St. Vincent - Marrow

Tabloid Hypocrisy

It's hardly surprising, but well worth being reminded of..... who really fuels the BNP support....

http://enemiesofreason.blogspot.com/2009/10/hmm-remember-this.html

dg

Nick Griffin on Question time (an Alt. Version)

What I think about when I worship.....

I wish I could write here that when I worship all that I think about is God. That my only considerations are of Him and who He is. I wish I could say that when I worship God I am relieved of all thoughts of myself. I wish I could tell you that, but I can't.

Certainly that is what I try to do. To only think of God. To become so enraptured in the divine that my sense of self vanishes. I have been taught that is the right thing to do, and I think it is. To try, that is. But I feel like a failure and a fraud. Rather than becoming fixated on the transcendent nature of God I find that when I see Him, when I love Him, when I worship Him, I often end up thinking about me; my life; my heart; my worth and many other facets of my existence.

I can't help it.

As soon as I realise that I've drifted into thinking about me again, I quickly repent like an eager Catholic to a priest, and try to do better by concentrating really, really very hard on God. This includes scrunching my eyes shut so tight that it begins to hurt - repeating my mantra "I become less, You become more, I become less, You become more, I become less, You become more"

Then if I'm lucky, the worship will finish quite soon and I can relax my face muscles and feel the relief of being able to think of myself again without the guilt wringing thoughts that I am a self-centred, narcissistic, pride filled, fraud of a worshipper.

God must be pleased. But I probably should do better next time.

So I've been wondering:

Why is it that I can't manage to worship the way I 'should'?

Why are my heart and mind so easily turned?

Am I so filled with rampant ego and pride that my worship is doomed to failure?

And in chewing this over I've realised:

God loves me. And that is the truth.

God gave His Son for me. And that is the truth.

God made me in His image. And that is the truth.

God wants to reveal Himself to me. And that is the truth.

God has a plan for me. And that is the truth.

God knew me before I knew myself. And that is the truth.

God is living in me. And that is the truth.

God is speaking to me. And that is the truth.

God is lifting me up. And that is the truth.

God is transforming me to be more like Him. And that is the truth.

God welcomes me as a friend. And that is the truth.

God cherishes me as a son. And that is the truth.

Humility is not the absence of self. It is to view yourself modestly. Appropriately. And it is impossible to see God and not see His love. His love for me, for you, for all the world.

In the middle of our worship He will speak to us; He will convict us; He will comfort us; He will delight in us.

That is the mystery of this ontological circle. That as I ponder in awe who He is, I begin to understand who I am. And from there I look to Him again in wonder and mystery. That He would love me.

This is humility - to know God's love and to bow before it. To take the crown He gives us and lay it down. And when He puts it back on our heads we are humbled again and compelled to lay it down at His feet once more.

When I worship I realise that He loves me.

And that is the truth.

dg

Literally, the Best Website in Existence

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/

it is beautiful. very, very beautiful.

this website is now a daily stop on the web browsing rounds.

bookmark it

dg

Hate

Apple and Christians

'Christians don't just like Apple, they love Apple and need it to operate. On the surface, you would ask yourself how Christians could love a multibillion-dollar company with manufacturing plants in China and mass production, and that contributes to global pollution through the manufacture of consumer electronic devices.

The simple answer: Apple products tell the world you are creative and unique. They are an exclusive product line only used by every Christian college student, designer, writer, English teacher and hipster on the planet. It is important that Christians are reminded of their creativity. Remember, you need a Mac to creatively check email, creatively check websites, and creatively watch DVDs on planes.

Apple products also come with stickers. Some people put them on their computers, some people put them on windows, but to take this to the pinnacle of Christendom, you need to put the Apple sticker in the rear window of your Prius, Jetta, BMW, Subaru 4WD station wagon or Audi.

You then need to drive to a local coffeeshop (Starbucks will do at a pinch) and set up your Apple for the world to see. Thankfully, the Apple logo on the back will light up. So even in a dark place, people can see how unique and creative you (and the five other people next to you doing the exact same thing) truly are.'

taken from stuffwhitepeoplelike.com with the words 'white people' replaced by 'christians'. It works the same.

dg

A Rat's Nest

clicks on the phone.
I cannot help you.
caught by own worm.
caught in a rat's nest.
eat own young.
chew through wires
sewn up in stitches, stitches.
deny all knowledge.
paragraph 5.
subsection b.
the comittee is content. content.
to live in a rat's nest.
rat's nest

If I thought for one minute you could do this, I'd vote for you...

'I see a country where more children grow up with security and love because family life comes first. I see a country where you choose the most important things in life - the school your child goes to and the healthcare you get. I see a country where communities govern themselves - organising local services, independent of Whitehall, a great handing back of power to people. I see a country with entrepreneurs everywhere, bringing their ideas to life - and life to our great towns and cities. I see a country where it’s not just about the quantity of money, but the quality of life - where we lead the world in saving our planet. I see a country where you’re not so afraid to walk home alone, where you’re safe in the knowledge that right and wrong is restored to law and order. I see a country where the poorest children go to the best schools not the worst, where birth is never a barrier.'

... but I don't. So I won't. Sorry Dave. Good rhetoric though.

Capitalism: A Love Story

I am very much looking forward to seeing this film.... have a read of this.

Fahrenheit 9/11 remains the only film i've ever cried in... though I did have a moment during Finding Nemo but managed to hold it in. Bowling for Columbine and Sicko are also passionate and thought provoking films; revealing Michael Moore's compassion and care for America's underprivileged. They are also hilarious.

Can't wait.

dg

Four Tet & Steve Reid

Jazz at the Bookstore

Leadbelly's in the background
Being drowned out by the grind
He's singing about "Rock Island Line"
Nobody seems to pay him any mind

Bestsellers and bookshelves
Full of self-help printed word
Some faint elegance is heard
Now was that Ellington or Bird?

And has it really come to this?
Can ignorance be bliss?
I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop
Jazz at the bookstore
And blues in the coffee shop
Jazz at the bookstore
And blues in the coffee shop

There's a man standing at the crossroads
With a dark roast in his hand
Livin' in white yuppy hand
Over by the milk and sugar stand

And have i really come to this
Cup of caffeinated bliss?

So we browse around
All over town
Sipping coffees that we can't pronounce
And meanwhile in the blues cemetery
All the coffins commence to bounce

Leadbelly's in the cold ground
Rolling over in his grave
The hard road where so many slaved
Is now so smooth and paved

And has it really come to this?

Can ignorance be bliss?
I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop
Jazz at the bookstore

And blues in the coffee shop