(4647,48,'2012-01-25 08:29:07','2012-01-25 16:29:07','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn1\">[1]</a><sup>,<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn2\">[2]</a></sup> Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a>\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn1\">[1]</a> She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few. 1 Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref1\">[1]</a> <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref2\">[2]</a>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref3\">[3]</a>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-81','','','2012-01-25 08:29:07','2012-01-25 16:29:07','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-81/',0,'revision','',0),(4648,48,'2012-01-25 08:29:45','2012-01-25 16:29:45','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn1\">[1]</a><sup>,<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn2\">[2]</a></sup> Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a>\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn1\">[1]</a> She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few. 1 Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref1\">[1]</a> <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref2\">[2]</a>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref3\">[3]</a>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-82','','','2012-01-25 08:29:45','2012-01-25 16:29:45','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-82/',0,'revision','',0),(4649,48,'2012-01-25 08:29:52','2012-01-25 16:29:52','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn1\">[1]</a><sup>,<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn2\">[2]</a></sup> Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a>\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn1\">[1]</a> She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few. 1 Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows. <a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftn3\">[3]</a> From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref1\">[1]</a> <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref2\">[2]</a>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"\" href=\"/Users/Owner/Desktop/Janice%20Martin%20Doc.docx#_ftnref3\">[3]</a>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-83','','','2012-01-25 08:29:52','2012-01-25 16:29:52','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-83/',0,'revision','',0),(4651,48,'2012-01-25 08:35:42','2012-01-25 16:35:42','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.[1]</sup>,[2]</sup> Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.[3]</sup>\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.[1]</sup> She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few. 1 Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.[3]</sup> The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.[3]</sup> No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.[3]</sup> From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n[1]</sup> <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n[2]</sup>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n[3]</sup>Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-85','','','2012-01-25 08:35:42','2012-01-25 16:35:42','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-85/',0,'revision','',0),(4654,48,'2012-01-25 08:44:51','2012-01-25 16:44:51','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\n\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\n\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\n\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.¹‚² Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\n\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.³\n\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.¹ She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few.¹ Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\n\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.³ The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.³ No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.³ From there, it is all history, as they say.\n\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\n\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\n\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\n\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\n\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\n<div>\n\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\n\n<div>\n\n¹<a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n²Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n³Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\n\n</div>\n</div>\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-87','','','2012-01-25 08:44:51','2012-01-25 16:44:51','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-87/',0,'revision','',0),(4681,0,'2012-01-26 09:12:16','2012-01-26 17:12:16','Primarily I blog under the \"justice\" category, especially politics and social justice.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jeff Fulmer\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jeff@hometownprophetbook.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/news/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 69.138.63.63\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jeff Fulmer\n    [Email] =&gt; jeff@hometownprophetbook.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/news/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Primarily I blog under the \"justice\" category, especially politics and social justice. \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Hometown Prophet\n)\n','Jeff Fulmer - 2012-01-26 09:12:16','','publish','open','open','','07cebc57ff24206880da2421f77ca8f5','','','2012-01-26 09:12:16','2012-01-26 17:12:16','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4681',0,'feedback','',0),(4655,48,'2012-01-25 08:44:59','2012-01-25 16:44:59','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.¹‚² Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.³\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.¹ She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few.¹ Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.³ The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.³ No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.³ From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n¹<a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n²Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n³Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-88','','','2012-01-25 08:44:59','2012-01-25 16:44:59','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-88/',0,'revision','',0),(4656,48,'2012-01-25 08:45:12','2012-01-25 16:45:12','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\", and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.¹‚² Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.³\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.¹ She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few.¹ Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.³ The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.³ No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.³ From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n¹<a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n²Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n³Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-89','','','2012-01-25 08:45:12','2012-01-25 16:45:12','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-89/',0,'revision','',0),(4657,48,'2012-01-25 08:46:23','2012-01-25 16:46:23','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\r\n\r\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\r\n\r\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\r\n\r\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist\"¹, and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.² Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.³\r\n\r\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.¹ She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few.¹ Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\r\n\r\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.³ The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.³ No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.³ From there, it is all history, as they say.\r\n\r\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\r\n\r\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\r\n\r\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\r\n\r\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\r\n\r\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n¹<a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n²Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n³Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-90','','','2012-01-25 08:46:23','2012-01-25 16:46:23','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-90/',0,'revision','',0),(4659,1,'2012-01-25 09:05:57','2012-01-25 17:05:57','Growing up in the church and in a Christian family, I remember hearing about a lot of different people in our community who weren’t <em>acting </em>very Christian.\n\nHow does one <em>act</em> Christian? It seems simple, but can be very complicated. Don’t Christians just follow the way of Jesus, choosing to live as he lived, engaging as he did?\n\n<strong><em>Christian</em></strong> \\ˈkris-chən, ˈkrish-\\\n<strong>noun</strong> <strong>:</strong> one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ\n<strong>adjective : </strong>of to, or relating to, Christianity or being a Christian; based on or conforming with religion of Christianity\n\nWhen people ask if I am a Christian, I usually say that I am “christian-<em>ish</em>.” This has nothing to do with being lukewarm, but is because of my desire to be viewed separately from the general Christian contingent. Though it boasts many good and desirable qualities, Christianity as a religion has been known to judge, to condemn and to look down upon, at times. There may be those who will judge me and even presume to know me, and in their condescending eyes I’ll seem to <em>act</em> much less Christian then they do.\n\nAnd they’ll be right...because I’m not <em>acting Christian</em> at all.\n\nIt feels more honest to follow Jesus organically then to label myself Christian and become part of the club. I’d rather be found trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus then be found <em>acting</em> like a Christian. I’d rather risk it all, trip and fall while conquering mountains with Jesus than play it safe and just go through the motions, doing chair aerobics in the comfort of the church.\n\nWhether I go to church or label myself “Christian,” does it really matter? It’s written in 1st Corinthians 13:1-3 that even if I were the most amazing “Christian,” doing all the church stuff, I am nothing without love!\n\nI\'d rather spend time with \"non-Christians,” allowing them to notice something different about me that they can’t see and be attracted to the love of Jesus in me, than to be repelled by a “brother” or “sister” in the Lord because I am different than he or she.\n\nI’d rather be good to the bad than blend in with the bland. I\'d rather <em>be</em> loved by someone than be <em>told</em> that someone loves me. I’d rather feel and share the love of Jesus than just talk about it.\n\nIt’s important to me to be a part of my community and not pretend that it’s my “holy” segregation makes me a Jesus freak. The principle of “in the world, but not of it” doesn’t work unless it’s informed by Love.\n\nWhere I once bought into to the fear-based mentality of avoiding this world’s reality, I’m learning to embrace the beauty of a world created for me. I’m learning what it feels like to be free, I’m learning to taste, touch, hear, smell and see. I desire faith that lives, moves and breathes because I’m disgusted with a convenient, oppressive theology. A little less conversation and little more action please!\n\nKeep it real. Follow Jesus.','Acting Christian','','inherit','open','open','','4639-autosave','','','2012-01-25 09:05:57','2012-01-25 17:05:57','',4639,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4639-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4660,1,'2012-01-25 09:14:33','2012-01-25 17:14:33','','jesus arms raised','','inherit','open','open','','jesus-arms-raised','','','2012-01-25 09:14:33','2012-01-25 17:14:33','',4639,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/jesus-arms-raised.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4661,1,'2012-01-24 21:23:54','2012-01-25 05:23:54','Growing up in the church and in a Christian family, I remember hearing about a lot of different people in our community who weren’t <em>acting </em>very Christian.\r\n\r\nHow does one <em>act</em> Christian? It seems simple, but can be very complicated. Don’t Christians just follow the way of Jesus, choosing to live as he lived, engaging as he did?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Christian</em></strong> \\ˈkris-chən, ˈkrish-\\\r\n<strong>noun</strong> <strong>:</strong> one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ\r\n<strong>adjective : </strong>of to, or relating to, Christianity or being a Christian; based on or conforming with religion of Christianity\r\n\r\nWhen people ask if I am a Christian, I usually say that I am “christian-<em>ish</em>.” This has nothing to do with being lukewarm, but is because of my desire to be viewed separately from the general Christian contingent. Though it boasts many good and desirable qualities, Christianity as a religion has been known to judge, to condemn and to look down upon, at times. There may be those who will judge me and even presume to know me, and in their condescending eyes I’ll seem to <em>act</em> much less Christian then they do.\r\n\r\nAnd they’ll be right...because I’m not <em>acting Christian</em> at all.\r\n\r\nIt feels more honest to follow Jesus organically then to label myself Christian and become part of the club. I’d rather be found trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus then be found <em>acting</em> like a Christian. I’d rather risk it all, trip and fall while conquering mountains with Jesus than play it safe and just go through the motions, doing chair aerobics in the comfort of the church.\r\n\r\nWhether I go to church or label myself “Christian,” does it really matter? It’s written in 1st Corinthians 13:1-3 that even if I were the most amazing “Christian,” doing all the church stuff, I am nothing without love!\r\n\r\nI\'d rather spend time with \"non-Christians,” allowing them to notice something different about me that they can’t see and be attracted to the love of Jesus in me, than to be repelled by a “brother” or “sister” in the Lord because I am different than he or she.\r\n\r\nI’d rather be good to the bad than blend in with the bland. I\'d rather <em>be</em> loved by someone than be <em>told</em> that someone loves me. I’d rather feel and share the love of Jesus than just talk about it.\r\n\r\nIt’s important to me to be a part of my community and not pretend that it’s my “holy” segregation makes me a Jesus freak. The principle of “in the world, but not of it” doesn’t work unless it’s informed by Love.\r\n\r\nWhere I once bought into to the fear-based mentality of avoiding this world’s reality, I’m learning to embrace the beauty of a world created for me. I’m learning what it feels like to be free, I’m learning to taste, touch, hear, smell and see. I desire faith that lives, moves and breathes because I’m disgusted with a convenient, oppressive theology. A little less conversation and little more action please!\r\n\r\nKeep it real. Follow Jesus.','Acting Christian','','inherit','open','open','','4639-revision-2','','','2012-01-24 21:23:54','2012-01-25 05:23:54','',4639,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/24/4639-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7411,140,'2012-08-02 10:34:32','2012-08-02 17:34:32','This month the Synchroblog is partnering with Provoketive Magazine once again. We will each explore the implications of Jesus’ words: “Take up your cross and follow me.”\n\n<em>“Take up your cross and follow me.” ~</em>Jesus\n\nAs I reflect on the severely polarized and politicized struggles within American Christianity it is evident how little these struggles really have to do with Jesus. Both sides are more interested in isolating an ideology and then vilifying those who hold a different view. And of course, we are all convinced that our ideology is more “biblical” than any other. In all honesty, I think we hold on for dear life to our stances and beliefs so that we may convince ourselves that this is what Jesus really wants from us. It’s like a collective thought disorder. But it’s much easier than following him.\n\nBecause truthfully, who really wants to follow him?\n\nHe did the very thing that our American worldview does not allow. We are all about being upwardly mobile, successful, safe and prosperous and so we have co-opted God into that belief. We believe that God is all about blessing our efforts and that our success proves God’s favor. Our Christianity has become a prop for middle to upper class comfort and security. That ideal is found nowhere in the gospels. Jesus\' movement was decidedly downward. He moved right into the neighborhood of powerlessness and need.\n\nI think what is most difficult for us is that Jesus, though already fairly poor, chose to become homeless. He claimed all humanity as his family and moved away from his nuclear family, which in his culture was a shameful act. (He obviously needs a tutorial in family values.) But in addition to that, while most good Jewish men of his age would have married and started having children, his singleness aligned him with the “non-procreators”, like the eunuchs, who were considered unclean and inferior. There were no categories of gay or straight in Jesus’ day; people were either procreative or non-procreative. Those who did not or could not produce children for any reason were suspect, or outcast. (See Jesus’ words in Matt. 19:11-12.) He chose solidarity with the most despised.\n\nWe know he treated women as full and competent disciples, he welcomed the stranger and the sick, touched the dead, and healed the children of the enemy. In his presence the tight miserly hands that held onto precious silver and gold opened wide. He undermined every structure of religion and empire and really, really ticked off those with power. Let’s just be honest. It’s far, far easier and safer to convince ourselves that being pro-life and justifying the harsh realities of the lives of those with less (money, resources, opportunity), or feeling superior for being more tolerant than thou, is somehow at all like the path Jesus walked.  Instead, Jesus asks us to pick up the instrument of our death and to follow where he goes. Any sane person would count the cost. Any sane person would struggle with it, because to follow Jesus means that we no longer get to co-opt the faith to make our own lives work.\n\nMany of those whom I know that consider themselves to be “biblical” Christians feel that the “dying” that is asked of them means they reject the “world” and its values (hence the dogged political views). However, I wonder if how we have come to understand “the world” has become quite distorted. Blogger and <a href=\"http://wildgoosefestival.org/\">Wild Goose</a> Founder <a href=\"http://www.mikemorrell.org/2012/07/blessings-not-just-for-the-ones-who-kneel-the-promiscuous-love-of-god/\">Mike Morrell</a> says, <em>“Jesus was referring to the world of principalities and powers, those inhuman and dehumanizing forces of religion and empire. He wasn’t referring to culture-as-such, and certainly not to planet earth. Millions of friends-of-God are awakening to the reality that we live in a God-blessed and God-beloved world that God still thinks is ‘very good,’ however marred by egoic haze and degradation its become. We’re all connected – for life or death.”</em>\n\nAnd there it is. What will “kill” us is following Jesus’ movement <em>into</em> the God-blessed and God-beloved world, and receiving those for whom Christ died as we would Christ Himself. That means making a home with them all, in the here and now. That means looking beyond political and doctrinal divisions into the eyes of all humanity, not to minister <em>to</em> them or <em>over</em> them, but to join them and work alongside them. Jesus asks us to do the very thing our religious and political hearts find abhorrent. But by making space within ourselves to receive the other, we are changed by them and ego dies. We begin to become less defined by our certainties and stances, and more defined by love, by becoming <em>“we”. </em>And Kingdom comes. That was Jesus’ prayer for us before he died, and his prayer for us as he continues to live.\n\nIt’s much easier to convince ourselves that we are following Jesus by choosing to eat or not to eat at a certain chicken restaurant. It’s much harder to share your table with those whom you have decided don’t belong. It’s even harder to admit that there is only One Table. However, we are going to need each other because let’s face it, Jesus’ path is more than a little crazy. It will cost us our lives.','Follow Me','','inherit','open','open','','7389-autosave','','','2012-08-02 10:34:32','2012-08-02 17:34:32','',7389,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/01/7389-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7410,1,'2012-08-01 13:29:49','2012-08-01 20:29:49','This post is a contribution to the August synchroblog.  The theme is \"Follow\" and bloggers are invited to share their thoughts and ideas about what it means to follow Jesus.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3696616402_ac89c40158.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7377\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3696616402_ac89c40158.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMy journey of following Jesus led me to a point where I had to completely start over. Some real life stuff came along and made me take a closer look at what I believed about God, following Jesus, Christianity, the Bible, the church etc. and I realized that most of the stuff that I had been so devoted to ... attending church, listening to sermons, reading the bible, witnessing, maintaining the church building, adding to church membership ... didn\'t seem to have much to do with following Jesus.\r\n\r\nIn recent years I have come to think that following Jesus is more about justice and love than about church and believing - more about community than about me getting into heaven - more about people than about institutions or buildings.\r\n\r\nStarting over hasn\'t been easy. It has often meant enduring criticism, rejection and loneliness. But from where I sit I can\'t see that there was another way for me.  I had to let go of all the preconceived ideas, religious dogma and conventional wisdom in order to get a fresh look at Jesus, his mission and his message.\r\n\r\nThese days following Jesus for me is about accepting the call to follow Jesus into the world as an agent of the Kingdom of Heaven - working to bring the way of heaven to earth.\r\n\r\nSometimes that is as simple as sharing a meal with someone and sometimes it is as complex as working to dismantle an unjust system.\r\n\r\nIn the beginning of my journey of following Jesus I thought the main questions were \"who is going to heaven and who is going to hell?\" but now I think the main questions are \"how can I bring heaven to earth and how can I participate with God to bring restoration to the world?\"\r\n\r\nThe humorist Garrison Keillor said \"give up your good Christian life and follow Jesus\" and that is what I feel like I have had to do.\r\n\r\nThese days I am more committed to following Jesus than any other time in my life and yet I\'m not a member of a church and I don\'t often read the bible. My worship of God usually comes in the form of working for justice, and serving and loving others rather than singing songs in church while clapping or raising my hands. I don\'t care about converting people to Christianity but I do want to influence people to live in a loving and generous way. I am interested in cultivating my faith to be a bridge that connects me to others rather than a barrier that separates me from those who don\'t profess to be followers of Jesus.\r\n\r\nI certainly do not think that I have arrived anywhere and on any given day I would be hard pressed to even tell you where I am going ... but for now I am trying to follow Jesus where he leads me even if that means giving up my good Christian life.','Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus','','inherit','open','open','','7376-revision-8','','','2012-08-01 13:29:49','2012-08-01 20:29:49','',7376,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/01/7376-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(4663,134,'2012-01-30 09:59:00','2012-01-30 17:59:00','First off, understand that I\'m not an expert in politics or sociology in any way or form. This is me throwing ideas in the air and see what sticks and what falls apart. Having said the latter <em>DISCLAIMER</em>, I can say (type) what I feel.\r\n\r\nHaving two superpowers -- the US and the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">USSR</a> -- kept the world on check as a stalemate game of chess where the queens and kings were nuclear arsenals and trigger-happy men. Aside from the level of animosity between these two unions at the time, which I still don\'t understand, no one wanted to do anything stupid like attacking the other including allies and friends (democracy/capitalism vs communism/socialism). With the Cold War paranoia, many wars could\'ve been prevented as very few countries would\'ve wanted to be on the bad side of one or the other superpower or, worse yet, caught in the middle of both.\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4669\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin wall on November 16, 1989\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter the fall of the <a title=\"Berlin Wall\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall\" target=\"_blank\">Berlin Wall</a> (picture on the right) and its domino effect on the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">Soviet Union</a>, the various of the former nations Soviet became unstable and uncontrollable by the rest of the world, especially the US. Lots of arsenal (nuclear or not) hasn\'t been accounted for since. This means that these weapons and/or technologies may still be available to some and most likely in the wrong hands. The latter\'s brought weapons of all kinds to many rogue states worldwide, which in return caused increasing risks of terrorism worldwide.\r\n\r\nAs brutal as mankind\'s proven to be numerous times, I don\'t think we\'d have engaged in a nuclear war -- a <em>\"nuclear error\"</em> (as <em>The Clash</em> mentioned in their song <em>London Calling</em>) maybe, but not war. We\'d have undoubtedly been scared beyond belief, but that might\'ve been the better of two evils.\r\n\r\nAlthough I lived through the last two decades of the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a>, I was fairly sheltered from it all. Nonetheless my life was somewhat affected by it and I do have an opinion about the <em>possible benefits</em> of knowing who the enemy was.\r\n\r\nBy the way, regardless of the animosity then, I was still attracted by Russian literature (fan of <a title=\"Leo Tolstoy\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Tolstoy</a> especially) and science (<a title=\"Ivan Pavlov\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov\" target=\"_blank\">Ivan Pavlov</a> being an early hero of mine). Well now, I can also enjoy their cinema like <a title=\"Night Watch\" href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/\" target=\"_blank\">Night Watch</a>.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re <em>old enough</em> to have lived during the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a> (approx. 1945-1991), let me know what you think.','What If The USSR Still Existed?','','publish','open','open','','what-if-the-ussr-still-existed','','','2012-01-28 10:00:51','2012-01-28 18:00:51','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=4663',0,'post','',0),(4664,134,'2012-01-25 09:40:55','2012-01-25 17:40:55','','Poster15 (Glory be to the people\'s heroes of the Potemkin, Revolution of 1905)','','inherit','open','open','','poster15_glory_be_to_the_peoples_heroes_of_the_potemkin','','','2012-01-25 09:40:55','2012-01-25 17:40:55','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Poster15_Glory_be_to_the_peoples_heroes_of_the_Potemkin.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4665,127,'2012-01-29 08:00:18','2012-01-29 16:00:18','When I was a young boy Josué De La Cruz saved my life. My third-floor apartment on the northwest side of Chicago was fully involved in flames. The Latino firefighter crawled up the steps beneath the smoke, through the fire, and carried me to safety. I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for him.\r\n\r\nHe visited me in the hospital the next day. I thanked him for his courage and sacrifice. He told me he was happy to make a difference. We chatted for a while. His Spanish accent reminded me that he was from a completely different culture than mine. It was hard to understand him sometimes, but I was grateful. I fell asleep and he was gone.\r\n\r\nMy family found a new place to live but I included Josué in my prayers every night--for a couple of months at least. Eventually school took all my attention and life returned to normal. I was surprised five years later when Josué turned up at my college dorm one night. I was coming back to the dorm very late--trying not to attract the attention of the Resident Assistant.\r\n\r\n“Man,” he said with that accent. “You know it’s really dangerous to drive home in your condition. You should be more careful.”\r\n\r\nI was embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess so.” I shoved my hand forward to shake his. “Hey man, thanks for pulling me out of that fire back then.”\r\n\r\n“No problem--that’s over. Listen, I brought you some money for textbooks. Take care for yourself.”\r\n\r\nIt was strange, him showing up that night. I really wasn’t thinking straight. When I woke up the next morning it was hard to tell where the night had ended and where my dreams began. But I did have $100 in the pocket of my jeans.