I've been giving a great deal of thought to what I'm reading in Ephesians these days. Isn't it interesting how the apostle Paul spends the early parts of the letter describing who we are in Christ, contrasting it with what we were before knowing Him? Then, in the last half of the epistle, the author then talks about how knowing these things should affect how we live our lives.

This has spurred my thinking a bit on how crucial it is to have an accurate concept of who you are, because the inward view you have of yourself will have outward manifestations. I'm currently field-testing this theory by observation of human nature, but from what I already have seen, it will bear itself true.

The funniest thing I read all weekend was a sent to me by my higher-order life liver sister via her barnstorming pilot friend Shane. It's a graduation day speech at Harvard given by Will Farrell. Here's the url: http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/ferrell.html. Sorry, but I can't figure out how to animate the links on blogger yet. Enjoy!

The guests I would invite to a dinner at my house (rules for this version are that they must be living, the guest list is limited to 12, and those 12 must be gender-balanced--and spouses and children are automatically included): Tina Fey (head writer of SNL), Sarah Vowell (author), John Lydon (lead singer, Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited), Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin & Hobbes), Douglas Coupland (author), Moby (musician), Mia Hamm (athlete), my sister Jill (manipulator of the high-tech sector for personal ends and higher-order life liver), Courtney Love (singer, but really what I want is to get some inside info on Kurt Cobain), Alex Rodriquez (athlete who wouldn't add much to the discussion but would thrill my daughter), Ian Michael Black (actor/comedian--the guy saying everything funny on VH-1's I Love The 80's), and Penelope Spheeris (film maker).

I think that evening would be a lot of fun...if we could keep Johnny Rotten and Courtney Love from tearing the place apart.

Stuff I've tried to "get" and simply don't: Golf...hunting and/or fishing...cat people...soap operas...card game players...people who truly believe that government/politics changes anything...stereotypical retirees (which, as far as I can tell, retirement is not even a biblical concept***see below, Jilly)...telemarketers...camping...country line dancing...suburban thought processes...people who equate Republican and Christian...fear-based parenting and the people who read such literature...70's classic rock...Baby Booomers...

Stuff I "get" that others in orbit around me don't comprehend: baseball...pro wrestling...disc golf (if you can't see the differences between this and "real" golf then that only proves my point)...subtle comedy movies (i.e. "Raising Arizona" or "Spinal Tap") as well as low brow comedies (i.e., "Old School" or "Dumb and Dumber")...Doestoyevsky...punk and grunge...wanting 300 TV channels...spending too much money on a really good reading chair...satire and sarcasm (which may be among my spiritual gifts)...GenX views of religion, government, and business...MTV...

Some days I feel very far afield from my fellow man. Today is one of those days.


***and no, Jilly, you're not stereotypical. I see your situation as finding out new colors in your parachute or finding your cheese or whatever other stupid business literature you so wonderfully and desperately manipulated for your own personal gain and escaped from...now that I think of it, I'd define your lifestyle as "higher order living")

Jimmy Buffet was recently quoted as saying that if there was a heaven for him, it would certainly have a beach in it.

If I could submit a list to God of things I would like in my dwelling place in His mansion, the list would include the following:

Starbucks chairs, and lots of them, for friends to hang out and have long, meaningful conversations...a cellar full of Johannesburg Reisling wine from Napa Valley...a freezer full of Blue Bell ice cream in a variety of flavors, but heavily stocked with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough...plenty of children, ages 3 to 7, belly laughing...a view of whatever baseball field is there (any theologian worth his salt will tell you that baseball will be the game of choice in the afterlife...haven't you ever seen "Field of Dreams?")...the atmosphere at the Eternal Worship Service at a minimum level of Jordan-Hare Stadium right after the game winning touchdown (if you've ever been a part of that, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about)...my wife and children close by...dogs, preferably black labs (any theologian worth his salt will tell you cats have no place in The Kingdom)...weather of the Pacific Northwest (trust me, Texas weather will be the exact opposite of heaven)...Legos, probably just falling from a lego infested waterfall...Sesame Street sing-a-longs...Grunge music, too (Country music will dominate the netherworld, just ask the theologians worth their salt)...

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Hey, I'm really not a complicated guy...at least I try not to be. Any thoughts on YOUR wish-list for eternity?

The Most Underrated Comedy Movie of All Time: Bottle Rocket. My children gave me the surprisingly barren DVD (no director's cuts, deleted scenes or anything...just the movie) for Father's Day and I'm enjoying it right now. "On the run from Johnny Law. Ain't no trip to Cleveland." If you've seen the movie, you get the significance.

They gave me another great gift last weekend: A spatula with a probing thermometer and LED read-out that allows you to plug in the type of meat you're cooking and then it tells you when it's done. It's way more thermometer than anyone needs, which, frankly, is the beauty of the whole thing.

Slow news day...so...for today, a question and some recommended reading to get you through it.

First, the question: Is it okay to enjoy both Eminem AND Moby? I mean, I went through this same thing with Pearl Jam and Nirvana and felt so hypocritical about it all.

Some summer recommended reading: First, "Into Thin Air" and "Into The Wild" both by John Krakauer. I couldn't put either one down. Second, "The Partly Cloudy Patriot" and "Take The Cannoli" both by Sarah Vowell. Her wit and insight are incredible.

Okay, something of substance...While the jury is still out on the U.S. military finding weapons of mass destruction, I'm concerned about two things regarding our involvement in Iraq. First, with the possibility of putting "spin" on military intelligence to justify intervention, I sense a there is a real possibility that government of the people, by the people and for the people is in a very precarious state.

Secondly, I'm a bit concerned that members of the church of Jesus Christ are so silent on this. My hope is that followers of Christ are simply waiting for the results to come in. My fear is that the Christian church senses the possibility that George Bush the Younger is simply a politician...

I don't like either of those options.

Technophiles may laugh, but for me it's a whole new world out there, and I was just trying to see if I could actually walk through all this and finish this "blogging for dummies" segment. If you're reading this, my formal education in the liberal arts--which causes me to fear any new technology--may be falling by the wayside.