Comin’ Round the Mountain September 28, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: beebe, turkey mountain
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Originally posted 9/28/06
With my 10 year high school reunion approaching, I’ve been taking a little stroll down memory lane for the last few weeks. Last week I wrote about a prank that we pulled that doesn’t seem quite so funny anymore and this week I want to tell a little about my best friends from back then and the little group that we put together.
I don’t know who first had the idea of us guys all going camping together or who came up with the locale that we chose for our escapades. Turkey mountain isn’t actually a mountain, it’s more of a small ridge that runs along the outskirts of Beebe, but the road to our now legendary campsite was called Turkey Mountain Road for some reason. To get to our chosen spot, you would first have to exit the paved road and then there was series of turns along backwater, dusty gravel roads, over the “mountain” until you came to a small nondescript path in the woods. It was imperative that you had 4-wheel drive (and everyone did in Beebe, Arkansas) to get much farther back than that. The path itself was narrow and twisting with trees overhanging and scraping the sides of your vehicles (for some reason I always thought this must be what Sleepy Hollow was like) until you came to a small clearing way out in the middle of nowhere where we decided to settle – feeling like the pioneers of long ago. We even gave our little group a name – Turkey Mountain Posse
We never did much on our camping trips. Back then there was no drinking or anything – the worst thing you might find was a can of Copenhagen and a package of Swisher Sweets. We’d all just hang around, listening to music, talking about whatever came up, cooking whatever type of animal happened to be in season and enjoying each other’s company. We’d drive around on obscure backroads and look for any type of trouble we could get into. Our campsite was furnished with different living room pieces at different times. Every so often, while riding around we’d come upon pieces of furniture (couches, recliners, etc.) that people had sitting out in their yards (yes, people really do that in rural Arkansas) and we’d swipe them to put around our campfire. We’d keep the living room trappings until they became so nasty that nobody would want to set on them and then we’d burn them in a big bonfire. Speaking of bonfires, have you ever tried to burn pool lining? I remember one time we happened to get some and that stuff burned at least 10 degrees hotter than hell, I’m sure.
There was one guy in particular that lived out in that area and for different reasons we just didn’t like him, so part of our backroad trips would sometimes involve abusing his family’s mailbox. At first we just engaged in the standard “mailbox baseball” style vandalism, but we eventually moved beyond that and into practices that could have gotten us into loads of trouble. One time, we actually set his mailbox on fire (not one of the best ideas we ever had). We started by dousing it with what I think was diesel fuel (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t gasoline, but it might have been) and, with one strike of a match, it lit up like a Christmas tree. We took off as fast as we could in our trucks, all of us scared to death about what we’d just done. The group I was with took a long way back to the camp, but the other group of guys didn’t show up until sometime later. They had actually driven back by the house and told us that the area was filled with firetrucks and police cars. Needless to say, we were terrified for the rest of that night. Nothing came of that, though, so before long we were back to our old tricks again. So, what do you do after you’ve knocked a mailbox down numerous times and set it on fire? Well, for our grand finale of mailbox destruction, we decided to do away with it once and for all. Late one night, we pulled up to the box in a truck, hooked a tow rope to it and jerked that sucker straight out of the ground. I’m sure people all around could hear that thing clattering down the gravel road in the deep recesses of night. {as a side note, my parents had vandals target their mailbox in recent years, so I can definitely see the folly of my past ways now}
That was the end of our stint into vandalism, but there are hundreds of more stories I could tell, but I won’t bore you with those right now. Since then, we’ve all grown up and gone our separate ways (well, most of them still live in Beebe), but we’re still friends and we still remember our days at Turkey Mountain as some of the best in our lives.
The Prank Seemed Great at the Time September 26, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: beebe, high school, prank
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Originally Posted 9/26/06
I said in my last entry that I was going to spend some time over the next few weeks reminiscing about high school, so mark this as post #1 in that new series:
Best (and Worst) Prank to be Involved In:
When I was a Senior in high school, we faked a school shooting.
