08/22/10

Permalink 10:30:31 am by matt, Categories: church

So I was talking to a guy who asked me what it was about Christianity that appeals to me. I found it more difficult to answer this question than I thought I would. To answer it honestly anyway. This is what I came up with for him.

I see the world this way – the rich and powerful use their wealth and power to maintain their position at the expense of the poor and helpless. We don’t use our advantages to help others, but rather we live at the expense of others. And institutions that have been setup to do good, don’t.

Something inside me tells me this is wrong. It misses the mark. It’s the opposite of the way it should be. It’s a world that needs to be turned upside down and given a good shake. I think that’s the appeal of a T.V. show that MaryEllen and I enjoy. It’s called Leverage. It’s about a bunch of crooks that have turned their powers to helping people. There’s the ringleader, the computer genius, the con artist, the cat burglar, and the violent guy. The tag line is “The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys.” And it’s fun to watch the weekly mark get what they have coming. Seeing their face fall when they realize they’ve been had – it’s great.

And so given that – the story of a god – the most powerful being in the universe - who comes to the world to set it right appeals to me. But our god doesn’t come as those of us frustrated with a corrupt and hurtful system would like him to come – like the violent guy from Leverage – making things right with his fists. Instead he shows up as a helpless infant of questionable parentage, poor, far from home, in a cave, in a backwater province of the Roman Empire. When this boy grows up, he wanders and preaches and spends time with the weak and helpless outcasts. And the triumphant climax of this god’s making the world right – turning it upside down – is to get himself tortured, killed, and propped up as a symbol for all to see what happens when someone tries to mess with the way the world is.

I like the story of a god who comes to shake things up and gets shaken and broken just like us. A god that turns the world upside down by turning upside down our very notion of what a powerful god is. A god who shares our frustration with the state of the world, who calls for us to set it right, and who suffers with us when we suffer in out efforts.

08/13/10

Permalink 11:48:18 am by matt, Categories: media, kids, podcast

Plain View #115 - June 14, 2010
Rough week

Maly's coolness

Party Down

Dexter

Bunch o Movies

Busking

Kid Stories

If you miss the links in the notes, let me know, otherwise, they're gone.

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05/07/10

Permalink 08:14:08 pm by matt, Categories: podcast

Plain View #114 - Holiday Special

It's Christmas in July in June on the Plainview. Just unearthed, another lost episode. Ho Ho How do we continue to be so unorganized. I guess that's why we're Missouri's oldest continually running podcast. So light a fire, pour a mug of hot cider, and enjoy.

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03/22/10

02/08/10

Permalink 04:42:18 pm by matt, Categories: kids, podcast, education

Plain View #111 - Post Christmas, 2010

The winter was a dark one.

Wolves howled.

Small fires flickered.

And men huddled together in caves.

But in the midst of the cold and darkness a small light shone.

And that small light was the once thought lost Plainview episode 111.

Just a part of it.

But perhaps that small part is enough to keep mankind safe and warm though his long cold winter.

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12/18/09

12/02/09

11/25/09

Permalink 06:04:29 am by matt, Categories: podcast

Sorry about the bad link.

Plain View #108 - October 3, 2009

11/13/09

Permalink 08:50:04 pm by matt, Categories: media, kids, podcast

Plain View #108 - October 3, 2009

Halloween

Black Foxes party

Will's Baptism

The Hustler

Adventureland

SYTYCD

Burn Notice

Office

Glee

Modern Family
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10/27/09

10/23/09

Permalink 04:00:51 pm by matt, Categories: kids, podcast, education, politics

Plain View #107 - part 2 - September 8, 2009

social studies

Dr. Chang

Obama

Will

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10/20/09

10/12/09

Permalink 04:08:27 pm by matt, Categories: media, kids, podcast

Plain View #106 - part 2 - August 11, 2009

Girl Talk

Cousins and Gray Wolf

Fulton

Reclaiming the Real

John Hughes

Film Talk

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09/16/09

Permalink 04:48:46 am by matt, Categories: podcast

Here's the real link. Thanks Dee.

Plainview #106 - part 1 - August 11, 2009

09/13/09

09/07/09

Permalink 09:01:08 am by matt, Categories: media, podcast

Plain View #105 - part 2 - August 4, 2009

Doug Benson - I Love Movies

The Film Talk

Facebook Etiquette

Top Books

Slumdog revisited

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08/11/09

08/04/09

07/29/09

Permalink 11:04:33 am by matt, Categories: media, kids, podcast

Plain View #104 - part 1 - July 15, 2009

Harry Potter

Kids Reading

Projects: Shed & Jerky

So You Think You Can Dance

VBS

Swimming Lessons

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07/21/09

07/14/09

Permalink 12:40:42 pm by matt, Categories: media, podcast

Plain View #103 - part 1 - June 11, 2009

Murderball

Harold & Maude

Galileo (NOVA)

Let the Right One In

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Oh, and Robert Downey Jr. was not in Pretty in Pink. Maybe I was thinking of Weird Science, Back to School or The Pick-up Artist, none of which are really much like Pretty in Pink.

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06/27/09

Permalink 06:54:04 am by matt, Categories: me

My Firsts!

I got tagged on facebook with this, but I'm think I'm phasing out my facebook activity, and I can't find my notes on there, so I put it here.

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Lisa Shea

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
I can't even remember her name. Little cutie from kindergarten.

3. Who was your FIRST love?
see above

4. Who was your FIRST kiss?
Lisa Shea?

5. What was your FIRST car?
'67 Oldsmobile Delta 88 - wish I still had that baby

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
No one

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
MaryEllen

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Boliger

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
New Orleans?

10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?
Mark Morris & no, not much

11. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Mark's? How can an old man remember all this stuff?

12. Who woke up and thought of you FIRST today?
MaryEllen? Mom?

13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Mine, I think

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
did some reading in a small room

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Steve, Bob and Rich - The Rainmakers

16. FIRST tattoo?
made it through the above New Orleans trip w/o a tattoo. If I get one now it should just read "Mid-life Crisis" and of course have a skull, snake, bikini woman and ace of spades.

17. FIRST piercing?
dart in my thumb

18. FIRST foreign country you've went to?
Mexico

19. FIRST movie you remember seeing?
Song of the South - Uncle Remus - the only Disney film they are keeping in the vault

20. When was your FIRST detention?
1st grade after school for talking, for like 3 minutes, I was mortified

22. Who was your FIRST roommate?
my brother counts?

23. If you had one wish. What would it be?
world peace

24. What is something you would learn if you had the chance?
To speak a foreign language fluently

25. Did you marry the FIRST person to ask for your hand in marriage?
No one has asked me yet

26. What was the first sport that you were involved in?
t-ball

27. What were the first lessons you ever took?
swimming?

28. What is the first thing you do when you get home?
talk to my kids, or do the dishes

06/23/09

Permalink 04:36:40 pm by matt, Categories: media, kids, podcast

Plain View #102 - part 2 - March 1, 2009

New cat

Hair cut couth

Communion med

Grad speech

Park and Rec

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06/11/09

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but right now it's mostly just podcasts of my wife and i

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