\r\n\r\nI was nearly thirty when he turned up again. I’d been married for seven years. My wife and I had one kid and another on the way. I had taken a job working for her father. It wasn’t the life I wanted but with another kid on the way, paying the bills was a big deal. Still, the job sucked and I wasn’t happy.  I came home from work and there was Josué, the firefighter who had saved my life, sitting on my front step, petting the family dog.\r\n\r\n“Dude, what are you doing here?”\r\n\r\n“Amigo, it’s so good to see you again. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.”\r\n\r\nThat seemed really strange to hear. All I could manage was an awkward “Thanks.”\r\n\r\n“You know,” he said, looking up  from the dog. “You ought to cut your wife a little slack. It isn’t easy raising one kid while she’s baking another.”\r\n\r\n“Well my job ain’t so hot either. Did you want something?” I asked.\r\n\r\nHe ignored the question. “I could help you with that if you want.”\r\n\r\nI laughed. “Thanks. I’m a little old for the Fire Academy, don’t you think?” I  stepped past him an went to the door. “Thanks for stopping by, though.” Later I found a gift card to Applebee’s right where he had been sitting. There was a post-it note where he had scribbled, \'Take your wife out to dinner tonight.\'\r\n\r\nI don’t know: maybe Josué had moved into my neighborhood because he began to pop up at the most random times and places. It began to get a little creepy. One time he was in the booth behind me and my friend at the pancake house.\r\n\r\n“Hey man,” he said with that accent. “Have you been putting on some weight?”\r\n\r\n“Maybe. You still look pretty fit.” It was true, I had to admit it.\r\n\r\n“I’m not trying to bust your hump,” he said. “I just want to see you stay healthy and live well.”\r\n\r\nI didn’t feel scolded. Especially because he waited for my buddy to hit the restroom before he spoke to me. “Yeah. Thanks. I’ll work on that.” When my friend and I left we found that Josué had already paid the tab. It went on like this for the next few years. Josué would turn up, offer his opinion on something or other, and always do something nice for me.\r\n\r\nThen one afternoon he was outside my workplace. I had bolted from working for my father-in-law, but three jobs later I was going nowhere fast. Life sucked. My wife and kids were strangers to me, and I was thinking of getting in the car and just driving.\r\n\r\n“My friend,” Josué said gently. “Don’t do this thing.”\r\n\r\nI was startled. Did he know my thoughts? “What thing?”\r\n\r\n“Times are tough,” he said. “I get it. Let me help you learn how to live.”\r\n\r\nFinally I’d had enough of these strange appearances. “Listen, Josué. It’s been twenty years since you saved me from the fire. What gives you the right to show up and tell me what to do?”\r\n\r\n“What good was saving your life if you don’t know how to live it?” he answered. “I went into your apartment that day to change your life, not just save it.”\r\n\r\n“Really?” I demanded. “Well, I needed someone to save me--not someone to run my life. What gives you the right?”\r\n\r\n“I am Josué De La Cruz.” He stood tall and his voice swelled with strength. And as he said the words he began to change: his face and clothes became white--dazzling beyond any brightness on Earth.\r\n\r\nI shielded my eyes and heard thunder from the cloudless sky. In the thunder I thought I heard a voice. “This is my son. Listen to him!”\r\n\r\nAnd then, in a moment the day returned, and the sunshine seemed less bright. Josué put his arm on my shoulder and said, “Come to me. Get away with me and you\'ll recover your life. I\'ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. That’s why I saved you that day.”','Josué De La Cruz Saved My Life','','publish','open','open','','josue-de-la-cruz-saved-my-life','','','2012-01-28 09:57:39','2012-01-28 17:57:39','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=4665',0,'post','',2),(4666,127,'2012-01-25 10:24:58','2012-01-25 18:24:58','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','4665-revision','','','2012-01-25 10:24:58','2012-01-25 18:24:58','',4665,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4665-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4668,48,'2012-01-25 10:44:19','2012-01-25 18:44:19','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\n\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\n\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\n\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist,\"¹ and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.² Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\n\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.³\n\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.¹ She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few.¹ Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\n\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.³ The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.³ No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.³ From there, it is all history, as they say.\n\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janet Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\n\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\n\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\n\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\n\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\n<div>\n\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\n\n<div>\n\n¹<a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n²Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n³Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\n\n</div>\n</div>\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-91','','','2012-01-25 10:44:19','2012-01-25 18:44:19','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4550-revision-91/',0,'revision','',0),(4669,134,'2012-01-25 11:12:12','2012-01-25 19:12:12','','Berlin wall on November 16, 1989','','inherit','open','open','','800px-berlin-wall','','','2012-01-25 11:12:12','2012-01-25 19:12:12','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4670,134,'2012-01-25 11:19:11','2012-01-25 19:19:11','First off, understand that I\'m not an expert in politics or sociology in any way or form. This is me throwing ideas in the air and see what sticks and what falls apart. Having said the latter <em>DISCLAIMER</em>, I can say (type) what I feel.\n<ol>\n	<li>Having two superpowers -- the US and the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">USSR</a> -- kept the world on check as a stalemate game of chess where the queens and kings were nuclear arsenals and trigger-happy men. Aside from the level of animosity between these two unions at the time, which I still don\'t understand, no one wanted to do anything stupid like attacking the other including allies and friends (democracy/capitalism vs communism/socialism). With the Cold War paranoia, many wars could\'ve been prevented as very few countries would\'ve wanted to be on the bad side of one or the other superpower or, worse yet, caught in the middle of both.</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4669\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin wall on November 16, 1989\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" /></a>After the fall of the <a title=\"Berlin Wall\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall\" target=\"_blank\">Berlin Wall</a> (picture on the right) and its domino effect on the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">Soviet Union</a>, the various of the former nations Soviet became unstable and uncontrollable by the rest of the world, especially the US. Lots of arsenal (nuclear or not) hasn\'t been accounted for since. This means that these weapons and/or technologies may still be available to some and most likely in the wrong hands. The latter\'s brought weapons of all kinds to many rogue states worldwide, which in return caused increasing risks of terrorism worldwide.</li>\n	<li>As brutal as mankind\'s proven to be numerous times, I don\'t think we\'d have engaged in a nuclear war -- a <em>\"nuclear error\"</em> (as <em>The Clash</em> mentioned in their song <em>London Calling</em>) maybe, but not war. We\'d have undoubtedly been scared beyond belief, but that might\'ve been the better of two evils.</li>\n</ol>\nAlthough I lived through the last two decades of the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a>, I was fairly sheltered from it all. Nonetheless my life was somewhat affected by it and I do have an opinion about the <em>possible benefits</em> of knowing who the enemy was.\n\nBy the way, regardless of the animosity then, I was still attracted by Russian literature (fan of <a title=\"Leo Tolstoy\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Tolstoy</a> especially) and science (<a title=\"Ivan Pavlov\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov\" target=\"_blank\">Ivan Pavlov</a> being an early hero of mine). Well now, I can also enjoy their cinema like <a title=\"Night Watch\" href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/\" target=\"_blank\">Night Watch</a>.\n\nIf you\'re <em>old enough</em> to have lived during the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a> (approx. 1945-1991), let me know what you think.','what if USSR still existed?','','inherit','open','open','','4663-revision','','','2012-01-25 11:19:11','2012-01-25 19:19:11','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4663-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4671,134,'2012-01-25 11:33:28','2012-01-25 19:33:28','First off, understand that I\'m not an expert in politics or sociology in any way or form. This is me throwing ideas in the air and see what sticks and what falls apart. Having said the latter <em>DISCLAIMER</em>, I can say (type) what I feel.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Having two superpowers -- the US and the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">USSR</a> -- kept the world on check as a stalemate game of chess where the queens and kings were nuclear arsenals and trigger-happy men. Aside from the level of animosity between these two unions at the time, which I still don\'t understand, no one wanted to do anything stupid like attacking the other including allies and friends (democracy/capitalism vs communism/socialism). With the Cold War paranoia, many wars could\'ve been prevented as very few countries would\'ve wanted to be on the bad side of one or the other superpower or, worse yet, caught in the middle of both.</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4669\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin wall on November 16, 1989\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" /></a>After the fall of the <a title=\"Berlin Wall\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall\" target=\"_blank\">Berlin Wall</a> (picture on the right) and its domino effect on the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">Soviet Union</a>, the various of the former nations Soviet became unstable and uncontrollable by the rest of the world, especially the US. Lots of arsenal (nuclear or not) hasn\'t been accounted for since. This means that these weapons and/or technologies may still be available to some and most likely in the wrong hands. The latter\'s brought weapons of all kinds to many rogue states worldwide, which in return caused increasing risks of terrorism worldwide.</li>\r\n	<li>As brutal as mankind\'s proven to be numerous times, I don\'t think we\'d have engaged in a nuclear war -- a <em>\"nuclear error\"</em> (as <em>The Clash</em> mentioned in their song <em>London Calling</em>) maybe, but not war. We\'d have undoubtedly been scared beyond belief, but that might\'ve been the better of two evils.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nAlthough I lived through the last two decades of the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a>, I was fairly sheltered from it all. Nonetheless my life was somewhat affected by it and I do have an opinion about the <em>possible benefits</em> of knowing who the enemy was.\r\n\r\nBy the way, regardless of the animosity then, I was still attracted by Russian literature (fan of <a title=\"Leo Tolstoy\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Tolstoy</a> especially) and science (<a title=\"Ivan Pavlov\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov\" target=\"_blank\">Ivan Pavlov</a> being an early hero of mine). Well now, I can also enjoy their cinema like <a title=\"Night Watch\" href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/\" target=\"_blank\">Night Watch</a>.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re <em>old enough</em> to have lived during the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a> (approx. 1945-1991), let me know what you think.','what if USSR still existed?','','inherit','open','open','','4663-revision-2','','','2012-01-25 11:33:28','2012-01-25 19:33:28','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4663-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(4672,134,'2012-01-25 11:37:10','2012-01-25 19:37:10','First off, understand that I\'m not an expert in politics or sociology in any way or form. This is me throwing ideas in the air and see what sticks and what falls apart. Having said the latter <em>DISCLAIMER</em>, I can say (type) what I feel.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Having two superpowers -- the US and the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">USSR</a> -- kept the world on check as a stalemate game of chess where the queens and kings were nuclear arsenals and trigger-happy men. Aside from the level of animosity between these two unions at the time, which I still don\'t understand, no one wanted to do anything stupid like attacking the other including allies and friends (democracy/capitalism vs communism/socialism). With the Cold War paranoia, many wars could\'ve been prevented as very few countries would\'ve wanted to be on the bad side of one or the other superpower or, worse yet, caught in the middle of both.</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4669\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin wall on November 16, 1989\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" /></a>After the fall of the <a title=\"Berlin Wall\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall\" target=\"_blank\">Berlin Wall</a> (picture on the right) and its domino effect on the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">Soviet Union</a>, the various of the former nations Soviet became unstable and uncontrollable by the rest of the world, especially the US. Lots of arsenal (nuclear or not) hasn\'t been accounted for since. This means that these weapons and/or technologies may still be available to some and most likely in the wrong hands. The latter\'s brought weapons of all kinds to many rogue states worldwide, which in return caused increasing risks of terrorism worldwide.</li>\r\n	<li>As brutal as mankind\'s proven to be numerous times, I don\'t think we\'d have engaged in a nuclear war -- a <em>\"nuclear error\"</em> (as <em>The Clash</em> mentioned in their song <em>London Calling</em>) maybe, but not war. We\'d have undoubtedly been scared beyond belief, but that might\'ve been the better of two evils.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nAlthough I lived through the last two decades of the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a>, I was fairly sheltered from it all. Nonetheless my life was somewhat affected by it and I do have an opinion about the <em>possible benefits</em> of knowing who the enemy was.\r\n\r\nBy the way, regardless of the animosity then, I was still attracted by Russian literature (fan of <a title=\"Leo Tolstoy\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Tolstoy</a> especially) and science (<a title=\"Ivan Pavlov\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov\" target=\"_blank\">Ivan Pavlov</a> being an early hero of mine). Well now, I can also enjoy their cinema like <a title=\"Night Watch\" href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/\" target=\"_blank\">Night Watch</a>.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re <em>old enough</em> to have lived during the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a> (approx. 1945-1991), let me know what you think.','what if USSR still existed?','','inherit','open','open','','4663-revision-3','','','2012-01-25 11:37:10','2012-01-25 19:37:10','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4663-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(4673,1,'2012-01-28 10:01:05','2012-01-28 18:01:05','First off, understand that I\'m not an expert in politics or sociology in any way or form. This is me throwing ideas in the air and see what sticks and what falls apart. Having said the latter <em>DISCLAIMER</em>, I can say (type) what I feel.\r\n\r\nHaving two superpowers -- the US and the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">USSR</a> -- kept the world on check as a stalemate game of chess where the queens and kings were nuclear arsenals and trigger-happy men. Aside from the level of animosity between these two unions at the time, which I still don\'t understand, no one wanted to do anything stupid like attacking the other including allies and friends (democracy/capitalism vs communism/socialism). With the Cold War paranoia, many wars could\'ve been prevented as very few countries would\'ve wanted to be on the bad side of one or the other superpower or, worse yet, caught in the middle of both.\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4669\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin wall on November 16, 1989\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAfter the fall of the <a title=\"Berlin Wall\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall\" target=\"_blank\">Berlin Wall</a> (picture on the right) and its domino effect on the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">Soviet Union</a>, the various of the former nations Soviet became unstable and uncontrollable by the rest of the world, especially the US. Lots of arsenal (nuclear or not) hasn\'t been accounted for since. This means that these weapons and/or technologies may still be available to some and most likely in the wrong hands. The latter\'s brought weapons of all kinds to many rogue states worldwide, which in return caused increasing risks of terrorism worldwide.\r\n\r\nAs brutal as mankind\'s proven to be numerous times, I don\'t think we\'d have engaged in a nuclear war -- a <em>\"nuclear error\"</em> (as <em>The Clash</em> mentioned in their song <em>London Calling</em>) maybe, but not war. We\'d have undoubtedly been scared beyond belief, but that might\'ve been the better of two evils.\r\n\r\nAlthough I lived through the last two decades of the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a>, I was fairly sheltered from it all. Nonetheless my life was somewhat affected by it and I do have an opinion about the <em>possible benefits</em> of knowing who the enemy was.\r\n\r\nBy the way, regardless of the animosity then, I was still attracted by Russian literature (fan of <a title=\"Leo Tolstoy\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Tolstoy</a> especially) and science (<a title=\"Ivan Pavlov\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov\" target=\"_blank\">Ivan Pavlov</a> being an early hero of mine). Well now, I can also enjoy their cinema like <a title=\"Night Watch\" href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/\" target=\"_blank\">Night Watch</a>.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re <em>old enough</em> to have lived during the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a> (approx. 1945-1991), let me know what you think.','What If The USSR Still Existed?','','inherit','open','open','','4663-autosave','','','2012-01-28 10:01:05','2012-01-28 18:01:05','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4663-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7408,1,'2012-07-31 10:38:11','2012-07-31 17:38:11','Explain the two words spoken by Jesus—“Follow me”—in 1000 words or less? Hmmm. Maybe I should just stop right there and let you think this through on your own.\r\n\r\nMy understanding of what it means to follow Him has changed over the years. Perhaps our understanding of “following” is <em>supposed</em> to change over time as our maturity in the Lord grows in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the ways we experience Him with others. Because I can’t claim to know <em>everything</em> about following Jesus, the best I can offer is to share <em>some</em> of the things I’ve learned about following Jesus—beginning with what “following Jesus” is <strong><em>not</em><em>.</em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Following Jesus is not the same thing as: </strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Following the teachings of Jesus, or following doctrines, creeds, or denominational statements of faith.</li>\r\n	<li>Following a Bible Reading Plan, memorizing scripture, or claiming a “life verse”.</li>\r\n	<li>Following “religious convictions”, or acting upon those convictions, alone or as a group, purely for the sake of acting upon convictions.</li>\r\n	<li>Attending a weekly worship service, and maybe a midweek prayer meeting or Bible study, or meeting with a small group or accountability partner.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThere isn’t anything wrong with doing these things. In fact, I  follow  Jesus today because others encouraged me to do these things over the course of my spiritual journey.  “Christian practices” are not the same thing as following Jesus. <em></em>I know a lot <em>about</em> <em>Jesus</em> by studying, talking about or meditating on these things—but knowing a lot <em>about Jesus</em> isn’t the same as <em>knowing Jesus</em>. It helps to know Who you’re following.<strong><em></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>“Follow me.”</em></strong>  Two words caused Simon and Andrew to drop their fishing nets.  James and John “left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went off after Him.” (Mark 1:20 Amplified). Levi, son of Alphaeus, left his tax booth: “he arose and joined Him and His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him.” (Mark 2:14 Amp). Philip ran to find his friend Nathanael and they too followed Him. Twelve men, in all, apparently left their life’s work to follow Jesus.\r\n\r\nI find it interesting that the Amplified Version conveys that the words “follow me” carry the connotation, “side with my party\".  Against the backdrop of  first century Hebrew culture—oppressed by the conquering Romans, looking for Messiah to deliver the Children of Israel and fulfill all the promises of the Old Testament—we read Nathanael’s confession, “Teacher, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49) and the reason the twelve “followed” begins to come into focus.  Over the course of the next three and a half years, these men—and later Saul of Tarsus, among others—would come to understand that following Jesus isn’t about following teachings, doctrines, scriptures, convictions or attending religious meetings.  Men and women down through centuries found, in the Gospels and other writings of the New Testament, not <em>something</em> to believe in and follow, but rather <strong><em>Someone</em></strong> to believe in and follow.\r\n\r\nTo follow Jesus is to follow a living <strong><em>Person!</em></strong>\r\n<blockquote><strong><em> </em></strong>“And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.”__John 1:14 (Amp)\r\n\r\n“For it has <strong>pleased</strong> [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should <strong>dwell</strong> in Him permanently.”__ Colossians 1:19 (Amp)</blockquote>\r\nFollowing a living Person, who is the Christ, comes with a cost, which He explained Himself to His disciples:\r\n<blockquote>“And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, <sup> </sup>forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].” __Luke 9:23 (Amp)</blockquote>\r\nWhat do we have to gain by following this all-wonderful, all-glorious, all-divine Person? What is the outcome we look forward to? For starters, eternal life! Make that eternal, <strong><em>abundant</em> </strong>life, sustained by Christ who <strong><em>is</em></strong> our life! Many more “rewards” are promised to faithful followers who overcome the trials and temptations of this world—check out the letters to the seven churches in John’s last book!\r\n\r\nThere’s another important thing I’ve learned about following Jesus: it’s something we do <strong><em>together</em></strong>.\r\n\r\nFollowing Jesus is following a living <strong><em>Person</em></strong>…<strong><em>together!</em></strong>\r\n<blockquote>“When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory. __Colossians 3:4 (Amp)</blockquote>','Two Words','','inherit','open','open','','7337-revision-24','','','2012-07-31 10:38:11','2012-07-31 17:38:11','',7337,'http://provoketive.com/2012/07/31/7337-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(4701,12,'2012-01-26 18:34:44','2012-01-27 02:34:44','','king','','inherit','open','open','','king','','','2012-01-26 18:34:44','2012-01-27 02:34:44','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4702,12,'2012-01-26 18:35:27','2012-01-27 02:35:27','','king2','','inherit','open','open','','king2','','','2012-01-26 18:35:27','2012-01-27 02:35:27','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4703,12,'2012-01-26 18:37:42','2012-01-27 02:37:42','','onwritng','','inherit','open','open','','onwritng','','','2012-01-26 18:37:42','2012-01-27 02:37:42','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4704,12,'2012-01-26 18:36:55','2012-01-27 02:36:55','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in \"Skeleton Crew\" back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\n\nThe book that meant the most to me was, \"From a Buick 8,\" published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer for me and a \"character developer\" for me.\n\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\n\nNow, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.\n\nOkay?\n\nHere we go.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\n\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\n\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\n\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\n\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\n\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\n\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\n\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\n\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\n\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\n\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\n\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision','','','2012-01-26 18:36:55','2012-01-27 02:36:55','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4705,12,'2012-01-26 18:38:55','2012-01-27 02:38:55','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in \"Skeleton Crew\" back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\n\nThe book that meant the most to me was, \"From a Buick 8,\" published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer for me and a \"character developer\" for me.\n\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\n\nNow, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.\n\nOkay?\n\nHere we go.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\n\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\n\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\n\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\n\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\n\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\n\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\n\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\n\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\n\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\n\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\n\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-2','','','2012-01-26 18:38:55','2012-01-27 02:38:55','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (4706,12,'2012-01-26 18:40:09','2012-01-27 02:40:09','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\n\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer for me and a \"character developer\" for me.\n\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\n\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\n\nOkay?\n\nHere we go.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\n\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\n\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\n\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\n\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\n\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\n\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\n\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\n\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\n\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\n\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\n\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-3','','','2012-01-26 18:40:09','2012-01-27 02:40:09','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(4707,12,'2012-01-26 18:40:16','2012-01-27 02:40:16','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\r\n\r\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer for me and a \"character developer\" for me.\r\n\r\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\r\n\r\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\r\n\r\nOkay?\r\n\r\nHere we go.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\r\n\r\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\r\n\r\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\r\n\r\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\r\n\r\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\r\n\r\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\r\n\r\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\r\n\r\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\r\n\r\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\r\n\r\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-4','','','2012-01-26 18:40:16','2012-01-27 02:40:16','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4708,12,'2012-01-26 18:40:40','2012-01-27 02:40:40','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\r\n\r\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer for me and a \"character developer\" for me.