Friday, December 7, 2012

True Earthlings Vs. Decepticons


 In recent years, some of us earthlings have been engaging and battling the most dangerous Alien of all...the Decepticon. The Decepticon appears, acts, and even talks like a real, true Earthling.


The Decepticon Alien infiltrates and invades the habitat, environment, workplace, and even the Temple of the true earthling with the desire of taking over and ruling the environment of the true earthling. He ( or She) may even think he is a true earthling himself but most Decepticons know deep within their alien inner beings they are not a true earthling.


 Decepticons are identified by extreme patience on the part of true earthlings and by not only listening to what the Decepticon says, but watching very closely their deeds and personal actions which are almost always the opposite of each other. The reason this is so is because the inner being or "heart" of the Decpticon has not been changed although they will appear exactly as all other true earthlings. Another way the earthling can see the Decepticon is they are also not very fond of "Life" as the Master Visionary sees life which is "All Human and Alien life is sacred, even those not deemed fit or worthy" and the Decepticon views True earthling Freedom as an unnecessary evil in the way of A "Good, Equal, and orderly Society"


 The Decepticon is usually a very friendly, well mannered, well dressed, likable, usually highly educated and accomplished being who talks about "peace" and an orderly society often, but not the kind of peace that true earthlings possess in their inner beings, but the peace Decepticons speak of is a community peace or even a National or "World" Peace.


 Unfortunately the kind of peace the Decepticon highly desires is always at the expense of those the Decepticon deems less worthy or "unfit" and whole galaxies of true earthlings have been wiped out or made slaves and servants of the Decepticons.We know this from the history annals of the Galaxies although the Decepticons have tried to suppress these stories.


Many Decepticons have been very successful in recent galactic time frames of infiltrating and even ousting true earthlings from whole habitats and Temples of earthlings because they have become so weakened from complacency, apathy, and the desire for otherworldly comforts which dulls the earthlings radar and senses capable of detecting Decepticons.


The true earthling recognizes and detects the Decepticons because they are constantly in touch with, and know very well the Master Visionary, the Master Visionary who made all of the earthlings, the Earth itself, the Alien Planets and all alien and earth like life forms in the Galaxies.


The earthlings not capable of detecting the Decepticons fall prey to their Field or "Aura" of deception, are easily led, are not close enough to the Master Visionary and thus cannot tell the difference between a true earthling and a Decepticon, to the Weak earthling's unfortunate final deception.



Friday, June 15, 2012

WWJT-What would Jesus Tweet?

What would Jesus Tweet?

Would Jesus Tweet the Sermon on the Mount? The Beatitudes?
@Judas.."What you are about to do, do it quickly" ? Or more like...
@Disciples.."Let the little Children come and do not hinder them, for such is the kingdom of God" ?

 If Our Lord were on the earth today walking around with his iphone, (or would He have a much more modest device like a used Blackberry or Droid?) would He even Tweet? And if He did what would those Tweets look like?

@President Obama.. That stuff about making my schools and hospitals that are called by my name purchase insurance that pays for the death of my precious little ones...We have to talk."

Or would it look more like this? @RushLimbaugh..."I understand what you're doing, and I know why you're doing it, but you have left your first love. Repent therefore and return."

Or maybe Christ would stick purely with the Word of God? His word.
@America..."You cannot serve two masters, either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

I wonder If Jesus would try to be diplomatic and conciliatory...sort of like a lot of Christians today want all of us to be.
@ELCA..."Go ahead and ordain Gay Pastors, I never said one way or the other so it's totally fine with me, Peace and Love."

Or, would He be more straightforward and direct like @ModernPharisees..."Woe to you theological professors at major Universities, you hypocrites! you clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of greed and self indulgence."

Perhaps @Jesus on Twitter would be a lot softer and just stick to the easy, pleasing to hear tweets like @Religious leaders..."It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. But go and learn what this means, I desire mercy not sacrifice, for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Maybe if Jesus were here today he would be a technophobe, rejecting corporate technology? but I kinda doubt that seeing as He spoke to crowds of thousands 2,000 years ago and obviously had no problem with the social media of the day. (Speaking really, really loud)

I wonder if Jesus would Tweet about his miracles?  "I fed 5,000 people today with just five loaves of bread and a few fish...they didn't think I could do it! LOL"

Or, @Mary "I healed a Leper today..the Pharisees were watching  "

I'm not a theologian, but I think Jesus wouldn't leave out anything or try to be too diplomatic...seeing as how He's God and all and wants what's best for us...

