(7732,119,'2012-09-12 11:33:50','2012-09-12 18:33:50','<blockquote>Spiritual disciplines are activities in our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort.</blockquote>\r\nDallas Willard in <em>The Great Omission</em>.\r\n\r\nThere is something so true about this statement.  Spiritual disciplines are the way we train to become what we cannot become in any other way: Christlike.\r\n\r\nYet they have a bad name.  Because no one likes discipline and no one actually likes hard work.  If you plan to run the London Marathon, you don\'t go on training runs in the wet grey of the London streets with the traffic thundering because you actually like said experience.  But you go because you have seen the glory of the prize.  You go because at night you dream of crossing the finishing line and in the day you live and breathe the vision of what could be.  You do the training because you long for the goal and you know that training is the one thing in your power to do which will enable you to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed one day and running 26.2 miles.\r\n\r\nAnd spiritual disciplines are the same.  Those who have walked long and faithfully with Christ have stayed the course not because they strained for what was impossible but because they understood that faithfulness is made up of daily decisions to pray, to read the Bible, to give, to worship, to celebrate and gather in community, to fast or to serve another without gain.\r\n\r\nYet there is a generation coming for whom discipline is perhaps even worse a word than it is for us.  There is a generation coming - or perhaps half-generation in reality - of those in their twenties, many of whom do not see any reason to do that which is personally costly in their discipleship.  They are Christians, yet many do not read their Bibles, they pray only snatched words as they run for the bus in the morning, they spend their money freely on going out but balk at the idea of saving to go on a missions trip or a training day to equip them as disciples in their workplaces.\r\n\r\nI want to be as fair as I know how here and so I must say that I know many in their twenties who are not like this but I have also never seen a generation for whom there seems to be such a rise in the tide of the rejection of spiritual disciplines.  I sometimes wonder if we are on the front edge of it here in London, a place where the internet and mobile culture of hyper-connectivity has taken hold so strongly, a place of many broken and complex family situations, where parents exhausted by the pace of city life have no strength at the end of a working day to discipline their children and so allow the children to bring themselves up within their own tribe of \'young people\'.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it is not as pronounced elsewhere in the country but here we are beginning to see the effects of this culture on those who have hit their twenties.  It is there in those of us in our thirties too, but to a lesser extent, I think, presumably because fewer of our teenage years were formed by this culture of hyper-connectivity and immediacy.  After all, I was 15 before we got the internet at home and I didn\'t send an e-mail until I was 18; I also didn\'t have a mobile until I was 22.  Those facts alone are more than most of the twenties I lead can believe; it also makes me ancient to the teenagers who send between 3000 and 5000 texts each month.  (Work that out as texts per waking hour - you might start to feel ill!)\r\n\r\nThere is a spirit of independence in this new generation: these men and women have grown up knowing how to take care of themselves and their experience tells them that no one else knows like they do what is best for them.  They don\'t tend to save much because there is a despair about that: they know they won\'t get on the housing ladder unless they get help from parents or land themselves a professional job and they don\'t even care what saving for a rainy day might mean because all that matters is surviving in the now and having as much fun as possible.\r\n\r\nAnd fun means hanging out with the tribe, clubbing, drinking and then posting the pictures on Facebook.  Because that is how community is created, community which depends on the shared memories of a Facebook timeline and which is fuelled by instant messaging via BBM or whatsapp.  They don\'t talk by phone any more really, it seems; that is too intrusive, so it is all about exchanging messages which can be interacted with as and when it is convenient to the recipient.\r\n\r\nWhen it\'s time to relax, the answer is screen time.  Even for those who admit to once having been readers.  They freely tell you that it\'s easier to check Facebook, to watch TV on demand, download a film or surf the web randomly.  And I know this is true because I have noticed changes in my own behaviour over the last three to five years, during which time the internet has increasingly become an option for diversion.  I have seen my concentration span drop off slightly; I have seen my efforts to multitask increase, although productivity is almost certainly inversely proportional!  So, I understand the temptation, its insidiousness as this hyper-connectivity worms its way into our lives, destroying our ability to concentrate, to engage with anything which requires something of us personally other than to be an observer.\r\n\r\nAnd then, in the face of all of this, as a disciple-maker I am bringing a message about spiritual disciplines.  A message to a generation which has already largely decided that they alone must be the arbiter of what is right, that anyone who suggests that there must be a better way is automatically pressuring them.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not only that even the very gentlest of calls to discipleship by another are still perceived as a massive and unacceptable threat to their own authority over their lives; it\'s also that this is a message about a faith which cannot simply be added to one\'s life as another interesting diversion but which demands to be worked into every part of our life, a faith which requires participation not observation.  A faith which requires submission to spiritual disciplines as our guides in the process of becoming.\r\n\r\nAnd, despite all the joys over those who \'get it\', I despair some days.\r\n\r\nI wish I didn\'t.  But I do because I feel utterly unprepared for ministry which looks like this.  My training, such as it is, is largely outdated already, save in so far as it has taught me how to think theologically and to innovate in a context of rapid and discontinuous change.  I don\'t know how to reach a generation which claims Christ as its own yet which has little concept of discipline, of preparing for a future day.\r\n\r\nAnd, in a way, why should they?  That\'s not embedded in the culture anymore, that we would make preparation for our future, because our future looks bleak.  If we haven\'t run out of natural resources by then, if we haven\'t seen the kick-off of World War III, if we haven\'t lost the war on global terror and if we haven\'t seen the melting of the polar ice caps or a worsening of the hole in the ozone layer, we\'ll certainly all be working until we\'re 90 and then paying extortionate nursing home fees until we die.\r\n\r\nWe don\'t have the culture on side anymore for emphasising the value of preparing for a happy future.  This generation doesn\'t even think about the future because it\'s not attractive and so it is to them as if the future will never come.  And if the future will not come, then a future experience of heaven and the goal of a journey towards Christlikeness might as well also be a pipedream.\r\n\r\nIn the face of all of that, why would you invest yourself in spiritual disciplines now?  When reading the Bible is hard and sitting still to pray for even ten minutes nigh-on impossible without checking Facebook at least once, why would you pay that price now if you have no concept of the future it\'s preparing you for?  And who would run London\'s rain-slick pavements as the cold bites and the traffic fumes choke if there was never an expectation that there would one day be a marathon to run and a medal to claim?\r\n\r\nAnd that is where I end up with this.  I long to make disciples, to teach them of the power of spiritual disciplines to form character and habits, to introduce them to how a progressive laying aside of lordship over one\'s own life is a journey of the most incredible becoming that ever was.  And, God knows, in this church we will keep trying.  But I am more and more convinced that what is needed more than anything else is a move of God where thousands upon thousands of this new generation have an encounter with Christ which is more real than Facebook, more tangible than instant messaging.  An encounter which will have them dreaming at night of crossing the finishing line, knowing whom they have believed.  An encounter which, in the daytime, will see them living and breathing the vision of what could be.  An encounter which will empower them to do the training because they now long for the goal like never before and know that training is the one thing in their power to do which will enable them to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed each day and running the race.\r\n\r\nI long to see the work of God in this generation of twenties and thirties and in those who are still teenagers.  I long to see the things of which I first began to dream twelve years ago when I started to hear God speaking to me by his Spirit about the church in the UK.  And I am becoming increasingly convinced that - though the church\'s leaders may play their part, struggling as we toil - the work can only be achieved with his energy which he so powerfully works in us as we struggle to present everyone mature in Christ.  Today, perhaps like never before, I am utterly convinced that, in this disorientating new world of never-ceasing and rapidly speeded-up change, the future of the church in this nation depends on a move of God by his Spirit to give us a new encounter with Christ.\r\n\r\nAnd it breaks my heart to think what kind of church we will see in fifty years\' time if I don\'t see that in my lifetime.\r\n\r\nPicture credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/lievensoete/3063508196/\" target=\"_blank\">some rights reserved by Lieven Soete</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does disciple-making have a future?','','inherit','open','open','','7725-revision-6','','','2012-09-12 11:33:50','2012-09-12 18:33:50','',7725,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/12/7725-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7733,119,'2012-09-12 11:34:07','2012-09-12 18:34:07','<blockquote>Spiritual disciplines are activities in our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort.</blockquote>\r\nDallas Willard in <em>The Great Omission</em>.\r\n\r\nThere is something so true about this statement.  Spiritual disciplines are the way we train to become what we cannot become in any other way: Christlike.\r\n\r\nYet they have a bad name.  Because no one likes discipline and no one actually likes hard work.  If you plan to run the London Marathon, you don\'t go on training runs in the wet grey of the London streets with the traffic thundering because you actually like said experience.  But you go because you have seen the glory of the prize.  You go because at night you dream of crossing the finishing line and in the day you live and breathe the vision of what could be.  You do the training because you long for the goal and you know that training is the one thing in your power to do which will enable you to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed one day and running 26.2 miles.\r\n\r\nAnd spiritual disciplines are the same.  Those who have walked long and faithfully with Christ have stayed the course not because they strained for what was impossible but because they understood that faithfulness is made up of daily decisions to pray, to read the Bible, to give, to worship, to celebrate and gather in community, to fast or to serve another without gain.\r\n\r\nYet there is a generation coming for whom discipline is perhaps even worse a word than it is for us.  There is a generation coming - or perhaps half-generation in reality - of those in their twenties, many of whom do not see any reason to do that which is personally costly in their discipleship.  They are Christians, yet many do not read their Bibles, they pray only snatched words as they run for the bus in the morning, they spend their money freely on going out but balk at the idea of saving to go on a missions trip or a training day to equip them as disciples in their workplaces.\r\n\r\nI want to be as fair as I know how here and so I must say that I know many in their twenties who are not like this but I have also never seen a generation for whom there seems to be such a rise in the tide of the rejection of spiritual disciplines.  I sometimes wonder if we are on the front edge of it here in London, a place where the internet and mobile culture of hyper-connectivity has taken hold so strongly, a place of many broken and complex family situations, where parents exhausted by the pace of city life have no strength at the end of a working day to discipline their children and so allow the children to bring themselves up within their own tribe of \'young people\'.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it is not as pronounced elsewhere in the country but here we are beginning to see the effects of this culture on those who have hit their twenties.  It is there in those of us in our thirties too, but to a lesser extent, I think, presumably because fewer of our teenage years were formed by this culture of hyper-connectivity and immediacy.  After all, I was 15 before we got the internet at home and I didn\'t send an e-mail until I was 18; I also didn\'t have a mobile until I was 22.  Those facts alone are more than most of the twenties I lead can believe; it also makes me ancient to the teenagers who send between 3000 and 5000 texts each month.  (Work that out as texts per waking hour - you might start to feel ill!)\r\n\r\nThere is a spirit of independence in this new generation: these men and women have grown up knowing how to take care of themselves and their experience tells them that no one else knows like they do what is best for them.  They don\'t tend to save much because there is a despair about that: they know they won\'t get on the housing ladder unless they get help from parents or land themselves a professional job and they don\'t even care what saving for a rainy day might mean because all that matters is surviving in the now and having as much fun as possible.\r\n\r\nAnd fun means hanging out with the tribe, clubbing, drinking and then posting the pictures on Facebook.  Because that is how community is created, community which depends on the shared memories of a Facebook timeline and which is fuelled by instant messaging via BBM or whatsapp.  They don\'t talk by phone any more really, it seems; that is too intrusive, so it is all about exchanging messages which can be interacted with as and when it is convenient to the recipient.\r\n\r\nWhen it\'s time to relax, the answer is screen time.  Even for those who admit to once having been readers.  They freely tell you that it\'s easier to check Facebook, to watch TV on demand, download a film or surf the web randomly.  And I know this is true because I have noticed changes in my own behaviour over the last three to five years, during which time the internet has increasingly become an option for diversion.  I have seen my concentration span drop off slightly; I have seen my efforts to multitask increase, although productivity is almost certainly inversely proportional!  So, I understand the temptation, its insidiousness as this hyper-connectivity worms its way into our lives, destroying our ability to concentrate, to engage with anything which requires something of us personally other than to be an observer.\r\n\r\nAnd then, in the face of all of this, as a disciple-maker I am bringing a message about spiritual disciplines.  A message to a generation which has already largely decided that they alone must be the arbiter of what is right, that anyone who suggests that there must be a better way is automatically pressuring them.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not only that even the very gentlest of calls to discipleship by another are still perceived as a massive and unacceptable threat to their own authority over their lives; it\'s also that this is a message about a faith which cannot simply be added to one\'s life as another interesting diversion but which demands to be worked into every part of our life, a faith which requires participation not observation.  A faith which requires submission to spiritual disciplines as our guides in the process of becoming.\r\n\r\nAnd, despite all the joys over those who \'get it\', I despair some days.\r\n\r\nI wish I didn\'t.  But I do because I feel utterly unprepared for ministry which looks like this.  My training, such as it is, is largely outdated already, save in so far as it has taught me how to think theologically and to innovate in a context of rapid and discontinuous change.  I don\'t know how to reach a generation which claims Christ as its own yet which has little concept of discipline, of preparing for a future day.\r\n\r\nAnd, in a way, why should they?  That\'s not embedded in the culture anymore, that we would make preparation for our future, because our future looks bleak.  If we haven\'t run out of natural resources by then, if we haven\'t seen the kick-off of World War III, if we haven\'t lost the war on global terror and if we haven\'t seen the melting of the polar ice caps or a worsening of the hole in the ozone layer, we\'ll certainly all be working until we\'re 90 and then paying extortionate nursing home fees until we die.\r\n\r\nWe don\'t have the culture on side anymore for emphasising the value of preparing for a happy future.  This generation doesn\'t even think about the future because it\'s not attractive and so it is to them as if the future will never come.  And if the future will not come, then a future experience of heaven and the goal of a journey towards Christlikeness might as well also be a pipedream.\r\n\r\nIn the face of all of that, why would you invest yourself in spiritual disciplines now?  When reading the Bible is hard and sitting still to pray for even ten minutes nigh-on impossible without checking Facebook at least once, why would you pay that price now if you have no concept of the future it\'s preparing you for?  And who would run London\'s rain-slick pavements as the cold bites and the traffic fumes choke if there was never an expectation that there would one day be a marathon to run and a medal to claim?\r\n\r\nAnd that is where I end up with this.  I long to make disciples, to teach them of the power of spiritual disciplines to form character and habits, to introduce them to how a progressive laying aside of lordship over one\'s own life is a journey of the most incredible becoming that ever was.  And, God knows, in this church we will keep trying.  But I am more and more convinced that what is needed more than anything else is a move of God where thousands upon thousands of this new generation have an encounter with Christ which is more real than Facebook, more tangible than instant messaging.  An encounter which will have them dreaming at night of crossing the finishing line, knowing whom they have believed.  An encounter which, in the daytime, will see them living and breathing the vision of what could be.  An encounter which will empower them to do the training because they now long for the goal like never before and know that training is the one thing in their power to do which will enable them to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed each day and running the race.\r\n\r\nI long to see the work of God in this generation of twenties and thirties and in those who are still teenagers.  I long to see the things of which I first began to dream twelve years ago when I started to hear God speaking to me by his Spirit about the church in the UK.  And I am becoming increasingly convinced that - though the church\'s leaders may play their part, struggling as we toil - the work can only be achieved with his energy which he so powerfully works in us as we struggle to present everyone mature in Christ.  Today, perhaps like never before, I am utterly convinced that, in this disorientating new world of never-ceasing and rapidly speeded-up change, the future of the church in this nation depends on a move of God by his Spirit to give us a new encounter with Christ.\r\n\r\nAnd it breaks my heart to think what kind of church we will see in fifty years\' time if I don\'t see that in my lifetime.\r\n\r\nPicture credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/lievensoete/3063508196/\" target=\"_blank\">some rights reserved by Lieven Soete</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does disciple-making have a future?','','inherit','open','open','','7725-revision-7','','','2012-09-12 11:34:07','2012-09-12 18:34:07','',7725,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/12/7725-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7734,119,'2012-09-17 06:59:07','2012-09-17 13:59:07','\"Spiritual disciplines are activities in our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort.\" - Dallas Willard in <em>The Great Omission</em>.\n\nThere is something so true about this statement.  Spiritual disciplines are the way we train to become what we cannot become in any other way: Christlike.\n\nYet they have a bad name.  Because no one likes discipline and no one actually likes hard work.  If you plan to run the London Marathon, you don\'t go on training runs in the wet grey of the London streets with the traffic thundering because you actually like said experience.  But you go because you have seen the glory of the prize.  You go because at night you dream of crossing the finishing line and in the day you live and breathe the vision of what could be.  You do the training because you long for the goal and you know that training is the one thing in your power to do which will enable you to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed one day and running 26.2 miles.\n\nAnd spiritual disciplines are the same.  Those who have walked long and faithfully with Christ have stayed the course not because they strained for what was impossible but because they understood that faithfulness is made up of daily decisions to pray, to read the Bible, to give, to worship, to celebrate and gather in community, to fast or to serve another without gain.\n\nYet there is a generation coming for whom discipline is perhaps even worse a word than it is for us.  There is a generation coming - or perhaps half-generation in reality - of those in their twenties, many of whom do not see any reason to do that which is personally costly in their discipleship.  They are Christians, yet many do not read their Bibles, they pray only snatched words as they run for the bus in the morning, they spend their money freely on going out but balk at the idea of saving to go on a missions trip or a training day to equip them as disciples in their workplaces.\n\nI want to be as fair as I know how here and so I must say that I know many in their twenties who are not like this but I have also never seen a generation for whom there seems to be such a rise in the tide of the rejection of spiritual disciplines.  I sometimes wonder if we are on the front edge of it here in London, a place where the internet and mobile culture of hyper-connectivity has taken hold so strongly, a place of many broken and complex family situations, where parents exhausted by the pace of city life have no strength at the end of a working day to discipline their children and so allow the children to bring themselves up within their own tribe of \'young people\'.\n\nPerhaps it is not as pronounced elsewhere in the country but here we are beginning to see the effects of this culture on those who have hit their twenties.  It is there in those of us in our thirties too, but to a lesser extent, I think, presumably because fewer of our teenage years were formed by this culture of hyper-connectivity and immediacy.  After all, I was 15 before we got the internet at home and I didn\'t send an e-mail until I was 18; I also didn\'t have a mobile until I was 22.  Those facts alone are more than most of the twenties I lead can believe; it also makes me ancient to the teenagers who send between 3000 and 5000 texts each month.  (Work that out as texts per waking hour - you might start to feel ill!)\n\nThere is a spirit of independence in this new generation: these men and women have grown up knowing how to take care of themselves and their experience tells them that no one else knows like they do what is best for them.  They don\'t tend to save much because there is a despair about that: they know they won\'t get on the housing ladder unless they get help from parents or land themselves a professional job and they don\'t even care what saving for a rainy day might mean because all that matters is surviving in the now and having as much fun as possible.\n\nAnd fun means hanging out with the tribe, clubbing, drinking and then posting the pictures on Facebook.  Because that is how community is created, community which depends on the shared memories of a Facebook timeline and which is fuelled by instant messaging via BBM or whatsapp.  They don\'t talk by phone any more really, it seems; that is too intrusive, so it is all about exchanging messages which can be interacted with as and when it is convenient to the recipient.\n\nWhen it\'s time to relax, the answer is screen time.  Even for those who admit to once having been readers.  They freely tell you that it\'s easier to check Facebook, to watch TV on demand, download a film or surf the web randomly.  And I know this is true because I have noticed changes in my behaviour over the last three to five years, during which time the internet has increasingly become an option for diversion.  I have seen my concentration span drop off slightly; I have seen my efforts to multitask increase, although productivity is almost certainly inversely proportional!  So, I understand the temptation, its insidiousness as this hyper-connectivity worms its way into our lives, destroying our ability to concentrate, to engage with anything which requires something of us personally other than to be an observer.\n\nAnd then, in the face of all of this, as a disciple-maker I am bringing a message about spiritual disciplines.  A message to a generation which has already largely decided that they alone must be the arbiter of what is right, that anyone who suggests that there must be a better way is automatically pressuring them.\n\nIt\'s not only that even the very gentlest of calls to discipleship by another are still perceived as a massive and unacceptable threat to their own authority over their lives; it\'s also that this is a message about a faith which cannot simply be added to one\'s life as another interesting diversion but which demands to be worked into every part of our life, a faith which requires participation not observation.  A faith which requires submission to spiritual disciplines as our guides in the process of becoming.\n\nAnd, despite all the joys over those who \'get it\', I despair some days.\n\nI wish I didn\'t.  But I do because I feel utterly unprepared for ministry which looks like this.  My training, such as it is, is largely outdated already, save in so far as it has taught me how to think theologically and to innovate in a context of rapid and discontinuous change.  I don\'t know how to reach a generation which claims Christ as its own yet which has little concept of discipline, of preparing for a future day.\n\nAnd, in a way, why should they?  That\'s not embedded in the culture anymore, that we would make preparation for our future, because our future looks bleak.  If we haven\'t run out of natural resources by then, if we haven\'t seen the kick-off of World War III, if we haven\'t lost the war on global terror and if we haven\'t seen the melting of the polar ice caps or a worsening of the hole in the ozone layer, we\'ll certainly all be working until we\'re 90 and then paying extortionate nursing home fees until we die.\n\nWe don\'t have the culture on side anymore for emphasizing the value of preparing for a happy future.  This generation doesn\'t even think about the future because it\'s not attractive and so it is to them as if the future will never come.  And if the future will not come, then a future experience of heaven and the goal of a journey towards Christlikeness might as well also be a pipe dream.\n\nIn the face of all of that, why would you invest yourself in spiritual disciplines now?  When reading the Bible is hard and sitting still to pray for even ten minutes nigh-on impossible without checking Facebook at least once, why would you pay that price now if you have no concept of the future it\'s preparing you for?  And who would run London\'s rain-slick pavements as the cold bites and the traffic fumes choke if there was never an expectation that there would one day be a marathon to run and a medal to claim?\n\nAnd that is where I end up with this.  I long to make disciples, to teach them of the power of spiritual disciplines to form character and habits, to introduce them to how a progressive laying aside of lordship over one\'s own life is a journey of the most incredible becoming that ever was.  And, God knows, in this church we will keep trying.  But I am more and more convinced that what is needed more than anything else is a move of God where thousands upon thousands of this new generation have an encounter with Christ which is more real than Facebook, more tangible than instant messaging.  An encounter which will have them dreaming at night of crossing the finishing line, knowing whom they have believed.  An encounter which, in the daytime, will see them living and breathing the vision of what could be.  An encounter which will empower them to do the training because they now long for the goal like never before and know that training is the one thing in their power to do which will enable them to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed each day and running the race.\n\nI long to see the work of God in this generation of twenties and thirties and in those who are still teenagers.  I long to see the things of which I first began to dream twelve years ago when I started to hear God speaking to me by his Spirit about the church in the UK.  And I am becoming increasingly convinced that - though the church\'s leaders may play their part, struggling as we toil - the work can only be achieved with his energy which he so powerfully works in us as we struggle to present everyone mature in Christ.  Today, perhaps like never before, I am utterly convinced that, in this disorienting new world of never-ceasing and rapidly speeded-up change, the future of the church in this nation depends on a move of God by his Spirit to give us a new encounter with Christ.\n\nAnd it breaks my heart to think what kind of church we will see in fifty years\' time if I don\'t see that in my lifetime.\n\nPicture credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/lievensoete/3063508196/\" target=\"_blank\">some rights reserved by Lieven Soete</a>','Does disciple-making have a future?','','inherit','open','open','','7725-autosave','','','2012-09-17 06:59:07','2012-09-17 13:59:07','',7725,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/12/7725-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7737,0,'2012-09-13 21:03:37','2012-09-14 04:03:37','I am passionate about the intersection between faith and culture. The truth of faith never changes, but the methods for communicating spiritual truth to the culture around us must change to stay relevant. From my point of view, faith-filled people should be challenged and challenge themselves to affect all aspects of culture, including creative arts, politics, leadership and relationships. By that broad statement, I don\'t mean confronting culture with doctrine or rules, but living our faith in a real relationship with Christ that affects everything. \r\n\r\nYou can find links to much of my online work here: http://www.inkwellcommunication.com/newblog/published/online/ \r\n\r\nThank you\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Timothy Burns\nAUTHOR EMAIL: tb@timothyburns.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.timothyburns.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 99.59.42.135\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Timothy Burns\n    [Email] =&gt; tb@timothyburns.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.timothyburns.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I am passionate about the intersection between faith and culture. The truth of faith never changes, but the methods for communicating spiritual truth to the culture around us must change to stay relevant. From my point of view, faith-filled people should be challenged and challenge themselves to affect all aspects of culture, including creative arts, politics, leadership and relationships. By that broad statement, I don\'t mean confronting culture with doctrine or rules, but living our faith in a real relationship with Christ that affects everything. \r\n\r\nYou can find links to much of my online work here: http://www.inkwellcommunication.com/newblog/published/online/ \r\n\r\nThank you\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; burnsey111\n)\n','Timothy Burns - 2012-09-13 21:03:37','','publish','open','open','','bdf6983557cfc8939c8b3a9fe2eb5c65','','','2012-09-13 21:03:37','2012-09-14 04:03:37','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7737',0,'feedback','',0),(7738,178,'2012-09-11 19:15:07','2012-09-12 02:15:07','[caption id=\"attachment_7719\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-7719 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"456\" /></a> Photo Credit: CRASH: candy via Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe five of us have been sitting around the same antique table on a semi-monthly for more than four years. We rarely see each outside of these monthly get-togethers, yet I consider these women to be among some of my dearest friends. We come from different backgrounds, different demographics, and different parts of the metro Chicago area, yet we always have one thing in common – our mutual interest in facilitating each other’s spiritual accountability by engaging in respectful faith sharing.\r\n\r\nWe began meeting as part of a small group through the Unitarian Universalist church that we were attending at the time. Since then, our group’s members have changed slightly – some members leaving and a new member joining – but the purpose of the group has always been the same.\r\n\r\nWe eat. We drink. We talk. We share.\r\n\r\nWe talk about food and wine and sex and God. We talk about our jobs and our kids and our spouses and our spirituality.\r\n\r\nWe share our dreams, our insecurities, our doubts, and our faith. We share our joys and concerns. We share our thoughts and ideas about what it means to live a life of compassion, generosity, justice, and spirituality. We share our life stories and our faith stories.\r\n\r\nAnd in doing so, we share the deepest parts of ourselves. We share our faith and we share our relationship with God. We share our most vulnerable and sensitive beliefs, laying ourselves raw and fully open to the possibility of knowing each other on a deeper level.\r\n\r\nIn talking about our beliefs and sharing our faith with each other, we have granted one another a rare glimpse into the deepest recesses of our souls – a place that many of us don’t even let our closest friends and family members see.\r\n\r\nYou see, we live in a society that shuns faith sharing. We are scared of it. We are afraid of being judged and we are afraid of judging. We are afraid that if we talk about sensitive and personal issues such as faith and spirituality that we might be forced to acknowledge that there are differences between us.\r\n\r\nBut when we do this, we forget that differences do not need to divide us; rather, acknowledging differences can be a means of expanding our options and opening our minds. When we talk about beliefs – not necessarily <em>what</em> we believe but <em>why </em>we believe – we grant ourselves the opportunity to know someone on a deeper level and open our minds to alternative perspectives. When we share our faith – not just how we practice our faith but how our faith shapes our life – we give someone else the gift of knowing us more intimately.\r\n\r\nSo ask me what I believe; I will tell you.  And I will, in turn, ask you what you believe in the hopes that we can embark on an educational conversation, in which we both learn something about each other and our respective faiths.\r\n\r\nIf you shy away from religious or spiritual conversations, ask yourself two questions: Am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am afraid that I will be judged?  Or am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am unsure of what I believe?\r\n\r\nIf it is the former, and there is a genuine fear of judgment, feel empowered to say so. Let the listener know that you fear that you will be judged.  If the other person tends to judge, they deserve to be called out on it.  On the other hand, your fear of judgment may be unwarranted and you owe the other person the benefit of the doubt.\r\n\r\nI suspect, however, that fear of judgment is not the only thing that keeps us from talking about our faith. Many of us shy away from conversations about our faith simply because we are unsure of what we believe. We have doubts. We have questions. We see inconsistencies and, regardless of how strong our faith is, there are times when we just don’t know what we believe. But if you look into your heart – I mean <em>really</em> look into your heart – you just might come to some conclusions about your faith and spiritual beliefs. There is no shame in admitting your doubts. In fact, acknowledging doubts is a critical part of an authentic faith.\r\n\r\nEvangelism is not a dirty word. Evangelism (not to be confused with evangelical) is about faith <em>sharing</em> – listening to the beliefs and faiths of someone else without the expectation of conversion. Evangelism is <em>not</em> the act of proselytizing, which is a dictatorial one-sided persuasive commentary; rather, evangelism is the participation in a responsible and respectful conversation that involves a full and fair informational exchange.\r\n\r\nFor many of us, our faith – or lack of faith – is a large part of who we are and how we live our lives. By refraining from talking about our faith, we are preventing ourselves from really getting to know others, including those people who are closest to us. And when we fail to know and understand others and ourselves, we are ultimately preventing ourselves from fully knowing the power of a graceful and compassionate God.\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=643de11f-2ba9-4183-aabd-43ef425e1ea6\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','Evangelism Is Not a Dirty Word','','inherit','open','open','','7713-revision-4','','','2012-09-11 19:15:07','2012-09-12 02:15:07','',7713,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/11/7713-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7740,178,'2012-09-13 21:05:00','2012-09-14 04:05:00','[caption id=\"attachment_7719\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-7719 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"456\" /></a> Photo Credit: CRASH: candy via Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe five of us have been sitting around the same antique table on a semi-monthly for more than four years. We rarely see each outside of these monthly get-togethers, yet I consider these women to be among some of my dearest friends. We come from different backgrounds, different demographics, and different parts of the metro Chicago area, yet we always have one thing in common – our mutual interest in facilitating each other’s spiritual accountability by engaging in respectful faith sharing.\r\n\r\nWe began meeting as part of a small group through the Unitarian Universalist church that we were attending at the time. Since then, our group’s members have changed slightly – some members leaving and a new member joining – but the purpose of the group has always been the same.