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sorry ben here are 2wks worth

Friday, April 14, 2006 friday is Good Category: Podcast i love finding out that you have totally obscure things in common with newish friends. like the way you played high school basketball. christopher and i had some serious revelations last night. then we watched kingdom on heaven. it's not that, good (let's be honest). it seemed like a lot of people got to walk the stations of the cross today. that's awesome. i can't believe how many people vigiled this week (many people were at multiple nights). i hope you can let him rise in you this weekend. .. who's ready to go into the grave with Jesus then rise to new life? Currently listening: The Brave and the Bold By Tortoise & Bonnie Prince Billy Release date: By 24 January, 2006 3:43 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment Thursday, April 13, 2006 old friends/walk through the nay'b Current mood: calm Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping i got to hang out with one of my most special friends last night/today. i've known this dude only for 7yrs, but he and i just hit it off. that is such a good feeling. i had an incredible feeling today making final changes to the Stations of the Cross route through East Kensington. (from noon till 3 tomorrow, feel free to drop by (Upstairs) and pray, grab a sheet and walk them). i kept walking by my friends' houses and seeing people i know. walking along knowing that i have people who are like family two blocks up from here, a block up from there. i finally had to stop by luke's new place to say what's up (they are trying to get loads of people to help them paint saturday if you are available). the vigils have been pretty stimulating this week. foot washing tonight (can be scary, especially when garza is in town and told me that his feet are funky). listening to Bad Faces Clan: 5 song EP 4:26 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Wednesday, April 12, 2006 eberhard arnold can't jump Current mood: contemplative Category: Life "sometimes when you win, you really lose. sometimes when you lose, you really win..." (that goes on and grows more confusing, but Rosie Perez said that in White Men Can't Jump). it's really true. even if you're telling the truth, if you bash dudes over the head with it you still lose. sometimes we sell out the truth just for value for the relationship...also lose. i think it was Eberhard Arnold (also a circle of hope proverb) who said "love without truth lies while truth without love kills." the whole truth in love thing is hard. the older i get (i've been saying that a lot lately) the more carefully (hopefully lovingly) i try to get into conflict, and the more conflict i have because of love. a fortune cookie throws out cliches left and right, not a real person listening to: Caetano Veloso, livro 10:38 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Tuesday, April 11, 2006 don't party next to this harbor Current mood: busy Category: Life the ralley was pretty cool yesterday. i'm glad it was a celebratory time, that was nice. doing the wave around the fountain at love park was a treat. loads of young mexicans, colombians, nicaraguans, chinese, koreans, bangladeshis, west africans, and others (with a handful of caucausoids)-i'm still not sure how many-were on hand. it was joyous. i came across this messed up article, about a guy who fell into a harbor in Hawaii and got a flesh-eating skin disease that is killing him. retreat from retreat calm before the storm so short the storm is over broken walls-drum: created to worship 9:13 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment Monday, April 10, 2006 show some love in love park Current mood: irate Category: Life i'm going in like 5 minutes to Love Park to join probably thousands of others to publicly demonstrate that we think that HR 4437 is horse shit, and will not let the elected leaders play footsie with such a ludicris legislative idea. i'm trying to be real quick so sorry for coming off real heavy handed...this bill is "To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to strengthen enforcement of the immigration laws, to enhance border security, and for other purposes." some of the likely ideas are felony charges for aiding undocumented immigrants (up to 5yrs in prison), undocumented immigrants face felony charges and loss of many rights (inluding re-entry to the country)...there is a lot more. here is a link to a cool summary by the Vietnamese Student Union in So. Cal . see you out there? One worthless landmark. The Statue of Liberty would spin in her grave. listening to: John Mallinen EP ps...forgive me for posting an identical bulletin 11:14 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment Sunday, April 09, 2006 palm sunday Current mood: contemplative Category: Life today is one of my favorite days of the year. the day when many of us will unabashedly say "jesus is King." i love that. i love the image of so many churches getting together and waving those palm fronds (a symbol of triumph and victory)...so cool. it is also with a taste of that old bittersweetness that we do that, because for those of us who "read ahead" in the gospels know that the same people that made him King today, had the [Romans] execute our King a week later. the mob mentality can sweep people into doing good things and werid things, like above. i hope that as the mobs are out with the fronds, and we know that Jesus will be dying later this week, we are not just doing what is cool because it's some holiday. my prayer is that we can get a real personal connection to Jesus as being the king-and do it together. we love you today, as this week to get hairy may we love you more 10:32 AM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment Saturday, April 08, 2006 chillin with the young pups Current mood: cheerful Category: