American Idol

Let's ignore for a moment the sinful implications of the word "Idol" in the name of the TV show American Idol. Was anyone else totally irritated by Carrie Underwood's consistently off-key singing?

Feeling Crazy - Workin' More

Lately I've been feeling pulled in all directions at work, so today I decided to focus almost exclusively on the job I've been hired and paid to do. Please excuse my absence. I may continue to behave in such an outlandish fashion tomorrow as well.

Regards,

Amy

Class and Mobility

Another article, this one on class. A quote to get you interested:

And new research on mobility, the movement of families up and down the economic ladder, shows there is far less of it than economists once thought and less than most people believe.

Find out where you stand here.

Health and Wealth

Haven't had the chance to read the entire article, but I thought it looked interesting to start. The basic gist: people with more money get better health care and live longer.

Read it here: Life at the Top...

What a Church Wants

Read on Slate the other day an article reasoning out why it is that some people are willing to really commit to difficult religious practices: because people who are interested in religion want to hang out with other people who are highly committed to it.

It's called: Why Strict Churches are Strong

What I'd like to know is, first, how do you help people decide to make a commitment like that, and second, what happens to all the people who are only quasi-committed to a faith-organization?

Also, do any of you feel this way about church--that it's kind of all-or-nothing? And finally, do you think there's a liberal way of making a big commitment to a church? I think there is, but I think it takes on a different appearance than "strict churches."

John Shelby Spong, Keeping Things Interesting

Thanks to Lia for forwarding me an op-ed piece from the NYTimes by Nicholas Kristof, which reviews a new book from John Shelby Spong. Spong is taking on conservatives using a most unusual basis for argument: THE BIBLE!

My favorite line: "the Bible depicts Jesus as healing lepers, not slashing Medicaid."

Prayer request/me whining

Hi folks. Sorry it's been almost a whole week since my last post. On Wednesday Heather and I decided to get our bikes ready for the season. In order to get the bikes out of our apartment, we have to carry them up and down about 400 stairs. So I was doing all this lifting of a 20lb, unwieldy object with my right arm, and I aggravated a two-year-old rotator cuff injury. I had to go home early from work Thursday, and then was lying around on the couch for most of the weekend trying to talk Heather into bringing me food and pain pills.

So, having bad back pains is a reminder of how beautifully functional my body normally is. Which is something to be thankful for.

At the moment, however, it's mostly a big pain in the neck. Your prayers are appreciated.

Amy

More internet fun:

See Heather's blog for some fun with church signs.

Here's America's Finest Religious News Source.

What's in a name?

Heather just sent me an interesting tidbit: Apparently Jesus Christ is alive and well, and trying to get a driver's license in West Virginia.

While many of us express our faith through varying avenues, including prayers, church participation, love for our neighbors, and so on, few of us actually go so far in our imitation of Christ as to take on his name. When Jesus said "Take up your cross and follow me," I don't think he meant we should also take up his name.

By the way, if you haven't gotten geeked-out enough to study New Testament Greek, you should know that "Christ" is actually not the original Jesus' last name, but a title that means "the anointed one," or, more specifically: the king.

Theology of Housework

In the last few weeks, I've read a couple of interesting books that have given me new insight into how housework--keeping your home clean and nice--can be a spiritual discipline.

First, there is the simplified living angle: by 1. Making thoughtful choices about the products we buy and don't buy, 2. Taking good care of what we own to extend its life and 3. Letting go of the things we don't want or need we can make our lives less cluttered and demonstrate care for the earth.

The second angle has more to do with beauty. If you have ever lived on the East Coast with a native Californian, you know that rainy days can really have an effect on our moods and temperament. In the same way, a well-kept home can give us inner sunshine. Or, to put it in a less cheesy way, our surroundings affect our inner life.

I was at a retreat center over the weekend, and one of the things I enjoyed about being there was that the decorations and furniture were carefully chosen for an atmosphere of quiet and contemplation. There weren't any piles of paper (my usual vice, as Heather can attest) or other clutter lying around, and the whole place contributed to a sense of spiritual openness and peace.

So, I like that image of the home as a place of retreat, but it is also a place for hospitality. Which brings us to the real reason for housework: getting ready for the guests to arrive. Don't you find it refreshing to look around your home while you're waiting for them to arrive, and to just enjoy the sense of preparation and order? What would it do for our souls if we had that kind of beauty and order most of the time?

So Much for the Liberal Media

After turning down the UCC's Still Speaking advertisements twice because of a blanket policy refusing all religious advertising, ABC seems to have made a special exception for none other than James Dobson's own Focus on the Family. During a show about nannying, Focus on the Family will advertise a "faith-based" parenting resource. Apparently ABC is fine with a conservative parenting agenda. So much for staying out of the religious advertising business. Thanks, ABC.