Don't shoot me, I'm just the Sax Player..

Monday, April 23, 2012

THE NEW IMPROVED PROGRESSIVE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

THE NEW IMPROVED PROGRESSIVE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE...

I pledge my Taxes, to the Government,
Of the Divided States of Amerikka,
And to the Republikk, For which it Stands not,
5 Nations, Easily Divisible,
With Tyranny but Equality for some.

 Don't shoot me I'm just the Sax Player... Blog Posted By Dave Thrush April 23, 2012

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Blue Like Jazz The Movie- Hypocrisy, Sin, Forgiveness, Redemption

About 7 years ago I was Browsing through the grocery store book table and came upon a really catchy title, "Blue Like Jazz" (Non Religious thoughts on Christian Spirituality) By Donald Miller.
I watched the finished Film project based on the NYT best selling book at a preview showing last night by Director Steve Taylor at a Mall Cineplex, and I have to tell you I was blown away. There are some stellar acting performances by Marshall Allman (True Blood, Mad Men) as Don Miller, Claire Holt (Vampire Diaries) as Penny, but I particularly liked Justin Welborn's gritty and very realistic performance as the "Agnostic Pope."
This is not Your father's Christian movie by any stretch as the book so beloved by millions is not either. Don, a 19 year old College student in Texas decides he has to get away from the hypocrisy of his own family and church and at the prompting of his hard drinking, jazz loving father bolts unexpectedly for Reed College known for Genius IQs and heathen beer drinking festivals.
Befriended by an attractive lesbian (Tanya Raymonde,TV show Lost) and a Campus appointed "Pope", Don begins to explore a world he has never known or even knew existed.
As Don tries to escape his upbringing by a single mom who simultaneously sits in the pews of the Church of his childhood while having an affair with the Youth Pastor, he finds that running from God is a tricky proposition and not easily accomplished.
The beautiful Penny (Claire Holt) catches Don's eye and he begins the machinations of trying to catch and hold her attention. Unfortunately for Don, the campus Pope drags him into a prank on a local Church that just happens to be his new lady friend's house of worship.
Thankfully, Don realizes the error of his ways and begs his new love interest's forgiveness, he begins to find out that even in the midst of his rebellion and rejection of his upbringing on "The most Godless Campus in America" there's no running or hiding from God.
There may be a few that might not like this film because of it's graphic and realistic talk about sex, hypocrisy in the Church, and a scene at the Renaissance Fair with depictions of College partying, but, having attended a large state university myself I can tell you these depictions are very realistic. In fact, the films Director speaking to us after our screening said that they have already been criticized by other Christian Film makers. The irony is that most of these critics of the book and the film haven't even seen the movie or read the book and have taken statements by the author completely out of context, and are probably the very people that should sit down and watch it all the way through.
Once again, director (and former Christian rock music star) Steve Taylor has produced something quite edgy. But, as a former Band mate of Mr. Taylor's, I can guarantee you this...you will definitely walk away from the theater thinking more deeply about your faith and how it should work out in your own life, even if it makes you uncomfortable in the process...And that's a good thing.

Blue Like Jazz is rated PG 13 and earns that rating. I wouldn't recommend taking someone under 14 unless they are very mature.

Remember,Don't shoot me...I'm just the Sax Player

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

"The first one through the wall usually gets bloody"

I heard this quote in the Movie "Moneyball" with Brad Pitt not long ago. "Moneyball" is a very good movie, one of the best I've shelled out 10 bucks for recently (which does not happen often these days) but I recommend this movie particularly for Baseball fans.

The above quote has stuck with me for a few weeks now and since I can't get it out of my head I decided to blog about it and see if that works.
"The first one through the wall usually gets bloody" is a truism, it's accurate in real life and many of some famous over used quotes aren't necessarily true in real life.
I say it's true in real life because I've seen it at work in people close to me, people I've worked with or performed in music groups with over the years.

