Hey Kids!!!!

Do you know what time it is?
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Seriously...wasn't that cool!

Peace

Still Here?

I thought TAB Cola was no longer around. I saw some this morning at the convienient store. I did not check the top to see if it had the old school throw away tab. Now, to get the comment board fired up, I have a question. What else is still around that we thought was gone??

3:58 p.m.

Juneau, Alaska -- 33 degrees F
Chicago, Illinois -- 13 degrees F

brrrrr

8:50 a.m.

Juneau, Alaska -- 21 degrees F
Chicago, Illinois -- 10 degrees F

Living in Chicago -- priceless

Figured out
I figured out who did the origional version of Hurt...the video in my previous blog. None other that Nine Inch Nails...Johnny Cash rules.

In other news
Chicago is the largest city in the country to oppose a possible war with Iraq. This is from an e-mail I received:

For Immediate Release

Chicago Passes Anti-War Resolution

46-1 Vote Follows Extensive and Personal
Debate (Chicago, Jan. 16, 2003)

After one of the most mesmerizing, impassioned and personal debates ever to occur in Chicago's City Council Chamber, Chicago has become the largest and most prominent city in the nation to formally oppose a unilateral pre-emptive strike on Iraq.

One by one, black and white, Latino and Jewish, men and women, the Aldermen stood to draw attention to their own particular concerns with the current path of the Bush Administration. Many pointed out that the real dangers this nation faces today are the rising rates of unemployment and economic stagnation. Others were concerned about the double standard the administration is showing with respect to North Korea. And some drew attention to the prospect of young sons and daughters
coming home in body bags from an ill-conceived war.

The Committee of Human Relations of the Chicago City Council sent the "Resolution Opposing Pre-emptive U.S. Military Strikes
on Iraq" to the full council today after a vote yesterday.

"It is our sons and daughters who will be recruited--perhaps even conscripted--to fight in this war," said Ald. Joseph Moore (49th), chief sponsor of the resolution. Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) was concerned that the "cost of the war will dry up federal funding
for domestic programs for a war that has yet to be justified."

Judith Kossy of Chicagoans Against the War on Iraq said she and her organization were deeply moved by the leadership of Ald. Joe Moore, Ald. Helen Shiller, Ald. Ricardo Munoz, Ald. Leslie Hairston and by the action taken today the City Council. "Two out of three people in the nation oppose a unilateral war. It's important for local leaders to articulate their constituent's feelings to President Bush and to the world," Kossy said.

The full resolution follows: RESOLUTION OPPOSING A PRE- EMPTIVE U.S.
MILITARY ATTACK ON IRAQ

WHEREAS, the issues between Iraq and the world
community have not proven to be irresoluble by
traditional diplomatic efforts; and

WHEREAS, while Saddam Hussein is a tyrant who should be removed from
power, both for the good of the Iraqi people and for the security of
Iraq's neighboring countries, it is not at all clear that a unilateral
U.S. military action would result in the installation
of a free and democratic Iraqi government; and

WHEREAS, U.S. military actions would risk the deaths of thousands of
Iraqi civilians without guaranteeing the safety and security of U.S.
citizens; and

WHEREAS, a pre-emptive and unilateral U.S. military
attack would violate international law and our
commitments under the U.N. Charter and further isolate
the U.S. from the rest of the world; and

WHEREAS, the Congressional Budget Office estimates a
military action against Iraq will cost our nation
between $9 and $13 billion a month, likely resulting in further cuts in
federally funded projects and programs that benefit our city and its
residents; and

WHEREAS, a U.S.-led war in Iraq would compromise our
current action in Afghanistan, and require years of nation-building
activities in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, the Bush administration has failed to
articulate a clear strategic objective or outcome of a military attack
against Iraq, and such an attack fails to enjoy the support of many of
our important allies; and

WHEREAS, we give our unconditional support to U.S.
military personnel serving at home and abroad in their tireless battle
against global terrorism, and should our military forces be sent to
Iraq, we give our unyielding support to our young men and women serving
in our nation's military, even if we oppose the policy
that sent them there;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the members of
the City Council of the City of Chicago, oppose a pre-
emptive U.S. military attack on Iraq unless it is
demonstrated that Iraq poses a real and imminent threat
to the security and safety of the United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we support a return of
U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq, enhanced by sufficient
police support to guarantee unfettered access to all
targeted sites; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the U.S. to work
through the U.N. Security Council and reaffirm our
nation's commitment to the rule of law in all
international relationships; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution
be forwarded to the Illinois congressional delegation
and the President of the United States.

