Vintage Faith

Snoopy's Insight to Theology

Originally published August 9, 1976 by Charles Shultz

Link Wray - the 76 year old leather jacket guitar player

I just read that Link Wray died this month. He was 76 years old. Most people don't know who he is, but Link Wray was one of the more innovative guitarists in music history. He is credited as being the father of the "power chord" and it supposedly happened by him intentionally poking a hole in the cone of his amplifier to get a fuzz and crackly sound .

In 1958 he recorded his most famous song "Rumble". It is a song that most people today probably would recognize if they heard it, but couldn't tell you it was Link Wray. What was interesting about him being innovative - is that initially he was banned from radio stations because his music was different, and ironically the song Rumble had no words and it was still banned. Innovation causes controversy.

I had the privilege of meeting Link once when he played here in Santa Cruz. I knew the manager of the club and got to go to the sound check and hang out in the afternoon as Link arrived and set up. When I first saw him I was so surprised as he seemed like a tiny sweet elderly man. They served dinner and I remember as we talked his hands were shaking as he held his plate. He was soft spoken and we chatted about Robert Gordon, a singer I also liked he once played with, and other musicians and bands.

What was amazing to me however, was when it was time for the actual show. He went and changed his clothes backstage and I didn't see him again until he started the show. All of a sudden the lights went out and the opening chords of the song "Rumble" started off the show. Out on the stage was Link Wray - but now he had a black leather motorcycle jacket on. He had sunglasses on. And he was strutting the stage with energy, fast pacing back and forth, walking up the edge of the stage and playing an amazing guitar. It seriously felt like an entirely different person, as he was walking around and looked more like a 25 year old rock star than the rather elderly man I had talked with an hour earlier. I'll never forget that difference. It was freaky actually seeing the change.

It reminded me of Dr. John Mitchell of Multnomah Bible College. He was elderly in his 90's when I knew him. Quite often I would actually walk him to class and he was weak and he would link up to my arm with his arm as we walked to class. But then when he would teach the Bible, he would come alive and have such passion he seemed half his age. But as soon as he was done teaching the Bible, he would need someone to help him walk again.

Rambling here.... but just thinking if Link Wray and Dr. Mitchell now and how passion brings energy to someone, even at an old age.

Nashville Youth Specialties Convention

It was a pretty amazing thing walking into the arena and never seeing around 8,000 youth workers singing  worship to God all together. This convention is pretty nutty with so many people here, and I keep thinking of the impact all this will have on the youth leaders and as a result then impact the youth in their churches.

Some highlights:

- The conversations with youth leaders - always learning what God is doing across the country. Meeting new people and being refreshed by hearing so much passion for youth. This gives me hope for the future of the church.

- The musical worship times in the main sessions and the very Jesus focused theme of all that happened.

- My friend Ryan Ingram drove from Atlanta here and stayed in my room with me and it was great to catch up with him and hang out. He is a youth pastor at a church in Atlanta.

- Hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones.... Lilly, Denise, Marko, Doug, Tony, Chuck, Alex, Jay, Jen, Les, Chap, other bloggers I ran into etc. It is weird meeting people that you have been getting to know them through their blogs, but never met in person.

- Late night theology discussion with Doug and Lilly.

- Hearing Mark introduce Doug Pagitt on the main stage and telling everyone he has four nipples. Doug really does have four. I have seen them.

- The seminars I was part of were very fun. We did the Tony and Duffy "Postmodernism: Good or bad" one where I moderated and they discussed/debated the impact of postmodernism on youth ministry. The "Super Seminar" on Emerging Worship with Lilly was fun and lots of people formed clay to represent a Scripture passage. I think there were well over 600 people at this workshop, so it made it rather interesting trying to be interactive. Lilly and I are working on a book for Youth Specialties about Sacred Spaces and prayer stations. Lilly is a joy to know and creativity oozes from every inch of her.

- I was surprised in one seminar I did where I unexpectedly got very nervous when speaking. It was one which raised the criticism and questions people in their twenties are having about church and Christianity. I was talking about some rather sensitive issues about how we must be understanding not only the world youth live in today - but what they face when they leave home and go to college. I was talking about the strange Christian sub-culture we have created with all the Christian music, Christian T-shirts etc. and I suddenly realized that I was in the heart of Christian music and a zillion churches here in Nashville. I didn't know how people would respond as I spoke about how people outside the church see us in regards to our attitudes about homosexuality, how we are seen as being an organized religion, how we are known to bring politics into religion and how during the youth years we lay out examples in our attitudes and what we teach them. I was challenging people to see if they have created or exist in a Christian sub-culture and thus lose effectiveness on the mission Jesus sent us on. But, I had more positive feedback from people afterwards than normal throughout the time here, so it may be a topic needed to be talked about more. So I was encouraged after being somewhat nervous. Here is a blogger talking about his experience of that seminar.

