Today's an outlandishly busy day for me, so what goes on the site? Random links and thoughts.
Oh, joy!
I used to have a lot of Steve Camp vinyl in my heavy CCM days. Steve hit pretty hard back then (though Keith Green had him beat in the heavy lyrics department), and he's still sledgehammering away, this time online. While I find him to be a little too in your face on his blog at times, over the last two weeks he's posted some outstanding material, the first almost prescient in light of the Haggard fiasco:
The Barrier to Reformation and Revival
The Heart of the Reformation: the Doctrines of Grace
The 'Rushing Wind' of the Reformation
Unacceptable Worship – by Tozer
The Love of God
Tim Challies weighs in on the Evangelical news of the moment with a truly grace-filled post entitled "The Scandal."
Meanwhile, Keith Drury contributes a canny assessment of the reasons some well-known preachers fall.
Mark Driscoll (whom I fear some people would love to see go the way of Haggard) weighs in with practical and unflinching advice on how to keep one's ministry from going up in flames. While I like most what he has to say, he still advocates the mistaken notion that the pastor is a class apart from the rest of the people in the church. Though that thinking may be the general consensus within Evangelicalism, the general consensus is nonetheless wrong. That consensus only fosters the problem .
Take time to pray for Milton Stanley of Transforming Sermons as he recovers from surgery. Milton's site culls some of the choicest material from the best blogs out there. Make sure to include it in your newsreader of choice.
And lastly, if you want a break from all the Sturm und Drang, you can't get a better laugh than Weird Al Yankovic's recent video, "White & Nerdy." I've got to hand it to the guy, he's still a hoot. I think this is the funniest video I've seen from him yet. Wikipedia's got an entry just for this song/video, and it's fascinating, too. For us fortyish, white nerds, everything in the video hits home. I especially liked the back alley buy of the rare "Star Wars Holiday Special." Nothing says "I have no life" better than coveting a TV show filled with dancing Ewoks. Don't miss. (HT: BHT )
I’ve chatted with Bermuda Schwartz a couple of times this past month. He seems to be a bit surprised, and maybe even a little dismayed, at the popularity of that song. It means he has to dress up on stage. I don’t think he enjoys special stage costumes. 😉
Ah, the legend of Bermuda and Al. The chance encounter at Dr. Demento’s, the rough pounding on Al’s accordion case to “Another One Rides the Bus,” the fame, the fortune….
Seriously, I used to listen to the Dr. Demento show when they played it here a long time ago. I was actually tuned in that day when Al, Bermuda, and the good Doctor gave us a live version of the song that made Weird Al famous.
How the heck do you chat up Bermuda? Sell him a house? Does he live in AZ? Or do both of you belong to one of those exotic drum cults that sits around in circles pounding out rudiments on custom-built, staved snares hand-split out of Djubendjimenje wood felled in the dark foreboding jungles of Cameroon by Mickey Hart, Mickey Dolenz, and the ghost of Gene Krupa using mystic axes tipped with the melted down remains of the Norse god Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir?
Gotta hand it to Bermuda, he’s got a tough gig having to play so many diverse styles. I couldn’t do what he does. The polka stuff alone would deep six me. That cut time stuff gives me cramps if I’m forced to play too much of it.
BTW, it’s interesting that you decloaked. I was planning on dropping you a line today to see how you’re doing. E-mail me, okay?
I had/have tons of Steve Camp and always marvelled at his bluntness. Keith Green too…both had a gift. “The Sheep and The Goats” still affects me every time I listen to it.
Steve is intellectually blunt, while Keith is emotionally blunt. I tend to prefer the latter since not everything in Christianity can be explained rationally by theological brainiacs.
Ooh, that’ll get me flamed. 😉
My husband gave me the new Wierd Al CD to me a couple of weeks ago. It’s hilarious! “White & Nerdy” is definitely one that we 40-somethings can identify with…and learn to embrace our inner nerd!
Thank you, Dan.