mbjones

On a quest to find a new worship CD, many folks recommended Misty Edwards from Kansas City. After listening to You Won’t Relent on her myspace page, I was hooked and picked up her latest: Relentless.

To make a long story short, it’s worth it if you are looking for new worship music. It’s amazing musically and lyrically. I highly recommend it.

You Won’t Relent is my favorite. It goes like this:

You won’t relent until You have it all, My heart is Yours

I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart, As a seal upon my arm, For there is love that is as strong as death, Jealousy demanding as the grave, Many waters cannot quench this love

Come be the fire inside of me, Come be the flame upon my heart, come be the fire inside of me, Until You and I are one

The anticipation is perfect in this song. At the very least, it’s wort a listen on her myspace page

I’ve had numerous people over the past year or so tell me how much they thought I’d enjoy the Batman graphic novels. I thought about trying to read some last summer but didn’t know where to start. This past spring, though, I figured that out: Batman: Year One, Batman: A Long Halloween and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Yesterday I went to Borders to pick them up as plane reading material (just the first two). Curious, I started Year One last night and ended up finishing it as well.

Not really surprising due to the comic layout, it was quite an easy and quick read. By Frank Miller (the man behind 300), it details in Batman canon Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman. Basically it describes the long absence of Wayne from Gotham City (to travel and learn all sorts of things, like martial arts) and his return to clean the city of evil. Exploring the seedy underbelly first, he finally realizes that he needs to be able to strike fear into the hearts of evildoers and takes on the person of a bat, fully becoming Batman. From there, his first year is spent catching criminals, bringing down corrupt officials and dodging the cops out to destroy the new vigilante. One piece of the story that I didn’t expect was the focus on Lt. Gordon. As most people know from the movies that have been made, Gordon is seemingly the sole decent cop in the city and Batman’s one guaranteed ally. Not so in Year One. He’s still the sole good cop in Gotham City but as a newcomer to the city and struggling with his own sins, sees it as his task to bring down this vigilante exercising outside the boundaries of Law. The novel ends with Gordon contemplating what needs to be done: he’s trying to seek justice and Batman is the only other one around him doing this as well.

As far as graphic novels go, this certainly kept my attention. I wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. It seemed well drawn (although I’m not an expert on such matters). And Frank Miller is a good storyteller. All in all — I found it to be an enjoyable read. As far as criticism goes, my first complaint would be that it felt too short to be considered a novel. My second would be that I didn’t feel that it fully developed the character of Bruce Wayne. Gordon, definitely, but I’m still left wondering and questioning the persona of Batman. And so, because of this, I’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5. Definitely better than average but by no means the best that I’ve read.

Crazy. Michael Sweet, the singer/songwriter behind Stryper, is now the lead singer of Boston.

I’ve gotten several questions from friends about my thoughts about the “Lakeland revival” phenomena going down in Florida right now. In short, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Holy Spirit is at work and drawing people to Himself through legitimate healings but its in spite of the celebrity personalities and horrible doctrines, not because of them. Here’s some links well worth reading about the supposed revival:

• Dan on Discernment, Revivals and Godly Common Sense and A Strange Fire in Florida
• Robbymac on Bam! (thunk…) (Incidentally, I’m looking forward to reading his book Post-Charismatic)
• Bill Kinnon has a roundup of links here

I think as you read about what’s going on, particularly how people are flocking around the celebrity and his “signs and wonders” its important to consider what actually might be valid signs and wonders. Gold teeth probably don’t fit the bill (or at least they are much harder to add up in the wake of what’s going on in the world). Scroll down and watch the video for “All I Need” again for some much needed perspective on our priorities.

As many of you probably are aware of, I leave for 3 weeks in South Africa on June 4th. My team and I are really excited and have expectations of seeing God work in miraculous ways. That sense (and particularly its urgency) has only been heightened due to recent events in South Africa, which you may or may not have heard about on the news.

