Ed and Mark

Technical Difficulties Discovered

Technical difficulties were discovered to be that Greg’s computer set up for studio recording was not compatible for webcam …. We’ll try again another day. Wetoku and my equipment worked fine. Greg’s worked fine for his recording studio too, and when reconfigured I’m sure will work fine for this too.

Test interview... w/ one person?

The Law Brings Punishment Part 2

For part 1 see http://nonotice.blogspot.com/2009/02/so-abraham-is-spiritual-father-of-those.html
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I’d written earlier saying, “the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it.” If that’s true, (and I think it is) it’s no wonder we humans have such a hard time getting along with have rules. We fight against them, because we don’t like being told what to do. At other times we try to follow the rules and find that we don’t do a very good job. What a drag. If this world is now how God planned in the begging what a mean #$@^$ God must be. However, this world is not how God planned it, humans came along and messed with it, and now look what we’ve got. None of us that have lived a perfect life. We’ve all made mistakes. We may try to excuse ourselves by saying that what we’ve been through has made us who we are today and if we like who we are today, then we say we wouldn’t change a thing as if changing the least little thing would set off a chain reaction which would end badly. Well if we look at this world with open eyes, guess what? It’s ended badly.

Some people blame belief in God for all the evil in the world. Two things;
Does that mean you believe there is a God, you just don’t like they way God runs things?
And 2.
I’d like to hear an explanation as to why there’s good in this world.

Someone once wrote on a friend's blog...

Someone calling themself "Slow Like Honey" once wrote on a friend's blog the question below. I responded (see my comments/questions below the intial statement) but never got a responce. In the process of cleaning out some files I came across this, n' figured I'd post it here.

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“Why do so many place the state of their eternal existence in the hands of uneducated folklorists who condone slavery, polygamy, the inferiority of women, public stoning and other antiquated traditions (which began as oral tradition and were only later etched on paper by Medieval Monks translating from Greek which had been translated from Latin and other ancient languages... imagine the incongruous nature of what has now become the accepted word of God in the form of the "Holy Bible")
A question that I feel every Christian, or person of any belief should be asking themselves.”
Here’s a few of my thoughts on the matter.
Also, not to be antagonistic… but rather rejoicing that people are willing to have a discussion about such things. Both statements and listening. . . .

I would start saying that it’s a rather interesting progression you’ve listed with regard to how the Bible came to it’s current form (that is what you’re speaking of ?)
For one thing the Old Testament was in Hebrew not Greek
For a second thing the New Testament, although it’s true that it has been written in Latin, the reliable version of the New Testament we have now go back to the original Greek (the language most of it was written in) to get what I read today as a ‘English’ translation.

“Etched on paper by Medieval Monks” ? ? ? although not a reason to prove or disprove the Bible, you say this like it’s a bad think. …. Although I’m not sure if the ‘bad’ part is that they were alive during medieval times? If that were the ‘bad’ part, I would think it’s because of a prejudice against anyone that happened to be alive during that time. Or perhaps the ‘bad’ part is that they were monks? From the perspective of who was and wasn’t educated during that time, the monks were some of the few educated peoples of that time. If the ‘bad’ part was from them being of a religious order (i.e. monks) then it shows a prejudice against people that are religious. Now, if religious people can’t be trusted to know about their own religion, who would we trust with this knowledge? By this I don’t mean to say that non-religious people don’t know religious things, I’m only saying that just because one wants to follow the teachings of Jesus, does not make them incapable to knowing what the teachings of Jesus are. I suspect that the ‘bad’ part is not that it was written (etched) on paper… if that were the case it would show a prejudice against paper, which I’m sure no sane person would claim that we can not trust anything written on paper.

Perhaps I’ve misread that part of your statement. Perhaps you didn’t mean the part about being “Etched on paper by Medieval Monks” as bad, but only part of the narrative of the overall distrust of the Bible.

In my own search, I find my belief system centered around the person of Jesus Christ. Is he who he claimed to be? Although we have many different ways to research this, the possible answers still come down to just a few possibilities. Either Jesus is who he claimed to be or not. If he is who he claimed to be, then what we do with him is important. If Jesus was not who he claimed to be, we’re left with only a few choices; One would be that he was a lunatic on the same level as someone who claimed to be a poached egg. A second possibility (if Jesus was not who he claimed to be) would be he was a terrible liar.

Jesus didn’t leave the possibility of just being a ‘good teacher’ etc… available, for what ‘good teacher’ could be called ‘good’ if they made the sort of unique claims about themselves that Jesus makes about himself (if said teacher knew them to be false). For instance, Jesus claimed equality with God; he claimed to be able to forgive sins. He claimed that it is only through him (Jesus) that one can one reach God. If Jesus were not who he claims to be, then a ‘good’ teacher would not teach such things. Again he would either be deluded or a terrible liar.

