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| so i was in nashville today (made possible by the amazing hospitality of danny mattison), and i was sitting in the back seat of a car. i usually don't look around and make intricate observation of the behaviors and appearance of the multitudes of people wandering through the streets, but in this particular instance i was observing these people through the lens of a camera. against the stark backdrop of one of those metal doors that rolls down like a garage door but has many more sections, i started to pay closer attention to the way the held themselves, the way they walked, what they did with their hands, and how they took in their surroundings. now i know i'm going to sound like a pothead when i say this, but today i realized how many individuals there are in the world. now this doesn't sound like something terribly profound, but for someone who views most people as just cogs in place to facilitate the rotation of the earth, this meant something. i saw mothers nurturing children, middle-aged men ensuring that their pants weren't falling off, twenty-something women adjusting their cleavage, and twenty-something men checking if that speed stick was living up to the commercials. with the camera to my eye i was forced to focus on something that would normally have just passed through my periphery and it made me appreciate their existence, even if only slightly, and even if only for a second.
-birwin
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| it's been pretty much a solid week since the last entry, but i think my few readers would prefer quality over a goofy post that is nothing more than a simple rehash of my day. if i just talked about the simple occurrences of my day to day; it would end up being a chunky and bland mix of near meaningless moments. my posts would end up being like the mcdonalds chicken nuggets of the blog world. nothing more than reconstituted filler, placed in the same shape with little flavor and a spongy texture over and over until the greasy crunchy exterior became less and less appealing to the point that you just gave up on me altogether.
today i was posed with a question. a friend stood up and addressed the congregation, "are you an expert at being a Christian?" it was not presented in a serious ~i'm worried for you~ way, but an ~i want you to think about this~ way. so it started again. the gears and cogs now set into motion. i knew i wasn't an expert, not by far, but i've been covering the fundamentals right? i started to list the daily actions, qualities, and values that i thought i had or practiced. being kind, caring, grateful, thoughtful, praying, evaluating my actions from a Christian viewpoint, being a bright and shining banner of joy, and being in repentance of my sins. it was a good list, but if i'm not an expert (and i hope i'm not a novice either), then as long as i'm striving to be more than what i am now then i am doing well for myself.
then i applied the question to myself differently, in a broader sense than just being a Christian. how am doing at being a good person? am i even an expert in the things that i use to define myself: a friend, a student, a neighbor, a citizen, a brother, a son? under the microscope these relationships begin to look a little more one sided. i'm not giving back as much as i should. i'm too dependent.
i realized that if i just focused on being a better Christian that being a good person would come naturally. being good at those things that i define myself with happens as a result of being a good servant, being more loving, being dedicated. so tonight i pray that God make me a loving servant, to Him and to others around me.
later
birwin
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| here is the next installment of that bi-monthly playlist that i do.
to brighten your day
1. blackest hair, bluest eyes - chris staples
2. songs of love - ben folds
3. first day of my life - bright eyes
4. we laugh indoors - death cab for cutie
5. son of sam - elliot smith
6. everyone's rooting for you - sondre lerche and the faces down quartet
7. phantom limb - the shins
8. two sides of monsiuer valentine - spoon
9. the world you love - jimmy eat world
10. always love - nada surf
until next time
birwin
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| for those of you who do not interact with me on a daily basis, i have begun to carry around a small reporter's notebook and i write down my thoughts about my daily interactions with my surroundings. this means that i have my next five or six xanga posts already planned out. some days this means you may be getting stale info but today's is hot and fresh. that said; here we go.....
it is amusing to me that the common trend among most southern baptist and even some methodist churches is that the preacher (a man who spent a good number of years in a seminary) does very little to help people grow in their faith. week after week, year after year, these men and women preach about the same issues every sunday. i do not understand if this is a lack of effort or creativity, or maybe they firmly believe that the issues they cover are the only important concepts in christianity and should be drilled continuosly. every single time i attend one of these services (which is not every week, but often enough to justify writing this), the sermon always covers one of the plain meat and potatoes issues of christianity:
1. forgiveness
2. God's benevolence and grace
3. fire and brimstone (aka sin and its consequence)
4. coming to know Jesus (e.g. evangelism and "saving" people)
note: even though these are four different topics numbers 3 and 4 almost unfailingly find their way into every sermon.
at face value, these topics are the kindergarten lessons of christianity. even though theses principles are incredibly important, for a congregation that has in all likelihood been in attendance at the same church for the past thirty years, they would likely be experts in those areas. as i stated earlier these preachers (pastors, ministers or whatever) have theological degrees and SHOULD have a much wider selection of material. the problem is that they have such a dedicated audience that what they preach does not matter after they have established roots at these churches. this leads me to my second complaint.
these sermons are not full of scripture, explanation, interpretation, and calls to action, but rather a vast array of volume, voice inflection, false emotion, and imagery meant to inspire fear (elaboration on souls burning in hell, etc). this is no more than repetitive and near meaningless filler. maybe, just maybe, they are filled with such a strong passion that these actions are necessary, or maybe they believe that this is what will keep the congregation entertained from sunday to sunday. i once heard a preacher say he only got loud if he felt that he was losing the congregation, whether to idle thoughts, or even to sleep; however, i am under the firm impression that if you can challenge the congregation not only will you not have to yell, but you wont have to worry about things like attendance either.
so.........
if you dont see me in church in and around starkville on a sunday morning, it is not because "i don't love Jesus," it is because it is easier for me to achieve spiritual growth from the message at something like Intermission (an independent student lead service) or Campus Crusade, or even just in contemplation of the Word on my own time.
later
birwin
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| good show. discover america (chris staples) was fantastic, lots of loops and calm, clean and crisp vocals made for a solid performance. i also was told by someone at the show that i looked like o'malley from grey's anatomy, largely due to my new haircut. is that a good thing or does it mean that i look effeminate? your call. for a full review of the show and my thoughts on the venue check out noise farmer (http://noisefarmer.blogspot.com) some time in the next couple of days. it's jrenglish86, tvin, and i and our opinions on music. we're off to a slow start, but a start nonetheless. got some album reviews coming along with the occasional show review and hopefully some regular music news and such.
later
birwin
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