Walk the Line

Posted on November 16, 2005 by Jason

Is anybody else as stoked about the new Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line as I am? Cash has always been a personal fave, thanks to the influence of one James Alton Bybee, my late father. Cash was my Dad’s hero. The characters in his songs, the black attire, the attitude, the walking tale of redemption — all resonated with my father and thereby, resonate with me as well. I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is that I love about Cash. Maybe it’s his outlaw swagger. Maybe it’s the great music. Maybe I just love loving something my Dad loved.

I promise you, I was the only kid on my block in the mid-80’s who knew all the words to A Boy Named Sue.

When I was in 3rd grade, my Sunday School teacher asked me to name my favorite song (I’m pretty sure she meant “church song”). My response: Big River from the Highwaymen album.

I still have a handwritten note from Cash to my father, thanking him for a note of appreciation my Dad sent him.

So, in memory of J R Cash (the man had no given first name, only initials), I present to you my top 10 Johnny Cash songs of all-time.

10. Ghost Riders in the Sky – I still own my Dad’s vinyl copy of this album. I remember my Dad would always cough really loud when we’d get to the line “…if you wanna save your soul from hell…” Guess he thought I’d think it was a cuss word.

9. Don’t Take Your Guns to Town – The tale of young Billy Joe.

8. If I Were a Carpenter – Great duet with June.

7. Girl From the North Country – A Bob Dylan / Johnny Cash duet. Classic.

6. Ring of Fire – When those horns fire up, I’m all ears, baby.

5. Man in Black – Tells you all you need to know.

4. I Walk the Line – My Dad would nail this song in karaoke.

3. A Boy Named Sue – Cash never wanted to be remembered for this novelty song. Safe to say the rest of his body of work is sufficient even without this Shel Silverstein tune. When I was younger, I used to try and figure out what he said that got bleeped out.

2. Folsom Prison Blues

1. Tennessee Flat Top Box – For Dad.

There’s sufficient Oscar buzz regarding the film, so you should check it out. I know I will.

Posted in Cash, Movies | 6 Comments

XM, MVPs and other acronyms

Posted on November 15, 2005 by Jason

As I told you a few days ago, I enjoyed my 29th birthday last week. Although it was a bit of a bummer to spend my birthday in a classroom wading through 8 hours of Johannine Literature, it was still nice to grab dinner with Sunny, the babies and my mother-in-law. We had a fine dinner (Chili’s…the Citrus Fire Chicken and Shrimp…good stuff, my friends) and then it was on to the presents. I’m the most boring person in the world to shop for because I always ask for 3 things for BDay / XMas: books, music or movies. That’s it. I want for nothing else. And my friends and family, knowing this about me, are more than willing to oblige me by plopping down $15 for the latest book / CD / DVD on my wish list. So imagine my surprise when I open up my gift from my precious wife to find…an XM satellite radio system! I’ve had my eye on XM ever since it came out a few years back and my interest was piqued all the more when MLB & XM brokered a deal to broadcast every game for every team all season long. They also have a station (XM channel 170) called MLB Home Plate, devoted completely to MLB talk, 24/7. Baseball coverage, talk radio, over 100 channels of digital music…needless to say, I’ve been in heaven the last couple days. I’m volunteering to run errands, drive friends to the airport, get a paper route…all so I can hang out in my truck and listen to my music. XM is great; best birthday gift ever, hands down. Thanks, Sunny.
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All I’m going to say is this: I’m thankful the MLB sports writers took my advice and rewarded the two most deserving players in each league with the Most Valuable Player Awards. ARod vs. Ortiz was a push offensively but I think there was significant weight given to the fact that ARod played Gold Glove caliber defense at 3B while Ortiz spent the innings between at-bats trying to avoid getting splinters. Big difference there. As for the NL, my boy Pujols sheds his always-a-bridesmaid history by finally receiving the recognition he’s due. Andruw had a great season, but Pujols was the right choice for the MVP. Kudos to the sports writers for getting it right! (Although I’m surprised Carpenter won over D-Train; not sure how that happened!)
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Our Wednesday night program The Pulse got off to a great start last week. If you missed it, be sure to pick up your copy of Jason & Corey’s All-Time Love Songs CD. (And ask Corey about his bolo tie & tennis shoes!) Make plans to join us this week as we continue our PUR series. See ya there!
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And I almost forgot the biggest news of all. Last night, my little Joshua took his first steps EVER! I must say…I can’t remember ever being more proud in my entire life. Life is good!