Now mind you, this was before that kind of thing was happening around the country – except for maybe in some inner city schools. But in 1996, in rural Arkansas, nobody even thought this kind of thing was possible.
In our school, there were two classrooms separated only by a large thick curtain – one class was Mr. Ward’s World History and the other was Ms. Wallace’s English. We enjoyed picking on them both a lot the entire year, but we decided to aim this joke at her.
Those of us that were in athletics, went and lifted the starter pistol from the field house to do the deed. We then picked two other guys – one of them a guy who we all thought was borderline psycho (James) and just on the edge of going off and the other could be one of the most obnoxious people in the whole school (Aaron).
Some of us involved were in the class where the action took place and the rest of us were next door, crowded by the curtain listening…
As best as I can remember, James said something just really stupid and then Aaron started picking at him. And he picked at him and picked at him over and over through the class and Ms. Wallace was getting angry and telling him to cool it. But they ignored her and soon argument escalated into a shouting match with Aaron ending with “What are you gonna do about it?!”
It was then that James pulled out the pistol for the whole class to see before blasting off a round right at Aaron’s chest. Aaron collapsed and everyone screamed – except of course for us, we were rolling on the ground laughing.
The principal was down there in no time. Mr. Ward burst through the curtain. The hallway was filled with teachers and students trying to see what was going on.
I think they finally collared four guys for being involved in it – the two who pulled it off and two more in the class that admitted to taking the starter pistol. If that happened today, all of these guys would have surely been sitting at the police station and probably expelled with only a month or so left in their senior years. As it was, they all got licks (ha!) and were sent on their way with a stern warning.
Of course a few short years later, when kids really started shooting each other at school, the whole joke wasn’t nearly as funny as it was then, but it will still be one of those memories that I carry around for good.
Jesus at War September 25, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: Christians, Jesus, military, peace
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Originally posted 9/25/06
I’ve got a tough question for you – one that I don’t know if there is a real answer to…
Is it okay for Christians to be in the military?
In our current times, this is something that I am always asking myself. I’ve seen churches do programs to put soldiers and America up on proverbial pedestals for us to clap for and appreciate. We can say thank you for going abroad to kill untold thousands of people living in squalid conditions that just happen to look different than us and talk different than us and believe in different things than us, so that we can continue our lives of relative luxury?
What did Jesus say about war and fighting?
Matt 5:7 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth”
Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”
Luke 6:27 -36 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34“If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Matt 26:52 After Peter cuts off the ear of one of the high priest’s slaves, “Put your sword back in its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”
On the other hand….
Matt 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Luke 20:25 “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”
So what do you think? Jesus’ teachings seem to always stress nonviolence. Though it was said in the context of paying taxes, does “rendering to Caesar” include military service?
I know that some of you are currently serving in the military or have served in the past. I’d like to have your perspectives on this too.
Kickin’ It Country Style September 18, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: country music, top ten
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Originally posted 9/18/06
Growing up in rural Arkansas, country music was just a part of your life. Sure, some people in a fit of rebellion might turn against it, but the majority of folks – whether they live in the cotton fields of Mississippi or the mountains of east Tennessee or the wasteland of Texas or central Arkansas – can look on it with a sense of pride as “our music.”
So, this morning I was driving to work, listening to some old-school George Strait, when I decided it was time to do a short list of some of my favorite/most memorable country songs. Without further ado,
10. Robert Earl Keen – The Road Goes on Forever
I love storytelling songs and Keen is a modern day master at the craft. This song, probably his best known, was the first of his that I heard and the one that really turned me on to him and his superb songwriting.
9. Dwight Yoakam – This Heart That You Own
Dwight’s revival of the Bakersfield sound in the 80’s, coupled with his unmistakable voice places him near the top of my list of current performers. I could have placed any number of his songs on here, but this is one that I’ve always really loved.
