twenty-three

That’s right folks. Year #3 has begun for me at the INN. We’re back and full speed ahead. There’s already tons of things to do, lots of excitement about the prospects of the year, and as always, the great unknown that the year holds. I thought a brief reflection might be in order, concerning my state of mind regarding this all and my hopes for the year.

It’s been a pretty great summer. I’ve been able to actually relax. I’ve read a lot, slept well, exercised, spent time with Stacy, spent time with family, and haven’t really worked much. Kind of a dream. Through it all, my focus has been on making a Sabbath of the break. There are too many things that get passed over, too many things that get missed, when we live at a frenzied, restless pace. This summer was my attempt at slowing down, living life with my love (Stacy), and remembering how to take heed to the simpler things. Good meals with friends, good long runs, good books, good music, all those things were enjoyed and used as a means to a more settled, calmer existence. I feel healthier, rested, and most importantly, more prepared to do the work that I am so blessed to get to do each year at the INN.

And so, the year begins. We have days like today, where we plow through the schedule, divide our tasks, plan for the big push as students come back in 3 weeks. We have the hectic, frantic, and beautiful conversations in which I can feel the pace quicken and can also feel the deep movements of the Spirit, pouring around the room, guiding us towards something wonderful.

With each year, there’s a lot we know that we’ll do. We’ll have the INN on Tuesday nights. We’ll have a retreat or two. We’ll have student leader gatherings. We’ll work with a staff of new interns. We’ll go on Spring Break service trips. And yet, in all that we know, there is always this underlying knowing that we do not know what the year will hold. Questions of “who will the students be that show up on Tuesday nights?” or “what ways will we be able to impact Bellingham for good, for justice, for God’s kingdom?” or “what will we all be asked to confront in our understanding of God as we work out our faith this year?” all roll around in my head. I think it’s in those questions that excitement rises from. It’s this embracing, this jumping out into, this unknown dance that we’re all about to step into as a community. It’s these things that drive me forward and keep everything at the INN fresh, year in and year out.

I am hopeful for what this year brings. For the students who will make the INN there home. For the relationships that will be built, with people being a community. For the fun. For the hard stuff. For the learning and growing that will happen, not only in students’ lives, but in the lives of our staff and of our supportive community.

So here it goes. I’ll try to write more as the year goes on (as I always promise). Please continue to check in and find out what’s going on with this vibrant college ministry. I’m so happy to be a part of what God is doing here and, if you can’t tell, hopeful for the unknown that will play out this year.

If you happened to miss last night’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention by Barack Obama, it was pretty inspiring. It is exciting to be able to witness this history in the making and to see such great hope in a nation, coming together, and standing up for what we believe in, not being satisfied with the way things are but moving towards the future.

Also, if you happened to miss it in the news yesterday, Obama’s speech was given on a very special day. 45 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his historic “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, DC. The parallels and historical significance of his speech, now in relation to Obama’s nomination, are important to be aware of and inspiring to think upon as we consider where we are going and where we’ve been as a nation.

Enjoy both of these speeches.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”

Barack Obama’s Acceptance at 2008 DNC

It’s been almost two years since my parents made their epic trek through the Great White North into Alaska, following the Alaskan Highway. They had a great trip, brought back wonderful stories, and count it as a lifetime goal achieved.

They blogged (that’s right, my parents blogged) while on the trip, and posted pictures to share. Since I’m cancelling my TypePad blog, I have had to export their blog to a new location. If you’re interested in what their trip was like, you can view it now at akbound.wordpress.com.

Enjoy.

Every so often, I like to empty out my good ‘ol messanger bag to clean things out a bit. Today is one such day.

Click on the photo for details in Flickr.

So, what’s in your bag? I’ve seen this before on other blogs, so I’m not original. Other bloggers out there, feel free to join in and share what’s in your bag. Post a link to your site in the comments section below.

I’ve been reading Hebrews a bit this week, prepping for my talk at the INN tonight, and I’m just getting pretty excited about what it says. In a very new way, forgiveness and redemption, is hitting me. I’m excited about the ideas that the Holy Spirit is leading me towards as I study it and I’m excited about the wild implications this promise, this new covenant, can/could/does/will have in our world. I’ll try to talk about it briefly here.

As a part of the summer INN this year, they are going through the book of Hebrews. Again, like last year, we’re using one of the Voice Project books. They are great books/commentaries, if you want something with a fresh take on the New Testament. Anyways, Hebrews. So, I’m speaking out of chapters 9 and 10 this week. Chapter 9 focuses on explaining how Christ is the true sacrifice for humanity, in stark contrast to the sacrifices offered in the temple, specifically on the Day of Atonement, which dealt with ritual cleansing and purification. These sacrifices, made by the high priest of Jerusalem were very important, but according to the writer of Hebrews, they were insufficient at offering complete redemption of the heart. So, Christ, the true sacrifice, offered himself up “once and for all” to deal with sin and deal with it completely.

