supersimbo..........

supersimbo has moved.........

2009-06-10T18:46:00.003+01:00

Change your links............

new supersimbo is HERE

Just Do Something...............

2009-06-05T09:39:00.005+01:00

"God doesn't need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He's already revealed his plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like." At least that's what the back of this book says! A couple of days ago Gary (who i still haven't met) suggested here that it would be good for some folks to read this book & discuss as we go along via his blog. I had flicked through the foreword last week and straight away knew i would like to get a copy so to share thoughts & opinions as we go along with some other folks appealed to me instantly. Some thoughts before we begin that discussion; the first words printed in the book are "It is God's will for you to read this book." After a short paragraph filled with the kind of manipulation that is common in 'churches' Josh Harris, who wrote the foreword, admits he is talking 'total baloney' and in fact reading the book may help to 'set you straight' on some of these issues. That leapt off the page at me because frankly i have heard the 'God's will for your life' trump card being twisted into a sinister and manipulating thing far too often. Somehow we have lost the ability to 'love Him with our whole hearts' and 'obey His Word' in favor of loving Him with a bit of our hearts in a kind of buddy/best friend way and occasionally considering what HIs word says but always adding our own feelings to the mix! And we are wrong, at least in a lot of cases we are!
Once Gary gets an announcement about when we will start discussions i will blog it but in the meantime, please, if this could be helpful, get a book, join in the conversation and lets pray that we will all understand God's will better at the end of this.....

Buy it here

Cussing Pastors?

2009-06-03T22:26:00.005+01:00

I was NOT going to blog about this, goodness knows i do not need a debate about appropriate language for Christians right now. However, i have been thinking about it & i simply have to say something! Watch the clip first.......

This post sums it up perfectly when they ask "Is it necessary to curse in an admonition to other pastors not to curse? Did he not do that to grab our attention? Is that not EXACTLY the SAME THING that he accuses pastors who curse of doing?"

Ironic perhaps? or just plain dumb? He is from Texas............

H/T Matthew Paul Turner

Buy this CD..............

2009-06-03T19:39:00.003+01:00

In 1993 i had just spent the last 3 years listening to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica & Red Hot Chili Peppers albums way too much! None of this was helpful to an already moody 16 year old! Just before summer that year Paul Weller released his 2nd record Wild Wood and despite his status as a grumpy old so & so, his fantastic solo return to form was, well, like a summer breeze to me! If it is possible you need to get this record & enjoy it in the sun, preferably your garden or a park, with some friends! If you listen closely some of this is not cheery, Weller was questioning his motivation and ability to still perform while writing the songs, but it has this unmistakable vibe of summer, a real feel good vibe! Song titles like 'sunflower,' 'shadow of the sun,' and 'country' help with that i guess! Weller single handedly paved the way for brit-pop, influencing the likes of Oasis & picking up the title of 'the Modfather' with his early 90's return to brilliance, this album cemented that status firmly. One of my absolute favorite albums without a doubt & you need to get it! Oh & if you get a chance, go see him live, we caught him in belfast a few years ago. Front row, sweating like a mentalist in amongst a load of yobs with mod haircuts & silk scarfs but it was awesome & i got one of his 2x4 thick guitar picks!! Good times!

Goodbye May.........

2009-05-31T17:01:00.003+01:00

I am not sorry this is the last day or May but i do hope that June is a little bit less difficult, here is something to indicate how my month has been and perhaps make you smile as well..............

Thou Shalt not Twitter in Church?

2009-05-30T16:56:00.004+01:00

My first exposure to the idea of using twitter during Church happened here. By the time this article appeared at the beginning of May and gave it huge exposure, i had witnessed lots of conversation about twitter in Church. So, good or bad? Useful or not?
John Piper has entered the discussion here as a result of an earlier post by Josh Harris, which can be found here. As a response to those thoughts John Voelz has responded here. There is even an eBook called 'The Reason your Church must twitter,' check that out here if you have $5 to spare!! If not, at least, join the conversation........
I am not sure what to make of it all as yet, there are a few folks in and around our Church who use twitter but i am not sure we have a large enough grasp of the whole thing to use it in the way some others are. I know some folks who have not got past having powerpoint on screens or using drums in Church yet so thats where we are locally! I do know that i can be very easily distracted in some of the ways that John Piper points out in his post so i need to be careful about distractions in general during services. This is an issue that will differ for each of us, a matter that needs to be discerned by the individual. Some take notes, some do not as it distracts from the sermon......................lots to consider! Any thoughts?

