields and even a battle hammer. If you don't know what a battle hammer is then don't get caught breaking into Gene's place late at night! I took the chance to dress up as a crusader. You know the time in the church history where people went around and killed people who they thought were heretics and who refused to repent. I think its time that we all repent!

When the Van is Rockin' Don't Come Knockin'

2006.03.31 16:22

My van is a Suzuki Carry Van. Not the coolest van ever but I have made a few improvements. Tinted windows, powerful 5.1 sound system with sub-woofer, and cheap seat covers do not really pass for pimped but it's better than having "Ice Cream Truck" painted on the side! My friends call it the "Half-loaf" because it looks like a small loaf of bread rolling down the road. Although I joke about it, I wanted one as soon as I saw one driving on the Bahamian streets. They are not road legal in the USA. Some crazy nonesense about tipping over at speeds exceeding 25 mph. If that was true I would already be resting in a ditch! I made the move to the carry van after I smashed the front windshield of my last car(2 years ago) loading my bands PA system into the front seat. Since it was the day of the gig I had to drive around without a front window all night. Since I have had the carry van, I can load: 1 full drum kit 1 Large PA system 2 Guitar amplifiers 3 Guitars and four band members

Polymer Clay Workshop

2006.04.01 16:53

This morning seeward conducted a clay sculpting workshop for ages 7-12 at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. We had a great time! Many thanks to the helper elves Nicole and Gillian. I promise to split the treasure in heaven three ways =)

Seeward is a Habbo!

2006.04.04 16:19

I had a very unique experience this afternoon! I participated(briefly) in Tall Skinny Kiwi's virtual blog party! Andrew Jones is one of my favorite blogs to visit within the universe of emerging church online chatter. He is always fair, balanced and digs up connections between things that are sometimes mind expanding. The party was held at Habbo Hotel. A UK based virtual world, filled with all kinds of crazy habbos. If you click the link above you can see an enlarged version of the image and spot the little seeward shaking his groove thing in the center. The party wasn't much like what I expected. Andrew held court on his future plans for ministry and the intersections between online publishing and personal responsibility. I only caught the end but I did manage to get the Kiwi's attention long enough to invite him to the Bahamas. Hopefully he will be able to make it down and I can connect a real face to his dense(meaning full of information not intellectually challenged) online persona. If you have a few moments to waste and want to see what the kids are getting up to these days, check out the Habbo Hotel. Beware, you will not find stimulating intellectual dialogue in the publis rooms but the dance moves that the Habbos can do if fun for a few seconds.

It was Time to Redecorate

2006.04.07 20:01

I reworked the site design to take care of a few browser inconsistancies and got a bit carried away. I have a few more housekeeping/database matters to work out but for now most sections are in working order. For those of you that used the little comment box it is coming back! For now you can comment in the interact section. Stay tuned as I bring a few new features online in the next several days.

New iPods

2006.04.10 12:20

Looks like the success of Apple's celebrity iPods has motivated them to release a few new models. It also seems that they have a sharp sense of satire!

Blessings

2006.04.10 19:17

A good friend just gifted me with a Motorola Razor V3 phone. It is a bit tarnished but in working order. What that means is that I can now take pictures and video on the go! The above image is of a little hiphop figure I bought at Kidrobot a few months ago in L.A. You can click on his cute image to see the specs of the new phone. Stay tuned as I figure out how to upload video to the site. Seeward is now reporting from the hip in my world!

Amateur Bee Keepers, Beware!

2006.04.11 17:02

Meet my friend Tim Hauber. Since the German/Jewish root of the name Hauber is: a craftsman who makes headgear, it is very fitting that you would meet him in his bee keeper outfit. Among the many hats that Tim wears (farmer, cyclist, avid reader, canadian playboy, part time anarchist) he also wears the hat of being a very close friend. I am thankful that I have such an open and honest relationship with Tim. Open enough to let him play with 10,000 bees in my presence, even though I was the only one without a protective suit =) You can click the image to learn more about the Hauber ancestry.

Curious George

2006.04.12 10:50

When I was a little monkey myself, I used to read the Curious George stories all the time. It is the reason I fell in love with monkeys. I was actually a little fearful that the big budget movie version of my beloved monkey would dissappoint. Then I heard that, one of my favorite artists, Jack Johnson was doing all the music and I was encouraged. I finally saw the film on Sunday and I was very pleased! The animation was very true to the original style and George was as cute as ever. In the original stories, I don't remember learning the back story of how George and Ted met or how Ted got his nifty yellow outfit. The movie filled in many details with humor and playfulness. I really liked the film. The plot was interesting and the overall message was positive. I would recommend this to anyone who loves monkeys!

Am I Becoming Gnostic?