Lord, liar, or lunatic those are the three choices we have with regard to the person of Jesus. If he were either a lunatic or a liar, when Jesus died that would have been the end of that. However, history shows that he didn’t stay dead, that he came back to life and was seen by more than 500 people.

(Loar, Liar, Lunitic idea from C.S. Lewis)

Las Vegas

I visited Las Vegas for the Blogworld & New Media Expo 2009
















I got to have a good visit with an old friend Gary T. (sorry the only pic I got was with my phone in bad light)

Here's some pics from the show.

I had a great time learning cool stuff about WordPress at the WordPress Genius Bar

Jessica Price Band at Hastings Summerfest

Jessica Price Band (JPB) .... per usual.... some delays some say it was the equipment, no one said it was a UFO. JPB is mixing it up and n' working out the kinks. I think we saw their auditorium show down outside without a current or net. At one point the main lights went out and on came a couple of lights on stage…. JPB was rolling by then and just kept going asking the crowd to shout out their favorite carnival food. When everyone yelled the lights came back on. Jessica thanked the people for turning the lights. Here’s a few poorly taken photos from my phone.

It was nice touching base with a few friends before the show and hope to continue that on Saturday.

SummerFest in Hastings Michigan

It's Summerfest in Hastings, Michigan. All kinds of good music and activities of a small town festival variety. I hope to go n’ relax n’ see a few friends. It’s often during times like this that I get to spend some time with people I don’t see in my regular day to day. It’s nice to know they’re still around and we can catch up on what’s been going on or their thoughts on they’re choice of subjects. It also a chance to have the opportunity to spend time with people that I do see more often, but am often too busy doing those day to day things to invest any time with them. Here’s hoping for a good weekend.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=hastings,+mi&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=cBaYSrXWOIuwNtDrzKEF&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

Michigan Libraries For The Future

Every day more and more people walk into their public library to search for a job online, write a resume or file for unemployment. This is not only a reflection of our hard economic times but also an indication of Michigan moving forward. We are no longer a state that can rely on the manufacturing industry to support our residents, we are moving toward a knowledge-based economy and with that comes the necessity for access to technology for everyone.

And now, these services are at risk.



Library funding is currently less than half of what is required by law, any further cuts will be detrimental to the entire library system.

working with our hands

I think it’s easier to see one's progress on a project when we’re working with our hands. Yesterday I worked on my bike. Before I started, there was two things I wanted to fix. I had to get out the tools, take things apart, look at them, find out what was wrong, and make the changes necessary. After that I had to put the tools away and clean up. When this was done I could ‘see’ my progress.

We like to measure progress. When dealing with people it’s always nice when we can see immediate change, but often we don’t. Maybe that’s why parables of the agricultural nature seem to hit home with me. Fruit trees don’t produce fruit overnight. Wheat does not go from seed to harvest within one day.

I have no

I have no color, there are no races other than the human race, this planet is not my home, I'm just passing through.

Response to Glenn Kaiser blog - "THE U.S. A CHRISTIAN NATION?"

The following is written in response to Glenn Kaiser blog

http://www.glennkaiser.com/
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
THE U.S. A CHRISTIAN NATION?

Here’s my response…

I like what you said about biblical –principles permeating early U.S. thought. It’s these types of principals that will distinguish the early United States as it’s looked back on hundreds of years from now. This permeation of biblical principals is part of what allowed the US to referred to as a “Christian” nation. Well that train has long since left the station, n’ disappeared into the ether of history. It’s been a long time since this nation or any nation has been permeated with biblical principles. Currently there are large segments of our society where there is no longer any shadow of those principals, let alone people wrestling with them in their daily lives.

Personally I have a problem with the word “Christian” being used as an adjective, as in ‘Christian’ music, ‘Christian’ restaurant, ‘Christian’ candle stick maker, etc… Now there are Christians that play music, run restaurants, and make candles. However, let us not pollute, water down, or distort the term “Christian” by tying it to other terms by using ‘Christian’ as an adjective. For instance if you ask me what I am, and if I say I’m a guitarist, then the next day I find myself unable to play guitar, I’ve lost my identity. But if I say I’m a Christian and I play guitar, and the next day I lose my ability to play guitar, I have not lost my identity. If I say I am a Christian guitarist, and later lose my ability to play guitar, I have lost part of my identity because I am no longer a Christian guitarist.

