Free Music Friday – Green Day May 29, 2009
Posted by Matt in free music friday.Tags: 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day, Murder City, music
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Just five months in, 2009 has quickly proven itself to be a stellar year for music. Legendary artists like Dylan, Springsteen, and U2 have all released incredible albums while up-and-coming acts like Neko Case, K’Naan, and Jason Isbell have flexed their proverbial muscles with excellent releases that promise great things in the future. With all of these great things happening at once, is it heresy for me to say that I think the new Green Day album, 21st Century Breakdown, may be the best of the year so far?
I downloaded the release last week and I’ve probably listened to it from beginning to end about 6 times since that time and still this concept album continues to astound me. Every time I listen to it, though, I can’t help but think of the album that broke them into the mainstream 15 years ago when I was in high school and that I listened to over and over again. It’s just amazing that a band can go from adolescent tunes about ummm…self gratification on an album entitled Dookie to being arguably the most important American rock band of the young 21st century. I had the chance to see them live about 10 years ago and it was quite an experience.
Seriously, get this album. Don’t just download a few individual songs here and there because this is meant to be experienced in its entirety. Just turn it up loud and let Billy Joe & the band take you away.
Losing My Religion – Part 2 May 28, 2009
Posted by Matt in Losing My Religion.Tags: church of christ, eternal punishment, god, hell, justice
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or, And Justice for Some
As I grew older, better read, and perhaps even a little wiser, the notion of eternal punishment began to bother me more and more. Could it be that this once all-important, doctrine that was rapidly becoming philosophically untenable was not real?
It has been said time and time again that our God is a “just” God, that His/Her judgments are righteous and pure and perfect and above reproach. God is the grand arbiter of all things who will one day separate the sheep and the goats, sending some to an everlasting party and the others to the eternal frying pan. So, using my mathematical mind, I tried in some way to measure an average life expectancy of around 75 years against infinity and, regardless of how hard I tried, the two just would not reconcile.
Could it possibly be considered “just” to torture somebody for all eternity for the actions and decisions they make over a finite period of time?
It just does not compute. Weighing finite against infinite does not work and therefore the extreme reaction (in this case, a judgment to eternal punishment over an infinite time period) cannot be reconciled with the action (a finite number of decisions made in a finite time period). And, yes, I know that “His ways are not our ways,” but it still seems inexcusable from the vantage point of justice.
In addition to those who choose riotous living and thus condemn themselves to eternal damnation, we run into the problem of birth. What about those who are born outside of Alexander Campbell’s small sphere of influence? What about those who devote their lives to Islam or Hinduism or, God forbid, the Baptist church or Methodist church? Could they possibly escape the fire despite their “false teaching?” Is it “just” to condemn those who have never heard or those who have been taught “wrongly?”
But, I’ll get more into that last paragraph later when we talk about radical exclusivism.
Losing My Religion – Part 1 May 28, 2009
Posted by Matt in Losing My Religion.Tags: church of christ, eternal damnation, hell, repentance requirement, salvation
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or, Into the Fire and Flames
Hell was an integral part of my church upbringing, with seemingly every lesson we heard ending with a plea for us to save ourselves from an eternity of torture, ingraining an overwhelming fear of fire and brimstone deep within the psyche of all those listening. Through a mix of obvious hyperbole and Dantean imagery, this tapestry of terror was woven in the minds of the young, hiding the light of hope that strived to be seen from outside and leaving them flailing about in the deep, black darkness.
Perhaps the most egregious idea of all that was repeatedly hammered into our heads was that we could never know whether or not we would be saved. Nobody could be certain beyond the shadow of a doubt that God would lower down his golden ladder into your world of darkness and offer an escape. We could only do our best and hope that God might actually choose us from among the pagans and Baptists to escape the flames from below. But, regardless of whether or not we had followed the “law” of the church to its furthest extent, we could never, ever be certain that we may be counted among the remnant.