Lately, there has been a lot of unrest among the poor population and violence has been breaking out over the past couple of weeks. At first, it was relatively isolated to Johannesburg, but recent reports put it elsewhere, including Cape Town where we will be.

Now, to hopefully quell any fears (and perhaps guide your prayers), here is what is going on:

• A xenophobic spirit has fallen on many living in the poor townships. As a result, they are actively seeking out and attacking foreigners living amongst them. There are two things to be aware of here: the foreigners being attacked are Africans living and working in the townships (From Somalia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Nigeria). While I haven’t heard much about the root causes, my best guess would be that it stems at least in part from the gloom of recession that has fallen over our globe. You may or may not recall protests over the rising costs of food in mid April. Then, they acted non-violently but as the reality of trouble has settled in, reactions have become violent against what they feel is threatening them. What seems to gel this thought in my mind is that the violence is being directed primarily towards foreigners taking local jobs (be they labor, as in mines, or mercantile, as in local shops).
• Note that violence has not been occurring against foreign aid workers or tourists.
• Also note that the government has stepped in and is working to quell the violence.
• And finally, be aware that the violence is contained in the townships. We will be going into one of these every day but not living here.

As we go, one of our team’s prayers is that God would embolden us to directly confront the violence in the hearts of man with the peace that Jesus brings. Crazy? Probably. Needed? Definitely. For the past few months, we’ve already been praying for understanding of the deep rooted issues affecting lives (economic woes, alcoholism, sickness, paganism, sexual brokenness, etc) and the ability to speak to these areas in meaningful ways. And two verse sections we’ve prayed through as a team are found in Isaiah 61 and Revelation 22, both of which I think speak to this as well:

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners, 61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn, 61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. 61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins and restore the places that were desolate; they will reestablish the ruined cities, the places that have been desolate since ancient times.

Isaiah 61:1-4

22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 22:2 flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:1-2

If you weren’t aware, the verses from Isaiah are the same as the ones Jesus uses to announce His ministry. As His disciples, we want to continue walking in His direction, bringing good news to the poor, helping the brokenhearted, decreeing release to captives and freedom to prisoners and announcing His favor over the people. Additionally, it is our prayer to see both healing and release from demonic oppression. I haven’t really mentioned it prior, but this last one I think is particularly important. Another piece of information that a lot of you may not know that concerns this is that Cape Town is considered a hub of pagan activity because of the so called “spiritual energy” there. Be it pagan and be it spiritual then it is most assuredly demonic and we’d prefer to see it replaced with the light of Christ.

Well, I stop for now. This has kind of been a long and rambling note but perhaps it gives an idea for how to pray for South Africa and my teams time there…

I came across a list on the internets of [The Essential Man's Library][1]. Curious, I decided to look and see if I’d read any of them and see if I agreed with their choices. I’m doing this post kind of “live blog style” so final commentary will be at the end.

##[Part 1][1]

***The Great Gatsby*** by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I read this in High School and remember enjoying it (unlike many of the other books we read). Beyond that, I don’t honestly remember much about it.

***Slaughter-House Five*** by Kurt Vonnegut: I’ve always wanted to read this one. Never have though and don’t know if I ever will. I always here mixed things so…

***1984*** by George Orwell: This is a good book. Much better than ***Animal Farm*** (which I hope isn’t on the list) but not quite as good as ***Brave New World*** (which better be on the list). Basically its your run of the mill “utopian society gone wrong” book.

***The Republic of Plato*** by Plato: Good edition. Classical Greek philosophy *should* be more widely read by dudes.

***The Brothers Karamazov*** by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Another solid edition.

***The Wealth of Nations*** by Adam Smith: This is another on my list that I’ll probably never get around to reading. My economic reading of late has tended to come at things from a theological perspective. This one gets cited frequently though so I might get around to it eventually.

