Collideoscope

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

HOUSTON -- Retirement and the Hall of Fame will have to wait a little longer for Roger Clemens, because The Rocket has decided to go on one final mission for Houston.

No. 22 agreed to terms Wednesday on a one-year deal with the Astros to come back for a 23rd season, or at least the remaining four months of the current season.

Thank you, Lord. Thou art a just and mighty God. :)


I will be leaving for New York tomorrow and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the hotspots Denelle suggested. I'll be sure to post pictures of the scenery and any "gruppies" I might come across. Who knows - I may even do some live blogging from Times Square! I'm wild like that.

Until then...

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Astros Demolish Cardinals
In a dazzling display of unmatched courage and superior skill, the Astros defeated the Cardinals tonight, 6-3! The game proved that the team from Houston plays at a level immeasurably higher than the alleged baseball players of St. Louis.

Heh heh. I say this only to provoke the St. Louis fan(s) that lurk around this place. I will be the first to admit that the Cardinals have been playing superior baseball, especially lately, as the Astros have been quite horrid over the last 25 games, winning only 8 of them. That ghastly losing streak has put the 'Stros 6.5 games behind St. Louis for the NL Central lead.

Rocket Launch?
Rumors were flying around today that Roger Clemens decided to don the spikes once again for Houston, but the men in charge for the Astros say that a deal has not yet been struck. I'm hoping that the old "where there's smoke there's fire" cliche is true and something is indeed being set up.

The Astros could sure use some pitching help, since the young guns that started off the season on fire have cooled considerably. The 88 year old Clemens would be welcome, despite his age. He proved last year that old men can still throw the ball.

Posted by: Denelle

A week or so ago Dave posted about "grupsters" or "gruppies". The 30-40somethings that want to look/act/dress like they are in fact 20somethings. I live in the middle of Grupster-ville and so I thought I'd show you a picture of what these creatures look like so that you can spot them in their native habitat nearest to you.
These my friends are gruppies. Notice the thick rimmed glasses, the pony tail on the guy and the clogs (also on the man) and the presence of a small child as they stand on a dock on the Gowanus Canal (between my neighborhood and Park Slope). The Canal is a hot spot for these people because it's an activist cause (before if you fell in you might come out w/three arms) and because the surrounding areas are filled with others of their kind.

Should you run into a grupster, don't be alarmed. They are harmless, usually highly intelligent and if nothing else are good for a laugh as they trying to hang on to their youth.





Memorial Day in New York

So my brother and I spent the weekend playing tourist in NY. Since he'd never been here it was easy and we even managed to see things that I'd not gotten the time to check out yet. We took a MILLION pictures (did I mention we were Japanese tourists) and I thought I'd share a few with you throughout the week.

Today you get pics from the WTC, Battery Park and the United Nations!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Well, my wife and I had planned on relaxing on Memorial Day since the last few weekends have seen us running all over the place for weddings, parties and such, but when we woke up this morning we both felt like doing something, so we decided to head to New Orleans to hit a few shops and stroll around the French Quarter.

For those of you who don't know, I lived in New Orleans for almost two years after I graduated from college and although I didn't live there long, I enjoyed my time getting to know The Big Easy and it's people.

New Orleans is, of course, known for Bourbon Street and it's partying but there's a lot more to it than that. There are many quaint shops lining the streets and jazz halls where you can really see the personality of the place. I'll always love the architecture of The French Quarter and I still like to wander through those streets. And, of course, the food can't be beat.

With all the fond memories I have of New Orleans, the Katrina catastrophe hit me pretty hard. I'm happy to say that the city looks to be recovering. We didn't travel to the flood-ravaged sections, but it almost looked like a regular day in The French Quarter. There were still shops that haven't re-opened and we saw a few damagad buildings yet to be repaired, but it looked like the tourism segment is well on it's way back.

Posted by: David Bunch

Readers are continuing to weigh in on the State of Apostolic Music piece. If you have a comment or a thought, feel free to share it with us!

Late last week, while blogging about Apostolic Music and continuing to mull it all over, I ran across an interesting artist online. Matisyahu is an Orthodox Jew who has built a successful career as a rap artist (his sound is also flavored by rock and reggae). His latest record, Youth, debuted at #4 on the Billboard top 200. He also ranks high on the iTunes download list. (Check out Stuart Kent's reference to Matisyahu in the February edition of A Month in My Life).



Here's what struck me about Matisyahu. He is boldy living his values (he has the full beard, long black coat, and in one of the live videos on his website you can catch a peek of his prayer shawl under his coat), yet has successfully brought his music to the culture. It is even more fascinating that his music happens to be a genre that is dominated by the cultural opposite of an Orthodox Jew. In one of his songs, Jerusalem, he raps word straight out of the Bible:

Jerusalem
If I forget you
Let my right hand
Forget what it's supposed to do

Other songs explore God-themes and spirituality.

So the question is, how did this young man come at the masses with his bold and relevant sound, yet remain so unwaveringly true to who he is? And the more relevant question to our discussion is, how can Apostolics do this?

A friend of mine and I were talking about this yesterday at church and he said that Matisyahu is a "cultural phenomenon", someone and something that is not likely to be replicated. But I wonder, why not? Why can't we as Apostolics bring a relevant sound that speaks to spiritual matters while holding firmly to who we are?

Perhaps it's just a matter of time until the right person hits upon the right musical flavor. Perhaps it's a matter of a long time until we as a movement will accept such a person.

