Sweet and low

I can’t get enough of the strings under N”K”C’s vocals on this.

Read Full Post »

Christmas Special

I got nuthin. Here’s a redacted rerun. This will only help with those of you who forgot to already buy Christmas gifts. I’ve been trying to build a collection of alternative shopping resources, and would love to get your additions to the list. Benefitting the poor in 2/3 world countries (generally an “in honor of” [...]

Read Full Post »

19 Shopping Days Left Until Epiphany!

This will only help with those of you who forgot to already buy Christmas gifts, but I’ve been trying to build a collection of alternative shopping resources the last few weeks.* Here are a few, and if you’re familiar with others, I’d be interested to know about them: Benefitting the poor in 2/3 world countries [...]

Read Full Post »

The Gospel blah blah blah blah Batman

Batman Begins: As idealistic DA Rachel Dawes receives a kiss her lawyer boyfriend, former child sweetheart Bruce Wayne observes from sidewalk, dressed in dingy hooded sweatshirt. Viewer banter:* J: That’s so sexy when a billionaire dresses like a homeless person. If I was super wealthy that’s what I would do. It’s. . . it’s like [...]

Read Full Post »

Things I’d Like to Write More About: The Revenge

1) Hey, Grinches, check this out: “Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption.” You can join this movement as an individual or as a congregation. Wouldn’t that be somethin’? 2) Current consumption: new Sara Groves. It’s not the immediate soul flood the last one [...]

Read Full Post »

Conscientious Consuming

I’ve been getting this catalog for a while, but hadn’t paid attention to it: Heartbeats, a ministry of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, “Networking women, developing world and minority artists.” There are a number of good opportunities to spend well, and some unique, creative, and interesting products, including Christmas cards and fair-trade gifts [...]

Read Full Post »

Bring a Flashlight, Moonfrye and Keanu

Every Christmas there are a few songs that I’d never noticed before, but suddenly I can’t escape. I usually discover (or finally pay attention to) at least a few unfamiliar gems. Last year, I was mercilessly persued by the infinitely creepy “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (most scarring moment: “Say, what’s in this drink?”) and the [...]

Read Full Post »

Lord Sabaoth Is the Reason for the Season

(An Advent candle-lighting meditation) At this most wonderful time of the year, we hear the angels sing in the strangest places and in the strangest voices. While everybody from Frank Sinatra to Jessica Simpson croons about the holy family, it’s the regular old family that takes center stage in the pop music of Christmas. Christmas [...]

Read Full Post »

Swords into Plowshares

I was listening to Kurt Anderson on Studio 360 interview historian and author Richard Rhodes. He comments on US history with nuclear power, and particularly the Cold War (with a great piece on Dr. Strangelove), and reports that in the last 10 years we have turned 10,000 former Soviet nuclear warheads into American energy through [...]

Read Full Post »