Give us this day...
...our daily blog. A new online devotional blog from Andrew Jones. He's starting out with posts from Thomas a Kempis' Imitation of Christ.
From today's entry:
The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy. Do not be proud, therefore, because of your learning or skill. Rather, fear because of the talent given you. If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know. Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance.
Link via Charlie Wear.
:: Andrew 09:59 + ::
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:: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 ::
Youth rally
I've been involved in youth ministry for something like 18 years now, and I've never "preached" a youth rally before. But I will tonight. I'm looking forward to it. I'll also be substituting on bass guitar with a band I've never played with before. Preaching I can handle. Playing bass with a group of unfamiliar musicians will be a challenge. If I mess up, I can always fall back on the old "I'm a punk rocker" excuse. "I'm a punk rocker," roughly translated, means, "I suck, and if a song has three chords, that's probably one chord too many so let's strip it down."
:: Andrew 09:54 + ::
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2003 in review, part 4 (take 2): television
Before you read any further, you should know that I'm not a fan of "The Simpsons" and I don't get HBO. Ergo, I know that many of you think that disqualifies me from offering intelligent comment on quality TV programming. Perhaps so, but since when did intelligence matter in the blogosphere?
Furthermore, I don't watch a lot of TV these days, other than televised college sports. And unless my Missouri Tigers basketball team can turn around this dismal early season, I'll probably be watching a lot less sports on TV in the coming months.
So, with those disclaimers up front, I humbly offer you my year-end picks for the top five TV programs of 2003:
5. "South Park". If you can stomach the raunchy language and potty humor, you can mine some of the best social commentary on TV these days from the antics of Kyle, Stan, Kenny, Cartman and company. I do wish they'd cut down on the unnecessary oaths, however.
4. "Nip/Tuck". Liposuction in living color! Alternately sexy and stomach-turning, this series about two Miami plastic surgeons is entertaining drama. FX strikes again with an original series that makes cable so much better than network TV.
3. "Monk". As detective Adrian Monk, an OCD-afflicted neatnik who makes Felix Unger look like a slob, Tony Shalhoub (whom you may remember as immigrant cabbie Antonio Scarpacci from "Wings") is hilarious. But his Sharona, the personal nurse played by Bitty Schram, adds a lot to the personality of this series. But Monk is the Columbo of our time. Fun stuff from USA Network, which has been lacking any original stuff since the days of "Silk Stalkings"
2. "Two and a Half Men". I loved Charlie Sheen in ABC's "Spin City" and love him even more in this CBS sitcom. But the other cast members -- especially the kid, the kid's dad/Charlie's anal-retentive brother (played by Jon Cryer), and stalker-neighbor/ex-hookup Rose -- make the show. And the writing ain't bad, either.
1. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart". Network news? We don't need no stinkin' network news! Jon Stewart and his band of screwball correspondents are more relevant than most newscasts these days, anyway. I love the way Stewart and company skewer the self-important TV journalists. This show was the subject of a recent Newsweek cover story. Finally, the mainstream media is recognizing this great program.
:: Andrew 15:49 + ::
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Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh!
Spent a good 30 minutes this morning crafting a perfect "2003 in review" post about the best of television, only to hit the "post" button and see if all go away, apparently when Blogger decided to go down for a bit. Not a good way to end the year.
:: Andrew 13:44 + ::
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America: Divided we stand
"For many Americans, 2003 was a year to take sides," writes Sharon Cohen of the Associated Press in a year-end analysis of the United States as a nation and culture.
From church pews to the courts, from talk shows to Capitol Hill, debate over social issues -- abortion, gay marriage, the right to die -- stirred a nation that also was divided over the war in Iraq.
The sense of unity that swelled across the country in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks faded, and heated rhetoric and finger-pointing returned as America edged closer to the 2004 presidential race.
"Cynicism is back in full force. Extraordinary political partisanship and acrimony are back," says David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, a think tank focusing on family and civil society.
Reading this piece reminds me of those famous lines W.B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming":
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
:: Andrew 08:17 + ::
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:: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 ::
Happy New Year
Music for the occasion, via Pirate Smiles.
:: Andrew 07:39 + ::
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London Calling...
And from Prague, Andrew Jones answers the call. Here's why.
Anyone know of some affordable housing "on the dodgy side of London" for about four months? If so, give drop Andrew a note.
:: Andrew 09:35 + ::
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So long, Josh
Josh Sargent is calling it quits after a year and eight months of off-and-on blogging. Josh contacted me early in his blogging days and we've remained good virtual buddies over these several months. I'll miss his commentary. But not to worry: his wife Beth Sargent will continue to post. I look forward to updates from her about how things are going with Josh, their family, and their spiritual lives.
:: Andrew 08:48 + ::
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Music Spectrum
Just discovered this new blog by Ben Squires, a Lutheran pastor in Wisconsin with a love for a broad spectrum of music (including, yes, The Smiths). The blog is Ben's outlet for writing about his music and faith. He's posted some nice thoughts there so far, and I look forward to reading more in the future. Look for it on the blogrollsoon, er, one of these days, whenever I get around to an update.
:: Andrew 07:42 + ::
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Bowie the knighthood slayer
The best thing to come from singer David Bowie in years: he says no to knighthood from the Queen Mum. From the Associated Press:You can have Sir Mick, and Sir Elton, and Sir Paul, but you'll won't hear Sir David -- as in Bowie. The veteran singer was one of the people The Sunday Times revealed as declining honors from the queen.
Bowie said he'd never accept a knighthood and doesn't even know what it's for. (Full story)
I've always wondered what qualifies musicians for knighthood. It isn't as though they've slayed dragons or saved maidens or gone on quests for the Holy Grail.
:: Andrew 07:37 + ::
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USA Today on political bloggers
The art of blogging has caught the attention of USA Today, which features a story on today's front page about how political bloggers are "rewriting the rules of journalism." But it's an old story, citing all the usual suspects. Still, nice to see the nation's newspaper give a nod to the blogosphere.
:: Andrew 07:32 + ::
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Simon Dawes, 
