Sadly, the muse has left me lately. Do pray for me though, and for my church. We're in the midst of a big transition to a new building and are recasting vision and things like that and I've just got a lot on my mind these days which makes blogging seem less and less important. At the same time, I have built so many good relationships with readers of my blog that I don't want to lose so I hope I can stay in touch.
With that in mind, let me turn your attention to some other good stuff in the world of cyberspace.
First off, let me wish a very happy 5th Blog Birthday to my good buddy Adrian Warnock - he's got some highlights and some references to some of his long term blog buddies like me. So, congrats Adrian. He's also having a contest for people to design a logo for him - that's not up my ally, but I will say this - the key to a good logo is lots of orange and blue, yes, lot's of orange and blue, that's the key.
And now, how about a little entertainment. For all you lovers of Southern Rock as it is covered by Finnish rock bands with weird hair while being accompanied by the Red Army Choir, have I got a video for you. This is the world renowned Leningrad Cowboys accompanied by the Red Army Choir singing Lynrd Skynrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." I found this through John Armstrong who has a special interest because he has roots in Alabama. I have a similar special interest since Lynrd Skynrd is from my home town of Jacksonville, FL. But enough about me, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Leningrad Cowboys.
As for more serious matters, all I can say about this post by Alexander Pruss is BRILLIANT! If I were to spiritualize what he is saying I would say that he is saying that God is Lord of our fantasy life, but he takes this in a direction you might not have seen coming. Yeah, we know sexual and violent fantasies are bad, but he goes deeper:
But I want to note a different kind of badness in fantasies involving the behavior of specific others, even when the situation fantasized about is not actually a bad one. This kind of badness occurs when the fantasy does not respect others as autonomous persons.
Joe Carter at the Evangelical Outpost is hosting the 2008 EO/Wheatstone Academy Symposium which asks you to write a blog post and submit it answering the question:
If the medium affects the message, how will the Christian message be affected by the new media?
Follow this link for more details, including info on some great prizes.
The ESV study bible looks very, very good. Kudos to Justin Taylor and the team for what appears to be a great study bible. Oh yeah, and thanks a lot for making us wait till October to get one. What I wanna know is how come Mark Driscoll got one and I didn't? Huh? Anybody?
In addition to being a great writer and artist, Scott Adams appears to be a theist and a philosopher, but is he also now a calvinist?
And, for all my fellow men - here's an essential monthly guide for you.
please don't think less of me, intellectually at least, because out of all the topics in this post i choose to comment on the leningrad cowboys. i saw this again the other day, got a good laugh, and then remembered, too, how skynrd is from jacksonville. and i also remembered how anytime i drove by the orange park mall with a visitor in tow, i'd point out that van zant was buried in the cemetery next door. i had to point out o.p.'s one claim to fame, right?
Posted by: kate ortiz | April 17, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Katie - and I remember going to many picnics and other functions at Van Zant park. Don't worry, if anyone gives you any flack I'll vouch for your intellect. BTW - did you see an e-mail I sent you a week or so ago?
Posted by: David Wayne | April 17, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Hey, another Jacksonville boy here! Well, Callahan, actually; I graduated from West Nassau, Home of the Warriors, in Callahan, class of '88. Nice to see another Jax boy in the blogosphere.
As far as the video; even the Leningrad Cowboys and the Red Army Choir couldn't mess up Skynard.
Posted by: Michael R. Jones | April 24, 2008 at 03:27 PM
Great video. I'd never seen that version (or even heard of the Leningrad Cowboys) before. Great hair!
One little "secret" that some of you Jax folks/Lynyrd Skynyrd fans may not know... Ronnie Van Zant is not buried in the cemetery near the OP Mall as they once were. After the vandalism back in 2000, they were moved to Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery (link). It's not marked, but on the south side of the cemetery (south of Normandy) there is a little traffic circle near the office. It's somewhere near there.
Posted by: Jeff Halley | April 25, 2008 at 11:32 AM