Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Don't Be Like Me, Be Better Than Me

One for the Money

Two for the show


Three to get ready


"But for real, my ____, don't be like me, be like Jesus."
-50/50 Twin-

Today I read an article today about a man who first came on my radar, presumably, a year ago. I'm hesitant to admit this, but the article was re-brought to my attention by the roundtable discussion on this morning's broadcast of "The View." Let me be clear, I do not, and would not have watched this show had it not been playing in Mrs. Kim's Deli while I waited for my eggs.


Add Beyonce and Rosie the Riveter and call it a movement.

You may read the story here. As a general rule of thumb (from here on out), here's my primo excerpts:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Rev. Ed Dobson has spent most of his life following Jesus. But only now does he realize how hard it is to live like him.
The retired megachurch pastor and one-time architect of the religious right has spent the last year trying to eat, pray, talk and even vote as Jesus would. His revelation: Being Jesus is tough.

"I've concluded that I am a follower, but I'm not a very good one," Dobson said. "If you get serious about the Bible, it will really mess you up."


Now that's real.

The normally teetotaling Dobson also allowed himself an occasional drink, noting Jesus was accused by critics of being a "glutton and a drunkard" who partied with pagans.

"If I'm at a party with a bunch of people who don't know the Lord and they offer me a beer, I'll take it," said Dobson, adding, "People at bars are wide open to talk about anything, including God."


That one floored me, I must admit.

Obeying the biblical command not to trim beards, he let his grow as long and shaggy as an Orthodox rabbi's.

"It's a pain in the neck when you're eating spaghetti," he cracked.

But a messy beard was the easy part of living like Jesus.

"The hard part is trying to live up to his teachings," Dobson said. "I've realized how far I fall short."


Don't we all.

"Jesus is a very troubling individual," Dobson said.

Jesus' troubling teachings influenced him to vote for Barack Obama — his first vote for a Democrat for president. Though disagreeing with Obama on abortion, he said, "I felt, as an individual, he was closer to the spirit of Jesus' teachings than anyone else. (Obama) was a community organizer, so he was into the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, which Jesus is very much into."


Alright, I'll leave the rest of the article for you to read yourself. It's interesting, to say the least. I must say that the effort to follow Jesus' commandments isn't an easy task at times, much less to live the life that he did. We all know the age old adage that says, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery." I just don't think any of us will ever live up to His grace. Feel me?

Friday, January 2, 2009

It All Comes Crashing Down

I don't mean to ruin the assumed high spirits everyone is in with the start of this new year/new day, but I've been meaning to post this video since I first saw it.

Sooner or Later



It is pretty apparent that this song was not originally written with the intent to describe the recent imploding of Wall Street, but the parallels make for a nice visual representation. Sonically, this is a masterpiece, in my humble opinion. Lyrically, it's not advanced, but the lyrics are personal enough for it to break the greatness barrier for me. The approximate 3 plus minute riff at the end of the CD version of the song are nothing short of sheer blissful anarchy for the ears. I couldn't ask for more.

Anything Worth Having You Work At Annually

Sometimes all you need is a new start. More often than I'd like to admit, I suffer from "the little hater."

(Embedded for all you non-link-clickers out there)


"Procrastination is what you call it when you confuse being busy with being productive."

There is absolutely nothing productivve that spawns from self-doubt or laziness. There is also no impetus more efficient than self-drive. That is, if you care to save yourself the heartache of forced change. With that said, It's 2009. Let's start this thing off right.

Message, fantastic. Lyrics, NSFW.



I can't stress enough the cutting edge that Cee-Lo has habitually been ahead of. [/Yoda]

Please take this time to "get your mind correct" for 2009.

Thank you. We will talk again sooner than later...