Rebooting America...

An Irish Rocker/Activist/Philanthropist and New York Times Guest-Columnist, Paul David Hewson... suggests accountability for the Audacity of Hope.

"A FEW years ago, I accepted a Golden Globe award by barking out an expletive. One imagines President Obama did the same when he heard about his Nobel, and not out of excitement. When Mr. Obama takes the stage at Oslo City Hall this December, he won’t be the first sitting president to receive the peace prize, but he might be the most controversial..."

:::Read In Full:::

Beyond B&W [2]

By 2050, the U.S. Latino population is expected to nearly triple. Soledad O'Brien explores how Latinos are reshaping our communities and culture and forcing a nation of immigrants to rediscover what it means to be an American – CNN

~ Don’t miss Latino In America on CNN this month ~


Our journey in Seattle regarding race and culture has been nothing short of eye-opening and heartbreaking. I have experienced a kind of prejudice, not to simply say an oppressive attitude concerning people of color. This pushes me to ponder on a weekly basis, as I ride the bus, walk the streets and spend time in the classroom… Who am I really as a Hispanic-American? My wife (a family & children psychotherapist) on the other hand, has been faced with a totally new Hispanic community/culture and has seen first hand the effects of deportation and emotional ripping-apart of families. As our time in the Emerald city comes to an end, I will undoubtedly have a different view regarding race, culture and 'color'. Perhaps what my very-white-liberal-progressive- Graduate school has stirred in me is to not bury my emotions or bury my anger, by hiding behind counterfeit grace and religious piety… It still blows my mind to think that the white church, particularly in Miami, still does not understand the issues of race/culture and possibly never will...
Perhaps there will be more lenience on my behalf; perhaps there will more raw reality.

Beyond B&W

This is a great article (I don’t agree with the entire piece) – much to think about regarding the future of America and what it means to be a multicultural American in our current times. Here are bits and pieces from the article…

Whether Latinos, Asian Americans, Muslim-Americans and other groups like it or not, the black-white narrative is the nation’s dominant racial storyline - even if there are now more Latinos than African-Americans in the United States…
Where do Latinos fit in this black-white paradigm that has always existed and that, for all the talk about multiculturalism, has only intensified since Obama’s election? It depends on whom you ask. Many blacks see Latinos as closer to whites, while many whites see Latinos as co-conspirators with blacks. Neither is completely true… “There’s this almost hyper-visibility of Latinos,” she said. “But it’s a narrow and often wrong kind of hyper-visibility because it is the ‘illegal alien.’ Every Latino is presumed to be an immigrant and secondly to be an undocumented Mexican.”

Read the full article by LatinoMagazine ::: Here :::

I'll finish with this...

Hispanic Americans have been here for so long, and yet kept their identity, that it is rather doubtful they will follow the same process of assimilation by which Swedes, Irish and Italians joined mainstream American society. Especially now that there is an increasing awareness of the value of one’s culture and traditions, it seems safe to predict that Hispanic Americans will be around Mañana (tomorrow), and for as many mañanas as it pleases God to grant to this country…Hispanic Americans are going back to their historic roots and affirming their distinctive, not as something of which to be ashamed or to hide from view but as something of which to be proud and to exhibit at every possible opportunity.

~ Justo Gonzalez, is a prolific theological writer and historian of Christian thought – Author of Mañana: Christian Theology from A Hispanic Perspective.

Suu Kyi

Read more about what has been going on in Burma -Her verdict has been postponed until Aug. 11th.

::: Click Here :::

103°

Seattle breaks All-time heat record! Hottest Day Ever!

COLDPLAY Show

The Gorge Amphitheatre is a 25,000 seat concert venue located in George, Washington - Considered one of the premier and most scenic concert locations in the world - The venue offers sweeping and majestic views of the Columbia River, as well as extreme eastern Kittitas County and extreme western Grant County.