***The Catcher in the Rye*** by JD Salinger: Read it. It’s good. (Another on the short list that I really enjoyed in High School)

***Brave New World*** by Aldous Huxley: Yes! It made the cut! For a long while I had this listed as my favorite piece of literature (essentially until I read *Count of Monte Cristo* unabridged). Very good. Very timely. And very thought provoking.

***Walden*** by Thoreau: Another good piece of American literature. Definitely worth the read.

***Lord of the Flies*** by William Golding: This was my favorite book until ***Brave New World***. Excellent character study and look at human nature. If you haven’t read it, you should as it says a lot about our state of mind.

***Atlas Shrugged*** by Ayn Rand: Another one of those books on my list to read someday. This one is more likely to be read than the others I mentioned earlier though.

***The Metamorphosis*** by Franz Kafka: Enjoyable read. I don’t know if I’d put it on this list though. Good none-the-less.

###[Part 2][2]

***Ulysses*** by James Joyce: I wouldn’t call this a “must read.” It was interesting and I’m glad I got through it as it did feel like an accomplishment when I turned the last page but I don’t think it’s a necessary read.

***Crime and Punishment*** by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: I prefer ***The Brothers Karamazov*** (or better yet, ***Notes from the Underground***) but everyone probably had to read this in High School anyways.

***The Art of Warfare*** by Sun Tzu: Definitely a good edition. And not one you were likely to read in High School. Track it down if you can.

***Don Quixote*** by Cervantes: I didn’t particularly care for it (read it in junior high I think).

***The Hobbit*** by JRR Tolkien: Great and deep imagination can be found in Tolkien’s books. Definitely have a home on an *essentials* list.

***Politics*** by Aristotle: More Greek philosophy! I liked this one better than Plato’s *Republic* but your mileage may vary.

***Boy Scouts Handbook***: I made it through Webelos I believe they call it.

###[Part 3][3]

***Hatchet*** by Gary Paulsen: This is one for elementary school. I found *Canyons* to be more meaningful, personally, but enjoyed this one too. Definitely good for a boy to read.

***Animal Farm*** by George Orwell: Hated it in school but it slowly grew on me. Not nearly as much as ***1984*** though.

***Beyond Good and Evil*** by Nietzsche: I’ve read bits and pieces of this and it is quite good if you are grounded and looking to broaden your horizons.

***The Federalists Papers*** by Alexander Hamilton: Read in High School. Kinda amazing where our country has gone from then.

***Moby Dick*** by Herman Melville: Didn’t like it. Sorry.

***Hamlet*** by William Shakespeare: Did like this one. Tied for my favorite Shakespeare play. Definitely one to read.

***The Stranger*** by Albert Camus: Read this in college but honestly don’t remember much. Guess it wasn’t that impacting.

***Robinson Crusoe*** by Daniel Defoe: I enjoyed this one as a boy.

***Treasure Island*** by Robert Louis Stevenson: I LOVED this one as a boy.

***Fear and Trembling*** by Soren Kierkegaard: My preferred existentialist. Definitely some thought provoking readings in these pages. Definitely.

###[Part 4][4]

***The Autobiography of Malcolm X*** by Malcolm X: Kinda surprised this one is on here. It’s a good book though for insight into race relations of our last century.

***The Count of Monte Cristo*** by Alexandre Dumas: I was going to be upset if this didn’t make the cut. My favorite piece of literature. You ***have*** to read the unabridged version though.

***To Kill a Mockingbird*** by Harper Lee: I didn’t really enjoy it.

###Concluding Thoughts and Additions

Well, obviously list 2 and 4 were my weakest. There were a lot of books on those that I didn’t know or care to read. Overall though, I liked the list. It hit a lot of books that I’ve either thoroughly enjoyed or found particularly instructive. I liked that it wasn’t limited to fiction: there was varied philosophy, history, biography and other social sciences in the mix as well.

It was, however, I decidedly secular list. Outside of a few recognizably Christian names (Kierkegaard jumps out) there really wasn’t any noticeable *religion* in the mix. And I find that statement to be a good lead into what I’d consider adding to the list.

###Additions I’d probably consider including:

* [Candide][5] by Voltaire: Satire, and 18th Century philosophy at its finest. I would include this in the place of ***The Stranger*** probably.
* [A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man][6] by James Joyce: In the place of ***Ulysses***. This tome is quite a bit more accessible, I think.
* [Heart of Darkness][7] by Joseph Conrad: I was honestly surprised that this didn’t make the cut. It ranks with ***Lord of the FLies*** as an exploration of human nature. Well worth your time to read if you haven’t.
* [Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn][8] by Twain: What boy wouldn’t love reading this? Classic American literature.
* [Fabric of the Cosmos][9] by Brian Greene: I don’t like that there wasn’t any hard science on the list. This particular books takes a readily accessible look at modern physics that’s relatively easy to understand. It should have been included (or at least, something like it).
* [Emergence][10] by Steven Johnson: This is an odd edition, but its fascinating social science. It’s explanation of complexity theories opens up the world around us, I think.
* [The Bible][11] by God: Regardless of whether or not you hold dear its principles, this is a worthwhile one to read. At the very least it gives an understanding of a good chunk of the folks living on this planet and at best you could find something else entirely within its pages: liberation.
* [The Reason For God][12] by Tim Keller: I thought about several different apologetic type books: the Strobel *A Case for…* series, *Mere Christianity*, etc, but I think this one does the best at meeting skeptics where they are at. Again, at the very least, regardless of whether or not you believe it, it’ll make you think.

As I’m trying to keep things secular, I’ll leave it at that. Any additional book I might think to add would be decidedly Christian in tone. In the end, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a book to read from this list. Most all of them are worth your time.

[1]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Library-Part-I/lm/RCN3MKLVVPRXV/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
[2]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Libary-Part-II/lm/R2J1IGD2DFRRA1/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
[3]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Library-Part-III/lm/RYEM6Q77707AX/ref=cm_rna_own_lm
[4]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Library-Part-IV/lm/R1C5N5L45X04LI/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
[5]:http://www.amazon.com/Candide-Dover-Thrift-Editions-Voltaire/dp/0486266893/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479454&sr=8-1
[6]:http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Artist-Young-Penguin-Classics/dp/0142437344/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479582&sr=1-1
[7]:http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Darkness-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/0393926362/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479677&sr=1-1
[8]:http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Sawyer-Huckleberry-Signet-Classics/dp/0451528646/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479787&sr=1-1
[9]:http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479853&sr=1-1
[10]:http://www.amazon.com/Emergence-Connected-Brains-Cities-Software/dp/0684868768/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479970&sr=1-1
[11]:http://www.enetbible.com/
[12]:http://www.amazon.com/Reason-God-Belief-Age-Skepticism/dp/0525950494/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211480642&sr=1-1

Myanmar will not allow U.S. naval ships and helicopters poised off its shore to deliver aid to cyclone victims, according to state-controlled media Wednesday which cited fears of an American invasion aimed at grabbing the country’s oil reserves.

From [here][1]

[1]:http://www.aol.com.au/news/story/state-media-myanmar-wont-accept-aid-delivered-by-us-military-fears-invasion/494451/index.html

Check this out: [Astronomers saw a supernova's birth][1] for the first time ever this past January. Pretty amazing stuff, especially considering we are observing from something like 84 million years after it happened.

[1]:http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/21/birth-cry-of-a-supernova/

Salsa class #2 was tonight. It turned out to be quite good. For one thing, it’s good exercise, particularly for a fellow like me. And surprisingly enough, I’m told I’m not half bad. Juli seemed shocked that I’ve never had any type of dance lessons before, and I was told I definitely wasn’t the worst in the class. Tonight we learned the right and left turn (both the guy and girl versions of each). Supposedly next week I learn the dip.