I want to hear from you! What do you think has to happen for an Apostolic artist to do what Matisyahu has done? And can such an artist do it with so bold a sound?

Posted by: David Bunch

Welcome to your Memorial Day Weekend! The long weekend, for me, is much anticipated. My company has a corporate holiday on January 1st for New Years, and then there are no more corporate holidays until Memorial Day. So by this time of the year, we're ready for a break!

My plan this weekend is to keep it simple and take it easy. I took a vacation day today to make an extra long weekend to spend with my family. Who is my family you ask?

Behold my family:


There's me, our new addition Dawson (now 4 months old!), my wife Farrah, and our niece/daughter Kristen!

Tomorrow Farrah's family is coming over for a family reunion of sorts. Then on Sunday we'll have church, and on Memorial Day Monday I have absolutely nothing scheduled, but I imagine we'll eat some bbq over at my parents house.

Oh, and I will be blogging on Monday, so be sure to visit both the blog and Ninety and Nine to see what's new for the week!

Here's a pic of the muse at his work:


Notice the Ninety and Nine t-shirt!

That's all for now. Have a great weekend and see you on Monday!

Posted by: Denelle

This has been one of the busiest weeks I've had since starting this job nearly a year ago. Not totally sure why the world turned upside down the last full week of my but needless to say it has interfered with my posting and I'm truly sorry. But thanks to Brad and Dave for holding down the fort without me.

Can You Believe It?

The Nameless Blog finally has a name - Collideoscope - and I think it is the perfect fit for what we're trying to accomplish. Thanks to all of you who made submissions. Your great ideas helped keep the creative juices flowing and you will now be richly rewarded with prizes from us (the rumor mill around here says that there may be more than one winner). So be on the look out for a phone call from yours truly!

Long Weekend

It's Memorial Day Weekend (time of Sunday School Picnics) and I'm taking an extra day off to have some fun. My brother is in town for the holiday weekend and we plan to run around NYC and do lots of touristy things this weekend (Ground Zero, the UN, China Town, etc). I will take lots of pictures to share with you all when I return.

In the meantime, enjoy being with friends, family, eating BBQ and getting those pools open for summer (is it too soon to go to the beach???).

Posted by: David Bunch

After much consideration, debate, and negotiating, the blog team and executive editors of Ninety and Nine have "Named This Blog".

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to:

Collideoscope: Where Christianity and Culture Intersect

We wanted a memorable name that stated our mission, which is to discuss how Christianity and Culture are interwoven and to explore ways in which we as Christians can effectively engage the culture while maintaining our core values.

Collideoscope seemed to compliment our mission with the perfect image. It speaks of the collision of the two seemingly dichotomous ideas, and conjures up the thought of peering through a lense to see the world in a different manner than what we are usually accustomed to.

Although the blog team created the name, those of you who submitted your ideas to us should despair not! We are greatly appreciative of your input and are still going to reward one lucky contestant with a prize!

Posted by: David Bunch

Rev. Tom Foster gives us his take on The Da Vinci Code controversy in an interview with NBC! The two and a half minute spot from NBC does a great job of laying out the buzz, features a short blurb from Dan Brown, and also gives opposing view points, such as Foster's.

It's always good to see Apostolics on the front lines of the battle for cultural issues!

Here is the link to see the video clip.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The article The State of Apostolic Music--How Bad Is it?, a series of emails between our editor and an apostolic musician and last week's cover article for NinetyAndNine.com, seems to have hit a spark amongst our readers. Many people weighed in on the matter in letters and our blogs here, and there, have all chimed in with their opinions.

So, here's mine...

David B. worded it well when he said that Christian music today is, generally, "a whole lot of less-than-inspiring drivel that all sounds the same." True, there are a few original sounding bands that are technically skilled who can also put your mind on the track to heavenly thoughts, but I can't find too many of them on Christian radio stations.

I believe that the state of Christian music is a reflection of the secular music world. There are some unique and creative artists out there, but the rock music heard on the radio today isn't much different than the alternative/grunge sound that started in the early 90s. People are looking for something different and the fact that more and more people are signing up for satellite radio and online music sites proves that today's generation is willing to search for something special.

What Apostolics have that is different is anointing. That's what makes our live music so good. The challenge is getting that anointing to transfer through a recording to whomever is listening on a CD. I've never recorded music (I can play three chords on the guitar), but I would imagine it's hard to keep the "anointing" when you have to play a song over and over in a studio, trying to get everything perfect for the recording.

As Kent said in one of his emails, talent is only a small part of why we think we have the best singers in the world.

If we would'’ve asked them what religious group has the finest singers in the world, hands-down our readers would have chosen "Apostolics" —and not because we're Apostolics. Rather, due to the Spirit in the songs, the sincerity in the singers, and the openness to God'’s anointing that pure talent can'’t match they would'’ve chosen Apostolics. That said, the talent is also superb.

It's the intangibles that all come together in a church service that make the music so powerful. Outside of a church service, well, it's clear that people want to listen to something else, since not many of our readers reported buying Apostolic CDs.

David and Chantell both mentioned that the styles accepted in Apostolic music today don't span a very wide spectrum. To reach out to the mass market, we've got to have a product that is both genuine and distinctive, something out of the current Apostolic "niche."

I believe there are those in our movement who have the talent and willpower to get there.