\r\n\r\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\r\n\r\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\r\n\r\nOkay?\r\n\r\nHere we go.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\r\n\r\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\r\n\r\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\r\n\r\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\r\n\r\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\r\n\r\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\r\n\r\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\r\n\r\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\r\n\r\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\r\n\r\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-5','','','2012-01-26 18:40:40','2012-01-27 02:40:40','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(4709,12,'2012-01-26 18:48:32','2012-01-27 02:48:32','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\r\n\r\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer and a \"character developer\" for me.\r\n\r\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\r\n\r\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\r\n\r\nOkay?\r\n\r\nHere we go.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\r\n\r\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\r\n\r\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\r\n\r\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\r\n\r\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\r\n\r\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\r\n\r\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\r\n\r\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\r\n\r\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\r\n\r\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\r\n\r\nThe characters leap into your mind and your heart. They will dwell there. Not just for days or weeks, but for years. You may forget about them for a while, but one day you will remember them. And you will find yourself wanting to crack open that old novel again days down the road to remember that old friend. And that\'s how a good novel should be. That\'s what a good writer wants.\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-6','','','2012-01-26 18:48:32','2012-01-27 02:48:32','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(4711,12,'2012-01-26 18:48:46','2012-01-27 02:48:46','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\r\n\r\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer and a \"character developer\" for me.\r\n\r\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\r\n\r\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\r\n\r\nOkay?\r\n\r\nHere we go.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\r\n\r\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\r\n\r\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\r\n\r\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\r\n\r\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\r\n\r\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\r\n\r\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. I wrote a non-fiction book. But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\r\n\r\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\r\n\r\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\r\n\r\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\r\n\r\nThe characters leap into your mind and your heart. They will dwell there. Not just for days or weeks, but for years. You may forget about them for a while, but one day you will remember them. And you will find yourself wanting to crack open that old novel again days down the road to remember that old friend. And that\'s how a good novel should be. That\'s what a good writer wants.\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-7','','','2012-01-26 18:48:46','2012-01-27 02:48:46','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7407,1,'2012-08-01 17:18:10','2012-08-02 00:18:10','','following jesus','','inherit','open','open','','following-jesus-2','','','2012-08-01 17:18:10','2012-08-02 00:18:10','',7337,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/following-jesus.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4714,1,'2012-01-28 10:21:55','2012-01-28 18:21:55','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\n\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer and a \"character developer\" for me.\n\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\n\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\n\nOkay?\n\nHere we go.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\n\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\n\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\n\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\n\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\n\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\n\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327633802&amp;sr=8-1\">I wrote a non-fiction book.</a> But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\n\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\n\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\n\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\n\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\n\nThe characters leap into your mind and your heart. They will dwell there. Not just for days or weeks, but for years. You may forget about them for a while, but one day you will remember them. And you will find yourself wanting to crack open that old novel again days down the road to remember that old friend. And that\'s how a good novel should be. That\'s what a good writer wants.\n\nOh wait. I guess I got away from a book review and started talking about Stephen King. Let me say this about the book: It\'s phenomenal. It deals with the so-called <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect\">\"butterfly effect\"</a> and how every decision we make has consequences. It\'s true. King brings out how we impact people\'s lives for the worse and the better. How each of us can make a difference, small and large. Every single difference, every single word or action makes an impact. He also shows how life goes on around us despite ourselves. Even though we think we are a big deal, we really aren\'t. I like that too.\n\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-autosave','','','2012-01-28 10:21:55','2012-01-28 18:21:55','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4715,12,'2012-01-26 19:10:40','2012-01-27 03:10:40','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\r\n\r\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer and a \"character developer\" for me.\r\n\r\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\r\n\r\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\r\n\r\nOkay?\r\n\r\nHere we go.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\r\n\r\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\r\n\r\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\r\n\r\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\r\n\r\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\r\n\r\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\r\n\r\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327633802&amp;sr=8-1\">I wrote a non-fiction book.</a> But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\r\n\r\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\r\n\r\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\r\n\r\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\r\n\r\nThe characters leap into your mind and your heart. They will dwell there. Not just for days or weeks, but for years. You may forget about them for a while, but one day you will remember them. And you will find yourself wanting to crack open that old novel again days down the road to remember that old friend. And that\'s how a good novel should be. That\'s what a good writer wants.\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-8','','','2012-01-26 19:10:40','2012-01-27 03:10:40','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(4717,12,'2012-01-26 23:49:43','2012-01-27 07:49:43','','publican','','inherit','open','open','','publican','','','2012-01-26 23:49:43','2012-01-27 07:49:43','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/publican.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4718,12,'2012-01-26 23:51:23','2012-01-27 07:51:23','','babel','','inherit','open','open','','babel','','','2012-01-26 23:51:23','2012-01-27 07:51:23','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4719,12,'2012-01-26 23:52:46','2012-01-27 07:52:46','','saulnd','','inherit','open','open','','saulnd','','','2012-01-26 23:52:46','2012-01-27 07:52:46','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4720,12,'2012-01-26 23:54:37','2012-01-27 07:54:37','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\n\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\n\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\n\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\n\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\n\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\n\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\n\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\n\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\n\nSecond personal singular and plural: You\n\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\n\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\n\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\n\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\n\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\n\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\n\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\n\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\n\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\n\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\n\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture.\n\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\n\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\n\nIsaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\n\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\n\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\n\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\n\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\n\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision','','','2012-01-26 23:54:37','2012-01-27 07:54:37','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4716-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4721,12,'2012-01-27 00:03:47','2012-01-27 08:03:47','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\n\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\n\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\n\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\n\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\n\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\n\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\n\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\n\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\n\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\n\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\n\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\n\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\n\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\n\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\n\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\n\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\n\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\n\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\n\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\n\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\n\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\n\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\n\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\n\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\n\nIt\'s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it\'s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, \"I want a change to begin in my life, to allow Christ to move in my life. In my heart.\"\n\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\n\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\n\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)\n\nIt all begins with Him (TPS)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-autosave','','','2012-01-27 00:03:47','2012-01-27 08:03:47','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4716-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4722,12,'2012-01-26 23:58:32','2012-01-27 07:58:32','','isa','','inherit','open','open','','isa','','','2012-01-26 23:58:32','2012-01-27 07:58:32','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4723,12,'2012-01-26 23:55:20','2012-01-27 07:55:20','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\nSecond personal singular and plural: You\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\nIsaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-2','','','2012-01-26 23:55:20','2012-01-27 07:55:20','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4716-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(4724,12,'2012-01-26 23:58:55','2012-01-27 07:58:55','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\nSecond personal singular and plural: You\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-3','','','2012-01-26 23:58:55','2012-01-27 07:58:55','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4716-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(4725,12,'2012-01-26 23:59:31','2012-01-27 07:59:31','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-4','','','2012-01-26 23:59:31','2012-01-27 07:59:31','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4716-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4726,12,'2012-01-27 00:02:41','2012-01-27 08:02:41','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt\'s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it\'s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, \"I want a change to begin in my life, to allow Christ to move in my life. In my heart.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-5','','','2012-01-27 00:02:41','2012-01-27 08:02:41','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4716-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(4727,12,'2012-01-27 00:04:12','2012-01-27 08:04:12','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt\'s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it\'s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, \"I want a change to begin in my life, to recognize the work that Christ has done in my life. In my heart.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-6','','','2012-01-27 00:04:12','2012-01-27 08:04:12','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4716-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(4728,12,'2012-01-27 00:05:06','2012-01-27 08:05:06','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with. Spent his ministry on. Went to the cross to save.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt\'s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it\'s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, \"I want a change to begin in my life, to recognize the work that Christ has done in my life. In my heart.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-7','','','2012-01-27 00:05:06','2012-01-27 08:05:06','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4716-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(4729,12,'2012-01-27 00:10:18','2012-01-27 08:10:18','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with. Spent his ministry on. Went to the cross to save.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt\'s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it\'s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, \"I want a change to begin in my life, to recognize the work that Christ has done in my life. In my heart.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','Personal Prounouns and Our Faith','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-8','','','2012-01-27 00:10:18','2012-01-27 08:10:18','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4716-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(5296,1,'2012-02-27 08:41:38','2012-02-27 16:41:38','Yesterday, as I was driving home from a long road trip, I shuffled through my iPod and I put on Metallica\'s <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoqmSkwRH4g\" target=\"_blank\">Fade to Black</a>. The long drive home, framed by the country road and grazing cattle, had given me the space to reflect on some important realizations about life. It had put me in a melancholy mood. I was half dreaming of my life and remembering some painful things that I needed to contemplate.  It was good. It was necessary, but it was painful.\r\n\r\nThe song Fade to Black is one of Metallica\'s very best.  At first glance the song is entirely depressing and dark.  It\'s holds a deep, haunting mix of guitar, story, and ferocious melody.  It\'s the story of sadness and despair in a poetic envelope.  I\'ve listened to the song hundreds of times and enjoyed it for what it was...a beautiful song.  But as I drove, I stumbled onto something that I had never seen before.  Something redemptive.\r\n\r\nIn a former life I was told never to listen to Metallica.  Their songs were considered evil and if I listened to them, they would \"infect my soul.\"  I remember believing that for a long time, wondering what the consequences would be if I snuck a listen. I remember the first time hearing the song (and many like it) and strangely enjoying it.  It was almost a guilty pleasure as I pretended I wasn\'t listening, yet allowing the sweet melody to wash over me.\r\n\r\nThe prevailing concern was obvious.  The song is about the human state of sorrow and despair at some of the deepest levels.  It\'s about ending a life.  Taken in its absolute context, one could make an argument it\'s about suicide.  One could easily imagine someone in that state of despair allowing the song to take over and push him/her over the edge.  Metallica\'s music represented the darker side of life, one that \"Christian\" music tended to ignore.\r\n\r\nYet as the images of cows and horses, and green pastures flashed before my eyes on that long drive home, I had no illusions of death.  I had a strange realization that redeemed my image of Metallica. Metallica had helped restore a little part of my humanity.  At that moment I needed to feel sorrow and despair.  I needed something to help usher me into that space of the more fearful spaces in my soul.  I needed to to feel what I was feeling, even though I was afraid.  The song had carried me into what it meant to be human.\r\n\r\nTruth be told, I am often afraid of feeling sorrow.  My assumption is that if I truly feel that sorrow I will remain trapped by it.  Yet in that moment I was not being trapped by despair, but instead being redeemed by it. I was discovering my humanity and what it meant to allow my heart to feel at the deepest levels without being afraid.\r\n\r\nI wonder if this is how Jesus felt when he said the words, \"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.\" I had learned for so long to keep doubt at bay, yet for Jesus, this was his most human moment, the one that I could relate to most.  In those words, Jesus had given me permission to expressed my fears to God, and to feel something deep.  I needed to confront my fears, to call them out by name, to fully realize them in my life, <strong>so that I could move past them</strong>.  As long as I ignored them, they would continue to hold me captive.\r\n\r\nI wept as I drove home. For the first time I said thank you for the music of Metallica.  I know that might sounds strange to some and obvious to others.  I don\'t think I\'m the first to come to this realization of their music and their talent.  I must imagine many have enjoyed the reflection of God in their music before.\r\n\r\nBecause isn\'t this what makes the Kingdom of God so amazing.  Jesus had this strange capacity to see what is good in the darkest of places. He brought light to places where there was no \"supposed\" light.  For Jesus, everyone was valuable.  I smiled as I turned back onto the highway for the last stretch home.  God had redeemed my image of Metallica and it was good.','The Redemption of Metallica','','publish','open','open','','the-redemption-of-metallica','','','2012-02-26 08:42:19','2012-02-26 16:42:19','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5296',0,'post','',20),(4732,6,'2012-01-28 10:36:14','2012-01-28 18:36:14','[caption id=\"attachment_4733\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"183\" caption=\"Lent is Coming\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-4733 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"Lent is Coming\" width=\"183\" height=\"246\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe are rapidly moving towards <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\">Lent,</a> which begins with <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/ash-wednesday-2/\">Ash Wednesday</a> on February 22nd. This is the season that most challenges us to reflect on our faith and renew our commitment to follow Jesus. Once again I want to invite you to participate with me in Lenten reflections that challenge us to take our following of Jesus more seriously.\r\n\r\nThis is a series of guest posts that I host on my blog <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com\">Godspace</a> each year. Last year our theme was: <em><a href=\"Following Jesus What Difference Does It Make – The Complete Lenten Series\">Following Jesus What Difference Does it Make.</a> </em>The theme for this year is: <strong><em>Easter is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?</em> </strong>\r\n\r\nWhen reading <a href=\"http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3431\"> <em>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings.</em></a><em> a couple of years ago, </em>I came across this quote by<em> <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">C</a></em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">aesarius of Arles</a> (470 – 543) in a reflection on Exodus 17: 1-7. It profoundly impacted. Do we really thirst for justice or are we satisfied with water? Do we hunger for righteousness or are we satisfied with bread? If we do really hunger and thirst after justice ad righteousness, how is that lived out in our lives?\r\n<blockquote><em>For what did the people thirst?  What then does the scripture mention in what follows? “In their thirst for water the people grumbled against Moses.”  Perhaps this word that he said may seem superfluous, that the people thirsted for water. For since he said “In their thirst” what need was there to add “for water”?  Thus indeed the ancient translation has it.  Why did he add this, except because they thirsted for water when they should have thirsted for justice?  ”Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.” and again “thirsty is my soul for the living God.”  Many people are thirsty, both the just and sinners, the former thirst after justice, the latter after dissipation  The just are thirsty for God; sinners for gold.  For this reason the people thirsted after water when they should have thirsted after justice.</em></blockquote>\r\nThe guidelines for the guest posts are simple. Please write an article of 500 – 800 words. If you have a blog, post your article there mentioning that it is part of this blog series and send me the link.  If you do not have a blog but would like to contribute please email your article. I will post a new article each day with links to the appropriate blogs.  Each couple of weeks I will post  a complete list of posts that I have received with links to the appropriate blogs. I ask that you also post this on your own blog.\r\n\r\n<strong>With your post please include a 2-3 sentence bio and any photos that you want included. If you want to participate please contact me. The email to respond to this year is not my personal email. Seattle Pacific student Lyndsay Field is assisting me this year and will coordinate the blog series through the email </strong><strong><a href=\"mailto:msaintern@gmail.com\">msaintern@gmail.com</a>. Alternatively leave a comment at the end of this post.</strong>','Lent is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?','','publish','open','open','','lent-is-coming-what-do-we-hunger-and-thirst-for','','','2012-01-28 10:36:14','2012-01-28 18:36:14','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=4732',0,'post','',0),(4733,6,'2012-01-27 08:46:01','2012-01-27 16:46:01','','Lent is Coming','Lent is Coming','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-2','','','2012-01-27 08:46:01','2012-01-27 16:46:01','',4732,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4735,1,'2012-01-28 10:31:45','2012-01-28 18:31:45','[caption id=\"attachment_4733\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"183\" caption=\"Lent is Coming\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-4733 \" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"Lent is Coming\" width=\"183\" height=\"246\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe are rapidly moving towards <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\">Lent,</a> which begins with <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/ash-wednesday-2/\">Ash Wednesday</a> on February 22nd. This is the season that most challenges us to reflect on our faith and renew our commitment to follow Jesus. Once again I want to invite you to participate with me in Lenten reflections that challenge us to take our following of Jesus more seriously.\n\nThis is a series of guest posts that I host on my blog <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com\">Godspace</a> each year. Last year our theme was: <em><a href=\"Following Jesus What Difference Does It Make – The Complete Lenten Series\">Following Jesus What Difference Does it Make.</a> </em>The theme for this year is: <strong><em>Easter is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?</em> </strong>\n\nWhen reading <a href=\"http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3431\"> <em>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings.</em></a><em> a couple of years ago, </em>I came across this quote by<em> <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">C</a></em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">aesarius of Arles</a> (470 – 543) in a reflection on Exodus 17: 1-7. It profoundly impacted. Do we really thirst for justice or are we satisfied with water? Do we hunger for righteousness or are we satisfied with bread? If we do really hunger and thirst after justice ad righteousness, how is that lived out in our lives?\n<blockquote><em>For what did the people thirst?  What then does the scripture mention in what follows? “In their thirst for water the people grumbled against Moses.”  Perhaps this word that he said may seem superfluous, that the people thirsted for water. For since he said “In their thirst” what need was there to add “for water”?  Thus indeed the ancient translation has it.  Why did he add this, except because they thirsted for water when they should have thirsted for justice?  ”Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.” and again “thirsty is my soul for the living God.”  Many people are thirsty, both the just and sinners, the former thirst after justice, the latter after dissipation  The just are thirsty for God; sinners for gold.  For this reason the people thirsted after water when they should have thirsted after justice.</em></blockquote>\nThe guidelines for the guest posts are simple. Please write an article of 500 – 800 words. If you have a blog, post your article there mentioning that it is part of this blog series and send me the link.  If you do not have a blog but would like to contribute please email your article. I will post a new article each day with links to the appropriate blogs.  Each couple of weeks I will post  a complete list of posts that I have received with links to the appropriate blogs. I ask that you also post this on your own blog.\n\n<strong>With your post please include a 2-3 sentence bio and any photos that you want included. If you want to participate please contact me. The email to respond to this year is not my personal email. Seattle Pacific student Lyndsay Field is assisting me this year and will coordinate the blog series through the email </strong><strong><a href=\"mailto:msaintern@gmail.com\">msaintern@gmail.com</a>. Alternatively leave a comment at the end of this post.</strong>','Lent is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?','','inherit','open','open','','4732-autosave','','','2012-01-28 10:31:45','2012-01-28 18:31:45','',4732,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4732-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4734,6,'2012-01-27 08:47:01','2012-01-27 16:47:01','[caption id=\"attachment_4733\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Lent is Coming\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-4733\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"Lent is Coming\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe are rapidly moving towards <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\">Lent,</a> which begins with <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/ash-wednesday-2/\">Ash Wednesday</a> on February 22nd. This is the season that most challenges us to reflect on our faith and renew our commitment to follow Jesus. Once again I want to invite you to participate with me in Lenten reflections that challenge us to take our following of Jesus more seriously.\n\nThis is a series of guest posts that I host on my blog <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com\">Godspace</a> each year. Last year our theme was: <em><a href=\"Following Jesus What Difference Does It Make – The Complete Lenten Series\">Following Jesus What Difference Does it Make.</a> </em>The theme for this year is: <strong><em>Easter is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?</em> </strong>\n\nWhen reading <a href=\"http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3431\"> <em>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings.</em></a><em> a couple of years ago, </em>I came across this quote by<em> <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">C</a></em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">aesarius of Arles</a> (470 – 543) in a reflection on Exodus 17: 1-7. It profoundly impacted. Do we really thirst for justice or are we satisfied with water? Do we hunger for righteousness or are we satisfied with bread? If we do really hunger and thirst after justice ad righteousness, how is that lived out in our lives?