Advent Listenables

If, at any point during this Christmas season you get tired of the same Holiday hits, escaping the speakers of shopping malls and easy-listening radio stations like a sweet, tiring smell, then I suggest visiting the Over the Rhine website. Their excellent Christmas album, Snow Angels, is currently playing on the OtR record player. Not only is the music exceptional, with whisky shots of bitter to even out the holiday sweetness, but they explore the themes forgiveness, hope and redemption - something worth thinking about between hustle and bustle. In particular, I recommend the songs "White Horse" and "Here It Is."

Thanksgiving Readables

If you’ll pardon the pun, the New York Times has two articles providing food for thought around Thanksgiving. Both are fascinating historical perspectives for us amateur history buffs. The first is more nostalgic, the second is thankful that parts of our past remain there.

This Thanksgiving, reflect on the wild, drink some French wine, pray for peace and, of course, be thankful for all God has given us. 

Economy, change of laws and culture are hitting the French cafes

I found this New York Times article very sad, particularly as someone who loves to drink strong coffee in dark, smoky places. 

 “The bar-cafes? They’re finished. Twenty years ago, people would go in the morning before work for a coffee and a cigarette. And now, it’s over. Young people don’t drink during the day, and when they drink, they drink to get wasted. Smoking is forbidden and they eat en route, with coffee in a paper cup. They smoke and drink at home.”

Maybe un till should have a logo

There’s a beautiful simplicity to a good logo. Or, for that matter, call it a brand or a seal. I like the thought of looking at a symbol and immediately seeing a story. They are open for interpretation, but powerful nonetheless. Our forbearers would see the seal from the king’s signet ring, or the hide-burns of a particular cowboy, and images, weight and emotion would meet you. These days, mighty corporations have mastered the power of the seal. You know you made it as a company when your company name does not even need to appear on the logo. Think of the Nike Swoosh on Cristiano Ronaldo’s cleats, or the glowing apple cutout on the other side of my screen.

Perhaps my favorite prominent display of brands is sports logos. They represent not just a franchise but also a city, a university or an attitude.  The best part is that it’s usually a combination of letters and colors that get people riled up. A white “n” and “y” overlapping a navy blue field makes a statement. In our civilized age where we celebrate our diversity and accept everyone else as fellow citizens, sports remain an outlet for our tribal tendencies. We wear our colors and paint our faces as cheer on our strongest champions as they wage battle against the tribe from another city.

Of course, the most prominent logo in the past months has been the Barack Obama “O.” The first time I saw it, I knew it was genius. It’s a modern day signet ring for the man who will be “the leader of the free world.” It inspires Obama’s emotions of change and hope without compromising patriotism and strength. Regardless of your politics, you’ve got to admire the marketing. The New York Times has a great interview with the man who created the “O.” I find particularly interesting his reflection on how they tried to avoid the candidate being “branded, in the sense of having an identity imposed on a candidate.”

Finally, I have to give a shout out to logos that start a conversation. My church has adopted what has been lovingly dubbed “the flaming pomegranate,” which Ben designed. I was living with him when he first drafted the pomegranate, and I saw it take several forms before there was a finished product. It is a less obvious brand then, say, a cross, or a more common church symbol such as a lion lying down with a lamb. However, I think this is a good thing. When people ask what it means, I get to explain how the pomegranate was an ancient church symbol for the Resurrection. Moreover, since a pomegranate has seemingly countless seeds packed in one fruit, it is also a symbol of church unity. Perhaps it is does not have the mass market potential as the “O” or the Swoosh, but in starting a conversation, it better helps fulfill the purpose of the church.

What do you think of logos? Do they “impose an identity” on the product/team/candidate? Do you have a favorite? 

The world looks to DC

Speaking of my fair city, between two Economist blogs there are three very telling posts about Washington, DC. Both are worth the read for all you travelers out there. 

Cyclists and Civilization

One of the Economist blogs, "Certain Ideas About Europe," considers whether a cyclist city is a civilized city. London, it reports, will be the site of another rent-a-bike program, modeled after the "Velib" bike program in Paris. My current home-town, Washington, has a bike program of its own. One of my co-workers uses it to pedal to a further Metro-stop. 

I am a fan of less cars, more bikes and more public transportation. DC has the best public metro-system I have experience (and I have been all over Europe). With bikes, however, I wonder if the civilization should come before the cycles. The primary reason is safety. Bikes in DC bob in-and-out of traffic, and DC traffic includes crazy diplomats who have immunity should something happen, and overly-stressed politicos typing on their blackberries as they drive. Local bikers are fearless; many are reckless. Near my office, a young woman was recently killed when her bike was hit by a dump truck (I should say, I don't know if this tragedy was due to recklessness on anyones part, or if it was simply a horrible misfortune).

