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.