This country is a nation of individuals and as a society we used to be permeated with biblical principles, thus many referred to the US as a Christian nation. Because so many have bought into the idea of the US as a ‘Christian’ nation, now that the US is no longer permeated with biblical principles, the nation has lost part of its identity. We are a nation with an identity problem. How does a society become permeated with Christian principles? I’m not sure but I agree with you…… it begins with me.

There is something else meaningless

Ecclesiastes 8:14
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.

An artist creates out of their world view. . .

(What follows is taken from some writing I did else where... but I think fits well here too.)

An artist creates out of their world view. What choice would one have but to operate our of their world view. All of life is connected and thus an artist speaks about all of life. Some artists spend too much time trying to explain what category they fit in. The artist creates art. It may be done well or not so well, for instance in music, it either sounds good or it doesn't.

It's my understanding that at one time harps were used lead armies into battle, these days people tend to think of harp music as soft music played by a woman in long flowing gown. Any kind of music can be created on the harp, but people who play harp are often stifled by people telling them they can only play certain types or styles of music and should dress in a certain manor when playing 'harp' music. It's not 'harp' music, it's 'music' played on a harp.

A Christian who is an artist creates out of their world view. Lives are not divided into a spiritual side, a social side, a this or that side... it's all one. When did we ever get so segmented? God is God of all of our life. He knows no bounds where He must stay in or outside of.

God created us to have an abundant life. It may not be what we might think of as an abundant life, but it's what God thinks is an abundant life. God made the whole of man, let us not divide it into parts and then raise or lower the importance of those parts. The Scriptures say the whole body is important.

In our efforts to segment things we often like to use the word 'Christian' as an adjective. The Bible doesn't divide music in to sacred and secular, and neither should we. Nether is art is utilitarian. Songs may be used to teach, encourage, celebrate, worship, just as people have different jobs. One person may work in retail, one may work with computers, one may clean, one maybe a policeman, etc... but a persons job is not who they are. Art is either good or it's not.

Some like to say 'Christian' music, but what would a 'Christian' plumber do that would be different than 'a plumber'? Would a 'Christian' restaurant serve 'Christian' food? Would a 'Christian' phone company provide 'Christian' phone service? As opposed to non-Christian phone service? The Christian who cooks should make food, the Christian who has a phone company should provide phone service, the plumber who is a Christian should do plumbing..a Christian who is a painter should paint. hopefully all of them will do it well.

When I want to find an musician to listen to, I don't necessarily look for jazz, rock, folk, blues, worldbeat, hip-hop, or other devision. I want to hear good music, Bela Fleck plays a banjo, but he plays a lot of different types of music. I'm sure there were people who told him if he was going to play banjo music, he should play blue-grass music... I'm glad he didn't stick with playing just blue-grass music. (nothing wrong with blue-grass)

People are some times asked 'What caused you to merge your faith and music'.... I'd like to know why people try to separate them to begin with. I suppose if they work in a CD store where they need to put the music in the 'right' bin... as in, folk, blues, jazz, worldbeat, rock, etc.... but then most people don't work in a CD store and the way the industry is going, fewer and fewer people work there. Let's stop the division.

Independent!

No person is an island. We are not autonomous because we not infinite. I would think we humans, who so highly prize the idea of autonomy, would be amazed that the only one who is infinite chose to build a bridge and involve himself with his creation The infinite chose to become become intimately involved with the finite. It's amazing to me.

'I Forgot Who I Am'

There is a song on my latest CD called, 'I Forgot Who I Am'. What does it mean to forget who we are? One way to look at it is a type of amnesia. I am Ed, and all the unique things that go into being Ed. Although I play guitar, playing guitar is a way I may express who I am, but it is not who I am. I work with computers for a living and I have a title, but the title is not me. It's what I do to earn money and I enjoy it, but it is not who I am.

Some people want to remember, some want to forget, and some never found out who they are. and some don't care.

I'd love to read your thoughts on this.

Below are the lyrics to 'I Forgot Who I Am'

I remember yesterday
Like it’s a million miles away
How’d I end up burning it all down
In that holy place
I guess that what happens
When you play with fire
Starts with a thought –that blows on an ember
Quite a surprise for one so shy
* I forgot who I am
I’d like to be far inside of denial
Take memory n’ wrap it in a cloth
Place it under the couch
Then lay down n’ take a pause
*
Despondency and despair
Are the only things left to wear

I awake next to a river
I drink deep – the tears rush in
My memory’s returned
I bid adieu to where I’ve been
I’d forgotten who I am
*

The Law Brings Punishment

So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are made right with God by faith.

the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it.

the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

Clearly no one is justified by the law