\n<blockquote><em>For what did the people thirst?  What then does the scripture mention in what follows? “In their thirst for water the people grumbled against Moses.”  Perhaps this word that he said may seem superfluous, that the people thirsted for water. For since he said “In their thirst” what need was there to add “for water”?  Thus indeed the ancient translation has it.  Why did he add this, except because they thirsted for water when they should have thirsted for justice?  ”Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.” and again “thirsty is my soul for the living God.”  Many people are thirsty, both the just and sinners, the former thirst after justice, the latter after dissipation  The just are thirsty for God; sinners for gold.  For this reason the people thirsted after water when they should have thirsted after justice.</em></blockquote>\nThe guidelines for the guest posts are simple. Please write an article of 500 – 800 words. If you have a blog, post your article there mentioning that it is part of this blog series and send me the link.  If you do not have a blog but would like to contribute please email your article. I will post a new article each day with links to the appropriate blogs.  Each couple of weeks I will post  a complete list of posts that I have received with links to the appropriate blogs. I ask that you also post this on your own blog.\n\n<strong>With your post please include a 2-3 sentence bio and any photos that you want included. If you want to participate please contact me. The email to respond to this year if you want to be a part of this, is not my personal email. Seattle Pacific student Lyndsay Field is assisting me this year and will coordinate the blog series through the email </strong><strong><a href=\"mailto:msaintern@gmail.com\">msaintern@gmail.com</a>. Alternatively leave a comment at the end of this post.</strong>','Lent is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?','','inherit','open','open','','4732-revision','','','2012-01-27 08:47:01','2012-01-27 16:47:01','',4732,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4732-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4736,6,'2012-01-27 08:47:26','2012-01-27 16:47:26','[caption id=\"attachment_4733\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Lent is Coming\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-4733\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"Lent is Coming\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe are rapidly moving towards <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\">Lent,</a> which begins with <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/ash-wednesday-2/\">Ash Wednesday</a> on February 22nd. This is the season that most challenges us to reflect on our faith and renew our commitment to follow Jesus. Once again I want to invite you to participate with me in Lenten reflections that challenge us to take our following of Jesus more seriously.\r\n\r\nThis is a series of guest posts that I host on my blog <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com\">Godspace</a> each year. Last year our theme was: <em><a href=\"Following Jesus What Difference Does It Make – The Complete Lenten Series\">Following Jesus What Difference Does it Make.</a> </em>The theme for this year is: <strong><em>Easter is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?</em> </strong>\r\n\r\nWhen reading <a href=\"http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3431\"> <em>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings.</em></a><em> a couple of years ago, </em>I came across this quote by<em> <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">C</a></em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">aesarius of Arles</a> (470 – 543) in a reflection on Exodus 17: 1-7. It profoundly impacted. Do we really thirst for justice or are we satisfied with water? Do we hunger for righteousness or are we satisfied with bread? If we do really hunger and thirst after justice ad righteousness, how is that lived out in our lives?\r\n<blockquote><em>For what did the people thirst?  What then does the scripture mention in what follows? “In their thirst for water the people grumbled against Moses.”  Perhaps this word that he said may seem superfluous, that the people thirsted for water. For since he said “In their thirst” what need was there to add “for water”?  Thus indeed the ancient translation has it.  Why did he add this, except because they thirsted for water when they should have thirsted for justice?  ”Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.” and again “thirsty is my soul for the living God.”  Many people are thirsty, both the just and sinners, the former thirst after justice, the latter after dissipation  The just are thirsty for God; sinners for gold.  For this reason the people thirsted after water when they should have thirsted after justice.</em></blockquote>\r\nThe guidelines for the guest posts are simple. Please write an article of 500 – 800 words. If you have a blog, post your article there mentioning that it is part of this blog series and send me the link.  If you do not have a blog but would like to contribute please email your article. I will post a new article each day with links to the appropriate blogs.  Each couple of weeks I will post  a complete list of posts that I have received with links to the appropriate blogs. I ask that you also post this on your own blog.\r\n\r\n<strong>With your post please include a 2-3 sentence bio and any photos that you want included. If you want to participate please contact me. The email to respond to this year is not my personal email. Seattle Pacific student Lyndsay Field is assisting me this year and will coordinate the blog series through the email </strong><strong><a href=\"mailto:msaintern@gmail.com\">msaintern@gmail.com</a>. Alternatively leave a comment at the end of this post.</strong>','Lent is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?','','inherit','open','open','','4732-revision-2','','','2012-01-27 08:47:26','2012-01-27 16:47:26','',4732,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4732-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5347,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:02','2012-03-01 20:59:02','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-5','','','2012-03-01 12:59:02','2012-03-01 20:59:02','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(5348,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:02','2012-03-01 20:59:02','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-6','','','2012-03-01 12:59:02','2012-03-01 20:59:02','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(5349,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:13','2012-03-01 20:59:13','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-7','','','2012-03-01 12:59:13','2012-03-01 20:59:13','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(4741,0,'2012-01-27 13:46:15','2012-01-27 21:46:15','Hi, I was working on my profile before I try submitting my first article.   When I go to http://provoketive.com/jefffulmer/hometownprophet/ (or variations of that), it tells me it\'s not finding me...Do I have a profile and, if so, can you help me find it?\r\n\r\nI also registered a photo with Gravatar, and I wanted to make sure that photo was going to be linked to my Provoketive profile.   \r\n\r\nThanks,\r\nJeff Fulmer\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: HometownProphet\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jeff@hometownprophetbook.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 69.138.63.63\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; HometownProphet\n    [Email] =&gt; jeff@hometownprophetbook.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; Hi, I was working on my profile before I try submitting my first article.   When I go to http://provoketive.com/jefffulmer/hometownprophet/ (or variations of that), it tells me it\'s not finding me...Do I have a profile and, if so, can you help me find it?\r\n\r\nI also registered a photo with Gravatar, and I wanted to make sure that photo was going to be linked to my Provoketive profile.   \r\n\r\nThanks,\r\nJeff Fulmer\n)\n','HometownProphet - 2012-01-27 13:46:15','','publish','open','open','','dd43a6cff7763d989ee87b696dadf67c','','','2012-01-27 13:46:15','2012-01-27 21:46:15','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4741',0,'feedback','',0),(5350,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:14','2012-03-01 20:59:14','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-8','','','2012-03-01 12:59:14','2012-03-01 20:59:14','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(4743,150,'2012-01-27 14:01:26','2012-01-27 22:01:26','','Macho Christ','','inherit','open','open','','machochrist1','','','2012-01-27 14:01:26','2012-01-27 22:01:26','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MachoChrist1.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(4744,150,'2012-01-27 14:15:12','2012-01-27 22:15:12','','Wild at Heart','','inherit','open','open','','wildatheart','','','2012-01-27 14:15:12','2012-01-27 22:15:12','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/WildAtHeart.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(5343,167,'2012-03-01 12:53:14','2012-03-01 20:53:14','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\n\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\n\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\n\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n</strong></div>','Exciting new documentary film project on questions, faith, and civility.','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision','','','2012-03-01 12:53:14','2012-03-01 20:53:14','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(5345,167,'2012-03-01 12:58:54','2012-03-01 20:58:54','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-3','','','2012-03-01 12:58:54','2012-03-01 20:58:54','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5344,167,'2012-03-01 12:53:20','2012-03-01 20:53:20','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','Exciting new documentary film project on questions, faith, and civility.','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-2','','','2012-03-01 12:53:20','2012-03-01 20:53:20','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(5346,167,'2012-03-01 12:58:57','2012-03-01 20:58:57','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-4','','','2012-03-01 12:58:57','2012-03-01 20:58:57','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4749,1,'2012-01-28 09:50:22','2012-01-28 17:50:22','When I was a young boy Josué De La Cruz saved my life. My third-floor apartment on the northwest side of Chicago was fully involved in flames. The Latino firefighter crawled up the steps beneath the smoke, through the fire, and carried me to safety. I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for him.\n\nHe visited me in the hospital the next day. I thanked him for his courage and sacrifice. He told me he was happy to make a difference. We chatted for a while. His Spanish accent reminded me that he was from a completely different culture than mine. It was hard to understand him sometimes, but I was grateful. I fell asleep and he was gone.\n\nMy family found a new place to live but I included Josué in my prayers every night--for a couple of months at least. Eventually school took all my attention and life returned to normal. I was surprised five years later when Josué turned up at my college dorm one night. I was coming back to the dorm very late--trying not to attract the attention of the Resident Assistant.\n\n“Man,” he said with that accent. “You know it’s really dangerous to drive home in your condition. You should be more careful.”\n\nI was embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess so.” I shoved my hand forward to shake his. “Hey man, thanks for pulling me out of that fire back then.”\n\n“No problem--that’s over. Listen, I brought you some money for textbooks. Take care for yourself.”\n\nIt was strange, him showing up that night. I really wasn’t thinking straight. When I woke up the next morning it was hard to tell where the night had ended and where my dreams began. But I did have $100 in the pocket of my jeans.\n\nI was nearly thirty when he turned up again. I’d been married for seven years. My wife and I had one kid and another on the way. I had taken a job working for her father. It wasn’t the life I wanted but with another kid on the way, paying the bills was a big deal. Still, the job sucked and I wasn’t happy.  I came home from work and there was Josué, the firefighter who had saved my life, sitting on my front step, petting the family dog.\n\n“Dude, what are you doing here?”\n\n“Amigo, it’s so good to see you again. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.”\n\nThat seemed really strange to hear. All I could manage was an awkward “Thanks.”\n\n“You know,” he said, looking up  from the dog. “You ought to cut your wife a little slack. It isn’t easy raising one kid while she’s baking another.”\n\n“Well my job ain’t so hot either. Did you want something?” I asked.\n\nHe ignored the question. “I could help you with that if you want.”\n\nI laughed. “Thanks. I’m a little old for the Fire Academy, don’t you think?” I  stepped past him an went to the door. “Thanks for stopping by, though.” Later I found a gift card to Applebee’s right where he had been sitting. There was a post-it note where he had scribbled, \'Take your wife out to dinner tonight.\'\n\nI don’t know: maybe Josué had moved into my neighborhood because he began to pop up at the most random times and places. It began to get a little creepy. One time he was in the booth behind me and my friend at the pancake house.\n\n“Hey man,” he said with that accent. “Have you been putting on some weight?”\n\n“Maybe. You still look pretty fit.” It was true, I had to admit it.\n\n“I’m not trying to bust your hump,” he said. “I just want to see you stay healthy and live well.”\n\nI didn’t feel scolded. Especially because he waited for my buddy to hit the restroom before he spoke to me. “Yeah. Thanks. I’ll work on that.” When my friend and I left we found that Josué had already paid the tab. It went on like this for the next few years. Josué would turn up, offer his opinion on something or other, and always do something nice for me.\n\nThen one afternoon he was outside my workplace. I had bolted from working for my father-in-law, but three jobs later I was going nowhere fast. Life sucked. My wife and kids were strangers to me, and I was thinking of getting in the car and just driving.\n\n“My friend,” Josué said gently. “Don’t do this thing.”\n\nI was startled. Did he know my thoughts? “What thing?”\n\n“Times are tough,” he said. “I get it. Let me help you learn how to live.”\n\nFinally I’d had enough of these strange appearances. “Listen, Josué. It’s been twenty years since you saved me from the fire. What gives you the right to show up and tell me what to do?”\n\n“What good was saving your life if you don’t know how to live it?” he answered. “I went into your apartment that day to change your life, not just save it.”\n\n“Really?” I demanded. “Well, I needed someone to save me--not someone to run my life. What gives you the right?”\n\n“I am Josué De La Cruz.” He stood tall and his voice swelled with strength. And as he said the words he began to change: his face and clothes became white--dazzling beyond any brightness on Earth.\n\nI shielded my eyes and heard thunder from the cloudless sky. In the thunder I thought I heard a voice. “This is my son. Listen to him!”\n\nAnd then, in a moment the day returned, and the sunshine seemed less bright. Josué put his arm on my shoulder and said, “Come to me. Get away with me and you\'ll recover your life. I\'ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. That’s why I saved you that day.”','Josué De La Cruz Saved My Life','','inherit','open','open','','4665-autosave','','','2012-01-28 09:50:22','2012-01-28 17:50:22','',4665,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/28/4665-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(5356,167,'2012-03-01 13:12:06','2012-03-01 21:12:06','<div>\n\nDo you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\n\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves <strong>why </strong>we believe what<strong> </strong>believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, <strong>we believe what we are told to believe </strong>or at least for a time we do. This simple statement likely defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized </em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\n\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com/\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-14','','','2012-03-01 13:12:06','2012-03-01 21:12:06','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(5357,167,'2012-03-01 13:19:27','2012-03-01 21:19:27','<div>\n\nDo you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you have not come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\n\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves <strong>why </strong>we believe what<strong> </strong>believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, <strong>we believe what we are told to believe </strong>or at least for a time we do. This simple statement likely defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\n\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized </em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\n\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com/\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\n\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support this project!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. </strong><a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\"><strong>Become a backer!</strong></a>\n\n</div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-15','','','2012-03-01 13:19:27','2012-03-01 21:19:27','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(5351,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:14','2012-03-01 20:59:14','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-9','','','2012-03-01 12:59:14','2012-03-01 20:59:14','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(5352,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:35','2012-03-01 20:59:35','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-10','','','2012-03-01 12:59:35','2012-03-01 20:59:35','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(5353,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:36','2012-03-01 20:59:36','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-11','','','2012-03-01 12:59:36','2012-03-01 20:59:36','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(4750,1,'2012-01-28 09:56:56','2012-01-28 17:56:56','','firefighter','','inherit','open','open','','firefighter','','','2012-01-28 09:56:56','2012-01-28 17:56:56','',4665,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/firefighter.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4751,1,'2012-01-25 10:31:24','2012-01-25 18:31:24','When I was a young boy Josué De La Cruz saved my life. My third-floor apartment on the northwest side of Chicago was fully involved in flames. The Latino firefighter crawled up the steps beneath the smoke, through the fire, and carried me to safety. I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for him. \r\n\r\nHe visited me in the hospital the next day. I thanked him for his courage and sacrifice. He told me he was happy to make a difference. We chatted for a while. His Spanish accent reminded me that he was from a completely different culture than mine. It was hard to understand him sometimes, but I was grateful. I fell asleep and he was gone.\r\n\r\nMy family found a new place to live but I included Josué in my prayers every night--for a couple of months at least. Eventually school took all my attention and life returned to normal. I was surprised five years later when Josué turned up at my college dorm one night. I was coming back to the dorm very late--trying not to attract the attention of the Resident Assistant.\r\n\r\n“Man,” he said with that accent. “You know it’s really dangerous to drive home in your condition. You should be more careful.”\r\n\r\nI was embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess so.” I shoved my hand forward to shake his. “Hey man, thanks for pulling me out of that fire back then.”\r\n\r\n“No problem--that’s over. Listen, I brought you some money for textbooks. Take care for yourself.”\r\n\r\nIt was strange, him showing up that night. I really wasn’t thinking straight. When I woke up the next morning it was hard to tell where the night had ended and where my dreams began. But I did have $100 in the pocket of my jeans.\r\n\r\nI was nearly thirty when he turned up again. I’d been married for seven years. My wife and I had one kid and another of the way. I had taken a job working for her father. It wasn’t the life I wanted but with another kid on the way, paying the bills was a big deal. Still, the job sucked and I wasn’t happy.  I came home from work and there was Josué, the firefighter who had saved my life, sitting on my front step, petting the family dog.\r\n\r\n“Dude, what are you doing here?”\r\n\r\n“Amigo, it’s so good to see you again. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.”\r\n\r\nThat seemed really strange to hear. All I could manage was an awkward “Thanks.”\r\n\r\n“You know,” he said, looking up  from the dog. “You ought to cut your wife a little slack. It isn’t easy raising one kid while she’s baking another.”\r\n\r\n“Well my job ain’t so hot either. Did you want something?” I asked.\r\nHe ignored the question. “I could help you with that if you want.”\r\nI laughed. “Thanks. I’m a little old for the Fire Academy, don’t you think?” I  stepped past him an went to the door. “Thanks for stopping by, though.” Later I found a gift card to Applebee’s right where he had been sitting. There was a post-it note where he had scribbled, \'Take your wife out to dinner tonight.\'\r\n\r\nI don’t know: maybe Josué had moved into my neighborhood because he began to pop up at the most random times and places. It began to get a little creepy. One time he was in the booth behind me and my friend at the pancake house.\r\n\r\n“Hey man,” he said with that accent. “Have you been putting on some weight?”\r\n\r\n“Maybe. You still look pretty fit.” It was true, I had to admit it.\r\n\r\n“I’m not trying to bust your hump,” he said. “I just want to see you stay healthy and live well.”\r\n\r\nI didn’t feel scolded. Especially because he waited for my buddy to hit the restroom before he spoke to me. “Yeah. Thanks. I’ll work on that.” When my friend and I left we found that Josué had already paid the tab. It went on like this for the next few years. Josué would turn up, offer his opinion on something or other, and always do something nice for me.\r\nThen one afternoon he was outside my workplace. I had bolted from working for my father-in-law, but three jobs later I was going nowhere fast. Life sucked. My wife and kids were strangers to me, and I was thinking of getting in the car and just driving.\r\n\r\n“My friend,” Josué said gently. “Don’t do this thing.”\r\n\r\nI was startled. Did he know my thoughts? “What thing?”\r\n\r\n“Times are tough,” he said. “I get it. Let me help you learn how to live.”\r\n\r\nFinally I’d had enough of these strange appearances. “Listen, Josué. It’s been twenty years since you saved me from the fire. What gives you the right to show up and tell me what to do?”\r\n\r\n“What good was saving your life if you don’t know how to live it?” he answered. “I went into your apartment that day to change your life, not just save it.”\r\n\r\n“Really?” I demanded. “Well, I needed someone to save me--not someone to run my life. What gives you the right?”\r\n\r\n“I am Josué De La Cruz.” He stood tall and his voice swelled with strength. And as he said the words he began to change: his face and clothes became white--dazzling beyond any brightness on Earth.\r\n\r\nI shielded my eyes and heard thunder from the cloudless sky. In the thunder I thought I heard a voice. “This is my son. Listen to him!”\r\n\r\nAnd then, in a moment the day returned, and the sunshine seemed less bright. Josué put his arm on my shoulder and said, “Come to me. Get away with me and you\'ll recover your life. I\'ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. That’s why I saved you that day.”','Josué De La Cruz Saved My Life','','inherit','open','open','','4665-revision-2','','','2012-01-25 10:31:24','2012-01-25 18:31:24','',4665,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4665-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(4752,1,'2012-01-25 11:39:50','2012-01-25 19:39:50','First off, understand that I\'m not an expert in politics or sociology in any way or form. This is me throwing ideas in the air and see what sticks and what falls apart. Having said the latter <em>DISCLAIMER</em>, I can say (type) what I feel.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Having two superpowers -- the US and the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">USSR</a> -- kept the world on check as a stalemate game of chess where the queens and kings were nuclear arsenals and trigger-happy men. Aside from the level of animosity between these two unions at the time, which I still don\'t understand, no one wanted to do anything stupid like attacking the other including allies and friends (democracy/capitalism vs communism/socialism). With the Cold War paranoia, many wars could\'ve been prevented as very few countries would\'ve wanted to be on the bad side of one or the other superpower or, worse yet, caught in the middle of both.</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4669\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/800px-Berlin-wall-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin wall on November 16, 1989\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" /></a>After the fall of the <a title=\"Berlin Wall\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall\" target=\"_blank\">Berlin Wall</a> (picture on the right) and its domino effect on the <a title=\"Soviet Union\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union\" target=\"_blank\">Soviet Union</a>, the various of the former nations Soviet became unstable and uncontrollable by the rest of the world, especially the US. Lots of arsenal (nuclear or not) hasn\'t been accounted for since. This means that these weapons and/or technologies may still be available to some and most likely in the wrong hands. The latter\'s brought weapons of all kinds to many rogue states worldwide, which in return caused increasing risks of terrorism worldwide.</li>\r\n	<li>As brutal as mankind\'s proven to be numerous times, I don\'t think we\'d have engaged in a nuclear war -- a <em>\"nuclear error\"</em> (as <em>The Clash</em> mentioned in their song <em>London Calling</em>) maybe, but not war. We\'d have undoubtedly been scared beyond belief, but that might\'ve been the better of two evils.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nAlthough I lived through the last two decades of the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a>, I was fairly sheltered from it all. Nonetheless my life was somewhat affected by it and I do have an opinion about the <em>possible benefits</em> of knowing who the enemy was.\r\n\r\nBy the way, regardless of the animosity then, I was still attracted by Russian literature (fan of <a title=\"Leo Tolstoy\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Tolstoy</a> especially) and science (<a title=\"Ivan Pavlov\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov\" target=\"_blank\">Ivan Pavlov</a> being an early hero of mine). Well now, I can also enjoy their cinema like <a title=\"Night Watch\" href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/\" target=\"_blank\">Night Watch</a>.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re <em>old enough</em> to have lived during the <a title=\"Cold War\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War\" target=\"_blank\">Cold War</a> (approx. 1945-1991), let me know what you think.','What If The USSR Still Existed?','','inherit','open','open','','4663-revision-4','','','2012-01-25 11:39:50','2012-01-25 19:39:50','',4663,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/25/4663-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4753,1,'2012-01-26 09:18:44','2012-01-26 17:18:44','“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living\'?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices-- still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does?\n\nTo be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career, get married, have kids, and those who dare to do those in a different order or on a different timeframe are often questioned or ridiculed.\n\nTo add to this, our brains seem hard-wired to place everything into neat little boxes.  Psychological theory calls these boxes “schemata”:  mental structures to organize information. Every time your brain receives new information, it tries to fit it inside already pre-conceived schemata. It is an efficient and quick way to store, retrieve, and process information, helping us to respond quickly and appropriately to many situations. However, when we encounter new experiences or information that does not fit into an existing schema, a common reaction is to ignore or quickly forget the offending information. Occasionally, new information that differs so completely from a schema but cannot be ignored will cause the existing schema to be altered or to create a separate schema for these “exceptions from the rule”. The question is: do these schemas we have created for ourselves and our roles sometimes needlessly box us in?\n\nLet’s go back to the aerial violinist. According to her <a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">website</a>, Janice Martin is a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist who works with the Cirque du Symphonie, combining her talents with aerial acrobats to be the \"world\'s only aerial violinist,\"¹ and also returned to headline the show <em>Encore!</em> aboard the <a href=\"http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/\">Showboat Branson Belle</a> in Branson, MO for the second season.