Dark Chocolate--New podcast
A new episode of our "Tasting Room" podcast is posted--comparing brands of dark chocolate. Next week: cold press coffee.
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July 30, 2007
July 26, 2007
Joy in Cubdom
There's much of that these days. My beloved Cubbies have the second best record in all of baseball since June 1st, and are now a scant 2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers (the Brewers are in first place?!). As bad as this team looked in the opening week of the season, things have certainly come together. The starting pitching has been solid. The bullpen has improved. For the first time in several seasons, watching this offense is actually bearable. Tonight, they even go for their second straight sweep of the Cardinals (last year's world series champs) in St. Louis.
Are there problems? Sure. An offensive upgrade at centerfield, shortstop, or catcher wouldn't hurt. Another solid starting pitcher would remove some uncertainty. But I actually feel some hope about this team--something that's been in scant supply since the debacle of Game 6 in 2003.
During the day, I get my Cubs fix at a few places: Northside Baseball has mostly intelligent, moderated discussion. The blog Bleed Cubbie Blue is also often intersting. For the podcast friendly, there's Bricks and Ivy Radio, usually entertaining. Unfortuantely, the actual Cubs.com site is NOT a great place for fan discussion, since most of the conversation there rarely rises above a 5th grade level.
July 22, 2007
Christian scholarship
In the process of trying to figure out a book for I and another guy in our small group to read together, I've started an impromptu booklist on Google Docs. Any input from readers is welcome!!
July 20, 2007
The foolishness of God
We've been going through a lot in the last couple of months--a miscarriage, our son possibly having a major medical procedure, a house sale falling through due to a bad roof, and various financial pressures (such as $1K in car repairs). It's felt a little like Job, to be honest. Through it all, we've wondered whether this is some kind of "Turn back now" kind of sign. Last week, at a reunion of our college campus ministry, I had an epiphany of sorts, in the classic religious sense. I felt an overwhelming sense of God's compassion and affirmation. I also felt the Spirit saying (as much as one can ever be sure of such things) that the issue here was not us--whether or not we're on the right path. Rather, with things like the house sale, we were simply experiencing the suffering of our neighbors, many of whom would love to leave north Minneapolis, but are unable to for financial or other reasons. That is to say, God doesn't promise a quick rescue or solution, but I did feel a sense of solidarity--that God knows us and will provide what we need to make it through.
I ran across the following passage in an article in this month's Sojourners that I think summarizes this well:
Will Willimon has asked some good questions about this foolishness of the cross. What kind of sense does it make to worship a God who, instead of resuing us out of trouble, rescues us by entering into the trouble with us? A God who, instead of helping us to avoid pain, heals us from our pain by entering the depths of our pain with us? A God who, instead of fixing things for us, addresses them by becoming weak with us in our weakness?But this is the foolishness of the cross. All of us know pain and grief and disappointment in our lives. Our human wisdom wants a God who will heal us and make us feel better. The foolishness of the cross is a God who enters into our pain and bears our pain with us. To the part of us that is human and perishing, this is incomprehensible and we wants something more. But to the part of us that is being saved, it is the very power of God.
And even more foolishly, this very same God expects us to do the same with each other: to enter into each other's pain, to bear each other's burdens and those of the world around us. To the world, that is an utterly foolish way to live, but to those who embrace the cross, who take up their cross and follow Jesus, and who are ready to lose their lives to save their lives, it is the only way to live. It is the power of God within us.
July 17, 2007
Got hope?
That's the slogan on several items of merchandise to be found at Barack Obama's online store. Selling t-shirts and bumper stickers is nothing new for a political campaign, of course. However, Obama's are distinctive because his campaign is handling such sales directly as a form of fund raising. Apparently, they feel that Obama's brand is strong enough to make the time and money required for such an endeavor worth the attention. Of all the candidates thus far, it certainly seems like Obama's is by far the most iconic. (I can't imagine wanting to wear Guiliani's face, or even Romney's.) The question still remains whether that will end up being a hinderance or strength--it's easier to love an abstraction than a nuts and bolts politician, but at some point people will want some reassurance that Obama can actually, you know, govern.
In any case, I do have to say that the apparel section here is catchy, even for someone still undecided on his choice of candidate.
The real ratatouille
We took the little guy to his first movie a week ago--Pixar's hottest new release, Ratatouille. Micah seemed to like it well enough, but since it hasn't shown up in any of his later imaginations, I'm not sure it was all too big of a hit. I was slightly underwhelmed, but that was perhaps inevitable given the very high praise it's been getting. It's an interesting piece about artistic creation in general and the workings of restaurants in particular. For me, there's much to talk about there about the relevance and importance of art. After all, food is just for eating, right? Why spend so much energy and time on it?
In any case, it was interesting to learn today that Thomas Keller (regarded as the best chef in the U.S.) created a recipe for the title dish especially for this film--it plays a key role in the plot. Here's a link that includes a recipe for it with some commentary. It's not hard looking, but does take some time.
