Claude-a-saurus Wrecks “Raging Machine Melody”

This week has been challenging so I did not get a chance to listen to Pearl Jam’s next album “Riot Act” or read any reviews of it. This week I decided that I would use an old joke that I have had rolling around in my head for a while. Originally, this joke came to me around Mother’s Day and had I created and posted it in that schedule it would have posted the day after Mother’s Day. I really didn’t feel that it was appropriate to do so. Parenting is very rewarding, but also very challenging. I turn to resources such as Focus on the Family and Family Life Today, both have daily podcast programs that average about 25 minutes each. Both shows bring on great guests and are really encouraging. Family Life Today is hosted by Dave and Ann Wilson. Dave Wilson was the chaplain for the Detroit Lions for a while, (even during the 0-16 season), so there are some great football stories every once in a while.

I am still reading “A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War”. (I’m a slow reader).

However, I got my kindle out the other day and found some very inexpensive audiobooks so I downloaded:

The Norm: Night of the Wookie

This is a collection of Michael Jantze’s The Norm comics that deal with the Star Wars prequel movies. I have always enjoyed The Norm comic strip ever since I found a collection of the strips at my local comic shop. I really enjoyed this collection (it was a quick read and I read it in one evening) as it details Norm’s transition for a deeply invested fan to the Star Wars fandom to a casual fan that doesn’t allow new additions to the fandom be a major concern to him. The collection is very heavily focused around the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and follows Norm camping in front of the theater so that he can be the first to get tickets. By the time the collection gets to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Norm is not invested anymore and doesn’t even see the movie in the theater. I connected with this collection so much because I have done the same transition several times with several fandoms.

I was also able to get a collection of works by G.K. Chesterton that includes Orthodoxy, Heretics, and The Everlasting Man and it was only $0.49! I have been wanting to check out Chesterton ever since I first heard him talked about on the Audio Mullet podcast. I found some of the Father Brown TV episodes on a DVD set at the library a few months ago so I watched them and found them very interesting and entertaining.

Speaking of podcasts, here are some I enjoy:

• Like Trees Walking
• 372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back
• Audio Mullet
• Pints with Jack
• Cultish
• Pints with Chesterton
• The Babylon Bee Podcast
• Stories are Soul Food
• The Tolkien Road
• Focus on the Family
• Family Life Today

I intend to talk much more about all of these podcasts as I think every single one of them are great. Also, I didn’t really mention sports podcasts but there is Mission of Truth: Keeping it Real with Nick Foles and Chris Maragos and Soup with Coop. To be honest I can’t believe that Tony Dungy doesn’t have his own podcast but their are several episodes of different podcasts on Spotify that he has been a guest on.

I picked up a copy of A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis a few weeks ago and am considering reading it next after my current read; however, I also have Five Against One: The Pearl Jam story. I think this would be a good read as I am finishing up writing about Pearl Jam’s albums each week.

I am planning on reading alot less comic books in the future. I am enjoying Usagi Yojimbo Color reprints, everything that IDW is publishing with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, and currently the Spawn comics have become very interesting to me. What has turned me away from the Spawn titles in the past had been artwork that I didn’t like but what Todd McFarlane is doing with the “Spawn Universe” has me very interested. Todd also holding the line at $2.99 cover price also has my attention and respect. The upcoming Gunslinger Spawn is very interesting to me. Look at how awesome this Redeemer action figure is!!!

Our puppy Fergus broke a growth plate in his leg somehow this week. We had to send him to a specialist surgeon they are going to have to put pins in his bone to hold it together. It’s been quite an ordeal and is going to come with a significant financial burden but God has been blessing us with acts of love and kindness.

This week I was feel particularly disheartened and even as we’ve been facing challenges recently God has been protecting and providing for us. There have been several other challenges over the past two and a half months but also many blessings. One thing that God has put on my heart, through the bible study at the camp we attended in July, is that I need to surround myself by other Christian men that will hold me accountable and that I can also hold accountable.

Additionally, I have struggled significantly with my faith since I’ve been committed to it as an adult and every time it follows the same pattern:

I seem to be walking well in my faith;

something happens and I feel overwhelmed;

I begin to neglect bible reading and prayer to the point that I feel that I don’t do it at all and shouldn’t tell anyone I’m a Christian because of it.

Thankfully God has pulled me out of these ruts and put me back on the path every time. But another thing that God has put on my heart is that a maturing Christian can “feed themselves”. What this means is that my soul encouragement cannot be a bible study or Sunday morning worship. A Christian that can feed themselves is disciplined about prayer and reading their Bible. Also, I need to develop a circle of Christian men who can hold me accountable and can count of me to hold them accountable.

Faith is a journey and not a destination.

FERGUS

Read your Bible. Pray.