a brief word about the blog

Hey guys,

I’ve made a few minor changes to the blog, only one of which is likely noticeable.  And that’s my main purpose in writing today.  

I’ve adjusted the blog so that the homepage only shows excerpts, rather than entire posts.  My reasons for doing so are three:

contest at 2kinds

image courtesy of scott’s coffee house

A couple of weeks ago I announced my new (and other) blog, there are two kinds…

Many of you have clicked over to read, and I appreciate it.  We topped 1000 visits on Monday, May 9 (in under two weeks of the blog going live).  Thank you all for reading.

Besides saying thank you, I wanted to let you know that today I’m hosting my first contest over at 2kinds.  And if you drink coffee (who doesn’t), you might find entering the contest to be as easy as pouring a cup.  Have a go, and invite someone else to enter, too.

your favorite progressive church of Christ blogs?

[Remember... I don't ask for favors often.]

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I’m not sure how many of my readers have their background in Churches of Christ (my own religious tribe).  [I'd estimate the number to be at about 30%, but that's completely a guess.]  I don’t at all write specifically for Church of Christ readers — many of you may not have even known my background was COC.  And that very well may be exactly what qualifies my site as a “progressive” Church of Christ blog.  

Anyway, the reason I mention the COC is that Jay Guin, over at One in Jesus, is currently taking a poll of people’s favorite progressive Church of Christ blogs.  And, in order to prevent the results from being biased to only his readers, he’s asking us to tell our readers about the poll.  

So, if you’re a member of the Church of Christ, you may find several blogs on his list which you regularly read.  Take a moment and vote for your top five.  Also, you ought to peruse the sites listed and see if there are any blogs you’re not reading, but should be.  Or if there are any we ought to add to his list?

And if you’re not from a Church of Christ background, I suppose it’s very likely my site is one of your five favorite progressive Church of Christ blogs.  You guys especially should click over and vote.  You might also find some other blogs you like.

My blog is listed (alphabetically) as “James Brett Harrison — Aliens and Strangers.”

And, just because it’s got me curious… if you feel comfortable doing so, use the comments section to tell us what religious group you’re associated with.  [And then you have to say two nice things about some other group in the list... jk.] 

unity is merely a symptom

image courtesy of free-extras.com

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[In conjunction with Rachel Held Evans' "Rally to Restore Unity."]

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I am amused.  

While I am (mostly) in control of my own blog — I decide what subjects to address, how to write about them, when to publish my thoughts, which photos to accompany them, etc — it is ultimately the reader who decides how my blog will be used.

Why am I thinking about this today?  Because of yesterday’s post:

5 reasons kjv readers aren’t celebrating

It was a satire piece.  I used the 400-year anniversary of the King James Bible to poke fun at some of the arguments conservative Christianity uses to combat Christmas, Halloween, and other popular holidays.

The post was intended as comedy.  Humor.  [And was accepted as such.]  I suppose you could say there was a point.  I was indeed speaking to some larger issues, but mostly I felt like laughing.  So I wrote a piece that made me snicker.

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So why am I amused?

Because the post has generated intelligent discussion.  Not concerning the issue I was parodying, but having to do with language constructs and the like.*  That’s as funny to me as the post was to begin with.  [This is possibly commentary, however, on how humorous the original post was -- or, rather, was not.]

I’m not at all upset with the discussion that follows the KJV post.  I am, as I said, amused.  

The writer in a public forum has complete control over his written words, but very little control over how those words are received.  And even less control (practically none) over the discussions that flow from his work.

Is it any wonder, then, that we have myriad interpretations of practically every passage in the Bible?  Are we surprised our churches read the same words but take from them wildly dissimilar meanings?  So what’s a Christian to do?

**********

Scripture teaches that unity is a function of the Holy Spirit.  It is the Spirit’s responsibility to “guide [us] into all truth;”** unity is his endeavor.  It is our task, then, to be obedient to Christ’s teachings as the Spirit nurtures us, the body of Christ, to maturity.

While personally I believe modern Christianity places too much emphasis on the individual, personal saviors, and the like (surely a product of our American culture), the Spirit does play this role on both macro- and micro- levels.  The church as a whole will be built up to maturity by the Spirit’s power and leading.  But also we as individuals, the Spirit indwelling each of us, will become more like Christ as the Holy Spirit guides us into obedience to Jesus’ teachings.

Unity is the result.  Not the goal.

 

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  – John 13:35

We don’t love one another in order to be disciples.  Rather, our love for one another is a symptom of our condition — that we are disciples of Christ.

I’m slightly uncomfortable, then, with the popular view that unity is equal to tolerance.  Unity is not the result of broad-mindedness.  It is the result of obedient lives, changed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Christ.

Seek obedience to Christ.  Unity will come.

[For a very practical approach to unity and obedience, see:  spiritual potty training and christian unity.]

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* Go read some of these comments – you’ll likely learn something.
** John 16:13 

announcement: my new blog

In lieu of our regular programming (brett’s morning blend), today I bring you an announcement. 

My new blog is up and running.  I do not mean to say, however, that I’m leaving aliens and strangers.  On the contrary, I’ve merely added a second blog.  And, as of the writing of this post, there has been one visitor to the new site.  Here’s the link:

there are two kinds…

Please have a look and offer your feedback — here or there.  Also subscribe if you like, tell a friend, or shoot me a link. 

sex sells: an experiment in blogging

I just completed a highly scientific research experiment. I mean this thing was designed by eight genius researchers on three continents.  There were control groups, independent variables,and guys wearing goggles.  Also, my findings have been properly adjusted for age, gender, geography, and even unseen environmental factors.

The Hypothesis

When various and interesting links are offered, the most popular will be that one which offers readers the opportunity to see a little skin. This will hold true even if…

• the subject of the page linked to is far from sexual in nature.
• the description of said page promises only an immodestly dressed woman — and not actual nudity.

The Experiment

In this past week’s morning blend feature here on aliens and strangers, I provided a number of links — not unlike any other morning blend (except this one was posted on a Wednesday rather than the usual Tuesday, due to Auburn having won the national championship).  There were a total of six links, which covered a random assortment of topics.  One of these links — the one leading to The Everyday Minimalist blog– was described (in passing) as possessing a picture of a nearly naked woman. The woman in the photo was reported to be not only as scantily clad, but also in the act of performing yoga exercises.

The Findings

At the end of five days, the “(nearly) naked woman link” outperformed the average of all other links at a ratio of 4:1. Yep, for every click leading to one of the other (less saucy) sites, there were four clicks to the peep show at The Minimalist. I’m calling this evidence conclusive.  My readers like to look at sexy women dressed sexily.

Other Possible Contributing Factors

I will admit there could have been other factors at work.  Here’s a list:

• Perhaps many of my readers are just really into yoga? And probably didn’t even notice that I’d written something about a “picture of a nearly naked woman doing yoga.”  They actually read it this way:  ”a very non-sexual picture of a modestly dressed woman doing yoga, that is not suggestive in any way.”  Or maybe they even read it this way:  ”a picture of a woman — or quite possibly a man (I’m not sure which, because the individual is so very unattractive and unexceptionally dressed) — doing yoga.”  This is entirely possible.*
• Maybe this would have been the favorite link of the day no matter what? It was indeed about advertisements for fast food restaurants, and how the real-life burgers never look like their steroid-injected photos.  It’s very interesting subject matter.  And we all like fast food.  It’s at least possible this was simply the favorite link of the day, and nothing more.  [But at a ratio of 4:1, come on?!]
• There were two separate links on the page that went to the Minimalist website — one to the fast food post and one to the blog itself.  It would make sense, then, that two links could double the likelihood of people clicking.  [But quadruple?  Probably not.]
• We do have to consider, also, that 50% of my readers (a completely made up figure for which I have no documentation) are of the female persuasion. It’s unlikely that the promise of a sultry exerciser is going to send these women over to a particular site.  Call me naive, but I just don’t think the ladies are that into bare midriffs and tight pants.  [I suppose they may have wanted to see their competition; women are, by nature, competitive.]
• However, what I was getting at is that, in order to see the numbers we did, it’s likely that men were visiting the risque site at a ratio of 13:1.  That’s right, if women clicked the naughty at a ratio of 1:1, men favored it by a multiple of 13.  Those vulgar boys.

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So, it’s settled:

1. Sex sells.
2. And the guys who read my blog are a little bit gross.**

Oh, and the picture of the nearly naked woman doing yoga… She’s a cartoon lady.  I suppose you could call her an attractive cartoon lady, but she’s no Jessica Rabbit.

* cough, cough

** My wife tells me I might alienate some of my (male) readers by saying this.  I figure you guys know I’m only joking though.  In all honesty, I think the biggest reason for the imbalance in clicking was that this link probably really was the most interesting one.  The fast food false advertising subject is a real attention-getter.  You guys were just clicking to see buns.  [No 'bun' intended.]

top 10 (visited) in 2010 [but not the 10 best]

I talked all big and bad earlier in the week, as if I thought a blogger linking back to his/her top 10 blog posts of 2010 was a sad thing.  Yeah, I was just fooling around with you guys.  Though that day’s list where I predicted my top 10 posts of 2011 was probably WAY more interesting than this one… where I do nothing more than look back at this past year.  Predicting the future is always cooler than trying to get people to click on your old blog posts.

All the same, though, it’s the weekend.  And these are the top 10 posts of 2010, selected by you, the readers. I do, however, have to admit that I’m a little disappointed.  I like to think of you all as a spiritually mature crowd — but many of these posts were just plain foolish.  Hey, you like what you like; who am I to say otherwise? If you crave the spiritual milk (and not meat), so be it.

1. this post is not about anne rice
2. missionary predicament: hospitality and rest
3. church planting: the discovery bible study and dna
4. a mother’s response to the ground zero controversy
5. martian love and alien pick-up lines
6. down with beliefnet
7. tanzanian kids say the darndest things
8. water, water, everywhere — and a frog who’s in our sink
9. how to make link sausage
10. making God in our image

If you’d like to offer some lame excuses as to why you guys didn’t like the Bible study posts more than the ones about Tanzanian kids and frogs in the waterlines, do so below.  I’ll be holding my breath.

looking forward — top 10 posts of 2011

Don’t Look Back — It’d Be Immature of You

Now, I can’t control what every other blogger in the world is doing (oh, if only I could…).  I can, however, tell you what they’re all up to these days.  And that is: reviewing their top 10 blog posts of 2010.  I’m not going to suggest this is a fruitless endeavor, or that I’m above such.  But it is backward-thinking at best, and resting on one’s laurels at worst.  And here at aliens and strangers, we want to be about the future — not the past. Yep, no laurels for us (literally, there are no laurels on which for us to rest).  After all, Paul did say…

There’s one thing that I do:  I forget what’s in my past and I comtemplate what’s ahead…  Anyone who’s mature should do the same. — Philippians 3:13-15 (taken completely out of context and summarized by me)

And we all want to be mature, right?  So I’m not going to do this “Top 10 Posts of 2010″ thing.  Instead, I’m going to offer you up my top 10 posts of 2011.  Seriously.  [I can't link to them yet, of course, as they've not yet been written.  But still... here they are.]

Top 10 Posts of 2011 — aliens and strangers

1.  auburn wins the national championship

Yep, this one will be posted tomorrow.

2.  10 steps to a successful blog

This will be a satire piece.  I may not know successful blogging — but I do know satire.

3.  i left my wallet in el segundo

Music I remember from my childhood, and how it helped me become the man I am today.

4.  10 things i have to do on furlough

Christie and I will return to the states in August of this year for about three months.  Our (my) goals are to visit family and friends (many have not met Baylor), encourage and be encouraged by our sponsoring churches, participate in a few great opportunities for continuing education, and accomplish these ten things.

5. 10 mistakes i’m afraid we’ll make on furlough

Lots of things can go wrong during a 3-month visit in the U.S.  Ranging from the occasional embarrassing cultural faux pas to legitimate and problematic blunders, this post will be a top 10 list of my biggest fears.

6. a post / series on discipleship which doesn’t yet have a title

This series is currently being written by John King, one of my mentors and shepherds at Stones River Church (our sending congregation).  He is a gifted teacher, and I think of him as my own personal expert on discipleship.  Soon he’ll be yours.

7.  why i am a member of the church of Christ

From a page out of Dr. Leroy Brownlow’s (in)famous book, in this post I’ll explain a bit about the church of Christ, my own religious heritage, what I appreciate most about it, and why I’m a member of this “movement.”

8.  an ode to bacon

This is SO self-explanatory.

9.  silly abbot, pixar’s for kids

I have no idea what this post is going to be about.  I just really liked it as a title.

10. ??????????

This is where I need your help.  Please feel free — encouraged even — to give me ideas for blog posts (you’d like to read) in the comments section below.  I’m happy to accept suggestions for subject matter or even just possible titles of posts.  If you’d like to read more Bible study material or poetry or short stories or top 10 lists — or if you just want me to shut up and leave the whole blog idea alone — let me know.  I’d also be delighted to hear what you think has and hasn’t worked on aliens and strangers.

Which of these posts are you most looking forward to in 2011?  And what’s your idea for post #10?

doubt was going to be the new black

I hope all of you have had a great 2011 so far.  Here in Geita we just enjoyed the first ever Geita New Year’s Extravaganza. The Mwanza team (8 adults and 13 children) joined the Geita team (6 adults and 5 children) for a big celebration — 3 days and 2 nights of 14 adults and 18 children riding bicycles, playing golf, eating, swimming, throwing water balloons, playing soccer, eating, staying up late, assuaging the cries of young children, shooting fireworks (from nairobi), singing, praying, and eating some more.  [Photos later this week.]

We had a great time.  I am exhausted.

I had intended to write a blog post today that began, “Doubt is the new black.” It was going to be about the prevalence of Christian books and blogs devoted to the subject of doubt.  Basically, what I wanted to get at was that I have mixed feelings on the matter:

1. I think it’s important — crucial even — that Christians be allowed to doubt their faith, encouraged to ask questions, and permitted to voice their difficulties concerning issues of faith and Christianity.
2. But I worry that, in all of this, many of us are making the mistake of glorifying doubt. It’s not that the authors of these books and blogs actually revere doubt, or purposefully cultivate or promote it.  But it has indeed become quite the fad among many of their readers, and among the more “hip” of Christian churches.  Almost as if doubt is a goal of our faith — to display our openness and our acceptance of others.

So this “doubt-is-the-new-black” post was going to be eloquently worded and completely (for the most part) objective.  It was going to be one of the more impressive posts I’ve ever written (not saying much, I know).

But I’m tired.  So I’m not writing about how doubt is the new black.  It was a good idea, though.

Instead I’m going to watch “The Book of Eli” and drink a diet coke.  Have a happy new year.

[And feel free to comment a bit on issues of doubt in Christianity.  I'm still really interested in the topic, but don't have the energy to word an essay on the subject.]

brett’s morning blend (14dec10)

10 Commandments of Scripture Interpretation

Skye Jethani’s list of helps for properly interpreting scripture.  Among my favorites:

• You shall not ask questions the text does not want to answer.
• You shall remember that the simplest interpretation is usually, but not always, correct.

If Jesus Had a Blog

Jesus is concerned with the kingdom, while his followers don’t share his excitement.  The fake comments are very entertaining (and telling).

Narnia and the Evil Penguins

The plot summary of one megachurch’s big Christmas event.  I wasn’t sure whether or not to post this link… but the evil penguins put me over the edge.  [When I lived in China, my colleagues and I often recounted tales of sinister penguins and their diabolical plots to ruin life as we know it.]

Name a Mathematical Theorem After a Loved One

Just in case any of you were thinking about surprising me this Christmas with this gift, know that, while it’s a nice gesture, it is quite unneeded (and completely a waste of your time and money).  Not because I don’t want my name forever connected to a mathematical theorem or formula — but because Pythagoras and Quadraticus already laid claim to the two I wanted.

Gene Chizik Has No Chance to Succeed at Auburn

From December 2008, Stewart Mandel of ESPN explains why Chizik was a horrible hire and how Auburn will be hurting for years to come as a result — especially because he won’t be able to compete with Nick Saban over at Alabama.  Mandel says, “…Chizik has absolutely no chance of succeeding at Auburn.  Zero.”

Paul Finebaum chimes in, “He is a dead man walking.”

Auburn plays in the national championship on January 1o, two years after this article was written.

The State of Alabama #1 in College Football

The best college football in the country is being played in the state of Alabama.  There’s not much arguing that.  Last year’s national champion and Heisman winner.  This years (soon-to-be) national champion and (already) Heisman winner.

Insanewiches

An entire blog devoted to awesome sandwiches and burgers.  Yes, that is the best thing since, and to go with, sliced bread.  My favorite so far, Quadzilla:

1/4 lb ribs, 4 x 1/3 lb patties, 8 strips bacon, 4 slices pepper jack cheese, and barbecue sauce