8. Patsy Cline – Walkin’ After Midnight
She is one of the most revered female figures in country music and one listen to this song (or any number of others) will show you why. You can’t help but wonder what she might have accomplished if not for her untimely death at age 30.
7. George Jones – The Grand Tour
Jones has another of those signature voices – one that carries the pain and anguish of somebody that’s lived a life full of hard times and sorrows. This song, in particular, about a man walking around his home after his wife left him gets me every time.
6. Hank Williams Jr. – A Country Boy Can Survive
One of the great redneck anthems, Hank may have recorded better songs, but this one is so nostalgic to me that it has to be included. It brings me back to those special times driving through the mud in a pickup truck and sitting around the campfire with the boys telling stories.
5. George Strait – Amarillo By Morning
One of the few truly great songs that has stuck with me ever since my early childhood, it captured the loneliness and triumphs and failures that I imagine those on the rodeo circuit must really feel. On a side note, I did this song in a 2nd grade lip synch contest back when it was new!
4. Willie Nelson – My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
It’s nearly impossible to pick only one song from one of the only living American icons, but, if I have to choose, this one has always been one of my all-time favorites. Give me Willie with his comfortably unmistakable voice, old guitar, and propensity for smoking the wacky weed anyday!
3. Merle Haggard – Mama Tried
One of the reasons I love the Hag is that he’s a guy that really lived the things he sings about. Also, like Willie, it’s hard to pick just one of his great catalogue of songs, but if I have to choose, I’ll go with some of the best country music lyrics ever written down – “I turned 21 in prison doing life without parole. No one could steer me right, but Mama tried…”
2. Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
For close to 50 years Cash set the bar for country music singers and songwriters across America. Even as a young man, he seemed to pack years of heartache and painful memories into his songs. Then, when he was nearly blind, crippled with arthritis, and facing his own mortality, he still put out some of his best work in years. It also doesn’t hurt that my sweet little 4-year-old daughter loves to sing this one.
1. Hank Williams – I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)
Not only is Hank one of the forefathers of country music, in his short career he was also one of the most productive – having written hundreds of songs before his untimely death at age 29. He had a way of singing, with his voice seemingly breaking in sorrow, that could just make you hurt inside. This song in particular is one that has always stuck with me because his heartbreak just seems so real.
Well, that’s my list. It’s by no means a complete one or even necessarily my actual 10 favorites, but these are all songs that I have come to love over the years. Feel free to add more comments to the ones below and let me know what you think.
Eat, Drink, and be Merry for Jesus! September 13, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: Jesus, Joel Osteen, prosperity
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Originally posted: 9/13/06
I know I’ve written some about this before, but the latest Time magazine has an interesting article in it about the so-called Prosperity Gospel. It speaks some from both sides – the Joel “Pray and God will drop money from the sky like manna” Osteen and the much more levelheaded (though I still tend to disagree with much of what else he says) Rick Warren.
I’ll admit to being wishy-washy on “the issues” much of the time, but the ideas that Osteen and his ilk put forth seem not just misguided, but downright heretical. The basic premise of the “Prosperity Gospel,” is that God wants to bless you. He wants you to be wealthy and to have things and to be happy. If you pray and ask God to bless you and of course give some back to the church, he will bless you with not only the hope of an eternal life with him, but with cold, hard cash. Osteen heads one of the largest mega-churches in America today – the Lakewood Church in Houston Texas – and he is also the author of the best-selling get-rich-quick scheme to Christianity, Your Best Life Now.
So how do you work out the differences between our suffering Savior and owning a multi-million dollar mansion? Let’s look at some scriptures quoted in the article from both sides:
First of all, on the God has blessed you abundantly so make the most of it side:
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 “Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor – this is the gift of God.”
Malachi 3:10 “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’”
Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
John 10:10 “Then Jesus said…’I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly’”
Now the live simply for God viewpoint
Psalm 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives he blesses himself – For men will praise you when you do well for yourself – He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand is like the beasts that perish.”