\r\n\r\nWe eat. We drink. We talk. We share.\r\n\r\nWe talk about food and wine and sex and God. We talk about our jobs and our kids and our spouses and our spirituality.\r\n\r\nWe share our dreams, our insecurities, our doubts, and our faith. We share our joys and concerns. We share our thoughts and ideas about what it means to live a life of compassion, generosity, justice, and spirituality. We share our life stories and our faith stories.\r\n\r\nAnd in doing so, we share the deepest parts of ourselves. We share our faith and we share our relationship with God. We share our most vulnerable and sensitive beliefs, laying ourselves raw and fully open to the possibility of knowing each other on a deeper level.\r\n\r\nIn talking about our beliefs and sharing our faith with each other, we have granted one another a rare glimpse into the deepest recesses of our souls – a place that many of us don’t even let our closest friends and family members see.\r\n\r\nYou see, we live in a society that shuns faith sharing. We are scared of it. We are afraid of being judged and we are afraid of judging. We are afraid that if we talk about sensitive and personal issues such as faith and spirituality that we might be forced to acknowledge that there are differences between us.\r\n\r\nBut when we do this, we forget that differences do not need to divide us; rather, acknowledging differences can be a means of expanding our options and opening our minds. When we talk about beliefs – not necessarily <em>what</em> we believe but <em>why </em>we believe – we grant ourselves the opportunity to know someone on a deeper level and open our minds to alternative perspectives. When we share our faith – not just how we practice our faith but how our faith shapes our life – we give someone else the gift of knowing us more intimately.\r\n\r\nSo ask me what I believe; I will tell you.  And I will, in turn, ask you what you believe in the hopes that we can embark on an educational conversation, in which we both learn something about each other and our respective faiths.\r\n\r\nIf you shy away from religious or spiritual conversations, ask yourself two questions: Am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am afraid that I will be judged?  Or am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am unsure of what I believe?\r\n\r\nIf it is the former, and there is a genuine fear of judgment, feel empowered to say so. Let the listener know that you fear that you will be judged.  If the other person tends to judge, they deserve to be called out on it.  On the other hand, your fear of judgment may be unwarranted and you owe the other person the benefit of the doubt.\r\n\r\nI suspect, however, that fear of judgment is not the only thing that keeps us from talking about our faith. Many of us shy away from conversations about our faith simply because we are unsure of what we believe. We have doubts. We have questions. We see inconsistencies and, regardless of how strong our faith is, there are times when we just don’t know what we believe. But if you look into your heart – I mean <em>really</em> look into your heart – you just might come to some conclusions about your faith and spiritual beliefs. There is no shame in admitting your doubts. In fact, acknowledging doubts is a critical part of an authentic faith.\r\n\r\nEvangelism is not a dirty word. Evangelism (not to be confused with evangelical) is about faith <em>sharing</em> – listening to the beliefs and faiths of someone else without the expectation of conversion. Evangelism is <em>not</em> the act of proselytizing, which is a dictatorial one-sided persuasive commentary; rather, evangelism is the participation in a responsible and respectful conversation that involves a full and fair informational exchange.\r\n\r\nFor many of us, our faith – or lack of faith – is a large part of who we are and how we live our lives. By refraining from talking about our faith, we are preventing ourselves from really getting to know others, including those people who are closest to us. And when we fail to know and understand others and ourselves, we are ultimately preventing ourselves from fully knowing the power of a graceful and compassionate God.\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=643de11f-2ba9-4183-aabd-43ef425e1ea6\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','Evangelism Is Not a Dirty Word','','inherit','open','open','','7713-revision-6','','','2012-09-13 21:05:00','2012-09-14 04:05:00','',7713,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/13/7713-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7739,178,'2012-09-13 21:04:39','2012-09-14 04:04:39','[caption id=\"attachment_7719\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-7719 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"456\" /></a> Photo Credit: CRASH: candy via Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe five of us have been sitting around the same antique table on a semi-monthly for more than four years. We rarely see each outside of these monthly get-togethers, yet I consider these women to be among some of my dearest friends. We come from different backgrounds, different demographics, and different parts of the metro Chicago area, yet we always have one thing in common – our mutual interest in facilitating each other’s spiritual accountability by engaging in respectful faith sharing.\r\n\r\nWe began meeting as part of a small group through the Unitarian Universalist church that we were attending at the time. Since then, our group’s members have changed slightly – some members leaving and a new member joining – but the purpose of the group has always been the same.\r\n\r\nWe eat. We drink. We talk. We share.\r\n\r\nWe talk about food and wine and sex and God. We talk about our jobs and our kids and our spouses and our spirituality.\r\n\r\nWe share our dreams, our insecurities, our doubts, and our faith. We share our joys and concerns. We share our thoughts and ideas about what it means to live a life of compassion, generosity, justice, and spirituality. We share our life stories and our faith stories.\r\n\r\nAnd in doing so, we share the deepest parts of ourselves. We share our faith and we share our relationship with God. We share our most vulnerable and sensitive beliefs, laying ourselves raw and fully open to the possibility of knowing each other on a deeper level.\r\n\r\nIn talking about our beliefs and sharing our faith with each other, we have granted one another a rare glimpse into the deepest recesses of our souls – a place that many of us don’t even let our closest friends and family members see.\r\n\r\nYou see, we live in a society that shuns faith sharing. We are scared of it. We are afraid of being judged and we are afraid of judging. We are afraid that if we talk about sensitive and personal issues such as faith and spirituality that we might be forced to acknowledge that there are differences between us.\r\n\r\nBut when we do this, we forget that differences do not need to divide us; rather, acknowledging differences can be a means of expanding our options and opening our minds. When we talk about beliefs – not necessarily <em>what</em> we believe but <em>why </em>we believe – we grant ourselves the opportunity to know someone on a deeper level and open our minds to alternative perspectives. When we share our faith – not just how we practice our faith but how our faith shapes our life – we give someone else the gift of knowing us more intimately.\r\n\r\nSo ask me what I believe; I will tell you.  And I will, in turn, ask you what you believe in the hopes that we can embark on an educational conversation, in which we both learn something about each other and our respective faiths.\r\n\r\nIf you shy away from religious or spiritual conversations, ask yourself two questions: Am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am afraid that I will be judged?  Or am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am unsure of what I believe?\r\n\r\nIf it is the former, and there is a genuine fear of judgment, feel empowered to say so. Let the listener know that you fear that you will be judged.  If the other person tends to judge, they deserve to be called out on it.  On the other hand, your fear of judgment may be unwarranted and you owe the other person the benefit of the doubt.\r\n\r\nI suspect, however, that fear of judgment is not the only thing that keeps us from talking about our faith. Many of us shy away from conversations about our faith simply because we are unsure of what we believe. We have doubts. We have questions. We see inconsistencies and, regardless of how strong our faith is, there are times when we just don’t know what we believe. But if you look into your heart – I mean <em>really</em> look into your heart – you just might come to some conclusions about your faith and spiritual beliefs. There is no shame in admitting your doubts. In fact, acknowledging doubts is a critical part of an authentic faith.\r\n\r\nEvangelism is not a dirty word. Evangelism (not to be confused with evangelical) is about faith <em>sharing</em> – listening to the beliefs and faiths of someone else without the expectation of conversion. Evangelism is <em>not</em> the act of proselytizing, which is a dictatorial one-sided persuasive commentary; rather, evangelism is the participation in a responsible and respectful conversation that involves a full and fair informational exchange.\r\n\r\nFor many of us, our faith – or lack of faith – is a large part of who we are and how we live our lives. By refraining from talking about our faith, we are preventing ourselves from really getting to know others, including those people who are closest to us. And when we fail to know and understand others and ourselves, we are ultimately preventing ourselves from fully knowing the power of a graceful and compassionate God.\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=643de11f-2ba9-4183-aabd-43ef425e1ea6\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','Evangelism Is Not a Dirty Word','','inherit','open','open','','7713-revision-5','','','2012-09-13 21:04:39','2012-09-14 04:04:39','',7713,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/13/7713-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7741,67,'2012-09-17 08:00:34','2012-09-17 15:00:34','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.&nbsp; You never know what you’re gonna get.”&nbsp; As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.&nbsp; With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.&nbsp; Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7750\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>If “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.&nbsp; The Dave Matthews band <em>is </em>a live band.&nbsp; With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.&nbsp; Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.&nbsp; \"Away From the World\" especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.&nbsp; Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands signature sound.&nbsp; Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, \"Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King\", and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.&nbsp; While \"Big Whiskey\" produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\n\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.&nbsp; The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\n\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.&nbsp; It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.&nbsp; But individually, and joining together in unity,&nbsp; “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\n\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.&nbsp; There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.&nbsp; It takes you back.&nbsp; It brings you forward.&nbsp; Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.&nbsp; His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.\r\n\r\n<cite>Photo: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images.</cite>','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','publish','open','open','','dave-matthews-band-review-of-away-from-the-world','','','2012-09-30 20:07:05','2012-10-01 03:07:05','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7741',0,'post','',0),(7742,67,'2012-09-15 06:47:56','2012-09-15 13:47:56','','away from the world','','inherit','open','open','','away-from-the-world','','','2012-09-15 06:47:56','2012-09-15 13:47:56','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/away-from-the-world.docx',0,'attachment','application/msword',0),(7743,67,'2012-09-15 06:49:08','2012-09-15 13:49:08','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\n\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision','','','2012-09-15 06:49:08','2012-09-15 13:49:08','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7744,67,'2012-09-15 06:50:08','2012-09-15 13:50:08','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\n\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\n\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\n\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-2','','','2012-09-15 06:50:08','2012-09-15 13:50:08','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7745,67,'2012-09-15 06:50:32','2012-09-15 13:50:32','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-3','','','2012-09-15 06:50:32','2012-09-15 13:50:32','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7746,67,'2012-09-15 06:52:22','2012-09-15 13:52:22','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main','','inherit','open','open','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main','','','2012-09-15 06:52:22','2012-09-15 13:52:22','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7747,67,'2012-09-15 06:54:53','2012-09-15 13:54:53','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main','','inherit','open','open','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main-2','','','2012-09-15 06:54:53','2012-09-15 13:54:53','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7748,67,'2012-09-15 06:55:22','2012-09-15 13:55:22','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main','','inherit','open','open','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main-3','','','2012-09-15 06:55:22','2012-09-15 13:55:22','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7749,67,'2012-09-15 06:50:54','2012-09-15 13:50:54','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-4','','','2012-09-15 06:50:54','2012-09-15 13:50:54','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7750,67,'2012-09-15 06:56:59','2012-09-15 13:56:59','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main','','inherit','open','open','','dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main-4','','','2012-09-15 06:56:59','2012-09-15 13:56:59','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7751,67,'2012-09-15 06:55:58','2012-09-15 13:55:58','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7748\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main2-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-5','','','2012-09-15 06:55:58','2012-09-15 13:55:58','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7752,67,'2012-09-15 06:58:49','2012-09-15 13:58:49','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7750\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-6','','','2012-09-15 06:58:49','2012-09-15 13:58:49','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7753,67,'2012-09-15 07:00:02','2012-09-15 14:00:02','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7750\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\nIf “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\n\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\n\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\n\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-7','','','2012-09-15 07:00:02','2012-09-15 14:00:02','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/15/7741-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7757,67,'2012-09-30 20:06:28','2012-10-01 03:06:28','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7750\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>If “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band <em>is </em>a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\n\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  \"Away From the World\" especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands signature sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\n\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, \"Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King\", and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While \"Big Whiskey\" produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\n\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\n\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\n\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.\n\n<cite>Photo: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images.</cite>','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-autosave','','','2012-09-30 20:06:28','2012-10-01 03:06:28','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/16/7741-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7758,1,'2012-09-16 19:22:48','2012-09-17 02:22:48','','dave matthews','','inherit','open','open','','dave-matthews-2','','','2012-09-16 19:22:48','2012-09-17 02:22:48','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dave-matthews1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7759,1,'2012-09-16 19:19:47','2012-09-17 02:19:47','“Life is like a Dave Matthews album, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  As this truth about life resonates with each of us from Forrest Gump, so it is for the faithful fan of the Dave Matthews Band.  With a collection of eclectic musical expression that spans almost 20 years, the group has tested most genres of music that produces live shows that draw upon most human emotions.  Even when sampling one particular record, one cannot rest into any single pattern of listening.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7750\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dmb-away-from-the-world_article_story_main3-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>If “variety” can be named as the number one quality of The Dave Matthews Band, “live” would run a close second.  The Dave Matthews band is a live band.  With an incredible collection of 18 live recordings, they make it quite clear what recording medium fits them best.  Touring extensively to support demand, they have shown that video and radio are not always the best outlets to find success in today’s music industry.\r\n\r\nWith their first release in almost three years, the band returns with another diverse collection of songs that prove they are continuing to explore the range of talents that each member possesses.  Away From the World especially reveals more of the musical personalities of saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter, Rashawn Ross; added to the band after the tragic loss of LeRoi Moore who was killed in an ATV accident in 2008.  Moore’s distinctive sound covered the bands entire horn section, creating part of the bands distinctive sound.  Both Coffin and Ross follow in Moore’s tradition, but seem to have settled into their own style as well.\r\n\r\nReminiscing on the first time I listened to the bands previous release, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King, and my first taste of the new release yesterday, I was struck with the contrast in reaction.  While Big Whiskey produced a more instantaneous reaction of “Awesome!”, “Away From the World” slowly grew on me, lulling me into the eventual agreement that this is “a great album!”\r\n\r\nThere is a clear departure to a simpler restrained sound as evidenced by the bands reunion with Steve Lilywhite, who produced the band’s first three albums.  The stripped down subtlety that covers the entire recording begins with “Broken Things”, an old school Matthews tune with a familiar crooning chorus, “Oh my love my heart is set on you, set on you”\r\n\r\nThe album’s first single, “Mercy”, is a typical plea that imparts Dave’s passion for social transformation with love being the catalyst of change.  It’s a refreshing change from some of his more idealistic visions to musically change the world, in that he realizes that we “Can’t lay down and hope a miracle will change things” and “Can’t give up and hope God will intercede”.  But individually, and joining together in unity,  “one by one, could we turn it around”.\r\n\r\nOverall, the album is filled with images of nostalgia fueled by realistic hope.  There is a taste of his typical signature erotic sex/food tunes, with a fun funky beat on “Belly Belly Nice”.  It takes you back.  It brings you forward.  Like many of his old school fans, Dave is growing up.  His band is growing with him, and they are all finding comfort in their own skin.','Dave Matthews Band: Review of Away From the World ','','inherit','open','open','','7741-revision-9','','','2012-09-16 19:19:47','2012-09-17 02:19:47','',7741,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/16/7741-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(8124,201,'2012-11-10 13:51:15','2012-11-10 21:51:15','<strong>Growing Up in Fear</strong>\r\n\r\nAs a kid, I’d often wake up in the middle of the night: gasping for air and in a cold sweat, I’d be in a state of utter horror: believing that God had returned from heaven and left me behind, I feared that I would have to struggle for three and a half to seven years to avoid the Mark of the Beast in order to be saved from eternal fire and brimstone.\r\n\r\nNo, seriously.\r\n\r\nDuring the day, I’d keep my eyes peeled for the anti-Christ.  Democrats were particularly suspect.  The stock market was also indicative.  I’d look for places where I could camp out during the tribulation.  I found a tree house once that I thought I could stay in until the water next to it turned to blood.\r\n\r\nAt night, though, when this would happen, I’d start praying incessantly: confessing the awful sins that I believed I had committed, and asking that God be gracious to me because of them.  I’d be <em>pleading</em> for God to save me from the flames of hell that I thought I was in danger of.\r\n\r\n<em>“Oh, God!  Please!  Save me!  I am so sorry to have cursed at Josh today.  He’s not a fucking asshole, God.  He’s my friend and your precious child.  Oh, please, forgive me!  I don’t want to go to hell!  Why did I do that?!  I am so sorry! Don’t leave me behind, God.  I am sorry that I masturbated tonight!  Why, God?!  How could I be such a foolish sinner? In your love, forgive me!  If you have already come back, God, then will you please swoop back down and rapture me?  I am so afraid of the devil!  I am so afraid of the anti-Christ!  I promise that I will never get the Mark of the Beast! I am so afraid of hell!”</em>\r\n\r\nThis began in elementary school and lasted through High School: to varying degrees, and in relative forms.  It’s funny now but it was traumatic as hell then.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, I did not create these fantasies.  They weren’t the manifestation of a deranged child.  No, I am afraid they came from the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in. The dangerous myths about God that they taught me and coerced me to live into.\r\n\r\nThe place truly believed and lived as though God’s return was immanent, and that people that were either (a) unsaved or (b) living a life of sin would soon be suffering God’s wrath and, thus, the flames of hell: first on earth in a sort of tribulation,  and then in eternity.  If one wanted to avoid this suffering, then one needed to profess Christ as God and live a rather sinless life.\r\n\r\nThis was serious business.\r\n\r\nWe’d watch videos on this stuff: of God leaving people behind, of people getting the Mark of Beast, of people getting their heads chopped off as a result, of the waters of the earth turning to blood because of God’s beef with the world, of people in hell for various arbitrary reasons.\r\n\r\nThe implicit message was always: “this is what’s <em>going</em> to happen, and this is what’s going to happen to <em>you</em> unless you accept Jesus and ,basically, not sin”.\r\n\r\nThey’d illustrate the message through puppet shows.  We’d color this reality on paper.  And into the very depths of our psyches.\r\n\r\nThings got pretty scary when the demons of puberty struck.  On numerous occasions, I remember teachers coming up to me and saying: “Let me see you hands, Paul.  [At which point I’d show the teacher my hands].  Is there <em>semen</em> on these hands?  I know there is.  I know you’ve been masturbating.  You better clean yourself, boy.  Lift your hands up to heaven and pray for forgiveness.  Do it.  Right now!”\r\n\r\nIn 1999, Al Gore was the anti-Christ and Y2K was the beginning of the immanent end.  Families bought land in far off places, stocked their garages with the basic food groups, and purchased things like generators.\r\n\r\nThat same year, as a gesture of love, he claimed, my Bible teacher suggested that we write out the entire book of Revelation and then address it to an unsaved friend.  The purpose?  So that when God returned, that unsaved friend, who would be left behind, would have an opportunity to be saved by reading it.\r\n\r\nSorry about that, Mark.\r\n\r\nHow an “unsaved” kid could ascertain that information from a long and complicated book—that many suggest isn’t about the “end times” at all—is sort of interesting to think about now.\r\n\r\nMy friend’s brother also went to an Evangelical Christian school.  When he was in 9<sup>th</sup> grade, the school called everyone into the chapel and then locked them inside.  It was an emergency, the school said.\r\n\r\nThe principle got on stage and told everyone that the nuclear power plant outside of Denver had just exploded.   That all of their family members were dead.  That they only have hours to live.\r\n\r\nFortunately for them, there was still time to accept Christ.  If they didn’t, they’d soon be dead and in hell forever.  Like the rest of Denver.\r\n\r\nThe principle made the whole thing up to scare the kids into accepting Jesus.  Some parents complained, but he got off with a mere warning because his “intentions” were good: because, so the logic went, leading people to Christ can never be quite that bad.\r\n\r\n<strong>A Father and His Son</strong>\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I dropped my doctoral program to-do list and drove from Berkeley to Orange County in order to spend time with friends from college.  Thanks be to God that my old Volvo survived the trip.  I wasn’t sure that it would.  But I am so glad: I needed the respite and rejuvenation that my beautiful friends—many of whom also grew up in the sort of Evangelical world I did—lavishly bless me with.\r\n\r\nOne afternoon, as I dug my toes into the warm sand of Newport Beach, listened to the waves crash onto the shore, and ate a <em>ridiculously</em> expensive acai bowl, I watched and listened to a father teach his son how to boogie board.\r\n\r\nI watched as the boy’s father gently held his shirt until a wave was powerful enough to carry him forward.\r\n\r\nI listened as he told his son what to do: “here comes a big one, my boy, kick your feet as hard and fast as you can!”\r\n\r\nI watched as his son struggled to learn and failed to ride the waves.\r\n\r\nAnd I listened as his father encourage him in his struggles and failures: “that’s okay, my boy, we’ll get the next one”.\r\n\r\nAs I watched and listened to this simple and yet beautiful exchange, I gave thanks to God: for being the sort of Father that gently teaches us how to ride the waves of life, and that encourages us when we struggle and fail to do so.\r\n\r\nI also gave thanks to God for not actually being the God of the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in.  And for helping me understand that.\r\n\r\nThe fear-based Evangelical God is a monster.  He’s a child abuser.  And a lot of people that have left the church have left for that very reason: because they don’t want be around a God-monster that abuses children.  We should applaud their departure.  And seriously mourn their loss and the reason for it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Addressing Abuse in the Church</strong>\r\n\r\nI got to wondering about this on my drive back up to Berkeley.\r\n\r\nHow many children have had similar experiences?  How many children are experiencing this sort of thing right now?  Have people left the Church because of this reason?  What are the consequences these experiences? Has it been seriously studied yet?  Have I changed my doctoral focus yet again?  How many questions can one ask before going insane?\r\n\r\nBut seriously, is this issue on our radar?  How concerned are we about it?\r\n\r\nChildren enter the world with a profound sense of openness and trust.   That is a gift.  A blessing.  But it is also a vulnerability, and something that can be taken advantaged of and murderously destroyed if handled inappropriately.   And what some churches do to children to get them “saved” is nothing short of child abuse.\r\n\r\nThe Church ought to wake up to this fact and deal with it within its own walls lest the State take up the worthy cause to the detriment of both the Church and the State.\r\n\r\nA few important points:\r\n\r\nI am not suggesting that churches are intentionally and consciously abusing children.  I am also not suggesting that the people that teach children to be afraid of God are child abusers. Some churches are also more extreme than others.  Not every fear-based Evangelical church is like the one I grew up in.   Some are worse.  And some, like mine, are also very beautiful and loving places.  I fell in love with God in my fear-based Evangelical world, however pathological that love initially was.  And that is a testament to God’s presence there.\r\n\r\nThe situation is complicated and nuanced.  And, most of all, it’s a sacred tragedy.\r\n\r\nGod is love, and the Church is called to be an orchestra of that love.  It ought to be a place of safety for children—a place where they can go to understand how<em>ridiculously</em> in love God is with them.  Not a fear factory garbed in godliness.\r\n\r\nThe Church ought to be a place where children need <em>absolutely not</em> be afraid of God: because that is the last thing God wants for children.  When the Church teaches children to fear God, and thus alienates them from God, it perverts the essence of its mission and it embarrasses itself.  It takes advantage of children, and it often destroys something sacred in them.  And few things grieve the Spirit more than that.\r\n\r\n“Woe to you who cause children to stumble,” Jesus warned.','Al Gore as the Anti-Christ and the Nuclear Explosion in Denver that Never Happened: On God in a Fear Factory','','inherit','open','open','','8016-revision-4','','','2012-11-10 13:51:15','2012-11-10 21:51:15','',8016,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/10/8016-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8125,201,'2012-12-01 10:42:56','2012-12-01 18:42:56','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/gw-al-gore-fire.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-8017\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/gw-al-gore-fire-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Growing Up in Fear</strong>\r\n\r\nAs a kid, I’d often wake up in the middle of the night: gasping for air and in a cold sweat, I’d be in a state of utter horror: believing that God had returned from heaven and left me behind, I feared that I would have to struggle for three and a half to seven years to avoid the Mark of the Beast in order to be saved from eternal fire and brimstone.\r\n\r\nNo, seriously.\r\n\r\nDuring the day, I’d keep my eyes peeled for the anti-Christ.  Democrats were particularly suspect.  The stock market was also indicative.  I’d look for places where I could camp out during the tribulation.  I found a tree house once that I thought I could stay in until the water next to it turned to blood.\r\n\r\nAt night, though, when this would happen, I’d start praying incessantly: confessing the awful sins that I believed I had committed, and asking that God be gracious to me because of them.  I’d be <em>pleading</em> for God to save me from the flames of hell that I thought I was in danger of.\r\n\r\n<em>“Oh, God!  Please!  Save me!  I am so sorry to have cursed at Josh today.  He’s not a fucking asshole, God.  He’s my friend and your precious child.  Oh, please, forgive me!  I don’t want to go to hell!  Why did I do that?!  I am so sorry! Don’t leave me behind, God.  I am sorry that I masturbated tonight!  Why, God?!  How could I be such a foolish sinner? In your love, forgive me!  If you have already come back, God, then will you please swoop back down and rapture me?  I am so afraid of the devil!  I am so afraid of the anti-Christ!  I promise that I will never get the Mark of the Beast! I am so afraid of hell!”</em>\r\n\r\nThis began in elementary school and lasted through High School: to varying degrees, and in relative forms.  It’s funny now but it was traumatic as hell then.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, I did not create these fantasies.  They weren’t the manifestation of a deranged child.  No, I am afraid they came from the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in. The dangerous myths about God that they taught me and coerced me to live into.\r\n\r\nThe place truly believed and lived as though God’s return was immanent, and that people that were either (a) unsaved or (b) living a life of sin would soon be suffering God’s wrath and, thus, the flames of hell: first on earth in a sort of tribulation,  and then in eternity.  If one wanted to avoid this suffering, then one needed to profess Christ as God and live a rather sinless life.\r\n\r\nThis was serious business.\r\n\r\nWe’d watch videos on this stuff: of God leaving people behind, of people getting the Mark of Beast, of people getting their heads chopped off as a result, of the waters of the earth turning to blood because of God’s beef with the world, of people in hell for various arbitrary reasons.\r\n\r\nThe implicit message was always: “this is what’s <em>going</em> to happen, and this is what’s going to happen to <em>you</em> unless you accept Jesus and ,basically, not sin”.\r\n\r\nThey’d illustrate the message through puppet shows.  We’d color this reality on paper.  And into the very depths of our psyches.\r\n\r\nThings got pretty scary when the demons of puberty struck.  On numerous occasions, I remember teachers coming up to me and saying: “Let me see you hands, Paul.  [At which point I’d show the teacher my hands].  Is there <em>semen</em> on these hands?  I know there is.  I know you’ve been masturbating.  You better clean yourself, boy.  Lift your hands up to heaven and pray for forgiveness.  Do it.  Right now!”\r\n\r\nIn 1999, Al Gore was the anti-Christ and Y2K was the beginning of the immanent end.  Families bought land in far off places, stocked their garages with the basic food groups, and purchased things like generators.\r\n\r\nThat same year, as a gesture of love, he claimed, my Bible teacher suggested that we write out the entire book of Revelation and then address it to an unsaved friend.  The purpose?  So that when God returned, that unsaved friend, who would be left behind, would have an opportunity to be saved by reading it.\r\n\r\nSorry about that, Mark.\r\n\r\nHow an “unsaved” kid could ascertain that information from a long and complicated book—that many suggest isn’t about the “end times” at all—is sort of interesting to think about now.\r\n\r\nMy friend’s brother also went to an Evangelical Christian school.  When he was in 9<sup>th</sup> grade, the school called everyone into the chapel and then locked them inside.  It was an emergency, the school said.\r\n\r\nThe principle got on stage and told everyone that the nuclear power plant outside of Denver had just exploded.   That all of their family members were dead.  That they only have hours to live.\r\n\r\nFortunately for them, there was still time to accept Christ.  If they didn’t, they’d soon be dead and in hell forever.  Like the rest of Denver.\r\n\r\nThe principle made the whole thing up to scare the kids into accepting Jesus.  Some parents complained, but he got off with a mere warning because his “intentions” were good: because, so the logic went, leading people to Christ can never be quite that bad.\r\n\r\n<strong>A Father and His Son</strong>\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I dropped my doctoral program to-do list and drove from Berkeley to Orange County in order to spend time with friends from college.  Thanks be to God that my old Volvo survived the trip.  I wasn’t sure that it would.  But I am so glad: I needed the respite and rejuvenation that my beautiful friends—many of whom also grew up in the sort of Evangelical world I did—lavishly bless me with.\r\n\r\nOne afternoon, as I dug my toes into the warm sand of Newport Beach, listened to the waves crash onto the shore, and ate a <em>ridiculously</em> expensive acai bowl, I watched and listened to a father teach his son how to boogie board.\r\n\r\nI watched as the boy’s father gently held his shirt until a wave was powerful enough to carry him forward.\r\n\r\nI listened as he told his son what to do: “here comes a big one, my boy, kick your feet as hard and fast as you can!”\r\n\r\nI watched as his son struggled to learn and failed to ride the waves.\r\n\r\nAnd I listened as his father encourage him in his struggles and failures: “that’s okay, my boy, we’ll get the next one”.\r\n\r\nAs I watched and listened to this simple and yet beautiful exchange, I gave thanks to God: for being the sort of Father that gently teaches us how to ride the waves of life, and that encourages us when we struggle and fail to do so.\r\n\r\nI also gave thanks to God for not actually being the God of the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in.  And for helping me understand that.\r\n\r\nThe fear-based Evangelical God is a monster.  He’s a child abuser.  And a lot of people that have left the church have left for that very reason: because they don’t want be around a God-monster that abuses children.  We should applaud their departure.  And seriously mourn their loss and the reason for it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Addressing Abuse in the Church</strong>\r\n\r\nI got to wondering about this on my drive back up to Berkeley.\r\n\r\nHow many children have had similar experiences?  How many children are experiencing this sort of thing right now?  Have people left the Church because of this reason?  What are the consequences these experiences? Has it been seriously studied yet?  Have I changed my doctoral focus yet again?  How many questions can one ask before going insane?\r\n\r\nBut seriously, is this issue on our radar?  How concerned are we about it?\r\n\r\nChildren enter the world with a profound sense of openness and trust.   That is a gift.  A blessing.  But it is also a vulnerability, and something that can be taken advantaged of and murderously destroyed if handled inappropriately.   And what some churches do to children to get them “saved” is nothing short of child abuse.\r\n\r\nThe Church ought to wake up to this fact and deal with it within its own walls lest the State take up the worthy cause to the detriment of both the Church and the State.\r\n\r\nA few important points:\r\n\r\nI am not suggesting that churches are intentionally and consciously abusing children.  I am also not suggesting that the people that teach children to be afraid of God are child abusers. Some churches are also more extreme than others.  Not every fear-based Evangelical church is like the one I grew up in.   Some are worse.  And some, like mine, are also very beautiful and loving places.  I fell in love with God in my fear-based Evangelical world, however pathological that love initially was.  And that is a testament to God’s presence there.\r\n\r\nThe situation is complicated and nuanced.  And, most of all, it’s a sacred tragedy.\r\n\r\nGod is love, and the Church is called to be an orchestra of that love.  It ought to be a place of safety for children—a place where they can go to understand how<em>ridiculously</em> in love God is with them.  Not a fear factory garbed in godliness.