--from www.aaiusa.org/news/must_read01_16c_03.htm

And now for something completely different

I took an on line version of the Meyers Brigs (sp) test and found out I am an INFP...ask anyone, that explains a lot. Upon further researching this type here and here...I am almost scared with how accurate this thing is. Tripp....something about us aquariuses, huh?

Peace

Beautifully Sad

I found this at Mouse's blog. It is a Johnny Cash video. A beautiul piece. It is a cover of a song calle Hurt, I am not sure who did the origional.


Peace

Am I crazy or just plain goofy

I enjoy the cold weather we have been experiencing. I enjoy the heat in the summer. I enjoy the struggle of living paycheck to paycheck. I like to push farther that what can be handled. I get some sort of perverse joy from laborious tasks.

I am not sure why, but I do.

The more I think about it, the more I begin to consider the performance and artistic nature of these things. Huh? I never thought of it that way until I spent a semester assisting a professor with a 4 month long performance piece. It centered on tasksÖmenial and major. For three weeks he carried a cinder block everywhere he went. For one hour he sliced onions. For 2 minute he stood on one foot. Other examples are the artist up in Madison who sat in an outdoor kiosk for 24 hours; or the artist who paced a field for a month; or the piece I participated in, in which we spent 8 hours filling a tub full of water with eye droppers.

You see, I think the idea of work has been misconstrued by our society. Work is something to be enjoyed. Enjoy the fact that because it is cold you must struggle to go outside. Look at it this way. Work is not just going to an office and sitting on your bum typing a blog. No, work is a process in which our bodies and minds should be stimulated and pushed in ways that are not considered normal. I consider the extreme things I do as work.

Does this come form my pride as the son and grandson and great grandson of blue collar workers? I donít know. I do know the pride they had in their work. I know the pride I have in my work.

Or is this just an example of me being goofy?

Peace

Yo!!

Happy Birthday Apollo!!

A matter of the Heart

O.k. This whole discussion about what is the "true church" or not has gotten to the point where i am utterly confused and befuddled by all of the big words and huge concepts. If I am to understand what is going on right now; Cliff and Tripp are debating how one is to go about creating the church on earth. Cliff is like...coming form a pre-schimatic (ha...big word), and Tripp is coming a Baptist point of view. But what I am seeing is the one common thing ... they both say Christ is what the church is built on. Right Oh! So, that being agreed upon...what are the arguing? It looks to me to be more of a debate on what is the right way to worship. Cliff (and this is just myinterpration of what has been written) is saying the only "true" way to worship is by going the more orthodox (eastern) way; and Trip is saying how are we to say what is the right way, and how can we compel others to do it the right way...if there is even a right way.

Now, bieng a Baptist for my entire life, I believe there is no "right" way to worship (worship as your soul determinse...that is not to say the physical church is not important because I beiieve the fellowship of other believers is very important), but rather we need to take a look at the common thing we all share and live in that. We agree the the Church is built with Christ as the center. Well if we look at the description that C\hrist gives us of the body and all of its parts ... maybe we can makesome sense out of this.

this is my interpretattion of that passage. Ok. We all agree that Christ is the centre of the church and lets just say that would make Him the heart of this body. It also seems that we all agree and believe in the trinity...So, with that agreement, that makes God the Father the brain and the Holy Spirit the breath. So, now we have the heart, brain, and breath...excellent, but we have no house of these organs. Amd that is where the church on earth comes in. I really believe that each part of the body is important. That is why I believe that each way of worshiping is important to the full mission of the church...to help establish God's kingdom on earth. Sometimes all of the incense and creeds and ritual do not work. Sometimes the lack of stucture I personally love doesnt work. All of us agree that Christ is the center of the church and that it is up to us to try to make God's kingdom on earth.

This is kind of why this whole debate has saddened me. If we want to bring the Kingdom to earth...why are we spending this time arguing abouout what is the right way to do it instead of working on makig it happen?

peace

A Historical Perspective
I am still trying to figure out this whole debate thing, but I found this artilce at the Baptist Join Committee's web page. I think it gives an interresting historical perspective to the issue.