Image: http://media.movieweb.com/galleries/2878/posters/poster1.jpg
July 13, 2007
Letter to the editor
I sent this letter in to the Star-Tribune regarding today's profile of the Minneapolis Police unit assigned to our neighborhood:
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While I applaud the work of the Minneapolis police, profiles like the one on your front page last Friday upset me. As a resident of the north side for almost five years, it’s been tiring to constantly tell people that they will not be shot or mugged simply for visiting my neighborhood. Stories like yours simply reinforce that notion. I love my neighborhood, and most of the time it’s a beautiful place to live and raise a family. It’s too bad people would never know that from what they read in your paper.
In addition, noticeably missing from reports like this is any attention to the larger dynamics of racial and economic segregation that create poor communities like this one. There would be no north Minneapolis without the mansions of Minnetonka or southwest Minneapolis. Instead, these pieces reinforce the sense of north Minneapolis as an isolated area, the problem child of the urban community. In reality, it’s the whole family that’s dysfunctional. I look forward to the day when reports on my community move from fear-mongering to more constructive dialogue about where to go from here.
July 11, 2007
Q&A with Wendell Berry
The Star-Trib had a nice, though short, interview with writer/farmer/activist Wendell Berry in today's paper. I first read Berry back as a freshman in college and took an immediate shine to him, particularly as I was looking for other Christian thinkers to resonate with. I got to meet him once about seven years ago after the publication of his novel Jayber Crow. His nonfiction is perhaps better than his fiction, though the latter has some very profound passages. In this interview, Berry talks a bit about economies and scale in the relation to the food economy. With all the hubub about local food in the last few years, this is one way that globalization is really hitting home in public discourse. As he admits here, his vision for sustainability is a "losing cause," but in that way he's a bit of a prophet--he may not win, but he can still influence the outcome. Definitely worth a read.
Image: http://www.nndb.com/people/712/000115367/wendell-berry-1.jpg
Mojito gum?
An article today's Times talks about the adoption of new flavors by large food companies. Will wasabi sell? How about Meyer lemons? Gauging the attitude of consumers has always been difficult--people like exotic, but not too much. One interesting note here is how these ingredients (often Asian or Hispanic) work better as sides or accents to a more familiar main course, say in a mayonaisse or salad dressing. And of course, the "exotic" label is relevant primarily to white consumers--the trendiness of some of these ingredients smacks a bit of colonial attitude. Still, it's good to have more variety in the still somewhat bland American diet.
July 10, 2007
New adventures in podcasting
For all those loyal readers out there, we're branching out into a new adventure. Sarah and I, along with our friend Josh, have started a new podcast--The Tasting Room. Our goal is to try out various food claims to see what we really think. In our first episode, we test out whether grass fed ground beef really does taste better than its conventionally made counterpart. Feel free to check out the blog above. We should also be listed on iTunes in a few days. Let us know what you think!
People will come, Ray
This clip mirrors how I feel about my life right now in multiple ways. Will our house sell? Is leaving my job worth the risk? Why are we going to Iowa this weekend? Will the Cubs win the World Series? The simple answer: "People will come, Ray."
July 05, 2007
A Biblical season
It's been a crazy month or so in the Shannon household. One part of that has been the rather tricky financial move we're trying to make--going from homeowners to renters at student housing. In this market/in our neighborhood, selling a house is a difficult task. We spent $7,000 on improvements (new steps and updated kitchen) only to have a sale fall through in part because of a bad roof (est. cost $6,000). Then a huge wasp's nest crops up by one of our windows and a gutter on our garage starts falling off. I have my theological doubts about reading tea leaves, but in this case, they don't tell a good story.
It's in times like these that my evangelical upbringing serves me well--the vast store of Bible verses in my head start surfacing. One in particular is from Genesis 22:
"Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
In Fear and Tembling (based on Gen. 22), Kierkegaard talks about how faith requires infinite despair--the paradoxical belief that something cannot happen, but that it will. That's a little melodramatic for our situation, but seems apt nonetheless. Hebrews 11:1 says something similar:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
In general, I've been seeing this next stage of our lives in light of Abraham's journey. I'm leaving a career that I've more or less settled in, and a home that we own, for a different land that I'm not entirely sure I'll like better. I don't want to confuse vocational fulfillment or self-actualization with the Kingdom of God, but I do feel that this move reflects where God has worked in my (and Sarah's) life. God will provide the lamb--the provision to do this. Yet it's not clear how, especially given what's happened thus far. We just have to continue to trust that God will do it.
Here's other passage from James 1 that has come to mind often:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Now we're not facing what James's readers were: possible excruciating death. But he does say "trials of many kinds." And the hardest part of this current one is patience and perseverance. But that's what faith is, and it has a purpose and reward. As Isaiah 40 states it:
Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Boy, that sounds good. But it ain't easy.
Passages from The Bible Gateway