Perhaps other things were spoken of more than I remember, but in my young mind nothing stood out more than this overwhelming fear for myself and the thoughts tainted with despondent morbidity toward those around me who were surely on the highway toward everlasting excruciating pain. Images of a Promethean existence in which one’s liver was eaten by an eagle and the rest writhed in agony while being eternally charbroiled plagued my thoughts for years on end.
Repent and be baptized and repent and repent and repent again, we were told, for all we could do was to live a life of begging and pleading for even the smallest infraction against the will of God to be wiped away. If even the tiniest iota of an impure thought remained without atonement, the great dragon himself would drag us into the bowels of condemnation, into the prison from which there is no escape. Thus the fear was multiplied and we earnestly prayed for forgiveness for all sin, even those we are not aware of, for it was only through our sorrowful words that God might stay his hand of vengeance.
But, I escaped the endless and nearly hopeless cycle. To be continued…
Losing My Religion – Intro May 26, 2009
Posted by Matt in Losing My Religion.Tags: Biblical inspiration, Christianity, church of christ, exclusivism, faith, false teaching, hell
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My thoughts on things have evolved quite a bit over the years.
I grew up in an ultra-conservative branch of the Church of Christ tree and, though the things we learned at home were a good bit different and umm…more realistic, the years of poor theology and ignorance took their toll on me as a young person.
Many were the nights that I would lie awake, haunted by an intense fear of hell rather than thoughts of hope and love. Terrified, I would wonder whether or not there was some sin, even a small one, of which I had not repented, for even the smallest error in judgment would no doubt lead one to the eternal fire.
We were regularly taught that we were the only church (church being a somewhat loosely affiliated number of congregations with the name “Church of Christ” on the door that was most certainly not a “denomination”) and that all others had gone astray. That, regardless of any pesky evidence, our church had a direct line to the day of Pentecost when the apostles set up the first “Church of Christ Meets Here” sign in front of whatever plain, unadorned building in which they gathered together three times per week. Being the only right church, all others were automatically in error and thus would be banished to the fires of hell forevermore. So, every day of our lives we would go to school and play and crack jokes with those bound for eternal punishment, regardless of whether or not they counted themselves as believers.
We learned that the Bible was inerrant and perfect and true in every way, that every single word found therein was exactly as God had dictated thousands of years prior, unless of course you had an NIV or any other later translation, which were written to pander to the “denominations” and which clouded the truth of God with their manmade ideas. Questioning any doctrine was tantamount to heresy and would be subject to quick reproof from others, who would then take it upon themselves to show you a more correct way.
But I turned my back on ideas like these years ago and wandered about as a spiritual vagabond for some time, searching intently for a way, a path through the darkness.
And, though it took some time and a good bit of work on my part, I found a lighted path, one of many, and that is where I travel today. Over the next several entries I want to tell my story of spiritual searching, where it led me and how I got to where I am today.
Please join me on the journey.
My Heart of Metal May 26, 2009
Posted by Matt in Reminiscence, music.Tags: concert, Cowboys from Hell, hard rock, heavy metal, loud music, Pantera, remembrances, Walk
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Music has always been a huge part of my life, from my Oak Ridge Boys tapes and my parents’ records to the huge and constantly expanding collection of music I horde today. My Ipod is one of my most prized possession and it accompanies everywhere like a dear friend (well, a dear friend with over 5,000 songs) and I spend much of my time at work in a separate universe from my coworkers, one bounded by earbuds and one whose very atmosphere is controlled by the volume wheel.
Though my music tastes have changed over the past 20 years, I have always cherished much of the music from those times past, whether it be the country music of my childhood or the grunge of my teen years or the jam bands of college, but there is one particular genre that I have, at times, tried to repress over the past decade. Oftentimes I would try and shuffle it to the back, to keep it from the judging eyes of others who might see it as “uncool” or maybe because I felt as if I were too old for it. Sure, grunge has always remained on my playlist, I love the bands I associate with college like Widespread and Phish, and I am a huge fan of currently hip indie rock, but this other genre has always remained, lurking in the background and waiting for a moment’s weakness to emerge from its repressed state. I may not look the part, I may not act the part, but this fact is inescapable: I love heavy metal/hard rock music.