Posted in Baseball, Music | 3 Comments

Jesus: A Novel

Posted on November 14, 2005 by Jason

For the past 5 years, the writings of Walter Wangerin, Jr. have been a tremendous blessing to me. I first fell in love with The Book of God, Wangerin’s re-telling of the Story of God in the form of a novel. Now, I’m not typically a big fan of the Christian fiction genre. Call me amillenial, but the Left Behind Series just doesn’t do it for me. (I even tried to read the first one…and I wanted to like it, but the writing was just bad.) But Wangerin’s writings are atypical. The Biblical story came alive to me through his gift for words & details as he recounted the ancient narrative in gripping fashion. I’ve loaned out several copies over the years and given away even more as gifts to friends; if you’ve not read The Book of God, I highly recommend it.

His next work was another classic: Paul: A Novel. Using his same gift of description, Wangerin immerses his readers in the first century world of a young Pharisee named Saul and his life-altering encounter with the Risen Christ. Each chapter is told from the perspective of someone in Paul’s life, be it Barnabas, Prisca, Luke, Timothy, etc. For someone who’s heard the story of Paul his entire life, Wangerin’s narrative gave me a fresh appreciation for the man’s mission and ministry.

After reading Paul, I was able to catch up on some of Wangerin’s earlier writings. His Whole Prayer was fantastic and I devoured it quickly, along with Ragman & Other Cries of Faith, Little Lamb, Who Made Thee?, and Miz Lil and the Chronicles of Grace, all of which would be well deserving a place on your bookshelf. (I hear his Reliving the Passion is excellent, too…I just haven’t made the time to read it.)

But now, Wangerin has composed perhaps his most amibitious work to date: Jesus: A Novel hit bookstores a few weeks ago and I eagerly picked up my copy on the day of it’s release. Now, I know many of you who take the time to read my blog have given me some excellent texts that I’ve put on my reading list (I haven’t forgotten about the Chronicles of Narnia, Lucy!) and with two grad classes, my leisure reading time has been almost completely eradicated, but I started reading Jesus before bed a few nights ago…and I couldn’t put it down. I’d read 70 pages before I even realized it. So far, it’s living up to my expectations.

If you’re looking for a good read, I recommend anything by Wangerin. I can only hope his gifts would be the blessing to you that they’ve been to me.

Posted in Jesus, Theology | 13 Comments

Baggage Claim

Posted on November 8, 2005 by Jason

This year’s SH Retreat was absolutely one of the best retreats I’ve ever been a part of. God truly answered our prayers by giving us the opportunity to lay down our baggage and cast our cares upon Him. Our teens took Jesus at His word: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” After our weekend together (not to mention the amazing response our church family experienced after worship last Sunday), it’s become evident that God is up to something in this place. I’m so proud of our teens and their commitment to Christ. I’m thankful for David Skidmore sharing his heart and his time with us over the weekend. Some of the highlights included…

– Ann Brady being awarded the first ever MYM Frisbee Deflector Facemask

– The “If Women Ruled the World” Power Point presentation

– Natalie Thompson’s 16th Birthday (Happy B-Day, Natalie!!)

– Japanese Bible Theater

– Having all 4 interns together again

– Weston’s “Shall We Riverdance?”

– Singing “Here in this Place” & allowing the words to collectively minister to us

– Birdie on a Perch

– Saturday night’s Baggage Claim session

– Luke Sellers & friends doing the Chicken Dance

– Hugh Brady’s “Shut ‘er down”

– Sunday morning guy / girl communion time

– Touchdowns by Olivia Petty and Samantha Deep

– David’s honest and powerful message to lay our burdens down

All in all, it was an incredible weekend. I love each of you and I pray that you were as blessed by our time together as I was. Below is a note I received from David re: the weekend. I share it with you.

“Thanks for allowing me to be a part of a great weekend. I was impressed by the bond among you and the honesty within each of you. I was honored and humbled to see all that God is doing in your midst. I left with one thought . . .

Won’t it be great on that day when God realizes that we have been heavy laden for too long and decides to bring history to an end by gathering His angels and saying: ‘Grab a trumpet, take up your position at the gates . . . It’s time to shut her down.’

Posted in Random | 1 Comment

Thoughts from this week

Posted on November 4, 2005 by Jason

This week, I’m taking another week-long intensive course at Lipscomb; the course topic is Johannine Literature. The material has been great. John’s Gospel is far and away my favorite one. I love John’s themes: love, light, abiding in Him, the Word. One of my favorite passages is found in John’s Prologue to his Gospel:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. — John 1:14

I learned this week that the Greek construction rendered “made his dwelling among us” can literally mean that he “pitched his tent among us”. John’s pre-existent Word, God’s agent of creation, enters into our human experience. He’s a God who comes and sets up shop with us, gets into life with us. And before He leaves, He promises His Spirit to His followers, an Advocate to continue the work of Jesus in us. The point? He’s still with us, living within us and in us to this day. The Spirit is God’s seed (1 John 3:9), enabling us to abide with Him. And now we have been born of God, continuing the work of Jesus today.