Posted by: David Bunch

I've actually become over-saturated with the immigration debate to the point of closing my mind to it. I can't find a logical answer and at times I feel torn between steadfast citizenship and Christian compassion. I've wondered what the proper Christian perspective on this issue is. I still don't have an answer and haven't full developed an opinion, but this editorial by a World Relief worker gives an interesting perspective from the Scriptures. She also does a great job of explaining both sides of the issue and why it has become so divisive.

Christians have been torn on this issue, as key leaders in the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical organizations such as World Relief have taken a stand for comprehensive immigration reform that emphasizes basic rights for immigrants everywhere and support a responsible guest worker program, reforms in the family-based immigration system to reduce waiting times for separated families, earned citizenship for individuals already living and contributing in the US and humanitarian border protection policies. Meanwhile, the evangelical speaker of the house, Dennis Hastert, represents the perspective of many other Christians by strongly backing border control and protection, and the elimination of illegal immigrants, both current and future.

It is important that we explore God’s word on this matter and consider Jesus’ words: “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me” (Matthew 25:40). In our society today, it is the immigrant population, both legal and illegal, that falls into this category. We are called to love our neighbors, and providing basic civil and humanitarian rights to the aliens within our borders is one practical way to do that. I go to work every day to fulfill God’s command, which says, “[t]he alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34). As believers, we are responsible to represent Christ’s love, which will happen not by closing our borders and hiding from the world, but by extending compassion to all members of our global community.

Posted by: David Bunch

I'm happy to report that we are extremely close to choosing a name for this blog! The final details are being negotiated as we speak.

And look for a special announcement regarding a winner (possibly winner(s)?) very soon!

Posted by: David Bunch

Our flagship, Ninety and Nine, has delivered a hot topic of discussion with last week's cover article, The State of Apostolic Music-How Bad Is It? The article is very thought provoking and I really like the format (it consists of several emails from our executive editor, Kent Curry, and an Apostolic Musician, Courtney Ballestero). The feedback received from our readers was as overwhelming as it was varied.

As a music connoisseur and a pseudo musician, I can't help but weigh in.

First, let's take a step back and look at the broader picture. The Christian music genre in general is (mostly) in bad shape itself. Primarily you have artists/labels who are trying to copy the secular sound and then trying to copy each other. So what you wind up with is a whole lot of less-than-inspiring drivel that all sounds the same. There is limited creativity or inspiration. And those bands that do make it get over exposed. Literally, every time I turn on the Christian station I hear "God Reigns" by the Newsboys. It's more than a human being should have to live with.

There are of course exceptions to this in which a good quality band with a good sound and message breaks through. This becomes a matter of opinion but I would classify Jars of Clay, dc Talk, David Crowder, Caedmon's Call and others in this category. These guys have a straight up God message with a relevant sound.

To be equal opportunity, let me also say that the secular recording industry is by and large a parody of itself wherein one has to look long and hard for the glimmer of true art and creativity. When we're giving awards to Kayne West and others for songs like "Pimp Life" or whatever it was, we're in bad shape artistically and spiritually. My friendly reminder to myself and others is to often state that the best music is not going to be found on the radio or Top 40 charts. It's generally tucked away in the back of the record store on an independent label.

That brings us to Apostolic music. For some reason, someone has decided the following:

A. God loves gospel/choir music and we should too
B. God loves southern gospel/quartet music and we should too
C. All other types of music are an insult to spiritually minded people and we should not have them in the church

To me this is the reason that truly creative, unorthodox musicians (by the above standards of orthodoxy) within our Apostolic movement can not get any momentum. That is, if you don't fit into one of the styles mentioned above, you are out of the will of God and are going to be sat down.

I for one am in favor of fostering the creative styles of everyone.

Think about it. The music that King David danced before the Lord to with all of his might would sound horrible to us (I'm imagining some kind of ancient Hebrew sound that would be foreign to our post modern Western culture ears). But if David were here today, Kirk Franklin's "Stomp" probably wouldn't do much for him.

Likewise, the rock musician who gets saved should not be expected to come into the Church and start listening to southern gospel. Perhaps an edgier sound with inspired and anointed lyrics would work better at connecting him or her to God.

A musician has to create within the culture and styles of the day, and it's time Apostolics make room for artists to do that.

Posted by: Denelle

Some of you have been so kind as to ask me about my dog. D'Artagnan is a 2 1/2 year old Shih Tzu. The first thing everyone always wants to know is how he ended up with his name. The short version of a very long process (and a view into how my mind works) is that I wanted to name him after an Emperor but not a Chinese Emperor, and I had a friend whose brother's name was Caesar so that was out, and my mom voted down my favorite Russian choice and so I gave up on Emperors and decided to go with something noble-esque instead. It was only after the fact that I realized my college mascot was the Musketeer (specifically D'Artagnan) and that just made it seem all the more perfect.

Since you'll be hearing about him a lot here (and usually with the words demon/monster or mutt attached) I thought I'd share a few pictures of with you. And yes, he definitely qualifies as a demon. Case in point, Saturday he was upset at being left at home while I did laundry and in retaliation he chewed up one of my favorite black dress shoes. Pure DEMON.

My mother should have let me name him Ivan the Terrible like I wanted to.


This was him during the massive snowstorm we got in February (I think). Brooklyn got about 22" of snow in a 24 hour period. Having been born in Southern California, this was the first time he'd seen snow.

As you can tell, he loved it.







On the days when he looks and acts like this, I love him. However, they are few and far between.












And this is his impression of a lion.