Reflections
Freedom-loving Baptists should remember Clarkeís contributions
By J. Brent Walker


We freedom-loving Baptists hold up Roger Williams as our all-time all-star. And properly so. But we should not forget the contributions of others, such as John Clarke. True, Williams coined the phrase, ìwall of separationî and founded the First Baptist Church in America. But he did not stay a Baptist very long. His contemporary, John Clarke, a physician and lay minister, remained a lifelong Baptist. In 1639 Clarke founded the town of Newport, R.I., and be-came the pastor of the local Baptist congregation. Clarke traveled with Williams to London to secure a new charter for Rhode Island colony in 1663, which granted permission to continue a ìlively experimentî of religious liberty.


Clarke also penned what might be the first Baptist confession in New England. In 1651 Clarke, along with two other Baptists, John Crandall and Obadiah Holmes, traveled to Lynn, Mass., to conduct a worship service (including the Lordís Supper and baptism) in the private home of a blind Baptist named William Witter. That ìillegalî act earned them arrest and imprisonment. Their sentence? A fine or public flogging. Clarke managed to pay his fine, but Holmes was ìwell-whippedî with 30 lashes. So outraged was Clarke by what he called this ìtragicall storyî he published an account of the Lynn persecutions titled ìIll Newes from New-England: Or a Narrative of New-Englandís Persecution.î


In that powerful treatise, Clarke articulated four ìconclusionsî which summarized the pith of his Baptist convictions. Slightly paraphrased for modern readers, Clarke wrote:


I. Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed Priest, Prophet and King of Saints. Christ is also the Lord of his Church in point of ruling and ordering them with respect to the worship of God (The Lordship of Jesus Christ).


II. Baptism is one of the commandments of Christ and will continue until he comes again. Believers are the proper subjects of baptism. They are to wait for the promise of the Spirit, as with the presence of Christ (Believersí Baptism and the Gathered Church).


III. Every believer ought to improve his talent both in and out of the Congregation (The Ministry of Laity and the Priesthood of Every Believer).


IV. No servant of Jesus has any authority from him to force upon others either the faith or the order of the Gospel of Christ (Religious Freedom and the Rights of Conscience).


Clarke went on to elaborate this final point concerning the rights of conscience: no such believer, or servant of Christ Jesus, has any liberty, much less authority from his Lord, to smite his fellow servant, nor yet with outward force, or arm of flesh, to constrain or restrain his Conscience, no nor yet his outward man for Conscience sake, or worship of his God, where injury is not offered to the person, name, or estate of others ... .


The astute reader will see in these words about the liberty of conscience the seeds of the modern First Amendment doctrine that government is permitted to burden the exercise of religion only where it has a ìcompelling state interest.î Although no one is permitted, according to Clarke, to ìconstrain or restrain conscience,î regulation of religious conduct (i.e. ìhis outward man for conscience sakeî) can be justified only in cases where injury is ìoffered to the person, name, or estate of others.î Clarke understood a principle that five members of the U.S. Supreme Court abjured in their 1990 decision Employment Division vs. Smith: government should restrict religious exercise only when such practices threaten the life, safety, or welfare of others and only if it adopts the least restrictive means available to ensure those ends.


Modern Baptists would do well to read and heed their history, including writings such as ìIll Newes.î We must also take responsibility for reminding our culture and Supreme Court of these precious principles. If we fail to do so, the signal achievement of John Clarke and the ìlively experimentî will not long survive.

Another reason

Just look.

peace

Urffff

I am so tired right now. For some reason I had the damndest time going to sleep last night. I went to bed at the reasonable hour of 11, every hour there after my eyes opened and I saw the clock had only advanced and hour...finally...i think the last time I looked it was 4:45, and i had to be up a 6:30.

I have no idea why i had trouble sleeping. I feel rightly that I hav That 70's Show to blame. You see, what I do know is that during the inbetween times, I kept writng episodes in my head. Except I was in Eric's place and I was Ross (It just occured to me that Ross Foreman is a wrestling journalist...why that name I have no idea.) It was just plain weird.

Anyway. Tripp and Cliffare having an interesing discussion at the conjectural navel gazers site. They are debating the ideas of the Baptist idea of soul freedom v. the Orthodox doctrine (? is that what it is called Cliff?). In my exhausted state I would like to contribute, but I can not stay focused long enough. I will try tomorrow.

Peace