² Watching the videos of her performances, I am struck by not only her musical prowess (and I am a classically trained violist, so I can tell that the pieces she plays are difficult enough while performing them on solid ground, let alone while dangling by scarves), but she also displays an amazing grace, power, and strength in her aerial performance. Her vocal and piano performances are equally impressive, even if not performed while hanging from the ceiling. Truly, she is a formidable artist, putting the often touted \"triple threats\" to shame.\n\nMs. Martin is a unique artist to say the least, so it should be no surprise that her path there is equally unique. Musically trained at the Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, she found her first job in perhaps an unlikely place: the US Army, where she played in the US Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a solo violinist, including performances at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders.³\n\nAfter her enlistment with the army, Martin was awarded honorary use of the 1708 Burstein/Bagshawe Stradivarius Violin by The Stradivari Society.¹ She then toured domestically and internationally, soloing with the Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Portland Symphony, European Union Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, to name just a few.¹ Her career and accomplishments as a musician alone are truly impressive.\n\nHow then did Janice Martin go from an internationally recognized musician to an aerial violinist? Where do the aerobatics come in to this story, exactly? After the death of her friend and sponsor, Joseph Burstein, Martin returned to New York in hope of creating a show of her own that encompassed more than just the realm of classical music.³ The necessary creative inspiration came one evening while Martin was in the audience of a Cirque du Soleil show; the performance that night moved her so much that she determined to become an aerialist and, combined with her violin virtuosity, have a one-woman show like no other.³ No doubt this is where her training in the Army came in handy once again, what with the vigorous physical training, including rope climbing. Janice Martin debuted at Carnegie Hall and then spent over a decade traveling and performing her self-choreographed shows.³ From there, it is all history, as they say.\n\nSo, what can we learn from this fascinating woman? Wearing skin-tight outfits and dangling upside down from scarves and rings from great heights while playing the electric violin is not exactly my dream job, but I certainly enjoy watching Janice Martin live out her dream.  And that\'s what I want to do-- live out my dream; the trouble is, I don\'t just have one, and I haven\'t quite figured out how to combine them all so snugly like Ms. Martin has. Do I-- or you-- have gifts, talents and interests that seem incongruous, but somehow together create one exceptionally unique career, much like this daring aerial violinist? How can Ms. Martin\'s unique path help to inform our own search for a fulfilling and interesting career or life?\n\nFirst of all, Ms. Martin pursued her passions diligently and put in the hard work. Take it from this former music major (who admittedly dropped it only three semesters in to pursue a psychology degree instead), getting into Juilliard doesn\'t happen by doing the bare minimum in your practice sessions. Opportunities to grow, use, and express your talents won\'t open up for you if you aren\'t seeking excellence in whatever it is you do. So, the things you love to do? Learn to do them well. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.\n\nMs. Martin also did something a lot of us could do more of: get out there and live life. She didn\'t just sit at home, absorbed in her own brainstorming sessions or creating a mission/purpose/vision statement. No, she was out enjoying life, and it was there, while taking time to attend a Cirque du Soleil show that she found the final inspiration. New experiences, new relationships and new adventures will bring fresh ideas and inspiration. You know what the same old thing brings? More of the same old thing.\n\nI don\'t have all the answers on how to think outside of the box, as I\'ve gotten myself into some ruts that lasted for years. But at this point in my life, I\'ve realized that life is too short to try to squeeze myself into a box, be it someone else’s or one of my own creation.  And to you, Ms. Martin, I say, \"Bravo.\" You are truly an inspiration.\n\n<em>Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City Publicity</em>\n<div>\n\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" />\n\n<div>\n\n¹<a href=\"http://www.janicemartin.com/\">www.janicemartin.com</a>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n²Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). Encore! Returns after Stellar First Season [Press Release].\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n³Silver Dollar City Publicity (2012). From Humble Beginnings to Carnegie Hall [Press Release].\n\n</div>\n</div>\n&nbsp;','Not Your Ordinary Day Job','','inherit','open','open','','4550-revision-93','','','2012-01-26 09:18:44','2012-01-26 17:18:44','',4550,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4550-revision-93/',0,'revision','',0),(4754,1,'2012-01-28 10:16:34','2012-01-28 18:16:34','It was an interesting time for Pharaoh and the elites. They were vastly wealthy, controlling ninety-five percent of the wealth of the empire. They were supreme rulers of the land, but they had a problem: what to do with this troublesome people group.\n\nAccording to legend, they were invited to live here in the distant past. But they bred like rabbits, and now they were threatening the status quo. Yes they had a problem, so Pharaoh came up with a plan. It was a good plan.\n\nPharaoh enacted laws that enabled him to use the criminal justice system to enslave this entire people group to the state. Not only did this relieve the threat that they posed, but it allowed for massive construction projects to be undertaken with virtually no labor cost, the likes of which the world had never seen.\n\nYes, Pharaoh had a plan, but <strong>God had another plan.</strong>\n\n<em>\"Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people out of Egypt.\"</em> (Exodus 3:9-10 NLT)\n\nIn ancient Egypt, God called one, then another, to stand up to Pharaoh with this simple message, \"Let My people go!\"\n\nBut I\'m not talking about ancient Egypt.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1617_cover.bmp\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4539\" title=\"1617_cover\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1617_cover.bmp\" alt=\"\" width=\"108\" height=\"160\" /></a>In her book, <em>The New Jim Crow</em>, Michelle Alexander lays out the chilling story of the use of the criminal justice system to enslave a people to the state. Once in the system, any conviction carries a life sentence of legal discrimination in housing, job opportunity, educational assistance, and participation in the political process. The list goes on.\n\nThe war on drugs was implemented in 1982 by then President Ronald Reagan. Funded over the intervening years with hundreds of billions of dollars, it has changed the face of criminal justice in America. It led to massive construction of new state and federal prisons at unprecedented rates.\n\nMs Alexander states that the prison population has soared from roughly three hundred thousand in 1980 to, in 2007, more than seven million. Today, one in every thirty one adults is in the criminal justice system either imprisoned, or on probation or parole. And don\'t believe these are drug lords, or even for the most part drug dealers. Over eighty per cent of these new drug arrests were for simple possession of marijuana (page 59).\n\nThe war on drugs has been, and is being waged almost exclusively in inner-city neighborhoods populated primarily by our black and brown people groups. And once in the system, they are condemned to what I call \"life on the installment plan\". With all the legal discrimination they face when released, the vast majority are re-incarcerated within the first couple of years. In many states, a third felony conviction rates an automatic life sentence.\n\nMs Alexander calls it \"The New Jim Crow\". I call it systemic racism. And I am implicated. We are all implicated. As citizens of this country, this war is being conducted in our name and, for the most part, with our blessing. It is destroying the lives of our children, and they are <strong>our</strong> children. It has decimated a generation of young black and brown men and women, and is working on the next.\n\nBut God hears the cry of the people, and <strong>God has another plan.</strong>\n\nGod is calling one, then another to stand up to today\'s Pharaohs with a simple message. It is the same message He gave to Moses and Aaron. \"Let My people go!\"\n\nSo the question for me is:\n\nDo I hear God’s call, and how will I respond to this group of the \"least of these?\"\n\nTo do nothing is to participate in Pharaoh\'s plan,\n\n<strong>But God, by God, has another plan.</strong>','Let My People Go!','','inherit','open','open','','4546-autosave','','','2012-01-28 10:16:34','2012-01-28 18:16:34','',4546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/28/4546-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4755,1,'2012-01-26 09:41:38','2012-01-26 17:41:38','It was an interesting time for Pharaoh and the elites. They were vastly wealthy, controlling ninety-five percent of the wealth of the empire. They were supreme rulers of the land, but they had a problem: what to do with this troublesome people group.\r\n\r\nAccording to legend, they were invited to live here in the distant past. But they bred like rabbits, and now they were threatening the status quo. Yes they had a problem, so Pharaoh came up with a plan. It was a good plan.\r\n\r\nPharaoh enacted laws that enabled him to use the criminal justice system to enslave this entire people group to the state. Not only did this relieve the threat that they posed, but it allowed for massive construction projects to be undertaken with virtually no labor cost, the likes of which the world had never seen.\r\n\r\nYes, Pharaoh had a plan, but <strong>God had another plan.</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>\"Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people out of Egypt.\"</em> (Exodus 3:9-10 NLT)\r\n\r\nIn ancient Egypt, God called one, then another, to stand up to Pharaoh with this simple message, \"Let My people go!\"\r\n\r\nBut I\'m not talking about ancient Egypt.\r\n\r\nIn her book, <em>The New Jim Crow</em>, Michelle Alexander lays out the chilling story of the use of the criminal justice system to enslave a people to the state. Once in the system, any conviction carries a life sentence of legal discrimination in housing, job opportunity, educational assistance, and participation in the political process. The list goes on.\r\n\r\nThe war on drugs was implemented in 1982 by then President Ronald Reagan. Funded over the intervening years with hundreds of billions of dollars, it has changed the face of criminal justice in America. It led to massive construction of new state and federal prisons at unprecedented rates.\r\n\r\nMs Alexander states that the prison population has soared from roughly three hundred thousand in 1980 to, in 2007, more than seven million. Today, one in every thirty one adults is in the criminal justice system either imprisoned, or on probation or parole. And don\'t believe these are drug lords, or even for the most part drug dealers. Over eighty per cent of these new drug arrests were for simple possession of marijuana (page 59).\r\n\r\nThe war on drugs has been, and is being waged almost exclusively in inner-city neighborhoods populated primarily by our black and brown people groups. And once in the system, they are condemned to what I call \"life on the installment plan\". With all the legal discrimination they face when released, the vast majority are re-incarcerated within the first couple of years. In many states, a third felony conviction rates an automatic life sentence.\r\n\r\nMs Alexander calls it \"The New Jim Crow\". I call it systemic racism. And I am implicated. We are all implicated. As citizens of this country, this war is being conducted in our name and, for the most part, with our blessing. It is destroying the lives of our children, and they are <strong>our</strong> children. It has decimated a generation of young black and brown men and women, and is working on the next.\r\n\r\nBut God hears the cry of the people, and <strong>God has another plan.</strong>\r\n\r\nGod is calling one, then another to stand up to today\'s Pharaohs with a simple message. It is the same message He gave to Moses and Aaron. \"Let My people go!\"\r\n\r\nSo the question for me is:\r\n\r\nDo I hear God’s call, and how will I respond to this group of the \"least of these?\"\r\n\r\nTo do nothing is to participate in Pharaoh\'s plan,\r\n\r\n<strong>But God, by God, has another plan.</strong>','Let My People Go!','','inherit','open','open','','4546-revision-4','','','2012-01-26 09:41:38','2012-01-26 17:41:38','',4546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4546-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4756,1,'2012-01-28 10:14:45','2012-01-28 18:14:45','','black prisoner','','inherit','open','open','','black-prisoner','','','2012-01-28 10:14:45','2012-01-28 18:14:45','',4546,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/black-prisoner.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4757,1,'2012-01-28 10:04:29','2012-01-28 18:04:29','It was an interesting time for Pharaoh and the elites. They were vastly wealthy, controlling ninety-five percent of the wealth of the empire. They were supreme rulers of the land, but they had a problem: what to do with this troublesome people group.\r\n\r\nAccording to legend, they were invited to live here in the distant past. But they bred like rabbits, and now they were threatening the status quo. Yes they had a problem, so Pharaoh came up with a plan. It was a good plan.\r\n\r\nPharaoh enacted laws that enabled him to use the criminal justice system to enslave this entire people group to the state. Not only did this relieve the threat that they posed, but it allowed for massive construction projects to be undertaken with virtually no labor cost, the likes of which the world had never seen.\r\n\r\nYes, Pharaoh had a plan, but <strong>God had another plan.</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>\"Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people out of Egypt.\"</em> (Exodus 3:9-10 NLT)\r\n\r\nIn ancient Egypt, God called one, then another, to stand up to Pharaoh with this simple message, \"Let My people go!\"\r\n\r\nBut I\'m not talking about ancient Egypt.\r\n\r\nIn her book, <em>The New Jim Crow</em>, Michelle Alexander lays out the chilling story of the use of the criminal justice system to enslave a people to the state. Once in the system, any conviction carries a life sentence of legal discrimination in housing, job opportunity, educational assistance, and participation in the political process. The list goes on.\r\n\r\nThe war on drugs was implemented in 1982 by then President Ronald Reagan. Funded over the intervening years with hundreds of billions of dollars, it has changed the face of criminal justice in America. It led to massive construction of new state and federal prisons at unprecedented rates.\r\n\r\nMs Alexander states that the prison population has soared from roughly three hundred thousand in 1980 to, in 2007, more than seven million. Today, one in every thirty one adults is in the criminal justice system either imprisoned, or on probation or parole. And don\'t believe these are drug lords, or even for the most part drug dealers. Over eighty per cent of these new drug arrests were for simple possession of marijuana (page 59).\r\n\r\nThe war on drugs has been, and is being waged almost exclusively in inner-city neighborhoods populated primarily by our black and brown people groups. And once in the system, they are condemned to what I call \"life on the installment plan\". With all the legal discrimination they face when released, the vast majority are re-incarcerated within the first couple of years. In many states, a third felony conviction rates an automatic life sentence.\r\n\r\nMs Alexander calls it \"The New Jim Crow\". I call it systemic racism. And I am implicated. We are all implicated. As citizens of this country, this war is being conducted in our name and, for the most part, with our blessing. It is destroying the lives of our children, and they are <strong>our</strong> children. It has decimated a generation of young black and brown men and women, and is working on the next.\r\n\r\nBut God hears the cry of the people, and <strong>God has another plan.</strong>\r\n\r\nGod is calling one, then another to stand up to today\'s Pharaohs with a simple message. It is the same message He gave to Moses and Aaron. \"Let My people go!\"\r\n\r\nSo the question for me is:\r\n\r\nDo I hear God’s call, and how will I respond to this group of the \"least of these?\"\r\n\r\nTo do nothing is to participate in Pharaoh\'s plan,\r\n\r\n<strong>But God, by God, has another plan.</strong>','Let My People Go!','','inherit','open','open','','4546-revision-5','','','2012-01-28 10:04:29','2012-01-28 18:04:29','',4546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/28/4546-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(4758,1,'2012-01-26 22:57:16','2012-01-27 06:57:16','I\'ve had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It\'s been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1\">\"Skeleton Crew\"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I\'m walking down a dark hallway at night.\r\n\r\nThe book that meant the most to me was, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1\">\"From a Buick 8,\"</a> published in 2001. I\'ve read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer and a \"character developer\" for me.\r\n\r\nIt probably wasn\'t about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother\'s, <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/\">\"The Big Lewbowski.\"</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn\'t have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It\'s like life. We can\'t sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.\r\n\r\n<em>Now, here\'s the obligatory spoiler alert. I\'m going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don\'t want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>\r\n\r\nOkay?\r\n\r\nHere we go.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4702\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"251\" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can\'t keep King\'s book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It\' s booked up in reserve for three months. There\'s a reason. It\'s worth your time. Don\'t bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.\r\n\r\nIf you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.\r\n\r\nThe main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That\'s the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that\'s all I\'m giving you.\r\n\r\nWho should read this novel? Three groups of people.\r\n\r\nFirst, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It\'s obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King\'s savvy in weaving around the time period.\r\n\r\nHe deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it\'s a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.\r\n\r\nThe second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327633802&amp;sr=8-1\">I wrote a non-fiction book.</a> But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it\'s true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.\r\n\r\nFinally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I\'ve ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn\'t a fiction novel. It was <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1\">King\'s, \"On Writing.\"</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4703\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"184\" height=\"300\" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - \"how do I write good fiction?\"\r\n\r\nHe didn\'t try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a \"toolbox\" of sorts that he used. I\'ve read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.\r\n\r\nDirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I\'d listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.\r\n\r\nGuess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you\'re a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href=\"http://www.stephenking.com/index.html\">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don\'t copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.\r\n\r\nThe characters leap into your mind and your heart. They will dwell there. Not just for days or weeks, but for years. You may forget about them for a while, but one day you will remember them. And you will find yourself wanting to crack open that old novel again days down the road to remember that old friend. And that\'s how a good novel should be. That\'s what a good writer wants.\r\n\r\nOh wait. I guess I got away from a book review and started talking about Stephen King. Let me say this about the book: It\'s phenomenal. It deals with the so-called <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect\">\"butterfly effect\"</a> and how every decision we make has consequences. It\'s true. King brings out how we impact people\'s lives for the worse and the better. How each of us can make a difference, small and large. Every single difference, every single word or action makes an impact. He also shows how life goes on around us despite ourselves. Even though we think we are a big deal, we really aren\'t. I like that too.\r\n\r\nThank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.','Stephen King\'s 11/22/63: Book Review','','inherit','open','open','','4700-revision-9','','','2012-01-26 22:57:16','2012-01-27 06:57:16','',4700,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/26/4700-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(4759,1,'2012-01-27 00:11:33','2012-01-27 08:11:33','If you\'ve been in church for any length of time, you\'ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus\' parable.\r\n\r\nThe publican prays, <em>\"God, <strong>I</strong> thank you that <strong>I</strong> am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. <strong>I</strong> fast twice a week; <strong>I</strong> give tithes of all that <strong>I</strong> get.\"</em> (ESV)\r\n\r\nJesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, <em>\"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”</em>\r\n\r\nThe sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee\'s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun \"I\". He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4718\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/babel-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" /></a>First Person Plural: We/Us</strong>\r\n\r\n<em> Then they said, “Come, let <strong>us</strong> build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let <strong>us</strong> make a name for ourselves, lest <strong>we</strong> be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nNot a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let \"us\". We can do this without \"Him.\"\r\n\r\nNew Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here\'s what they said:  <em>“\'What shall <strong>we</strong> do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.\'\"</em> (Acts 4:16 ESV)\r\n\r\nNothing. You can\'t do anything with them. It\'s you against God.\r\n\r\nBut let\'s not pretend it\'s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, \"Preacher, it\'s not just me who doesn\'t like the changes, but <em>we\'re</em> just concerned with the path you\'re going down.\" Change is a disruptive thing. But it\'s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.\r\n\r\n<strong>Second personal singular and plural: You</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd the people spoke against God and against Moses, <em>“Why have <strong>you</strong> brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”</em> (Numbers 21:5 ESV)\r\n\r\nYou is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don\'t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.\r\n\r\nNew Testament second personal singular usage (there\'s a lot, but I\'m only using one): <em>At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, <strong>your</strong> disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)</em>\r\n\r\nThe Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.\r\n\r\nToday, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, \"Well, look at you. You aren\'t the person I thought you were. You\'re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.\" We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.\r\n\r\n<strong>Third Person Singular: He/She</strong>\r\n\r\nAnd when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4719\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/saulnd-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSaul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.\r\n\r\nNew Testament?   <em>\"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, \'Why does <strong>he</strong> eat with tax collectors and sinners?\' And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, \'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.\'\"</em> (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. \"Look at her. She embezzled. She\'s a whore. He\'s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He\'s a rat.\" But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with. Spent his ministry on. Went to the cross to save.\r\n\r\nThankfully, there\'s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.\r\n\r\n<strong>First Person Singular: Me</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send <strong>me</strong>.”</em> (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4722\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/isa-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" /></a>Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the \"I\" but on the \"me\". If you\'re a discerning reader, you\'ll understand the difference.\r\n\r\nThe book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  <em>\"standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to <strong>me</strong>, a sinner!’\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhere does change start in our day? When we say, \"I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don\'t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in <em><strong>me</strong></em>.\"\r\n\r\nIt\'s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it\'s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, \"I want a change to begin in my life, to recognize the work that Christ has done in my life. In my heart.\"\r\n\r\nIt is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:\r\n\r\n<em>Search <strong>me</strong>, O God, and know <strong>my</strong> heart!</em>\r\n<em>        Try <strong>me</strong> and know <strong>my</strong> thoughts!</em>\r\n<em>    And see if there be any grievous way in <strong>me</strong>,</em>\r\n<em>        and lead <strong>me</strong> in the way everlasting!</em>\r\n\r\n(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)','How Our Personal Pronouns Expose Our Beliefs','','inherit','open','open','','4716-revision-9','','','2012-01-27 00:11:33','2012-01-27 08:11:33','',4716,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4716-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(4760,1,'2012-01-28 10:34:04','2012-01-28 18:34:04','','Jesus cross','','inherit','open','open','','jesus-cross','','','2012-01-28 10:34:04','2012-01-28 18:34:04','',4732,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Jesus-cross.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4761,1,'2012-01-27 08:58:46','2012-01-27 16:58:46','[caption id=\"attachment_4733\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Lent is Coming\"]<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-4733\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Stations-of-Cross-2004-026-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"Lent is Coming\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe are rapidly moving towards <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent\">Lent,</a> which begins with <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/ash-wednesday-2/\">Ash Wednesday</a> on February 22nd. This is the season that most challenges us to reflect on our faith and renew our commitment to follow Jesus. Once again I want to invite you to participate with me in Lenten reflections that challenge us to take our following of Jesus more seriously.\r\n\r\nThis is a series of guest posts that I host on my blog <a href=\"http://godspace.wordpress.com\">Godspace</a> each year. Last year our theme was: <em><a href=\"Following Jesus What Difference Does It Make – The Complete Lenten Series\">Following Jesus What Difference Does it Make.</a> </em>The theme for this year is: <strong><em>Easter is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?</em> </strong>\r\n\r\nWhen reading <a href=\"http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3431\"> <em>Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings.</em></a><em> a couple of years ago, </em>I came across this quote by<em> <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">C</a></em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarius_of_Arles\">aesarius of Arles</a> (470 – 543) in a reflection on Exodus 17: 1-7. It profoundly impacted. Do we really thirst for justice or are we satisfied with water? Do we hunger for righteousness or are we satisfied with bread? If we do really hunger and thirst after justice ad righteousness, how is that lived out in our lives?\r\n<blockquote><em>For what did the people thirst?  What then does the scripture mention in what follows? “In their thirst for water the people grumbled against Moses.”  Perhaps this word that he said may seem superfluous, that the people thirsted for water. For since he said “In their thirst” what need was there to add “for water”?  Thus indeed the ancient translation has it.  Why did he add this, except because they thirsted for water when they should have thirsted for justice?  ”Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.” and again “thirsty is my soul for the living God.”  