\r\n\r\nThe Church ought to be a place where children need <em>absolutely not</em> be afraid of God: because that is the last thing God wants for children.  When the Church teaches children to fear God, and thus alienates them from God, it perverts the essence of its mission and it embarrasses itself.  It takes advantage of children, and it often destroys something sacred in them.  And few things grieve the Spirit more than that.\r\n\r\n“Woe to you who cause children to stumble,” Jesus warned.','Al Gore as the Anti-Christ and the Nuclear Explosion in Denver that Never Happened: On God in a Fear Factory','','inherit','open','open','','8016-revision-5','','','2012-12-01 10:42:56','2012-12-01 18:42:56','',8016,'http://provoketive.com/2012/12/01/8016-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7762,1,'2012-09-16 19:29:06','2012-09-17 02:29:06','\"Spiritual disciplines are activities in our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort.\" - Dallas Willard in <em>The Great Omission</em>.\r\n\r\nThere is something so true about this statement.  Spiritual disciplines are the way we train to become what we cannot become in any other way: Christlike.\r\n\r\nYet they have a bad name.  Because no one likes discipline and no one actually likes hard work.  If you plan to run the London Marathon, you don\'t go on training runs in the wet grey of the London streets with the traffic thundering because you actually like said experience.  But you go because you have seen the glory of the prize.  You go because at night you dream of crossing the finishing line and in the day you live and breathe the vision of what could be.  You do the training because you long for the goal and you know that training is the one thing in your power to do which will enable you to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed one day and running 26.2 miles.\r\n\r\nAnd spiritual disciplines are the same.  Those who have walked long and faithfully with Christ have stayed the course not because they strained for what was impossible but because they understood that faithfulness is made up of daily decisions to pray, to read the Bible, to give, to worship, to celebrate and gather in community, to fast or to serve another without gain.\r\n\r\nYet there is a generation coming for whom discipline is perhaps even worse a word than it is for us.  There is a generation coming - or perhaps half-generation in reality - of those in their twenties, many of whom do not see any reason to do that which is personally costly in their discipleship.  They are Christians, yet many do not read their Bibles, they pray only snatched words as they run for the bus in the morning, they spend their money freely on going out but balk at the idea of saving to go on a missions trip or a training day to equip them as disciples in their workplaces.\r\n\r\nI want to be as fair as I know how here and so I must say that I know many in their twenties who are not like this but I have also never seen a generation for whom there seems to be such a rise in the tide of the rejection of spiritual disciplines.  I sometimes wonder if we are on the front edge of it here in London, a place where the internet and mobile culture of hyper-connectivity has taken hold so strongly, a place of many broken and complex family situations, where parents exhausted by the pace of city life have no strength at the end of a working day to discipline their children and so allow the children to bring themselves up within their own tribe of \'young people\'.\r\n\r\nPerhaps it is not as pronounced elsewhere in the country but here we are beginning to see the effects of this culture on those who have hit their twenties.  It is there in those of us in our thirties too, but to a lesser extent, I think, presumably because fewer of our teenage years were formed by this culture of hyper-connectivity and immediacy.  After all, I was 15 before we got the internet at home and I didn\'t send an e-mail until I was 18; I also didn\'t have a mobile until I was 22.  Those facts alone are more than most of the twenties I lead can believe; it also makes me ancient to the teenagers who send between 3000 and 5000 texts each month.  (Work that out as texts per waking hour - you might start to feel ill!)\r\n\r\nThere is a spirit of independence in this new generation: these men and women have grown up knowing how to take care of themselves and their experience tells them that no one else knows like they do what is best for them.  They don\'t tend to save much because there is a despair about that: they know they won\'t get on the housing ladder unless they get help from parents or land themselves a professional job and they don\'t even care what saving for a rainy day might mean because all that matters is surviving in the now and having as much fun as possible.\r\n\r\nAnd fun means hanging out with the tribe, clubbing, drinking and then posting the pictures on Facebook.  Because that is how community is created, community which depends on the shared memories of a Facebook timeline and which is fuelled by instant messaging via BBM or whatsapp.  They don\'t talk by phone any more really, it seems; that is too intrusive, so it is all about exchanging messages which can be interacted with as and when it is convenient to the recipient.\r\n\r\nWhen it\'s time to relax, the answer is screen time.  Even for those who admit to once having been readers.  They freely tell you that it\'s easier to check Facebook, to watch TV on demand, download a film or surf the web randomly.  And I know this is true because I have noticed changes in my own behaviour over the last three to five years, during which time the internet has increasingly become an option for diversion.  I have seen my concentration span drop off slightly; I have seen my efforts to multitask increase, although productivity is almost certainly inversely proportional!  So, I understand the temptation, its insidiousness as this hyper-connectivity worms its way into our lives, destroying our ability to concentrate, to engage with anything which requires something of us personally other than to be an observer.\r\n\r\nAnd then, in the face of all of this, as a disciple-maker I am bringing a message about spiritual disciplines.  A message to a generation which has already largely decided that they alone must be the arbiter of what is right, that anyone who suggests that there must be a better way is automatically pressuring them.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not only that even the very gentlest of calls to discipleship by another are still perceived as a massive and unacceptable threat to their own authority over their lives; it\'s also that this is a message about a faith which cannot simply be added to one\'s life as another interesting diversion but which demands to be worked into every part of our life, a faith which requires participation not observation.  A faith which requires submission to spiritual disciplines as our guides in the process of becoming.\r\n\r\nAnd, despite all the joys over those who \'get it\', I despair some days.\r\n\r\nI wish I didn\'t.  But I do because I feel utterly unprepared for ministry which looks like this.  My training, such as it is, is largely outdated already, save in so far as it has taught me how to think theologically and to innovate in a context of rapid and discontinuous change.  I don\'t know how to reach a generation which claims Christ as its own yet which has little concept of discipline, of preparing for a future day.\r\n\r\nAnd, in a way, why should they?  That\'s not embedded in the culture anymore, that we would make preparation for our future, because our future looks bleak.  If we haven\'t run out of natural resources by then, if we haven\'t seen the kick-off of World War III, if we haven\'t lost the war on global terror and if we haven\'t seen the melting of the polar ice caps or a worsening of the hole in the ozone layer, we\'ll certainly all be working until we\'re 90 and then paying extortionate nursing home fees until we die.\r\n\r\nWe don\'t have the culture on side anymore for emphasising the value of preparing for a happy future.  This generation doesn\'t even think about the future because it\'s not attractive and so it is to them as if the future will never come.  And if the future will not come, then a future experience of heaven and the goal of a journey towards Christlikeness might as well also be a pipedream.\r\n\r\nIn the face of all of that, why would you invest yourself in spiritual disciplines now?  When reading the Bible is hard and sitting still to pray for even ten minutes nigh-on impossible without checking Facebook at least once, why would you pay that price now if you have no concept of the future it\'s preparing you for?  And who would run London\'s rain-slick pavements as the cold bites and the traffic fumes choke if there was never an expectation that there would one day be a marathon to run and a medal to claim?\r\n\r\nAnd that is where I end up with this.  I long to make disciples, to teach them of the power of spiritual disciplines to form character and habits, to introduce them to how a progressive laying aside of lordship over one\'s own life is a journey of the most incredible becoming that ever was.  And, God knows, in this church we will keep trying.  But I am more and more convinced that what is needed more than anything else is a move of God where thousands upon thousands of this new generation have an encounter with Christ which is more real than Facebook, more tangible than instant messaging.  An encounter which will have them dreaming at night of crossing the finishing line, knowing whom they have believed.  An encounter which, in the daytime, will see them living and breathing the vision of what could be.  An encounter which will empower them to do the training because they now long for the goal like never before and know that training is the one thing in their power to do which will enable them to do that thing you cannot do by direct effort - getting out of bed each day and running the race.\r\n\r\nI long to see the work of God in this generation of twenties and thirties and in those who are still teenagers.  I long to see the things of which I first began to dream twelve years ago when I started to hear God speaking to me by his Spirit about the church in the UK.  And I am becoming increasingly convinced that - though the church\'s leaders may play their part, struggling as we toil - the work can only be achieved with his energy which he so powerfully works in us as we struggle to present everyone mature in Christ.  Today, perhaps like never before, I am utterly convinced that, in this disorientating new world of never-ceasing and rapidly speeded-up change, the future of the church in this nation depends on a move of God by his Spirit to give us a new encounter with Christ.\r\n\r\nAnd it breaks my heart to think what kind of church we will see in fifty years\' time if I don\'t see that in my lifetime.\r\n\r\nPicture credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/lievensoete/3063508196/\" target=\"_blank\">some rights reserved by Lieven Soete</a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Does disciple-making have a future?','','inherit','open','open','','7725-revision-9','','','2012-09-16 19:29:06','2012-09-17 02:29:06','',7725,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/16/7725-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7764,12,'2012-09-17 20:58:06','2012-09-18 03:58:06','I found myself listening to one of my old favorite U2 songs tonight, \"Running to Stand Still\" from the Joshua Tree Album.','\"Running to Stand Still\": The Taste of Sin','','inherit','open','open','','7763-revision','','','2012-09-17 20:58:06','2012-09-18 03:58:06','',7763,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/17/7763-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7765,12,'2012-09-17 21:14:27','2012-09-18 04:14:27','','stand still','','inherit','open','open','','stand-still','','','2012-09-17 21:14:27','2012-09-18 04:14:27','',7763,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7766,12,'2012-09-17 21:16:29','2012-09-18 04:16:29','','runningstand','','inherit','open','open','','runningstand','','','2012-09-17 21:16:29','2012-09-18 04:16:29','',7763,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/runningstand.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7767,12,'2012-09-17 20:59:07','2012-09-18 03:59:07','I found myself listening to one of my old favorite U2 songs tonight, \"Running to Stand Still\" from the Joshua Tree Album. Here it is if you\'ve never had the great pleasure of listening to it:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCv0bXFppc\n\nLiterally, it is a song written about the heroin problem that plagued Dublin in the =','\"Running to Stand Still\": The Taste of Sin','','inherit','open','open','','7763-revision-2','','','2012-09-17 20:59:07','2012-09-18 03:59:07','',7763,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/17/7763-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7770,12,'2012-09-17 21:16:51','2012-09-18 04:16:51','Today I found myself listening to one of my old favorite U2 songs tonight, <em>\"Running to Stand Still\"</em> from the <em>Joshua Tree</em> Album. Here it is if you\'ve never had the great pleasure of listening to it:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCv0bXFppc\r\n\r\nLiterally, it is a song written about the heroin problem that plagued Dublin in the \'80s. You can read all about the imagery within the song at the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_to_Stand_Still\">song\'s Wikipedia page</a>. It is considered by many to be one of the most complete U2 songs ever written.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I like about U2 songs is something I heard someone close to the band say once. Or maybe it was Bono: <em>\"Really, you can make our songs about anything you want.\"</em> Fans will agree with that as many people find many of their albums becoming a soundtrack for their own life, just when they needed it.\r\n\r\nIn that particular song, there are a couple of statements that intrigue me, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">especially after my own fall from the pastorate due to adultery</a>. And I really think it\'s applicable to anyone who has sinned against God or struggled with addiction, argued with God, or simply just not felt good enough for God because of their sin.\r\n\r\nSin has a double edged slice to it. For those who love God, we know it is wrong. When we sin, we know it puts us in a bad relationship with him. When we commit those \"small sins,\" you know, driving too fast, calling the guy in the car next to us <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-7765\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"169\" /></a>an \"idiot\" when he cuts us off, cheating on a test; it doesn\'t bother us so much. But when we really sin, we are overwhelmed with guilt.\r\n\r\nThe other edge to sin is how appealing it can be. Especially the big ones. Just go back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden. The fruit on the tree was appealing to them. Knowing they could be like God was appealing to them. It sounded <em>delicious</em> to them.\r\n\r\nFrankly, when I got to the point in my life where I first considered adultery, it sounded very appealing. I wanted the woman I was with. She was the answer to my prayers and everything I needed. There are other sins like that. What if you need money badly? Let\'s say you work somewhere that you can access it easily and no one will miss small amounts? It\'s desirable. It\'s delicious to you to think about taking it. What about the abuse of power? You can get your way over other people with manipulation or being a jerk. Using that power is appealing. Tasty.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a line in the song where the heroin addict is feeling something that U2 wrote about:\r\n\r\n<em>\"Sweet the sin, but bitter the taste in my mouth.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThere\'s the rub for the Christian. None of us just wake up one day and say, <em>\"Hey! I\'m going to commit adultery/embezzle/be power hungry!\"</em> No, it breeds in us. It becomes delicious to us over time. And we finally decide to sin and consume that sin that we think will be so tasty to us.\r\n\r\nBut when we eat it, at first, it might be delicious. But then, for those who know God, we realize the bitterness. There are consequences for all of our actions.\r\n\r\nWe might be in a place where we think, <em>\"I have to commit this sin. Life has left me no choice. My marriage is a joke,\"</em> or <em>\"I\'m broke.\"</em> There\'s another line in the song that is dealing with something else but is applicable: <em>\"I see seven towers, but I only see one way out.\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhen we begin focusing on a sin, we think the only way out is to keep pursuing that sin. But if we know Christ, we know that\'s not the case. With the redemption of Christ, there\'s always a way out. If we are surrounded by a community filled with the love of Christ, we are even more assured that rescue is at hand.\r\n\r\nBut all too often, we will choose to pursue that sin. The sin that looks so delicious, yet when we bite into it, will only deliver bitterness.\r\n\r\nThat\'s where you may be today. On the path screaming straight toward a sin. Turn from it while you can. Know there are people who are willing to care for you and love you. Look past the deceivingly beautiful veneer of the sin on the outside and see the bitterness that dwells within. Don\'t be afraid to pray to God to deliver you and to put you in the path of people who can help.','\"Running to Stand Still\": The Taste of Sin','','inherit','open','open','','7763-revision-3','','','2012-09-17 21:16:51','2012-09-18 04:16:51','',7763,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/17/7763-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7772,12,'2012-09-19 21:16:41','2012-09-20 04:16:41','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. \"You married to your sister, Ray?\" No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\n\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\n\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\n\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\n\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\n\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\n\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\n\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\n\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\n\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\n\nThe article that got me thinking was one about why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns. They just don\'t. Well, they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\n\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\n\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\n\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\n\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\n\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\n\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\n\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\n\nExtremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\n\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\n\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\n\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-revision','','','2012-09-19 21:16:41','2012-09-20 04:16:41','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/19/7771-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7773,12,'2012-09-19 21:18:29','2012-09-20 04:18:29','Declaration of Independence and a Gun.  RIght To Bare Arms Concept.','The Right To Bare Arms','','inherit','open','open','','the-right-to-bare-arms','','','2012-09-19 21:18:29','2012-09-20 04:18:29','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/gun_control.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7774,12,'2012-09-19 21:20:40','2012-09-20 04:20:40','','brpol','','inherit','open','open','','brpol','','','2012-09-19 21:20:40','2012-09-20 04:20:40','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7775,12,'2012-09-19 21:22:59','2012-09-20 04:22:59','','trebek','','inherit','open','open','','trebek','','','2012-09-19 21:22:59','2012-09-20 04:22:59','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7776,12,'2012-09-19 21:17:41','2012-09-20 04:17:41','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. <em>\"You married to your sister, Ray?\"</em> No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\n\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\n\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\n\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\n\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\n\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\n\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\n\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\n\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\n\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\n\nThe article that got me thinking was one about why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns. They just don\'t. Well, they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\n\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\n\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\n\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\n\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\n\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\n\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\n\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\n\nExtremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\n\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\n\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\n\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-revision-2','','','2012-09-19 21:17:41','2012-09-20 04:17:41','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/19/7771-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7777,12,'2012-09-19 21:23:48','2012-09-20 04:23:48','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. <em>\"You married to your sister, Ray?\"</em> No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\r\n\r\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\r\n\r\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\r\n\r\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\r\n\r\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\r\n\r\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\r\n\r\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\r\n\r\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\r\n\r\nThe article that got me thinking was one about <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa\">why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns</a>. They just don\'t. Well, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7774\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\r\n\r\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\r\n\r\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\r\n\r\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\r\n\r\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\r\n\r\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\r\n\r\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\r\n\r\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7775\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Extremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\r\n\r\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\r\n\r\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-revision-3','','','2012-09-19 21:23:48','2012-09-20 04:23:48','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/19/7771-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7778,12,'2012-09-19 22:01:31','2012-09-20 05:01:31','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. <em>\"You married to your sister, Ray?\"</em> No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\r\n\r\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\r\n\r\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\r\n\r\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\r\n\r\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\r\n\r\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\r\n\r\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\r\n\r\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\r\n\r\nThe article that got me thinking was one about <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa\">why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns</a>. They just don\'t. Well, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7774\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\r\n\r\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\r\n\r\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\r\n\r\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\r\n\r\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\r\n\r\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\r\n\r\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\r\n\r\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7775\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Extremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\r\n\r\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\r\n\r\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control. Shut up.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-autosave','','','2012-09-19 22:01:31','2012-09-20 05:01:31','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/19/7771-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(9590,0,'2015-04-16 22:55:31','2015-04-17 05:55:31','Hai there.\r\n\r\nSaya Kezia dari JKTGO.\r\nIngin mengirimkan proposal seputar event JKTGO MARKET WEEK.\r\nBolehkah minta contact personnya untuk media partner?\r\n\r\nTerima kasih,\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Kezia\nAUTHOR EMAIL: keziaaintan@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 139.195.43.148\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Kezia\n    [Email] =&gt; keziaaintan@gmail.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; Hai there.\r\n\r\nSaya Kezia dari JKTGO.\r\nIngin mengirimkan proposal seputar event JKTGO MARKET WEEK.\r\nBolehkah minta contact personnya untuk media partner?\r\n\r\nTerima kasih,\n)\n','Kezia - 2015-04-16 22:55:31','','publish','open','open','','8d159f6b4868345a45b2b759e26589bd','','','2015-04-16 22:55:31','2015-04-17 05:55:31','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=9590',0,'feedback','',0),(7781,1,'2012-09-20 09:14:46','2012-09-20 16:14:46','Today I found myself listening to one of my old favorite U2 songs tonight, <em>\"Running to Stand Still\"</em> from the <em>Joshua Tree</em> Album. Here it is if you\'ve never had the great pleasure of listening to it:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCv0bXFppc\r\n\r\nLiterally, it is a song written about the heroin problem that plagued Dublin in the \'80s. You can read all about the imagery within the song at the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_to_Stand_Still\">song\'s Wikipedia page</a>. It is considered by many to be one of the most complete U2 songs ever written.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I like about U2 songs is something I heard someone close to the band say once. Or maybe it was Bono: <em>\"Really, you can make our songs about anything you want.\"</em> Fans will agree with that as many people find many of their albums becoming a soundtrack for their own life, just when they needed it.\r\n\r\nIn that particular song, there are a couple of statements that intrigue me, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">especially after my own fall from the pastorate due to adultery</a>. And I really think it\'s applicable to anyone who has sinned against God or struggled with addiction, argued with God, or simply just not felt good enough for God because of their sin.\r\n\r\nSin has a double edged slice to it. For those who love God, we know it is wrong. When we sin, we know it puts us in a bad relationship with him. When we commit those \"small sins,\" you know, driving too fast, calling the guy in the car next to us <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-7765\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"169\" /></a>an \"idiot\" when he cuts us off, cheating on a test; it doesn\'t bother us so much. But when we really sin, we are overwhelmed with guilt.\r\n\r\nThe other edge to sin is how appealing it can be. Especially the big ones. Just go back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden. The fruit on the tree was appealing to them. Knowing they could be like God was appealing to them. It sounded <em>delicious</em> to them.\r\n\r\nFrankly, when I got to the point in my life where I first considered adultery, it sounded very appealing. I wanted the woman I was with. She was the answer to my prayers and everything I needed. There are other sins like that. What if you need money badly? Let\'s say you work somewhere that you can access it easily and no one will miss small amounts? It\'s desirable. It\'s delicious to you to think about taking it. What about the abuse of power? You can get your way over other people with manipulation or being a jerk. Using that power is appealing. Tasty.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a line in the song where the heroin addict is feeling something that U2 wrote about:\r\n\r\n<em>\"Sweet the sin, but bitter the taste in my mouth.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThere\'s the rub for the Christian. None of us just wake up one day and say, <em>\"Hey! I\'m going to commit adultery/embezzle/be power hungry!\"</em> No, it breeds in us. It becomes delicious to us over time. And we finally decide to sin and consume that sin that we think will be so tasty to us.\r\n\r\nBut when we eat it, at first, it might be delicious. But then, for those who know God, we realize the bitterness. There are consequences for all of our actions.\r\n\r\nWe might be in a place where we think, <em>\"I have to commit this sin. Life has left me no choice. My marriage is a joke,\"</em> or <em>\"I\'m broke.\"</em> There\'s another line in the song that is dealing with something else but is applicable: <em>\"I see seven towers, but I only see one way out.\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhen we begin focusing on a sin, we think the only way out is to keep pursuing that sin. But if we know Christ, we know that\'s not the case. With the redemption of Christ, there\'s always a way out. If we are surrounded by a community filled with the love of Christ, we are even more assured that rescue is at hand.\r\n\r\nBut all too often, we will choose to pursue that sin. The sin that looks so delicious, yet when we bite into it, will only deliver bitterness.\r\n\r\nThat\'s where you may be today. On the path screaming straight toward a sin. Turn from it while you can. Know there are people who are willing to care for you and love you. Look past the deceivingly beautiful veneer of the sin on the outside and see the bitterness that dwells within. Don\'t be afraid to pray to God to deliver you and to put you in the path of people who can help.','The Taste of Sin','','inherit','open','open','','7763-revision-5','','','2012-09-20 09:14:46','2012-09-20 16:14:46','',7763,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/20/7763-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7903,1,'2012-10-10 19:45:47','2012-10-11 02:45:47','[caption id=\"attachment_7719\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-7719 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"456\" /></a> Photo Credit: CRASH: candy via Flickr[/caption]\n\nThe five of us have been sitting around the same antique table on a semi-monthly for more than four years. We rarely see each outside of these monthly get-togethers, yet I consider these women to be among some of my dearest friends. We come from different backgrounds, different demographics, and different parts of the metro Chicago area, yet we always have one thing in common – our mutual interest in facilitating each other’s spiritual accountability by engaging in respectful faith sharing.\n\nWe began meeting as part of a small group through the Unitarian Universalist church that we were attending at the time. Since then, our group’s members have changed slightly – some members leaving and a new member joining – but the purpose of the group has always been the same.\n\nWe eat. We drink. We talk. We share.\n\nWe talk about food and wine and sex and God. We talk about our jobs and our kids and our spouses and our spirituality.\n\nWe share our dreams, our insecurities, our doubts, and our faith. We share our joys and concerns. We share our thoughts and ideas about what it means to live a life of compassion, generosity, justice, and spirituality. We share our life stories and our faith stories.\n\nAnd in doing so, we share the deepest parts of ourselves. We share our faith and we share our relationship with God. We share our most vulnerable and sensitive beliefs, laying ourselves raw and fully open to the possibility of knowing each other on a deeper level.\n\nIn talking about our beliefs and sharing our faith with each other, we have granted one another a rare glimpse into the deepest recesses of our souls – a place that many of us don’t even let our closest friends and family members see.\n\nYou see, we live in a society that shuns faith sharing. We are scared of it. We are afraid of being judged and we are afraid of judging. We are afraid that if we talk about sensitive and personal issues such as faith and spirituality that we might be forced to acknowledge that there are differences between us.\n\nBut when we do this, we forget that differences do not need to divide us; rather, acknowledging differences can be a means of expanding our options and opening our minds. When we talk about beliefs – not necessarily <em>what</em> we believe but <em>why </em>we believe – we grant ourselves the opportunity to know someone on a deeper level and open our minds to alternative perspectives. When we share our faith – not just how we practice our faith but how our faith shapes our life – we give someone else the gift of knowing us more intimately.\n\nSo ask me what I believe; I will tell you.  And I will, in turn, ask you what you believe in the hopes that we can embark on an educational conversation, in which we both learn something about each other and our respective faiths.\n\nIf you shy away from religious or spiritual conversations, ask yourself two questions: Am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am afraid that I will be judged?  Or am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am unsure of what I believe?\n\nIf it is the former, and there is a genuine fear of judgment, feel empowered to say so. Let the listener know that you fear that you will be judged.  If the other person tends to judge, they deserve to be called out on it.  On the other hand, your fear of judgment may be unwarranted and you owe the other person the benefit of the doubt.\n\nI suspect, however, that fear of judgment is not the only thing that keeps us from talking about our faith. Many of us shy away from conversations about our faith simply because we are unsure of what we believe. We have doubts. We have questions. We see inconsistencies and, regardless of how strong our faith is, there are times when we just don’t know what we believe. But if you look into your heart – I mean <em>really</em> look into your heart – you just might come to some conclusions about your faith and spiritual beliefs. There is no shame in admitting your doubts. In fact, acknowledging doubts is a critical part of an authentic faith.\n\nEvangelism is not a dirty word. Evangelism (not to be confused with evangelical) is about faith <em>sharing</em> – listening to the beliefs and faiths of someone else without the expectation of conversion. Evangelism is <em>not</em> the act of proselytizing, which is a dictatorial one-sided persuasive commentary; rather, evangelism is the participation in a responsible and respectful conversation that involves a full and fair informational exchange.\n\nFor many of us, our faith – or lack of faith – is a large part of who we are and how we live our lives. By refraining from talking about our faith, we are preventing ourselves from really getting to know others, including those people who are closest to us. And when we fail to know and understand others and ourselves, we are ultimately preventing ourselves from fully knowing the power of a graceful and compassionate God.','Evangelism Is Not a Dirty Word','','inherit','open','open','','7713-revision-9','','','2012-10-10 19:45:47','2012-10-11 02:45:47','',7713,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/10/7713-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7886,0,'2012-10-10 08:10:02','2012-10-10 15:10:02','Jonathan - There seems to be a backlog on the site. Is everything okay? Did I submit my post correctly?\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Glenn Hager\nAUTHOR EMAIL: glennhager1@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 76.245.207.7\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Glenn Hager\n    [Email] =&gt; glennhager1@gmail.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; Jonathan - There seems to be a backlog on the site. Is everything okay? Did I submit my post correctly?\n)\n','Glenn Hager - 2012-10-10 08:10:02','','publish','open','open','','4a1a7741a092f6be650903bd2b29ed6d','','','2012-10-10 08:10:02','2012-10-10 15:10:02','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7886',0,'feedback','',0),(7839,0,'2012-10-01 09:21:51','2012-10-01 16:21:51','How Christian Are We Really?\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Beverly Donner\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Buddynet02@att.net\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 108.198.100.62\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Beverly Donner\n    [Email] =&gt; Buddynet02@att.net\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; How Christian Are We Really?\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Blackie01\n)\n','Beverly Donner - 2012-10-01 09:21:51','','publish','open','open','','725729cda5d4db66c72c63a82ac26ae1','','','2012-10-01 09:21:51','2012-10-01 16:21:51','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7839',0,'feedback','',0),(7789,1,'2012-09-19 21:23:59','2012-09-20 04:23:59','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. <em>\"You married to your sister, Ray?\"</em> No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\r\n\r\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\r\n\r\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\r\n\r\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\r\n\r\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\r\n\r\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\r\n\r\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\r\n\r\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\r\n\r\nThe article that got me thinking was one about <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa\">why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns</a>. They just don\'t. Well, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7774\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\r\n\r\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\r\n\r\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\r\n\r\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\r\n\r\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\r\n\r\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\r\n\r\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\r\n\r\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7775\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Extremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\r\n\r\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\r\n\r\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-revision-4','','','2012-09-19 21:23:59','2012-09-20 04:23:59','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/19/7771-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7790,1,'2012-09-23 22:07:41','2012-09-24 05:07:41','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. <em>\"You married to your sister, Ray?