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Mark 10:24-26 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 12:33 “Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.”
James 5:1-3 “Come now, you rich, sweep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”
That’s all for now, but I will have another installment of this soon. What do you think about it?
Gleaming the Cubicle September 12, 2006
Posted by Matt in poetry.Tags: cubicle, poetry
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Your walls remain drab and gray
A dystopian world so barren
Despite the bleakness, when I’m bored
At them, I am a-starin’
Though you are just eight by ten
You contain all that I need
A computer, phone, and some books
When I need help, to read
You have no windows, nor door to close
But I can live with that
Who the heck needs privacy
Or blue skies to look at?
I’ve only been here a few short months
So to others, I’m just a novice
But I can’t help but wonder
When I’ll get a real office!
The Book Blog September 9, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: books, top ten
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Originally posted 9/9/06
Just in case you are interested, here are 10 of the books that I count as favorites…
10. 1984 – George Orwell
This makes the list as the scariest novel – mainly because of Orwell’s seemingly prophetic vision about the modern world – Doesn’t anybody else see the ties from Big Brother and the Thought Police to today’s United States? “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
9. As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner
I haven’t read as much Faulkner as I like to yet, but this is probably the best of what I have. With 15 different narrarators, this work about death and the thoughts of those affected is absolute genius. “My mother is a fish.”
8. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Forget everything else, this is the greatest of the great Southern novels. Lee’s tale of racism and tragedy is one of the most beautiful things ever written in America. “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”
7. Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
I love Vonnegut and this book of dark humor at wartime may be his best. I’ve been corrupted, though, since the first time I read this, any time I hear about death one of the first things that pops into my mind is “So it goes.”
6. East of Eden – John Steinbeck
I just read this book over the summer and have been kicking myself ever since for not doing it sooner. It deftly tells and retells the ancient story of Cain and Abel in an early 20th century California family and how and how the story propogates itself across decades and generations.
5. The Sun Also Rises – Earnest Hemingway
Hemingway is, without a doubt, my favorite authoror all time and this, his first “big” novel ,may be the best of all his great works. The story revolves around a group of American expatriates hanging out in Europe after WWI There isn’t much of a plot to the work – mostly the people sit around drinking and talking and feeling depressed. The fishing scene in Spain is one of my favorites from all of his books that I’ve read.
4. Mere Christianity – CS Lewis
Lewis’ genius work of boiling Christianity down to its basic components is something that everyone who considers themselves to be a Christian needs to read. It is probably the most important Christian writing of the 20th century.
3. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
I’m convinced there is a little bit of Holden Caulfield in all of us and that is why Salinger’s work is one of the best ever written in this country. The story of angst and cyncism and the importance of relationships and love still hits me every time I read it – and I’ve read it a lot.
2. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert Pirsig
Those of you who know me well, know that I have to get at least a little philosophical when talking about books. His whole idea of the “metaphysics of quality” in trying to bring together the concrete objectivity of science and the subjectivity of quality done through the metaphor of a motorcycle and the lens of Zen Buddhism is brilliant and beautiful and any other adjective I can think of.
1. Walden – Henry David Thoreau
If I’m ever stuck on a desert island with only one book, this is it. I wish I could emulate Thoreau’s simplistic life in the woods by throwing out my TV and my car and any other luxury that we deem “necessary.” His words still ring true today, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
Over the last few months I haven’t done as much reading as I’d like to, but here’s a sampling of what I have read.
East of Eden – John Steinbeck
See number six above. A wonderful book – it may even be Steinbeck’s best.
