Pilgrim Notes

Reflections along the way.

Month: February 2007

The Call of Lent

February 25, 2007 / / 0 Comments

During Lent, I’ll post a series of reflections over at Floydville. Here’s the first:

Something, someone is stirring. A voice is calling. In the deep of the night, we awake, feeling the voice inside of us. Gently, yet incessantly pressing, provoking, speaking. “Come away with me.” In the fullness of time, the Spirit calls and we can only follow.

We call this time “Lent.” By naming a time, we give it shape, we give it focus, we create space. As Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy suggests, “Time creates space.” We name our moments. The moments of my current waking hours, I call “today.” I awake today and join my voice with the voices of millions of Christians who have lived before me. We call this day, “Lent.”

Lent is a time for remembering.  continue reading at Floydville

The Google March Continues

February 22, 2007 / / 1 Comment

In another step toward the tower of Redmond, Google launched the Google Apps Premier Edition for businesses.

Lamentations of Job

February 20, 2007 / / 1 Comment

The book of Job recounts the dramatic suffering of Job. Yesterday while reading a litany of Job’s troubles and pains, I ran across the following complaint:

“My breath is offensive to my wife…” (Job 19:17)

Yipes. I think I’m suffering from this same torment!

Mosaics – Mashing up cultures across space (and time)

February 13, 2007 / / 1 Comment

Strawberry Frog offers some interesting ideas on the notion of the Global Soul. How we’re influencing one another:

From Mono- to Multi- to Transculturalism.  First, it takes the form of exposure to another culture. Then, a ‘tossed salad.’ From there, multiculturalism evolves. From a Canadian’s perspective who has lived during the melting pot era of politics in that country, the melting pot simply assumes too much.  A mosaic is a better metaphor, but only a snapshot in time, which ultimately led to the Benetton cliché—assimilated transculture.  An ‘active mosaic’ best explains the phenomenon. Existing culture meets emerging culture,  they exchange and mutate characteristics – creating an ever-evolving mosaic of global, organic living culture.  Some examples of this are Remixes and hybrids: design, arts, media, social. Musical genre-blending. Film allusion and homage. TV remakes and exports. Food and drink fusions.

Great thoughts. Take time to read the whole thing. While I think it is the West primarily mashing into smaller weaker cultures, there is a coming shift and mosaic will probably take on more shades of Indian, African, Latin and Asian cultures in the years to come. He seems to be envisioning a mashup across space, but there is also a mashup across time taking place, and a new world is being formed in our midst (but that’s another post for another day).

Got Pipes?

February 13, 2007 / / 0 Comments

No I don’t mean a strong sining voice. Everyone (okay not everyone but a handful of geeks) keeps talking about Yahoo Pipes. I thinking about the possible E-Commerce possiblities.

Diversions to Death – Pascal

February 9, 2007 / / 3 Comments

Blaise PascalHere’s a thought worth consideration from Pascal –

The only thing that consoles us for our miseries is diversion, and yet this is the greatest of our miseries. For it is this which principally hinders us from reflecting upon ourselves, and which makes us insensibly ruin ourselves. Without this we should be in a state of weariness, and this weariness would spur us on to seek a more solid means of escaping from it. But diversion amuses us, and leads us, gradually and without ever adverting to it, to death.

Anna Nicole Smith Dies

February 8, 2007 / / 2 Comments

annanicole.jpg

I never followed the life of Anna Nicole Smith, but news of her sudden death hits me with a deep sadness. In spite of any flaws or struggles magnified by the absurdity of a fame driven culture, a human person whose life seemed so tragic has died. Death mocks the arrogance of human accomplishment. So many of us strive and struggle and long for the things Ms. Smith enjoyed like wealth and fame.

Do these bring loving relationships? Can these repair the wounds of a broken heart? More often, they magnify the flaws and fragilities of the person. Regardless of IQ, wealth, power, and all human achievements, death wins. And the wonders of our majesty fade faster than the fresh grave grows grass.

My hope is in a love that cannot be stopped–even by death. The resurrecting love of Christ does not make me other-worldly, hoping for some escape from this miserable planet, but rather it reveals that vindication is real, justice is true and love really does conquor the absurdity of death. This love of Jesus reveals a pattern to me of self-giving love that lets go of everything and is free to embrace, to sacrifice, to trust. I rest in the love of living Savior and am free to love those around me. And I hope in a love that will ultimately renew this whole world.

As I reflect on the faithful love of Christ, my heart aches for the pain of Ms. Smith. Lord have mercy upon her. And Lord have mercy upon the aching souls starved for love wandering in the desert of life-sucking, relationship killing abundance.

Mario Brothers Theme Song – Beat Box Flute Style

February 8, 2007 / / 6 Comments

My nephew Samuel treats us to video game theme song performances on the piano. I didn’t realize how big of a movement learning game theme songs was until I stumbled across this FanTent page (via sevenblock). Here’s a sample with the beat boxing flute player. Be sure to visit the fantent page to see a variety of fascinating performances.

Text to Speech with Accent

February 7, 2007 / / 17 Comments

Listen to your favorite phrases with an accent. Not sure why we need this tool, but hey it’s something to do.

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