2006.04.13 11:26

I have posted a few times (V for Vendetta review for instance) on the interplay between good and evil in the world. I have expressed the idea that, even in the death of Jesus, it is impossible to say that the evil political and religious plot that ended His life, wasn't ultimately a good thing. I have referenced the Apostle Paul saying "all things work to the good of those that love the Lord". I realize that I am not charting any new territory with these ideas and that even at the beginnings of the Christian faith people have wrestled with the relationship between good and evil. It seems that, with the release of the newly discovered Gospel of Judas, our modern culture is wrestling with these issues as well. A few nights ago the National Geographic Channel ran a two hour show focusing on the early church writings and Judas' gospel. One of the things I found interesting was the fact that the early gnostic followers of Jesus had already tried to integrate the possibility that eivl plays a role in bringing about good. Of course, they were using the discussion to further their convictions that the point of Jesus life, teachings, death and reserrection were to leanr how to transcend this earthly existence. I do not agree with this particular idea but I am willing to engage radical reflection on the relationship between good and evil. When I look at Jesus, I am struck by the very earthly focus of His teachings and the very earthly mission of redemption and restoration that He invited His followers to engage. This new reading of Judas' gospel, by many people, tends to support the idea that Jesus was trying to teach people to exit life for the sake of heaven. That understanding of His mission and vocation renders His very practical teachings about how to live in the world (love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, sell everything you own and give it to the poor) useless. In Judas' gospel, it is proposed that Jesus asked Judas to betray Him so that His mission on the cross could be accomplished. I can see, in one sense, how the Judas' actions actually served God's purposes of Jesus dying on a cross as the prophets had taught but it does not automatically mean that the mission and vocation of all followers is to exit this life for heaven. If that was the case then why did He send His followers out to preach the "Good News". The idea that the best expression of the Good News is for your life to end seems to betray Jesus own words "your business is not death but life", "I have come to give fullness of life". So if I leave that gnostic strain out of my thinking, I am still left with an interesting question of how God uses evil to bring about good. When I look at the Old Testament (particularlly Exodus) I see God doing many things that seem evil. Moses even pleads with God at Mount Sinai to "not do the evil that he intends" by killing all of Israel and starting over with Moses (like He had done before with Noah and his family) These are interesting questions to consider in light of the fact that the mainstream cultural dialogue in our world is wrestling with notions of good vs evil. I am going to write a deeper piece exploring my thoughts on these matters, but for now you can click the old manuscript above and learn more about the Gospel of Judas (the satanic disciple according to John)

Meister Eckhart

2006.04.13 12:12

Why are all the good theologians German? Is it something in the water over there? I have been exploring a bit of Eckhart's thoughts recently and I am deeply sad that most of the Christian world has not even heard his name. At once a professor, preacher, writer, mystic, theologian, poet, philosopher, and heretic (according to the more fearful segments of the historical church) Eckhart voiced so many fresh and profoundly biblical insights into the ways in which a vibrant spiritual connection between man and God could be articulated. At the core of His thought was a challenge to the three fold path of spiritual awakening that has been adopted by the historical church since the days of Constantine. I. Purgation - the soul's disconnection from God II. Illumination - the light of truth entering the heart of man III. Union - reconnection with God in intimacy and beauty It is worth mentioning that this three-fold path owes much more to Plato than it does to the Bible. Eckhart put forth a much more biblical four fold path: I. Via Positiva (creation) - the original blessing found in the creation that God called "very good" - creation and man truely bearing God's image and reflecting His glory II. Via Negativa (letting go and letting be) - the discovery of the world as "things" or "objects" that can be used for selfish purposes and the path of learning to let go of "things" (possesions, relationships, etc) and our selfish manipulation and serve God's will III. Via Creativa (birth of the self as child of God) - man experiences new birth after the process of learning to let go and discover reunion with God IV. Via Transformativa (the new creation) - learning to employ our image-of-God creativity towards God's mission of personal and social transformation. The bringing of God's justice into our world If this path is heretical, then Jesus was a heretic of the highest order! Not only did His teachings show a massive respect for the original blessing in creation(He often used nature and aspects fo creation to display the nature of God) but He also used children as an example of how one must return to an earlier way of being in order to be reborn. He was saying that at some earlier time all of us knew how to experience life as playful wonder but our own selfish attachments and power games have pulled us away from that state of being. It is not "Good News" to start the spiritual story by reminding people what they already know in their bones, they are clothed in sin and selfishness. If the biblical story is about human spiritual (and physical) exile and return, then we miss the heart of the story unless we begin with the wonder of God's creation. I think we have over-blown the fall as a way of keeping people fearful and under control. The story is not about how evil humans have become but how treasured they have alwasy been. Treasured enough for God to go to painful and sacrifical lengths to lead us out of our exile. What are we returning to? In our modern world, the church has gotten sidetracked by arguing impossible proofs for the creation account and we have failed to spend time reflecting on the implications of the original blessing of God. We might as well rip the first three chapters out of our bibles if we are going to tell God's story as simply a story about God solving the human problem of sin. If you are interested (and fearless in your faith!) check out Matthew Fox one of our greatest modern heretics.