I’m thankful today for the fact that we can learn & grow in the Lord. Grad school has been such a spiritually formative experience for me, one that I’m eternally thankful for.

Posted in Grad School, Theology | Leave a comment

29 and holding

Posted on November 2, 2005 by Jason

29 years ago on this day, my mother woke up, got dressed, went to the local preccinct to vote (I think she voted for Jimmy Carter) in the morning and had a bouncing baby boy that afternoon. I was born on November 2nd, 1976, Election Day in the Bicentennial year. People encouraged my parents to name me Jimmy Gerald or Carter Ford or some other obscene manipulation of the Presidential candidates of the day. Thankfully, sanity ruled the day and my parents settled on the name Jason. Actually, I’m told my father lobbied hard for the name Wesley Xavier. Thanks for vetoing that one, Mom. I can’t picture myself as a Wes or Xavier; although I could’ve just gone by “X” or “X man”. What might’ve been…

My friend, Scott Freeman, on his site Free Thoughts, has posted the results of a “death test” he took recently. Out of curiosity, I checked it out. According to my results, I have exactly 40 more years to live. Maybe my beloved Cards will finally win another Series by 2045. That means I’ll only be around to see 10 more Olympiads. Bummer.

The hardest thing for me to believe is that I’m 365 days away from being 30. I’m still a kid for crying out loud. Craziness. Oh well, here’s to enjoying the last days of my twenties!

Posted in General | 9 Comments

Christmas Mix

Posted on November 1, 2005 by Jason

I used to hate Christmas. I know, call me Ebenezer Grinch, but it’s true. There’s still something about the commercialization of the holiday season that nauseates me. And, seriously, do you know anybody that actually likes eggnog? I mean, really…

It’s amazing how things change. Being married to Sunny is partially to blame (my wife wants to get out the Christmas music by the end of September), but now I’m one of those guys that can’t wait to get the decorations out & start trimming the tree. Now I know many of you still have your jack-o-lanterns on the front porch (if they weren’t smashed to smithereens last night), but I’ve been anxiously waiting to debut my All-Time Christmas Mix CD list. This is your one-stop, must-have CD mix for the holiday season. I promise if you make a mix CD with these songs in this order, you can kiss those bah humbugs good bye. Feel free to join in and let me know which ones you like (and dislike).

Without further adieu, I give you the All-Time Christmas Mix:

Track 1 – Blue Christmas, Elvis Presley. You gotta start things off with a classic. What makes this song great is that everyone has an impression, curled lip and all. Even our dog Andy gets in on the action on this one.

Track 2 – Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano. By the time Christmas arrives, you never want to hear this thing again, but it’s pure fun the first 200 times!

Track 3 – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), U2. Bono and the boys don’t dissapoint on my favorite rock holiday song ever.

Track 4 – White Christmas, Bing Crosby. No holiday album is complete without Bing. The perfect track to take it down a notch.

Track 5 – Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt & Henri Rene. This oldie was resuscitated on a GAP commercial a few years ago. No matter, it’s a great vocal.

Track 6 – Adeste Fideles, Frank Sinatra. Old blue eyes singing O Come Let Us Adore Him.

Track 7 – The Chipmunk Song, The Chipmunks. Come on, you know you sing along…

Track 8 – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, The Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLaughlin. BNL’s signature sound on a holiday classic.

Track 9 – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee.
Track 10 – Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms. These two should be on everyone’s Christmas mix.

Track 11 – Sleigh Ride, Harry Connick, Jr.. I know it’s Christmas at our place when I hear this first track on Harry Connick’s Christmas CD.

Track 12 – All I Want For Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey. This is Sunny’s all-time favorite Christmas song, so what can I say? It’s either enjoy it or be miserable…

Track 13 – Welcome To Our World, Chris Rice. I enjoy silly holiday songs as much as the next guy, but there are also songs out there like this that embrace what this season is all about: the glorious Good News of God with us! Rice’s lyrics will be rolling around my brain for the next two months, which is something to be thankful for.

Track 14 – Jingle Bells, Frank Sinatra. A unique arrangement sung by a one-of-a-kind voice.

