Brian’s blog

sabatacal…sabatical…sabbactal…sab…uh, sabbatical. However you spell it, I’m on it. If I make it back, I’ll see you in four months.

According to this study from the Journal of Consumer Research, you are a cheapskate if you use coupons. Saving money has been stigmatized. Not only do we want to load up on all this crap, we want to pay as much as possible for it!

The bread was so good, I didn’t care if some pieces had fallen to the floor. I grabbed them and put them in my mouth. I don’t think anyone saw me because Darrel was bringing the bread around for communion and most people were solemnly looking down. I was looking down too, and when I saw the crumbly bread pieces fall to the floor I was going after them whether or not I violated the five-second rule. The rug on the floor was old and had been trod by lots of dirty shoes, but the bread was sweet in my mouth.

The bread at communion is to signify Jesus’ body that was beaten and crucified so that we could approach God without going through a priest and sacrificial rituals.

The bread that represented Jesus on the dirty floor seemed appropriate to me. I’ve been to places that would be considered dirty or unclean and I’ve found Jesus there. I believe that Jesus is the only way to God, and I believe that there are lots of ways to Jesus.

I think about it when I’m writing songs:  Can I just slip an easy cliche in here?  Does anyone really listen to all the words?  In Chronicles (2004) Bob Dylan ruminated on whether or not song lyrics say the truth.

A local Christian radio station blurbs that they are “safe listening”.  What does that mean?  How do they know what I think is safe to listen to?

When Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter comes on the radio, I turn it up.  I don’t know that anyone has ever figured out the lyrics.   Check out this version.

The cynical side of me wants to start a carbon-offset sales business. It can’t be that hard: find some source of green power generation, give them a few bucks and sell the guilt-relieving credits to gas-guzzlers. That’s how several of these schemes work, according to BusinessWeek.

When I looked up carbon-traders on the web, it seemed like there was a big investment in getting this started. Some people are making big bucks on this and I bet it wouldn’t be too hard to get a piece of that.

I think market forces can be used to work for the greater good, but this strikes me as an excuse for lack personal responsibility.

After a few rounds of Advil, my rising fever finally stalled at 102.7  (sounds like a radio station).  I felt awful for a few days, then the fever finally subsided.  My temperature went back down to a normal 98 degrees (uh, sounds like a band that would be heard on that radio station).  Yeah, just 98 with no point 6.  If I’m feeling rested and healthy and take my temperature, it’s not where it’s supposed to be.  If I’m feeling flushed and sick, it might make it up to 98.6.

So am I a reptile or something?  Do I just have a cold inner core?  You’ve heard “warm hands, cold heart”.  Well, my hands are usually pretty warm.  Maybe I just have a slow metabolism and my body compensates.

“I like my daddy. I like my daddy. I like my daddy. I like my daddy. I like my daddy.” Andre paused his singing, looked up at me and said, “Daddy, I like you so I’m singing you a song. I like my daddy. I like my daddy. I like my daddy….”

I’ll hang onto that memory for a long, long time.

The meeting ran late, but I had to get back to the office.  It was 5:30 and cool enough to put down the windows for the short drive back, but the noise from the air prevented me from hearing the radio.  Do I open the windows and save gas or listen to the music and turn on the AC?

There were some good tunes that evening.  Even with high gas prices, it was hard to give up something that I was accustomed to having.  It’s easy to get used to what you have, maybe that tendency is the state of humans that some refer to as original sin.

Our minds work in a way that if we experience having something, we can’t fathom living without it.  A good car salesman won’t try to sell you a car, they’ll get you test-driving, take it home, drive it to work for  day or two.  The mind starts figuring out a way to keep it.

Original sin:  What I’m getting is the minimum.  For example, kids grow up seeing their possessions as a baseline for normal life and expect to only have more.  I like to think that I’ve outgrown such childishness, but I think the attitude can sneak into areas other than just possessions.

What do I expect from God?  What do I expect from a community of believers?  Do I take what I’m given and expect more?  Do I give what I can?

at common ground, we like to think that anyone walking in would be welcomed and made comfortable. We say it doesn’t matter what you wear, and demonstrate it with shorts and sandals and T-shirts.

Sunday night when I looked around I wondered what someone would feel like if they walked in wearing a suit and tie. what if some businessman shows up? Would he feel welcome when we’re all dressed down?

Do financially successful businesspeople feel comfortable at a church in the first place? We talk about taking care of the poor, so give all your money to help them out. The usual line is It’s Sinful to hang onto your money, so someone who grew their business and made a ton of money would feel uncomfortable hearing that.

Jesus spoke harshly about people who became wealthy by cheating or stealing. He talked a lot about money and how it can control you.

But what about the businessperson who uses money to grow their business. Growing a business usually means that you have to hire more employees.

Between Facebook, Myspace and this site, i’m spending a lot of time staring at a computer screen.  My eyes are spinning.  This takes a lot of time.  It’s been nice to connect with friends and family out-of-state and out-of-country.  I’ve even found out some new things about local friends.  And it’s also quickly become obvious how on-line communication can begin to displace personal communication.

Most people mention their job somewhere in their profile.  But interests and activities rarely include job info.  Do we do that because we don’t like our jobs, or the real me exists outside of my job?