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| Summer Readings #4This one was recommended to me by three different people whose opinions I value. Mini-Secret (a): To me, this book felt like a collection of seemingly random thoughts that Rob Bell kind of strung together. And maybe it's because of my own opinions on sexuality, but I couldn't relate to a lot of it. Mini-Secret (b): Maybe I didn't want to relate to it..? haha. On the real though, once Rob Bell threw in spirituality into the mix... forget it; all his profound thoughts just went over my head.
Not sure if I mentioned this in here ever, but I've been meaning to speak to an SDA theologian about such topics. Two of my friends recently had a conversation with Pastor Brian (who used to pastor OAC waaay back in the day), and apparently he's been conflicted with some of the same things I am. I messaged him on facebook, so he knows I want to talk. Can't wait for that conversation!
Anyway, when I brought this topic up sometime during re:frame (don't ask me how... but what a better time to discuss such topics than where I was surrounded by pastors?), I learned from one our ministry leaders that two? three? years ago, OAC had set precedence for our church to baptize non-heterosexuals..! How did I not know that?? That made me so happy.
So... recommendation? Sure, I guess. It wasn't a waste of time. It discusses relevant issues in a very creative and modern way, so it makes for an interesting read. Rob Bell makes plenty of references to relationships and marriages in pop culture because he has a guilty pleasure of reading tabloids, and he openly admits to that in the book. I found that to be a little bit endearing since he's a pastor and all.. haha.
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| Random Secret #25This wasn't the big Random Secret I had lined up, but I couldn't just tack this post onto the end of a summer reading. Michael Jackson (yeah, you guessed it) deserves a whole post of his own.
To be honest, I feel a little bit silly for feeling as sad as I do. I'm actually really sad. All this evening, I've been watching The Recording Academy's youtube channel [http://tr.im/pXSe] and all the MJ videos they're posting from "out of the vault." I got all teary-eyed watching Janet Jackson talk about how much she loves her big brother and how proud of him she is, etc. The Academy is also retweeting artists reactions to MJ's death... Check it out; they're pretty cool to read... gives me chills. [http://twitter.com/thegrammys] He's pretty much influenced or inspired every musician who's doing music right now.
Except for the mother I never knew and a second cousin that was stillborn, I've never experienced death. (Well, obviously I haven't experienced death as I am still alive, but you get my point.) I mean... I know distant family friends, my elementary school teacher's wife, and friend's grandparents who have passed, but this is the first time I feel like I'm actually connected to the person that passed away. I feel an actual hole, like I lost something. Which realistically, is really stupid because I never knew MJ personally. But I'm allowed to admit all this because it's a Random Secret and not just any regular post.
The bottom drawer of my dresser is empty of clothing because I like music better than I like clothes. The day after every concert I go to, I buy the newspapers that reviewed the show and I keep them all in that drawer. Today, I bought every single newspaper that had MJ on the front page. I haven't read all the articles yet, but once I do, they're going in that drawer. It's hard to believe that I'm never going to see him. I hate lost art.
Two things helped me feel better tonight:
• this video of him with Britney Spears, performing The Way You Make Me Feel in Madison Square Garden on his 30th Anniversary Celebration Special in 2001. The King of Pop and the Pop Princess herself... probably the poppiest moment in history... haha. [http://tr.im/pY20]
• this MJ tribute song by The Game, featuring Chris Brown, Mario, Diddy, Usher, and B2M. It's called Better On The Other Side. [http://tr.im/pY20] Really cool how they threw this down in like, two days.
Oh, random: I keep hearing people say things like "Moonwalk on into heaven, MJ," but that doesn't quite line up with my own beliefs about the state of the dead. It's such a sweet sentiment, though.
Random again: I'm having a weird revelation with the way I'm feeling about MJ's death right now. This is Part Two of my Random Secret...
This afternoon, I was staring at Twitter's Trending Topics, and I thought to myself, I don't ever want MJ or #michaeljackson to stop trending. And when you break that down, I was essentially thinking, I don't want people to ever stop talking about Michael Jackson. Because if people keep talking about him, he'll live on in that way... through the stories we tell of our own experiences with his music and him as an entertainer. And then I had my revelation:
This is what Jesus disciples probably felt like after he died went back to heaven! They never wanted to ever stop talking about his life and influence and impact on everyone around him! If they kept talking about him, he would live on in that way... through the stories (gospels!!) they told of their own experiences with his ministry. For 2000+ years to come, people would always know about why he lived the way he did and what he came here to accomplish.
I can NOT believe I just compared Michael Jackson to Jesus. Don't read this journal anymore..! lol. | | |
| Summer Reading #3This isn't about any conspiracy or anything like that... it just draws attention to how the Christian church has damaged Jesus' name over the years + how his real message of loving people has gotten drowned by all the rules... and we can do about it.
PS: There's nothing that makes me more sad than lost art. I won't be able to hear Michael Jackson finish his new album. It kills me. His fans won't be able to celebrate his comeback. But all you did for 4 decades was entertain us; you can rest in peace now. "A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us." John Mayer. | | |
| Summer Reading #2The sacred feminine is fascinating. I had to keep reminding myself that it was all fiction. | | |
| Summer Reading #1Hey all,
I haven't been posting much anywhere to be honest. Not on Fight Embitterment, not even on Facebook. Since I'm pretty much micro-blogging everywhere else on the internet, I'm thinking that I'll keep this journal for deeper thoughts that need extensive analysis and exploration, as well as reviews of the books I read throughout the summer.
For more in the life of V:
Twitter - Follow me @always_v for real-time updates on what I'm thinking or doing throughout the day. Instant gratification. I keep it relevant, I promise. And you know I'm good for that promise because I have several really cool guys who are following me, and of course I wanna sound all interesting and stuff... lol. (That was a mini-secret.) Speaking of secrets, I started a series of Mini-Secrets, inspired by my Random Secret posts here. Pretty cool, eh? ;)
FightEmbitterment.com - I'm trying to be good about posting everyday, but that's hard when some days in the summer consist of reading all day... in which case, the post would read: "Reading all day." That's not too captivating of a post, and I'm not going to subject people to that.. haha. Otherwise, friends and music are my life. Anything I do involving friends or music - which is almost everyday! - will appear there.
Otherwise...
When I heard the Kid Carson show discuss this book on numerous occassions, I decided to check it out. FAIL. This book was a waste of time. Took it to the beach with me a few times for a light read and lots of laughs. It might work for girls who are casually dating, but in light of things like reality and Proverbs... super LAME.
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