Life martha went on a women's retreat with a bunch of the ladies. it's the week for it, i guess. i think that's great. the chil'ins and i want to do some fun stuff today, and by golley we're going to. uncle jonny is gonna come over later (always a cause for joy 'mongst the chil'ins). helena has a serious fort built in the dining room. i remember those days. lily's one clean pair of footie jammies broke so she's wearing the pants and long sleeve style. she looks too weird...to much like a little person and not enough like a baby. (i' not really listening to ghostface. that was just for mike alms and pilger) what's more important a green, a glow, or a hat? we're all glowing green Currently listening: Supreme Clientele By Ghostface Killah Release date: By 08 February, 2000 8:47 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment Friday, April 07, 2006 weird weird world Current mood: anxious Category: Life want to know how creepy the world can be? NYC cops convicted for doing mob hits (not the cd collection) . 70 die in an explosion at a shiite mosque in baghdad. JRoll's hitting streak ends. man. joseph wilson found out that the document that alleged Iraq buying uranium from Niger was totally fabricated (dead people's signitures, days of the week don't match up years, etc) and then his wife's CIA identitity gets leaked (putting her at risk as she was in the field and ruins her career as a spy or whatever) maybe by the Vice President's office...ah, man. some good news...leann as well as luke & sarah are closing on their houses today. belly is empty... do i know what hunger is? not like some others Currently listening: A Colores By Tristeza Release date: By 22 November, 2005 1:47 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment Thursday, April 06, 2006 back from retreat Current mood: rejuvenated Category: Life i just got back from a 30hr retreat to my favorite hermitage (the only one i've ever been to). i feel so refreshed. i try to go quarterly, but i seemed to just skip my january time. when i got home i had the first season of quantum leap waiting for me on netflix. oh man. also, i made a discovery. picante beef. so tasty. kilimanjaro practice tonight, 8pm at the space, in case you forgot. at every moment i hope i can be present to where You're going Currently watching: Quantum Leap - The Complete First Season Release date: By 08 June, 2004 5:09 PM - 1 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment Tuesday, April 04, 2006 tornadoes and shipwrecks Current mood: calm Category: Life i've seen little tornadoes before, but none like the wizard of oz. none that really wrecked stuff. one ripped through 8 states on sunday, killing at least 27 people (most of the dead in rural TN). why does the NE not deal with disaster like all these other places? we're not on a fault line, don't get hurricanes, monsoons, tornadoes...we who live here most of our lives have a hard time putting those things really into our heads. some people think that God made the world, and because he is good is not supposed to let bad things happen. at this point, i don't think that. i'm more inclined to go with the desert fathers and say that the world is a shipwreck, and we must all swim for shore. i would say that Jesus is salvation from a broken world that is hostile. when disasters like this tornado remind me that even nature is volitile, i remember that unhealthy relationships and damaging behaviour can do the same thing to our insides. i morn the dead, especially when i read that article about the funeral parlor owner who has to bury his grandkids, son, and daughter-in-law. i don't blame God because something bad happening. i turn to Jesus because he is the true safety in a hostile world, and when the shit hits the fan (and it will, eventually) i don't want to be clinging to what i think is important right now. i want to be clinging to that real freedom where even when all is lost, there is jesus. did that mean something? in the corner of my eye... i've always wondered. Currently listening: Born into Brothels By Original Soundtrack Release date: By 13 December, 2005 9:01 AM - 6 Comments - 5 Kudos - Add Comment Monday, April 03, 2006 another baby/worship Current mood: calm Category: Life another baby was born last wknd...my friends jaime and aaron in s.jersey. their baby wasn't due until the middle of may (Ella is 4lbs 13oz now). we're going this morning to see them. martha and jaime have been friends since they were in 6th grade. i do have to say, about the public meeting last night, the worship team was completely and udderly off the hook at the 7. i cannot ever remember a packed room of people (mostly in their 20's) having so much fun while sincerly worshipping Jesus. in my mind, we do pensive real well. we do chilled out with a twist of somber real well. happy is cheesy. snook and jeremy took us there last night with the Spirit. one other thing, jenni bender got me hooked on BintoB soundtrack. it rules. one other other thing, if you want to hook jesse and lois with a meal in the next couple weeks, contact holly mclaughlin (if you don't have her info send me a message). ebb and flow, the darkness to light, moving fast Currently listening: Born into Brothels By Original Soundtrack Release date: By 13 December, 2005 11:04 AM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Sunday, April 02, 2006 spring ahead-M.R.K.! Current mood: cheerful Category: Friends i get to meet a new friend today. congrats to jesse and lois! (Madeleine Ruth Keenan-7lbs 12oz born just after midnight)... i want to bring them some of the banana bread that me and helena made last night. i guess lily helped, too (both of those kids were all about greasing the pans. nothing like little kids reaching their fingers into the country crock and spreading it all over tins. they loved it!) >>>>i think i time travelled last night. a few hours after i woke up, the clocks were all an hour in the past. all of them except on the computer. i talked to someone else and they said that their clocks were an hour ahead of mine, too. i think my house is some kind of portal or something.<<<<< had a cup of tea, slept with the windows open time to spring ahead my first attempt at sentimental prophetic haiku (for kool aid keenan) and when you were born all the days became longer. let your light shine bright Currently listening: The Brave and the Bold By Tortoise & Bonnie Prince Billy Release date: By 24 January, 2006 11:08 AM - 5 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