There’s a lot of comparing and contrasting in this section of the book, looking at how Christ’s sacrifice was more true, the truest of all, and able to redeem not only the outer uncleanliness of the person, but the matters of the heart. And it’s in these descriptions of the limits of ritualistic religious action vs. the fullness of God’s sacrifice that I’m beginning to get excited about forgiveness, or for the sake of this post and to deal with problematic language, I’ll try to us the word redemption. For one, it’s described as full, or complete and finished. It goes far deeper than the surface, going to the heart. Now, I’ve heard this kind of argument or statement countless times, but for some reason, reading this text, I’m really getting excited about it.

It’s no longer about rituals or acts of penance to do away with sin. It’s about the redemption being given once for all, on the cross, for all time. It’s about Jesus’ sacrifice doing away with all perceptions that we could deal with our sin ourselves or be made more righteous by a certain manner of living or by saying a certain type of prayer or just getting one more area of our life together. This book looks at those rituals, those man-made sacrifices as insufficient all together. They serve as reflections, mirror-images, shadows of what the true act of sacrifice does. It’s only through this complete sacrifice of God’s son that this real, full redemption happens. And get this: It’s for everyone.

It’s for all. For all time. I’ll go out on a limb a bit here and entertain a couple of radical thoughts. The language describing the nature of the sacrifice specifically uses “once for all” repeatedly to nail down the point that Christ does not die again and again for our sins, but instead came to earth once, to die once, to forgive once for all. So, temporaly, that’s pretty amazing. All sins, those already committed, those being committed now, those being committed in the future, are dealt with here. It’s redemption that was done for me, before I was born, for the sins I have committed, am committing, and will committ. And it’s complete. The author seems to pound this point in with the deep hope that the people who read the book will realize that their actions, no matter how pious or earnest they are, are still insufficient to cover the gap of separation from God and while this is frustrating, it’s ok, because their actions are made obsolete by the one action of Christ on the cross.

And to go a little further, there’s no proposition made in this passage. It’s not “whoever says this prayer” or does this act gets forgiveness. It’s given to everyone. I’m not sure I can quite grasp the depth and breadth of what that means, but something hints to me that it’s a bigger view of who forgiveness is offered to than I’m capable of understanding. It’s dealing with all sins, redemption for all sinners, that’s for certain.

Now, before we all jump up and down, either in cries of joy for deep admiration for this forgiveness, or in cries of heresy that say I’m denying we need to do anything in response, I think it’s clear that a life redeemed does respond. I think if we work to gain an idea of the fullness of this redemption, we can not deny that a life of excited, freed response will soon follow. And here’s where we have to act. I think we have to work to understand redemption with a greater fullness, in it’s magnitude, so that we live lives of response. We don’t live out response to this forgiveness because we don’t believe it’s fullness. We doubt the depth and breadth of God’s promises. We want to believe redemption is full for us, but we don’t believe it can be as good as it sounds. And we sell God’s gift short.

Please, read Hebrews. Read this stuff. I need help understanding it all, so let’s talk about this. I know I’m throwing around a lot of religious speak in this, so I apologize. But these concepts are huge. And their implications, if we embrace their fullness, are the real ways that our world can be redeemed. We may need to open our eyes a little wider or shake off a little of our disbelief to get to the soul of this. But is it worth it? Real redemption, of self, of community, of creation?

As the summer is now in full swing, my reading list is also now finally moving into full motion. During the year I find it hard to sit down with a book for any extended period of time, let alone finish with any semblance of recollection of the main point, so this has been a welcome relief over the last few weeks. I thought I should share what I’m reading, as I don’t have a list up and running on this new blog. Also, I’m including a short list of “watching” (DVDs and movies we’ve checked out lately) and listening, because I’ve been listening to some pretty interesting music, along with podcasts, while I paint at my parent’s these last few days. Enjoy, and maybe check some of them out for yourself.

Summer Reads

• NT Wright: Simply Christian - Just finished this. An amazing book. Comparable to Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”, but for the postmodern, post-Christian world.
• Sophie’s World - A novel about the history of philosophy. A Stacy Thomas recommendation.
• The Voice of the Hebrews - Reading this new Voice edition in preparation for speaking at the Summer INN next week.
• The Shack - By popular recommendation, I’ve picked this up while at my parent’s (they own a copy). The jury’s still out on it for me, but I’m only 1/2 way through.