Good Friday

2006.04.14 13:44

What kind of a God lets Himself be killed? What does it say about the nature of God that a day marked by such injustice and inhumane violence has been called "good". I understand that from a theological perspective, ultimately, the events of that dark Friday two thousand years ago were good, even great. But wouldn't "Dark Friday" be a better name? Are followers of Jesus not invited to take part in Jesus' suffering as well as His comfort? Is it not essential for us to live the suffering that led toward the cross in order to feel the joy of the resurrection? The painting above is called Exodus by Marc Chagall. I love this piece because it puts the whole biblical narative together. The people of God wandering in Exile and the savior lifted up like Moses lifted up the serpent. In our world of modern technological exile (from the geography pf physical space and time, from the intimacy of real human contact, from the sense of the divine in the ordinary) I pray that the true image of the murdered God be raised up for all to see. I pray that our human exile begin to see the dove of peace bearing the hope for a renewed creation.

He is All of Us

2006.04.17 12:38

I have been reflecting on a few images created for this Easter season. Lots of great middle eastern looking Jesus' and such but this watercolor by a high school senior touched me the most. Click the small image to see a larger version and read the text. I have been reflecting for months on the need to integrate other persepctives into our sense of personal identity. How can I truely love someone (my neighbor or my enemy) without truely letting their perspective into my own. I have to radically identify with the other person's perspective in a way that I ultimately take it into my own. I am then left with a greater acceptance and capacity to show love and compassion. This image pushed into my heart the reality that Jesus took on all perspectives on the cross when He became our sin. What does it look like for followers of Jesus to see Him in the eyes of murderers and gluttons? Is the scandal of Jesus' redemptive work too much for our timid church to bear? If Jesus loved the very people that hated Him, then His work on the cross is made pointless when His followers decide to draw moral lines around behaviors that they find unacceptable and completely over look other offensive behaviors. I have never met a Christian who was so concerned about the sinfulness of homosexuality who was also hot and bothered by women no longer wearing hats to church. I know they are out there(stay away please!) but I tend to have more intellectual respect for them than Christians who pick and choose what they will tolerate. Jesus not only not only took on all of the things we might, in our limited perspectives, find offensive, He become those things for the sake of all of us. On the cross Jesus revealed a God that I am willing to worship.

Pro-Life with a Twist

2006.04.17 13:18

A new Pro-Life campaign has unveiled a statue of Britney Spears giving birth on a bear skin rug. It is meant as a celebration of womanhood but it makes me feel creepy! Maybe I am more repressed sexually than I am williing to admit but this image seems a bit degrading. The position seems to be more about sex than about motherhood. I know that ultimately the two are connected but usually their is a none month gap inbetween. I have to give the artist and his consirators props for having the balls (oops! a sexist comment=) to deal so provacatively with the subject. Maybe if more daring Christian artists put their minds to it they could really shake up the mainstream cultural dialogue. It seems to me that much of the left vs right conservative vs liberal battleground is devoid of creative images and powerful thought provoking symbols. It just seeme like two sides of the same coin arguing about who should get the monetary value stamped on it. With images like this maybe people with be pulled into the dialgue who could apply some truely creative solutions to pull the discussions out of the gutter of recrimination that it is often mired in. Click on the image to read more including thoughts from the sculptor.

The Five Books of Moses

2006.04.18 14:19

I am teaching a class on the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) and I have been using this book as a source. I read another book by Robert Alter called Canon and Creativity, where he looks at the literary influence that the Jewish scriptures have had on some of the most gifted modern writers : James Joyce, Frederic Nietsche, Herman Melville. Alter's grasp of literary forms really expands the text of the scriptures. The Five Books of Moses is a commentary/translation. His mastery of ancient Hebrew allows the translations to breathe fresh life. Just in the book of Genesis, he rights a great deal of wrongs that poor translations like the King James Version have perpetrated on anti-intellectual Christians for hundreds of years. He unpacks the creation account by referencing the poetic style of the writing (in the ancient Hebrew) and notes that the language used is only used elsewhere in poetic and symbolic writings. The main metaphor and language comes from both the artistic realm of pottery and the engineering realm of archecture. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading the scriptures and would like to dig deeper into the content and depth of the text.

