Dan Kimball: Vintage Faith

Josh Fox visits me

I am sitting here in Java Junction working on the message for the Song of Solomon series we are starting this Sunday. I showed him the nifty new feature of how I can take a photo with my cell phone and send it to this blog. Josh looks exceptionally handsome today.

Chocolate Shake and Green Day

I was at an elders meeting tonight that lasted until after 11:00 PM. I then found the Vintage Faith Church office busy with Hannah, Kristin and Justin preparing all the signage, making flyer's and getting things ready for the Good Friday Stations of the cross art exhibit and Easter Sunday worship gatherings. They are a dedicated bunch. I ended up staying in the office with them until around 1 AM. They were still there when i left. I am looking forward to the Stations of the Cross art event tomorrow and I hope it causes people to think and ponder about what happened with Jesus on that day.

 

After I left the office I did a rare thing, and drove through a fast food place and got a chocolate shake. I had Green Day playing on the CD player in Becky's Mountaineer so the stereo sounded nice (in my Mustang the speakers are pretty shot). I pulled up into our driveway at home and sat there for about 10 minutes drinking the shake and listening to Green Day.

The longer I sat there, the more I realized that the combination of a chocolate shake and Green Day were really a pretty perfect one. They sort of felt very natural together. I had a few minutes a restful joy as I sat there at 1:15 AM, the moon shining through the sun roof and enjoyed the excellent mixture of Green Day and a chocolate shake.

I wonder if Gina Tassone likes chocolate shakes?

Not Quite Rockabilly - but I like Moby

i am listening to the brand new Moby CD "Hotel". Parts of it remind me of the David Bowie "Heroes" album.

It is interesting that as of late, i have been drawn to somewhat ambient, somewhat electronica music such as Lemon Jelly and Moby.

I feel that if there was music that is more of what I feel is in my bones, it would be a mixture of rockabilly and punk (pre-1985 punk). Bands like The Clash, X, The Ramones, The Blasters, The Rockats, The Alarm (more pop than punk), Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Stray Cats, Johnny Burnette Trio etc.

However, more recently I find myself drawn to listening to more melodic ambient with a beat. Not the hyper dance electronica, but more of the chill out expression. 

I am not becoming a electronica fan, and even this morning I was listening to the Blasters. However, it is interesting how music reflects our states of mind and emotion.

I wonder what Gina Tassone thinks of Moby?

Jesus Videos - Funny and Uncomfortable at the same time

Click on this link and you will find 4 Jesus videos at the bottom of the page, that are from a church called Vintage 21. They put them together for a series they did on Jesus. They are really, really funny (I watched them each two times) - yet sometimes I feel uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in the same way I feel owning the Jesus bobblehead doll that I have. It is funny, but unsettling seeing the Son of God, Messiah, King of Kings, Lord of Lords as a Bobblehead.

Moby and Christianity

I am writing a book being published on Zondervan, called They Like Jesus, but not the Church. The book is looking at common patterns in people of today's culture, of why they respect and are open to Jesus, but are closed to the church and organized Christianity.

As part of this book I am searching for quotes from people and came across this one from Moby, which i thought was very interesting.

"In my own strange way, I'm a Christian, in that I really love Christ, and I think that the wisdom of Christ is the highest, strongest wisdom I've ever encountered, and I think that his description of the human condition is about the best description or understanding of the human condition I've ever encountered. And although I try and live my life according to the teachings of Christ, a lot of times I fall short. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a Christian in the conventional sense of the word, where I go to chuch or believe in cultural Christianity, but I really do love Christ and recognize him in whatever capacity as I can understand it as God. One of my problems with the church and conventional Christianity is it seems like their focus doesn't have much to do with the teachings of Christ, but rather with their own social agenda. So that's why I tend to be sort of outspoken about how much I dislike conventional cultural Christianity." -Moby, from the Animal Rights Interview CD

"Beat Evangelism"

Chuckk Gerwig sent me a link to an interesting radio bit from a pastor named John Rydgren in 1967. They called this "Beat Evangelism". Quite interesting for 1967 speaking to the world of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Almost sounds like a parody, but it is the real thing.

Listen to it - click here

Stanley Grenz: 1950-2005

On a sober note - Stanley Grenz, professor, author, theologian, husband, father - suffered a significant surge in his blood pressure, which resulted in a major brain event, similar to a stroke or an aneurysm. He died yesterday.

Stan was the author of the very first book I read on postmodernism, A Primer on Postmodernism. I remember reading that book while on vacation at a cabin on a lake in Maine in 1997. I would stay up until 3 AM reading it with a flashlight in bed laying next to Becky. It was a book that really challenged me in thinking through a lot of issues for the church.

Although I didn't know him personally, I did have the privilege of briefly meeting him and talking with him a few times and hearing him speak several times. He seemed to be such a gentle man, yet so challenging in his theological perspective. Even if you don't agree with all his conclusions, you still leave his books falling more in love with the church and Jesus. I quoted him in The Emerging Church book.

In February, the Vintage Faith Church staff went to the Emergent Convention in San Diego and got to hear Stan speak. Robert Namba went to his Critical Concerns 8 hour course, and I know Stan's speaking was probably the highlight for most of the staff. He will certainly be missed in challenging us in theological thinking and his writings will continue to do so.

Drinking Boyd's Coffee in Seattle

I am in Seattle speaking at a conference right now. I am still in the hotel room and have made the coffee that comes in the little aluminum packets that you put in the tiny little coffee makers that are in the rooms. I was looking at this packet and it is Boyd's coffee and this kind I am drinking is called "French No. 6". The packet has dancing French girls on the cover. I have never heard of Boyd's coffee before. I also am wondering why is it "French No. 6"? What happened to French No. 3, 4 or 5? Why No. 6?

This coffee is not too good, so I don't know whether to blame Mr. Boyd or the the little coffeemaker that comes in the hotel room. But, either way as i sip this in Seattle I am realizing that in this city is the birthplace and home of Starbucks. So, I feel happier now drinking Boyd's coffee. I feel like I am supporting the underdog who is way in the shadows of the giant corporation. I wish I could talk to Mr. Boyd and ask him how Starbucks makes him feel. But, for now I will sit here and drink "French No. 6" and support Mr. Boyd.

The Perfect Church

  (click image to enlarge)

Sleepy, I answer

I walked by someone today and they said "Hello. How are you?". i answered "I am sleepy". They looked at me somewhat surprised that i said anything but the normal "I'm fine, how are you?"

They uncomfortably smiled and then seemed to speed up the pace of their walk.

I guess they didn't want to hear anything more of my sleepy state. But they did ask me, and i answered them with the truth.

I was sleepy. I still am sleepy.

Lemon Jelly on my mind

Today I didn't get a lot done. I tried and tried, but i couldn't stop listening to Lemon Jelly. I wanted to fully absorb every moment of listening to Lemon Jelly, and thus could not concentrate on anything else but listening to Lemon Jelly. Now it is 1:00 AM. I still have Lemon Jelly on my mind.

Lemon Jelly

Lemon Jelly Makes Me Happy

Listening to Lemon Jelly makes me feel like everything is alright, even if it isn't.