\"</em> No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\r\n\r\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\r\n\r\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\r\n\r\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\r\n\r\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\r\n\r\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\r\n\r\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\r\n\r\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\r\n\r\nThe article that got me thinking was one about <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa\">why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns</a>. They just don\'t. Well, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7774\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\r\n\r\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\r\n\r\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\r\n\r\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\r\n\r\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\r\n\r\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\r\n\r\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\r\n\r\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7775\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Extremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\r\n\r\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\r\n\r\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-revision-5','','','2012-09-23 22:07:41','2012-09-24 05:07:41','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/23/7771-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7791,1,'2012-09-23 22:07:58','2012-09-24 05:07:58','Do you know where I grew up? Arkansas. Laugh it up. Har-dee-har. <em>\"You married to your sister, Ray?\"</em> No. My cousin. But thanks for asking.\r\n\r\nIn Arkansas, just like the current state I live in (Kentucky), guns are a huge part of life. The majority of gun use is by hunters who love to shoot ol\' bambi between the ears every deer season. And duck hunting is huge. From what I understand, Duck Dynasty is a big show. I refuse to watch it. I live in it.\r\n\r\nSame reason I won\'t watch most reality television. The Kentucky Turtle Man, housewives yelling at each other, Honey Boo Boo, COPS, Dirty Jobs, filthy hotels, Single Moms, and the what have you. Know why I don\'t watch? All I have to do is cruise around in a forty minute radius and I can see it in stinking person.\r\n\r\nDo you know how many times I see people post on their Facebook page: \"Got me a picture with the Kentucky Turtle Man! Highlight of my life!\" Keep shooting for the stars, bro. Oh, in case you have no idea what I\'m talking about and you\'re living on an insulated coast:\r\n\r\nhttp://youtu.be/qOXyxLJna1c\r\n\r\nAnyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, gun control.\r\n\r\nJust about every person I know owns a gun. Up until six months ago, I had a 9mm Glock in my drawer for home protection. Then something clicked in me. I didn\'t want it anymore. I had a flashback to a U2 concert I had been to back in 1999. They are pro-gun control or something. They showed a video of a little girl getting access to a gun out of an old Kroger bag or something.\r\n\r\nIt took me this long for that to sink in. What if my kids got a hold of my guns. Yes. I teach them all gun safety. They know how to shoot and hold a gun. They know proper respect for weapons. But what the heck?\r\n\r\nA firearm capable of destroying the life of one of my family members in my own home? Apparently you have a better chance of dying in a car accident. Twice. That was my excuse.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t start calling me a liberal. Seriously. I\'m a Libertarian.\r\n\r\nThe article that got me thinking was one about <a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa\">why the police in Great Britain don\'t carry guns</a>. They just don\'t. Well, <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7774\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/brpol-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>they\'re obviously morons, right? Those cops must be getting their heads blown off at an enormous rate. Poor people. Armed with popsicle sticks and a bullhorn, they are walking dead meat.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398\">This article says no.</a> In fact, most British police are fine with the way things are and don\'t want to carry firearms. They subdue their criminals who are not allowed to carry guns and throw them in the paddy wagon. Really? Really? Surely some of the rough people over there carry some sort of weapons.\r\n\r\nThey do. And they\'re subdued. But that\'s not to say that policepeople aren\'t killed. It\'s tragic. But not as many policepeople are killed overseas as they are here.\r\n\r\nIn 2011, 72 United States policemen were killed on duty. That\'s 72 too many for me. I honestly couldn\'t find a record for a British police officer who died in 2011.\r\n\r\nNow hold up before you get mad, Bible Belt. Those of you on the opposite coasts are probably applauding. There\'s nothing to applaud. I don\'t want police officers, military or anyone to die. Do I think hunters should be able to hunt? Yeah. But I think the restrictions should be a bit more.\r\n\r\nI think each state should have a say in what happens on that level as well. It bothers me that there are extremists on both sides. We can never have a happy medium.\r\n\r\nOn the one hand I get the gun guys. The truly law-abiding gun guys who are taking out their 12 year old-daughters to the Land Between the Lakes to shoot their first turkey. They will dress it, cook it and eat it. The father and daughter will have an experience they will never forget. The father and son who sit in a deer stand waiting for six hours waiting for that perfect buck to walk by. Then he does. The son takes the shot.\r\n\r\nBut what I don\'t understand is how ex-felons are able to put a .32 special in their hand and threaten a store clerk\r\n\r\nOn that side, there are extremists. They will point to the second amendment. Listen, we all know that the right to bear arms has to do with tyranny, not shooting deer. HOWEVER, I will hire one of you to shoot the deer who jump in front of me every night on my country ride home from work before it hits my $800 bumper.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7775\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/trebek-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Extremists you say? There\'s another side who says do away with all firearms. Burn all of them. In a Great Britain society, I see where it works. Fewer cop deaths. And listen to this stat from a <a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/300000-violent-gun-crimes-a-year-in-the-us-poster.html\">good site</a>: <em><a href=\"http://www.juancole.com/2012/07/58-murders-a-year-by-firearms-in-britain-8775-in-us.html\"> 59 people are killed every year with firearms in Britain, but 8,777</a> are killed by guns in the US (per capita, the rate in the US is 30 times higher).</em>\r\n\r\nWhat\'s the answer? Just burn all the firearms? No, I don\'t think so. Get the government involved? Nope. The government is already too involved. Personal responsibility. There\'s more, but I\'m not a politician, so I don\'t have the answers.\r\n\r\nBut I know for me and my house, there will be no guns here. No firearms that can damage or kill a child by accidental misfiring. I don\'t care how powerful it makes me feel or secure. I trust in my God, I trust in the odds. I trust that there is a decent shred of American morality left.\r\n\r\nHeck, that and I\'ve still got mace...','I Didn\'t Want To Write This Post. Gun Control.','','inherit','open','open','','7771-revision-6','','','2012-09-23 22:07:58','2012-09-24 05:07:58','',7771,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/23/7771-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7933,1,'2012-10-18 16:29:17','2012-10-18 23:29:17','','romney','','inherit','open','open','','romney','','','2012-10-18 16:29:17','2012-10-18 23:29:17','',7927,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/romney.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7888,1,'2012-10-10 19:24:25','2012-10-11 02:24:25','What represents Christianity today is a far cry from the Jesus I learned about as a child, the one who said to turn the other cheek, to render unto Caesar what is Caesar\'s (pay your taxes), that if someone wants your cloak to give them your coat as well, and that what you do unto \"the least of them\" you also do unto me. He said to love your Lord your God with all your heart, to love your neighbor as you love yourself, and to love one another as I have loved you. I remember as a child not wanting to turn the other cheek or give up my possessions to another, and I don\'t think many of us do, yet we as Christians still felt like we should. However, 30 years ago the \"Prosperity Doctrine\" began to infiltrate our mainstream Christian churches, while at the same time, Ayn Rand\'s \"Atlas Shrugged\" made a comeback, and somehow with the later propaganda and influence of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and Hannity, being selfish is not only acceptable, but considered Christian and right. And the irony is that Ayn Rand, whom Paul Ryan is said to have idealized and even based his budget on her philosophy was an avowed atheist. And even though Ms. Rand claimed that social programs like SSA and Medicare were evil, she took advantage of both while she was dying from cancer, but used her husband’s name rather than her famous one because she didn’t want anyone to know.\n\nI have had discussions with so-called Christian conservatives who don’t want their taxes raised and believe that the rich pay enough already too. I’ve pointed out that Christ said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s (pay our taxes), and they have said that doesn’t mean that the taxes need to be designated to programs for poor people and Christ didn’t say that either. This is true, I’ve agreed with them; Christ didn’t get to say what Caesar’s tax money went for, but I can’t help but think he would approve. I’ve even made up a little scenario that I can vividly imagine if Caesar had sought Jesus’ advice about what to do with his tax money:\n\nThe scene opens with Caesar showing Jesus around his castle. Look at all my riches, says Caesar as they stroll through his opulent palace. Everywhere you look is a reflection of the powerful man I am, and everyone bows to me. My golden crown is incrusted with rare jewels, and I sit upon a throne of solid gold. My wives all wear exquisite jewelry and are draped in expensive silks. Even my servants wear the finest polished cotton. See my luxurious baths and lovely garden? The finest horses you’ve ever seen fill my stables, and the most beautiful team pull the emperor’s chariot. Where do you think I should apply my latest tax collection? So Jesus takes Caesar on a little stroll through his kingdom. They walk through the marketplace where the merchants sell their humble wares, past the blind and the beggars, visit in some humble cottages where the poor struggle to get by and the sick writhe in their misery, often dying with no hope, then past the leper colony where the most shunned suffer while begging for scraps of food. Jesus says to Caesar, do you see anywhere your money might be put to good use? Of course, Caesar, has the choice of being generous and helping “the lest of these” like Jesus has always stressed we should, or he can shrug and go off to seek another bauble for himself. Today’s Christians always side with the wealthy and seek an almost punishing attitude toward the needy who are most often that way because of the greed of the wealthy. And somehow it seems like if they were suffering more, had even less it would justify things for us, make it more acceptable. Do we really want to return to the tent cities, tar shacks and bread lines of the Great Depression before social programs were put into place? Would that make poverty more palatable to some? I often hear that the rich pay the majority of taxes, that they pay enough, but they don’t pay their percentage. The more you have, the less you pay. Paul Ryan is not nearly as wealthy as Mitt Romney, yet he pays more than Mitt in taxes, and so it goes downhill to the rest of us. Trickle down? Oh really???\n\nThere are other contradictions within the so-called “Christian Right” that really boggle my mind. For example, traditionally the “right” had despised draft dodgers, yet Ted Nugent, who has boasted about crapping in his pants for a week to avoid the draft is now okay and even a national hero to many. Why? Because he hates President Obama and loves guns. And on the subject of guns, how did gun ownership ever come to be part of the Christian culture? It just doesn’t line up with “turning the other cheek” to me. I understand that we have a gun heritage in our country, and my own household even has some. That said, I truly don’t believe that anyone is going to try to take away our hunting rifles and home protection guns. New laws may make registration restriction a bit stronger, but do we really want to make it easy for criminals to have them? Does any family really need assault weapons? I truly think this is just a lot of propaganda that has little to do with reality. Our Constitution gives us the Right to Bear Arms, and it would be no easy feat to take that away. Even if they tried, people would hide them away, and I think everyone is aware of that. You cannot really take guns away even if you try to outlaw them. It’s just not going to happen.\n\nThe other big issue, the one many people will vote based on it alone, is abortion. I agree that abortion is a terrible thing, and it is actually taking a life, and that we, as Christians, should never do it. If someone were to come to me seeking advice, I would try to talk them into other alternatives. However, if they are set on it, they will do it whether or not it is legal as they did in days gone by, even if it kills them, which it often did. Or, some will do like many who have made the news in recent years and conceal their pregnancy, give birth in secret and kill their babies. So, I’m not sure laws against it will stop much, only make it unsafe, and I have to ask if we want to punish people that way, as many seem wont to do. And if we do feel that way, why not just be against abortion and leave the parts of Planned Parenthood intact that counsel, advise, offer contraception and help with women’s medical issues. Why does it have to be an “all or nothing” solution? My issue is not so much about abortion as I understand why that is such an emotional issue, it’s about children and the poor. If we are that against abortion, wouldn’t we be FOR birth control? I’ve heard conservatives argue that they don’t want to pay for someone else’s birth control. I understand, however, wouldn’t that cost less than paying for someone else’s child? This is probably a moot point with them though, as most do not want to pay into social programs that help poor children. The other day, I read an article in which Pat Robertson, Christian Icon to the Right, say that Christians shouldn’t adopt either, that they are taking a risk with so many crack babies and children from other less than ideal situations being the ones up for adoption. So I summarize this by saying--We don’t want abortions, okay got that. We don’t want to pay for poor women’s birth control, and we don’t want to pay into social programs that would help them raise the child we didn’t want them to abort. And we don’t think adoption is a good idea either. So where does that leave us in our Christian conscience about this whole thing? Not many alternatives that I can see. . .unless we were actually willing to open up our hearts and our wallets as Jesus told us to.\n\nThe hijacking of the Christian religion by the Republican Party has been a slow, sure and insidious undertaking. There was a time when Christian women would have been shocked and appalled by Rush Limbaugh calling a young lady a slut, especially since she never mentioned her sex life or anyone else’s, only recounted stories of her friends who needed “the pill” for medical reasons, and how one of them who couldn’t afford it lost an ovary and the ability to bear children. Yet Christian women cheered Mr. Limbaugh on and declared that he was defending Catholic rights. Rush Limbaugh, married four times, an admitted user of Viagra, and the father of none, wants to control women from having easy access to the pill. A short time after his tirade against Sandra Fluke, Mr. Limbaugh called a group of nuns that dedicate their lives to helping the poor (his favorite word for women he disapproves of) “feminazis“! So much for respecting and defending Catholicism! Although somehow this man has become an icon of the Christian Right, I do not believe that Rush Limbaugh has ever said he is Christian, only conservative and on the side of the wealthy, of which he is as a spokesman, and one who got rich himself doing just that.\n\nIt saddens my heart that people will vote against their own interests and side with the evil One Percent that wants to turn us into a land of serfs. Don’t they understand that the problems we face today started 30 years ago and that the fault lies with the very corporations, the greedy wealthy that they are defending? They moved their factories overseas to hire foreigners at slave wages, while at the same time denying fellow Americans a living wage in the land they (the corporate owners) call home. That may be legal, and I’ve heard the “Right” defend it as their right, and I suppose that is true, but what does it say morally? Why would those who claim to have the heart of Christ vote for someone who values money over human beings? Now, the super-rich corporate owners are finding that their profit margins are starting to slip a little due to shipping costs, and there is talk about bringing some of their factories home. Does it seem likely that they are going to want to actually pay people a living wage to work in them? What would be the point if they are doing it to keep more of their money? There is a lot of talk about abolishing unions and union pension plans for police, firefighters, teachers, government workers, and railroad workers. There is also talk about doing away with minimum wage. Why? Because they don’t the serfs to have too much; they want to keep them desperate to do their bidding just to survive.\n\nBut wait, there is more. Why is it we no longer hear about overpopulation, when, indeed, we are actually living the predictions of those who warned against overpopulation back in the 1970s? And why are rightwing politicians are against contraception? I do not think most of them are against it due to moral values or religious beliefs, but because they want to keep populating expendable serfs to fight the wars they profit from and work for pennies in their factories. But they are smart enough to push those emotional buttons and get people to vote against their own best interests.\n\nThen there is immigration. Lots of anger there. I have two friends who were haters that changed their minds on that. One is a gal who was totally against it until she moved to Arizona and found herself working with a lot of underprivileged Hispanic children. She has totally changed her outlook once she came to see them as people with wants, needs and dreams just like the rest of us. The other is a guy who went there to get work, and he says after working with and being around “those people” he has done a complete turn around and says “I’d do it.” We are supposed to be hospitable and not turn people away according to scripture. And “those people” do work most of us don’t want to do, and they do it for much less money than we would accept. And lest we forget, we were all immigrants and took land from the natives who already lived here\n\nI also don\'t get why right-wing Christians are so pro war, when Christ said \"blessed are the peacemakers.“ We, as Christians, support our troops and cry at their funerals and hold parades in our towns when someone’s child comes home in a box, yet we do not care much about our veterans when they have managed to come home alive and often leave them lacking in basic needs and homeless. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves if Jesus would care about the children we kill overseas, the innocent who have no say so in the whole matter? The politicians on the right not only do NOT want to get us out of Afghanistan, but they are eagerly speculating about going to war with Iran. It has always been old rich men sending young poor men off to war. Besides Ted Nugent, other well known and respected men who managed to avoid the draft include George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Mitt Romney. What would Jesus say?\n\nThere is so much more I have to say about this but for now, I just want to say that Christianity to me is all about a heart attitude, and I don\'t see how wanting to save every fetus, while at the same time wanting to cut programs that help poor children who have managed to be born shows much Christian love or charity. Many Christians I know even want to eliminate programs like free lunches, which could be the only nutrition some children get all day. I could go on and on about this, but I would leave you with the thought that maybe some things that represent Christianity today have nothing at all to do with following Christ, but tickle our ears and make us feel good about not such loving attitudes, and perhaps it is time we took a closer look at the values we embrace as Christian. Are they more Randian than Christian???','Are We Really Following Christ?','','inherit','open','open','','7855-autosave','','','2012-10-10 19:24:25','2012-10-11 02:24:25','',7855,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/10/7855-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7871,144,'2012-10-02 09:59:09','2012-10-02 16:59:09','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"201\" /></a></p>\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney get ready to duke it out for the best zinger of the debates..</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” as it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes even go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Can you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?</strong>','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-9','','','2012-10-02 09:59:09','2012-10-02 16:59:09','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(8020,201,'2012-11-10 13:50:35','2012-11-10 21:50:35','<strong>Growing Up in Fear</strong>\n\nAs a kid, I’d often wake up in the middle of the night: gasping for air and in a cold sweat, I’d be in a state of utter horror: believing that God had returned from heaven and left me behind, I feared that I would have to struggle for three and a half to seven years to avoid the Mark of the Beast in order to be saved from eternal fire and brimstone.\n\nNo, seriously.\n\nDuring the day, I’d keep my eyes peeled for the anti-Christ.  Democrats were particularly suspect.  The stock market was also indicative.  I’d look for places where I could camp out during the tribulation.  I found a tree house once that I thought I could stay in until the water next to it turned to blood.\n\nAt night, though, when this would happen, I’d start praying incessantly: confessing the awful sins that I believed I had committed, and asking that God be gracious to me because of them.  I’d be <em>pleading</em> for God to save me from the flames of hell that I thought I was in danger of.\n\n<em>“Oh, God!  Please!  Save me!  I am so sorry to have cursed at Josh today.  He’s not a fucking asshole, God.  He’s my friend and your precious child.  Oh, please, forgive me!  I don’t want to go to hell!  Why did I do that?!  I am so sorry! Don’t leave me behind, God.  I am sorry that I masturbated tonight!  Why, God?!  How could I be such a foolish sinner? In your love, forgive me!  If you have already come back, God, then will you please swoop back down and rapture me?  I am so afraid of the devil!  I am so afraid of the anti-Christ!  I promise that I will never get the Mark of the Beast! I am so afraid of hell!”</em>\n\nThis began in elementary school and lasted through High School: to varying degrees, and in relative forms.  It’s funny now but it was traumatic as hell then.\n\nUnfortunately, I did not create these fantasies.  They weren’t the manifestation of a deranged child.  No, I am afraid they came from the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in. The dangerous myths about God that they taught me and coerced me to live into.\n\nThe place truly believed and lived as though God’s return was immanent, and that people that were either (a) unsaved or (b) living a life of sin would soon be suffering God’s wrath and, thus, the flames of hell: first on earth in a sort of tribulation,  and then in eternity.  If one wanted to avoid this suffering, then one needed to profess Christ as God and live a rather sinless life.\n\nThis was serious business.\n\nWe’d watch videos on this stuff: of God leaving people behind, of people getting the Mark of Beast, of people getting their heads chopped off as a result, of the waters of the earth turning to blood because of God’s beef with the world, of people in hell for various arbitrary reasons.\n\nThe implicit message was always: “this is what’s <em>going</em> to happen, and this is what’s going to happen to <em>you</em> unless you accept Jesus and ,basically, not sin”.\n\nThey’d illustrate the message through puppet shows.  We’d color this reality on paper.  And into the very depths of our psyches.\n\nThings got pretty scary when the demons of puberty struck.  On numerous occasions, I remember teachers coming up to me and saying: “Let me see you hands, Paul.  [At which point I’d show the teacher my hands].  Is there <em>semen</em> on these hands?  I know there is.  I know you’ve been masturbating.  You better clean yourself, boy.  Lift your hands up to heaven and pray for forgiveness.  Do it.  Right now!”\n\nIn 1999, Al Gore was the anti-Christ and Y2K was the beginning of the immanent end.  Families bought land in far off places, stocked their garages with the basic food groups, and purchased things like generators.\n\nThat same year, as a gesture of love, he claimed, my Bible teacher suggested that we write out the entire book of Revelation and then address it to an unsaved friend.  The purpose?  So that when God returned, that unsaved friend, who would be left behind, would have an opportunity to be saved by reading it.\n\nSorry about that, Mark.\n\nHow an “unsaved” kid could ascertain that information from a long and complicated book—that many suggest isn’t about the “end times” at all—is sort of interesting to think about now.\n\nMy friend’s brother also went to an Evangelical Christian school.  When he was in 9<sup>th</sup> grade, the school called everyone into the chapel and then locked them inside.  It was an emergency, the school said.\n\nThe principle got on stage and told everyone that the nuclear power plant outside of Denver had just exploded.   That all of their family members were dead.  That they only have hours to live.\n\nFortunately for them, there was still time to accept Christ.  If they didn’t, they’d soon be dead and in hell forever.  Like the rest of Denver.\n\nThe principle made the whole thing up to scare the kids into accepting Jesus.  Some parents complained, but he got off with a mere warning because his “intentions” were good: because, so the logic went, leading people to Christ can never be quite that bad.\n\n<strong>A Father and His Son</strong>\n\nThis past weekend I dropped my doctoral program to-do list and drove from Berkeley to Orange County in order to spend time with friends from college.  Thanks be to God that my old Volvo survived the trip.  I wasn’t sure that it would.  But I am so glad: I needed the respite and rejuvenation that my beautiful friends—many of whom also grew up in the sort of Evangelical world I did—lavishly bless me with.\n\nOne afternoon, as I dug my toes into the warm sand of Newport Beach, listened to the waves crash onto the shore, and ate a <em>ridiculously</em> expensive acai bowl, I watched and listened to a father teach his son how to boogie board.\n\nI watched as the boy’s father gently held his shirt until a wave was powerful enough to carry him forward.\n\nI listened as he told his son what to do: “here comes a big one, my boy, kick your feet as hard and fast as you can!”\n\nI watched as his son struggled to learn and failed to ride the waves.\n\nAnd I listened as his father encourage him in his struggles and failures: “that’s okay, my boy, we’ll get the next one”.\n\nAs I watched and listened to this simple and yet beautiful exchange, I gave thanks to God: for being the sort of Father that gently teaches us how to ride the waves of life, and that encourages us when we struggle and fail to do so.\n\nI also gave thanks to God for not actually being the God of the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in.  And for helping me understand that.\n\nThe fear-based Evangelical God is a monster.  He’s a child abuser.  And a lot of people that have left the church have left for that very reason: because they don’t want be around a God-monster that abuses children.  We should applaud their departure.  And seriously mourn their loss and the reason for it.\n\n<strong>Addressing Abuse in the Church</strong>\n\nI got to wondering about this on my drive back up to Berkeley.\n\nHow many children have had similar experiences?  How many children are experiencing this sort of thing right now?  Have people left the Church because of this reason?  What are the consequences these experiences? Has it been seriously studied yet?  Have I changed my doctoral focus yet again?  How many questions can one ask before going insane?\n\nBut seriously, is this issue on our radar?  How concerned are we about it?\n\nChildren enter the world with a profound sense of openness and trust.   That is a gift.  A blessing.  But it is also a vulnerability, and something that can be taken advantaged of and murderously destroyed if handled inappropriately.   And what some churches do to children to get them “saved” is nothing short of child abuse.\n\nThe Church ought to wake up to this fact and deal with it within its own walls lest the State take up the worthy cause to the detriment of both the Church and the State.\n\nA few important points:\n\nI am not suggesting that churches are intentionally and consciously abusing children.  I am also not suggesting that the people that teach children to be afraid of God are child abusers. Some churches are also more extreme than others.  Not every fear-based Evangelical church is like the one I grew up in.   Some are worse.  And some, like mine, are also very beautiful and loving places.  I fell in love with God in my fear-based Evangelical world, however pathological that love initially was.  And that is a testament to God’s presence there.\n\nThe situation is complicated and nuanced.  And, most of all, it’s a sacred tragedy.\n\nGod is love, and the Church is called to be an orchestra of that love.  It ought to be a place of safety for children—a place where they can go to understand how<em>ridiculously</em> in love God is with them.  Not a fear factory garbed in godliness.\n\nThe Church ought to be a place where children need <em>absolutely not</em> be afraid of God: because that is the last thing God wants for children.  When the Church teaches children to fear God, and thus alienates them from God, it perverts the essence of its mission and it embarrasses itself.  It takes advantage of children, and it often destroys something sacred in them.  And few things grieve the Spirit more than that.\n\n“Woe to you who cause children to stumble,” Jesus warned.','Al Gore as the Anti-Christ and the Nuclear Explosion in Denver that Never Happened: On God in a Fear Factory','','inherit','open','open','','8016-revision-3','','','2012-11-10 13:50:35','2012-11-10 21:50:35','',8016,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/10/8016-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8019,201,'2012-11-10 13:44:03','2012-11-10 21:44:03','<strong>Growing Up in Fear</strong>\r\n\r\nAs a kid, I’d often wake up in the middle of the night: gasping for air and in a cold sweat, I’d be in a state of utter horror: believing that God had returned from heaven and left me behind, I feared that I would have to struggle for three and a half to seven years to avoid the Mark of the Beast in order to be saved from eternal fire and brimstone.\r\n\r\nNo, seriously.\r\n\r\nDuring the day, I’d keep my eyes peeled for the anti-Christ.  Democrats were particularly suspect.  The stock market was also indicative.  I’d look for places where I could camp out during the tribulation.  I found a tree house once that I thought I could stay in until the water next to it turned to blood.\r\n\r\nAt night, though, when this would happen, I’d start praying incessantly: confessing the awful sins that I believed I had committed, and asking that God be gracious to me because of them.  I’d be <em>pleading</em> for God to save me from the flames of hell that I thought I was in danger of.\r\n\r\n<em>“Oh, God!  Please!  Save me!  I am so sorry to have cursed at Josh today.  He’s not a fucking asshole, God.  He’s my friend and your precious child.  Oh, please, forgive me!  I don’t want to go to hell!  Why did I do that?!  I am so sorry! Don’t leave me behind, God.  I am sorry that I masturbated tonight!  Why, God?!  How could I be such a foolish sinner? In your love, forgive me!  If you have already come back, God, then will you please swoop back down and rapture me?  I am so afraid of the devil!  I am so afraid of the anti-Christ!  I promise that I will never get the Mark of the Beast! I am so afraid of hell!”</em>\r\n\r\nThis began in elementary school and lasted through High School: to varying degrees, and in relative forms.  It’s funny now but it was traumatic as hell then.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, I did not create these fantasies.  They weren’t the manifestation of a deranged child.  No, I am afraid they came from the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in. The dangerous myths about God that they taught me and coerced me to live into.\r\n\r\nThe place truly believed and lived as though God’s return was immanent, and that people that were either (a) unsaved or (b) living a life of sin would soon be suffering God’s wrath and, thus, the flames of hell: first on earth in a sort of tribulation,  and then in eternity.  If one wanted to avoid this suffering, then one needed to profess Christ as God and live a rather sinless life.\r\n\r\nThis was serious business.\r\n\r\nWe’d watch videos on this stuff: of God leaving people behind, of people getting the Mark of Beast, of people getting their heads chopped off as a result, of the waters of the earth turning to blood because of God’s beef with the world, of people in hell for various arbitrary reasons.\r\n\r\nThe implicit message was always: “this is what’s <em>going</em> to happen, and this is what’s going to happen to <em>you</em> unless you accept Jesus and ,basically, not sin”.\r\n\r\nThey’d illustrate the message through puppet shows.  We’d color this reality on paper.  And into the very depths of our psyches.\r\n\r\nThings got pretty scary when the demons of puberty struck.  On numerous occasions, I remember teachers coming up to me and saying: “Let me see you hands, Paul.  [At which point I’d show the teacher my hands].  Is there <em>semen</em> on these hands?  I know there is.  I know you’ve been masturbating.  You better clean yourself, boy.  Lift your hands up to heaven and pray for forgiveness.  Do it.  Right now!”\r\n\r\nIn 1999, Al Gore was the anti-Christ and Y2K was the beginning of the immanent end.  Families bought land in far off places, stocked their garages with the basic food groups, and purchased things like generators.\r\n\r\nThat same year, as a gesture of love, he claimed, my Bible teacher suggested that we write out the entire book of Revelation and then address it to an unsaved friend.  The purpose?  So that when God returned, that unsaved friend, who would be left behind, would have an opportunity to be saved by reading it.\r\n\r\nSorry about that, Mark.\r\n\r\nHow an “unsaved” kid could ascertain that information from a long and complicated book—that many suggest isn’t about the “end times” at all—is sort of interesting to think about now.\r\n\r\nMy friend’s brother also went to an Evangelical Christian school.  When he was in 9<sup>th</sup> grade, the school called everyone into the chapel and then locked them inside.  It was an emergency, the school said.\r\n\r\nThe principle got on stage and told everyone that the nuclear power plant outside of Denver had just exploded.   That all of their family members were dead.  That they only have hours to live.\r\n\r\nFortunately for them, there was still time to accept Christ.  If they didn’t, they’d soon be dead and in hell forever.  Like the rest of Denver.\r\n\r\nThe principle made the whole thing up to scare the kids into accepting Jesus.  Some parents complained, but he got off with a mere warning because his “intentions” were good: because, so the logic went, leading people to Christ can never be quite that bad.\r\n\r\n<strong>A Father and His Son</strong>\r\n\r\nThis past weekend I dropped my doctoral program to-do list and drove from Berkeley to Orange County in order to spend time with friends from college.  Thanks be to God that my old Volvo survived the trip.  I wasn’t sure that it would.  But I am so glad: I needed the respite and rejuvenation that my beautiful friends—many of whom also grew up in the sort of Evangelical world I did—lavishly bless me with.\r\n\r\nOne afternoon, as I dug my toes into the warm sand of Newport Beach, listened to the waves crash onto the shore, and ate a <em>ridiculously</em> expensive acai bowl, I watched and listened to a father teach his son how to boogie board.\r\n\r\nI watched as the boy’s father gently held his shirt until a wave was powerful enough to carry him forward.\r\n\r\nI listened as he told his son what to do: “here comes a big one, my boy, kick your feet as hard and fast as you can!”\r\n\r\nI watched as his son struggled to learn and failed to ride the waves.\r\n\r\nAnd I listened as his father encourage him in his struggles and failures: “that’s okay, my boy, we’ll get the next one”.\r\n\r\nAs I watched and listened to this simple and yet beautiful exchange, I gave thanks to God: for being the sort of Father that gently teaches us how to ride the waves of life, and that encourages us when we struggle and fail to do so.\r\n\r\nI also gave thanks to God for not actually being the God of the fear-based Evangelical world that I grew up in.  And for helping me understand that.\r\n\r\nThe fear-based Evangelical God is a monster.  He’s a child abuser.  And a lot of people that have left the church have left for that very reason: because they don’t want be around a God-monster that abuses children.  We should applaud their departure.  And seriously mourn their loss and the reason for it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Addressing Abuse in the Church</strong>\r\n\r\nI got to wondering about this on my drive back up to Berkeley.\r\n\r\nHow many children have had similar experiences?  How many children are experiencing this sort of thing right now?  Have people left the Church because of this reason?  What are the consequences these experiences? Has it been seriously studied yet?  Have I changed my doctoral focus yet again?  How many questions can one ask before going insane?\r\n\r\nBut seriously, is this issue on our radar?  How concerned are we about it?\r\n\r\nChildren enter the world with a profound sense of openness and trust.   That is a gift.  A blessing.  But it is also a vulnerability, and something that can be taken advantaged of and murderously destroyed if handled inappropriately.   And what some churches do to children to get them “saved” is nothing short of child abuse.\r\n\r\nThe Church ought to wake up to this fact and deal with it within its own walls lest the State take up the worthy cause to the detriment of both the Church and the State.\r\n\r\nA few important points:\r\n\r\nI am not suggesting that churches are intentionally and consciously abusing children.  I am also not suggesting that the people that teach children to be afraid of God are child abusers. Some churches are also more extreme than others.  Not every fear-based Evangelical church is like the one I grew up in.   Some are worse.  And some, like mine, are also very beautiful and loving places.  I fell in love with God in my fear-based Evangelical world, however pathological that love initially was.  