Many people are thirsty, both the just and sinners, the former thirst after justice, the latter after dissipation  The just are thirsty for God; sinners for gold.  For this reason the people thirsted after water when they should have thirsted after justice.</em></blockquote>\r\nThe guidelines for the guest posts are simple. Please write an article of 500 – 800 words. If you have a blog, post your article there mentioning that it is part of this blog series and send me the link.  If you do not have a blog but would like to contribute please email your article. I will post a new article each day with links to the appropriate blogs.  Each couple of weeks I will post  a complete list of posts that I have received with links to the appropriate blogs. I ask that you also post this on your own blog.\r\n\r\n<strong>With your post please include a 2-3 sentence bio and any photos that you want included. If you want to participate please contact me. The email to respond to this year is not my personal email. Seattle Pacific student Lyndsay Field is assisting me this year and will coordinate the blog series through the email </strong><strong><a href=\"mailto:msaintern@gmail.com\">msaintern@gmail.com</a>. Alternatively leave a comment at the end of this post.</strong>','Lent is Coming - What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?','','inherit','open','open','','4732-revision-3','','','2012-01-27 08:58:46','2012-01-27 16:58:46','',4732,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/27/4732-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(5046,12,'2012-02-12 12:12:47','2012-02-12 20:12:47','Once again, the world watches with great sadness as one of its great entertainers dies at a young age. <a href=\"http://www.billboard.com/#/news/whitney-houston-dies-at-48-1006167152.story\">Whitney Houston</a> was a great talent, a great inspiration to many. Surely, much will be written over the next few days about her. It will range about her fantastic career, her battle with drugs and alcohol, her bad relationships. Those who loved her will ask that she be able to rest in peace. Those who want to make a point will argue that she be held up as an example of what not to be.\r\n\r\nI remember waking up on Sunday morning, August 31, 1997 to the horrible news that Princess Diana had died in a car accident. At the time, I was attending a megachurch in Louisville, Kentucky, pastored by <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/kevezell\">Kevin Ezell</a>, now the president of the Southern Baptist Convention\'s <a href=\"http://www.namb.net/\">North American Mission Board</a>. It was tragic news, but on my way to church, I thought, \"<em>He has to say something about this. But what in the world will he say? Because if I was in his place, I wouldn\'t have a clue.</em>\"\r\n\r\nThe congregation was buzzing about Princess Diana\'s death and everyone had taken their seats. Bro. Kevin got behind the<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/diana.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-5048\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/diana-300x276.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"248\" /></a> podium and said something I will never forget. \"<em>It\'s a tragic thing that happened early this morning to Princess Diana. We should be in prayer for her family. But the most important thing right now is this - <strong>what did she do with Jesus Christ</strong>?</em>\"\r\n\r\nThat\'s what our earthly journey is about. That\'s why we live, why we blog, why we exist. What will we do with this man from Nazareth? What will we do with this man who came into our midst and preached and lived like none other? This man who was crucified? The one who bore our sins?\r\n\r\nI watched the last interview that Whitney Houston had. <a href=\"http://showbizraw.com/sparkle-whitney-houstons-final-film-in-an-interview-she-said-im-older-im-matured/\">She was interviewed by Access Hollywood</a>. You could see that she was tired and exhausted, but she had a spirit about her that wanted to share. She spoke of people who were praying and intercessing for her.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43qPT-ZOkgs\">Her last singing performance was the night of her death</a>. It\'s becoming Internet folklore by now. She stepped on stage for a brief performance with her friend Kelly Price. The song? Jesus Loves Me. It makes you wonder if she knew. If her heart was struggling.\r\n\r\nI don\'t pretend to know what Whitney Houston did with Jesus Christ. But I do know something about how fragile all of us are. I do know that we start somewhere simple. We can get placed on a pedestal and fall. We can make terrible, tragic mistakes and even if we do, our God is there to love us when we fall.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/biblenot.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-5049\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/biblenot-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>One final story. This one is about a guy you\'ve never heard of. In my first year of pastoring, I was asked to do a funeral for a man who died at a young age. He had a troubled life but had seemingly turned it around after years of trouble and drug abuse. Tragically, he died of heart failure. He had spent the last couple years of his life being rejected by many because of his past.\r\n\r\nWhen the family approached me to do the funeral, I agreed. He had made a \"profession of faith\" when he was young, but many people in the community had told me, \"<em>there\'s no way he\'s saved. Look at how he lived his life.</em>\"\r\n\r\nI asked the family for his Bible. When I began to read through it, I found that he had made many notes in it. When I got to the book of Romans, he had written a lot. One thing he had scribbled down humbled me. It said, \"<em>I\'m not much, but I know that Jesus saved me. He will never let me go.</em>\"\r\n\r\nI read that at his funeral. I said, \"I don\'t get to make the call about people\'s salvation. But I know that this man was at peace with God when he died. He knew that Jesus loved him.\"\r\n\r\nWhat will we do with Jesus in this life? That is the most important question we can ask and answer.\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=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325370631&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a> which is available at Amazon.com and is also available for the <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-ebook/dp/B006TKJV0U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1326661898&amp;sr=8-2\">Amazon Kindle</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Whitney Houston and Humanity\'s Most Important Question','','publish','open','open','','whitney-houston-and-humanitys-most-important-question','','','2012-02-12 12:12:47','2012-02-12 20:12:47','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5046',0,'post','',6),(4766,152,'2012-01-28 21:04:20','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Light is only appreciated in the context of darkness; we need the contrast.\n\nForgiveness is only understood and valued when I know my guilty status for real.\n\nHope seems to make most sense when I have some grasp of hopelessness.\n\nReading Ezekiel and other exilic writers has caused me to see that, until all the sources of false hope are stripped away, we find it very difficult to grasp the wonder and majesty of the One who brings and gives hope.\n\nHe is stripped of everything that formed stability and hope.\n<ul>\n	<li>The temple with all its routine and structure; he was after all a priest, his father before him, and so on.</li>\n	<li>The Establishment of royalty and hierarchy, setting the scene, calling the shots, creating the context for life; the young king is in the shack next door.</li>\n	<li>The land, given by God, promised forever; now desecrated and overrun.</li>\n	<li>His family, presumably his parents were left back home to face the final debacle and destruction; even His wife is taken from him. (Ezek. 24:18)</li>\n</ul>\nHere, on the banks of a foreign river, where almost nothing is familiar, where all his working assumptions are shot, he encounters God in all His majesty. This God was there, back in Jerusalem, yet not so intimate. He was taken for granted and assumed; in the background.\n\nMy hope is not based upon ritual, role or setting, not even precious relationships; but on the awesome, yet initmate presence of God. Is that enough? I am sure that some would say that, in their time of trial, He has been found wanting. My experience has been other. All my working assumptions were stripped away; home (country), family (but not my wife), career, church and most friendships. After much complaining, intensive interrogation and detailed questioning; I found Him trustworthy, challenging and present.\n\nNow, with home regained, family (and wife) close by, new opportunities revealed, and faith community regained; I dare not forget the central lesson learned – that it is “<em>Christ in me the hope of glory</em>” and nothing, nothing else.','','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-01-28 21:04:20','2012-01-29 05:04:20','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=4766',0,'post','',0),(4767,0,'2012-01-29 10:16:50','2012-01-29 18:16:50','I would like to add my blog to the list. I have a link on the right sidebar for Provoketive. Thanks\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Ken Hagerman\nAUTHOR EMAIL: kensebay1@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.ramblingbarba.com\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Blog List\nIP: 190.104.162.189\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Ken Hagerman\n    [Email] =&gt; kensebay1@yahoo.com\n    [Website] =&gt; www.ramblingbarba.com\n    [Comment] =&gt; I would like to add my blog to the list. I have a link on the right sidebar for Provoketive. Thanks\n)\n','Ken Hagerman - 2012-01-29 10:16:50','','publish','open','open','','7b7c8152677c03f0167163467cee305c','','','2012-01-29 10:16:50','2012-01-29 18:16:50','',683,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4767',0,'feedback','',0),(4768,0,'2012-01-29 11:29:29','2012-01-29 19:29:29','Theology, Politics\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Casper Denck\nAUTHOR EMAIL: casperdenck@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.nicodemist.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 62.255.199.1\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Casper Denck\n    [Email] =&gt; casperdenck@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.nicodemist.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Theology, Politics\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Cdenck\n)\n','Casper Denck - 2012-01-29 11:29:29','','publish','open','open','','f06a143039af67411c0d5f6a1fa7c9fc','','','2012-01-29 11:29:29','2012-01-29 19:29:29','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4768',0,'feedback','',0),(5168,144,'2012-02-22 08:00:00','2012-02-22 16:00:00','<strong>I was mesmerized by Whitney Houston’s televised memorial service.</strong> Maybe, I do miss church gatherings a little bit after all. They certainly “had church”!\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney was blessed with an amazing gift,</strong> a voice that she honed into something extraordinary. She was, apparently, a very sweet, relational soul with an abiding faith in Jesus Christ; a beautiful woman with poise and grace. She sang. She acted. She modeled. She had it all. I kept hearing about this Whitney.\r\n\r\n<strong>I did not hear about the Whitney who was a drug user, who had a troubled marriage</strong> and a daughter who seems be following in her mother’s tragic footsteps. That’s not appropriate material for a memorial service. Yet, I have heard little mention of these painfully obvious realities in all of the days since her death.\r\n\r\n<strong>People of influence are missing a teachable moment for our nation.</strong> Whitney’s death should be the beginning of a national discussion about drug abuse, resulting in something that helps people who are struggling with its stranglehold on their lives.\r\n\r\n<strong>Yet, there is deeper aspect to Whitney’s life.</strong> There was something that drove her to a drug addiction that has threatened her career for years and finally took her life. What was it? She had everything that most people long for.\r\n\r\n<strong>Out of a list of speakers that filled four hours of tributes in today’s service, Kevin Costner,</strong> her Bodyguard costar was the only one that I heard who dared to broach the topic.\r\n\r\n<strong>He told the story of her casting call for “The Bodyguard”.</strong> He visited her after the studio make-up artists had applied their craft, at which time she asked for twenty minutes to herself. He assumed that she, being a person of faith, was using those final moments to pray and focus. Finally, she walked onto the stage and recited only a very few lines and Costner abruptly stopped the screen test. As they walked together back to her trailer and sat down, she asked what happened. He said, I think you should look in the mirror. To her shock, her make-up had literally melted under the bright lights and was actually running down her face. During those twenty minutes alone, she had washed off the original make-up and redid it herself. Only, she used the kind of make-up that she used in music videos which was much heavier and could not hold up under the brighter lighting of the casting call.\r\n\r\n<strong>As she and Costner worked together, they become good friends,</strong> but he soon discovered that Whitney possessed a deep inner insecurity, always wondering, “Am I good enough?” I know it seems crazy for someone with truckloads of looks and talent to be haunted by an unreasonable insecurity that would lead to self-destruction, but it is not an uncommon tale.\r\n\r\n<strong>Whitney’s insecurity is not just a curse of celebrity,</strong> nor is it an anomaly. It is part of the human condition. Everyone is gifted in unique ways, but a lot of us don’t do much with our gifts because we wonder, am I good enough? We have done some pretty cool stuff, but we won’t acknowledge it, because we wonder if it was good enough. We toy with various types of potentially self-destructive thoughts and behavior to assuage our fears and ease our pain, because we fear I was not good enough; I will never be good enough; I am not good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Personally, I am full of insecurity.</strong> Prolonged unemployment, personal betrayal, and failed attempts to reboot my career have amplified the volume of those dark voices. Oh, I know the reality, but often I don’t feel it at all. Those things that I do feel are so painful; I would gladly do something stupid to make the pain go away. That’s me under the microscope… insecure.\r\n\r\n<strong>If I pan out to look at the human condition,</strong> I find varying manifestations of the same insecurity. If I pan out even further to the cosmos and beyond the realm of the purely physical. There, I find the only one who has any right to pass judgment on humanity. I find a God who is not content in being known in a far off sort of way, but one who wanted to get up close and personal, down and dirty with humanity so we would get his message.\r\n\r\n<strong>His message?</strong> If I understand anything at all about God, if there is anything that the Bible makes clear, if there is anything that Jesus taught and lived, it is this: I love you. You don’t need to try to be good enough.\r\n\r\n<strong>Wonder if you can do it?</strong> You’re good enough! Should you launch out? You’re good enough! Keep looking over your shoulder and wondering? You’re good enough! Ready to bail? Hold on! You’re good enough! Ready to do anything to make the pain go away? Don’t, because you’re good enough! Checkered past? You’re good enough! Self-destructive tendencies? You’re good enough! Unacceptable? Here’s breaking news! You’re good enough! Full of doubt and worry? You’re good enough!\r\n\r\n<strong>You’re good enough! </strong>','Am I Good Enough?','','publish','open','open','','am-i-good-enough','','','2012-02-22 15:42:12','2012-02-22 23:42:12','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=5168',0,'post','',4),(7325,43,'2012-08-05 08:00:16','2012-08-05 15:00:16','When most people think of \"child evangelism,\" what comes to mind is something along the lines of <em><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp\">Jesus Camp</a></em>.  It recalls a very specific image of adults pounding the Gospel into children, who in turn take the message out on the streets and hand out tracts.  We are, naturally, uncomfortable with the idea that children would be manipulated, frightened, or shamed into belief.  I think perhaps I understand where it comes from. Many people have been deeply hurt by the church. As a result, they are on a mission to stop anyone else from being hurt by the church.\r\n\r\nWhatever the reason, a current trend is to demand that parents stop \"evangelizing\" their children.  <a href=\"http://signon.org/sign/freedom-from-religious?source=s.tw&amp;r_by=5228485\">This petition</a>, for example, found on SignOn.org, is a call for cessation of evangelism under the guise of aid.  <a href=\"http://theoatmeal.com/comics/religion\">This post on The Oatmeal</a> likens religious indoctrination within the family to controlling a child\'s color preference.  Pressure from outside the church raises two important questions.\r\n\r\nFirst, is it bad for parents to raise their children in the church?  I don\'t believe it is, for several reasons:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>This anti-evangelism campaign is nearly always directed at the Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).  I\'m the last person you will ever hear crying \"Persecution!\"  But even I recognize that this is out of proportion.  Should we tell the non-religious to stop telling their children there is no God, just in case their children want to believe in one?  I doubt that\'s what anyone has in mind.</li>\r\n	<li>I believe that all parents have the right to communicate their religious beliefs with their children.  We don\'t need to pretend we don\'t have a set of religious beliefs and traditions.  Provided we are taking care not to shame or scare our children into belief, I see nothing wrong will making it explicit that this is what we believe to be true. I think we can teach them about our religious convictions while simultaneously reassuring them that we will love them whether they agree or not. We don\'t need to say non-committal things to them like, \"Some people believe in God. Some people don\'t. What do you think?\" (Part of the problem with that is that it avoids the question. Young children ask questions about God and faith because they want to know what their parents believe. Using the phrase \"some people\" avoids taking responsibility for our own beliefs.)</li>\r\n	<li>There is a difference between raising children among people with shared religious beliefs and forcing those same children to believe.  I am actually in favor of keeping spiritual dialogue open in the home. Parents should, as their children grow, talk to them about the ways that other people believe—without making statements about the eternal fate of specific people. I personally am not going to flip if my children grow up and decide they don\'t believe in Jesus, or in God at all. I\'m not going to live in fear for their immortal souls or kick them out or make demands on them that they raise their children in the church. I\'m not going to someday insist on bringing my grandchildren to church or religious activities, certainly not against the wishes of their parents.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe second important question is whether it\'s wrong to evangelize children who are not our own.\r\n\r\nI agree that this can be done in a scary, inappropriate way. I\'ve seen it happen. Many years ago, when I was working as a camp counselor, we would deliver a message of God\'s love, grace, and forgiveness to the campers. We would use a skit to illustrate what we were trying to communicate. I remember telling the other counselors that I refused to participate in the skit that explicitly stated that if our friends went to hell, it would be our fault for not telling them about Jesus. That particular skit had left more than one child in tears in the past, and I wanted no part of it.\r\n\r\nPresenting a message to children about salvation can also take a disturbing turn when we use manipulation and fear tactics.  Anyone who has ever <a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301235/\">seen the documentary <em>Hell House</em></a> (or been to an actual Hell House—yes, they still exist) can attest to that.  Within some churches, there is extraordinary pressure for children to make a \"faith commitment\" at a very young age, including among those five and under.  And mission work, particularly certain types of relief aid, can take the form of forced evangelism.\r\n\r\nSo, yes. I get it. Teaching kids about religious beliefs can be done in a  pretty frightening manner.  I think about how I would feel if anyone thought they had the right to take my children to a religious institution that wasn\'t Christian and terrify or shame them into belief.  But it doesn\'t have to be that way.  Not all evangelistic endeavors leave children feeling that they need to conform in order to be accepted or loved.\r\n\r\nIn order to avoid the typical pitfalls, we as adults need to be aware of several things.\r\n\r\nFirst, we must be careful not to attach our love for our kids to their faith.  If we put pressure on our children to make early decisions about their beliefs, we risk having children who think we will only love or be proud of them if they agree with us.\r\n\r\nSecond, we must deliver the message in love, without the fear.  Even if we as adults (and not even all adults agree on this) believe that faith in Jesus is necessary for entrance into Heaven, we should be cautious about how we share that information.  The truth is, we cannot know the eternal fate of anyone else.  Teaching children that they deserve Hell for their sins does more harm than good.\r\n\r\nThird, related to the second, is that the message should be developmentally appropriate.  One of the reasons it can be damaging for children to hear that they need to be saved from Hell is that it is confusing for young ones.  Better that the kids begin with a solid foundation of love.  There is no reason to go in-depth on the matter with a six-year-old.\r\n\r\nFinally, parents need to be aware that their children may not find their childhood religion meaningful when they reach adulthood.  We need to be prepared that not every child raised in church or who attended vacation Bible school every summer will end up being a Christian.  We must be ready to give them the space they need to uncover their own spirituality.\r\n\r\nMy children attend church. We read the Bible with them every night. We pray before meals and we pray for people in need. They go to Sunday school, they go to a Christian camp, they attend the children\'s ministry at our mid-week service. Do we hope they will grow into faithful adult Christians? Absolutely. Will we love them any less if they choose something different? Most emphatically, no.\r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Should we avoid religious instruction and evangelism for children?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Faith Like a Child','','publish','open','open','','faith-like-a-child','','','2012-08-01 17:10:10','2012-08-02 00:10:10','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7325',0,'post','',2),(4776,110,'2012-01-30 03:09:35','2012-01-30 11:09:35','Evangelism has become a dirty word to some people and the cultural changes that are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\'. It\'s this problem that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>. \'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\n\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\n\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\n\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\n\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\n\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.</blockquote>\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision-2','','','2012-01-30 03:09:35','2012-01-30 11:09:35','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(4775,110,'2012-01-30 03:07:00','2012-01-30 11:07:00','','Pagitt Evangelism','','inherit','open','open','','pagitt-evangelism','','','2012-01-30 03:07:00','2012-01-30 11:07:00','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Pagitt-Evangelism.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(4774,110,'2012-01-30 02:58:31','2012-01-30 10:58:31','<a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1451400942/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=jonrog-21&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=1451400942\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-984\" src=\"http://www.jonrogers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1451400942h-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nEvangelism has become a dirty word to some people and the cultural changes that are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\'. It\'s this problem that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>. \'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus <strong>in a way that connects with people</strong>, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\n\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\n\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\n\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\n\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\n\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Secondly is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.</blockquote>\n\n\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision','','','2012-01-30 02:58:31','2012-01-30 10:58:31','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4777,110,'2012-01-30 03:09:59','2012-01-30 11:09:59','Evangelism has become a dirty word to some people and the cultural changes that are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\'. It\'s this problem that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>. \'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\r\n\r\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\r\n\r\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\r\n\r\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\r\n\r\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\r\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\r\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\r\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.</blockquote>\r\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision-3','','','2012-01-30 03:09:59','2012-01-30 11:09:59','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(4778,110,'2012-01-31 09:44:19','2012-01-31 17:44:19','Evangelism has become a dirty word to some people and cultural changes are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\', which raise new problems with how we share the Christian message. It\'s these issues that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>.\n\n\'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelizing - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\n\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\n\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is balancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\n\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\n\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelizing in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelizing has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\n\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programs your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. (p108)</blockquote>\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-autosave','','','2012-01-31 09:44:19','2012-01-31 17:44:19','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4779,110,'2012-01-30 03:16:00','2012-01-30 11:16:00','Evangelism has become a dirty word to some people and cultural changes are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\', which raise new problems with how we share the Christian message. It\'s these issues that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\r\n\r\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\r\n\r\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\r\n\r\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\r\n\r\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\r\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\r\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\r\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. (p108)</blockquote>\r\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision-4','','','2012-01-30 03:16:00','2012-01-30 11:16:00','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4780,110,'2012-01-30 03:21:35','2012-01-30 11:21:35','Evangelism has become a dirty word to some people and cultural changes are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\', which raise new problems with how we share the Christian message. It\'s these issues that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\r\n\r\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\r\n\r\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\r\n\r\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\r\n\r\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\r\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\r\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\r\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. (p108)</blockquote>\r\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision-5','','','2012-01-30 03:21:35','2012-01-30 11:21:35','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(4782,154,'2012-02-03 08:00:38','2012-02-03 16:00:38','My car getting hit by a bus the first time didn\'t do it. Getting hit by the guy in the parking lot of my insurance company didn\'t do it. Having surprise open-heart surgery at 40 didn’t do it. My wife getting hit by a truck didn’t do it. Getting hit by a different bus for the second time didn\'t even do it. What did do it was a truly inconsequential event that was choreographed to strip the scab of frustration from my injured spirit.