Leading W/ A Limp

After listening to Jose’s stirring message this week, I was moved to share with you two great talks by author/speaker/psychologist and my professor Dan Allender… Enjoy!

Talk // At Seminary ::: CLICK HERE :::

Talk // At Pastors Conference ::: CLICK HERE :::

(They may take a few seconds to upload)

BARCA - Campeon!

FC Barcelona [2] - Manchester United - [0]
Was able to watch a free online streaming of the UEFA Champions League today... what a game. Can't wait for Barca to come to Seattle. The Argentine Lionel Messi, the star of the game.

Light-Bolts Strike...

Lightning hit very close to home yesterday, even striking the needle, which can be seen from our place... Crazy!

Seattle / 2009 / City of the Year

Fast Company has named Seattle - City of the Year - read the complete article ::: Here :::

You'll get a scope of Seattle's history and accomplishments throughout the years.

D.M.

Can't wait for the new album... hopefully I can still get tickets for the Seattle show... even though Jennifer thinks they are from the devil!!!

Redeemer

Remembering... Christ The Redeemer

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Foto by MSNBC

Post-Christian America?

Newsweek's cover story -
read the story ::: Here

The end of a Christian America? …Maybe - The end of Christianity in America? …Not at all. As the article mentions the Northwest’s disenchantment with religion, I find myself in the irony of attending a religious graduate school in the heart of Seattle (called by some, the most un-churched city in the US) – In reality, there are many sick-issues regarding a ‘Christian-America’ that must move on as quickly as possible in order to give way to a New/Fresh Christianity in America. Which leads me to believe that those two questions... are totally different things - What Say You?

Listen to the Podcast ::: Here

"Quote"

Someone sent this to me...

"You may encounter many defeats but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." -- Maya Angelou

Birthday Day Treats!

Mom's Gift -- Coldplay Tickets! (very responsible, honorable) gift

Wife's Gift -- U2's NLOTH-Box Set (very intelligent, reasonable) gift

Words... I've Been "Thinking" On

Love-love-love-love-love
I got to stand up and take a step,
You and I have been asleep for hours
Stand up in this dizzy world
I’m gonna fall down if I can’t stand up,
I can stand up for faith, hope, and love
I gotta stand up to ego but my ego’s not really the enemy
Napolean is in high heels, be careful of small men with big ideas...

I’ve been in every black hole , At the altar of the dark star
My body’s now a begging bowl , That’s begging to get back
Begging to get back to my heart
To the rhythm of my soul, To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns, To be released from control
At the moment of surrender, Of vision over visibility...

I’ve found grace inside a sound, I found grace it’s all that I found
And I can breathe, Breathe now...

(Stand-Up-Comedy, I’ll Go Crazy, Breathe, Moment-Of-Surrender) by U2/ NLOTH

Just ''Thinking''

Tim Keller -- Bucknell Univ. B.A., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary, D.Min. - Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church -New York City -- Article: The Importance of Hell

Bryan Chapell -- BSJ, Northwestern Univ., MDiv., Covenant Theological Seminary, PhD, Southern Illinois Univ. - President, Covenant Theological Seminary.

New BLOG!

Introducing... NLOTH.blogspot.com (No Line On The Horizon) Where I will keep you updated with the latest U2 News and Videos - Yes, I've gone totally crazy this time, I believe this album/tour is going to be beyond our horizons -
Check it out!

(RED)

So, the new RED T-Shirts from the GAP are in - they are looking very cool (great for a gift), plus half the profits from Gap (PRODUCT) RED™ styles go to the global fund to fight AIDS.

Message on T-Shirt -- "All things being equal, they are not. As first world consumers, we have tremendous power. What we collectively choose to buy, or not to buy, can change the course of life and history on this planet."

Wired

According to Forbes.com, Seattle has taken the No. 1 spot in being the most ‘Wired City’ in the US. This of course due to the number cyber-cafes around the city, everywhere you go you can enjoy a great cup of java and connect to the World Wide Web at the same time...