Hillsong UNITED: Tear Down the Walls

2009-05-28T16:47:00.004+01:00

Hold on to your hat folks, this album has just earned the #2 spot on the iTunes Top Album Charts selling only less digital music copies than Eminem's new CD Relapse. Lets take Eminem out in Jesus name, buy it, download it! You all know that i tend to be harsh on CCM but for a while now i have quietly been thinking differently of these guys. "People of all ages, especially students, are connecting with United's message of compassion and social justice and their genuine passion for a real connection with God and each other," says Chris Estes, Director of Digital Marketing for Integrity Music, the label that distributes United in the U.S. "They're identifying with the band's passion to live out their faith and make a difference in the lives of those next door and around the world." "For a band that is virtually unknown outside the Christian culture to be selling more than Green Day and Lady Gaga and almost as many as Eminem on iTunes, it says something about United's amazing trajectory as an impact artist beyond just the Christian music scene," continued Estes. "And, they did all this without traditional industry drivers like heavy radio play and mainstream TV. Not only do they sell out major venues, churches around the world are singing their songs every Sunday."

How you going to argue with sales like this? amazing.............

Philippians 3

2009-05-28T13:38:00.001+01:00

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

no more Christian Books part 8

2009-05-24T10:34:00.006+01:00

I have had questions for a long time about how serious the USA takes the UK when it comes to 'Christian' retail, 'Christian music' etc etc. I guess something to also ask is, actually, how big is the industry on this side of the Atlantic? If we stripped away all the worldwide imports of 'christian' product what would be left? Are we producing good & worthwhile stock for the Church in the UK?
On friday i sat in on a meeting with Michael from Authentic and then had lunch at madeinBelfast combined with discussions about a whole lot of stuff! I admit that for the first time i got a sense of excitement about the product being created & promoted by these guys as opposed to the imported stuff they sell. Fair play to Michael for taking time to meet us, inform us and encourage us. But are the efforts of UK based companies & organizations like this being thwarted by our yank brothers & sisters? Or are they even brothers & sisters? Sadly a lot of my issues and difficulties with CCM and such 'movements' are found in the fact that at the head of a lot of the leading companies & publishing houses there is no emphasis on 'christian' thinking or ethics, it usually about money. In fact a lot of the publishers we know and love are imprints of publishing companies that are in no way, Christian. A lot of consumers do not know that the reason some of the books you buy are on the shelf is JUST about the money, not about the impact it may have on your life or faith! Decisions like this one by Zondervan are often fueled by money. Perhaps the UK market is not doing so well and..............you know what, i needn't make that excuse because from where i sit, the UK market for Zondervan looks pretty sweet! They have top authors, big titles & nice marketing, and Rob Bell who is a marketers dream, but what has changed in the UK? Forgive me for being skeptical but much like in politics i can't help but feel like we are the smaller cousin who gets shafted (in Christian love of course) when the numbers do not add up! Its tough to put this point across though because more and more i see that 'christian' business is NOT 'christian' AT ALL. Some people just do not understand that in business you cannot turn off your Christianity! I suppose though, you cannot turn off something that is not there!

p.s i have decided to carry on the 'No More Christian Books' series as a look at the industry & products in general even though i am reading again!

Empty

2009-05-23T21:37:00.003+01:00

A few days ago i 'tweeted' about my fascination and slight obsession with the Ray LaMontagne song 'Empty.' Since we saw him live in February i have listened to this countless times, bounced the words around in my head and i guess, felt a connection with some of what he says. For example, when Ray sings "I never learned to count my blessings. I choose instead to dwell in my disasters" part of me says 'yep' thats me! Anyway, i love the song, have a listen

p.s i couldn't find a really good live clip so sorry this is visually boring!

No More Christian Music?

2009-05-21T17:09:00.004+01:00

If you have come within 10 ft of me for more than 5 minutes in the last year or so you may know the frustrations i have with 'Christian Music' and you may have heard rumors that i was going to follow on from 'No more Christian Books' with a similarly themed music equivalent! I was, i still might, but today i had a 'moment' that has forced me to write this blog post. I was scrolling through my iTunes and decided to reminisce with some Fernando Ortega. Some of you may know that Fernando was the first artist that atiG brought to Northern Ireland, back in 2004, he returned the following year. As i listened to 'The Shadow of your Wings" today i suddenly realized that i may have been harsh toward 'Christian Music.' The beautiful God honoring songs on that album and much of Fernando's work are truly fantastic. The thing about this record is that much of what is sung is lifted directly from scripture, unlike a lot of other CCM stuff. So, i listened and felt something i thought was dead within me flutter a little. My opinions and conclusions about CCM had, i thought, killed something in me, i might have been wrong though. I felt it move today! "Whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is worth, think on these things" As i heard those words i wondered if we have replaced 'truth, purity, loveliness and worth" with hip, cool & relevant?
So, i found this video which is also a tribute to Billy Graham's late wife, beautifully created BUT the thing i am highlighting is the song, the voice, the words..................

Thanks to Fernando for his music, he is a real artist in a mirky water of 'hip, cool & relevant" types who, for the most part are very un-important! NIce to see Rich playing the guitar in this clip, a wonderful guitar player!

