Up...date

I don’t even know if people read this blog. Here are some updates to kick start my blog again after my recent arrival to the States, in case anyone's interested.

- I flew into Little Rock on May 21st where I surprised my family after an eight month stint working in the Middle East. We had a good time and the Jaksha’s took some pictures. The next day was my sister's graduation.




- After about four days, I transferred back down to Waco where I’ve been adjusting to a culture difference. I wouldn’t say it’s culture shock. I’ve heard stories about true culture shock…stories of visitors to other countries losing their mind and walking into the ocean wearing all their clothes, forgetting they were at the beach. I’ve heard other stories of people breaking down in Wal-Mart upon returning from a slightly less glamorous country than America and weeping because they weren’t used to having “so many choices”. Really? My Australian friend I lived with the past eight months said, “Culture shock is something you go through when you think your culture is better than everyone else’s.” Ha.

- I got a part time job. There is a middle-aged man at my church who has Bible study notes from the past thirty years, all handwritten, that he hired me to transcribe to a digital format. My office is wherever I want it to be. This is nice.

- In August I plan to move south to Austin, Texas. Over the next year I will complete my degree at the Texas State University in San Marcos, a BFA in Theatre Performance and Production. I’m really excited about finishing and getting the opportunity to spend time with fellow Theatre majors again.

- My new phone is a Samsung Jack. If you want the number, leave me a comment and I’ll email it to you or something.

- I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been. Not because my circumstances are strikingly different than before I moved overseas, but because my heart is different. I have never been at more peace about the reality of God’s provision and goodness. It is impossible to embellish his loving thoughts toward us because his loving thoughts are infinite and perfect.

Attachment to Captors

I've been a fan of Derek Webb for a long time. I recently found out about the controversy surrounding his latest album, set to release this month, entitled Stockholm Syndrome. Webb has never been one to avoid controversy, being one of the only voices in the CCM industry who refuses to be boxed in by the too-often prosaic standards of Christian music – music that usually tends to be a recipe of regurgitated messages and mere reactions to the “culture war” that so many well-meaning evangelicals actually believe exists.

I found myself connecting years ago with the piercing and brutal themes of his songs that never shied away from providing an honest commentary of how Christians live their lives. Derek has consistently adhered to a standard of artful and influential musical designs that the secular industry has picked up and also critically acclaimed. For those who don’t know, Webb is a former band member of Caedmon’s Call and the first time I heard his solo work was the song "Wedding Dress." This song caused a stir in the Christian retail business because in it, Webb describes the awful reality of the adulterous nature of believers as we go to other things for fulfillment outside of Jesus. He actually wrote that song as a response to hearing Bruce Wilkinson plug his then-new book The Prayer of Jabez. Derek continued to be on his label’s naughty list as he kept including controversial lyrics within his music, using strong language and commentaries on politics, social justice and the watered-down worldview of mainstream Christianity.

His desire to see the music industry transformed by using strategies which don’t compromise the singer/songwriter’s artistry and financial integrity, and his frank approach of asking the tough questions to a religious audience that usually opt for passive-aggressive dialogue (if there is such a thing), has personally been an inspiration to my growth as a believer and iconophile (re: Gene Edward Veith’s definition).

Anyway, I thought I would point out the latest controversy and, I think, intentional promotion of his new album that hasn’t been released do to an apparent conflict with his label. His first email posted on his website ended up including a code to another website called: www.paradiseisaparkinglot.com which includes the directions of how the album will be released. I recommend going to his official website and then visiting the latter.

I’m excited about this new album and hope that the CCM industry can realize that culture will never be rightly influenced by poor quality and reactionary moralism, but by humble excellence seeking to speak into culture by exposing misguided direction and debilitating hypocrisy. If you don’t know what I mean by that, then pick up any Derek Webb album…

Thanks

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

2 Corinthians 2:14

These Are the Same, Really.

Idea of "These are the same, really" courtesy of JJ.

These are the same.....really:

C-O-N-T-E-X-T-U-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N

Today I administered the midterm exams for the English class that I teach of eleven Arab students.

The exam began with me reading out a dictation that they were to accurately transcribe followed by a short spelling test.

When I got to the spelling test, I would say the word twice and then a sentence that included the word. For example, "TROUSERS...TROUSERS. Mohammed has new TROUSERS."

While stressing to articulate all of these words and sentences in my serious, dramatic "announcer voice", I finally got to the word MODEL. Because of the way my mind works, the following came out:

"MODEL...MODEL. I'm a model, if you know what I mean!"

They all, in unison, replied to my statement with nothing but blank stares, wondering why I was leaning back against the wall laughing with my face in my hands.