Shih Tzu's were initially bred by Tibetan monks as companions for the Emperor. And, as lions were considered mystical/magical creatures, the monks attempted to make Shih Tzus (which means lion in Chinese) resemble miniature lions. Which is why they look like the Fu Dogs (part dog, part lion) that sit infront of Chinese temples.

When he's evil, I tell him I'm going to sell him to the Chinese restaurant next door to our apartment. But I think he knows that he's safe. All of the Chinese people we know treat him like he's royalty.

D'Artagnan is rather large for a Shih Tzu (21 lbs) so he really does resemble a Fu dog.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Dr. Mom
I would like to publicly recognize my mother, who received her PhD today from LSU in Education Leadership, Research and Counseling. She worked long and hard on her dissertation and to be able to complete it with everything else going on in her life at the time was quite amazing. Congratulations, Mom!

VP
I attended the graduation ceremony and the speaker was none other than our Vice President of the US, Dick Cheney. Cheney was as good of a speaker as you would expect from someone in his position.

He started off his speech by connecting with students on a personal level, mentioning places dear to all LSU students and alumni. Mentioning sports, he brought up the 2003 Co-National Champions football team at LSU and then quickly added after the applause died down, "Around here I imagine you dropped the 'Co'." That remark, which seemed ad-libbed, received a bigger ovation.

The speech was fairly humorous and short, which was appreciated by those of us with empty stomachs. Two main points stuck out in my mind after his speech: "Be able to adapt to change" and "don't be afraid of failure."

Cheney menioned that his college career began at Yale, but didn't end there because he dropped out after a few semesters. "Actually" he said, "dropped out isn't quite accurate -- 'asked to leave' would be more like it. Twice. The second time around, they said, don't bother coming back."

Looking Back
David and I worked together in college at a campus job in an old converted dorm room in Tiger Stadium. Every semester on graduation day, we would push one of the windows open and watch the graduates prance happily to the ceremony. It served well as motivation. (Yeah, and we were scoping out all the southern belles.) Hard to believe it's been five years since that was me prancing happily to the ceremony.

Posted by: Denelle

Per Brad's request I thought I would post a few fun, exciting (at least to me) and interesting things to do in NYC for anyone who is interested or maybe looking for something to do while visiting my great city.

1. Caracas Arepas Bar - a tiny (and I mean tiny) hole in the wall restaurant w/the best arepas in town. Very friendly waiters and in since it's located on the Lower East Side/East Village there is plenty of people watching to keep things interesting. I recommend visiting for a late lunch/early dinner (around 4pm) because they're not quite as busy and hence not quite as crowded.

2. Street Fairs - check around where you're staying and see if anything is posted about local street fairs. They go on all over the city almost every weekend throughout the summer and are a great way to get a feel for the people of New York (without their power suits, briefcases and cell phones attached to their ears). It's a great way to spend the afternoon.

3. Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace - the only President to be born and raised in New York City, you can now tour his home in the beautiful Grammercy Park section of NYC. The house is maintained by the National Parks Service but you can get more information on the house/tours here.

4. Fuggadaboutit - come on over to Brooklyn. While I don't recommend a tour of East New York/Brownsville/Bed. Stuy. there are other areas in Brooklyn that have plenty of shopping, eating and things to see without the crowds and hectic pace of the City (hey, it's why I live there). Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope are excellent places to visit. The Promenade in Brooklyn Heights (the oldest section of Brooklyn) offers spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline as well as the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty. You'll find the best Italian food in New York in Carroll Gardens (Little Italy, while fun, is way too commercial) along with St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church where Al Capone was married in 1918 (if you're into churches BK is the place to be since it is affectionately known as the Borough of 1000 Churches). And Park Slope has tons of restaurants, shops and the beautiful Prospect Park (second in size only to Central Park). All of these communities have a very "neighborhood" feel which makes the residents very friendly and their the first subway stops into Brooklyn from the City so they are very conveniently located.

If you have any other questions about the city, let me know and I'd be happy to answer them or in the very least give you my opinion.

What's All The Fuss

All week you've heard Brad, David and me talk about the DaVinci code and all that's being said regarding the movie's release (btw, Leonard Maltin totally panned the movie too this am on GMA). However, I realize there may be a significant portion of you that have not read the book and have no intention of seeing the movie. Yet most of you will encounter someone who has questions and wants your opinion. If you fall into this category, check out the book Breaking the DaVinci Code by Dr. Darrell Bock.

Dr. Bock helps to explain the basis of Dan Brown's novel and it's claims (Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, Jesus' deity was voted on by the Catholic Church, etc), what it's implications are for Christianity, and what (if any) truths can be found in the book.

Additionally, a downloadable version of a lecture by Dr. Bock concerning the lies in Dan Brown's book (took me less than 1 min to download on a cable modem) is available.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Posted by: Denelle

We're only 2 days away from the release of the Da Vinci Code and the outrage surrounding this film is swinging into high gear.

But perhaps more surprising are the reports trickling out of Cannes surrounding the first screening of the film. It sounds very much like Hollywood (or at least entertainment reporters around the world) are not enamored of Ron Howard's latest work. When you are releasing one of the most anticipated movies of the year you don't want to hear words like "disappointing", "boredom" and "not fun." Ouch.

Having read the book and enjoyed it (purely as a thriller and not for its totally skewed perception and telling of Christianity) it is rather sad - although not totally surprising - they they weren't able to capture the edge of your seat/page turning excitement that the book has.

Meanwhile, Christians in Thailand are calling for the government to ban the movie in their country, as are groups in the Philippines and Malaysia.