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t the car or the driving, the heart surgery or my wife’s accident, although those things all played a part. It probably started a little more than three years ago with a case of culture shock that took me by surprise. We heard the call of God and moved to rural Paraguay, South America.\r\n\r\nFor the last three and a half years, daily circumstances have been chipping away at my spiritual exterior. The inability to communicate well, the isolation, a totally new way of life and different foods all weighed heavily on me. Add to those difficulties in ministry, several instances where we were taken advantage of, and a handful of legal matters in a system we don’t understand, and you have an epic portion of frustration mounting.\r\n\r\nI went to God virtually by the minute. I was pleading for what I thought would fix the situation. I kinda missed the part about His will and all that entails. My petitions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Where was He?\r\n\r\nOn this day I found myself elbow deep in the door of the car. Yes, the very car that a few hours earlier was the target of extreme bus prejudice. The passenger door would not open from the inside or the outside. This was not the fault of the wreck but of the 15 year-old car. After 2 hours of work, sweat, and demi-curses, I was ready to put the door back together again.\r\n\r\nWait just a minute, I’m no idiot. I always check my work before I wrap it all up.  Smooth as silk. The door opened like new from the inside and the outside both. So I screwed the door panel on and moved all my tools from the floor to the box. That’s when it happened. I shut the door for the first try after finishing.\r\n\r\nNOTHING.\r\n\r\nThe sorry piece of crap would. Not. Open. It wouldn’t open from the inside. It wouldn’t open from the outside. Nothing I did could cause the passenger door of my car to budge.\r\n\r\nThat’s the thing that did it.\r\n\r\nThe helplessness and frustration began, at first, as a slow roll. It quickly gave way to a full-blown boil. My morning spent wasted over a hit-and-run bus accident came crashing in my mind. The prayers for healing for my damaged heart that went unnoticed surfaced. The fear and pain I unsuccessfully tried to stave away from my wife came roaring by. In a split second this minor irritant caused a fracture in my control through which so many of my disappointments with God flooded out.\r\n\r\nWith my head spinning in aggravation I did what I thought was right, I prayed. That’s when it happened. I opened my mouth and the first words I heard myself say were:\r\n\r\n<strong><em>“I just don’t trust you anymore God.”</em></strong>\r\n\r\nSilence. It crashed through my mind what I had just said.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a yell. It was a calm, matter-of-fact statement. A statement that wasn’t tainted with the lie of Christians don’t say these things. It wasn’t filtered through the pressure of what if someone finds out I feel that way. What exited my mouth as an indictment against God became incriminating evidence against me.\r\n\r\nAt hearing my own voice betray my heart I had to find a place to think. Why would I say that? It was true, I don’t trust God. I used to, so what changed? He didn’t, so it must have been me. My initial feeling was,\r\n\r\n“You keep pulling the rug out from under me and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you jerking me around. You said you would be there.”\r\n\r\nI am so arrogant. To think, I was telling the Creator of All that I was tired of His presence in my life. I found that in review I trusted God when He was in agreement with me. I trusted Him to stay in His little Sunday religious box and have no comment on the things outside of His specialty. I would call Him when I was in a jam and needed something fixed.\r\n\r\nThat worked pretty well as long as I maintained a fairly stale Christian walk. If I stayed superficial and didn’t get to far from my safety net of friends, family and church my trust for God “soared.” The problem was I took Him at His word and moved out of the country to be a missionary.\r\n\r\nWhen I got off my agenda and onto His, things started getting out of my control. I had to believe God had my best interest in mind. I didn’t. I trusted Him enough to go all-in and move to South America but not enough to give Him top-billing in my life. I still wanted Him to “run things by me.”\r\n\r\nIn a moment of emotional vexation I was provoked by trial and the truth of my heart washed to the surface. Now, by God’s grace I get to cope with my busted trust and place Him back on the throne of my life.\r\n\r\nHis mercy.','Busted Trust','','publish','open','open','','busted-trust','','','2012-01-31 08:04:36','2012-01-31 16:04:36','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=4782',0,'post','',14),(4783,154,'2012-01-30 07:25:20','2012-01-30 15:25:20','My car getting hit by a bus the first time didn\'t do it. Getting hit by the guy in the parking lot of my insurance company didn\'t do it. Having surprise open-heart surgery at 40 didn’t do it. My wife getting hit by a truck didn’t do it. Getting hit by a different bus for the second time didn\'t even do it. What did do it was a truly inconsequential event that was choreographed to strip the scab of frustration from my injured spirit.\n\nIt wasn’t the car or the driving, the heart surgery or my wife’s accident, although those things all played a part. It probably started a little more than three years ago with a case of culture shock that took me by surprise. We heard the call of God and moved to rural Paraguay, South America.\n\nFor the last three and a half years, daily circumstances have been chipping away at my spiritual exterior. The inability to communicate well, the isolation, a totally new way of life and different foods all weighed heavily on me. Add to those difficulties in ministry, several instances where we were taken advantage of, and a handful of legal matters in a system we don’t understand, and you have an epic portion of frustration mounting.\n\nI went to God virtually by the minute. I was pleading for what I thought would fix the situation. I kinda missed the part about His will and all that entails. My petitions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Where was He?\n\nOn this day I found myself elbow deep in the door of the car. Yes, the very car that a few hours earlier was the target of extreme bus prejudice. The passenger door would not open from the inside or the outside. This was not the fault of the wreck but of the 15 year-old car. After 2 hours of work, sweat, and demi-curses, I was ready to put the door back together again.\n\nWait just a minute, I’m no idiot. I always check my work before I wrap it all up.  Smooth as silk. The door opened like new from the inside and the outside both. So I screwed the door panel on and moved all my tools from the floor to the box. That’s when it happened. I shut the door for the first try after finishing.\n\nNOTHING.\n\nThe sorry piece of crap would. Not. Open. It wouldn’t open from the inside. It wouldn’t open from the outside. Nothing I did could cause the passenger door of my car to budge.\n\nThat’s the thing that did it.\n\nThe helplessness and frustration began, at first, as a slow roll. It quickly gave way to a full-blown boil. My morning spent wasted over a hit-and-run bus accident came crashing in my mind. The prayers for healing for my damaged heart that went unnoticed surfaced. The fear and pain I unsuccessfully tried to stave away from my wife came roaring by. In a split second this minor irritant caused a fracture in my control through which so many of my disappointments with God flooded out.\n\nWith my head spinning in aggravation I did what I thought was right, I prayed. That’s when it happened. I opened my mouth and the first words I heard myself say were:\n\n<strong><em>“I just don’t trust you anymore God.”</em></strong>\n\nSilence. It crashed through my mind what I had just said.\n\nIt wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a yell. It was a calm, matter-of-fact statement. A statement that wasn’t tainted with the lie of Christians don’t say these things. It wasn’t filtered through the pressure of what if someone finds out I feel that way. What exited my mouth as an indictment against God became incriminating evidence against me.\n\nAt hearing my own voice betray my heart I had to find a place to think. Why would I say that? It was true, I don’t trust God. I used to, so what changed? He didn’t, so it must have been me. My initial feeling was,\n\n“You keep pulling the rug out from under me and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you jerking me around. You said you would be there.”\n\nI am so arrogant. To think, I was telling the Creator of All that I was tired of His presence in my life. I found that in review I trusted God when He was in agreement with me. I trusted Him to stay in His little Sunday religious box and have no comment on the things outside of His specialty. I would call Him when I was in a jam and needed something fixed.\n\nThat worked pretty well as long as I maintained a fairly stale Christian walk. If I stayed superficial and didn’t get to far from my safety net of friends, family and church my trust for God “soared.” The problem was I took Him at His word and moved out of the country to be a missionary.\n\nWhen I got off my agenda and onto His, things started getting out of my control. I had to believe God had my best interest in mind. I didn’t. I trusted Him enough to go all-in and move to South America but not enough to give Him top-billing in my life. I still wanted Him to “run things by me.”\n\nIn a moment of emotional vexation I was provoked by trial and the truth of my heart washed to the surface. Now, by God’s grace I get to cope with my busted trust and place Him back on the throne of my life.\n\nHis mercy.','Busted Trust','','inherit','open','open','','4782-revision','','','2012-01-30 07:25:20','2012-01-30 15:25:20','',4782,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4782-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4784,110,'2012-01-30 03:22:21','2012-01-30 11:22:21','Evangelism has become a dirty word to some people and cultural changes are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\', which raise new problems with how we share the Christian message. It\'s these issues that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\r\n\r\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\r\n\r\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\r\n\r\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\r\n\r\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\r\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\r\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\r\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. (p108)</blockquote>\r\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision-6','','','2012-01-30 03:22:21','2012-01-30 11:22:21','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(4785,154,'2012-01-30 08:23:30','2012-01-30 16:23:30','','trustnote','','inherit','open','open','','trustnote','','','2012-01-30 08:23:30','2012-01-30 16:23:30','',4782,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/trustnote.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(4786,154,'2012-01-30 07:42:00','2012-01-30 15:42:00','My car getting hit by a bus the first time didn\'t do it. Getting hit by the guy in the parking lot of my insurance company didn\'t do it. Having surprise open-heart surgery at 40 didn’t do it. My wife getting hit by a truck didn’t do it. Getting hit by a different bus for the second time didn\'t even do it. What did do it was a truly inconsequential event that was choreographed to strip the scab of frustration from my injured spirit.\n\nIt wasn’t the car or the driving, the heart surgery or my wife’s accident, although those things all played a part. It probably started a little more than three years ago with a case of culture shock that took me by surprise. We heard the call of God and moved to rural Paraguay, South America.\n\nFor the last three and a half years, daily circumstances have been chipping away at my spiritual exterior. The inability to communicate well, the isolation, a totally new way of life and different foods all weighed heavily on me. Add to those difficulties in ministry, several instances where we were taken advantage of, and a handful of legal matters in a system we don’t understand, and you have an epic portion of frustration mounting.\n\nI went to God virtually by the minute. I was pleading for what I thought would fix the situation. I kinda missed the part about His will and all that entails. My petitions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Where was He?\n\nOn this day I found myself elbow deep in the door of the car. Yes, the very car that a few hours earlier was the target of extreme bus prejudice. The passenger door would not open from the inside or the outside. This was not the fault of the wreck but of the 15 year-old car. After 2 hours of work, sweat, and demi-curses, I was ready to put the door back together again.\n\nWait just a minute, I’m no idiot. I always check my work before I wrap it all up.  Smooth as silk. The door opened like new from the inside and the outside both. So I screwed the door panel on and moved all my tools from the floor to the box. That’s when it happened. I shut the door for the first try after finishing.\n\nNOTHING.\n\nThe sorry piece of crap would. Not. Open. It wouldn’t open from the inside. It wouldn’t open from the outside. Nothing I did could cause the passenger door of my car to budge.\n\nThat’s the thing that did it.\n\nThe helplessness and frustration began, at first, as a slow roll. It quickly gave way to a full-blown boil. My morning spent wasted over a hit-and-run bus accident came crashing in my mind. The prayers for healing for my damaged heart that went unnoticed surfaced. The fear and pain I unsuccessfully tried to stave away from my wife came roaring by. In a split second this minor irritant caused a fracture in my control through which so many of my disappointments with God flooded out.\n\nWith my head spinning in aggravation I did what I thought was right, I prayed. That’s when it happened. I opened my mouth and the first words I heard myself say were:\n\n<strong><em>“I just don’t trust you anymore God.”</em></strong>\n\nSilence. It crashed through my mind what I had just said.\n\nIt wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a yell. It was a calm, matter-of-fact statement. A statement that wasn’t tainted with the lie of Christians don’t say these things. It wasn’t filtered through the pressure of what if someone finds out I feel that way. What exited my mouth as an indictment against God became incriminating evidence against me.\n\nAt hearing my own voice betray my heart I had to find a place to think. Why would I say that? It was true, I don’t trust God. I used to, so what changed? He didn’t, so it must have been me. My initial feeling was,\n\n“You keep pulling the rug out from under me and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you jerking me around. You said you would be there.”\n\nI am so arrogant. To think, I was telling the Creator of All that I was tired of His presence in my life. I found that in review I trusted God when He was in agreement with me. I trusted Him to stay in His little Sunday religious box and have no comment on the things outside of His specialty. I would call Him when I was in a jam and needed something fixed.\n\nThat worked pretty well as long as I maintained a fairly stale Christian walk. If I stayed superficial and didn’t get to far from my safety net of friends, family and church my trust for God “soared.” The problem was I took Him at His word and moved out of the country to be a missionary.\n\nWhen I got off my agenda and onto His, things started getting out of my control. I had to believe God had my best interest in mind. I didn’t. I trusted Him enough to go all-in and move to South America but not enough to give Him top-billing in my life. I still wanted Him to “run things by me.”\n\nIn a moment of emotional vexation I was provoked by trial and the truth of my heart washed to the surface. Now, by God’s grace I get to cope with my busted trust and place Him back on the throne of my life.\n\nHis mercy.','Busted Trust','','inherit','open','open','','4782-revision-2','','','2012-01-30 07:42:00','2012-01-30 15:42:00','',4782,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4782-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(4787,154,'2012-01-30 08:27:37','2012-01-30 16:27:37','My car getting hit by a bus the first time didn\'t do it. Getting hit by the guy in the parking lot of my insurance company didn\'t do it. Having surprise open-heart surgery at 40 didn’t do it. My wife getting hit by a truck didn’t do it. Getting hit by a different bus for the second time didn\'t even do it. What did do it was a truly inconsequential event that was choreographed to strip the scab of frustration from my injured spirit.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t the car or the driving, the heart surgery or my wife’s accident, although those things all played a part. It probably started a little more than three years ago with a case of culture shock that took me by surprise. We heard the call of God and moved to rural Paraguay, South America.\r\n\r\nFor the last three and a half years, daily circumstances have been chipping away at my spiritual exterior. The inability to communicate well, the isolation, a totally new way of life and different foods all weighed heavily on me. Add to those difficulties in ministry, several instances where we were taken advantage of, and a handful of legal matters in a system we don’t understand, and you have an epic portion of frustration mounting.\r\n\r\nI went to God virtually by the minute. I was pleading for what I thought would fix the situation. I kinda missed the part about His will and all that entails. My petitions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Where was He?\r\n\r\nOn this day I found myself elbow deep in the door of the car. Yes, the very car that a few hours earlier was the target of extreme bus prejudice. The passenger door would not open from the inside or the outside. This was not the fault of the wreck but of the 15 year-old car. After 2 hours of work, sweat, and demi-curses, I was ready to put the door back together again.\r\n\r\nWait just a minute, I’m no idiot. I always check my work before I wrap it all up.  Smooth as silk. The door opened like new from the inside and the outside both. So I screwed the door panel on and moved all my tools from the floor to the box. That’s when it happened. I shut the door for the first try after finishing.\r\n\r\nNOTHING.\r\n\r\nThe sorry piece of crap would. Not. Open. It wouldn’t open from the inside. It wouldn’t open from the outside. Nothing I did could cause the passenger door of my car to budge.\r\n\r\nThat’s the thing that did it.\r\n\r\nThe helplessness and frustration began, at first, as a slow roll. It quickly gave way to a full-blown boil. My morning spent wasted over a hit-and-run bus accident came crashing in my mind. The prayers for healing for my damaged heart that went unnoticed surfaced. The fear and pain I unsuccessfully tried to stave away from my wife came roaring by. In a split second this minor irritant caused a fracture in my control through which so many of my disappointments with God flooded out.\r\n\r\nWith my head spinning in aggravation I did what I thought was right, I prayed. That’s when it happened. I opened my mouth and the first words I heard myself say were:\r\n\r\n<strong><em>“I just don’t trust you anymore God.”</em></strong>\r\n\r\nSilence. It crashed through my mind what I had just said.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a yell. It was a calm, matter-of-fact statement. A statement that wasn’t tainted with the lie of Christians don’t say these things. It wasn’t filtered through the pressure of what if someone finds out I feel that way. What exited my mouth as an indictment against God became incriminating evidence against me.\r\n\r\nAt hearing my own voice betray my heart I had to find a place to think. Why would I say that? It was true, I don’t trust God. I used to, so what changed? He didn’t, so it must have been me. My initial feeling was,\r\n\r\n“You keep pulling the rug out from under me and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you jerking me around. You said you would be there.”\r\n\r\nI am so arrogant. To think, I was telling the Creator of All that I was tired of His presence in my life. I found that in review I trusted God when He was in agreement with me. I trusted Him to stay in His little Sunday religious box and have no comment on the things outside of His specialty. I would call Him when I was in a jam and needed something fixed.\r\n\r\nThat worked pretty well as long as I maintained a fairly stale Christian walk. If I stayed superficial and didn’t get to far from my safety net of friends, family and church my trust for God “soared.” The problem was I took Him at His word and moved out of the country to be a missionary.\r\n\r\nWhen I got off my agenda and onto His, things started getting out of my control. I had to believe God had my best interest in mind. I didn’t. I trusted Him enough to go all-in and move to South America but not enough to give Him top-billing in my life. I still wanted Him to “run things by me.”\r\n\r\nIn a moment of emotional vexation I was provoked by trial and the truth of my heart washed to the surface. Now, by God’s grace I get to cope with my busted trust and place Him back on the throne of my life.\r\n\r\nHis mercy.','Busted Trust','','inherit','open','open','','4782-revision-3','','','2012-01-30 08:27:37','2012-01-30 16:27:37','',4782,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4782-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(4788,0,'2012-01-30 11:16:53','2012-01-30 19:16:53','I have a question about submissions. I have a couple of pieces that have been previously published on my blog, but might also work here. Could I submit them or should I extensively rewrite the pieces before they could be submitted?\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Laura Droege\nAUTHOR EMAIL: laura_droege@bellsouth.net\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Contact Us\nIP: 98.67.173.204\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Laura Droege\n    [Email] =&gt; laura_droege@bellsouth.net\n    [Comment] =&gt; I have a question about submissions. I have a couple of pieces that have been previously published on my blog, but might also work here. Could I submit them or should I extensively rewrite the pieces before they could be submitted? \n)\n','Laura Droege - 2012-01-30 11:16:53','','publish','open','open','','15c78699986c93e85a962cf1a51afeec','','','2012-01-30 11:16:53','2012-01-30 19:16:53','',16,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4788',0,'feedback','',0),(4789,0,'2012-01-30 13:54:29','2012-01-30 21:54:29','Hi Jonathan,\r\nI was wondering if I could get some stats on your webpages.  I am thinking of having an ad created for our M.A./Ph.D. Mythological Studies program, to be put on Provoketive.com.\r\nThank you so much,\r\nNikole \r\nNikole Hollenitsch\r\nhttp://www.pacifica.edu\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Nikole Hollenitsch\nAUTHOR EMAIL: nhollenitsch@pacifica.edu\nAUTHOR URL: http://notsureyet\nSUBJECT: [Provoketive Magazine] Advertise on Provoketive\nIP: 209.234.184.162\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Nikole Hollenitsch\n    [Email] =&gt; nhollenitsch@pacifica.edu\n    [Ad Space You Want To Buy] =&gt; not sure yet\n    [Comment] =&gt; Hi Jonathan,\r\nI was wondering if I could get some stats on your webpages.  I am thinking of having an ad created for our M.A./Ph.D. Mythological Studies program, to be put on Provoketive.com.\r\nThank you so much,\r\nNikole \r\nNikole Hollenitsch\r\nhttp://www.pacifica.edu\n)\n','Nikole Hollenitsch - 2012-01-30 13:54:29','','publish','open','open','','520eaf95750d716e206eb7a0f9914afb','','','2012-01-30 13:54:29','2012-01-30 21:54:29','',29,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4789',0,'feedback','',0),(5354,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:48','2012-03-01 20:59:48','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-12','','','2012-03-01 12:59:48','2012-03-01 20:59:48','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(5355,167,'2012-03-01 12:59:49','2012-03-01 20:59:49','<div><strong>Do you ever feel tense when talking about religion? Do you feel like there are some things about religion that you haven\'t come to understand? Do you have questions about faith that you are afraid to ask in a formal setting? Have you ever expressed your beliefs with someone only to find yourself in a heated debate about religion and faith issues? Why is there so much tension surrounding just about every discussion about religion?\r\n\r\nThere probably is no simple answer to this very complex set of questions and obviously no simple solution to them either. Could it be, however, that a starting point to deconstructing the complicated tension surrounding religion lies in an examination of our very own commitment to religion? In other words, why do you believe what you believe? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself this question? If you are anything like me, my guess is that you have probably spent more time examining, generalizing, and possibly dismissing the beliefs of others and less time examining the validity of your own beliefs. And yet, if we did take just a little time to ask ourselves why we believe what believe we might be surprised to discover that our commitment to our beliefs is more a product of upbringing and social/cultural influences(or pressure) and less a product of whether something is inherently true or untrue. To say it plainly, we believe what we are told to believe or at least for a time we do. This simple statement probably defines the genesis of most of our beliefs systems which, at the very least, gives all people, regardless of their particular belief system, something in common.\r\n\r\nIt is uncommon however to find people who, despite massive religious and social pressure, take the time to question the validity of their beliefs. It is even more rare to find people who engage in serious conversation about faith and questions while remaining civil to oppositional views. Thankfully, there is an emerging group of people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds who are doing just that. There is a very promising new documentary film project called <em>Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized</em> that highlights this emerging group of people while telling the story of how faith and questions are leading them into civil discussion. This film is directed by myself, Timothy Kennedy, and Alex Bowens. Watch this preview:\r\n\r\n[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-atwyoQA0&amp;fe[/youtube]\r\n\r\nWe have a <a href=\"http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353636484/anything-less-would-be-uncivilized\">kickstarter campaign</a> going  in order to raise funding to do post production, marketing, etc. As of this writing we have received 7%(about $2,500) of the $35,000 needed to make this film a reality.\r\n\r\nIf you have longed for a place to ask questions about faith and religion and you desire to see religious intolerance, bigotry, and hostility transformed into civility please become a backer---for $25 you’ll get a digital download of the film when it’s completed or for $50 you’ll get a copy of it on DVD. At very least, become a fan of the film on <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-Less-Would-be-Uncivilized/293478734037492\">facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/ALWBU_DOC\">twitter</a>, and tell others about it(who might then become backers). You can also visit <a href=\"http://www.creativeinvironment.com\">www.creativeinvironment.com</a> for more details.\r\n\r\nThe achievement of civility could go a long way toward calming some of the religious tension in our world and the stories in the film could help make that happen. We hope you will join those who have already pledged to support the project!\r\n\r\nThe all-or-nothing Kickstarter fundraising campaign ends Sunday, March 18. <a href=\"http://ht.ly/9fwF9\">Become a backer!</a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n</strong></div>','DEBATING ABOUT RELIGION?-Anything Less Would Be Uncivilized','','inherit','open','open','','5342-revision-13','','','2012-03-01 12:59:49','2012-03-01 20:59:49','',5342,'http://provoketive.com/2012/03/01/5342-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(5341,0,'2012-03-01 08:21:19','2012-03-01 16:21:19','Religion, Politics, International Affairs,\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: David Safina\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Davsafina@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.illuminateme.org/politics/socialism-christianity.html\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 98.203.235.252\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; David Safina\n    [Email] =&gt; Davsafina@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://www.illuminateme.org/politics/socialism-christianity.html\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Religion, Politics, International Affairs, \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Davsafina\n)\n','David Safina - 2012-03-01 08:21:19','','publish','open','open','','c460c46677a980d7adfa278fea5f313d','','','2012-03-01 08:21:19','2012-03-01 16:21:19','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=5341',0,'feedback','',0),(4794,146,'2012-01-31 06:31:39','2012-01-31 14:31:39','Writing this blog post is the hardest writing assignment I\'ve ever given myself. Harder than writing a novel. Harder than writing about my battle with anorexia. Harder than writing my query letter or even my hated novel synopsis. It\'s hard because I\'m afraid of what the reaction will be.\n\n<strong>Here it is: I\'m bipolar.</strong>\n\nIn my off-line life, I\'ve shared this with friends. Most have been supportive, though sometimes baffled. (<em>You? Bipolar? I thought you were just depressed!</em>) A handful have dropped me. Some have dismissed it. A cherished few have bent over backwards to help me, pray for me, and encourage me on hard days.