still love ya ben

Saturday, April 01, 2006 "abolish the racist white overclass" Current mood: cheerful what's wrong with the world? you know something when a band like white trash gets on myspace. talk about rabble rousers. one time, after a show at circle of hope (then "center city") my girlfriend at the time told me "that was the worst music i've ever heard." needless to say, we didn't work out. t shirts with big letters across the back read "end american apartheid now." one time at a christian festival, i was stopped by a middle aged parent who beligerantly asked me "can you give me one example of apartheid in america?" (somehow that question became a sample used at subsequent shows by those anonymous bards). i like that a band with few pretentions can throw a monkeywrench into the music industry and cookie-cutter christian events. they got into some trouble on occaision, but managed to make people think and talk. the anonymous frontman, at a cornerstone show in front of a couple hundred people (who in their right gord was there?) told the crowd "look around you, cornerstone. why is it that you're all white? why is it that abortion is the only issue that christians care about?" and then began the next loud section of music. what a band. anybody heard the word on this keenan baby? what you don't know is i am the white elephant and i want to talk Currently watching: Little House on the Prairie - The Complete Season 1 Release date: By 08 July, 2003 3:32 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Friday, March 31, 2006 jady-vu Current mood: confused Category: Life jady wrote a blog the other day about how she picked up someone's change at Dunkin and gave it to the dudes at the counter. i had a real similar experience at the Deeps today. i was buying large garbage cans with lids (to keep the smell down and mice out) and went to that "self checkout" line-what a scam. anyway, i roll up and there is an Alexander Hamilton sitting in the change slot. now, i didn't see anybody leave. it could have been sitting there for an hour and the poor sucker who walked away w/o it (obviously doesn't NEED it) is probably long gone. or they were loading their car and were about to grab some lunch and now are like "man, my money!" and are on their way back in. or the nice old lady will realize when she gets home that she is short and will not be able to play bingo tonight. what do you do? A.) take the money, pay for your stuff, and roll casually B.) give it to the customer service lady at the island and tell her the story C.) wait around for a couple minutes, if the dude comes back give him the money, if not then roll with it D.) something else (if so, what?) i don't want to ruin it by saying what i did (or didn't do) yet. i wonder what you would do. will you tell us? i'm guessing that a "i hope you guys are alright" doesn't work both ways, Currently listening: Donovan's Greatest Hits By Donovan Release date: By 30 March, 1999 2:13 PM - 13 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Thursday, March 30, 2006 renting a car Current mood: bouncy Category: Life i don't want to incite any bad ideas in your head, but i realized some werid stuff that surrounded renting a car (a pickup, actually, which amanda, lauren, and jon o are dumping ish loads of dirt onto the park today if you're available). if you have your own car insurance you can use that. if you prefer, of if you don't have any, you can use "theirs." for $24.99 you liability, collision/comp and if you total the vehicle you don't have to pay anything extra. i even asked the guy, and he said that you could and not be liable. if you bring an animal into the vehicle, though, the animal's hairs can get tangled with the fibers of the carpet and seat, so you would have to pay for them to have it detailed and pay for the days that they couldn't rent it out. same thing if you mix cement in the back bed of the truck, or put a bunch of tar back there. you have to pay. so i guess the only logical thing to do (if you have to mix cement back there or take your dog to the vet) is to let the car go off a cliff when you're done and apologize that the vehicle got destroyed. that way the insurance covers it and you don't have to pay for removing the fibers or for the mess. dirt is okay to be in the bed, though. just not sticky stuff. i went to ride out but left the DVD home was that on purpose? Currently listening: Superwolf By Bonnie Prince Billy Release date: By 26 April, 2005 10:28 AM - 6 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 not far from it Current mood: mellow Category: Life i was reminded that another one of the teens that i used to work with (for a little more than a year) at a community center got locked up. it's hard to hear. it's easier to remember that little 13yr old boy and how much he liked to play games than face the reality that he's growing up. another one of the kids who is doing some time did a dumb thing. when i put myself into his situation (especially when i was his age) i don't know if i would've done much different. the big difference is that i don't get into that situation. be it healthy lifestyle choices, class differences, race, age, whatever. sometimes we look for trouble and sometimes trouble looks for us. when people i know