And that is a testament to God’s presence there.\r\n\r\nThe situation is complicated and nuanced.  And, most of all, it’s a sacred tragedy.\r\n\r\nGod is love, and the Church is called to be an orchestra of that love.  It ought to be a place of safety for children—a place where they can go to understand how<em>ridiculously</em> in love God is with them.  Not a fear factory garbed in godliness.\r\n\r\nThe Church ought to be a place where children need <em>absolutely not</em> be afraid of God: because that is the last thing God wants for children.  When the Church teaches children to fear God, and thus alienates them from God, it perverts the essence of its mission and it embarrasses itself.  It takes advantage of children, and it often destroys something sacred in them.  And few things grieve the Spirit more than that.\r\n\r\n“Woe to you who cause children to stumble,” Jesus warned.','Al Gore as the Anti-Christ and the Nuclear Explosion in Denver that Never Happened: On God in a Fear Factory','','inherit','open','open','','8016-revision-2','','','2012-11-10 13:44:03','2012-11-10 21:44:03','',8016,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/10/8016-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8004,144,'2012-11-13 08:00:36','2012-11-13 16:00:36','<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">I am seriously moved, definitely warmed and inspired as I just finished a new novel by Doug Worgul, entitled, </span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352059633&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><em>Thin Blue Smoke.</em></a></strong></p>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">These characters got into my heart and let me know I still have a heart. They’re real and flawed. Some of them have had some really bad breaks in life, but those bad breaks did not set their destiny; one human being caring about another did.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Having stumbled upon a review while surfing my Facebook updates, it was the context of Kansas City barbecue that intrigued me because I love barbecue and spent a good many years living just north and later, just south of KC. A downtown hole-the-wall barbecue joint is a connecting point for many of the characters in the story.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img class=\" wp-image-1205 alignright\" src=\"http://www.glennhager.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/worgul-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"240\" /></span></a><strong>Food, friends, and faith are all meshed in a raw and real way to keep you eagerly reading.</strong> I was sucked in with a mention of my hometown in the first paragraph of chapter one and later references to obscure northwestern Missouri locales, all of which were familiar to me.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Worgul is a former features, book and magazine editor for the </span><em>Kansas City Star</em></strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>, the author of two non-fiction works, and a bona fide barbecue expert.</strong> He writes so beautifully and warmly that you know this man knows something about people, God, relationships, redemption, and barbecue. It’s not preachy in the least and is not a Christian book, in any conventional sense, but its message of love and redemption through relationships is, perhaps, the most beautiful I have ever read.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The characters are colorful, including the cranky old former professional baseball player and proprietor of the BBQ joint,</strong> the sort of adopted lost boy who runs the place, the scholarly, alcoholic, has been author Episcopal priest, the real estate developer with a secret, and the seventy-five year-old local legend blues singer, known as Mother. These are real people who have serious regrets, drink too much, have sex, and yes, some of them, are violent and corrupt. Not everyone is redeemed. It’s like life.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>There are scenes so tender that they got to a crusty old dude like me.</strong> The eccentricities of the people made me laugh out loud and the circumstances of their love and grief caused me to weep silently.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>I loved reading this rich and rewarding story set in a place I know, but it is the people</strong> (I don’t even think of them as characters) that encouraged me and inspired me to see if maybe, somehow in the twists and turns of life, I could be something of a redeeming influence for somebody.</span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\">Doug Worgul’s site</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/\">Burnside Books (publisher) site</a>','Thin Blue Smoke','','publish','open','open','','thin-blue-smoke','','\nhttp://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/','2012-11-13 10:03:08','2012-11-13 18:03:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8004',0,'post','',0),(8006,144,'2012-11-05 10:06:52','2012-11-05 18:06:52','<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8005\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"276\" /></a>I am seriously moved, definitely warmed and inspired as I just finished a new novel by Doug Worgul, entitled, </span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352059633&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><em>Thin Blue Smoke.</em></a></strong>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">These characters got into my heart and let me know I still have a heart. They’re real and flawed. Some of them have had some really bad breaks in life, but those bad breaks did not set their destiny; one human being caring about another did.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Having stumbled upon a review while surfing my Facebook updates, it was the context of Kansas City barbecue that intrigued me because I love barbecue and spent a good many years living just north and later, just south of KC. A downtown hole-the-wall barbecue joint is a connecting point for many of the characters in the story.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img class=\" wp-image-1205 alignright\" src=\"http://www.glennhager.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/worgul-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"240\" /></span></a><strong>Food, friends, and faith are all meshed in a raw and real way to keep you eagerly reading.</strong> I was sucked in with a mention of hometown in the first paragraph of chapter one and later references to obscure northwestern Missouri locales, all of which were familiar to me.</span>\n\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Worgul is a former features, book and magazine editor for the </span><em>Kansas City Star</em></strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>, the author of two non-fiction works, and a bona fide barbecue expert.</strong> He writes so beautifully and warmly that you know this man knows something about people, God, relationships, redemption, and barbecue. It’s not preachy in the least and is not a Christian book, in any conventional sense, but its message of love and redemption through relationships is, perhaps, the most beautiful I have ever read.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The characters are colorful, including the cranky old former professional baseball player and proprietor of the BBQ joint,</strong> the sort of adopted lost boy who runs the place, the scholarly, alcoholic, has been author Episcopal priest, the real estate developer with a secret, and the seventy-five year-old local legend blues singer, known as Mother. These are real people who have serious regrets, drink too much, have sex, and yes, some of them, are violent and corrupt. Not everyone is redeemed. It’s like life.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>There are scenes so tender that they got to a crusty old dude like me.</strong> The eccentricities of the people made me laugh out loud and the circumstances of their love and grief caused me to weep silently.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>I loved reading this rich and rewarding story set in a place I know, but it is the people</strong> (I don’t even think of them as characters) that encouraged me and inspired me to see if maybe, somehow in the twists and turns of life, I could be something of a redeeming influence for somebody.</span>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\">Doug Worgul’s site</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/\">Burnside Books (publisher) site</a>','Thin Blue Smoke','','inherit','open','open','','8004-revision','','','2012-11-05 10:06:52','2012-11-05 18:06:52','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/05/8004-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8005,144,'2012-11-05 10:05:37','2012-11-05 18:05:37','','thin blue smoke-3','','inherit','open','open','','thin-blue-smoke-3','','','2012-11-05 10:05:37','2012-11-05 18:05:37','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8007,144,'2012-11-05 10:07:36','2012-11-05 18:07:36','<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8005\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"276\" /></a>I am seriously moved, definitely warmed and inspired as I just finished a new novel by Doug Worgul, entitled, </span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352059633&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><em>Thin Blue Smoke.</em></a></strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">These characters got into my heart and let me know I still have a heart. They’re real and flawed. Some of them have had some really bad breaks in life, but those bad breaks did not set their destiny; one human being caring about another did.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Having stumbled upon a review while surfing my Facebook updates, it was the context of Kansas City barbecue that intrigued me because I love barbecue and spent a good many years living just north and later, just south of KC. A downtown hole-the-wall barbecue joint is a connecting point for many of the characters in the story.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img class=\" wp-image-1205 alignright\" src=\"http://www.glennhager.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/worgul-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"240\" /></span></a><strong>Food, friends, and faith are all meshed in a raw and real way to keep you eagerly reading.</strong> I was sucked in with a mention of hometown in the first paragraph of chapter one and later references to obscure northwestern Missouri locales, all of which were familiar to me.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Worgul is a former features, book and magazine editor for the </span><em>Kansas City Star</em></strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>, the author of two non-fiction works, and a bona fide barbecue expert.</strong> He writes so beautifully and warmly that you know this man knows something about people, God, relationships, redemption, and barbecue. It’s not preachy in the least and is not a Christian book, in any conventional sense, but its message of love and redemption through relationships is, perhaps, the most beautiful I have ever read.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The characters are colorful, including the cranky old former professional baseball player and proprietor of the BBQ joint,</strong> the sort of adopted lost boy who runs the place, the scholarly, alcoholic, has been author Episcopal priest, the real estate developer with a secret, and the seventy-five year-old local legend blues singer, known as Mother. These are real people who have serious regrets, drink too much, have sex, and yes, some of them, are violent and corrupt. Not everyone is redeemed. It’s like life.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>There are scenes so tender that they got to a crusty old dude like me.</strong> The eccentricities of the people made me laugh out loud and the circumstances of their love and grief caused me to weep silently.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>I loved reading this rich and rewarding story set in a place I know, but it is the people</strong> (I don’t even think of them as characters) that encouraged me and inspired me to see if maybe, somehow in the twists and turns of life, I could be something of a redeeming influence for somebody.</span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\">Doug Worgul’s site</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/\">Burnside Books (publisher) site</a>','Thin Blue Smoke','','inherit','open','open','','8004-revision-2','','','2012-11-05 10:07:36','2012-11-05 18:07:36','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/05/8004-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8008,144,'2012-11-05 10:08:17','2012-11-05 18:08:17','<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8005\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"276\" /></a>I am seriously moved, definitely warmed and inspired as I just finished a new novel by Doug Worgul, entitled, </span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352059633&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><em>Thin Blue Smoke.</em></a></strong>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">These characters got into my heart and let me know I still have a heart. They’re real and flawed. Some of them have had some really bad breaks in life, but those bad breaks did not set their destiny; one human being caring about another did.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Having stumbled upon a review while surfing my Facebook updates, it was the context of Kansas City barbecue that intrigued me because I love barbecue and spent a good many years living just north and later, just south of KC. A downtown hole-the-wall barbecue joint is a connecting point for many of the characters in the story.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img class=\" wp-image-1205 alignright\" src=\"http://www.glennhager.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/worgul-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"240\" /></span></a><strong>Food, friends, and faith are all meshed in a raw and real way to keep you eagerly reading.</strong> I was sucked in with a mention of hometown in the first paragraph of chapter one and later references to obscure northwestern Missouri locales, all of which were familiar to me.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Worgul is a former features, book and magazine editor for the </span><em>Kansas City Star</em></strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>, the author of two non-fiction works, and a bona fide barbecue expert.</strong> He writes so beautifully and warmly that you know this man knows something about people, God, relationships, redemption, and barbecue. It’s not preachy in the least and is not a Christian book, in any conventional sense, but its message of love and redemption through relationships is, perhaps, the most beautiful I have ever read.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The characters are colorful, including the cranky old former professional baseball player and proprietor of the BBQ joint,</strong> the sort of adopted lost boy who runs the place, the scholarly, alcoholic, has been author Episcopal priest, the real estate developer with a secret, and the seventy-five year-old local legend blues singer, known as Mother. These are real people who have serious regrets, drink too much, have sex, and yes, some of them, are violent and corrupt. Not everyone is redeemed. It’s like life.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>There are scenes so tender that they got to a crusty old dude like me.</strong> The eccentricities of the people made me laugh out loud and the circumstances of their love and grief caused me to weep silently.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>I loved reading this rich and rewarding story set in a place I know, but it is the people</strong> (I don’t even think of them as characters) that encouraged me and inspired me to see if maybe, somehow in the twists and turns of life, I could be something of a redeeming influence for somebody.</span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\">Doug Worgul’s site</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/\">Burnside Books (publisher) site</a>','Thin Blue Smoke','','inherit','open','open','','8004-revision-3','','','2012-11-05 10:08:17','2012-11-05 18:08:17','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/05/8004-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8009,144,'2012-11-05 10:09:45','2012-11-05 18:09:45','<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352138606&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8005\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"276\" /></a>I am seriously moved, definitely warmed and inspired as I just finished a new novel by Doug Worgul, entitled, </span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352059633&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><em>Thin Blue Smoke.</em></a></strong></p>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">These characters got into my heart and let me know I still have a heart. They’re real and flawed. Some of them have had some really bad breaks in life, but those bad breaks did not set their destiny; one human being caring about another did.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Having stumbled upon a review while surfing my Facebook updates, it was the context of Kansas City barbecue that intrigued me because I love barbecue and spent a good many years living just north and later, just south of KC. A downtown hole-the-wall barbecue joint is a connecting point for many of the characters in the story.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img class=\" wp-image-1205 alignright\" src=\"http://www.glennhager.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/worgul-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"240\" /></span></a><strong>Food, friends, and faith are all meshed in a raw and real way to keep you eagerly reading.</strong> I was sucked in with a mention of hometown in the first paragraph of chapter one and later references to obscure northwestern Missouri locales, all of which were familiar to me.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Worgul is a former features, book and magazine editor for the </span><em>Kansas City Star</em></strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>, the author of two non-fiction works, and a bona fide barbecue expert.</strong> He writes so beautifully and warmly that you know this man knows something about people, God, relationships, redemption, and barbecue. It’s not preachy in the least and is not a Christian book, in any conventional sense, but its message of love and redemption through relationships is, perhaps, the most beautiful I have ever read.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The characters are colorful, including the cranky old former professional baseball player and proprietor of the BBQ joint,</strong> the sort of adopted lost boy who runs the place, the scholarly, alcoholic, has been author Episcopal priest, the real estate developer with a secret, and the seventy-five year-old local legend blues singer, known as Mother. These are real people who have serious regrets, drink too much, have sex, and yes, some of them, are violent and corrupt. Not everyone is redeemed. It’s like life.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>There are scenes so tender that they got to a crusty old dude like me.</strong> The eccentricities of the people made me laugh out loud and the circumstances of their love and grief caused me to weep silently.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>I loved reading this rich and rewarding story set in a place I know, but it is the people</strong> (I don’t even think of them as characters) that encouraged me and inspired me to see if maybe, somehow in the twists and turns of life, I could be something of a redeeming influence for somebody.</span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\">Doug Worgul’s site</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/\">Burnside Books (publisher) site</a>','Thin Blue Smoke','','inherit','open','open','','8004-revision-4','','','2012-11-05 10:09:45','2012-11-05 18:09:45','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/05/8004-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8010,144,'2012-11-05 10:10:05','2012-11-05 18:10:05','<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352138606&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8005\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/thin-blue-smoke-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"276\" /></a>I am seriously moved, definitely warmed and inspired as I just finished a new novel by Doug Worgul, entitled, </span><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blue-Smoke-Doug-Worgul/dp/0985295325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1352059633&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=thin+blue+smoke\"><em>Thin Blue Smoke.</em></a></strong></p>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">These characters got into my heart and let me know I still have a heart. They’re real and flawed. Some of them have had some really bad breaks in life, but those bad breaks did not set their destiny; one human being caring about another did.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Having stumbled upon a review while surfing my Facebook updates, it was the context of Kansas City barbecue that intrigued me because I love barbecue and spent a good many years living just north and later, just south of KC. A downtown hole-the-wall barbecue joint is a connecting point for many of the characters in the story.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img class=\" wp-image-1205 alignright\" src=\"http://www.glennhager.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/worgul-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"240\" /></span></a><strong>Food, friends, and faith are all meshed in a raw and real way to keep you eagerly reading.</strong> I was sucked in with a mention of hometown in the first paragraph of chapter one and later references to obscure northwestern Missouri locales, all of which were familiar to me.</span>\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Worgul is a former features, book and magazine editor for the </span><em>Kansas City Star</em></strong><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>, the author of two non-fiction works, and a bona fide barbecue expert.</strong> He writes so beautifully and warmly that you know this man knows something about people, God, relationships, redemption, and barbecue. It’s not preachy in the least and is not a Christian book, in any conventional sense, but its message of love and redemption through relationships is, perhaps, the most beautiful I have ever read.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>The characters are colorful, including the cranky old former professional baseball player and proprietor of the BBQ joint,</strong> the sort of adopted lost boy who runs the place, the scholarly, alcoholic, has been author Episcopal priest, the real estate developer with a secret, and the seventy-five year-old local legend blues singer, known as Mother. These are real people who have serious regrets, drink too much, have sex, and yes, some of them, are violent and corrupt. Not everyone is redeemed. It’s like life.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>There are scenes so tender that they got to a crusty old dude like me.</strong> The eccentricities of the people made me laugh out loud and the circumstances of their love and grief caused me to weep silently.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>I loved reading this rich and rewarding story set in a place I know, but it is the people</strong> (I don’t even think of them as characters) that encouraged me and inspired me to see if maybe, somehow in the twists and turns of life, I could be something of a redeeming influence for somebody.</span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.dougworgul.com/\">Doug Worgul’s site</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://burnsidewriters.com/2012/03/19/introducing-burnside-books/\">Burnside Books (publisher) site</a>','Thin Blue Smoke','','inherit','open','open','','8004-revision-5','','','2012-11-05 10:10:05','2012-11-05 18:10:05','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/2012/11/05/8004-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(8023,144,'2012-11-13 09:47:06','2012-11-13 17:47:06','','tbs banner','','inherit','open','open','','tbs-banner','','','2012-11-13 09:47:06','2012-11-13 17:47:06','',8004,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tbs-banner.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(7801,12,'2012-10-11 08:00:14','2012-10-11 15:00:14','I\'ve never liked reality television. I remember watching the movie, \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show\"><em>The Truman Show</em></a>.\" I got a kick out of it. But I remember thinking, \"<em>What if someone did that</em>?\" Well, someone did.\r\n\r\nI\'m too lazy to look back and see where reality television started, but I remember when <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_%28U.S._TV_series%29\">Survivor came on</a>. I watched a little of the first season. People jockeying for position to get the grand prize. Lying to each other. Being jerks on national television. Hey, it made for great ratings, who am I to judge?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7803\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" /></a>Let\'s skip to today. We have all kinds of reality shows. Jersey Shore, Auction Hunters, Storage Wars, 19 Kids and Counting, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, 16 and Pregnant, Jackass, Four Weddings, Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Wars, Cupcake Wars, Big Brother, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Hoarders, Intervention, Hardcore Pawn, Miami Ink, Sister Wives, Toddlers and Tiaras, Ice Road Truckers, Whale Wars, Dog Whisperer, Deadliest Catch, several Amish shows, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, American Idol, X Factor, COPS, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Extreme Makeover, Trading Spaces, Pimp My Ride, What Not To Wear, The Biggest Loser, Duck Dynasty, Undercover Boss, blah blah blah blah and blah.\r\n\r\nI really don\'t like reality television. I do watch <em>Storage Wars</em>, I will admit that. I did read some random article that said most of it was faked. I don\'t have any real documentation to back that up.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even to my main complaint yet.\r\n\r\nWhy are we so fascinated with this stuff? Let me say this. I love watching people. I really do. I am guilty of sitting on a bench in the mall and watching families. There\'s a ton of drama at the local mall if you\'ll just sit back and watch.\r\n\r\nBut for some reason in the past decade, we have allowed the media to walk into our homes and record our faults. Worse, we watch that crap. Why? Well, I can tell you this - the advertisers are buying time slots. Because we are watching it.\r\n\r\nMy wife Allison loves some of the reality television. She started watching the Honey Boo Boo girl recently. She asked me to sit down and watch it with her for a few minutes. Listen, I can\'t stand watching the Duggars for more than five minutes. But being a good husband, I obliged. Seriously. I couldn\'t stand it for more than ten minutes. Why was I watching it?\r\n\r\nHey, here\'s a clip:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQOvRVo4ZQE\r\n\r\nWell, I know why. We put people on television who are a sideshow. Lord, if <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum\">P.T. Barnum</a> were alive today, he\'d own half the market in reality television. Thousands watched when television cameras set up in the home of Ozzy Osbourne. And it sold advertising.\r\n\r\nWhy? I think for a couple of reasons. It gives us escape. We can watch others to make us feel better about ourselves. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7804\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat-300x220.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>Maybe we identify with people who fight and have a worse life than we have. And also, it\'s just brainless entertainment. You spend more brain activity eating pistachios and throwing playing cards into a tophat.\r\n\r\nThat said, I\'m really, really worried about what it\'s doing to us. It\'s making us stupid. We aren\'t watching History Channel documentaries. We aren\'t watching the news or old classic movies. We\'re not watching anything that is enriching our minds. We\'re watching what Honey Boo Boo will say next when she\'s asked about make up. Honestly. I watched her do some sort of hand movements for two minutes without any dialogue the other night. People must eat this stuff up.\r\n\r\nReality television is making us stupid. Or stupider. Is that a word? See? I\'m even getting dumber.\r\n\r\nI really want to say, <em>\"What is wrong with all these people on these shows?\"</em> But that\'s not the right question. They don\'t want help. The right question is,<em> \"What is wrong with those of us who dabble too far in watching these shows?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThere\'s even proof that reality television isn\'t reality at all. There are several great articles (well researched, I might add) over at Cracked.com that you should read. One in particular is called, <a href=\"http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-secrets-making-reality-tv-they-dont-want-you-to-know/\"><em>\"5 Secrets to Making Reality TV They Don\'t Want You To Know.\"</em></a>\r\n\r\nWatching other people wallow in their own hatred, ignorance, turtle catching, duck hunting, family arguing is leaving a mark on our minds and the minds of our children. Sure, we can say, <em>\"Oh, it\'s just entertaining.\"</em> No, it\'s really not. It\'s showing us that we can be like that and it\'s okay. We revere people on television, don\'t we? And when we see them do something, we must think that it is okay to act like that.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7805\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs-300x230.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"193\" /></a>Now, dear reader, I know you are immune to such things. But I fear your children are not. Make sure you explain to them that the people on television who use improper grammar, slap one another, scream at their mothers, allow feces to be dumped on their head are engaging in behavior that is really not standard for a growing society.\r\n\r\nExplain to them that advertisers will pay money to see people act as stupid as possible. Please. Or we will all be in trouble.\r\n\r\nSo hey, if you\'re watching that stuff by yourself as a guilty pleasure, go for it. Just be ready to separate the reality from reality. Because that stuff is not reality. Did that make sense? Probably not. I think I watched too much Honey Boo Boo.','Reality Television: What Is Wrong With Us?','','publish','open','open','','reality-television-what-is-wrong-with-us','','','2012-10-10 19:28:52','2012-10-11 02:28:52','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7801',0,'post','',0),(7802,12,'2012-09-27 22:54:25','2012-09-28 05:54:25','[Alana (Honey Boo Boo) Thompson.] *** []','Honey Boo Boo','','inherit','open','open','','honey-boo-boo','','','2012-09-27 22:54:25','2012-09-28 05:54:25','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/booboo.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7803,12,'2012-09-27 22:58:54','2012-09-28 05:58:54','','shore','','inherit','open','open','','shore','','','2012-09-27 22:58:54','2012-09-28 05:58:54','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7804,12,'2012-09-27 23:02:30','2012-09-28 06:02:30','','tophat','','inherit','open','open','','tophat','','','2012-09-27 23:02:30','2012-09-28 06:02:30','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(7805,12,'2012-09-27 23:03:55','2012-09-28 06:03:55','','tvs','','inherit','open','open','','tvs','','','2012-09-27 23:03:55','2012-09-28 06:03:55','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7806,12,'2012-09-27 23:04:26','2012-09-28 06:04:26','I\'ve never liked reality television. I remember watching the movie, \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show\"><em>The Truman Show</em></a>.\" I got a kick out of it. But I remember thinking, \"<em>What if someone did that</em>?\" Well, someone did.\n\nI\'m too lazy to look back and see where reality television started, but I remember when <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_%28U.S._TV_series%29\">Survivor came on</a>. I watched a little of the first season. People jockeying for position to get the grand prize. Lying to each other. Being jerks on national television. Hey, it made for great ratings, who am I to judge?\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7803\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" /></a>Let\'s skip to today. We have all kinds of reality shows. Jersey Shore, Auction Hunters, Storage Wars, 19 Kids and Counting, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, 16 and Pregnant, Jackass, Four Weddings, Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Wars, Cupcake Wars, Big Brother, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Hoarders, Intervention, Hardcore Pawn, Miami Ink, Sister Wives, Toddlers and Tiaras, Ice Road Truckers, Whale Wars, Dog Whisperer, Deadliest Catch, several Amish shows, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, American Idol, X Factor, COPS, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Extreme Makeover, Trading Spaces, Pimp My Ride, What Not To Wear, The Biggest Loser, Duck Dynasty, Undercover Boss, blah blah blah blah and blah.\n\nI really don\'t like reality television. I do watch <em>Storage Wars</em>, I will admit that. I did read some random article that said most of it was faked. I don\'t have any real documentation to back that up.\n\nI\'m not even to my main complaint yet.\n\nWhy are we so fascinated with this stuff? Let me say this. I love watching people. I really do. I am guilty of sitting on a bench in the mall and watching families. There\'s a ton of drama at the local mall if you\'ll just sit back and watch.\n\nBut for some reason in the past decade, we have allowed the media to walk into our homes and record our faults. Worse, we watch that crap. Why? Well, I can tell you this - the advertisers are buying time slots. Because we are watching it.\n\nMy wife Allison loves some of the reality television. She started watching the Honey Boo Boo girl recently. She asked me to sit down and watch it with her for a few minutes. Listen, I can\'t stand watching the Duggars for more than five minutes. But being a good husband, I obliged. Seriously. I couldn\'t stand it for more than ten minutes. Why was I watching it?\n\nWell, I know why. We put people on television who are a sideshow. Lord, if <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum\">P.T. Barnum</a> were alive today, he\'d own half the market in reality television. Thousands watched when television cameras set up in the home of Ozzy Osbourne. And it sold advertising.\n\nWhy? I think for a couple of reasons. It gives us escape. We can watch others to make us feel better about ourselves. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7804\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat-300x220.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>Maybe we identify with people who fight and have a worse life than we have. And also, it\'s just brainless entertainment. You spend more brain activity eating pistachios and throwing playing cards into a tophat.\n\nThat said, I\'m really, really worried about what it\'s doing to us. It\'s making us stupid. We aren\'t watching History Channel documentaries. We aren\'t watching the news or old classic movies. We\'re not watching anything that is enriching our minds. We\'re watching what Honey Boo Boo will say next when she\'s asked about make up. Honestly. I watched her do some sort of hand movements for two minutes without any dialogue the other night. People must eat this stuff up.\n\nReality television is making us stupid. Or stupider. Is that a word? See? I\'m even getting dumber.\n\nI really want to say, <em>\"What is wrong with all these people on these shows?\"</em> But that\'s not the right question. They don\'t want help. The right question is,<em> \"What is wrong with those of us who dabble too far in watching these shows?\"</em>\n\nThere\'s even proof that reality television isn\'t reality at all. There are several great articles (well researched, I might add) over at Cracked.com that you should read. One in particular is called, <a href=\"http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-secrets-making-reality-tv-they-dont-want-you-to-know/\"><em>\"5 Secrets to Making Reality TV They Don\'t Want You To Know.\"</em></a>\n\nWatching other people wallow in their own hatred, ignorance, turtle catching, duck hunting, family arguing is leaving a mark on our minds and the minds of our children. Sure, we can say, <em>\"Oh, it\'s just entertaining.\"</em> No, it\'s really not. It\'s showing us that we can be like that and it\'s okay. We revere people on television, don\'t we? And when we see them do something, we must think that it is okay to act like that.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7805\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs-300x230.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"193\" /></a>Now, dear reader, I know you are immune to such things. But I fear your children are not. Make sure you explain to them that the people on television who use improper grammar, slap one another, scream at their mothers, allow feces to be dumped on their head are engaging in behavior that is really not standard for a growing society.\n\nExplain to them that advertisers will pay money to see people act as stupid as possible. Please. Or we will all be in trouble.\n\nSo hey, if you\'re watching that stuff by yourself as a guilty pleasure, go for it. Just be ready to separate the reality from reality. Because that stuff is not reality. Did that make sense? Probably not. I think I watched too much Honey Boo Boo.','Reality Television: What Is Wrong With Us?','','inherit','open','open','','7801-revision','','','2012-09-27 23:04:26','2012-09-28 06:04:26','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/27/7801-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7807,12,'2012-09-27 23:06:28','2012-09-28 06:06:28','I\'ve never liked reality television. I remember watching the movie, \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show\"><em>The Truman Show</em></a>.\" I got a kick out of it. But I remember thinking, \"<em>What if someone did that</em>?\" Well, someone did.\n\nI\'m too lazy to look back and see where reality television started, but I remember when <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_%28U.S._TV_series%29\">Survivor came on</a>. I watched a little of the first season. People jockeying for position to get the grand prize. Lying to each other. Being jerks on national television. Hey, it made for great ratings, who am I to judge?\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7803\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" /></a>Let\'s skip to today. We have all kinds of reality shows. Jersey Shore, Auction Hunters, Storage Wars, 19 Kids and Counting, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, 16 and Pregnant, Jackass, Four Weddings, Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Wars, Cupcake Wars, Big Brother, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Hoarders, Intervention, Hardcore Pawn, Miami Ink, Sister Wives, Toddlers and Tiaras, Ice Road Truckers, Whale Wars, Dog Whisperer, Deadliest Catch, several Amish shows, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, American Idol, X Factor, COPS, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Extreme Makeover, Trading Spaces, Pimp My Ride, What Not To Wear, The Biggest Loser, Duck Dynasty, Undercover Boss, blah blah blah blah and blah.