\n\nMy pregnancies were particularly hard. I was afraid of what might happen after I gave birth. (Postpartum depression? Psychosis? Would I end up like Vincent Van Gogh and Virginia Woolf?) Fear gave me insomnia, insomnia gave me time to think at 3 a.m., and 3 a.m. thoughts tend to be wild and creative. So I took the worst case scenario and placed it in the lives of fictional people. Hence the birth of my first (and still unpublished) novel, <em>The Cruelest Month</em>.\n\nI\'ve wanted to share this online. But I\'ve hesitated because I don\'t know the repercussions of this revelation for my publishing endeavors. Until now, I\'ve kept silent. Silence is safer. Familiar. Stifling.\n\n<strong>It shouldn\'t be a big deal to write this online. </strong>It should be acceptable for someone to say<em> I have a mental illness</em>. It should be acceptable to hear <em>I\'m going to counseling</em>. It shouldn\'t hurt my chances at getting a book contract any more than any other chronic illness would. In a perfect world, prejudice and stigmas against others wouldn\'t exist. Then again, in a perfect world, mental illness wouldn\'t exist, either.\n\nBut realistically, it does exist. Theoretically, it might make publication harder. That stinks.\n\n<strong>Here\'s the reason I wrote this novel and <em>I\'m not supposed to talk about it?</em></strong>\n\nI query someone. They google me and read <em>I\'m bipolar</em>. What\'s their reaction?\n\nAs soon as I say I\'m bipolar, many (not all) people have a stereotype pop into their minds. Their ideas may be formed from any number of sources: a celebrity who has landed in the psych ward; the accused killer who pleads not guilty by reason of insanity; an acquaintance they\'ve known and avoided because of their strange behavior. Maybe they\'ve been hurt by someone with a serious mental illness.\n\nWould you sign a business contract with a previously unknown person if you thought her behavior might be erratic? Would you be concerned that she might not be able to complete her work because her mood swings became uncontrollable? If you don\'t know me, then you have no idea how I will handle the stress of publication. No matter how caring and open-minded, any sensible person might hesitate. I understand this. But here\'s what <em>you</em> need to understand.\n\n<strong>I\'m more than my illness.</strong>\n\n296.89. That\'s the identification number for my illness. I write it on insurance forms and read it on the receipts from the psychiatrist\'s office. But I\'m not that number any more than Jean Valjean is only 24601 or a concentration camp survivor is the number branded on his arm or any U.S. citizen is her social security number.\n\nMy identity isn\'t only as a bipolar person. I\'m a Christian. Writer. Wife. Mama. Former ESL teacher. The woman who chose to write a master\'s thesis on <em>Moby-Dick</em> and has Van Gogh prints in virtually every room of her house. The woman who gets lost in her hometown, doesn\'t like coffee, and gets even more lost on Twitter.\n\n<strong>And I\'m more than the sum of these parts</strong>, just as our bodies are more than a bunch of organs and nerve endings and veins, and our lives are more than a series of events. Each of us has an area where our lives are broken: divorce, cancer, debt, loneliness. These things are a part of our lives, but they are not <em>us</em>.\n\nIf the statistics are right, then there are many people, possibly some reading this now, who have a mental illness. That\'s a lot of people who need to know they aren\'t alone. They need to know they are more than a number on a page. Many need hope.\n\n<strong>Hope is hard to find in our world.</strong> It\'s easy to succumb to despair. Many people have successfully fought despair and triumphed; others have been defeated.\n\nFor every man who comes through a bout of depression, there\'s a Van Gogh standing in the field, watching crows circle.\n\nFor every woman helped by her medications, there is a Virginia Woolf, loading her coat pockets with rocks, wading into a rushing river.\n\nAnd for every celebrity crashing in hospital, there are dozens, hundreds, who suffer silently as the rest of us walk around oblivious to their pain.\n\n<strong>It\'s for those hurting people—whatever the source of the hurt—that I write.</strong>\n\nIf my work is to bring hope to anyone, then I must first acknowledge my own struggle to find hope in the midst of mental anguish. Telling the truth about my problems is painful. But I can\'t stay silent any longer.\n\n_________\n\nSince I originally posted this on my personal blog in February 2011, I\'ve discovered that I was right: there are many people who are suffering from mental illnesses. I\'ve gotten to meet some of them through my blog and even more after I published an essay in Civitas Press\' <em>Not Alone: Stories of Living with Depression</em>. Thank you for sharing your stories. You man','Why I\'m afraid to admit I\'m bipolar','','inherit','open','open','','4792-revision','','','2012-01-31 06:31:39','2012-01-31 14:31:39','',4792,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/31/4792-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(4796,0,'2012-01-31 07:14:45','2012-01-31 15:14:45','Faith, theology, questions, social psychology, social justice, criminal justice, youth development, the arts &amp; ministry, war, non-violence\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Miles Meehan\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Milessmeehan@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 74.140.150.51\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Miles Meehan\n    [Email] =&gt; Milessmeehan@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; Http://www.christmixology.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith, theology, questions, social psychology, social justice, criminal justice, youth development, the arts &amp; ministry, war, non-violence\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; milesmeehan\n)\n','Miles Meehan - 2012-01-31 07:14:45','','publish','open','open','','d3fdc2238ec52881fddfe64ef59ecf39','','','2012-01-31 07:14:45','2012-01-31 15:14:45','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4796',0,'feedback','',0),(4797,0,'2012-01-31 07:15:36','2012-01-31 15:15:36','Faith, theology, questions, social psychology, social justice, criminal justice, youth development, the arts &amp; ministry, war, non-violence\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Miles Meehan\nAUTHOR EMAIL: Milessmeehan@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 74.140.150.51\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Miles Meehan\n    [Email] =&gt; Milessmeehan@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; Http://www.christmixology.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Faith, theology, questions, social psychology, social justice, criminal justice, youth development, the arts &amp; ministry, war, non-violence\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; milesmeehan\n)\n','Miles Meehan - 2012-01-31 07:15:36','','publish','open','open','','6cd5c6d3b4db5b43021f2e001b5a77de','','','2012-01-31 07:15:36','2012-01-31 15:15:36','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=4797',0,'feedback','',0),(4798,1,'2012-01-30 07:44:43','2012-01-30 15:44:43','<strong>Please schedule for 01 Feb if possible</strong>\r\n\r\nEvangelism has become a dirty word to some people and cultural changes are happening across the world, ones that I would normally label as \'postmodern\', which raise new problems with how we share the Christian message. It\'s these issues that Doug Pagitt tackles in his new book <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Inventive Age\' is what Pagitt uses to describe the cultural shift we are experiencing - a new era that follows the \'Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age and the Information Age\'. For all the talk of \'missional church\' and \'evangelicalism\', how can we possibly tell people about Jesus without sounding like we\'re bible-bashing, forcing people into a mold they don\'t want to be in? Pagitt\'s suggestion is that it is <strong>resonance</strong> that best describes what we aim for when we are evangelising - not conversion. The key to this kind of resonance is framing the good news of Jesus in a way that connects with people, and Pagitt looks at this from two perspectives. Firstly, a very contemporary idea, the <em>enneagram</em> is used to show the primary passions and fears of the nine types of people it describes. Each of these is embraced by the good news, each of them has \'points of connection\', resonances with the biblical story. Secondly, Pagitt looks at eight \'vignettes \' (or stories) in <em>Acts</em> that show the values in evangelism that he suggests are appropriate for the Inventive Age.\r\n\r\nThis is the fourth book in Pagitt\'s series on the \'Inventive Age\', which I found out is actually aimed at church leaders. At about 110 pages it\'s not a long or difficult read - Pagitt doesn\'t presuppose that you\'ve read all his other books or studied theology for decades to understand his references. This means that it\'s very accessible to a wider audience than just church leaders - anyone with an interest in sharing the good news of Jesus who finds that it\'s not as easy in 2012 as just pulling up a soapbox in speakers\' corner.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I find difficult about even the concept of evangelism in the postmodern context is ballancing the idea that we are calling people to radical transformation as they meet God with the need to respect and appreciate the history and back-story of faith that the hearer has. <em>Repent</em> is not a word that Pagitt uses of his evangelism, despite the fact it comes up a lot more in the Bible than <em>resonate</em>. In the church context that I serve in, I can imagine a lot of people not being happy at losing the word repentance, yet for most outside the church it\'s covered with impossible negative baggage.\r\n\r\nThe answer, I think, is in assessing what we mean by repentance. It\'s become identified with a cataclysmic, one off, listing and rejecting of specific sins. That\'s not the meaning I detect from Acts or the Gospels - rather, it\'s about a continual process of lining your story up with God\'s story. It involves re-seeing and re-telling the past, re-examining the choices of the present and  re-imagining the future. In fact resonance is a good description of that process - the energy of God is transferred to us as we tune ourselves to the frequencies he is on. Yet it does involve change, even if it need not mean cultural assimilation.\r\n\r\nI don\'t think I\'m giving spoilers to say that Pagitt doesn\'t just give a new tract or a new tent-meeting structure to solve all the problems of evangelising in the inventive age. In line with the particularity and variety of this new era, that\'s the homework that we have to do for ourselves. We would be suspicious of a gospel that in one form has all the answers for all people in all contexts. Pagitt instead shows that given the particularity of people we all have passions and fears that the gospel speaks to and tries to show that this way of evangelising has its roots in the scriptures, in the Acts of the Apostles - which seems like a good place to start thinking about how to do evangelism!\r\n\r\nThe book resonated a lot with me, I think because of two main points of very strong agreement between myself and Pagitt. Firstly, he takes postmodernity or \'the inventive age\' seriously - not as a threat or a panacea, just as it is, inevitable and of the same order as the Industrial revolution. It must change the way we act and think but it cannot destroy the good news. Second is his insistence that the message of Jesus is good news.It saddens me to hear Christians make caveats on who the good news is good to. Take for example how Pagitt describes the Jerusalem conference narrated in Acts 15, when the church wrestled with how to embrace both Jews and Gentiles.\r\n<blockquote><em>Those practicing the acts wanted good news to be good for the hearer</em>. The apostles’ assumption was that the role of an evangelist is to tear down barriers that keep us from God, not add more of them. Everyone meets God as he or she is able, and there’s nothing righteous about making it harder to do. (p102)</blockquote>\r\nThis book is for anyone who wonders about sharing their faith in a context where \'traditional\' evangelism techniques seem hopelessly out of place. It will require you to think for yourself, it doesn\'t give easy answers or ready-made programmes your church can just implement. Christianity has, as Pagitt says, \'always been a first name faith\' - you have to work out how it works in your place and time.\r\n<blockquote>It is, to be sure, a complicated time in which to proclaim good news. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. (p108)</blockquote>\r\nTo make sure the FTC are happy, I have to tell you that I was given a free pdf copy of the book for review and that I wasn\'t paid to give a positive review. <em>Evangelism in the Inventive Age</em> is released on February 1st 2012. For more information, have a look at <a title=\"DougPagitt.com\" href=\"http://dougpagitt.com\">Doug Pagitt\'s website</a>.','Review: Evangelism in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt','','inherit','open','open','','4773-revision-7','','','2012-01-30 07:44:43','2012-01-30 15:44:43','',4773,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4773-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(4799,1,'2012-01-31 08:05:45','2012-01-31 16:05:45','My car getting hit by a bus the first time didn\'t do it. Getting hit by the guy in the parking lot of my insurance company didn\'t do it. Having surprise open-heart surgery at 40 didn’t do it. My wife getting hit by a truck didn’t do it. Getting hit by a different bus for the second time didn\'t even do it. What did do it was a truly inconsequential event that was choreographed to strip the scab of frustration from my injured spirit.\n\nIt wasn’t the car or the driving, the heart surgery or my wife’s accident, although those things all played a part. It probably started a little more than three years ago with a case of culture shock that took me by surprise. We heard the call of God and moved to rural Paraguay, South America.\n\nFor the last three and a half years, daily circumstances have been chipping away at my spiritual exterior. The inability to communicate well, the isolation, a totally new way of life and different foods all weighed heavily on me. Add to those difficulties in ministry, several instances where we were taken advantage of, and a handful of legal matters in a system we don’t understand, and you have an epic portion of frustration mounting.\n\nI went to God virtually by the minute. I was pleading for what I thought would fix the situation. I kinda missed the part about His will and all that entails. My petitions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Where was He?\n\nOn this day I found myself elbow deep in the door of the car. Yes, the very car that a few hours earlier was the target of extreme bus prejudice. The passenger door would not open from the inside or the outside. This was not the fault of the wreck but of the 15 year-old car. After 2 hours of work, sweat, and demi-curses, I was ready to put the door back together again.\n\nWait just a minute, I’m no idiot. I always check my work before I wrap it all up.  Smooth as silk. The door opened like new from the inside and the outside both. So I screwed the door panel on and moved all my tools from the floor to the box. That’s when it happened. I shut the door for the first try after finishing.\n\nNOTHING.\n\nThe sorry piece of crap would. Not. Open. It wouldn’t open from the inside. It wouldn’t open from the outside. Nothing I did could cause the passenger door of my car to budge.\n\nThat’s the thing that did it.\n\nThe helplessness and frustration began, at first, as a slow roll. It quickly gave way to a full-blown boil. My morning spent wasted over a hit-and-run bus accident came crashing in my mind. The prayers for healing for my damaged heart that went unnoticed surfaced. The fear and pain I unsuccessfully tried to stave away from my wife came roaring by. In a split second this minor irritant caused a fracture in my control through which so many of my disappointments with God flooded out.\n\nWith my head spinning in aggravation I did what I thought was right, I prayed. That’s when it happened. I opened my mouth and the first words I heard myself say were:\n\n<strong><em>“I just don’t trust you anymore God.”</em></strong>\n\nSilence. It crashed through my mind what I had just said.\n\nIt wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a yell. It was a calm, matter-of-fact statement. A statement that wasn’t tainted with the lie of Christians don’t say these things. It wasn’t filtered through the pressure of what if someone finds out I feel that way. What exited my mouth as an indictment against God became incriminating evidence against me.\n\nAt hearing my own voice betray my heart I had to find a place to think. Why would I say that? It was true, I don’t trust God. I used to, so what changed? He didn’t, so it must have been me. My initial feeling was,\n\n“You keep pulling the rug out from under me and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you jerking me around. You said you would be there.”\n\nI am so arrogant. To think, I was telling the Creator of All that I was tired of His presence in my life. I found that in review I trusted God when He was in agreement with me. I trusted Him to stay in His little Sunday religious box and have no comment on the things outside of His specialty. I would call Him when I was in a jam and needed something fixed.\n\nThat worked pretty well as long as I maintained a fairly stale Christian walk. If I stayed superficial and didn’t get to far from my safety net of friends, family and church my trust for God “soared.” The problem was I took Him at His word and moved out of the country to be a missionary.\n\nWhen I got off my agenda and onto His, things started getting out of my control. I had to believe God had my best interest in mind. I didn’t. I trusted Him enough to go all-in and move to South America but not enough to give Him top-billing in my life. I still wanted Him to “run things by me.”\n\nIn a moment of emotional vexation I was provoked by trial and the truth of my heart washed to the surface. Now, by God’s grace I get to cope with my busted trust and place Him back on the throne of my life.\n\nHis mercy.','Busted Trust','','inherit','open','open','','4782-autosave','','','2012-01-31 08:05:45','2012-01-31 16:05:45','',4782,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/31/4782-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4801,1,'2012-01-30 08:28:18','2012-01-30 16:28:18','My car getting hit by a bus the first time didn\'t do it. Getting hit by the guy in the parking lot of my insurance company didn\'t do it. Having surprise open-heart surgery at 40 didn’t do it. My wife getting hit by a truck didn’t do it. Getting hit by a different bus for the second time didn\'t even do it. What did do it was a truly inconsequential event that was choreographed to strip the scab of frustration from my injured spirit.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t the car or the driving, the heart surgery or my wife’s accident, although those things all played a part. It probably started a little more than three years ago with a case of culture shock that took me by surprise. We heard the call of God and moved to rural Paraguay, South America.\r\n\r\nFor the last three and a half years, daily circumstances have been chipping away at my spiritual exterior. The inability to communicate well, the isolation, a totally new way of life and different foods all weighed heavily on me. Add to those difficulties in ministry, several instances where we were taken advantage of, and a handful of legal matters in a system we don’t understand, and you have an epic portion of frustration mounting.\r\n\r\nI went to God virtually by the minute. I was pleading for what I thought would fix the situation. I kinda missed the part about His will and all that entails. My petitions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Where was He?\r\n\r\nOn this day I found myself elbow deep in the door of the car. Yes, the very car that a few hours earlier was the target of extreme bus prejudice. The passenger door would not open from the inside or the outside. This was not the fault of the wreck but of the 15 year-old car. After 2 hours of work, sweat, and demi-curses, I was ready to put the door back together again.\r\n\r\nWait just a minute, I’m no idiot. I always check my work before I wrap it all up.  Smooth as silk. The door opened like new from the inside and the outside both. So I screwed the door panel on and moved all my tools from the floor to the box. That’s when it happened. I shut the door for the first try after finishing.\r\n\r\nNOTHING.\r\n\r\nThe sorry piece of crap would. Not. Open. It wouldn’t open from the inside. It wouldn’t open from the outside. Nothing I did could cause the passenger door of my car to budge.\r\n\r\nThat’s the thing that did it.\r\n\r\nThe helplessness and frustration began, at first, as a slow roll. It quickly gave way to a full-blown boil. My morning spent wasted over a hit-and-run bus accident came crashing in my mind. The prayers for healing for my damaged heart that went unnoticed surfaced. The fear and pain I unsuccessfully tried to stave away from my wife came roaring by. In a split second this minor irritant caused a fracture in my control through which so many of my disappointments with God flooded out.\r\n\r\nWith my head spinning in aggravation I did what I thought was right, I prayed. That’s when it happened. I opened my mouth and the first words I heard myself say were:\r\n\r\n<strong><em>“I just don’t trust you anymore God.”</em></strong>\r\n\r\nSilence. It crashed through my mind what I had just said.\r\n\r\nIt wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a yell. It was a calm, matter-of-fact statement. A statement that wasn’t tainted with the lie of Christians don’t say these things. It wasn’t filtered through the pressure of what if someone finds out I feel that way. What exited my mouth as an indictment against God became incriminating evidence against me.\r\n\r\nAt hearing my own voice betray my heart I had to find a place to think. Why would I say that? It was true, I don’t trust God. I used to, so what changed? He didn’t, so it must have been me. My initial feeling was,\r\n\r\n“You keep pulling the rug out from under me and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you jerking me around. You said you would be there.”\r\n\r\nI am so arrogant. To think, I was telling the Creator of All that I was tired of His presence in my life. I found that in review I trusted God when He was in agreement with me. I trusted Him to stay in His little Sunday religious box and have no comment on the things outside of His specialty. I would call Him when I was in a jam and needed something fixed.\r\n\r\nThat worked pretty well as long as I maintained a fairly stale Christian walk. If I stayed superficial and didn’t get to far from my safety net of friends, family and church my trust for God “soared.” The problem was I took Him at His word and moved out of the country to be a missionary.\r\n\r\nWhen I got off my agenda and onto His, things started getting out of my control. I had to believe God had my best interest in mind. I didn’t. I trusted Him enough to go all-in and move to South America but not enough to give Him top-billing in my life. I still wanted Him to “run things by me.”\r\n\r\nIn a moment of emotional vexation I was provoked by trial and the truth of my heart washed to the surface. Now, by God’s grace I get to cope with my busted trust and place Him back on the throne of my life.\r\n\r\nHis mercy.','Busted Trust','','inherit','open','open','','4782-revision-4','','','2012-01-30 08:28:18','2012-01-30 16:28:18','',4782,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/30/4782-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(4802,146,'2013-01-01 11:03:04','2013-01-01 19:03:04','Writing this blog post is the hardest writing assignment I\'ve ever given myself. Harder than writing a novel. Harder than writing about my battle with anorexia. Harder than writing my query letter or even my hated novel synopsis. It\'s hard because I\'m afraid of what the reaction will be.\n\n<strong>Here it is: I\'m bipolar.</strong>\n\nIn my off-line life, I\'ve shared this with friends. Most have been supportive, though sometimes baffled. (<em>You? Bipolar? I thought you were just depressed!</em>) A handful have dropped me. Some have dismissed it. A cherished few have bent over backwards to help me, pray for me, and encourage me on hard days.\n\nMy pregnancies were particularly hard. I was afraid of what might happen after I gave birth. (Postpartum depression? Psychosis? Would I end up like Vincent Van Gogh and Virginia Woolf?) Fear gave me insomnia, insomnia gave me time to think at 3 a.m., and 3 a.m. thoughts tend to be wild and creative. So I took the worst case scenario and placed it in the lives of fictional people. Hence the birth of my first (and still unpublished) novel, <em>The Cruelest Month</em>.\n\nI\'ve wanted to share this online. But I\'ve hesitated because I don\'t know the repercussions of this revelation for my publishing endeavors. Until now, I\'ve kept silent. Silence is safer. Familiar. Stifling.\n\n<strong>It shouldn\'t be a big deal to write this online. </strong>It should be acceptable for someone to say<em> I have a mental illness</em>. It should be acceptable to hear <em>I\'m going to counseling</em>. It shouldn\'t hurt my chances at getting a book contract any more than any other chronic illness would. In a perfect world, prejudice and stigmas against others wouldn\'t exist. Then again, in a perfect world, mental illness wouldn\'t exist, either.\n\nBut realistically, it does exist. Theoretically, it might make publication harder. That stinks.\n\n<strong>Here\'s the reason I wrote this novel and <em>I\'m not supposed to talk about it?</em></strong>\n\nI query someone. They google me and read <em>I\'m bipolar</em>. What\'s their reaction?\n\nAs soon as I say I\'m bipolar, many (not all) people have a stereotype pop into their minds. Their ideas may be formed from any number of sources: a celebrity who has landed in the psych ward; the accused killer who pleads not guilty by reason of insanity; an acquaintance they\'ve known and avoided because of their strange behavior. Maybe they\'ve been hurt by someone with a serious mental illness.\n\nWould you sign a business contract with a previously unknown person if you thought her behavior might be erratic? Would you be concerned that she might not be able to complete her work because her mood swings became uncontrollable? If you don\'t know me, then you have no idea how I will handle the stress of publication. No matter how caring and open-minded, any sensible person might hesitate. I understand this. But here\'s what <em>you</em> need to understand.\n\n<strong>I\'m more than my illness.</strong>\n\n296.89. That\'s the identification number for my illness. I write it on insurance forms and read it on the receipts from the psychiatrist\'s office. But I\'m not that number any more than Jean Valjean is only 24601 or a concentration camp survivor is the number branded on his arm or any U.S. citizen is her social security number.\n\nMy identity isn\'t only as a bipolar person. I\'m a Christian. Writer. Wife. Mama. Former ESL teacher. The woman who chose to write a master\'s thesis on <em>Moby-Dick</em> and has Van Gogh prints in virtually every room of her house. The woman who gets lost in her hometown, doesn\'t like coffee, and gets even more lost on Twitter.\n\n<strong>And I\'m more than the sum of these parts</strong>, just as our bodies are more than a bunch of organs and nerve endings and veins, and our lives are more than a series of events. Each of us has an area where our lives are broken: divorce, cancer, debt, loneliness. These things are a part of our lives, but they are not <em>us</em>.\n\nIf the statistics are right, then there are many people, possibly some reading this now, who have a mental illness. That\'s a lot of people who need to know they aren\'t alone. They need to know they are more than a number on a page. Many need hope.\n\n<strong>Hope is hard to find in our world.</strong> It\'s easy to succumb to despair. Many people have successfully fought despair and triumphed; others have been defeated.\n\nFor every man who comes through a bout of depression, there\'s a Van Gogh standing in the field, watching crows circle.\n\nFor every woman helped by her medications, there is a Virginia Woolf, loading her coat pockets with rocks, wading into a rushing river.\n\nAnd for every celebrity crashing in hospital, there are dozens, hundreds, who suffer silently as the rest of us walk around oblivious to their pain.\n\n<strong>It\'s for those hurting people—whatever the source of the hurt—that I write.</strong>\n\nIf my work is to bring hope to anyone, then I must first acknowledge my own struggle to find hope in the midst of mental anguish. Telling the truth about my problems is painful. But I can\'t stay silent any longer.\n\n_________\n\nSince I originally posted this on my personal blog in February 2011, I\'ve discovered that I was right: there are many people who are suffering from mental illnesses. I\'ve gotten to meet some of them through my blog and even more after I published an essay in Civitas Press\' <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Not-Alone-Stories-Living-Depression/dp/0615532675\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Not Alone: Stories of Living with Depression</em></a>. Thank you for sharing your stories. I am privileged to hear them.\n\n<em>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomicjeep/2327546948/lightbox/\" target=\"_blank\">AtomicJeep</a></em>','Why I\'m Afraid to Admit I\'m Bipolar','','inherit','open','open','','4792-autosave','','','2013-01-01 11:03:04','2013-01-01 19:03:04','',4792,'http://provoketive.com/2012/01/31/4792-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(4804,1,'2012-01-31 08:14:57','2012-01-31 16:14:57','','two color tunnel','','inherit','open','open','','two-color-tunnel','','','2012-01-31 08:14:57','2012-01-31 16:14:57','',4792,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/two-color-tunnel.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),