Is there life on Mars?

The Guardian asked this question to Bjork and I love her answer.....

Is there life on Mars?

Since when is soil and sky, night and day not life? The whole universe is vibrant with life, it doesn't take humans to make it so.

Radiohead - Idioteque

.....so i got a couple of free tickets to see Radiohead last weekend..... this is what you missed

dg

An Alternative Biography

David Gate was born and raised in Harrow, North London. He didn't do too well at school and, not fancying a decade working in a call centre, decided against university. Whilst still at school David wrote a couple of songs that ended up on a worship album. It was probably a fluke.

In 2000/01 David spent a year at Bible College learning about theology, the Bible, how to be eternally pedantic and cynical whilst continually developing his smug persona. Due to the fact that he didn't want to gain 10 grand more debt, and wanted to keep any last piece of goodness left in his soul, he left Bible college after a year. Without a degree.

By now Emilie had swept into his life and the next few years were spent earning money to get married, getting a place to live and filling a home full of flimsy Ikea furniture. This period included a spell working for J.John which involved trying to sneak on the internet instead of lifting heavy boxes up two flights of stairs. By now David had recorded the Emerge album 'Redemption'. Which was an interesting experience.

In 2003 Team Gate upped sticks and moved to Northern Ireland (Norn Iron) where they were greeted with indifference. Whilst in Carrickfergus, David led at such major events as the 'evening service at church' and 'home group'. 2004 saw the birth of Ethan and the end of trips to the cinema and lie-ins. The following year was busy, relocating to East Belfast to join Willowfield Church, which involved moving house twice. During the moving of houses, David 

recorded his first full length CD 'Unapproachable Light'. Many droll people now call it 'Unlistenable Shite' - which isn't entirely fair. It's actually somewhere between the two. More importantly Liverpool won the Champions League in Istanbul which remains, to this day, the best day of David's life. (Not the most important, special or significant, obviously, but definitely the best)

Zachary was born in June 2006 just before the Gate clan headed back to England to begin life in Cheltenham Spa, working for Trinity Church. This also involved moving house twice - the flimsy Ikea furniture now inhabits a landfill somewhere in Gloucestershire. In 2007, and at the end of his publishing deal, David left the 'Survivor' record label to release his records on the famous 'Trinity' label - home to such genre defining albums as 'Garments of Praise' and 'The Family Album'. 

2008 sees the imminent release of David's 3rd album 'Nothing to Fear'. David elected to produce this himself to save money. Brian Eno and Nigel Godrich will still be sleeping safe in their beds. David still hasn't won any awards or bothered the upper (or lower, for that matter) reaches of the CCLI charts. Though his family still love him and Trinity keep paying his salary, so he must be doing something right. One can only imagine the success to come..... 

You Have to Have Dreams

Part 6 What I am FOR - Tears

Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. - Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

The only cynics worth listening to are the ones who cry. 

Anyone can criticise - there is much to lament, much to admonish, much to rebuke. Yet increasingly I do not trust my vicious tongue to do so. It is so easy to fall into judgmental attitudes and habits. And it is tempting to view myself as a crusader for justice and righteousness, but righteous convictions can quickly lead to self-righteous behaviour. 

I am determined to stand up for what I think is right and to what I believe to be good practice. Jesus operated this way - scolding Pharisees and others when they were way off the mark.  But I have begun to put a check on my heart when doing so:

Do I still cry?

How hardened and cynical has my heart become? Is my default position cynicism or is it compassion?

The only cynics worth listening to are the ones who cry.

What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul. ~Jewish Proverb

Oh What a World

Men reading fashion magazines
Oh what a world it seems we live in
Straight men
Oh what a world we live in

Why am I always on a plane or a fast train
Oh what a world my parents gave me
Always traveling but not in love

Still I think I'm doing fine
Wouldn't it be a lovely headline
'Life is Beautiful' on the New York Times

One Thing

I've added another album track to my myspace page

It's got that country twang!

dg