\n\nI really don\'t like reality television. I do watch <em>Storage Wars</em>, I will admit that. I did read some random article that said most of it was faked. I don\'t have any real documentation to back that up.\n\nI\'m not even to my main complaint yet.\n\nWhy are we so fascinated with this stuff? Let me say this. I love watching people. I really do. I am guilty of sitting on a bench in the mall and watching families. There\'s a ton of drama at the local mall if you\'ll just sit back and watch.\n\nBut for some reason in the past decade, we have allowed the media to walk into our homes and record our faults. Worse, we watch that crap. Why? Well, I can tell you this - the advertisers are buying time slots. Because we are watching it.\n\nMy wife Allison loves some of the reality television. She started watching the Honey Boo Boo girl recently. She asked me to sit down and watch it with her for a few minutes. Listen, I can\'t stand watching the Duggars for more than five minutes. But being a good husband, I obliged. Seriously. I couldn\'t stand it for more than ten minutes. Why was I watching it?\n\nHey, here\'s a clip:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQOvRVo4ZQE\n\nWell, I know why. We put people on television who are a sideshow. Lord, if <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum\">P.T. Barnum</a> were alive today, he\'d own half the market in reality television. Thousands watched when television cameras set up in the home of Ozzy Osbourne. And it sold advertising.\n\nWhy? I think for a couple of reasons. It gives us escape. We can watch others to make us feel better about ourselves. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7804\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat-300x220.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>Maybe we identify with people who fight and have a worse life than we have. And also, it\'s just brainless entertainment. You spend more brain activity eating pistachios and throwing playing cards into a tophat.\n\nThat said, I\'m really, really worried about what it\'s doing to us. It\'s making us stupid. We aren\'t watching History Channel documentaries. We aren\'t watching the news or old classic movies. We\'re not watching anything that is enriching our minds. We\'re watching what Honey Boo Boo will say next when she\'s asked about make up. Honestly. I watched her do some sort of hand movements for two minutes without any dialogue the other night. People must eat this stuff up.\n\nReality television is making us stupid. Or stupider. Is that a word? See? I\'m even getting dumber.\n\nI really want to say, <em>\"What is wrong with all these people on these shows?\"</em> But that\'s not the right question. They don\'t want help. The right question is,<em> \"What is wrong with those of us who dabble too far in watching these shows?\"</em>\n\nThere\'s even proof that reality television isn\'t reality at all. There are several great articles (well researched, I might add) over at Cracked.com that you should read. One in particular is called, <a href=\"http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-secrets-making-reality-tv-they-dont-want-you-to-know/\"><em>\"5 Secrets to Making Reality TV They Don\'t Want You To Know.\"</em></a>\n\nWatching other people wallow in their own hatred, ignorance, turtle catching, duck hunting, family arguing is leaving a mark on our minds and the minds of our children. Sure, we can say, <em>\"Oh, it\'s just entertaining.\"</em> No, it\'s really not. It\'s showing us that we can be like that and it\'s okay. We revere people on television, don\'t we? And when we see them do something, we must think that it is okay to act like that.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7805\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs-300x230.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"193\" /></a>Now, dear reader, I know you are immune to such things. But I fear your children are not. Make sure you explain to them that the people on television who use improper grammar, slap one another, scream at their mothers, allow feces to be dumped on their head are engaging in behavior that is really not standard for a growing society.\n\nExplain to them that advertisers will pay money to see people act as stupid as possible. Please. Or we will all be in trouble.\n\nSo hey, if you\'re watching that stuff by yourself as a guilty pleasure, go for it. Just be ready to separate the reality from reality. Because that stuff is not reality. Did that make sense? Probably not. I think I watched too much Honey Boo Boo.','Reality Television: What Is Wrong With Us?','','inherit','open','open','','7801-revision-2','','','2012-09-27 23:06:28','2012-09-28 06:06:28','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/27/7801-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7808,12,'2012-09-27 23:23:30','2012-09-28 06:23:30','I\'ve never liked reality television. I remember watching the movie, \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show\"><em>The Truman Show</em></a>.\" I got a kick out of it. But I remember thinking, \"<em>What if someone did that</em>?\" Well, someone did.\r\n\r\nI\'m too lazy to look back and see where reality television started, but I remember when <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_%28U.S._TV_series%29\">Survivor came on</a>. I watched a little of the first season. People jockeying for position to get the grand prize. Lying to each other. Being jerks on national television. Hey, it made for great ratings, who am I to judge?\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7803\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shore.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" /></a>Let\'s skip to today. We have all kinds of reality shows. Jersey Shore, Auction Hunters, Storage Wars, 19 Kids and Counting, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, 16 and Pregnant, Jackass, Four Weddings, Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Wars, Cupcake Wars, Big Brother, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Hoarders, Intervention, Hardcore Pawn, Miami Ink, Sister Wives, Toddlers and Tiaras, Ice Road Truckers, Whale Wars, Dog Whisperer, Deadliest Catch, several Amish shows, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, American Idol, X Factor, COPS, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Extreme Makeover, Trading Spaces, Pimp My Ride, What Not To Wear, The Biggest Loser, Duck Dynasty, Undercover Boss, blah blah blah blah and blah.\r\n\r\nI really don\'t like reality television. I do watch <em>Storage Wars</em>, I will admit that. I did read some random article that said most of it was faked. I don\'t have any real documentation to back that up.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even to my main complaint yet.\r\n\r\nWhy are we so fascinated with this stuff? Let me say this. I love watching people. I really do. I am guilty of sitting on a bench in the mall and watching families. There\'s a ton of drama at the local mall if you\'ll just sit back and watch.\r\n\r\nBut for some reason in the past decade, we have allowed the media to walk into our homes and record our faults. Worse, we watch that crap. Why? Well, I can tell you this - the advertisers are buying time slots. Because we are watching it.\r\n\r\nMy wife Allison loves some of the reality television. She started watching the Honey Boo Boo girl recently. She asked me to sit down and watch it with her for a few minutes. Listen, I can\'t stand watching the Duggars for more than five minutes. But being a good husband, I obliged. Seriously. I couldn\'t stand it for more than ten minutes. Why was I watching it?\r\n\r\nHey, here\'s a clip:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQOvRVo4ZQE\r\n\r\nWell, I know why. We put people on television who are a sideshow. Lord, if <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum\">P.T. Barnum</a> were alive today, he\'d own half the market in reality television. Thousands watched when television cameras set up in the home of Ozzy Osbourne. And it sold advertising.\r\n\r\nWhy? I think for a couple of reasons. It gives us escape. We can watch others to make us feel better about ourselves. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7804\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tophat-300x220.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>Maybe we identify with people who fight and have a worse life than we have. And also, it\'s just brainless entertainment. You spend more brain activity eating pistachios and throwing playing cards into a tophat.\r\n\r\nThat said, I\'m really, really worried about what it\'s doing to us. It\'s making us stupid. We aren\'t watching History Channel documentaries. We aren\'t watching the news or old classic movies. We\'re not watching anything that is enriching our minds. We\'re watching what Honey Boo Boo will say next when she\'s asked about make up. Honestly. I watched her do some sort of hand movements for two minutes without any dialogue the other night. People must eat this stuff up.\r\n\r\nReality television is making us stupid. Or stupider. Is that a word? See? I\'m even getting dumber.\r\n\r\nI really want to say, <em>\"What is wrong with all these people on these shows?\"</em> But that\'s not the right question. They don\'t want help. The right question is,<em> \"What is wrong with those of us who dabble too far in watching these shows?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThere\'s even proof that reality television isn\'t reality at all. There are several great articles (well researched, I might add) over at Cracked.com that you should read. One in particular is called, <a href=\"http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-secrets-making-reality-tv-they-dont-want-you-to-know/\"><em>\"5 Secrets to Making Reality TV They Don\'t Want You To Know.\"</em></a>\r\n\r\nWatching other people wallow in their own hatred, ignorance, turtle catching, duck hunting, family arguing is leaving a mark on our minds and the minds of our children. Sure, we can say, <em>\"Oh, it\'s just entertaining.\"</em> No, it\'s really not. It\'s showing us that we can be like that and it\'s okay. We revere people on television, don\'t we? And when we see them do something, we must think that it is okay to act like that.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7805\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/tvs-300x230.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"193\" /></a>Now, dear reader, I know you are immune to such things. But I fear your children are not. Make sure you explain to them that the people on television who use improper grammar, slap one another, scream at their mothers, allow feces to be dumped on their head are engaging in behavior that is really not standard for a growing society.\r\n\r\nExplain to them that advertisers will pay money to see people act as stupid as possible. Please. Or we will all be in trouble.\r\n\r\nSo hey, if you\'re watching that stuff by yourself as a guilty pleasure, go for it. Just be ready to separate the reality from reality. Because that stuff is not reality. Did that make sense? Probably not. I think I watched too much Honey Boo Boo.','Reality Television: What Is Wrong With Us?','','inherit','open','open','','7801-autosave','','','2012-09-27 23:23:30','2012-09-28 06:23:30','',7801,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/27/7801-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7809,43,'2012-09-28 04:58:08','2012-09-28 11:58:08','','fence cropped','','inherit','open','open','','fence-cropped','','','2012-09-28 04:58:08','2012-09-28 11:58:08','',7799,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/fence-cropped.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7810,43,'2012-09-28 04:52:38','2012-09-28 11:52:38','As I write this, our family is about to begin a journey into the Unknown.  We\'re stepping off the dock into our boat, setting sail in a sea of options.  It\'s a voyage we\'ve never undertaken together.  In fact, it\'s one I\'ve never taken at all.\n\nWe\'re in process of finding a new church.\n\nChurches have always found me.  A friend brought me as her guest to the first church in which I held membership.  My second church was one of convenience.  As a college student without a car, I simply attended church with a carload of friends.  My third church was a happy accident.  I wanted to volunteer with middle schoolers, I had met the youth director when I worked as a summer camp counselor, and he had a place for me there.  For ten years, it was home.  Our last church was a refuge, a place in a spiritual storm where we sought shelter until we were ready to move on.\n\nI\'ve never had to enter a search cold.\n\nBeing without a church has felt like a foray into a strange country all by itself.  It reminds me of the story of the elementary children on the playground.  When there were fences, the children used all the available space to play.  When the fences were removed, however, the children clustered toward the middle, uncertain where the boundaries lay.\n\nI happen to like boundaries.  They feel safe, comfortable.  I know where the lines are.  Sure, I might like to push at them a little, see if there\'s any give.  I might even fantasize about what it\'s like beyond them—would I be free of the things that make me feel angry or confined?  But I don\'t <em>really</em> like the idea of all that open space.  It\'s frightening.\n\nIsn\'t that what happens so often in our churches?  We erect fences around our theology to protect ourselves from what some might call \"the world.\"  We mustn\'t have any error in our interpretation of the Bible, and we must be clear on the things we stand against.  But instead of protecting ourselves, we end up continually moving the lines inward, shutting out not only that which we believe is wrong, but people as well.  We\'ve locked the gate to the fence and stationed guards, only allowing in those who are willing to play by our narrow set of rules.\n\nYet the opposite end of the spectrum is just as scary.\n\nFor the last several weeks, while we caught our collective breath and gathered our bearings, we\'ve stayed huddled in the middle of the playground.  We\'ve remained safe, pretending there\'s a fence holding us in and keeping us from chasing a stray ball into traffic.  We\'ve said prayers and read Scripture and sung songs.  We\'ve tried to pretend that we\'re \"having church.\"\n\nI wonder if that means that we\'ve stifled ourselves in some way.  We haven\'t given ourselves permission to explore freely, to think about what we want, what we need, even what we believe.  We no longer have a fence against which to push.  In these last hours on our own, I feel panic rising.  The desperate planner in me wants graphs, charts, and spreadsheets so we can measure the outcomes and perform statistical analysis on our church hunt.  I\'m grasping for anything that will let me build my fence again.\n\nThat\'s not how life works, is it?  We don\'t get a matrix for every decision-making process.  There\'s no road map, no answer key, no Cliffs Notes.  Sometimes, there isn\'t even a fence we can trust to hold us in.  We can only keep our hearts, minds, eyes, and ears open.  And we can trust: Each other, those who have gone before us, and God.  The wide unknown may feel terrifying at first, but in the end, we may be better off on the outside of the fence.\n\nAs our time to board the ship draws near, we still have very little idea where the compass is pointing.  All we can hope is that we land safely on the shore, trusting our Captain to steer us.\n\nWhat journey are you on today?','No Boundaries','','inherit','open','open','','7799-revision-2','','','2012-09-28 04:52:38','2012-09-28 11:52:38','',7799,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7799-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7811,43,'2012-09-28 04:58:41','2012-09-28 11:58:41','As I write this, our family is about to begin a journey into the Unknown.  We\'re stepping off the dock into our boat, setting sail in a sea of options.  It\'s a voyage we\'ve never undertaken together.  In fact, it\'s one I\'ve never taken at all.\r\n\r\nWe\'re in process of finding a new church.\r\n\r\nChurches have always found me.  A friend brought me as her guest to the first church in which I held membership.  My second church was one of convenience.  As a college student without a car, I simply attended church with a carload of friends.  My third church was a happy accident.  I wanted to volunteer with middle schoolers, I had met the youth director when I worked as a summer camp counselor, and he had a place for me there.  For ten years, it was home.  Our last church was a refuge, a place in a spiritual storm where we sought shelter until we were ready to move on.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never had to enter a search cold.\r\n\r\nBeing without a church has felt like a foray into a strange country all by itself.  It reminds me of the story of the elementary children on the playground.  When there were fences, the children used all the available space to play.  When the fences were removed, however, the children clustered toward the middle, uncertain where the boundaries lay.\r\n\r\nI happen to like boundaries.  They feel safe, comfortable.  I know where the lines are.  Sure, I might like to push at them a little, see if there\'s any give.  I might even fantasize about what it\'s like beyond them—would I be free of the things that make me feel angry or confined?  But I don\'t <em>really</em> like the idea of all that open space.  It\'s frightening.\r\n\r\nIsn\'t that what happens so often in our churches?  We erect fences around our theology to protect ourselves from what some might call \"the world.\"  We mustn\'t have any error in our interpretation of the Bible, and we must be clear on the things we stand against.  But instead of protecting ourselves, we end up continually moving the lines inward, shutting out not only that which we believe is wrong, but people as well.  We\'ve locked the gate to the fence and stationed guards, only allowing in those who are willing to play by our narrow set of rules.\r\n\r\nYet the opposite end of the spectrum is just as scary.\r\n\r\nFor the last several weeks, while we caught our collective breath and gathered our bearings, we\'ve stayed huddled in the middle of the playground.  We\'ve remained safe, pretending there\'s a fence holding us in and keeping us from chasing a stray ball into traffic.  We\'ve said prayers and read Scripture and sung songs.  We\'ve tried to pretend that we\'re \"having church.\"\r\n\r\nI wonder if that means that we\'ve stifled ourselves in some way.  We haven\'t given ourselves permission to explore freely, to think about what we want, what we need, even what we believe.  We no longer have a fence against which to push.  In these last hours on our own, I feel panic rising.  The desperate planner in me wants graphs, charts, and spreadsheets so we can measure the outcomes and perform statistical analysis on our church hunt.  I\'m grasping for anything that will let me build my fence again.\r\n\r\nThat\'s not how life works, is it?  We don\'t get a matrix for every decision-making process.  There\'s no road map, no answer key, no Cliffs Notes.  Sometimes, there isn\'t even a fence we can trust to hold us in.  We can only keep our hearts, minds, eyes, and ears open.  And we can trust: Each other, those who have gone before us, and God.  The wide unknown may feel terrifying at first, but in the end, we may be better off on the outside of the fence.\r\n\r\nAs our time to board the ship draws near, we still have very little idea where the compass is pointing.  All we can hope is that we land safely on the shore, trusting our Captain to steer us.\r\n\r\nWhat journey are you on today?','No Boundaries','','inherit','open','open','','7799-revision-3','','','2012-09-28 04:58:41','2012-09-28 11:58:41','',7799,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7799-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7812,43,'2012-09-28 05:02:30','2012-09-28 12:02:30','As I write this, our family is about to begin a journey into the Unknown.  We\'re stepping off the dock into our boat, setting sail in a sea of options.  It\'s a voyage we\'ve never undertaken together.  In fact, it\'s one I\'ve never taken at all.\r\n\r\nWe\'re in process of finding a new church.\r\n\r\nChurches have always found me.  A friend brought me as her guest to the first church in which I held membership.  My second church was one of convenience.  As a college student without a car, I simply attended church with a carload of friends.  My third church was a happy accident.  I wanted to volunteer with middle schoolers, I had met the youth director when I worked as a summer camp counselor, and he had a place for me there.  For ten years, it was home.  Our last church was a refuge, a place in a spiritual storm where we sought shelter until we were ready to move on.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never had to enter a search cold.\r\n\r\nBeing without a church has felt like a foray into a strange country all by itself.  It reminds me of the story of the elementary children on the playground.  When there were fences, the children used all the available space to play.  When the fences were removed, however, the children clustered toward the middle, uncertain where the boundaries lay.\r\n\r\nI happen to like boundaries.  They feel safe, comfortable.  I know where the lines are.  Sure, I might like to push at them a little, see if there\'s any give.  I might even fantasize about what it\'s like beyond them—would I be free of the things that make me feel angry or confined?  But I don\'t <em>really</em> like the idea of all that open space.  It\'s frightening.\r\n\r\nIsn\'t that what happens so often in our churches?  We erect fences around our theology to protect ourselves from what some might call \"the world.\"  We mustn\'t have any error in our interpretation of the Bible, and we must be clear on the things we stand against.  But instead of protecting ourselves, we end up continually moving the lines inward, shutting out not only that which we believe is wrong, but people as well.  We\'ve locked the gate to the fence and stationed guards, only allowing in those who are willing to play by our narrow set of rules.\r\n\r\nYet the opposite end of the spectrum is just as scary.\r\n\r\nFor the last several weeks, while we caught our collective breath and gathered our bearings, we\'ve stayed huddled in the middle of the playground.  We\'ve remained safe, pretending there\'s a fence holding us in and keeping us from chasing a stray ball into traffic.  We\'ve said prayers and read Scripture and sung songs.  We\'ve tried to pretend that we\'re \"having church.\"\r\n\r\nI wonder if that means that we\'ve stifled ourselves in some way.  We haven\'t given ourselves permission to explore freely, to think about what we want, what we need, even what we believe.  We no longer have a fence against which to push.  In these last hours on our own, I feel panic rising.  The desperate planner in me wants graphs, charts, and spreadsheets so we can measure the outcomes and perform statistical analysis on our church hunt.  I\'m grasping for anything that will let me build my fence again.\r\n\r\nThat\'s not how life works, is it?  We don\'t get a matrix for every decision-making process.  There\'s no road map, no answer key, no Cliffs Notes.  Sometimes, there isn\'t even a fence we can trust to protect us.  We can only keep our hearts, minds, eyes, and ears open.  And we can trust: Each other, those who have gone before us, and God.  The wide unknown may feel terrifying at first, but in the end, we may be better off on the outside of the fence.\r\n\r\nAs our time to board the ship draws near, we still have very little idea where the compass is pointing.  All we can hope is that we land safely on the shore, trusting our Captain to steer us.\r\n\r\nWhat journey are you on today?','No Boundaries','','inherit','open','open','','7799-revision-4','','','2012-09-28 05:02:30','2012-09-28 12:02:30','',7799,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7799-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7815,67,'2012-10-14 08:00:15','2012-10-14 15:00:15','I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31-year-old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\n\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm-chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\n\r\nThis is the man who David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\n\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\n\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempest: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','publish','open','open','','bob-dylans-tempist-a-dark-journey-to-redemption','','','2012-10-14 17:11:04','2012-10-15 00:11:04','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7815',0,'post','',0),(7816,67,'2012-09-28 09:22:01','2012-09-28 16:22:01','','bobDylan_2275506b','','inherit','open','open','','bobdylan_2275506b','','','2012-09-28 09:22:01','2012-09-28 16:22:01','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7817,67,'2012-09-28 09:22:51','2012-09-28 16:22:51','','bobDylan_2275506b','','inherit','open','open','','bobdylan_2275506b-2','','','2012-09-28 09:22:51','2012-09-28 16:22:51','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7818,67,'2012-09-28 09:23:16','2012-09-28 16:23:16','New Bob Dylan Album - Tempest - Set For September Release on Columbia Records.  (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records)','COLUMBIA RECORDS BOB DYLAN ALBUM','','inherit','open','open','','columbia-records-bob-dylan-album','','','2012-09-28 09:23:16','2012-09-28 16:23:16','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7819,67,'2012-09-28 09:25:06','2012-09-28 16:25:06','','bobDylan_2275506b','','inherit','open','open','','bobdylan_2275506b-3','','','2012-09-28 09:25:06','2012-09-28 16:25:06','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7820,67,'2012-09-28 09:28:12','2012-09-28 16:28:12','New Bob Dylan Album - Tempest - Set For September Release on Columbia Records.  (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records)','COLUMBIA RECORDS BOB DYLAN ALBUM','','inherit','open','open','','columbia-records-bob-dylan-album-2','','','2012-09-28 09:28:12','2012-09-28 16:28:12','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7821,67,'2012-09-28 09:28:39','2012-09-28 16:28:39','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"842\" height=\"387\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"259\" height=\"308\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a train whistle takes Dylan though a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision','','','2012-09-28 09:28:39','2012-09-28 16:28:39','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7822,67,'2012-09-28 09:30:12','2012-09-28 16:30:12','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"690\" height=\"387\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\n\n<em></em>\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a train whistle takes Dylan though a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-2','','','2012-09-28 09:30:12','2012-09-28 16:30:12','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7824,67,'2012-09-28 09:31:47','2012-09-28 16:31:47','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"690\" height=\"387\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a train whistle takes Dylan though a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-4','','','2012-09-28 09:31:47','2012-09-28 16:31:47','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7823,67,'2012-09-28 09:31:10','2012-09-28 16:31:10','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"690\" height=\"387\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a train whistle takes Dylan though a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-3','','','2012-09-28 09:31:10','2012-09-28 16:31:10','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7825,67,'2012-09-28 09:32:23','2012-09-28 16:32:23','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a train whistle takes Dylan though a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-5','','','2012-09-28 09:32:23','2012-09-28 16:32:23','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7826,67,'2012-09-28 12:20:08','2012-09-28 19:20:08','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\n\n<em></em>\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\n\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\n\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-6','','','2012-09-28 12:20:08','2012-09-28 19:20:08','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7827,67,'2012-09-28 12:21:15','2012-09-28 19:21:15','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-7','','','2012-09-28 12:21:15','2012-09-28 19:21:15','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7828,67,'2012-09-28 12:22:04','2012-09-28 19:22:04','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-8','','','2012-09-28 12:22:04','2012-09-28 19:22:04','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7829,67,'2012-09-28 12:22:39','2012-09-28 19:22:39','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-9','','','2012-09-28 12:22:39','2012-09-28 19:22:39','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7831,67,'2012-09-28 12:23:55','2012-09-28 19:23:55','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-11','','','2012-09-28 12:23:55','2012-09-28 19:23:55','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(7830,67,'2012-09-28 12:23:29','2012-09-28 19:23:29','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-10','','','2012-09-28 12:23:29','2012-09-28 19:23:29','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(7832,67,'2012-09-28 12:24:45','2012-09-28 19:24:45','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-12','','','2012-09-28 12:24:45','2012-09-28 19:24:45','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(7905,1,'2012-10-05 08:55:41','2012-10-05 15:55:41','It feels like every year I write the same post. My favorite <a title=\"Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism\">pagan</a> holiday -- <a title=\"autumn: pumpkins &amp; apple pies\" href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/autumn-pumpkins-apple-pies/\">All</a> <a title=\"all hallows’ eve: the forbidden\" href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/all-hallows-eve-the-forbidden/\">Hallows</a> <a title=\"hallows eve\" href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/hallows-eve/\">Eve</a> -- is coming! If you\'re in NYC, you\'ll see the weirdest of the weird come out that night. <a title=\"Halloween\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Hallowe\'en</em></a> (the spelling I learned as a child) is definitely the <a title=\"Ghost of New York Walking Tours\" href=\"http://www.ghostsofny.com/\" target=\"_blank\">strangest night in NYC</a>. This all begs to ask what the <a title=\"Hell\" href=\"en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell\" target=\"_blank\">hell</a>\'s this thing called <em>Hallowe\'en</em> ? The festivities of the Hallows Eve started as a <em>\"yearly</em> <a title=\"Holiday\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday\"><em>holiday</em></a> <a title=\"Halloween around the world\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_around_the_world\"><em>observed around the world</em></a> <em>on October 31, the eve before the</em> <a title=\"Western Christianity\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Christianity\"><em>Western</em></a> <a title=\"Christianity\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity\"><em>Christian</em></a> <em>feast of</em> <a title=\"All Saints\' Day\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day\"><em>All Hallows</em></a> [that] <em>initially incorporated traditions from</em> <a title=\"Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism\"><em>pagan</em></a> <a title=\"Harvest festival\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_festival\"><em>harvest festivals</em></a> <em>and</em> <a title=\"Festival of the Dead\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_of_the_Dead\"><em>festivals honoring the dead</em></a><em>, particularly the</em> <a title=\"Celts\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celts\"><em>Celtic</em></a> <a title=\"Samhain\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain\"><em>Samhain</em></a><em>\"</em> (<a title=\"Halloween\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween\" target=\"_blank\">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween</a>).\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7880\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Skye_nicolas_zuzanna2-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"Zuzanna II (The Mortelle Series, Skye Nicolas &amp; Marlon Richards; Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" />Since I\'ve grown a fascination to the relation (<a title=\"Parallels between the Christian gospels and Pagan mythology\" href=\"http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa1.htm\" target=\"_blank\">similarities</a>, <a title=\"Christian Feast Days and Their Relationship to Pagan Holidays\" href=\"http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/rel232/resource/RileyPaper.htm\" target=\"_blank\">papers</a>, etc) between <a title=\"Christianity and Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_Paganism\" target=\"_blank\">Paganism and Christianity</a>, as well as the <a title=\"Neo-romanticism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-romanticism\" target=\"_blank\">romanticism</a> and <a title=\"The Beauty of Death - Does God Exist? - SepOct97\" href=\"http://www.doesgodexist.org/SepOct97/TheBeautyOfDeath.html\" target=\"_blank\">beauty of death</a> (<a title=\"Science fiction\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction\" target=\"_blank\">sci-fi</a>/<a title=\"Horror film\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film\" target=\"_blank\">horror movies</a>) as portrayed in the painting Zusanna II (pictured), <a title=\"Halloween\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Hallowe\'en</em></a> remains as my favorite time of the year. The whole concept of the dead walking the earth always makes me curious. I guess that it\'s a sacrilege and simply wrong as a Christian or acceptable as a <a title=\"Neo-Pagan Christianity\" href=\"http://christiannoob.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/neo-pagan-christianity/\">Neo-Pagan Christian</a>, in which <em>\"the environment that I grew up in, Pagan traditions co-existed with Christian (Catholic) ones.\"</em> The latter may be better explained in following text from the <a title=\"Library of Congress Home\" href=\"http://www.loc.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Library of Congress</a>.\r\n<blockquote>\"Halloween had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.\"\r\n-- <a title=\"Halloween: The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows (The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress)\" href=\"http://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween.html\" target=\"_blank\">Halloween: The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows</a>, Jack Santino, <a title=\"The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress\" href=\"http://www.loc.gov/folklife/\" target=\"_blank\">The American Folklife Center</a>, <a title=\"Library of Congress Home\" href=\"http://www.loc.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Library of Congress</a></blockquote>\r\nOne thing that I find ironically strange between various faiths is the belief of spirits, regardless of the belief of <a title=\"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Heaven\" href=\"http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm\" target=\"_blank\">heaven</a>, <a title=\"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Hell\" href=\"http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm\" target=\"_blank\">hell</a>, <a title=\"Reincarnation\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation\" target=\"_blank\">reincarnation</a>, <a title=\"Ghost\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost\" target=\"_blank\">ghosts</a> or whatever other belief. As such, the whole idea of life and death as part of a continuous cycle (<a title=\"Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra\" target=\"_blank\">Sam.sa-ra</a>) <a title=\"Cosmic cycle of life and death - Times Of India\" href=\"http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-01/edit-page/31111239_1_cycles-soul-path\" target=\"_blank\">intrigues</a> me. It\'s almost as if life and death, <a title=\"Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism\">Paganism</a> and <a title=\"Christianity\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">Christianity</a> were one and the same. As such, many <em>experts</em> have accused <a title=\"Christianity\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">Christians</a> of taking <a title=\"Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism\">pagan</a> legends and/or rites like the <a title=\"Sacrament\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrament\" target=\"_blank\">sacrament</a> of the <a title=\"Last Supper\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Supper\" target=\"_blank\">Lord\'s Supper</a>. The <em>experts</em> have quoted texts like the <a title=\"Mithra\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra\" target=\"_blank\">Mithraic</a> (<a title=\"Zoroastrianism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism\" target=\"_blank\">Zoroastrianism</a>) <a title=\"Communion (Christian)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_%28Christian%29\" target=\"_blank\">communion</a> liturgy, which states,\r\n<blockquote>\"He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be made on with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation.\"\r\n-- <a title=\"Mithra\'s Contributions\" href=\"http://www.innvista.com/culture/religion/deities/mithra.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Mithra\'s Contributions</a>, Innvista</blockquote>\r\nwhile the Bible says,\r\n<blockquote>\"53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.\"\r\n-- <a title=\"John 6:53-54 KJV - Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, - Bible Gatewa\" href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206:53-54&amp;version=KJV\" target=\"_blank\">John 6:53-54</a> (KJV)</blockquote>\r\nThese similarities make some <em>experts</em> like <a title=\"Mithra the Pagan Christ | Mithraism and Christianity | Mithras the Sun God\" href=\"http://www.truthbeknown.com/mithra.htm\" target=\"_blank\">D.M. Murdock</a> use the term <em>Pagan Christ</em> quoting Swami Prapannananda (reknown <a title=\"Hinduism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism\" target=\"_blank\">Hindu</a> <a title=\"Guru\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru\" target=\"_blank\">guru</a>)\r\n<blockquote>\"Mithra or Mitra is... worshipped as Itu (Mitra-Mitu-Itu) in every house of the Hindus in India. Itu (derivative of Mitu or Mitra) is considered as the Vegetation-deity. This Mithra or Mitra (Sun-God) is believed to be a Mediator between God and man, between the Sky and the Earth. It is said that Mithra or [the] Sun took birth in the Cave on December 25th. It is also the belief of the Christian world that Mithra or the Sun-God was born of [a] Virgin. He travelled far and wide. He has twelve satellites, which are taken as the Sun\'s disciples... [The Sun\'s] great festivals are observed in the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox -- Christmas and Easter. His symbol is the Lamb...\"\r\n-- Swami Prapannananda, Christ the Saviour and Christ Myth (<a title=\"ISBN 8188446491\" href=\"http://www.google.com/search?q=ISBN+8188446491\" target=\"_blank\">ISBN 8188446491</a>, <a title=\"Vedanta Press\" href=\"http://www.vedanta.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Vedanta Press</a> , 1990)</blockquote>\r\nand <a title=\"Tom Harpur\" href=\"http://www.tomharpur.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Tom Harpur</a> who seems to a favorite at the <a title=\"Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science\" href=\"http://www.richarddawkins.net/\" target=\"_blank\">Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science</a>.