Postmodern Renaissance Culture Revolutionary

Part 1 - Road trip. Saying those words can spark a wide variety of emotions. In college a friend and I would jump in his red Ford Probe and just take off to where ever the gas tank would take us. Road trip meant freedom and fun. But I also think of the first year of college driving back and forth to school for a year and a half. 60 miles round trip. Road trip meant monotony and tired butt. So when I suggested a road trip for our family vacation this year, I entered into that idea with the full range of emotional awareness of what that would include. Originally we had planned on driving to the west coast. I have family in Las Vegas we were going to see. We also talked about getting a Disney fix at the original park, Disneyland Resort. But “the Plan” never seemed to come together. It wasn’t clicking. Then one day I had a moment of inspiration. Lisa had already concocted a weekend trip to Hot Springs. I really couldn’t justify in my mind a mini-vacation to Hot Springs and then another tri...

Since Halloween is quickly upon us, I thought I would head into the "spooky" for a blog post. Nick and I are really into the Sci-Fi television series, "Ghost Hunters". The series follows a team of paranormal investigators as they set out to resolve or solve, debunk or declare hauntings. They focus solely on hauntings. They don't dip into U.F.O.'s or bigfoot type creatures. We have been watching for about a year. Most of the time their scientific efforts to record evidence of a haunting results in very little. Occasionally they collect evidence of something that cannot be explained based on the evidence they have and they leave it up to interpretation. Then finally, very rarely, the evidence is sufficient to point to something that truly is beyond explanation of any sort. I have to say that I cannot remember ever having an experience of ghost-type phenomenon. Family members have had some experiences that could fit into this category. And personal experience i...

I've been stewing on something all week long. I heard a comment that was not directed at me but involved me. The comment basically came down to the point that because of the people I associate with, I am not within that persons' theological camp. I realize that the person has no clue of who I am nor do they have any idea of my theological stance. But the fact that they chose to make a blanket statement is what irritated the snot out of me. Out of ignorance this person made a judgment of me. I don't mind if people classify me if they have taken the time to get to know me. But I believe this is an example of how fractured we are becoming among United Methodists and American Christians in general. If we look at the larger context of the U.S. we see a growing division between factions. We cut the line between two groups: liberal and conservative. The line between the groups is growing more insurmountable but the "qualifications" for identification are not becoming any...

Popular Mechanics offers an article on 25 Skills Every Man Should Know . I found out that I only knew half of them. More precisely, I knew 13 about of 25. Not surprisingly, I got almost all of the geek skills covered. I still haven't discovered how to hook up an HDTV. But that is only because I can't afford one. Sadly I lack certain skills in the physical arena. Saving a person in a capsized boat for instance. Of course I don't feel too much at a loss seeing that I am a hydrophobe. But I have been out on boats more recently than the rest of my life. I may want to get that one learned. I also can't back with a trailer. Oh, I can get the job done. But it takes much trial, error, and intense concentration. So I save it for the more manly. But I have to wonder: why is it a man's skill to protect a computer? Women are just as able to protect their valuable information. So that one stumps me.