It seems that the political/religious furor surrounding the movie may completely overshadow the movie itself.

Interesting Links

Things to check out when you're surfing the net at work (or if you're a good employee, at home):

ABCD Follow Me . . . I know I can't be the only kid that remembers The Letter People,
The Onion . . . for when you just need a good laugh,
help in planning a fun and spiritual getaway/vacation for singles,
and
Have you ever wondered which celebrity you most resemble? Find out now with MyHeritage face recognition program. Do I really look like Elton John or is it just the glasses?

Oh, and . . .

Brad, you are not alone in your disgust over Barry Bonds. I was just telling my brother how much I hate all the attention he's getting when he's such a sorry looser.

However, you MUST stop wishing for Pujols to be somewhere other than with the Cardinals. Wearing red and white is where he belongs and hopefully where he'll stay for many years to come. Right Kent?

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Is anyone else tiring of the constant media reminder that Barry Bonds is one home run shy of tying Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list? ESPN insists we see every at bat during SportsCenter, even when he only goes 1-3 with a single and a walk.

Ever since it was clear that Bonds used steroids to enhance his home run numbers, he's been at the top of my "I-Don't-Care-About" list. And now the media is hyping it up like it's a honorable guy going for the all-time home run record.

But it's not. It's a CHEATER going for SECOND PLACE! I don't think I'm alone in saying, "I don't care."

Speaking of home runs, I got an email from my favorite Cardinal fan (Mr. Curry) letting me know that Albert Pujols is on pace for an 81-homer, 200-RBI season. Even Mr. Curry admits it probably won't happen, but Pujols' unbelievable start deserves a mention since he has taken a backseat to the cheater mentioned above with all the media outlets.

Pujols is a stand-up guy who has shown nothing but class since being in the league, so I wouldn't mind seeing him break the home run record...after he gets traded to a team outside the Astros division.

Posted by: David Bunch

Thanks to all of you who submitted entries in our Name That Blog contest. As Friday, May 12, was the deadline, we are currently mulling all of the submissions. We plan to have a blog name very soon!

Posted by: David Bunch

If you are a 20 or 30 something (and based on our reader demographics that is about 90% of you) then this article by Adam Sternbergh at New York Magazine is a must read.

The basic premise is that we now have a group of "adults" in their late 20s, 30s, and even 40s who are not trying to relive their youth, they are trying to live the youth of the current young generation.

This is an obituary for the generation gap. It is a story about 40-year- old men and women who look, talk, act, and dress like people who are 22 years old. It’s not about a fad but about a phenomenon that looks to be permanent. It’s about the hedge-fund guy in Park Slope with the chunky square glasses, brown rock T-shirt, slight paunch, expensive jeans, Puma sneakers, and shoulder-slung messenger bag,with two kids squirming over his lap like itchy chimps at the Tea Lounge on Sunday morning. It’s about the mom in the low-slung Sevens and ankle boots and vaguely Berlin-art-scene blouse with the $800 stroller and the TV-screen-size Olsen-twins sunglasses perched on her head walking through Bryant Park listening to Death Cab for Cutie on her Nano.

It’s more interesting as evidence of the slow erosion of the long-held idea that in some fundamental way, you cross through a portal when you become an adult, a portal inscribed with the biblical imperative “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: But when I became a man, I put away childish things.” This cohort is not interested in putting away childish things. They are a generation or two of affluent, urban adults who are now happily sailing through their thirties and forties, and even fifties, clad in beat-up sneakers and cashmere hoodies, content that they can enjoy all the good parts of being a grown-up (a real paycheck, a family, the warm touch of cashmere) with none of the bad parts (Dockers, management seminars, indentured servitude at the local Gymboree).

In a way, this is me. For example, by day I am an insurance professional. We have "business casual" but that's basically dress slacks and pinpoint long sleeves. I do wear the occasional tie. A few meetings a quarter require suits.

But at night and on weekends, I still want to be "hip". I find myself sliding into form fitting t-shirts and blue jeans, accented by either Chuck Taylors or flip flops.

Another example is music. I'm totally into the music of today (for me I'm primarily talking Christian music here, i.e. Relient K, Switchfoot, etc. I understand that the Christianity part of these bands is debatable). But my 14 year old niece seems rather annoyed at times that we listen to the same kind of music.

So while I don't feel that I have an identity crisis, I can still relate to what Sternbergh is saying. I also felt somewhat vindicated in knowing that there are others out there like me.

Since I teach a high school boys Sunday school class, I decided to take the matter to them. I was interested in knowing how it makes them feel to know that their Sunday school teacher and possibly other adults in their life were infringing on their youth. Their responses were amazing, if not brilliant for their insight beyond their years. In summary, their were two main points.

1. The music of the 30s and 40s was so different from the 50s and 60s which was in turn so different from the 70s and 80s that it created a chasm of difference between teenagers and their parents. Neither could relate to the other's tastes. But now, since the 80s, music has been more or less, on balance, about the same. Sure the styles have varied, but it's all been of a certain type cast. Its the era of the band. Its the era of living vicariously thru the band.

and

2. The music that teens these days are listening to is from the 80s or at least sounds like the 80s. So the 30 somethings aren't trying to steal from today's teen scene, they are just going back and picking up what they already know! This also goes for a lot of the current fashion trends. This is brilliant, and it's a point that Sternbergh misses.

So after thanking my class for condoning my often immature 29 years, I dismissed class and went home to change into my flip flops.

As Sternbergh says, it's not about relinquishing our responsibilities as adults, it's about exploring our possibilities.