Teaching Pastor

2006.04.18 18:08

This is were seeward works. Too many days spent sitting in my funky office chair staring blindly into the LCD of a 17" powerbook. Some days I feel that I have the best job in the whole world and others I feel I have one of the jobs in whole world. I realize that I have very little to complain about and I am thankful. I am surrounded by lots of great people who challenge and inspire me daily. I also deal with a few people who frustrate and confuse me but isn't that the way life goes? In the last year of transition from Pastor of Arts and Worship, I have seen more growth and strength in myself than I ever expected. I feel that teaching is what God has crafted me for. I heard Oz Guiness say that a teacher needs to be at least one chapter ahead of their students. I pray that I can keep up the pace and also humbly acknowledge when students have moved further into the book than I myself have. Tonight I will be leading a discussion on the Torah and particularly the book of Exodus. I am very tired and cranky from not smoking but I still feel an excitement and joy about the class. If that is not God's affirmation, than I don't know how else to explain it. May we all be students of life!

Where Do We Go From Here?

2006.04.18 15:01

Forgive me this is going to be an open exploration of an idea I have been considering lately, it may be long! Picasso's cubist is said to be the first post-modern movement in the arts. By showing the viewer more than one vantage point at the same time, Picasso infused his paintings with the same multi-layed context that exists is post modern thought. In order to explore post-modernity we need to take a quick look at modernity. I have been thinking about the way we look at something like "The Gospel". For the last 4-500 years the modern world has offered its best rational explanations and biblical prooftexts to support the a definition of the Gospel as : Jesus died to forgive people's sins. I am not challenging that definition. This definition makes perfect sense when you look at the text with a rational and intellectual lense. I would even go as far as to say that this definition is the most universal. So the modern rational mind created systems and hiearchies to train people in this definition and personal application of the Gospel. Just like Picasso, the post modern world is willing to look at the same idea of the Gospel from different vantage points. When you look at the emerging church, with its obsessive levels of theological dialogue, you get the same feeling as looking at a cubist painting. No one perspective seems to hold you view for very long. It feels like the natural tethers like vanishing point and direction of light collapse and the painting becomes more meaningless. This is a bit of the same feeling that many people get looking into the ongoing theological dialogue. The normal tethers of biblical authority and tradition seem missing and the whole dialogue becomes meanless to them. I think this generates much fear in both the observer of a cubist painting and the participant in post modern theological study. What all of this is beginning to mean for me is that I am less interested in dialogue for its own sake. I am interested in dialogue that honors the presence of God's spirit in our midst. Allowing the discussion to provide a context for meaning and relationship rather than a place to fight for the supremacy of my perspective. None of this might make any sense to anyone but me but I needed a space to scribble this out. Peace

Worse than Heroin

2006.04.14 13:34

Kids, smoking is NOT cool! I am on my fifth day without the little exclamation points called cigarettes that have dotted the daily drama of my for the last 10 years. I have had small stretches of freedom over that period but I seem to slide right back into the habit. This time it is for keeps! I tried several months ago to do it cold turkey and that lasted about 48 hours. This time I am using the Nicorette CQ patch. Things don't seem any better so far. The first few days I had a nice little buzz in the morning when I would put the patch on but now I am just tired, tense and cranky. Its all for the best and giving up this simple pleasure will mean that I will, hopefully, experience a few more years of pleasure in life. One thing that is better than the heroin withdrawls is there are no loose bowel problems. Oh Joy! If you are a smoker and would like some info on quitting, click the image above.

Too Much Time on Your Hands

2006.04.20 01:28

You have a serious adrenaline addiction when you are so bored while hanging off the side of a 700 ft cliff that you need to set up an ironing board for a bit of Extreme Ironing. Nothing gets the blood pumping like a good half hour of domestic chores while enjoying your favorite extreme sport. "Amusing ourselves to death" comes to mind. Click the image to find out about the next ironing adventure!

Emerging Ireland

2006.04.19 10:43

I have been checking out a fantastic blog lately from an Irish emerging church group called Ikon. They do a very out of the box type of community that meets in a pub. Not a closed down pub with no people, a fully open and beer-flowing pub. They even get hecklers. Imagine a church with hecklers. You can click the image of one of the leaders Pete Rollins above to see a few written reflections that they have crafted or visit Pete's blog to hear more personal thoughts. Pete is a philosophy PHd so you know that I am interested! His blog (and the reflections) is full of interesting and thought provoking ideas about the nature of faith and how to live the Christian faith. I have spent the last few months trolling the depths or the online emerging community and I am almost ready to put my overall thoughts down in writing. Stay tuned for a fairly long exploration of my thoughts on the emerging church. Among the many voices or confusion and struggle, I have seen quite a few shining lights that give me hope that what is emerging is actually a powerful movement of God's spirit. More soon!