\r\n<blockquote>\"Harpur discovered that the New Testament is wholly based on Egyptian mythology, that Jesus Christ never lived, and that -- indeed -- the text was always meant to be read allegorically.\"\r\n-- <a title=\"The Pagan Christ - CBC-TV - RichardDawkins.net\" href=\"http://old.richarddawkins.net/videos/2057-the-pagan-christ\" target=\"_blank\">The Pagan Christ</a>, <a title=\"CBC Television\" href=\"http://www.cbc.ca/television/\" target=\"_blank\">CBC-TV</a>, 2007</blockquote>\r\nOther <em>so-called experts</em> like <a title=\"About the near-death.com website and the webmaster\" href=\"http://www.near-death.com/about.html\" target=\"_blank\">Kevin Williams</a> have considered <a title=\"Christ\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ\" target=\"_blank\">Christ</a> as the <a title=\"Resurrection\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection\" target=\"_blank\">resurrection</a> of <a title=\"Mithra\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra\" target=\"_blank\">Mithra</a> who was said to be the <a title=\"Resurrection\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection\" target=\"_blank\">resurrection</a> of <a title=\"Osiris\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris\" target=\"_blank\">Osiris</a>, <a title=\"Tammuz (deity)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammuz_%28deity%29\" target=\"_blank\">Tammuz</a>, <a title=\"Adonis\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonis\" target=\"_blank\">Adonis</a>, <a title=\"Baldr\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldr\" target=\"_blank\">Baldr</a>, <a title=\"Attis\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attis\" target=\"_blank\">Attis</a> and <a title=\"Dionysus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus\" target=\"_blank\">Dionysus</a> and perhaps even more <em>deities</em> of the ancient world.\r\n<blockquote>\"Virtually all of the elements of Orthodox Christian rituals, from miter, wafer, water baptism, alter, and doxology, were adopted from the Mithra and earlier pagan mystery religions. The religion of Mithra preceded Christianity by roughly six hundred years.\"\r\n-- <a title=\"Jesus as a Reincarnation of Mithra\" href=\"http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen048.html\" target=\"_blank\">Jesus as a Reincarnation of Mithra</a>, Kevin Williams</blockquote>\r\nConsidering all this information regarding the <a title=\"Parallels between the Christian gospels and Pagan mythology\" href=\"http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa3.htm\" target=\"_blank\">relationship</a> between <a title=\"Christianity\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">Christianity</a>, <a title=\"Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism\">Paganism</a>, <a title=\"Jesus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus\" target=\"_blank\">Jesus</a> <a title=\"Christ\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ\" target=\"_blank\">the Christ</a> and <a title=\"Mithra\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra\" target=\"_blank\">Mithra</a> although heavily contradicted by <a title=\"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Mithraism\" href=\"http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10402a.htm\" target=\"_blank\">the Catholic Church</a> and groups like the <a title=\"Was Christianity Borrowed from Mithrasim? : Make A Defense Apologetics Ministry\" href=\"http://www.makeadefense.com/index.php/topics/was-christianity-borrowed/mithrasim-geisler/\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Apologetics</a> (not to mention the <a title=\"Persecution of pagans by the Christian Roman Empire\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Pagans_by_the_Christian_Roman_Empire\" target=\"_blank\">persecution</a> <a title=\"Gordon Robertson: How Christianity Survived in Pagan Rome\" href=\"http://www.cbn.com/special/DaVinciCode/GRobertson_Christianity_PaganRome.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">of</a> <a title=\"Christian persecution of paganism under Theodosius I\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_persecution_of_paganism_under_Theodosius_I\" target=\"_blank\">Pagans</a>), I might\'ve to consider <a title=\"Halloween\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Hallowe\'en</em></a> a real religious <a title=\"Holiday\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday\">holiday</a>. Of course, I must admit that, although I see and understand the <em>almost certain</em> possibilities that <em>real Christianity</em> was corrupted by <a title=\"Paganism\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism\">pagan</a> beliefs and traditions, I still believe that Jesus is <a title=\"Incarnation (Christianity)\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarnation_%28Christianity%29\" target=\"_blank\">God incarnate</a>.\r\n\r\nFor more information, I\'d recommend reading the following.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Celtic Christianity\" href=\"http://www.gracemagazine.org.uk/articles/historical/celtic.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Celtic Christianity</a> (Grace Magazine)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Religion Essays - Christianity Pagan Romans\" href=\"http://www.ukessays.com/essays/religion/christianity-pagan-romans.php\" target=\"_blank\">Christianity Pagan Romans</a> (UK Essays)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"The Christmas Tree Debate\" href=\"http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d911101.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas Tree Debate</a> (Associates for Scriptural Knowledge)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"New Enemies of Christianity\" href=\"http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/LG/enemies.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">New Enemies of Christianity</a> (OrthodoxPhotos)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Pagan Christian Holidays\" href=\"http://www.godkind.org/pagan-holidays.html\" target=\"_blank\">Pagan Christian Holidays</a> (The God Kind)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Pagan Origins, Pagan History, Pagan Beliefs\" href=\"http://www.patheos.com/Library/Pagan.html\" target=\"_blank\">Pagan Origins, Pagan History, Pagan Beliefs</a> (Patheos)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"RussianSIG - Russian Paganism and Christianity\" href=\"http://russiansig.wikispaces.com/Russian+Paganism+and+Christianity\" target=\"_blank\">Russian Paganism and Christianity</a> (RussianSIG)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"We Should Be More Pagan | The American Conservative\" href=\"http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/we-should-be-more-pagan/\" target=\"_blank\">We Should Be More Pagan</a> (The American Conservative)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Why Did Christianity Succeed? - The Great Appeal | From Jesus To Christ | FRONTLINE | PBS\" href=\"http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/appeal.html\" target=\"_blank\">Why Did Christianity Succeed?</a> (Frontline, PBS)</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Why Do Christians Celebrate Pagan Christmas?\" href=\"http://einron.hubpages.com/hub/whychristianscelebratepaganchristmas\" target=\"_blank\">Why Do Christians Celebrate Pagan Christmas?</a> (einron, HubPages)</li>\r\n</ol>','Neo-Pagan Christianity &amp; All Hallows Eve','','inherit','open','open','','7879-revision-4','','','2012-10-05 08:55:41','2012-10-05 15:55:41','',7879,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/05/7879-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7833,67,'2012-09-28 12:25:51','2012-09-28 19:25:51','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\n\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\n\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\n\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-13','','','2012-09-28 12:25:51','2012-09-28 19:25:51','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(7834,67,'2012-09-28 12:26:33','2012-09-28 19:26:33','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\n\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\n\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\n\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\n\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-14','','','2012-09-28 12:26:33','2012-09-28 19:26:33','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(7835,67,'2012-09-28 12:28:30','2012-09-28 19:28:30','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7819\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bobDylan_2275506b2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"309\" /></a> I haven’t always been a Bob Dylan fan. Being the son of a quirky engineer 60s folk music aficionado, I now live with a personality shaped by the nasal twang sound track that assaulted my young and impressionable ears. As the years rolled on, like a rolling stone, my musical tastes began to morph from 80s hardcore punk, to 90s Manchester shoe-gazing bands and eventually to an appreciation and love of of Bob Dylan. The generational gap was filled completely when I had the honor and blessing of treating my dad to see Dylan live at the Houston Rodeo in 2000. Although my dad always classified himself as an “old school” Dylan fan, I can’t help but imagine the emotions that he must have felt sitting beside his 31 year old son and enjoying the same music he had for much of his life. It was a spiritual experience.\r\n\r\nI don’t get paid for being a music critic and I’m certainly not a professional music reviewer. My intention in this review comes from a desire to express what I feel in listening to Bob Dylan’s newest album release, “Tempest”. For when my ears attended to this 68 minute compilation of lyrical nostalgia, I thought of my dad. He died 7 years ago, but it is through the music of Bob Dylan that he lives on in my life.\r\n\r\n<em>“Dad, what do you think of the new Bob Dylan album?” I would say.</em>\r\n\r\n<em></em>\r\n<em>“I don’t know. What do want me to say? I’m an old school Dylan fan. It’s good to see him still making music, but I just can’t get into his new stuff.”</em> he would respond with a smirk on his face. He wouldn’t allow me to think that I “got” Dylan in a deeper way than he did.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-7820\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bob-Dylan-Tempest1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"173\" /></a>And so the argument would develop. Because you see, I think that “Tempest” is one of the most “real” albums that Dylan has released in a long time. I would be tempted to say that it is his best work, but that’s impossible considering the vast array of “best” albums he has released. But I would argue that he has not been more real in musical expression since his 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind”, and “Tempest” is certainly more appealing than his last droning release, “Together Through Time”. Dylan has definitely reclaimed his place in modern music, but with “Tempest”, he has ceased the losing battle of trying to be something that he’s not; both musically and personally.\r\n\r\nAt 71, the mere fact that Dylan is still able to carry a tune is nothing short of a miracle, but it never fails. With the release of every new Bob Dylan album, there is the collective cry from fair-weathered fans and arm chair critics; “Man, his voice is really sounding horrible!” This revelation would actually mean something if Dylan ever had a voice to begin with. With a career that spans fifty years, Dylan has always been known as a lyricist and songwriter; not an eloquent singer. The closest that he ever came to being labeled for his vocal ability was the release of “Nashville Skyline” in 1969, when he supposedly quit smoking. And how many of us have to admit that when we first realized that “Lay Lady Lay” was Dylan, said to ourselves, “That’s Dylan?”\r\n\r\nThis is the man that David Bowie sang of having a “voice like sand and glue”. And although today one might say it more resembles gravel and tar, the sentiment still stands. Dylan seems to slip comfortably into the voice that God and life has given him; both physically and philosophically. “Tempest” is a collection of raspy phlegm coated bellows of soot that would be rejected by most of the music industry if it was not for one simple fact: He’s Bob Dylan. The substance of lyrics has always overshadowed the content and this release does not contradict the dichotomy of Dylan’s music. In “Tempest” Dylan reaches back to a simple concept that launched him into an American icon: Story. With songs that range in topic from life, death, murder, culture, despair and eventually hope, reveal that he not only views the landscape, but sees redemption on the horizon.\r\n\r\nThe album deceitfully begins with the whimsical lighthearted “Duquesne Whistle”, reminiscent of a classic western flavored swing tune. The simple blowing a of a train whistle takes Dylan through a list of analogies, reminiscent of his early Woody Guthrie influenced canticles. But the whistle blows a false sense of expectation in what’s to come.\r\n\r\nFrom this point on the album takes a much darker turn, not so much in a negative sense, but in the stark realities of living a long life and facing a redemption that is not always easy. “I’m searching for phrases/to sing your praises.” The opening line to “Soon After Midnight” quickly catches the attention. I wonder if Dylan is expressing his battles of faith. I imagine him confronting the dichotomy of faith and reality. “It’s a long road, it’s a long a narrow way”, which most of us would agree with. The road is long.  The road is narrow. “Narrow Way” concludes that “If I can’t work up to you, you\'ll surely have to work down to me someday” Obviously Dylan parallels the thoughts from the Gospel of Matthew, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”\r\n\r\n“I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you’ve done….The more I die/the more I live….I pay in blood, but not my own” “Pay in Blood” reveals a harder edge and changes the albums mood quickly. There are no illusions of faith here. Death and vengeance may redeem, but they find a wide gate to enter. Death is a common theme in “Tempest”. A Gloomy atmosphere continues to develop. “Scarlet Town” is long 7 minute dark journey of repetition, but the journey gets darker. Blues lead in to a 14 minute sea chanty, which tells the dark story of the sinking of the Titanic, filled with grim descriptions of despair and death. Dark humor creeps out of the story, with references to Leonardo DeCaprio touting his sketch book.\r\n\r\n“Tempest” concludes with a tribute to John Lennon in “Roll on John”. The positioning of this song, at the far end of a very real and melancholy collection of music, causes one to wonder if Dylan ponders what his end will be like. Mortality is an essential aspect of redemption. You can see Dylan pointing out similarities to Lennon, similar journeys that the two have shared and lyrics that cross musical boundaries. Mortality is something that we all face. But facing it’s reality in the cloak of redemption brings a strange peace. Tempest is dark, but filled with a peaceful reconciliation of a life filled with darkness and light.','Bob Dylan\'s Tempist: A Dark Journey to Redemption','','inherit','open','open','','7815-revision-15','','','2012-09-28 12:28:30','2012-09-28 19:28:30','',7815,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/28/7815-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(8145,12,'2012-12-09 00:09:16','2012-12-09 08:09:16','<em>This is a pretentious open letter for Psy, South Korean native and recent hit author of \"<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0\">Gangnam Style</a>.\" It was recently discovered that he launched an <a href=\"http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/12/08/gangnam-rile-psys-past-anti-american-performances-stir-controversy/\">anti-American tirade back in 2002 during the Iraq war</a>. Yeah. He\'s been lapping up the limelight, so of course the media has to dig up some dirt on him. So I\'m here to write him an open letter in the utmost sincerity I can muster telling him why he is such a terrible human being. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1354242998&amp;sr=8-1\">I have the right to do this since I have never, ever, ever, ever committed a sin in my entire life</a>. Yeah. <strong>(This is a satire warning.)</strong> So here is my open letter to Psy</em>:\r\n\r\nPsy,\r\n\r\nFirst of all, this is an open letter. This is what people do when they have an issue with celebrities. They write open letters. They blog or write in an open fashion, spewing their outrage in an open manner so that everyone but the concerned party can see it. So, take that.\r\n\r\nI mean, Psy. How dare you. How dare you mess with us like that. Here we are <a href=\"http://923now.cbslocal.com/2012/12/07/does-south-korean-rapper-psy-hate-america/\">using you for your 15 minutes of fame</a>. We plucked your song out of relative obscurity and this is how you treat a country you weren\'t born in?\r\n\r\nYou had to go and do something to mess it all up. Almost a decade ago, in 20/20 hindsight, <a href=\"http://www.mediaite.com/online/gangnam-style-singer-psys-vitriolic-anti-american-past-revealed-outrage-ensues/\">you had to go America bashing</a>. Well before you even knew you\'d be a hit here. How dare you.\r\n\r\nHow dare you, as a South Korean citizen, have feelings about another nation engaged in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War\">a war years ago</a>? Unbelievable. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/iraq1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8140\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/iraq1-300x195.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" /></a>Excuse us while we go ahead and judge you, a man who we loved for one song as if you were the ambassador to an entire nation. You don\'t get to say what you want when you want to. <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech\">Where do you think you are?</a> Anyway, you were in South Korea when you said that stuff.\r\n\r\nWe obviously have the right to judge you. A man who came to this country, learned the language and then went back to his come country and became superstar. We have the taste to fall in love with a song that we don\'t understand the words to but we like the beat and enjoy seeing a guyacting like he\'s riding a horsey. But darnit, don\'t you disrespect our country ten years ago.\r\n\r\nThe things you said were just outright horrifying. You said this in a song during the Iraq War:\r\n\r\n<em>Kill those f**g Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives</em>\r\n<em> Kill those f***g Yankees who ordered them to torture</em>\r\n<em> Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers</em>\r\n<em> Kill them all slowly and painfully</em>\r\n\r\nCome on Psy. We can\'t dance to that.\r\n\r\nSure, you apologized. I\'m sure at the time you were outraged at the death of Christian missionary <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Sun-il\">Kim Sun-il</a> and his death. I\'m sure you felt like your voice might count. Maybe you felt like you should take a stand and as a performer, you had an obligation to say a few things. Or maybe your anger at the death of a national hero sparked in you a voice that led to anger that was overwhelming, even if you claim to have made mistakes ten years ago.\r\n\r\nNo excuse, dude. You are supposed to be perfect. In America, all of our entertainers, actors, singers, politicians and authors are perfect. Start living up to it if you\'re going to be making money here.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/merica.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-8141\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/merica-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"208\" /></a>But listen here, mister. Here in America, our entertainers <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_J_Simpson\">never let us down</a>. They never say things to embarrass us or disappoint us. <a href=\"http://www.tmz.com/\">They don\'t stick their collective feet in their mouths</a>. <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsay_Lohan\">Ever</a>. <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Chicks\">Ever</a>.\r\n\r\nLook at where you where. <a href=\"http://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2012/12/07/psy_youtube_record_nets_870_000_profit_from_gangnam_style.html\">On top of YouTube.</a> O<a href=\"http://blog.music.aol.com/2012/12/05/psy-youtube-ads-gangnam-style/\">n top of iTunes</a>. Then you had to go back in time, back ten years ago and mess it all up. Just when we started accepting you.\r\n\r\nGo back to South Korea, stand in a corner for a while and don\'t come back.\r\n\r\nEver.\r\n\r\nFor a while.\r\n\r\nOr at least until you come up with another catchy tune with an accompanying dance.\r\n\r\n_______________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of  <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1355039920&amp;sr=8-1\"><em>\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</em></a> He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\"><em>www.fallenpastor.com</em></a>.','An Open Letter to Psy of \"Gangnam Style\": \'Merican Style','','inherit','open','open','','8138-revision-2','','','2012-12-09 00:09:16','2012-12-09 08:09:16','',8138,'http://provoketive.com/2012/12/09/8138-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8085,12,'2012-11-28 09:12:54','2012-11-28 17:12:54','Once again, <a href=\"http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/22/charlie-brown-thanksgiving/\">Charlie Brown\'s Thanksgiving special outdrew other major programs including the X-Factor and Survivor</a>.\r\n\r\nWhy is that? The X-Factor is a great show. I\'ve actually watched it. It\'s a reality show where people compete with great talent to get to get noticed. Survivor? A long running show where people survive on an island. Both are great programming with good networking people behind them.\r\n\r\nHow can <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Thanksgiving\">a show that has been airing since the year I was born (1973)</a> beat both of them out in the ratings? And most likely, <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown_Christmas\">A Charlie Brown Christmas</a> will probably beat out most programs in that time slot as well.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s up with Charlie Brown? Charles Schulz was the crafter of the cartoon and made it come to life with its simplicity in the comic strip. With characters like Lucy, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and others, they made the weekly and Sunday morning comics come to life. They were Americana. They have stood the test of time.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/chbr2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-8087\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/chbr2-300x231.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"207\" /></a>Bring on reality television. They have heartwarming stories, success, drama and tension. They are the norm for today. But apparently, they cannot compete with a show from 1973 for some reason.\r\n\r\nI\'m sure there are network executives banging their heads against the wall trying to figure it out. Or maybe they aren\'t. Maybe they\'re saying, \"<em>Well, it\'s tradition. People are watching because it\'s part of their heritage. It\'s just middle America making sense of life when everything is falling apart.</em>\"\r\n\r\nThat may be true. But I think the story of Charlie Brown is more than that. It\'s something we can all wrap our hearts around.\r\n\r\nIt\'s the story of a boy who nothing goes right for. A boy who just wants simplicity and joy. Who wants a few friends, a dog and normal relationships. More than that, even when Christmas comes, he doesn\'t pick out a giant Christmas tree, he picks out a puny little tree and makes it his own. He\'s an underdog.\r\n\r\nHe\'s pure Americana. He represents the underdog of us all. He can\'t kick the football because someone keeps pulling it out from us when we try to kick it. He can\'t seem to catch the fly ball despite his best efforts. He doesn\'t seem to understand the adults in his life because they all seem to say as if through a muffled trombone, \"<em>MUUHHH MAHHH MUHHHH MAHHHH MUHHHH MAHHH MUAHHHHH</em>.\"\r\n\r\nAnd he says, \"<em>Yes, ma\'am</em>.\"\r\n\r\nHe doesn\'t roll over, he just keeps going. He just wants joy. He just wants that final scene where Schroeder is playing the <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/snodan.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-8088\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/snodan-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"166\" height=\"208\" /></a>piano, where Pig-Pen is dancing, where Snoopy is doing the Snoopy dance, where Linus is grasping his towel in joy, and where everyone is happy. He isn\'t an apple polisher. He is a person who lives up to his potential and wants complete joy.\r\n\r\nThat\'s what all of us want. A life where all of us are dancing at the end. Where piano music is heard and all of us can dance together.\r\n\r\nThat piano music is much more enchanting than the X-Factor or any reality television show. And we all soak it in, hoping and wishing for all of it. Hoping to put ornaments on that sorry little tree.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Charlie Brown vs. Everything Else','','publish','open','open','','charlie-brown-vs-everything-else','','','2012-11-28 09:12:54','2012-11-28 17:12:54','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8085',0,'post','',2),(7842,144,'2012-10-12 08:00:09','2012-10-12 15:00:09','<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney get ready to duke it out for the best zinger of the debates..</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"201\" /></a></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” as it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes even go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Can you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?</strong>','Love to Hate','','publish','open','open','','love-to-hate','','','2012-10-10 19:43:56','2012-10-11 02:43:56','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7842',0,'post','',5),(7843,144,'2012-10-02 09:47:02','2012-10-02 16:47:02','','love to hate','','inherit','open','open','','love-to-hate','','','2012-10-02 09:47:02','2012-10-02 16:47:02','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7844,144,'2012-10-02 09:47:58','2012-10-02 16:47:58','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"622\" height=\"275\" /></a>\n\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\n</ul>\nWhy do we seem to love conflict?\n<ul>\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\n</ul>\nBut, consider the downside of conflict.\n\nIt makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.\n\nIt keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.\n\nIt deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.\n\nIt fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.\n\nIt keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.\n\nIt sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.\n\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision','','','2012-10-02 09:47:58','2012-10-02 16:47:58','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7845,144,'2012-10-02 09:48:58','2012-10-02 16:48:58','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"622\" height=\"275\" /></a>\n\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\n</ul>\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-2','','','2012-10-02 09:48:58','2012-10-02 16:48:58','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7846,144,'2012-10-02 09:52:55','2012-10-02 16:52:55','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"622\" height=\"275\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-3','','','2012-10-02 09:52:55','2012-10-02 16:52:55','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7847,144,'2012-10-02 09:53:00','2012-10-02 16:53:00','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"622\" height=\"275\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-4','','','2012-10-02 09:53:00','2012-10-02 16:53:00','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7848,144,'2012-10-02 09:53:26','2012-10-02 16:53:26','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"248\" /></a></p>\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-5','','','2012-10-02 09:53:26','2012-10-02 16:53:26','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7849,144,'2012-10-02 09:53:59','2012-10-02 16:53:59','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"223\" /></a></p>\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-6','','','2012-10-02 09:53:59','2012-10-02 16:53:59','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7850,144,'2012-10-02 09:54:14','2012-10-02 16:54:14','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"223\" /></a></p>\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-7','','','2012-10-02 09:54:14','2012-10-02 16:54:14','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7851,144,'2012-10-02 09:54:40','2012-10-02 16:54:40','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7843\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/love-to-hate.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"201\" /></a></p>\r\n<strong>One look at the news lately tells me that human beings are drawn to conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Iran wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.</li>\r\n	<li>Israel demands a red line from the United States, so it can bomb Iran.</li>\r\n	<li>Militants execute a 9-11 anniversary attack and kill our ambassador to Lybia.</li>\r\n	<li>Muslims around the world use an idiotic and inflammatory film as an excuse to attack U.S diplomatic institutions in their countries.</li>\r\n	<li>Obama and Romney talk about what losers their each other is.</li>\r\n	<li>The Republican House passes bills that the Democrat Senate rejects out of hand.</li>\r\n	<li>A couple of days ago, I witnessed two men nearly come to blows in the local  Walmart parking lot because one walked in front of the other’s vehicle.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>Why do we seem to love conflict?</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel alive. There seems to be something almost therapeutic about getting riled up.</li>\r\n	<li>It makes us feel principled. We love to fight for what we believe.</li>\r\n	<li>It gives us a simple framework for understanding things. It’s black and white. “I am right. You are wrong. I am standing up for what I believe. You are an idiot.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong>But, consider the downside of conflict.</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>It makes enemies out of potential friends because it is possible to be friends with someone, while still disagreeing.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us in our camps of “us” and “them,” as long as we never get to know one of “them” in an interpersonal way.</li>\r\n	<li>It deprives us of the best solutions. When half of the people are shut out of the discussion, you will seldom, if ever, arrive at the best possible conclusions.</li>\r\n	<li>It fuels hate and keeps us apart. It spreads like a wildfire, sparked by repeatedly focusing on the very worse of “them,” and it drags more and more people into the conflict.</li>\r\n	<li>It keeps us from understanding each other and our personal and ethnic history and culture.</li>\r\n	<li>It sustains tribalism. The group that has the power seeks to enrage and do damage to the other. So they shove their legislation down the throats of their opponents, demonize those who disagree, treat some people as less human that others, and sometimes go to war.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nCan you add to the list? Is there ever a place for conflict?','Love to Hate','','inherit','open','open','','7842-revision-8','','','2012-10-02 09:54:40','2012-10-02 16:54:40','',7842,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7842-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7902,1,'2012-09-21 11:18:44','2012-09-21 18:18:44','[caption id=\"attachment_7719\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-7719 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2226145803_c420b399ed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"456\" /></a> Photo Credit: CRASH: candy via Flickr[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe five of us have been sitting around the same antique table on a semi-monthly for more than four years. We rarely see each outside of these monthly get-togethers, yet I consider these women to be among some of my dearest friends. We come from different backgrounds, different demographics, and different parts of the metro Chicago area, yet we always have one thing in common – our mutual interest in facilitating each other’s spiritual accountability by engaging in respectful faith sharing.\r\n\r\nWe began meeting as part of a small group through the Unitarian Universalist church that we were attending at the time. Since then, our group’s members have changed slightly – some members leaving and a new member joining – but the purpose of the group has always been the same.\r\n\r\nWe eat. We drink. We talk. We share.\r\n\r\nWe talk about food and wine and sex and God. We talk about our jobs and our kids and our spouses and our spirituality.\r\n\r\nWe share our dreams, our insecurities, our doubts, and our faith. We share our joys and concerns. We share our thoughts and ideas about what it means to live a life of compassion, generosity, justice, and spirituality. We share our life stories and our faith stories.\r\n\r\nAnd in doing so, we share the deepest parts of ourselves. We share our faith and we share our relationship with God. We share our most vulnerable and sensitive beliefs, laying ourselves raw and fully open to the possibility of knowing each other on a deeper level.\r\n\r\nIn talking about our beliefs and sharing our faith with each other, we have granted one another a rare glimpse into the deepest recesses of our souls – a place that many of us don’t even let our closest friends and family members see.\r\n\r\nYou see, we live in a society that shuns faith sharing. We are scared of it. We are afraid of being judged and we are afraid of judging. We are afraid that if we talk about sensitive and personal issues such as faith and spirituality that we might be forced to acknowledge that there are differences between us.\r\n\r\nBut when we do this, we forget that differences do not need to divide us; rather, acknowledging differences can be a means of expanding our options and opening our minds. When we talk about beliefs – not necessarily <em>what</em> we believe but <em>why </em>we believe – we grant ourselves the opportunity to know someone on a deeper level and open our minds to alternative perspectives. When we share our faith – not just how we practice our faith but how our faith shapes our life – we give someone else the gift of knowing us more intimately.\r\n\r\nSo ask me what I believe; I will tell you.  And I will, in turn, ask you what you believe in the hopes that we can embark on an educational conversation, in which we both learn something about each other and our respective faiths.\r\n\r\nIf you shy away from religious or spiritual conversations, ask yourself two questions: Am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am afraid that I will be judged?  Or am I uncomfortable with this conversation because I am unsure of what I believe?\r\n\r\nIf it is the former, and there is a genuine fear of judgment, feel empowered to say so. Let the listener know that you fear that you will be judged.  If the other person tends to judge, they deserve to be called out on it.  On the other hand, your fear of judgment may be unwarranted and you owe the other person the benefit of the doubt.\r\n\r\nI suspect, however, that fear of judgment is not the only thing that keeps us from talking about our faith. Many of us shy away from conversations about our faith simply because we are unsure of what we believe. We have doubts. We have questions. We see inconsistencies and, regardless of how strong our faith is, there are times when we just don’t know what we believe. But if you look into your heart – I mean <em>really</em> look into your heart – you just might come to some conclusions about your faith and spiritual beliefs. There is no shame in admitting your doubts. In fact, acknowledging doubts is a critical part of an authentic faith.\r\n\r\nEvangelism is not a dirty word. Evangelism (not to be confused with evangelical) is about faith <em>sharing</em> – listening to the beliefs and faiths of someone else without the expectation of conversion. Evangelism is <em>not</em> the act of proselytizing, which is a dictatorial one-sided persuasive commentary; rather, evangelism is the participation in a responsible and respectful conversation that involves a full and fair informational exchange.\r\n\r\nFor many of us, our faith – or lack of faith – is a large part of who we are and how we live our lives. By refraining from talking about our faith, we are preventing ourselves from really getting to know others, including those people who are closest to us. And when we fail to know and understand others and ourselves, we are ultimately preventing ourselves from fully knowing the power of a graceful and compassionate God.\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=643de11f-2ba9-4183-aabd-43ef425e1ea6\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','Evangelism Is Not a Dirty Word','','inherit','open','open','','7713-revision-8','','','2012-09-21 11:18:44','2012-09-21 18:18:44','',7713,'http://provoketive.com/2012/09/21/7713-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7854,183,'2012-10-17 08:00:11','2012-10-17 15:00:11','I\'ve spent the majority of my life in the institutional church, giving of myself and being blessed by folks giving of themselves into my life.  That time in my life was very valuable.  It was necessary.  Had I not spent so much of my life in that environment, I would not be suited for the plan God has for my life, for my family and for my church.\r\n<div>My wife and I are planting <a href=\"http://churchofthemisfitsatl.wordpress.com\">Church of the Misfits</a> in the West Atlanta Metro area.  We have both spent so much of our lives to the institutional (brick, mortar and steeple) church.  That time is valuable as I said previously and I wouldn\'t trade it for the world.  I thank God for the churches in my hometown that allowed me to serve for so many years.However, I am at a point now where the practices of the institutional church don\'t necessarily work for me anymore.  The idea that only one person (the pastor) of a congregation has the ability and responsibility to interpret Scripture doesn\'t work for me anymore.  I am no longer interested in going to listen to a 30  -45 minute lecture on one man\'s interpretation of what a particular Scripture has to say.</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7869\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/intellect-or-belief-500x500.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7869\" title=\"intellect-or-belief-500x500\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/intellect-or-belief-500x500-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a> Image courtesy of David Hayward (http://nakedpastor.com)[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am through being \"given\" and \"giving\" concrete interpretations on Scripture.  Instead, I want to start building interpretations.\r\nWe\'ve all heard the phrase, \"Give a man fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.\"  Another telling of that phrase goes, \"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you\'ve lost a customer.\"  I think a lot of churches treat parishioners like customers.  We give them a good hearty \"meal\" once a week, just so they can come bns on Scripture.  To build a beautiful building, you need a lot of things.  You need a foundation layer.  You need a framer.  You need an architect.  You need an interior decorator.  You need a landscaper.  