I am leaving in an hour, but I always leave Youth Specialties conventions so refreshed and hopeful. These events are so well run, the hearts are so evident and I really think these conferences are being used by God in a major way in shaping the future church of America and encouraging youth leaders to keep pressing ahead.

Last time I was in Nashville I bought Katie and Claire these red and pink cowboy boots and they wear them all the time. So yesterday I walked down to the main strip here and bought them matching cowgirl western outfits.I look forward to seeing them and since I arrive early enough home, Becky is bringing them with her to the airport to get me later. So I now must pack and get a taxi to the airport and then back to Santa Cruz.

May God use all that happened here at this convention in the lives of the youth workers and youth of all who were part of this. I know God uses this convention in my life tremendously and I am grateful to have been able to be here.

In honor of Marko

This will be my shortest ever blog entry in honor of Marko who is doing a fine and wondrous job here at the Youth Specialties Convention in Nashville. (This photo is from his room last night around 1 AM). I tend to be long and ramble in blog entries which Mark does notice. So, I will blog about the convention later, and keep this one to be my shortest entry ever.

Why I am embarrased to be a Christian

I go on Renee's blog quite often. She is someone I highly respect and who I am honored to call a friend - and she posted a link to an article which she called "the most hate-filled, evil thing I’ve read in a long while." It is an article called "God's Shocking Message to the Emerging Church".

I rarely ever get angry, but as I read this article I could feel my blood pressure rise. I have no idea who this author is, but what he has written is sickening and repulsive.  This is exactly why I am sometimes embarrassed to be called a Christian, because this person writes as a "Christian" and quotes Bible verses, generally out of context, in the article.

His email is at the bottom of his article, and I am emailing him letting him know I posted this.

I know that the Internet is a place of free speech and people will write all types of opinions on things. But as I read this article and then looked at the home page for the web site - exactly what the author is criticizing, is what they do. I could not find the name of Jesus once on their home page, yet the whole theme of their web site is being Christians out to protect America. Even the usage of the American flag on the home page cheapens the flag, and throwing in the usage of Christian rhetoric and agendas they are targeting is shameful. There are certain web sites that criticize the emerging church that are quite honestly rather crazy and most people reading them easily realize that - but overall they are harmless and somewhat humorous. But this guy is attacking someone he didn't know, who recently died, and is basically saying... i don't even want to get into it (you can read it).

This is why Christianity gets a bad name. This is why when I say I am a "Christian" I am embarrassed. Because of people like this. Not because of Jesus, nor even the hard words of judgment Jesus says etc. - but because of unloving, attack mode, finger pointing Christians who don't even use the Bible correctly. I guess you could say I am being unloving in my response, but sometimes enough is enough with this stuff. And I did take the time to read through several articles from the author to see if this a one time thing, or if is thematic and it was easy to see it is thematic.

At first I wasn't even going to link to the article, as not to bring further attention to it - but I want to because I hope it awakens Christians to motivate us to be out in the world, as Jesus said we should be, being salt and light and love to others. Articles like this motivate me all the more not be afraid to say I am a "Christian" or have to come up with some other way of saying it, like "Christ follower" (which sounds weird to me). I just want to say "I am a Christian". But we need to be out there with people, showing the world that Christians aren't like the person who wrote this article. We need to be breaking out of our Christian sub-culture and stop just walking around with our Ipod headsets on listening to Christian music while the world around us keeps getting more and more taught that Christians are all finger-pointing, judgmental, right-winged fanatics who are cold and callous and even hateful in their words. I recently did many interviews with people outside the church, and this guy's article is how most described their impressions of Christians. We have got to change this. People have got to see normal Christians, not just the nutty ones.

Please - quit listening to the latest Christian CD and go meet someone outside of the church. Befriend them and let them know you are not a lunatic as they think most Christians are. Please - instead of going to the yet another church activity with fellow Christians, go out with some of the people you work with and go see a movie and hang out so they see you are not insane. Please - instead of selfishly praying for sometime petty things (I know God cares about everything, but I think you see my point) pray for names of those outside of the church who have had bad experiences with Christians and aren't interested because of meeting someone like this guy or reading something like his article.

Please - don't be afraid to say you are a "Christian", but be a Jesus-like one. And be out in the world. He sent us there. Salt and light are meant to be experienced and seen. What is sad is that most people only see or read things like in the article and make conclusions that all Christians are like that. Please, we cannot let the abnormal, sad, insenstive, self-righteous Christians represent the rest of us to a world that needs Jesus. Please...

Kyle Lake's Last Sermon

An excerpt from Kyle Lake's last sermon read at his funeral. I hope I can live my life more like this:

"Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift."