Thursday, February 28, 2019

DENNIS RAINEY-STEPPING UP: A CALL TO COURAGEOUS MANHOOD


This book signifies what’s wrong with Christian men’s life improvement books.

First of all, there’s precious little Scripture quoted ihn this thing. It ends up being mostly Rainey’s opinion backed up with a few Biblical passages here and there, most of them twisted out of context.

Second, this book –and its accompanying video series-does what most things in the institutional church do: makes God into a set of principles to be kept or a system to be followed. There are these five steps in a man’s life which he must climb in order to be a godly man.

Rainey, as does every other conservative baby boomer, points out the number of man-children that exist out there. While it isn’t wrong to speak out against this trend, one must remember people my age and younger face many challenges in starting their adult lives: challenges those Rainey’s age didn’t face when they were growing up. This includes everything from-as Rainey points out-broken homes to lack of jobs to the denegration of the white man.

Another problem, which would have been pointed out if these types of materials weren’t segregated by sex, is that there are a lot of girls who don’t step up, either. So many women out there haven’t exactly bothered to get out of mom’s basement and try to establish themselves either, in part because they’re facing a lot of the same problems as the guys.

I also have a problem with a lot of the stories that begin the sections of this book.

For one thing, they are the usual sorts of things one finds in Christian men’s ministry resources. All the stories are geared to manly men: featuring mountain climbers, Antarctic explorers, sports heroes, and battle-scarred veterans. Only in the final chapter does Rainey tell us about a man who had the courage to step up to the challenges of being a single father after his wife died and weight loss.

Which brings me to my next point. Now, don’t get me wrong: I love America and Americans, but a complaint that dovetails with my complaint about the illustrative stories in this book is that, my gosh, it’s American. Rainey talks a lot about courageous men who fought in some of the many wars America has waged in the last hundred years and about how his father-in-law wanted to re-enlist and fight after 9/11 happened.

Now, most of the publishing industry is controlled by members of a certain tribe, those many evangelical Christians refer to as the chosen people. These people have also caused many of the wars the world has seen throughout history. Read Victor Thorn’s book “9/11 Evil” and study into the real history of World War II if you doubt this.

Where are the stories of courageous men who opposed wars that weren’t their country’s concern and that would ultimately leave many of it’s most courageous men in horrible shape afterwords?

Also, Rainey, I presume as an American from the Bible belt, exhibits a lot of hangups in this book about sexual things. While I am in total agreement that that guy who went to see his old flame after missing his twentieth high school reunion was foolish for not realizing sooner she just wanted to get into his pants, most of Rainey’s other rules-particularly the one about not riding in a car with a woman and those that are found on the same page of the book-are just laughable, if not paranoid. Dude, if you are such a horn dog you can’t even trust yourself in the types of situations you describe, then I seriously speculate you aren’t truly saved in the first place. A godly man thinks of women as people created in the image of God and doesn’t overly fixate on the fact it’s possible to have sex with them. I mean we all have our specific temptations with which the devil tries to make us stumble, but sheesh.

It also, in my opinion, indicates that you don’t love or value Barbara that much if you think of women so much in terms of having sex or not having sex with them.

By the way, I’m still ticked off at Family Life Today’s culturally-insensitive and myopic view on co-sleeping.

Bottom line: If you are Dennis Rainey and have lived his life, then you will find this book most useful. Otherwise, if you wish to become a godly man, do the following:

First, if you are not saved, get saved according to the instructions in the Biblical book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 38.

Next, rather than seeking an institutional church to join, seek out other Christians to fellowship with, both online and in real life. Granted, this may involve attending various institutional churches, but don’t join any of them unless the Lord explicitly tells you to, and, even then, don’t exclude those who are in other churches or those believers who don’t attend church.

I do agree with Rainey that you need to find other men to fellowship with, but don’t think in terms of age: think in terms of maturity in the faith. Remember, the goal is to imitate Christ as Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians. It’s not about mentorship: rather, it’s about discipleship.

In your own time, pray, which means talking with God and not at Him. Take time in your prayers to listen.

Also, study your Bible, which involves a lot more than reading it. Sites like Bible Gateway or Blue Letter Bible can be helpful, and of course there are also many Bible study apps. I’d encourage you to, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, seek out many of the sermon series and books (available both online and off) that explain passages in the Bible and how to interpret the Bible itself.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

PODCASTS THAT SUCK

Sawbones: Dr. Sidney McElroy, had you been practicing medicine in a time period before ours, you would have been recommending trephining, bloodletting and Dr. Farney's Teething Syrup, and yet you come down on natural health and other things that don't fit with "modern medicine." Those in past generations didn't have it all figured out and neither do you, you hypocrite. (And don't give me this nonsense about your podcast not being medical advice.)

Now and Next: There shouldn't be government funding for the arts, period. People could invest more of their money in the arts if they didn't have to pay such high taxes to support them. Besides, if a piece of art is truly good, someone will pay for it.

My Favorite Murder: Two women discussing murder as if they were gabbing over the dresses they just looked at over lunch at the mall food court. What's not to love?

Pretty Scary: Conspiracy theories are not a game. The fact there are people out there lying to us about things their corporation is doing, things the government they are a part of is doing, constantly spying on us, and who would not only destroy all of humanity but the entire universe if they could is no laughing matter. (Google Karl Marx about that destroying the universe thing.)

Monday, February 4, 2019

ONE TO LISTEN TO: MARTIN WEBB

This Canadian composer, currently living in Dallas, makes modern instrumental music with jazz, rock and electronic sensibilities. Incorporating these varied styles on each album, you won't regret listening to him.

Check out his Bandcamp page here.https://martinwebb.bandcamp.com/

CONNOR YOUNGBLOOD-CHEYENNE

Provides lots of pleasure but falls short.

After having listened to most of this album on YouTube, I don't regret doing so. Connor Youngblood is a talented musician, playing everything from harp to tabla and even layering AutoTune on "Yellowknife"-which I had never heard of and don't think I would have liked the idea before hearing that track.

However, there are times when the album falls short, particularly on the title track with it's use of AutoTune in normal mode. There are also tracks like "Pizza Body" and "Lemonade" that don't really go anywhere, as much as some of them, like "Lemonade", want to.

Overall, I'm glad I found this guy but I don't want to shell out for his music.

COLOSSEUM-THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE SALUTE YOU

A great album that is, somehow, lacking something.

After reading the obituary for saxophonist John Hiseman, I downloaded this album from YouTube.

Though Hiseman's saxophone playing is second to no one else in the rock world and I can appreciate how innovative and inventive the music was for it's time, I can't help but feel a certain sense of this album being derivative. For example, though "Backwater Blues" sounds good, it evokes a sense of the band floundering, not really sure what they want to be or achieve.

Overall, something well worth listening to but just a tad short of worth buying.

Sunday, February 3, 2019

BEN HOWARD-EVERY KINGDOM

After downloading and listening to the deluxe edition from You
Tube, I have mixed feelings about this album.

First, it's evident in spades Ben Howard has songwriting, vocal ability and guitar talent. "Black Flies", "Bones" and "Empty Corridors" prove this. In fact, I don't remember when I've heard such good songwriting (in new music, that is.)

However-and maybe this is because I listened to the deluxe edition, the album gets quite repetitive after 15 songs (not of course counting the one that got deleted from the playlist version of the album I downloaded.) There are frequent metaphorical references to seasons, particularly winter, and a fair number of songs about women who give it all away and the men who are more than happy to take it from them.

In fact, the use of metaphor is so prevalent that it obscures the meanings of some of the songs.

Overall, an album containing lots of good stuff but not one with which I want to part money in order to have it in my possession.

I will, in any event, post this link to the album on YouTube.

RECORD COLD WEATHER RESULTS IN AN UNUSUAL BLESSING

Psychologists have coined a term describing the fear of being sans mobile devices or technology, it's called nomophobia. People who suffer from this will actually go in to withdrawl like symptoms if deprived of their precious devices for long periods of time.

Around the middle of last week the temperature took a radical nose dive and everywhere near where I live was in the deep freeze. Wednesday afternoon around four-thirty or so my telephone along with the landlines of many of my fellow residents in the housing project where I live went wonky and would go to dial tone even after a number was dialed.

I was a little angry thinking that my neighbors would start blaming me for this. In a previous neighborhood where I lived some of the neighbors blamed the differently able people for bringing bed bugs in.

This actually turned out to be good practice for me, as I have felt the call to go serve as a Bible worker somewhere in this great big world. I also commented to a friend that it's also pretty good practice to get used to not having the most advanced tech close at hand. It was also a blessing, because I was able to go spend more time listening to God's Word rather than in idol chit-chat about nothing imparticular.

I can only guess what happened last week, but the one thing that comes to mind is the unusually frigid temperatures froze the lines. I, like I said a second ago found this one day lapse in phone use a blessing, and thank God that it came back to rights Friday.

Gillie