All of these things and more are important, so why when we are \"building our faith\" or \"working out our own salvation with fear and trembling\", do we let only one person dictate what that faith should look like?  Shouldn\'t a group of folks have an input on what that faith should look like?ack hungry the following week.  Yet, how many folks are we teaching to fish?  How many folks are we equipping so that they might internalize their faith?  I much rather my parishioners have a faith that is unique to them than have 750 folks attending every week with a cookie cutter faith.\r\n\r\nGod created us all differently and  we all interact with God differently.  We should allow room for questions.  We should allow room and create space so that folks know that it\'s okay for them to interpret Scripture for themselves.  They don\'t need to rely on a pastor.  We all need help molding our faith, even your pastors.\r\n\r\nYour faith should be unique to you.\r\n\r\nHow do we create a faith that is unique to us?  We find safe space for us to question.  We find folks who challenge us to think critically.  We challenge others to think critically.  We take the words of Jesus seriously.  We wrestle with the writings that we don\'t agree with or don\'t like, rather than just write them off.\r\n\r\nAre you brave enough to create a faith that is unique?  Are you brave enough to think critically about Scripture?  Are you brave enough to let the Bible and the Spirit of God ruin your life?  Are you brave enough to lose your life, so that you may find it?\r\n\r\nJoin me on this path.  Let\'s come to church and not check our brain at the door.\r\n\r\n</div>','When to Give and When to Build','','publish','open','open','','when-to-give-and-when-to-build','','','2012-10-10 19:38:08','2012-10-11 02:38:08','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7854',0,'post','',4),(7855,200,'2012-10-13 08:00:36','2012-10-13 15:00:36','What represents Christianity today is a far cry from the Jesus I learned about as a child, the one who said to turn the other cheek, to render unto Caesar what is Caesar\'s (pay your taxes), that if someone wants your cloak to give them your coat as well, and that what you do unto \"the least of them\" you also do unto me. He said to love your Lord your God with all your heart, to love your neighbor as you love yourself, and to love one another as I have loved you. I remember as a child not wanting to turn the other cheek or give up my possessions to another, and I don\'t think many of us do, yet we as Christians still felt like we should. However, 30 years ago the \"Prosperity Doctrine\" began to infiltrate our mainstream Christian churches, while at the same time, Ayn Rand\'s \"Atlas Shrugged\" made a comeback, and somehow with the later propaganda and influence of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and Hannity, being selfish is not only acceptable, but considered Christian and right. And the irony is that Ayn Rand, whom Paul Ryan is said to have idealized and even based his budget on her philosophy was an avowed atheist. And even though Ms. Rand claimed that social programs like SSA and Medicare were evil, she took advantage of both while she was dying from cancer, but used her husband’s name rather than her famous one because she didn’t want anyone to know.\r\n\r\nI have had discussions with so-called Christian conservatives who don’t want their taxes raised and believe that the rich pay enough already too. I’ve pointed out that Christ said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s (pay our taxes), and they have said that doesn’t mean that the taxes need to be designated to programs for poor people and Christ didn’t say that either. This is true, I’ve agreed with them; Christ didn’t get to say what Caesar’s tax money went for, but I can’t help but think he would approve. I’ve even made up a little scenario that I can vividly imagine if Caesar had sought Jesus’ advice about what to do with his tax money:\r\n\r\nThe scene opens with Caesar showing Jesus around his castle. Look at all my riches, says Caesar as they stroll through his opulent palace. Everywhere you look is a reflection of the powerful man I am, and everyone bows to me. My golden crown is incrusted with rare jewels, and I sit upon a throne of solid gold. My wives all wear exquisite jewelry and are draped in expensive silks. Even my servants wear the finest polished cotton. See my luxurious baths and lovely garden? The finest horses you’ve ever seen fill my stables, and the most beautiful team pull the emperor’s chariot. Where do you think I should apply my latest tax collection? So Jesus takes Caesar on a little stroll through his kingdom. They walk through the marketplace where the merchants sell their humble wares, past the blind and the beggars, visit in some humble cottages where the poor struggle to get by and the sick writhe in their misery, often dying with no hope, then past the leper colony where the most shunned suffer while begging for scraps of food. Jesus says to Caesar, do you see anywhere your money might be put to good use? Of course, Caesar, has the choice of being generous and helping “the lest of these” like Jesus has always stressed we should, or he can shrug and go off to seek another bauble for himself. Today’s Christians always side with the wealthy and seek an almost punishing attitude toward the needy who are most often that way because of the greed of the wealthy. And somehow it seems like if they were suffering more, had even less it would justify things for us, make it more acceptable. Do we really want to return to the tent cities, tar shacks and bread lines of the Great Depression before social programs were put into place? Would that make poverty more palatable to some? I often hear that the rich pay the majority of taxes, that they pay enough, but they don’t pay their percentage. The more you have, the less you pay. Paul Ryan is not nearly as wealthy as Mitt Romney, yet he pays more than Mitt in taxes, and so it goes downhill to the rest of us. Trickle down? Oh really???\r\n\r\nThere are other contradictions within the so-called “Christian Right” that really boggle my mind. For example, traditionally the “right” had despised draft dodgers, yet Ted Nugent, who has boasted about crapping in his pants for a week to avoid the draft is now okay and even a national hero to many. Why? Because he hates President Obama and loves guns. And on the subject of guns, how did gun ownership ever come to be part of the Christian culture? It just doesn’t line up with “turning the other cheek” to me. I understand that we have a gun heritage in our country, and my own household even has some. That said, I truly don’t believe that anyone is going to try to take away our hunting rifles and home protection guns. New laws may make registration restriction a bit stronger, but do we really want to make it easy for criminals to have them? Does any family really need assault weapons? I truly think this is just a lot of propaganda that has little to do with reality. Our Constitution gives us the Right to Bear Arms, and it would be no easy feat to take that away. Even if they tried, people would hide them away, and I think everyone is aware of that. You cannot really take guns away even if you try to outlaw them. It’s just not going to happen.\r\n\r\nThe other big issue, the one many people will vote based on it alone, is abortion. I agree that abortion is a terrible thing, and it is actually taking a life, and that we, as Christians, should never do it. If someone were to come to me seeking advice, I would try to talk them into other alternatives. However, if they are set on it, they will do it whether or not it is legal as they did in days gone by, even if it kills them, which it often did. Or, some will do like many who have made the news in recent years and conceal their pregnancy, give birth in secret and kill their babies. So, I’m not sure laws against it will stop much, only make it unsafe, and I have to ask if we want to punish people that way, as many seem wont to do. And if we do feel that way, why not just be against abortion and leave the parts of Planned Parenthood intact that counsel, advise, offer contraception and help with women’s medical issues. Why does it have to be an “all or nothing” solution? My issue is not so much about abortion as I understand why that is such an emotional issue, it’s about children and the poor. If we are that against abortion, wouldn’t we be FOR birth control? I’ve heard conservatives argue that they don’t want to pay for someone else’s birth control. I understand, however, wouldn’t that cost less than paying for someone else’s child? This is probably a moot point with them though, as most do not want to pay into social programs that help poor children. The other day, I read an article in which Pat Robertson, Christian Icon to the Right, say that Christians shouldn’t adopt either, that they are taking a risk with so many crack babies and children from other less than ideal situations being the ones up for adoption. So I summarize this by saying--We don’t want abortions, okay got that. We don’t want to pay for poor women’s birth control, and we don’t want to pay into social programs that would help them raise the child we didn’t want them to abort. And we don’t think adoption is a good idea either. So where does that leave us in our Christian conscience about this whole thing? Not many alternatives that I can see. . .unless we were actually willing to open up our hearts and our wallets as Jesus told us to.\r\n\r\nThe hijacking of the Christian religion by the Republican Party has been a slow, sure and insidious undertaking. There was a time when Christian women would have been shocked and appalled by Rush Limbaugh calling a young lady a slut, especially since she never mentioned her sex life or anyone else’s, only recounted stories of her friends who needed “the pill” for medical reasons, and how one of them who couldn’t afford it lost an ovary and the ability to bear children. Yet Christian women cheered Mr. Limbaugh on and declared that he was defending Catholic rights. Rush Limbaugh, married four times, an admitted user of Viagra, and the father of none, wants to control women from having easy access to the pill. A short time after his tirade against Sandra Fluke, Mr. Limbaugh called a group of nuns that dedicate their lives to helping the poor (his favorite word for women he disapproves of) “feminazis“! So much for respecting and defending Catholicism! Although somehow this man has become an icon of the Christian Right, I do not believe that Rush Limbaugh has ever said he is Christian, only conservative and on the side of the wealthy, of which he is as a spokesman, and one who got rich himself doing just that.\r\n\r\nIt saddens my heart that people will vote against their own interests and side with the evil One Percent that wants to turn us into a land of serfs. Don’t they understand that the problems we face today started 30 years ago and that the fault lies with the very corporations, the greedy wealthy that they are defending? They moved their factories overseas to hire foreigners at slave wages, while at the same time denying fellow Americans a living wage in the land they (the corporate owners) call home. That may be legal, and I’ve heard the “Right” defend it as their right, and I suppose that is true, but what does it say morally? Why would those who claim to have the heart of Christ vote for someone who values money over human beings? Now, the super-rich corporate owners are finding that their profit margins are starting to slip a little due to shipping costs, and there is talk about bringing some of their factories home. Does it seem likely that they are going to want to actually pay people a living wage to work in them? What would be the point if they are doing it to keep more of their money? There is a lot of talk about abolishing unions and union pension plans for police, firefighters, teachers, government workers, and railroad workers. There is also talk about doing away with minimum wage. Why? Because they don’t the serfs to have too much; they want to keep them desperate to do their bidding just to survive.\r\n\r\nBut wait, there is more. Why is it we no longer hear about overpopulation, when, indeed, we are actually living the predictions of those who warned against overpopulation back in the 1970s? And why are rightwing politicians are against contraception? I do not think most of them are against it due to moral values or religious beliefs, but because they want to keep populating expendable serfs to fight the wars they profit from and work for pennies in their factories. But they are smart enough to push those emotional buttons and get people to vote against their own best interests.\r\n\r\nThen there is immigration. Lots of anger there. I have two friends who were haters that changed their minds on that. One is a gal who was totally against it until she moved to Arizona and found herself working with a lot of underprivileged Hispanic children. She has totally changed her outlook once she came to see them as people with wants, needs and dreams just like the rest of us. The other is a guy who went there to get work, and he says after working with and being around “those people” he has done a complete turn around and says “I’d do it.” We are supposed to be hospitable and not turn people away according to scripture. And “those people” do work most of us don’t want to do, and they do it for much less money than we would accept. And lest we forget, we were all immigrants and took land from the natives who already lived here\r\n\r\nI also don\'t get why right-wing Christians are so pro war, when Christ said \"blessed are the peacemakers.“ We, as Christians, support our troops and cry at their funerals and hold parades in our towns when someone’s child comes home in a box, yet we do not care much about our veterans when they have managed to come home alive and often leave them lacking in basic needs and homeless. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves if Jesus would care about the children we kill overseas, the innocent who have no say so in the whole matter? The politicians on the right not only do NOT want to get us out of Afghanistan, but they are eagerly speculating about going to war with Iran. It has always been old rich men sending young poor men off to war. Besides Ted Nugent, other well known and respected men who managed to avoid the draft include George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Mitt Romney. What would Jesus say?\r\n\r\nThere is so much more I have to say about this but for now, I just want to say that Christianity to me is all about a heart attitude, and I don\'t see how wanting to save every fetus, while at the same time wanting to cut programs that help poor children who have managed to be born shows much Christian love or charity. Many Christians I know even want to eliminate programs like free lunches, which could be the only nutrition some children get all day. I could go on and on about this, but I would leave you with the thought that maybe some things that represent Christianity today have nothing at all to do with following Christ, but tickle our ears and make us feel good about not such loving attitudes, and perhaps it is time we took a closer look at the values we embrace as Christian. Are they more Randian than Christian???','Are We Really Following Christ?','','publish','open','open','','are-we-really-following-christ','','','2012-10-10 19:29:20','2012-10-11 02:29:20','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7855',0,'post','',0),(7856,183,'2012-10-02 11:43:55','2012-10-02 18:43:55','I\'ve spent the majority of my life in the institutional church, giving of myself and being blessed by folks giving of themselves into my life.  That time in my life was very valuable.  It was necessary.  Had I not spent so much of my life in that environment, I would not be suited for the plan God has for my life, for my family and for my church.\n\nMy wife and I are planting <a href=\"http://churchofthemisfitsatl.wordpress.com\">Church of the Misfits</a> in the West Atlanta Metro area.  We have both spent so much of our lives to the institutional (brick, mortar and steeple) church.  That time is valuable as I said previously and I wouldn\'t trade it for the world.  I thank God for the churches in my hometown that allowed me to serve for so many years.\n\nHowever, I am at a point now where the practices of the institutional church don\'t necessarily work for me anymore.  The idea that only one person (the pastor) of a congregation has the ability and responsibility to interpret Scripture doesn\'t work for me anymore.  I am no longer interested in going to listen to a 30  -45 minute lecture on one man\'s interpretation of what a particular Scripture has to say.\n\nI am through being \"given\" and \"giving\" concrete interpretations on Scripture.  Instead, I want to start building interpretations on Scripture.  To build a beautiful building, you need a lot of things.  You need a foundation layer.  You need a framer.  You need an architect.  You need an interior decorator.  You need a landscaper.  All of these things and more are important, so why when we are \"building our faith\" or \"working out our own salvation with fear and trembling\", do we let only one person dictate what that faith should look like?  Shouldn\'t a group of folks have an input on what that faith should look like?\n\nWe\'ve all heard the phrase, \"Give a man fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.\"  Another telling of that phrase goes, \"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you\'ve lost a customer.\"  I think a lot of churches treat parishioners like customers.  We give them a good hearty \"meal\" once a week, just so they can come back hungry the following week.  Yet, how many folks are we teaching to fish?  How many folks are we equipping so that they might internalize their faith?  I much rather my parishioners have a faith that is unique to them than have 750 folks attending every week with a cookie cutter faith.\n\nGod created us all differently and  we all interact with God differently.  We should allow room for questions.  We should allow room and create space so that folks know that it\'s okay for them to interpret Scripture for themselves.  They don\'t need to rely on a pastor.  We all need help molding our faith, even your pastors.  What we do not need is folks','When to Give and When to Build','','inherit','open','open','','7854-revision','','','2012-10-02 11:43:55','2012-10-02 18:43:55','',7854,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7854-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7857,183,'2012-10-02 11:44:37','2012-10-02 18:44:37','I\'ve spent the majority of my life in the institutional church, giving of myself and being blessed by folks giving of themselves into my life.  That time in my life was very valuable.  It was necessary.  Had I not spent so much of my life in that environment, I would not be suited for the plan God has for my life, for my family and for my church.\r\n\r\nMy wife and I are planting <a href=\"http://churchofthemisfitsatl.wordpress.com\">Church of the Misfits</a> in the West Atlanta Metro area.  We have both spent so much of our lives to the institutional (brick, mortar and steeple) church.  That time is valuable as I said previously and I wouldn\'t trade it for the world.  I thank God for the churches in my hometown that allowed me to serve for so many years.\r\n\r\nHowever, I am at a point now where the practices of the institutional church don\'t necessarily work for me anymore.  The idea that only one person (the pastor) of a congregation has the ability and responsibility to interpret Scripture doesn\'t work for me anymore.  I am no longer interested in going to listen to a 30  -45 minute lecture on one man\'s interpretation of what a particular Scripture has to say.\r\n\r\nI am through being \"given\" and \"giving\" concrete interpretations on Scripture.  Instead, I want to start building interpretations on Scripture.  To build a beautiful building, you need a lot of things.  You need a foundation layer.  You need a framer.  You need an architect.  You need an interior decorator.  You need a landscaper.  All of these things and more are important, so why when we are \"building our faith\" or \"working out our own salvation with fear and trembling\", do we let only one person dictate what that faith should look like?  Shouldn\'t a group of folks have an input on what that faith should look like?\r\n\r\nWe\'ve all heard the phrase, \"Give a man fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.\"  Another telling of that phrase goes, \"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you\'ve lost a customer.\"  I think a lot of churches treat parishioners like customers.  We give them a good hearty \"meal\" once a week, just so they can come back hungry the following week.  Yet, how many folks are we teaching to fish?  How many folks are we equipping so that they might internalize their faith?  I much rather my parishioners have a faith that is unique to them than have 750 folks attending every week with a cookie cutter faith.\r\n\r\nGod created us all differently and  we all interact with God differently.  We should allow room for questions.  We should allow room and create space so that folks know that it\'s okay for them to interpret Scripture for themselves.  They don\'t need to rely on a pastor.  We all need help molding our faith, even your pastors.\r\n\r\nYour faith should be unique to you.','When to Give and When to Build','','inherit','open','open','','7854-revision-2','','','2012-10-02 11:44:37','2012-10-02 18:44:37','',7854,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7854-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7858,200,'2012-10-02 15:14:51','2012-10-02 22:14:51','','198453_470728849615924_1857598687_n[2]','','inherit','open','open','','198453_470728849615924_1857598687_n2','','','2012-10-02 15:14:51','2012-10-02 22:14:51','',7855,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/198453_470728849615924_1857598687_n2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7859,200,'2012-10-02 11:33:17','2012-10-02 18:33:17','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','7855-revision','','','2012-10-02 11:33:17','2012-10-02 18:33:17','',7855,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7855-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7873,200,'2012-10-03 12:27:49','2012-10-03 19:27:49','','198453_470728849615924_1857598687_n[2]','','inherit','open','open','','198453_470728849615924_1857598687_n2-2','','','2012-10-03 12:27:49','2012-10-03 19:27:49','',7855,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/198453_470728849615924_1857598687_n21.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7861,0,'2012-10-02 15:22:02','2012-10-02 22:22:02','Christian values\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Beverly Donner\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Buddynet02@att.net\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 108.198.100.62\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Beverly Donner\n    [Email] =&gt; Buddynet02@att.net\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Christian values\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Beverly Donner\n)\n','Beverly Donner - 2012-10-02 15:22:02','','publish','open','open','','712e21e10bcfc60a8387e434cad7e594','','','2012-10-02 15:22:02','2012-10-02 22:22:02','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7861',0,'feedback','',0),(8211,202,'2013-01-08 15:45:05','2013-01-08 23:45:05','<img class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http://c498390.r90.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Setting-Up-Podiums.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"860\" height=\"485\" />I remember hearing a story in college about a large church with a young pastor who boldly preached the gospel according to Calvin and Albert Mohler.  The mega-church he led had lost a sizable number of members (though certainly not enough to diminish its mega-church status) and a friend commented that this was because this pastor was “preaching the truth.”  What he meant, which I agree with, is that the truth isn’t always what we want to hear.  What he implied, which I want to question, is that any consequences of bluntly telling the truth are perfectly acceptable.\r\n\r\nA friend of mine said to me recently that what we believe determines how we live and treat others.  Whether he meant to or not, he seemed to imply that the primary concern of any spiritual leader must be making sure people believe correctly.  Lifestyle will follow if we just get people’s theology in order.\r\n\r\nBut what happens when our quest to enlighten others with “the truth” leads to our causing others pain?  Or what happens when people reveal to us deep pain and hurt caused by those with whom we theologically or ideologically agree?  What happens when people ask for our advice and we discover that they believe “the wrong thing?”\r\n\r\nBefore we go any farther with this I need to confess that I am by no means a master of discretion when it comes to difficult situations like these.  So what follows is not the teachings of an expert in the field but the honest questionings of a fellow journeyer.  I am guilty of having done (and probably will do again) many things similar to those I am about to write about.  I write this not to chastise others but to bring to light a concern that all of us engaged in conversations about faith need to keep in mind.\r\n\r\nWith that confessions in mind, let me share three types of situations in which conversations about faith cross lines of difference that I have observed:\r\n\r\nThe first happens when we cross lines of theological difference.\r\n\r\nI have heard many pastors, bible study leaders, and seminary students, whether they be Calvinist, Wesleyan, or none-of-the-above, describe moments in which someone came to them with a question or a pastoral concern which simultaneously revealed that they held the “wrong theology.”  Not missing a beat, said “teacher” took the opportunity to inform their new, unsuspecting “student” of a more theologically robust and accurate way of conceptualizing the “issue at hand,” with the resulting private lecture in systematics often taking up most of the 30 minute block set aside for their “coffee meeting.”\r\n\r\nThe second happens when we cross lines of political difference.\r\n\r\nA friend told me a couple of years ago of the painful experience of having a conversation with a mentor and colleague who was leading a local church outreach program.  In the course of their meeting and planning activities for this program, they realized that they came down on opposite sides of a very controversial political issue.  My friend humbly asked to continue working with this mentor and colleague despite their disagreement.  He was met with an ultimatum: until you change your mind about this, we can’t work together.\r\n\r\nThe third happens when we cross lines of cultural or experiential difference.\r\n\r\nSqueezed into the middle seat on a long Southwest flight to visit family for the holidays, it comes out that we are involved ministry or are studying theology.  Or maybe the guy next to us notices the title of the N.T. Wright book we are reading.  Whatever it was, suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere all the usual stereotypes and accusations are flying: the diatribe against organized religion from the woman on our left, the stories of personal pain and hurt caused by church when the fellow on our right was growing up.  My natural instinct, and I suspect I’m not alone, is to dodge the bullet and play the I’m-not-that-kind-of-Christian card, allowing me to explain that Christianity can have a very different look and feel than my new acquaintances have supposed.\r\n\r\nUnderlying all three of these types of situations, I think, is a concern for the advancement of particular causes and hobby horses in the life of the church.  And on one level, that is fine.  The church needs to better educate its members about theology.  The church needs people who are serious about arguing for the right application of Christianity to the needs of this world.  The church needs to deal with its historical and cultural baggage.  And when we engage in conversations about faith we will often find ourselves on the front lines of all of these issues.\r\n\r\nBut what also needs to be considered is the concrete reality of the other person in each of these situations.  Does the church member across the table from us need a lesson in theology or do they need to be heard out?  Does the colleague with which we disagree politically need an ultimatum or do they need an outstretched hand?  Do our fellow passengers (or perhaps prisoners?) on a long flight home need the sales pitch for our particular brand of Christianity or do they need someone who is willing to own the harm done to them and simply say “I’m sorry”?\r\n\r\nAll too often we go into situations where we are crossing lines of disagreement trigger-happy and ready to shoot.  Spoiling for the argument, we don\'t take the time to stop and consider the consequences of our words.  I was pretty astonished today when I watched this \"interview\" of Alex Jones by Piers Morgan:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://youtu.be/Tf-i3Y5iRYo[/youtube]\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, a lot of people see Christians this way and a lot of times we Christians think this way of one another.  Aggressive and argumentative have become synonyms with \"Christian\" in our society, and we haven\'t done much to help our cause.\r\n\r\nWhat I think we need to ask ourselves more often is whether the way we have conversations with those with whom we disagree has more to do with advancing our favorite hobby-horse than with addressing the actual needs of the person we are talking with.\r\n\r\nPut another way, I think we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis if our calling to be servant leaders is best accomplished by taking every conversation as an opportunity to argue with others about the right things to think or a moment to accept what we consider false assumptions for the sake of meeting people where they are.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Alexander Marshall is a blogger, writer, teacher, and student at Yale Divinity School.  You can connect with him on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/alexanderpmarshall\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexp_marshall\">Twitter</a>, or by <a href=\"http://apmarshall.wordpress.com\">visiting his blog</a>.</em>','When Should We Stop Arguing?','','inherit','open','open','','8205-revision-6','','','2013-01-08 15:45:05','2013-01-08 23:45:05','',8205,'http://provoketive.com/2013/01/08/8205-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7864,183,'2012-10-02 17:23:00','2012-10-03 00:23:00','I\'ve spent the majority of my life in the institutional church, giving of myself and being blessed by folks gi\n\nving of themselves into my life.  That time in my life was very valuable.  It was necessary.  Had I not spent so much of my life in that environment, I would not be suited for the plan God has for my life, for my family and for my church.\n<div>\nMy wife and I are planting <a href=\"http://churchofthemisfitsatl.wordpress.com\">Church of the Misfits</a> in the West Atlanta Metro area.  We have both spent so much of our lives to the institutional (brick, mortar and steeple) church.  That time is valuable as I said previously and I wouldn\'t trade it for the world.  I thank God for the churches in my hometown that allowed me to serve for so many years.\n\nHowever, I am at a point now where the practices of the institutional church don\'t necessarily work for me anymore.  The idea that only one person (the pastor) of a congregation has the ability and responsibility to interpret Scripture doesn\'t work for me anymore.  I am no longer interested in going to listen to a 30  -45 minute lecture on one man\'s interpretation of what a particular Scripture has to say.\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-7863\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/thinking-critically.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"361\" /></div>\n<div>\nI am through being \"given\" and \"giving\" concrete interpretations on Scripture.  Instead, I want to start building interpretations.\nWe\'ve all heard the phrase, \"Give a man fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.\"  Another telling of that phrase goes, \"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you\'ve lost a customer.\"  I think a lot of churches treat parishioners like customers.  We give them a good hearty \"meal\" once a week, just so they can come bns on Scripture.  To build a beautiful building, you need a lot of things.  You need a foundation layer.  You need a framer.  You need an architect.  You need an interior decorator.  You need a landscaper.  All of these things and more are important, so why when we are \"building our faith\" or \"working out our own salvation with fear and trembling\", do we let only one person dictate what that faith should look like?  Shouldn\'t a group of folks have an input on what that faith should look like?\n\nack hungry the following week.  Yet, how many folks are we teaching to fish?  How many folks are we equipping so that they might internalize their faith?  I much rather my parishioners have a faith that is unique to them than have 750 folks attending every week with a cookie cutter faith.\n\nGod created us all differently and  we all interact with God differently.  We should allow room for questions.  We should allow room and create space so that folks know that it\'s okay for them to interpret Scripture for themselves.  They don\'t need to rely on a pastor.  We all need help molding our faith, even your pastors.\n\nYour faith should be unique to you.\n\nHow do we create a faith that is unique to us?  We find safe space for us to question.  We find folks who challenge us to think critically.  We challenge others to think critically.  We take the words of Jesus seriously.  We wrestle with the writings that we don\'t agree with or don\'t like, rather than just write them off.\n\nAre you brave enough to create a faith that is unique?  Are you brave enough to think critically about Scripture?  Are you brave enough to let the Bible and the Spirit of God ruin your life?  Are you brave enough to lose your life, so that you may find it?\n\nJoin me on this path.  Let\'s come to church and not check our brain at the door.\n\n</div>','When to Give and When to Build','','inherit','open','open','','7854-revision-3','','','2012-10-02 17:23:00','2012-10-03 00:23:00','',7854,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7854-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7865,183,'2012-10-02 17:25:06','2012-10-03 00:25:06','','question','','inherit','open','open','','question','','','2012-10-02 17:25:06','2012-10-03 00:25:06','',7854,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/question.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7866,1,'2012-10-10 19:33:51','2012-10-11 02:33:51','I\'ve spent the majority of my life in the institutional church, giving of myself and being blessed by folks gi\n\nving of themselves into my life.  That time in my life was very valuable.  It was necessary.  Had I not spent so much of my life in that environment, I would not be suited for the plan God has for my life, for my family and for my church.\n<div>My wife and I are planting <a href=\"http://churchofthemisfitsatl.wordpress.com\">Church of the Misfits</a> in the West Atlanta Metro area.  We have both spent so much of our lives to the institutional (brick, mortar and steeple) church.  That time is valuable as I said previously and I wouldn\'t trade it for the world.  I thank God for the churches in my hometown that allowed me to serve for so many years.However, I am at a point now where the practices of the institutional church don\'t necessarily work for me anymore.  The idea that only one person (the pastor) of a congregation has the ability and responsibility to interpret Scripture doesn\'t work for me anymore.  I am no longer interested in going to listen to a 30  -45 minute lecture on one man\'s interpretation of what a particular Scripture has to say.</div>\n<div>\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7869\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/intellect-or-belief-500x500.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7869\" title=\"intellect-or-belief-500x500\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/intellect-or-belief-500x500-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a> Image courtesy of David Hayward (http://nakedpastor.com)[/caption]\n\nI am through being \"given\" and \"giving\" concrete interpretations on Scripture.  Instead, I want to start building interpretations.\nWe\'ve all heard the phrase, \"Give a man fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.\"  Another telling of that phrase goes, \"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you\'ve lost a customer.\"  I think a lot of churches treat parishioners like customers.  We give them a good hearty \"meal\" once a week, just so they can come bns on Scripture.  To build a beautiful building, you need a lot of things.  You need a foundation layer.  You need a framer.  You need an architect.  You need an interior decorator.  You need a landscaper.  All of these things and more are important, so why when we are \"building our faith\" or \"working out our own salvation with fear and trembling\", do we let only one person dictate what that faith should look like?  Shouldn\'t a group of folks have an input on what that faith should look like?ack hungry the following week.  Yet, how many folks are we teaching to fish?  How many folks are we equipping so that they might internalize their faith?  I much rather my parishioners have a faith that is unique to them than have 750 folks attending every week with a cookie cutter faith.\n\nGod created us all differently and  we all interact with God differently.  We should allow room for questions.  We should allow room and create space so that folks know that it\'s okay for them to interpret Scripture for themselves.  They don\'t need to rely on a pastor.  We all need help molding our faith, even your pastors.\n\nYour faith should be unique to you.\n\nHow do we create a faith that is unique to us?  We find safe space for us to question.  We find folks who challenge us to think critically.  We challenge others to think critically.  We take the words of Jesus seriously.  We wrestle with the writings that we don\'t agree with or don\'t like, rather than just write them off.\n\nAre you brave enough to create a faith that is unique?  Are you brave enough to think critically about Scripture?  Are you brave enough to let the Bible and the Spirit of God ruin your life?  Are you brave enough to lose your life, so that you may find it?\n\nJoin me on this path.  Let\'s come to church and not check our brain at the door.\n\n</div>','When to Give and When to Build','','inherit','open','open','','7854-autosave','','','2012-10-10 19:33:51','2012-10-11 02:33:51','',7854,'http://provoketive.com/2012/10/02/7854-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7869,183,'2012-10-03 04:24:24','2012-10-03 11:24:24','','intellect-or-belief-500x500','Image courtesy of David Hayward (http://nakedpastor.com)','inherit','open','open','','intellect-or-belief-500x500','','','2012-10-03 04:24:24','2012-10-03 11:24:24','',7854,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/intellect-or-belief-500x500.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7872,0,'2012-10-03 09:55:57','2012-10-03 16:55:57','Are We Really Following Christ\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Beverly Donner\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Buddynet02@att.net\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 108.198.100.62\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Beverly Donner\n    [Email] =&gt; Buddynet02@att.net\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Are We Really Following Christ\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Donner1234\n)\n','Beverly Donner - 2012-10-03 09:55:57','','publish','open','open','','19f75d5e234096e07fdf9ce1e309371c','','','2012-10-03 09:55:57','2012-10-03 16:55:57','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7872',0,'feedback','',0);