There is just something about crunching power chords, over-indulgent soloing, screaming vocals, earsplitting amplification, skulls and blood and fire that hits me deep down, igniting a sleeping primal instinct that just wants to let loose and rock. It’s an invigorating stress relief, a frustration release that involves nothing being broken (except for maybe your eardrums) and nobody getting hurt (again, the eardrums). Part of its attraction probably also came from the sense of rebellion from the societal norm. I remember my good friend Andy, who was a devout Baptist at the time, telling me over and over again that I was on a certain path to eternal damnation because of the music I chose to enjoy. I remember that he had a book that told of the devil’s influence in everyone from the Beatles to extreme death metal. Once I borrowed the book and wrote down the names of the bands listed in it that I didn’t know so that I could be sure and buy some of their music. I’m sure it frustrated him at the time, but just a few years later he went with me to a very heavy show (see two paragraphs ahead), so I guess even he came around.
I came of age in a time when heavy music was going through a sort of evolution away from the theatrical excesses of the 1980’s and to a rawer, angrier and more organic sort of sound. It probably started, at least for me, with Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction. Never before had I heard such aggression and anger channeled through the vessel of music in a way that was almost therapeutic for letting go of life’s frustrations. Over the next few years more classic recordings followed – Metallica’s black album, Alice in Chains’ Dirt, Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction, Rage Against the Machine’s self titled debut, and another band that really epitomized my foray into metal, one that challenged me with their ferocious riffs and violently aggressive sounds – Pantera.
From the time I first saw them on Headbanger’s Ball (another staple, by the way), I was instantly captivated by the combination of Dimebag Darrell’s squealing guitar and Phil Anselmo’s raspy, screaming vocals. 1990’s Cowboys from Hell, 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power, and 1995’s Far Beyond Driven became an important trilogy of my high school years that Andy and I would listen to over and over again. In the spring of ’95 (has it really been 14 years??), we actually got to see the band live in Little Rock and it was a bruising and impossibly loud, yet still somehow gloriously perfect experience that resonates in my head even today.
So, where did today’s entry come from?
Before driving to work today I wheeled through some of the bands on my Ipod and came across Pantera, who I didn’t even realize were on it (that happens when you have a music library this large). So, as I drove north on I-55, I flipped over to Cowboys from Hell, turned the volume up loud, and let the heavily distorted guitars carry me back.
Rock on, everybody…
Here’s the video for Walk. Don’t bother to listen if you can’t turn it up loud.
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Memorializing Peace May 25, 2009
Posted by Matt in peace.Tags: Memorial Day, peace, quotes
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Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God. – Matt 5:9
We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say “We must not wage war.” It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war. Somehow we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race which no one can win to a positive contest to harness man’s creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all of the nations in the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a “peace race.” If we have the will and determination to mount such a peace offensive, we will unlock hitherto tightly sealed doors of hope and transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. – Jimmy Carter
Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience. – Thomas Merton
The followers of Christ have been called to peace…and they must not only have peace but also must make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult. In the cause of Christ nothing is to be gained by such methods. His disciples keep the peace by choosing to endure suffering themselves rather than inflict it on others. They maintain fellowship where others would break it off. The renounce hatred and wrong. In so doing they overcome evil with good, and establish the peace of God in the midst of a world of war and hate. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Random Play Friday May 22, 2009
Posted by Matt in Random Play.Tags: Ipod, random, shuffle
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My Ipod contains over 5,400 songs, so anytime I hit “Shuffle Songs” it is interesting to see what comes up. Because of the nature of my work, I am able to listen to music through headphones most of the time, so naturally I do so and I thought I would share with you what came up when I “shuffled” today. Enjoy.
