All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost, the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. - JRR Tolkien
Today, March 4, is National Grammar Day. Grammar is important. I am, unfortunately, learning I am not as good at grammar as I had thought. Learning a new language is not easy, learning an ancient language is even harder. I am currently learning New Testament Greek in order to get ready for this summer.
If you ever need some online grammar help, check out GrammarBook.com
And finally, to further commemorate National Grammar Day, I give you:
… coming March 3, 2008. Read about it here. That, my friends, is some good news.
It is cold outside… I know not Minneapolis or Fairbanks in the dead of winter cold, but cold for Seattle. I don’t think we’re even supposed to make it above freezing for at least a week. It has even snowed, and more is expected. I kinda like it. I get to wear my grandpa cardigan. Plus the cold and the snow make it feel more like the holidays, although we probably won’t have a white Christmas.
Last night I went with some friends to see “A Very Rosie Christmas” at Town Hall. First off, it was a great venue and a great place for a Christmas concert. Second, the concert was fun. I have been a fan of Rosie Thomas for a few years now, being introduced to her by my friend Luke when we were housemates. She released her Christmas album back in November and it has been on pretty regular play around here since Thanksgiving (I listened to it a few times before, but am pretty disciplined about “Christmas” music before December). Its a fun album, a mixture of some classic Christmas tunes, some new catchy ones, as well as some good comedy featuring Rosie’s alter ego, Shiela Saputo. I especially enjoy the tracks “Why Can’t it be Christmas Time All Year?” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. Another thing that I appreciate about this album, and Rosie in particular, is that it isn’t sappy or saccharine sweet like so many Christmas albums… it has fun, but it also appreciates the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It gives a nod to some old classics and maybe even makes some new ones. Its just a good, all around Christmas album
The concert was no less entertaining and I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Rosie always interacts well with the crowd and comes across alot more genuine in appreciation for her fans than many artists. So, its too late to see Rosie in concert this Christmas season, but if you are able, head on over to iTunes or Amazon and pick up “A Very Rosie Christmas”, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Well, Election Day is nearly upon us, in fact it is next Tuesday. I know many have already voted, taking advantage of the mail-in ballot option. I’m not particularly a fan of the mail-in ballot. I’m not 100% opposed to it, but I think if you are physically able to get to the polls, that is where you should vote. I think the whole mail-in system is an invitation to voter fraud… parents voting for their children who are away at college, children voting for their ailing parents, spouses voting for their deceased and people voting for their pets. I believe we should go to the polls, show our ID and vote. Yes, I think everyone that is able should get off their butts and vote… it is not only a privilege, but I believe it is our responsibility. So I will be voting. I fly in from Mexico next Tuesday morning and will drive to the polling place before heading off to work.
Now for my other thoughts…
For the most part this election has disgusted me. The negative campaigning has been worse than I can remember… McCain & Obama beating up on each other, Rossi & Gregoire slinging mud for a second go around, the GOP & Democrats distorting the records of the opposition in an attempt to fool voters. People have been down-right nasty, speaking of people as stupid, uneducated, thoughtless, etc when they indicate that they might be voting for some other candidate. I’m sick of it. I want it to stop.
I have seen few, if any, bright spots in this election. One that particularly stood out to me is in the campaign for Washington State Treasurer. As I was driving last night I heard a commercial featuring out going treasurer Mike Murphy. Mike is a Democrat and yet he was endorsing the Republican candidate. He spoke of how this candidate was the right choice, of how he has faithfully stewarded the people’s money as the Assistant Treasurer. There was nothing negative in this ad, in fact it only focused on the accomplishments and promise of the candidate. Why can’t every election be this way? Isn’t it better to have someone competent in the position, someone who is honest, someone who refrains from negative campaigning.
Now for one last thought. This one is about the issues. Some are, frankly, more important than others. As a Christian, a candidate’s stance on life issues stands out as one of the most important. Life issues is not just abortion, but also euthanasia/assisted suicide, the death penalty, genocide, etc. I don’t believe we can take a candidates views on these matters lightly, their views might just reveal more about their character than is initially apparent. If someone has a low view of life (esp in regards supporting abortion, assisted suicide), what then is their view of the poor, the handicapped, the ill, the old, any other ‘drain’ on society. What becomes of their bioethics? I’m not saying this is the only crucial issue… the economy is certainly important, immigration and education are also important. The whole picture of a candidate is important and we should be responsible and honest with ourselves in our appraisals of a candidate. We also need to not sell our beliefs and convictions down the river in order to vote for the candidate that is de rigeur in our social circles.
So all that to say… VOTE.
Child 44: A Novel by Tom Rob Smith
I don’t often take the chance to read much new literature. However, walking through Barnes & Noble recently I noticed this book on the new release table. I picked it up, flipped open the cover and read the synopsis. It sounded intriguing, so I decided to pick it up. I would classify the book as a murder mystery/historical fiction. Set in the bleak era of the Stalinist USSR, Child 44 is a completely engrossing, thrilling page turner of murder, government cover-up and the risk involved in exposing the real killer. Smith powerfully recreated the paranoia and fear of that era. While there are troubling parts of the book, the story as a whole has a redemptive ending. I would highly recommend this book.
I was thinking today about God’s mercy today as I rode the ferry back from the UCU retreat on Whidbey Island. Then again when I was in the office with hearing about the Malawi trip my boss and a number of people from church went on. Then once again as I was chatting with a friend of mine half a world away. His mercy is much greater than we can imagine or understand, it comes to us undeserved by us, but deserved for us by Christ. It is the strength that we receive to go through times of trial and also to grow in grace when things are easy. The following hymn by John Stocker (circa 1776) is one of my favorites and speaks beautifully of the mercy of God. It has been set to new music by Sandra McCracken.
Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.Lyrics: John Stocker; Music: Sandra McCracken
I especially like the 2nd verse, reminding us that we couldn’t even survive but for his mercy and grace. We would end in inescapable despair, because of our own sin and the sinfulness of others. It is God’s mercy that allows us to trust and grow, to know truth and true joy. It is because of his mercy that there is still beauty in this world and music for our ears; that we can be free to weep because we know our sorrow will end and we can laugh because we can find true joy in a broken world.
So last night was my buddy Will’s send off for his year of medical rotations, so we all met up at Big Time Brewery for some good times before Will departed. Afterwards some of us headed over to The Tractor for the SHIM/Maldives/Pickwick show.
The Tractor is one of my favorite music venues in Seattle, so I’m always excited to go to a show there. This time did not fail. Unfortunately we missed Pickwick, but the Maldives and SHIM were fantastic. You should check out their music, they will most certainly rock your face off! I’ve known about SHIM for over a year thanks to some friends who took the time to introduce me. The Maldives were new to me, but I think I’ve found yet another band whose music I enjoy.
I remembered after we got there that the last SHIM show I went to left me with some ringing ears, so I didn’t have time to get any earplugs… so we made due, toilet paper actually worked pretty well. Remember: Bring earplugs to rock concerts, especially in small venues! Even if you don’t end up needing them, you might and you will be sorry if you forgot them.
The Maldives:
SHIM:
Not that piracy actually has anything to do with deep roots, but me and piracy do go back a long way and since today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I figured I’d highlight how this is so. 
So anyhow, Piracy…
Growing up my favorite movies revolved around pirates: The Goonies, Treasure Island, and the like … I also enjoyed the beginning of the Jack Sparrow trilogy, but not really the end.
Speaking of Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean was always my favorite ride at Disney.
A college friend and I have a long history of talking like pirates to one another… aaaarrrrgh
I even live in a city that has its own pirates.
I am however, not a fan of piracy, pilaging and plundering are so 19th century… so stop stealing music and such!
Some might be wondering why I named the blog “Deep Roots”. The answer is simple and yet complicated at the same time. I wanted a title that at least somewhat explains what the purpose of this blog is. I wanted to express my desire to explore faith and life in light of theology, the church and culture. True faith is deep and abiding. It weathers drought and deluge, heat and frost, famine and pestilence. It also weathers the good times, when things seem easy and faith doesn’t seem so important… times of wealth and abundance. Deep roots of faith not only weather these things, but they keep you anchored from the whims and extravagances of words that would sway you one way or another. As you can tell from the tag line, the title is from a poem in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
I hope you enjoy whatever you read here.
I am transitioning over to this blog from my old one. Hopefully I will be posting a few times a week.