At Canaan’s Edge – Taylor Branch
This is the third book in Branch’s series documenting the civil rights movement in America. It takes place between the years of 1965-1968 covering the final three years of Martin Luther King’s life and activism. The more I read about him, the more in awe I am of perhaps the greatest figure in all of American history.\
Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller
I just finished this one yesterday, but it will surely be near the top of my most influential books. This book was absolutely amazing. I was touched, convicted, and brought crashing down from the pedestal that I have placed myself on. If you haven’t read this yet, please pick it up.
Books on the Horizon
The following books are ones that the libraries, not surprisingly, don’t carry in this ultra-conservative Southern Baptist-controlled area that I live in, but I will hopefully be ordering them online soon.
Mere Discipleship – Lee Camp
God is Not: Religious, Nice, One of Us, An American, A Capitalist – Brent Laytham
The Politics of Jesus – John Howard Yoder
Urban Sprawl and the Blanding of America September 8, 2006
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: blandness, suburbs, urban sprawl
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Originally posted 9/8/06
A few posts back, I wrote about my love of living near a large city – I talked about the amenities and the people and lots of other positive aspects. One unifying factor that I see between rural areas and urban areas is the idea of personality. There are certain characteristics that separate cities from each other – New York does not look or feel the same as Chicago or Memphis or Los Angeles – and that’s a wonderful thing because it gives citizens a sense of identity. The same could be said for small towns across America – each one has its own eccentricities and personalities that set them apart.
America, though, seems to be moving away from the great character that these types of places bring to the table and moving more toward that bane of all that is good – suburbs. The phenomenom of urban sprawl really started to take home at the end of World War II, when veterans were returning home and looking for an idyllic community to build a home for their families where they wouldn’t have to deal with any of those pesky black people. As the Civil Rights movement surged forward in the 60’s, more and more white families took refuge in the suburbs – leaving much of the cities to people with little or no financial means. Today, we have areas known as “exurbs” – which are even farther out than the suburbs – where people add on even longer commutes as they continue to look for their own “Leave it to Beaver”-ish mythical Eden.
When we moved to the Memphis area in February 2004, I was completely ignorant about the whole idea of urban sprawl. I’ll admit to first being a little frightened of such a big place – especially with a small child – so we decided to rent a little place just south of town in Horn Lake, MS. At first I was pretty enthralled with the idea of seemingly endless shopping and chain restaurants, but it wasn’t long before the emptiness of it all dawned on me. We would drive through neighborhood after neighborhood and see the exact same houses in every one with the same treeless manicured lawns and the same pristine streets and the same cars in every driveway and people that all looked the same – the whole thing was rather depressing. I guess there is something comforting to me about sometimes seeing overgrown yards and cars on blocks. One thing that has stuck with me about the area, though, was the amount of people we talked to who either were moving or who wanted to move farther out. For one reason or another, they just didn’t feel comfortable living in their once-perfect hometown and now they were ready to move on and look for what they were missing. Seeing the concept of “white flight” happen before our eyes helped me decide that this was where we were going to stay. The population of our area is around 15% minority (and growing), with a pretty wide variety of socio-economic situations – meaning that even though we live in the suburbs, our girls will be able to experience some diversity around them and in their schools.
I grew up in a town that was largely rural (but that seems to be changing – which I’ll come back to later). Searcy (population 15,000) was “the city” and Little Rock was a far-off metropolis that we country-people only visited on special occasions. Since I graduated from high school 10 years ago, the town’s population has nearly doubled as more and more people become willing to drive all the way to Little Rock every day. After seeing what the suburbanization of towns can become, I can’t help but be a little scared for my little hometown. Will the place become as bland and sanitized as much of this area is? Will the formerly green hills and pastures soon be covered up with asphalt and subdivisions? Some of the towns around Beebe have a reputation for intolerance to minorities and while we were never very racially diverse (only about 5% minority, I think), we all got along well growing up despite our different skin colors.
Does everybody really want to live in an all-white community where everything looks the same and everyone shops at Wal-Mart and everyone eats at restaraunts that serve the same boring food in every town?
What do you think? Am I over-analyzing this?
