the phrase made me think about its singular expression - live and active culture. is it?

the other day I crumbled open a fortune cookie and read, “Endurance and persistence will be rewarded.” recognizing the biblical parallel, I let it sit on my desk for a few days. ironically, within days I underwent a pile of trials that threatened my mental balance. excruciating. each day I arrived home my eyes drifted to this prefab statement on my desk. and I endured. and persevered.

I get the sense that little creatures reside in culture that benefit our health. we can’t taste them, smell them, or touch them, but sometimes we can see them or hear them. they work wonders for our faith. who knew?

cruising along to Don Chambers and Goat on the way home from work last Friday, I heard a loud CLUNK followed by the ever-distressing POP underneath my truck. this sound did not emanate from Chambers backwoods guitar or Dylanesque voice - his Zebulon LP makes you feel the clunk and pop of life, but without the sounds.

instinctively, I pulled over and off I30 at Jim Miller and found a gas station at which to galumph to a stop. approaching the gas station I rolled down my window and heard the third signature sound of a blown tire: the vvrrr-hiss vvrrr-hiss vvrrr-hiss as it turns over and over on the hole. great.

still in my work clothes, I pulled the jack and spare out of the back, raised it up, and searched for my tire iron.

what the heck? no tire iron? what idiot neglects to carry a tire iron in his truck? really great.

I rolodexed my cell phone for a contact that could help (and didn’t live in Denton). I called Dr. Horrell and he answered with his characteristically winsome warmth. God, I love this man. after the usual greetings, he instinctively asked, “Are you ok? Do you need help?”

upon explaining my predicament (note: my wife was out of town), he made a 5-second check with his wife and then said with blessed determination, “I’ll be right there, my friend.”

a few minutes later he sailed into the gas station, grinning from ear-to-ear. I could tell he was overjoyed to be there. he could hardly wait to help. a few minutes after that we had the tire changed and I was on my way.

the aim of Dallas Seminary is to teach truth and love well. thank God Dr. Horrell blew a hole in the bull’s eye.

having just listened to NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast entitled: “The 1980s: Were They Really That Bad?” (to which Boilen emphatically answered “yes!”) I let out a little hallelujah hum for U2’s stand-out work - from 1983.

can this really be 25 years old? doesn’t sound like it (could be the 5.1 mix).

the dual CD/DVD set releases on Sept 30, with pre-ordering available on several sites. bestbuy.com offered the best price (after factoring in tax & S/H).  here’s the blurb from Amazon:

The remastered Under a Blood Red Sky album was originally released in November 1983, and consists of live recordings from three shows on the band’s War Tour through Europe and America. Recorded at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on 5th June 1983, Live at Red Rocks will be available for the first time on DVD, and will include 5 previously unreleased songs, a director’s commentary, digitally re-graded pictures and a 5.1 mix.

you can check out the track listing on the product page. be blessed.

presented as a calendar, iConcertCal informs you of upcoming shows based on your zip code. you can even adjust the mileage radius around your zip code if you’re willing to drive 75, 100, 150 miles to a good show? just the other day I realized that The Roots will hit The Palladium Ballroom on Oct 11. who knew?

what I really love is the CD Releases tab. week by week it lists new albums and even reissues, linked up to the respective Amazon page so you can get the low-down. just today I learned about several new discs coming out:

Sara Groves (Oct 21)
Snow Patrol (Oct 28)
Bruce Springsteen (Oct 28)
Rod y Gab (Oct 28)
Chris Cornell (Nov 4)

incredible. how did I ever survive without this?

I can feel it in my soul why so many songs arise around NYC as an irresistible force, pulling on one’s being…calling, beckoning. the place intoxicates you with its grandeur.

that’s it. I posted more pics on my flickr photostream. I can’t wait to go back.  who’s in?

having spent an entire day and a half here, I can say, “I [heart] NY.” it’s absolutely stunning. it’s its own culture. I’ve heard a dozen different languages, seen the same, and smelled the delicacies of them all, too. of all the big cities I’ve visited, this towers above them all. L.A.? blah. Chicago? nice, but a wee bit small. Dallas? marvelous seminary, but the downtown hardly qualifies.

determined to capitalize on my brief amount of time, I woke up at 6:45am, got ready for the day, and headed out the door by 7:15am.

I hopped on the subway at 8th Ave and 50th, and rode down to Chambers St. exited, walked around Ground Zero, and then down to Battery Park. squinted at Ellis Island, paced past the Holocuast Museum, and then went to Wall St. saw the famous bronze bull and Bowling Green.

walked all the way down Wall St, past the Federal Memorial and NYSE, to the bay to take a look at the Brooklyn Bridge. back up Wall St and up Broadway to…Bleecker St, Strand’s Bookstore, and then the Empire State Building.

left there with some friends of Tom Basile, the director of the Bowery Mission, to visit their work. this place is incredible, and God has been tremendously generous to this ministry.

took a spin down Mulbery St (Little Italy) for the Feast of San Gennaro, peeked at Chinatown, and then picked up the “6″ all the way to 86th St. scooted over to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, down and through Central Park, and snagged a “Recession Special” at Gray’s Papaya - two dogs and a drink for $3.50.  true to their word: “the best damned frank you’ll ever eat.”

now I headed south on Broadway, past the Lincoln Center and Juliard, to my hotel. it was a gloriously long day. you can see all the pictures on my flickr photostream.

a word to the wise: don’t attempt this in your dress shoes. I earned two blisters, like water-logged quarters, one on each foot. I still [heart] NY, though.

can we?

well, good grief, let’s at least TRY.

here are some recent options:

1) The Pickens Plan

2) wecansolveit.org

do these offer us propaganda-free solutions? of course not. you gotta investigate. but, PLEASE investigate.

nothing will change until we demand a new direction…

start your research at CNGNOW.com.