It’s also about rejecting a hand-me-down model of adulthood that asks,or even necessitates, that you let go of everything you ever felt passionate about. It’s about reimagining adulthood as a period defined by promise, rather than compromise. And who can’t relate to that?

Posted by: David Bunch

I was at a party Saturday night and was asked what I thought about The DaVinci Code in general and the upcoming movie in particular. Only one other guy at the party besides me had read it, and we were trying to explain to the questioners just what the controversy was and why it matters so much.

I think this statement from the Church of the Masses blog sums it up best. Note, if you want to read the original posting in its entirety, scroll down the middle of the page. This link begins and ends with reader comments to the original post.

We need to be very clear here: The Da Vinci Code is much, much worse than The Last Temptation of Christ in the errors that it contains. Last Temptation was wrangling with what being a God-Man really looked like. Da Vinci Code asserts that there was no God in Christianity's God-Man.

The point I made Saturday night is that much like Last Temptation, The DaVinci Code takes on the Deity of Christ and therefore attacks Christianity at its core. I also contend that the primary reason for all of this backlash is that Dan Brown goes beyond Christianity bashing and specifically throttles the Catholic Church. He clearly has a not-so-hidden agenda against that group. And that group has a lot of political clout.

The other danger with this book is that Dan Brown weaves fact and fiction so closely together that it is often difficult to distinguish between the two. This is an extremely dangerous problem for a culture that has a very limited Bible knowledge. It is likely that most have read the errors and have taken them as truths.

Bottom line? Dan Brown has written a thriller. That's why it was on the best seller lists for so long. And we can only expect even more publicity and popularity once the movie comes out (my logic here is that if it is popular as a book it will be even more so as a movie since more people watch than read).

My advice to you is the same as it was to the party goers Saturday night. Go out and read the book. You should be well informed as to the content and the controversy because it won't be going away any time soon.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Posted by: Denelle

Today is the last day to submit your ideas for a new name for our fabulous blog. Of course you want to enter and win because there will be fabulous prizes and a fabulous phone call from yours truly.

Speaking of fabulous prizes, I think that along with the winner, David/Brad/I should get one of these great 90&9 T-Shirts. I hear they come with an "out of this world guarantee."

So hurry and get those entries in (and I have now used my entire alotment of the word fabulous for the rest of the month).

Commercials

It would be hard to deny that we are not a country shaped by advertising and increasingly over the last 20 years or so by commercials. All I have to do is say "where's the beef", "tastes great/less filling" or "don't squeeze the Charmin" and you would immediately know what I'm talking about.

So today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite commericials currently on t.v.

The Sprint Wheel of Adjectives - a friend and I have a tendancy to use adjectives a lot in conversation with each other so I have a deep love and envy of this guy's wheel o-adjectives-aplenty.

The New Wendy's "Soquid" Frosty - I saw this last night and just about fell out of my chair laughing. It's corny but I love it. Especially when we get to the "froon" part. Too bad it sort of reminds me of squid.

Safe Happens - not that I necessarily "like" these ads but they certainly get your attention. Only Volkswagon could run these ads and the ones with the terminally uncool German designer who offers to "unpimp my ride" simulatneously (note: I think this link runs the commercial a little slower than it does on tv so the shock isn't quite the same).

And Finally

If you're headed out to Barnes & Nobel or Borders this weekend and are looking for something new to read I have been given a great book recommendation for Singles. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

My wife was not too pleased to learn that I was joining a fantasy baseball league this year, after being around for a few fantasy football seasons. Seems she thinks I spend a little too much time on my teams. Apparently, Bill Simmons can relate:

I need to win my AL-only fantasy league this season. It's one of the most crucial things happening in my life right now -- not top-five, but definitely top-10. I wish I were making this up.

So does my wife. When she hears me discussing trades with my co-owner, Hench, or sees me silently swearing in front of my laptop because Torii Hunter took another 0-for-4, it makes her angry. Like, really angry. Like, we-might-be-getting-divorced-soon angry. She doesn't know (or care) that Hench and I were favored to win this season, or that we're currently floundering in fifth place with a cast of underachievers.

It's hard to explain to a non-sports fan why fantasy sports are so addictive, but to sum it up, it lets us "manage" guys that we really have no control over. And to a guy who, growing up, used to pick nine random baseball cards and make a batting lineup based on their strengths and weaknesses, that's exciting.

Try explaining that to my wife when I'm on the computer all hours of the night figuring out what free agent I want to look up.

But Simmons has come up with a brilliant plan that could lead to understanding with the females - a fantasy league that women would enjoy!

And then it hit me.

Us Weekly.

The Sports Gal loves Us Weekly. It's her bible. She devours it religiously each week. She examines every picture, reads every story and mutters stuff like, "My God, she's too skinny!" and "I just don't get why they're together!" If I've begun to thumb through the mail on the day the magazine arrives, she walks over and rips it out of my hands. She likes seeing what everyone is wearing. She likes the gossip. She out-and-out loves the "Fashion Police" and the "Stars -- They're Just Like Us" sections. (Because, after all, stars are just like us! They go to Starbucks! They take out the trash!) There is nothing about Us Weekly she doesn't appreciate.

So I'm going to create an Us Weekly fantasy league just for her. It's a million-dollar idea that could make me rich, if I weren't too dumb to figure out how to trademark it. More important, it will save my marriage. I can't afford to get divorced, it's way too expensive.