Folks that have vision and the drive to make that vision happen I've watched personally get bloodied some. Not just by criticism from others that can't understand (or don't want to) the vision of the visionary, but, literally bloodied in a real sense.
If you think this is just nonsense by a nutty musician, I'll give a few examples of what I speak of.
The obvious examples of this are talked about a lot so I won't dwell on them...names like Martin Luther King, Dietrich Boenhoffer, Martin Luther, Ghandi, and The Lord Jesus Christ.
But, some other lesser known examples of people that broke through the glass wall first and got severely cut up in the process you may or may not have heard of like "Tank Man" in Tianenmen Square in 1989. No one knows what happened to Tank Man who boldly and bravely stood in front of a Chinese Tank in 1989 when the democracy protests in Beijing broke out. He just disappeared, but, many have a strong feeling he was hidden away in a Chinese Gulag most likely never to be seen again. I was in China in 2009 myself, and "Tank man" today would have not gotten any TV coverage whatsoever. Any Videos of his bravery would have never been seen by the Chinese people because there's no YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook in China...it's all banned.

Another example I like to bring up is my friend Steve Taylor, who I played in a Band with for 7 years, specifically a Christian Rock Band. Many of my musician friends back in the day (1980's) would look at me with a puzzled look when I said "I play in a Christian Rock Band." Some of my friends would even go so far as to say there's no such thing as a Christian Rock Band, because Rock and Roll is by it's nature rebellious. On that point my friends were right, (sort of) but they were less visionary than the guy that started the Christian Rock Band whom I drank coffee with in the 70s.

You see, Christian Rock was born from a response to a lot of rock bands in he 70's and 80's that took the rebellious nature of rock music to an extreme, bands that trashed hotels just for fun, or bragged about their heroin and LSD use. Many of the originators of Christian Rock were themselves members of the counterculture of the 1960's. People that once embraced drugs, sex, and Rock and Roll, much like their heroes Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin (both whom we know died from their excesses of Drugs, and alcohol.)
These musicians suddenly, and radically turned to God and his son Jesus to become "Jesus Freaks." They rejected the Hedonistic and Nihilistic philosophies of Timothy Leary for a relationship with God, and many of these Jesus Freaks were super gifted Musicians like Larry Norman, Glenn Kaiser, Keith Green, and Phil Keaggy. These new "Jesus Freak" Musicians began writing and performing songs about their radically changed lifestyles from drugs and sex to living a clean and drug and alcohol free path for the Lord.

I was in a Band at the tail end of the "Jesus Freak" music scene with a former H.S. classmate Steve Taylor, that became quite well known in the 80's as "Steve Taylor and Some Band" and we did several TV shows, large Christian Music Festivals, and several European, American, and Australian tours. A video STASB made for the Christian Label "Sparrow" was one of the first featured Videos by A Christian Rock Band on MTV, which was unheard of at that time. That was back when MTV actually played Videos. STASB had broken through the wall at a time when it was very hard to do so.

I put my friend in the "First through the wall" category because as a close associate I saw first hand how in the secular mainstream media like Newsweek and the L.A. times, Steve was perceived as a Christian Rocker with an attitude, who had a penchant for writing and performing songs from a Right Wing, Conservative viewpoint. Few Artists had gotten national attention from Newsweek, Time, or Television that wrote songs from a conservative Christian perspective until STASB. They also criticized him as being too Christian and "Preachy." But that wasn't the only criticism Steve got, because some of the harshest and most bitter attacks came from the Church, or at least well known TV preachers like Jimmy Swaggart. This criticism was strange (I thought) because here's a Christian guy that writes songs from a Christian perspective and is getting blistered and attacked publicly by well known TV preachers.
With time and the truth eventually coming to light, some of Steve Taylor's critics ironically ended up having affairs, or were raiding the temple money just like the Pharisees in Jesus' day so, Steve was exonerated because what he was saying in the songs was true and accurate.

I feel strongly that some of today's modern "Wall Breakers" are people like Dr. Thomas Sowell,Dr. Alveida King (Niece of MLK),and Mychal Massie, all African American Conservatives that go against the grain of most of Black sociologists, theologists, and Politicians to define a new Paradigm of what it means to be Black in America. They are extremely misunderstood and villified (even by their own race) for thinking and acting outside of the box on issues like Abortion,Black Liberation Theology, and Economic theory. Like MLK, many of these paradigm changers I'm sure have taken much heat, a lot of it from their own race, but something drives them to see things clearly, to speak and write the truth, and forge the new way of thinking that changes people's minds, societies, and nations even if it costs some blood of their own.

That's my view and I'm the Sax Player...