Track 15 – Christmas Time Is Here, Vince Guaraldi Trio. Takes me back to being 8 years old sitting cross-legged in front of the TV watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special on TV.

Track 16 – The Little Drummer Boy, Harry Simeone Chorale. Another classic.

Track 17 – Mele Kalikmaka, Bing Crosby. A guilty holiday pleasure.

Track 18 – A Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives.

Track 19 – ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?, Louis Armstrong. I promise you, I do a better Louis Armstrong than anyone I know. Ask Sunny.

Track 20 – Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah, The Barenaked Ladies. This has to be my all-time favorite Hanukkah song…even better than the Adam Sandler one.

Track 21 – The Christmas Song, Mel Torme. Simply fine.

Track 22 – Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Bruce Springsteen. The Boss takes us home in fine fashion, rounding out our holiday mix.

There you have it, folks. Feel free to let me know what you think! Happy holidays!

Posted in Christmas, Music | 11 Comments

The language of love

Posted on October 30, 2005 by Jason

This is something I wrote a couple years ago that I found stuck in an old Bible this week. Thought it’d be nice blog material.
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Language is a blessing from God for it is one of the ways we bear the image of God. It is the substance of thought. Language makes relationship possible. It allows us to express ourselves to each other. Anger, fear, love, joy; our emotions are brought to life in communicable form through language. Language is truly a blessing.

For all its attendant blessings, language still fails at some level to truly articulate reality. The most beautiful sunset, viewed from a lofty mountain perch, setting the sky ablaze in a marriage of hues – red, orange, pink…even these words can but attempt to describe the glory of God’s creation in such a moment. Have you ever been in love with someone and the words “I love you” just weren’t strong enough to describe what you felt? These are the times when your heart swells with such emotion that there aren’t enough words in the world to tell your beloved how you truly feel. Have you ever tried to describe God? Where do you begin? What do you say? The best words we’ve come up with are words like “holy”, “loving” and “Father”. What a disservice to God! Any attempt by finite human tongue to describe the infinite nature of God will fall miserably short! We cannot begin to understand, let alone articulate, even a portion of the glory of God!

And yet…

There is a knowing deeper than words. There is a transcendent language, one we all understand. We’ve always understood it and we always will. It is the eternal language of love, the language of the heart. It is the language of the written Word, pointing the way to the Living Word. It is the language of Father, Son & Spirit. It’s spoken by a Creator God, acting not out of need but out of love. It’s spoken as the Christ is born, at the marriage of divinity & humanity. It’s the language of the Spirit crying out to something deep within us when we hear the old, old story. It is our native tongue. This is the language that breaches the boundaries of race, sex and age. It is the language of One, the language of THE ONE, speaking to your heart in the language of eternity.

Almighty Father of All, speak the language of love in our hearts this day. For today is the day of salvation.

Posted in Devotional, Theology | Leave a comment

Random bits…

Posted on October 27, 2005 by Jason

Well, the White Sox are victorious, bringing home the trophy for the first time in 88 years. The Pale Hose haven’t been champs since before the Black Sox incident in the 1919 World Series. Matt, I guess our pal Lenny is pretty excited, huh? Too bad Robin Ventura wasn’t around for the celebration. You know he’s a stand-up guy…
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I noticed N*SYNC has released a greatest hits album. Isn’t it time someone introduced Yoko Ono to one of these boys? Seriously.
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Today my mother would be 65 years old. Wow! If only she were here to enjoy to full bounty of senior citizenship…like an AARP card, cheap coffee at McDonalds, etc. Miss you, Mom..
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Corey and I were recently talking with a JH girl who wanted to be baptized. We asked her some questions to gague her level of understanding. I asked her to explain to me her understanding of what we receive at baptism (eternal salvation, the gift of the Spirit, participation in the body of Christ, etc.). I could tell she wasn’t exactly following me, so I broke it down for her. “What’s in it for you?”, I asked. She thought about for a moment and her response floored me. “God’s in it for me.” I told her that was the best answer to that question I’d ever heard.
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Not much on my mind today, so I thought I’d include a couple pics of the kiddos. The one of Abby Kate is from a recent camping trip. The pic of Joshua is after his first haircut (such a big boy!).


Posted in Random | 4 Comments

Wyoming: Fact or Fiction?

Posted on October 26, 2005 by Jason


Ever wonder about the validity of Wyoming, the so-called “Equality State”? My compadre Corey wonders aloud on his blog, Walking With God. Did you know Wyoming has a state dinosaur? Sounds pretty suspicious to me…

Posted in Random | 9 Comments