Here's how it works: 10 teams, auction format, $200 cap, five male and five female celebs per roster. Scoring is head-to-head for 22 weeks, playoffs over the last three (so you can have two seasons per year). OK, let's say you pay $55 for that chain-smoking tramp Lindsay Lohan. If she makes the cover of Us, you get 10 points (three for the inset photo). Every other Lohan picture inside is worth one. If she appears in the "Fashion Police," you're docked three. That's it. Simple. You can add or drop your celebs each Monday. Like maybe you want to dump Jake Gyllenhaal (because the whole "Brokeback" thing has played out) and grab Josh Hartnett (because he's dating Scarlett Johansson). Then again, you might want to hang on to Gyllenhaal. He's single and his number might be up in the Lohan deli line.

Posted by: Denelle

I don't think so.

And I'm sorry Brad but I think if I ever let those words cross my lips I might be struck with lightening from above. After all, God's a Cards fan, didn't you know?

The End Is Nigh

If you needed proof beyond the biblical that the world is ending it came today in two forms.

One, Britney Spears confirmed - to David Letterman of all people - that she is indeed expecting her second child with sleazy hubby Kevin Federline. Baby number one is 8 months old. And I'm guessing (if photos are any indication) that baby number two will arrive in 5 months or less.

Two, Senator Hilary Clinton praised President Bush in an interview she was giving. She actually managed to come up with several nice things to say about George W.

Do these things happen in threes like celebrity deaths or do you think it's safe to go back to surfing the web?

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

So the Astros have lost five straight games after getting off to their best start EVER.

Since their losing streak started about the same time we changed the format of this blog, I have an ever-growing suspicion that it's because I agreed to let a Cardinals fan blog with us. Did I curse my favorite team? Let's hope it doesn't last as long as The Curse of the Bambino.

Denelle, I think if you just said "Go Astros!" one time in your post, it may break the curse. Can we try it? Pleeeaaaase.

Posted by: David Bunch

I hope you enjoyed the bio poems-by-way-of-introduction from Bradley and Denelle. As many of you may recall, I posted my bio poem at A Month In My Life back in April, and I'll run it again here in order to round out the introductions.

David
Relative of T. Thadeus Toad
Passionate, curious, driven, bohemian
Insurance underwriter
Lover of Christ, my family, all things intellectual
Who feels compassionate, moderate, fortunate
Who has been high, low, and to NYC
Who needs love, time, and more energy
Who would like to see a live Kevin Max performance, Ireland, and all of us come together
Poet
Resident of The Bungalow in Baton Rouge
Bunch

Much thanks to all of you who have submitted entries in the name the blog contest. Keep the ideas coming and good luck to all!

And if you haven't already done so, pick up your Ninety and Nine Apparel today (and then you'll be as well adjusted as we all are)!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

We've received a lot of name suggestions for our "Name the Blog" contest and our interns our sifting through them at this very moment, but if you think YOU are the winner, get your entries in now! Time is ticking away...tick, tick, ticking away!

Last month, over at A Month In My Life, David posted a bio poem as a way of introducing himself. We thought it would be a fun way to start things over here, so if you don't know me by now, this one's for you:

Bradley
Inquisitive, easygoing, confident, spontaneous
Son of MonkeyMan and ShirleyMc
Who loves feeling, thinking, and sports
Who feels privileged, comfortable, tired on Monday mornings
Who needs room to explore, focused thoughts, friends
Who fears boredom, stagnation, snakes
Who gives loyalty, laughs, food to a bulldog, love to an adorable wife
Who would like to see the Astros win it all, people respect each other,
and more local book/music stores
Who is a lover of life and
Resident of Baton Rouge
McDonald

Posted by: Denelle

I'm trying desperately to be optimistic this morning.

We had a beautiful weekend here in NY, complete with a street fair yesterday on my block (think lots and lots of food, arts, crafts and games for kids/adults). However, I've been fighting a cold for a week now and it's getting the better of me. Plus, the doggie (some of you may remember that he's a bit stubborn at times) went to the groomer yesterday afternoon and only got 1/2 a haircut because he tried to eat the groomer. So I feel horrible and my dog looks horrible.

Optimism is my only hope.

Blog-o-rama

Many, many thanks to all of you who have turned in name submissions for this new venture of ours. Please keep them coming. After all, you wouldn't want to miss a chance at some fabulous prizes. Shoot, for a chance to hear Kent in some Ex-Goth Medal Oldies, I might enter myself. Although that would make the phone call from me to the winner a bit complicated.

Help us out, we can stay unnamed forever.

Side Note

I'd just like to point out how quick Brad was to rub it in that the Astro's beat the Cards last week. However, he failed to mention that the Cards are in second place in the NL-Central. One game behind Cincinnati (how did that happen??) and a half a game ahead of the Astros.

I'm just sayin'.

To Help You Out

In an effort to help all of you get to know all of us better Brad, David and I will be posting bio-poems (and possibly pictures) of ourselves. So without further ado (oh and I'm shamelessly stealing David's previous format b/c poetry is just not my thing) . . .

Denelle
Traveler of the world and resident (currently) of Brooklyn
Legal Secretary
Eclectic, seeking knowledge, control freak
Lover of cooking, bookstores, and D'Artagnan (the mutt)
Who needs time and space alone to recharge
Who loves and misses her family
Who fears heights, bridges, and failure
Who values true friendship and people who are more than just skin deep
Who hopes to see the works of Rodin in person and visit Russia before she dies
Independent but reliant on God Almighty
Loving
Burns

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

A New Era has begun!

