Blue Like Jazz. Now see the movie.

I haven’t read Don Miller’s best-selling book by that name but that’s not because I was waiting for the movie. I just never got around to reading it. But Steve Taylor’s movie Blue Like Jazz is released today and since I will be in San Francisco in a few weeks, so . . . I…

Read More

Guys in dresses preaching to grandmas

What does a sex-drenched society need most of all? Another book on sex, perhaps? Some preachers think so. In Texas, Ed and Lisa Young are promoting their new book on sex from the rooftop of their house as part of a Sexperiment. [Sounds like “Buy our book or we will do something you will regret!”] And…

Read More

Jasmin Jones in the house

No relation, but musician/surfer-chick Jasmin Jones from the band Triplet is in the house. Make that IN THE YURT, because a few days ago we managed to fix up a storm damaged yurt and move into it. Jasmin is the Ozzie-born daughter of a Kiwi dad and Portuguese mum and is in NZ for a month. She…

Read More

David Crowder Trending

Yeah! My mate David Crowder the musician is trending right now worldwide on Twitter. David – you rock! We are all really proud of you. And I am sooooo sorry for saying you look funny – you look awesome – except that weird gotee!! David, you have come so far since the 90’s when you…

Read More

Top Ten at Blogs.com

KUDOS to Blogs.com for including me on their Top Ten Blog list for Christianity, and to Patton Dodd for his impeccable taste in quality bloggage. I am still getting hits from this list. TOP TEN BLOGS IN CHRISTIANITY: Crunchy Con Culture Making Fors Clavigera Get Religion Internet Monk Jesus Creed (updated link) Ragamuffin Diva Real…

Read More

Against the Tide, Towards the Kingdom

“We changed our language from a “simple lifestyle” to a “generous lifestyle.” We went with less in order that others could have more.” Jenny and Justin, Against the Tide New book that I highly recommend and just mentioned on my “Choosing to be homeless and poor” post. The book is called Against the Tide, Towards the…

Read More

Build up your blog

After a busy summer, your blog is probably TIRED and floppy and boring like mine is right now. I have two friends that are both great bloggers and both following God. I am talking about Tentblogger and Problogger. Both have courses for you to beat the flab out of your blog and get it back…

Read More

Bands

Saw a bunch of bands last night at Freakstock Festival in Germany. Triplet, our friends from Portugal, did their final gig after 10 years. Lead singer Jasmin Jones is also performing solo. Psalters rocked everyone again. I saw them in 99 at Cornerstone when they first started. A crazy band who give everything away for…

Read More

Violet Burning: The Story of our Lives

One or our favourite bands, The Violet Burning, arrived in Prague in preparation for Colours of Ostrava, Czech Republic’s largest music festival. We often meet up with this band on various occasions and various countries and always have a great time. Last night, the band came over to our ‘van down by the river’ for our regular Friday…

Read More

Book: Economics of Good and Evil

“Sedlacek’s groundbreaking work promises to change the way we calculate economic value.” Harvard I just started reading a FABULOUS BOOK called Economics of Good and Evil: The Quest for Economic Meaning from Gilgamesh to Wall Street. I love it! It might be my best book of 2011. Although, if I am honest, most books I have…

Read More

My 10 year blogiversary and why I think blogging is still important

Tallskinnykiwi is ten years old today! This blog you are reading was born on June 3, 2001 and it replaced my earlier blog, Andrew’s Tea Salon (from 1997). My yearly blogiversaries have become a wonderful part of my life, almost as meaningful to me as my real birthdays. Thanks for coming along all these years…

Read More

Starting a Blog

Now is the best time to start blogging. Really! Darren Rowse has just released the Probloggers Guide to Your First Week of Blogging. Its a great little guide to getting started and developing some rhythms of writing and posting which will be a great help. – Set up a folder for ideas– Use mind mapping techniques…

Read More

Faith 2.0: Religion on the Internet

Yesterday I listened to the podcasts from Faith 2.0 Religion on the Internet, a conference last week in England about religion on the internet. Jointly sponsored by Tony Blair Faith Foundation and Durham University. The best talk in my opinion is the keynote speech [download here] by Catherine Wybourne, the "invisible nun" from Holy Trinity…

Read More

Mission in Digital Frontiers: Learning Day in Adelaide

Next week I am doing a learning day at Uniting College, Adelaide, South Australia. Thanks to Dr Steve Taylor, Director of Missiology, for inviting me over. You might remember Steve for his EmergentKiwi blog or his excellent book The Out of Bounds Church?: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change.…

Read More

Top 200 Church Blogs. Do reformed nerds really rule?

Church blog rankings have one purpose and one purpose only: To allow the reformed bloggers to ridicule the emerging church bloggers. If there was another purpose, it would be for all of us church bloggers to stroke our tender blog-egos. Kent Shafer just released his Top 200 church blogs and it seems the Reformed bloggers…

Read More

Letters to the House Church Movement

Rad Zdero has released a new book today: Letters to the House Church Movement. Its a collection of ACTUAL, REAL, GENUINE letters. Almost sounds . . . biblical. My endorsement on the book says . . . "I am thrilled that Rad Zdero has released this series of insightful letters into book form… a timely,…

Read More

Philip Jenkins on Jesus wars, heresies and orthodoxy

I just finished Philip Jenkin's latest book called "Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years" Funny title. Good content. Not a riveting book but quite a relevant one to read this week, with all the controversies about what is orthodox and what…

Read More

3 Top Albums on our Playlist

Good to see Mumford and Sons win the Best Brit album of the year with Sigh No More. We have been playing it for months on our playlist, along with other favourtie albums. The Top 3 albums on our family's playlist right now are: Sigh No More, by Mumford and Sons The Fray by The…

Read More

Lunch with Isaac Slade of The Fray

Our family stopped into Denver last week and had lunch with Isaac Slade, lead musician and vocalist for The Fray. I met Isaac last month in South Africa, right after he visited a social enterprise in Rwanda. Great to see a musician with a heart for changing the world. Nice guy – intelligent, hard working,…

Read More