The most civilized cyclist cites I have experienced are in Germany. Yes, there are still reckless drivers and bikers, but there are also bike lanes on every major street and clear rules for cyclers and drivers to follow. Indeed, a German biker risks losing his drivers' license if he breaks the rules. I applaud London and DC for initiating biker programs, but I this sort civilization ought to follow. 

Why I am a fan of my church

At Justin’s invitation, I have become a “fan” of my church. This does not mean I have sat in a stadium with 89,000 other church fans and rooted for my church to defeat another church on some sort of ecumenical playing field. I have not screamed as my church’s electric guitar player strummed – slowly, as if savoring good-tasting and sexual at the same time – those all-too familiar chords of the song the most people agree are the strongest. My church has not authored one of my top-ten favorite books, nor has it starred, directed, produced or cinematographized (I know, I’m really reaching) a film that I have been trying to tell my friends about (though, I hasten to point out, a church member has). My church has not rallied me to believe that by electing it to a higher office, the American dream would be made more possible, not just to me, but to all of our citizens.

As you can guess, I struggled with this. Being a fan is a superficial activity. A church should not be superficial. It’s about Christ, his body, his sacraments. Being a fan comes across as tribal. Church is about overcoming tribalism and loving everyone, regardless. I am not always good at overcoming my tribalism and my superficiality, and sometimes churches are not either. By God’s grace, we move in this direction. So how can a be a fan?

My new status as church-fan is an electronic proclamation via Facebook, and therein lies my justification for church fandom. Yes, much of Facebook is about identifying yourself in groups, and much of this lies between superficiality, randomness and nerdiness. I reached the height of nerddom when I joined a group about dinosaurs. But one of the redeeming factors of the younger generation is how we can reveal a subtle realness behind things superficial, random and nerdy. I think we’ve learned to do this growing up under a barrage of electronic advertising. Between all the silliness, we can shout something real across the bluish landscapes of Facebooks. I belong to a community of people who are seeking Christ. We are led by people who have studied the scriptures, and from there, they give us direction, admonition and encouragement. We meet in the evenings, sing, confess, read, listen, pray, proclaim, eat bread and drink wine. We study, reach out, and seek to live like we believe the Spirit of God is within us (as our recent study in 1Corinthians has emphasized). We are not perfect, and we are aware of it. Everybody is invited.

And our new website is going to be pretty cool.   

Feel the Love

Now that Barack Obama has gained the presidency, the rest of the world (with the possible exception of Pakistan) likes us again. Even during our recent troubles, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung made a list of reasons why the rest of the world can’t get enough of us. Since some of those who read these words are unable to read German, I’ll provide a list right here, in English, with my own commentaries (after all, it is my blog).

1.     Fashion

Okay, I don’t know why this is first, since Britain and Italy are more renown in this area. And, as any woman in my life would affirm, it’s not my forte, either. I’m told Sex in the City influences fashion and causes women to buy things. Hopefully the current financial crisis will promote savings instead. In any case, the world must like the way we, (well… some of us) dress.

2.     TV Series

My wife and are just finished up the 4^th season of Lost, and we are eagerly awaiting season 5. As a rule, I remain addicted to only one show at a time. The article sites West Wing, Frasier and Malcom in the Middle as some of their favorites. I can only speak to the second, which I like. 24 has kept my attention in the past, and Homer Simpson remains one of our biggest ambassadors.

3.     Rock Music

Amen, amen, amen. True, Great Britain has contributed almost as much (and thus more per-capita) to rock and roll. But in every American town, you can find the love affair between boy and guitar, producing beautiful music, much of which you will never hear. Today’s indy-rock scene is no longer what dominates top-40 radio, but scratch below the surface, and some amazing stuff is growing. Fresh grown rock was noticeably missing from Germany. The FAZ writer mentions Vampire Weekend as one of American rock’s current torch bearers. I’m going to recommend a couple of friends. For some good tunes, check out the Tortoise and the Hair, the Northernness and Andy Matchett. For good measure, the Oaks, are friends of friends, and are quite good as well.

4.     Love for children

Evidently, we treat our kids good here. We do produce some pretty good toys, although Denmark is home to Lego.

5.     Literature

A Nobel Prize judge recently said that no good literature is produced in America. The FAZ debunks this, citing Philip Roth and John Updike. For those of you who have not read him yet, I’m going to recommend Wendell Berry (though I don’t think he would approve of blogs).