Summer Viewing

• Wall-E - Went and saw this on the 4th of July. How patriotic? A movie about the imminent collapse of the human race, oh yeah, and a really cute robot. I loved it.
• The West Wing - Stacy and I have been plowing through this series on DVD for the last few months. We’re almost finished with season 6 (of 7).
• John Adams - We just started this HBO miniseries tonight with my parents. I’d been recommended it and once again, HBO has done a wonderful job of painting a realistic historical drama.

Summer Listening

• Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” - Still rolling with this one. And it keeps growing on me.
• Flight of the Conchords - I saw them live a couple nights ago at the Sub Pop 20th anniversary concert. Hilarious.
• Rikk Watts - Regent professor, teaching New Testament Foundations. I got a copy of this class from a pastor I met up in Vancouver a couple years ago. It makes me want to go to seminary, just for classes like his.
• the Nick and Josh Podcast - A couple of Emergent dudes, jabbering with authors, theologians, musicians. Not bad, but lots of random banter. I can’t really get over that stuff in podcasts. But, I’m trying.

Stacy and I have spent the last two nights down here in Edmonds, as I’ve been doing some work around the house for them (as you undoubtedly noticed, if you read my Twitter/Facebook feed). I have a good relationship/friendship with my parents. So, I thought I’d write a quick blog post to explain what I like about being around here. I’m going to be here for the next week and 1/2 or so, so appreciating the good things is important to making a long stay enjoyable.

1. Edmonds: I simply like being around my hometown. I love, love, love Bellingham. But there’s something about being in the house you grew up in, feeling the hot summer sun beat down at the same angle it did all the years of your youth, that gets to me. I like the sunsets, the lazy drives through town in the evening, the sound of the ferry in the sound, journeying across to Kingston.

2. Stopping time: When we come down to my parent’s place, it’s something of a vacation for me and Stacy. Everything slows down a bit. Chores are left undone at home. I still fiddle with my computer a bit, incessantly checking my email, but with a little less frequency than at home. We also go to bed a little earlier, get up a little earlier, and generally mosey around at an easier pace.

3. Remembering where I’m from: I get to spend a bit of time with both my parents each evening we’re here. We talk, we eat, we play Pinochle, and we catch up. I listen to them talk about their days. Or remembering what it’s like for them to both get up and go for the day, the sound of the shower, the paper being taken in, the car starting outside on the driveway. We also visit my dad’s parents and in some quick moments, I’m able to step back and see three generations of people, living together, loving each other. It’s pretty good.

There may be more to come, but I’ll end with that. Stacy and I are pretty blessed to have good families we love, on both our sides. To spend a week or so down in Edmonds, working on a deck, or Stacy learning how to make this or that beaded jewelry item with my mom, or simply sipping a cold beer on the deck with my dad, are all pretty good things.

Hi friends. Welcome to my new blog. The time has come to start something fresh, something new, and, conveniently, something free. That’s right. From now on I will be blogging at absolutely no cost to myself. We’re talking 0 (zero) currency emissions. I’m done sticking it to myself every month. So, here we are.

What does this mean? Well, I’ve been paying a monthly fee for the last couple of years to host my sethjames.blogs.com blog with a service called TypePad. It’s a great service, full-featured and all that jazz, but a bit more than I really need. So, I’ve migrated my posts (moved my content) over to a WordPress blog, which is free, also full-featured, and therefore much more fun.

What do you have to do with this? (Don’t worry, it’s not that hard, but some action is required on your behalf)

1. Update your bookmarks and reader subscriptions: I’m a little presumptuous, but I know that some of you out there are visiting my blog pretty regularly, so make sure you change the little link you follow to this address: http://blog.sethjamesthomas.com

2. Say goodbye to the old design. You’ll have to put up with a template for a short time (hopefully) as I work on developing something of my own. Sorry for the delay, it’s just not a high priority for me right away. Twenty-Three may stay or go, depending on my creativity over the next few weeks, but what I hope to have for you all in the near future is a new blog design, with all the great special features (reading lists, links, photos), to share very, very soon.

3. Finally, say hello. That’s right. I’m taking a roll call on this new blog, to make sure you all make your way here. So, take the leap and leave me a brief comment or hello, just to let me know you’re there (and you care).

Ok, I think that’s it. Now, someone out there will tell me I need to write some new real posts, not just blog posts about blogging. I promise I will, very shortly.

Until then.
seth

Over the course of the last day, I've gotten a lot of Facebook comments/questions that read like this: "Hey Seth, how's the new Coldplay album"? I've also had a few face to facers: "You listened yet, what do you think?" And finally, my favorite, a voice mail message: "I'm calling to talk about the new album, what else? Call me back."