Out with the old, in with the new.

The Benchwarmer(s) has fallen in the name of progress, but for both of you that enjoyed my sports rants: fear not, my children. What Kent has done here is open up the avenues to allow us to talk about what we're passionate about, because as we all know, passionate writing is the best writing. And believe it or not, I'm passionate about sports!

So you'll get your random Astros updates (they beat Cards last night, Kurry...bwaahahaha) and other sports topics, but I think you'll find the new blog to be more entertaining for everyone.

You'll get a sometimes humorous, sometimes insightful, sometimes insipirational, but always genuine, product as we discuss modern culture and its effects on Christians.

Ex-Goth Metal Oldies Drummer?
As a side note, I'm very upset that Kent offered my ENTIRE collection of Goth Metal Oldies as a prize to our "name the blog" contest. As revenge, I'm revealing the fact that our very own Bro. Curry is the drummer on two of the aforementioned albums!

Yes, sir! Not many people know that before he "cleansed his ways," Kent was the drummer for a not-very-popular group called Fleabags of Anarchy in the early 80s. The Fleabags did have a mildly successful hit in the UK, but all their efforts failed miserably in the US.

I actually stumbled across a couple of their albums at a garage sale and thinking I recognized a face on the cover, I snatched them up. Sho nuff, right there in the credits it lists Kent "Spike" Curry as the drummer.

Recognize the guy on the left?






Warning: what you have just read, may or may not be, utter nonsense. Believe at your own risk.

Posted by: kdc

So actually it's David's fault.

He wondered if perhaps "The Bench Warmers" should cast a wider net, to comment not just on sports, but the culture at large as there's just so much happening during this particular period of history. (And yes, I'm one of those who believes the culture is superheated at the moment and will eventually cool into a new normalcy sometime soon - historically speaking. Moments of rapid, irrevocable change generally last up to 50 years.)

Good idea, says I.

Then we need to change the name of the blog, says he. It won't just be about sports.

And the contributors, says I.

Your New Bloggers
So after almost 2 months of on-again, off-again brainstorming, we have our major contributors in place - we're keeping Bradley despite his Don Quixote-ish support of the overhyped Astros and his tendency to disappear for stretches when they start losing (some say he's out pouting but I'm inclined to believe he's on his knees in prayer again), and...well, it was David's idea, so booting him wouldn't have looked good (besides, he's willing to work for free), and then we needed a foil, a counterpoint, a dissenting third...and Denelle Burns (currently of New York, New York, lately of the City of Angels) seemd the perfect choice. Three bloggers, dissecting and commenting and examining what the media declares is important or seems to purposely overlook. (Read: Quality and/or Christian material.)

So the new mandate is the culture at large - what's happening, what's not happening, what should be happening and what it all means. We need a place to post when roving reporters end up at cultural events with exclusive photos and commentary.

More importantly, this is not about reporting on what any gossip site can whisper, nor is it worshipping the gods of today (celebs and sports stars and executive editors of web zines) by giving them even more attention from our little zine - instead it's about engaging the culture around us as Christ might. I still love author Andy Stanley's evaluation, "Culture is not our enemy, it is the context that you minister in." That's what we hope to do.

So that's where we're morphing.

Expect a new design this week.

Send us your ideas for topics.

Contest Anyone? Prizes Anyone?
The problem is we still can't decide on a blog title. We've tried every variation of "three," "tri," "triple" that you can think of that would incorporate 3 bloggers engaging Western culture. Nothing works for us.

So we're opening it up to you, gentle reader. Name this blog and we'll shower you with prizes! Yes, prizes! Real live prizes! If we choose your submission (we will be enforcing a strict limit of 100 entries per person), a pithy amalgam that encapsulates this blog's new mission and the 3 major contributors (all of whom have blogged here), you will:

• DISCOVER what poor taste in music Bradley has, as he will send you 3 CDs from his personal Goth Metal Oldies collection.
  
• RECEIVE David's autograph on a book of beautiful poetry that David did not write.
  
• WIN an exclusive 90&9 T-shirt (probably in your preferred size, unless that size is sold out) hot off the presses!
  
• BE proclaimed the bold winner and be feted throughout blogdom! (Or at least by Lee Ann at Duct Tape, Dixie, and Me.)
  
• ENJOY a personal phone call from Denelle sharing the startling truth that you are, in fact, the winner and all-time champion of Unnamed Blog Naming! Your fame in Pentecost will be assured.
  

What human could possibly ask for anything else? So start submitting today at DBunch@ninetyandnine.com! (We won't let him go to sleep until he has the first 500 entries in hand!)

Deadline for entries: midnight, CDT, Friday, May 12, 2006.

Excited about the future, I am...

Ever So Humbly,

Kent d Curry
Executive Editor - Content
ninetyandnine.com

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Kinda quiet around here, eh? Must mean something's going on. Hmmm...

I can confirm that the wheels are churning behind the scenes to bring you an updated, new-and-improved blogging habitat. While we won't totally get away from what we started out doing here, it'll be a fresh change.

Stick around for more details!

Posted by: Denelle

The best month of the year (well at least in my opinion) has finally arrived. Time to put away those winter coats, bust out the sandals (make sure you schedule time for a pedicure) and find the perfect place to sit in the sunshine and admire the flowers.

Speaking of flowers, I was given a Phalaenopsis Orchid (Moth Orchid) last week and it is stunning. I would also like for it to live longer than a week or two. So if any of you hav