6.     Film

Plenty of great indy movies have come from America, but Hollywood is king – and a huge ambassador to the world. As much as the artistic type in us may want to bash it, I’m sure we can all think of a star-studded Hollywood flick we love. I was in Germany when The Last Samurai came out. German critics blasted Tom Cruise’s film as un-historical, saying that its homage to the Samurai ideal would be like writing a film on church history based on the ideals of Christian love. Ok, I have to agree, The Last Samurai was a horrible film, but it does illustrate that Hollywood is often more about the ideal than about reality. Just like America. That may bristle at times, but it is not always unappealing.

7.     The Debating Culture

Interesting that the Germans would say this – they love a good debate, though these are often longer, more abstract affairs. However, the article pointed more to the comedy that came out of the debates – Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and Tina Fey. I have to say, our political satire is second-to-none.

8.     Universities

Okay, we do rock the top university lists. I did not go to an elite university, but they do look good on resumes. One thing that we have that many Europeans do not is the campus. Some of the best moments in college were sitting in the grass between brick buildings, playing guitar, reading and talking to those who disagreed with me.

9.     Friendliness

I’m from the south, and there is an appeal to the southern charm. However, I do find the unabashed honesty of the Germans (or even more so, the Chinese. They will honestly let you know if you’ve gained weight since they last saw you) is quite refreshing.

10. New York

Don’t get me wrong, New York is great. We hope to bus up there soon. But don’t let that be the only part of America you see. There’s so much more.

11. Basketball

I like basketball too, but I am homesick for the Michael Jordan era. Now, the most interesting part of the NBA for me is how international the sport is becoming. Indeed, probably the only reason it is mentioned in a German magazine is the rise of Dirk Nowinsky. If you want to try a truly American sport (ask any Canadian where basketball was invented), check out college football. I know the typical European complaints. They stop and every down, the action is not constant. True, but once the action gets started again, anything can happen: Hard hits, stunning displays of athleticism, and piles of bodies all over the field. Moreover, as one college football commentator said on a radio show, football is the only sport where every person is involved in every play. Blocks down the field effect how far a ball will travel. I was in Paris when France won the world cup. But I was also in Tallahassee in 2000 when the recount stopped for the Florida State-Florida game. FSU won, and the victory propelled us into the national title game. A college football rivalry in the south has an electricity not duplicated elsewhere.

12. Indian Summer

I think I lived in Florida too long for this one, and D.C. is not far enough north. Sounds nice though. 

I'm sure you were looking for some more post-election thoughts...

On Wednesday, we were out of the house at 9:00 AM. I was called for jury duty, which meant I could sleep in a little later. 9:00 AM, as was widely reported, was too late for history. I had naively hoped a Washington Post would be available to me, as had many other Washingtonians. The newspaper boxes were empty and ugly in appearance. Newspaper boxes without newspapers look particularly soulless.

Tuesday night, the cars honked; there were spontaneous eruptions of joy as Cable News anchors reported election results. It reminded me of Paris in 1998 when the French won the world cup. Fewer firecrackers, more shouts. My wife and I sat quietly in our apartment watching results pour in. I was quiet, because I was in awe of history.

I wish I had something new to add to all the commentaries regarding Barack Obama’s achievement. I didn’t cry, because I never felt I would be denied the presidency or any other office because of my appearance. Now, less people feel that way. After my work in New Orleans after Katrina, I appreciate this much more.

In the absence of a regular local tavern where those who know my name gather, Facebook provided a guide of reactions to my Diaspora of friends. A man in my father’s church wrote on his status line, “now, when my son says I want to be president, I can tell him he can and really mean it.” A girl my sister’s age wrote, “we have a black president!!! I love my Jesus!!!!” Some of my more conservative friends made expressions between reservation and despair about what they view as an onslaught of socialism in our country. But Joshua wrote a great post on Facebook, reprinted here in Angela’s blog, from the perspective of a Republican who truly appreciates the gravity of these moments.

McCain still did exceedingly well among Evangelical Christians, winning on a 4-1 margin with Obama making slight gains over Kerry in ’04 (according to Christianity Today) on both sides. Both sides have written with such moral certitude that I think it is healthy to read and understand the other side. Donald Miller’s political journey from Reagan to Obama is a worthwhile read. Here is a good article from Touchstone pleading the case for the unborn, probably the main reason more did not vote for the president-elect. If you are reading this, I hope you find these links useful in understanding both sides.

I am privileged to live in our nation’s Capital at this time in history. I am in awe – not of a man; America’s political system with checks and balances help us remember that even the greatest of our presidents are human. Obama is not Jesus, as my very sensible wife points out. Indeed, many may end up disappointed. But on my shoulders, there is enough of the weight of history upon me for feelings of awe. Awe belongs to a God who redeems humans, families and nations. The girl my sister’s age said it best. We have a black president. I love my Jesus.