It seems that I've made it pretty well known that I'm pretty excited about Coldplay's newest release, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. You might have been riding in a car with me and been abruptly cut off in conversation as I screamed, "turn it off, it's the new Coldplay single, I don't want to hear it." Or maybe you just know me well enough to understand that I breathe in new music and when my favorite band puts something out, I get really, really excited. I mark time throughout the year based on when the next new album is coming out. Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week (because that's when new music comes out….oh, and because that's when the INN is!).

So, here's the review. I've listened to the album about 5 or 6 times now. I had waited, not listening to any of the tracks, until I could hear it all in its entirety. And I'm real happy about that. Now that I have the CD and the vinyl, I've been able to sit back and take it in. Enough about my idiosyncrasies, here's what I think about it:

Bleeding out a sense of renewed creativity, the band has opened themselves up to wider ranging styles, all within the traditional Coldplay sound. This album has been described as something new entirely, apart from the first three albums which according to the band can be viewed as a trilogy. Recorded "in a bakery, a nunnery, a magic shop, a church", the album stretches into new territory. Reportedly influenced by their extended stays in Latin American during their touring for X&Y, you can hear the willingness to leave the old ways formulas and try something new. The departure and new advances start right away with the semi-instrumental "Life in Technicolor". You can hear a bit of the old anthematic Coldplay here, but something a bit more rhythmic, more organic, and very fresh.

Dealing with the topic of death throughout the album, Chris Martin's lyrics attempt to tell a variety of stories of time running out, ghosts among us, fighting the battle until the end, not giving in. There's also a considerable amount of life after death allusions, attempts to describe where he thinks he'll end up. As he hears Jerusalem bells ringing, Roman Cavalry choirs singing on the title track, Martin's pretty sure "Saint Peter won't call my name". The melancholy, slightly pessimistic feel of Coldplay plows on.

However, with the darker lyrical and thematic content, love continues to shine through as a strong anthem for the band. Songs like "Lovers In Japan/Reign of Love" and "Strawberry Swing" illustrate that the good things de la Vida are still enough to pull us through. And along with love, the cry of the revolution calls for a good fight against death, against that which pulls us down. "Violet Hill" is a great first single, strong, powerful, full of some good 'ol revolutionary angst.

Coldplay gets a lot of flack for being too proud, too much like other big bands like U2 or Radiohead, too sleepy, too produced, too flimsy. And of course, I can see some of that. Sure, there's a lot of material on this album that you can clearly trace to their influences. Just like with a song like "Kingdom Come", though, from the X&Y album, Coldplay takes an influence who should be imitated only with the utmost care and caution (in this case Johnny Cash) and pays homage in style and sound, in a way that illustrates respect, honor, and the desire to follow in the footsteps of greatness while also trying to build their own new roads. I'm no professional musician, but I do know that how I play music, how I sing, is influenced heavily by the people I listen to and love. I think if it's done carefully and done well, songs and albums that reflect the deeper, historic musical influences on our lives are incredibly worthwhile.

Here's the lowdown: I think Viva La Vida is a great album. It's not groundbreaking like Parachutes, but it is a welcome followup to X&Y and a wonderful step forward for a band that leads the pack of popular music at this time. It was worth the wait, worth the anticipation, and, like a good bottle of wine, will hopefully continue to open up with each listen. It's not overly complex, but the direction it takes the band is exciting and I'm hopeful for the new era of Coldplay, their nueva Vida.

Favorite Tracks: "Yes", "Lost!", and "Violet Hill"

Well folks, I'm starting to get pretty excited. It's 4 hours 'til midnight. Coldplay's new album, Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends, will be released tomorrow. I'm hoping iTunes will push the button for the east coast and I'll get to listen in about an hour, but I'm not getting my hopes too high.

I'll be posting a review of the album as soon as I've actually listened to it. So far, I've done a pretty good job of "saving myself" for this first listen today. I've heard about 5 seconds of the single, "Violet Hill" and about 45 seconds of another song of the album today at the music store, but otherwise I've been keeping my ears closed for the first full listen. I'll take notes, write something up, and share it as soon as it's ready. I hope it's good, though I hear mixed reviews. I'm not one to listen too heavily to the popular media's take on what I like as far as music goes, so I'll be making my own mind up upon my listening.

In other news, tonight's the first Monday night of summer. Stacy is down in San Francisco, taking a short vacation with a couple of her teacher friends. I've had a pretty good day, pretty quiet around here. I went to my very first Yoga class today, which was fun. I'll try to write something up for that once I really get a feel for whether I like it or not. I've also done a bunch of start-of-the-summer errands, watched more of the West Wing, and I'm plowing my way through The Subtle Knife. Life is good. I'm glad summer's here.