Facebook/Blog Break statement........

2009-05-10T22:41:00.009+01:00

While i am off facebook & blogging i thought i would leave a brief statement here which is part of my reasoning for this break.

"It is with regret that i have to announce i am now no longer involved with the organization known as FUEL Events or their 2009 event FUEL09. The official FUEL logo and all of the printed artwork & publicity produced up until April09 was created by me but as of now i am not responsible for any graphical work for FUEL or for any promotion of the event. atiG events, with whom i am intricately involved is also no longer a part of FUEL in any capacity"

MUTEMATH.......

2009-05-09T12:53:00.003+01:00

Sorry folks, another video clip! This is stacked on top of my thought pile for the start of the upcoming 'NO MORE Christian MUSIC' series of posts. Why? Well in a nutshell MUTEMATH have 'Christian' roots, having formed out of the ashes from a short-lived CCM band called Earthsuit. The result of that link and the fact that they are awesome has saw a huge amount of exposure in CCM circles, with Christian musicians, bloggers etc tipping their hat to MUTEMATH often. So, i have some thoughts around that which i may have forgotten by the time i buy a newspaper today and do all the other things i need to do.................ah just enjoy the video!

The Hold Steady......

2009-05-08T08:29:00.005+01:00

one twitter comment last night said that the "Singer" was like a chubby dad on coke." which i guess is kinda true but i reckon Adam Duritz is kind of like a 'chubby dad who needs something (perhaps not coke)' to cheer him the heck up (ok, that might be harsh). YOu will kind of see that the chubby dad on coke description is mmm, not a bad one in the official 'stuck between stations' video below, but seriously, these guys are one of my favorite bands right now & it pains me to see how unknown they are over here.

Oh, have i posted about how they formed the band? I think i have but here it is again!
"while watching the The Band concert film The Last Waltz, Finn (singer) asked Kubler (guitarist), "Dude, why aren't there any bands like this anymore?"

He was right, there is nobody else like them!! Watch the whole clip, the ending is epic!!

"Holy Cow, i love your eyes"

2009-05-03T23:15:00.004+01:00

This has been playing in our car on our last few short journeys, an awesome awesome song that yes, yes, Cherith told me about a long time before i was convinced of its greatness. Truth is i could now listen to this endlessly & not get bored, it is that good........

Art is a Kind of Illness Part seven

2009-05-02T14:31:00.004+01:00

I have been promising to pick up a pencil or paintbrush for some time now! Basically i thought a start with some sketches might ease me back in. Photoshop is awesome but it can ruin this kind of skill. If the first proper sketch/pencil (& sharpie) drawing had went badly i would probably have broken something in anger & not spoke of the fiasco. Thankfully it went pretty well, ok, i am not completely happy with what you see below but i am convinced i can still draw, and hopefully that means i can still paint! Faults with it? HIs wonky eye doesn't satisfy me, his mouth is not quite as detailed as it could be and, well, i could go on!!

Original Image/photo is from the JUNE09 edition of Q magazine's photoshoot with NOEL GALLAGHER!
Photographer : John Wright

Art is a Kind of Illness Part six

2009-04-30T20:02:00.004+01:00

The recently finished Faith Mission online shop has been exciting to see, thats my day job, as a lot of you will know! I have produced a ton of stuff over the last few years that has been seem by relatively small amounts of people, its all good and i have gained experience in how to & how not to do things. The last 6 months have been interesting with the usual crippling doubts about whether i am doing the right thing mixed in with excitement about new projects, new people and new creativity. Last saturday a group of people got together to discuss creativity, we ate breakfast, enjoyed getting to know each other a bit better and spent most of the day finding common ground, sharing ideas and work. It is the beginning of something.
On thursday Nigel and i got together to discuss Rob and then yesterday morning i met Rob for the second time to discuss setting up a blog for him, integrating his work and his life into web2.0 and collaborating. This guy is the real deal, a hugely talented gentleman who oozes creativity and inspiration. He is Scottish but we won't let that come between us!!
I have also just began work on an artwork concept for an E.P. by Compass, our good friends and Norwegian brothers from other mothers! These guys are also the real deal, genuine and honest about what they are doing, why they are doing it, they mean it. I am excited about the current ideas and what they could become.
I am also working on a concept for a website for Church, primarily for the youth of the Church. I have that underway with a good concept/idea started, this is very exciting and should end up looking very cool. Its great to see how we are breaking new ground, creating something within our walls, that is not being done in 'the Church' in Northern Ireland, watch this space!

So, all that aside i have no time to do anything else and with that, i am glad. When i look at these projects i have a satisfaction that i am working alongside like-minded people and creating worthwhile material, with a purpose and an aim. I still doubt myself, doubt my ability, have moments of anxiety about doing too much, doing too little etc etc etc etc
Art is a kind of Illness

Email me?

2009-04-28T23:39:00.004+01:00

Recently i have been doing a serious amount of ranting about emails! The etiquette of replying to emails etc etc! It is amazing to find that in this day and age, some people have still not realized how important email communications is. Late replies or no replies are obvious but often a reply that does not answer or address the questions or issues asked previously is a huge problem as well. I have found that i rely on email so much & often prefer to use it for communication when working through a project. Initial contact can & should be personal or over the phone but relating info, answering questions etc is best with emails, as the info is in text, saved and stored for my records. I can go back to it, i do not have to follow a conversation & write it down on a piece of paper which i will often lose. Some of you get that, some of you do not and probably will not. Is it just a complete lack of understanding? Who knows, i just wish more people i interact with would go with it, embrace the speed & effectiveness of an email and step into 2009. Here is hoping............otherwise i might crack up

Together Through Life

2009-04-24T23:05:00.004+01:00

Mine shipped from amazon this morning, i cannot wait to hear this! People will say that he can never achieve the standard of albums like Blood on the Tracks or Blonde on Blonde, BUT that is completely NOT the point. This is Bob Dylan and thats all that needs to be said...........

buy it on iTunes

John Fitz......

2009-04-22T20:27:00.003+01:00

Last friday, we were at a wedding! Cherith was a bridesmaid, along with Joanne (pictured below). So, i spent the first part of the day and then the reception meal part of the day with John (also pictured below), he is a 'Pastor in training' in Castlebar, Co.Mayo. This was only the second time i'd hung out with John but i enjoyed conversation with him at several points throughout the day, a good guy indeed. So, John Blogs here, until now i did not know he had a blog, i am amazed it didn't come up during the two times we have been around each other. I am pretty sure i am going to like his blogging despite the word 'pentecostal' being prominently placed on the page!! (joke)

I am scared of Mark Driscoll

2009-04-22T10:44:00.004+01:00

He screams like no other man i know!! This entire sermon is probably seen by many as controversial, out-dated and harsh? This clip shows Mark angrier than i think iv ever seen him BUT in the context of what he is talking about, i personally feel it is justified, i agree with his perspective/teaching on 'men & women,' in fact i have rarely disagreed with Mark since i started to listen to his sermons, even when he uses so-called 'harsh' language. Anyway, I will have to listen to the whole thing again, i had the sermon playing while i worked this morning so there were some points i missed.

The complete message can be viewed here

Love thy neighbour?

2009-04-20T20:28:00.002+01:00

Over the last couple of weeks we attended two weddings. The first one in Jersey was understandably attended by lots of guests who are to some extent unfamiliar with all the politics of Northern Ireland. The second one was attended by lots of English people, again unfamiliar in a lot of cases with our troubled past. Situations like these usually afford the opportunity to talk about 'the troubles.' Someone asks, so, you give your best 'politically correct' yet honest truthful answer! I talked a few times about the optimism for a better future, the amazing progress of the last ten years and the development of many parts of our little country. Belfast got many compliments from me, i love how it has changed in my lifetime. Anyway, you say all these things and then as if to remind us that we needn't get too carried away, the news reminds us that we still live in a deeply troubled land. Hey, the world is a crazy place BUT we should win prizes on this island for petty useless thuggery. Regardless of what it is, why it happens or what the perpetrators hope to achieve, this stuff is just wrong and i wonder will we ever be rid of it.................

BBC news story to explain what i am on about!!

Your loud exhaust

2009-04-19T10:08:00.007+01:00

Cartoon by Dave Walker@We Blog Cartoons

We are supposed to be open about our faith, it should be seen by those around us, otherwise it is not real is it? I wonder about this more and more as i connect with others on facebook, twitter etc. I tend to want facebook, twitter etc to be a real & honest representation of who i am, warts and all, so if i am angry or frustrated i will tell you. I could add a loud exhaust and lots of plastic bits to look better, i choose not to. I wish others would realize that the 'loud exhaust & plastic bits' often put people off, they ruin what is underneath. I often think with facebook, that if you want to constantly post scripture verses or 'christian quotes' you should post a note instead of a status update, tell your followers/friends why the verse means something to you, add a thought to it that makes it real to the people who see it. Otherwise it might just be a loud exhaust! I would hate these useful online tools to become an online version of the dark suit & big Bible, an image thing that has nothing to do with real life faith or a relationship with Jesus.

p.s if you posted a scripture verse in the last day or two please do not take this personally, its NOT directed at one person, yawn! i hate that i have to add that BUT some of you are so paranoid its scary!

Wedding.......

2009-04-17T23:50:00.000+01:00

WIRED

2009-04-16T18:33:00.003+01:00

Before Easter Cherith came home one day with the launch edition of WIRED for me! woohooo!