get a DUI i remember how many times i drove drunk and stoned in high school and never got busted. i also think how irresponsible they were being, but i keep in mind that i am not all that detached from such brokenness. i guess my cell's discussion that stemmed from Romans 8 has me thinking about how we can marginalize people because of poor performance (or because they got caught) and not realize that we all need Grace. flowing streets under wheels invisible bumps and the smell. Currently listening: Mr Beast By Mogwai Release date: By 07 March, 2006 11:11 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 false selves and image Current mood: bouncy Category: Life image, man. it's everything to some people. we somehow become pleased by the aesthetic that is put out there...enough for us to like something or someone just enough to say that we like them and not get close. or we get close and get disappointed because the image was just a hologram and not the real thing. i woke up one day and started to hate reading book or album reviews. and soundbytes that people get known by. the other side (if i actually passed through) is that sometimes the idea is more important than the person, anyway. so what if they're a flake (of COURSE they're a flake). they might be right. let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. let's also not just project these ideas of ourselves to each other (that's kind of antithetical to myspace, i know) and not be false. that's me trying to organize my thoughts into concise paragraphs. maybe next i'll start using punctuation and capitalization correctly. (i recently found out that my wife dilikes "all lower case." i said to her "how else can you write on the internet?" or at least that's what i thought 2min after that conversation was over. a semi too close for comfort i'm imagining the pain... and then he drives by. Currently listening: Reaching to the Converted By Billy Bragg Release date: By 31 August, 1999 3:06 PM - 4 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Monday, March 27, 2006 HR-4437 Current mood: cheerful Category: News and Politics olga (and christopher) got back from a west coast trip for a couple weeks. olga told me about the immigration bill protest in LA. over 500,00 people turned out to protest HR-4437 (Sensenbrenner immigration reform bill). i don't know too much about it, but one thing that is not cool with me is (as reported by dailybulletin.com) "would call for employers to check documents submitted new employees against a federal database to verify their authenticity and make it a crime for citizens to help undocumented immigrants." so i guess if you see any of your family members or friends helping undocumented immigrants, report them immediatly. april 10 is the planned Phila ralley if you're into it. i want to find out more about this bill. is that all it took? feels like i'm riding on rocks... or into the sky Currently listening: Sung Tongs By Animal Collective Release date: By 01 June, 2004 11:43 AM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Sunday, March 26, 2006 sweet movie recommendations and baby excitement Current mood: calm Category: Life wanna watch some kick ass films (don't ask why me and martha watched back to back tear jerkers this weekend)? In America and Dead Man Walking (i've seen this one before) are both choice. DMW was adapted and directed by tim robbins (who is "my man"). i don't often cry watching movies (martha cried watching Elf). but those are intense. man. jesse and lois. kool aid keenan is coming like at any time. talking about them and birthing stories is so fun. there is nothing like watching a new person come out of the birth canal. it's hard to imagine that some people watched me come out with the same bewilderment all those years ago (i'm playing up how old i am lately). it's funny how so many babies are born every day (an incredible miracle) and we take that for granted. when your baby is born, though, your whole world changes. now my babies count to 10 in english, spanish (and sometimes arabic) and have crazy teeth growing out of their gums and give kisses and hugs before naps. we rise and we fall -but not in circles, in waves we're headed somewhere Currently watching: Dead Man Walking Release date: By 01 January, 2000 3:00 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Saturday, March 25, 2006 big idea brainstorms... Current mood: creative Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes for some reason when i was driving by this huge industrial space in n.phila (3rd and cumberland for you n.phila enthusiasts) i was reflecting on my meeting the other day with this forming alliance of about 35 community leaders (currently calling ourself the Eastern North Philadelphia Coilition). all this talk about negotiating community benefits from large scale developers and how affordable housing and job creation are major concerns. we need to get some serious cash flow and start a new kind of CDC that buys large scale buildings (and houses) and rehabs them (while training people from the area who need work to do the work) and create large and small mixed income housing (50% could be "affordable housing"). funds could be set up to do other community benefiting operations (street lighting, sidewalks, tax help for fixed income residents, youth programming/centers, etc). i told jeremy about it and i think that we have a seed that if God wills could develop into something huge. details later (i'm a big picture guy anyway), but i think that we have the potential with all these connections that we're making to do something that has only been wished for. cars form single lanes (single driver vehicles) Why don't we carpool? Currently listening: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out By Yo La Tengo Release date: By 22 February, 2000 4:17 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove