Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Most people who know me well know of my ambivalence when it comes to things of a patriotic nature. Even before I went through my radical deconstruction phase a few years ago, I would get very bothered at the "God and country" type services that our church would put on around Memorial Day and Independence Day. I get agitated when I walk into a church building and see an American flag on the platform. I'm not anti-America at all, but I don't believe that we Americans are the new version of the children of Israel. When I go to public events, I'm o.k. with removing my cap during the national anthem, but I'm hit and miss on how willing I am to recite the pledge of allegiance. I don't mean to be overly pious, but my allegiance is to another kingdom. I do think that this country has some major advantages over others, and the things America stands for are often healthy and admirable. I just don't think we're the perfect model of a utopian society. Nevertheless, I'm grateful for the freedom I enjoy, and the long holiday weekend. We got to spend a lot of time with old and new friends this weekend, which was a gift.

Yesterday was our first Independence Day here in the northwest. Big difference between here and San Diego. Having lived in a brush fire danger zone my whole life, the option of legally obtaining and setting off fireworks just hasn't been there. Fireworks are legal here - at least in my part of town, and the ability to set off one's very own explosions is quite popular. We've been hearing loud pops and whistles for several nights now, yesterday, of course, being the biggest. When you combine tht with the fact that it's not really dark enough to enjoy them until around 10pm, it was a late, loud night.

As I was laying in bed unable to sleep last night, I kept thinking that it sounded like battle zone outside. The booms and bangs were coming from near and far. It reminded me quite a lot of the Chinese New Year I spent in Taiwan. And while the noise didn't cause me too much alarm, I did keep thinking that this must have been what it sounded like in Baghdad in the early days of the current war. Except that the people there had actual large scale explosions going on all around them. They never knew which one was going to cause their house to crash and crumble. Regardless of their political leanings or their feelings about America, they huddled together waiting for the next bomb to drop. And the next one. And the one after that. That's very very sad. It put the whole Independence Day thing into perspective a little bit.

posted by Steve at 5:48 AM
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spirit farmer data

I'm Steve Lewis. This used to be my blogging home. My online home is now at SpiritFarmer.com. When this blog was my active online home, I lived in Seattle. Now I live in London, UK. I follow Jesus (poorly most of the time), worship simply, read a lot, watch culture, go to school, listen to music, write, enjoy art, and drink a lot of coffee.
e-mail me: spiritfarmer@gmail.com
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seattle spots

victrola coffee
zoka coffee
university of washington
church of the apostles
quest church
sanctuary church
shoreline vineyard


sites i visit

off the map
theooze
next-wave
metacritic
nt wright



a few of the blogs in the feedreader

tallskinnykiwi
jason evans
joe boyd
kevin rains
alan creech
chris marshall
bill bean
eugene cho
jordon cooper
dwight friesen
john chandler
amy palmer
ryan bolger
rudy carrasco
ryan sharp
sings in the sunshine
rick bennett
scot mcknight
karen ward
alan hirsch
dan kimball
petey crowder



i'm reading it

colossians remixed
africa unchained



i finished reading it - 2007

generation me
jesus and the restoration of israel
god's continent
glocalization
globalizing theology
gustavo gutierrez: essential writings
jesus and the eyewitnesses
garlands of grace
twenty poems to nourish your soul
the black swan
dancing in the streets
made to stick
signs in contemporary culture
hit the bullseye
revolution
the politics of jesus
readings in christian ethics
toward old testament ethics
the kite runner
principles of conduct
velvet elvis
the irresistable revolution
they like jesus, but not the church
the great omission
ishmael
charisma: the gift of grace, and how it has been taken from us
the starfish and the spider
a perfect mess
the world cafe
the new faces of christianity
leaving church
journeying in faith
the creed
creators
transforming mission
metaphors we live by
foolishness to the greeks
personal knowledge



states i've spent time: 2007

washington
texas
british columbia
oregon
california
georgia
oh yeah, denmark, too



i wrote it

managing conflict in the 'new world'
music review: over the rhine
film review: bonhoeffer
music review: fighting jacks
film review: the passion of the christ
how reality tv changes lives
the best tv article you've ever read
corks & caps: a wine lover's story of change
america's idols
random, disorganized thoughts about life after the katrina disaster
missional . . . plain and simple
on becoming post-gnostic



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