Beck – Black Tambourine
Frank Sinatra – The Best is yet to Come
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Seven-Mile Island
Weezer – Butterfly
R.E.M. – Until the Day is Done
Dave Matthews Band – Lover Lay Down (live)
Johnny Cash – Rowboat
Bob Dylan – Shooting Star (live)
Okkervil River – Title Track
Pearl Jam – Bee Girl
Wilco – What’s the World Got in Store
Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Decemberists – The Engine Driver
Dan Auerbach – Goin’ Home
Dean Martin – Ain’t That a Kick in the Head
Phish – Axilla Part II
Bruce Springsteen – Living Proof (live)
Smashing Pumpkins – Zero
Cypress Hill – How I Could Just Kill a Man
M. Ward – Big Boat
Drive-By Truckers – Nine Bullets
The Frames – Giving it all Away
The New Pornographers – Unguided
Interpol – Take You on a Cruise
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – You Get me High
Son Volt – Out of the Picture
Free Music Friday – Conor Oberst May 22, 2009
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.add a comment
I’ve been a fan of Conor Oberst quavering vocal style for the past few years, both with his band Bright Eyes and on last year’s solo debut, so as soon as my emusic downloads refreshed this month, I quickly grabbed a copy of his latest work, Outer South. So far I like it pretty well and I’m sure it will continue to grow on me over time as most of Oberst’s works tend to do. Below is a clip of the song “Nikorette.” Enjoy.
Also, I love this lyric from the song:
There’s nothing more sad than a lynching mob
For the rational men who believe in God.
Amen to that, Conor.
Hard Times With the Old NES May 21, 2009
Posted by Matt in Video Games.Tags: difficult games, Ghost n' Goblins, Legend of Zelda 2, NES, nintendo, TMNT
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I’ve never been very good at video games. Growing up it was quite obvious that when God handed out talents to the kids in our family, he completely skipped over me in favor of Jeff when it came to that particular skill. But, despite my lack of ability, the old Nintendo Entertainment System still holds a special place in my heart. Many were the times we’d fire up that old gray box and while away hours trying to save whichever princess happened to be in peril that moment.
The electronic gaming world has long moved on from those halcyon days of 8 bit glory, but still, even today, many of us find ourselves haunted by the levels we just could not get past, by the evil adversary that would not fall in defeat.
Turns out I’m not the only one.
I came across this article the other day that supposedly lists the five most difficult NES games, so of course I was interested. The five games they identified are as follows:
Bionic Commando
Paperboy
Contra (without the extra lives cheat)
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out (supposedly Tyson is impossible to beat?)
Battletoads
In my 25 or so years of NES experience (I still have our original game machine and it works great), I’ve put in a lot of hours of playtime and I believe there are a few more that could easily be added to the list.
Legend of Zelda 2: First off, this game was a huge letdown from the original and that may cloud my thinking on it a bit, but it sure seemed hard to me back in the day.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The original, non-arcade version was not only a terrible game, but most likely impossible.
And the hardest of all…
Ghost n’ Goblins – I remember getting this game as a kid and thinking about how cool it would be to chunk lances at zombies, of course that was before I realized that the zombies all move about ten times faster than you do. Needless to say, I didn’t make it very far.
What about you? What would you add to the list?
Our Gifted Gift May 20, 2009
Posted by Matt in education, family.Tags: gifted child, school, testing
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Yesterday evening, after arriving at home from a long day’s work, I was looking through our daughter’s backpack when I found a sealed envelope marked “To the Parents of Rachel Wisdom” from the principal’s office at her school. As I pulled open the envelope my thoughts ran wild over what it could be – Was she in trouble? Was there some issue at school affecting her that I needed to be made aware of?
Much to our delight, but not to our surprise, the letter was to inform us that she had been identified as a gifted student and they wanted our permission to engage in further IQ testing. According to the letter, students who scored in the 90th percentile or above were being identified. Our little girl was in the 99th.
We’ve always known that she was an extremely bright person, so I am very, very excited for her to be a part of the gifted program. I was always a part of the Gifted & Talented program (GT for short) growing up and loved it, so I will be interested to watch her grow and develop and be challenged in school.
