This week’s thoughts and links are admittedly random. I probably should have titled them “random linkage” or something like that.
Judging Guinness
I ordered my first guinness last night.
Are you waiting expectantly to know what I thought of it?
Well, I’ll tell you…
Yo dawg, check it out. It was alright, it was just alright for me.
But it looked really beautiful, just beautiful. Stunningly dark and topped with a lovely inch of foam, it just seemed really special and unique.
Here’s the deal: it was beer. Not particularly inspiring, maybe even forgettable, probably the kind of beer you would find on a cruise ship.
But I would have another. ;)
Post of the week…
It has already been linked almost everywhere, but if you happen to live under a rock and missed this post of Cindy’s, be sure to read it.
Also widely linked was Jonathan’s post, Top 50 Possible Reasons Why You’re Not Emergent. Maybe I am emergent. What’s next, black eyeglasses?
I enjoyed this video interview of Paul Young, author of The Shack. (ht Sarah and Jeff)
Mr. Grace doesn’t know much about Mark Driscoll, but he watched the video clip I posted this week. His comment about the clip,
“Does he always wear the pretty little necklace?”
Rose Madrid Swetman took the discussion about Mark Driscoll’s comments to a whole new level. Rose became a hero of mine last year with her open letter to Mark in the midst of the controversy concerning his public statements about pastors’ wives.
If you’re looking for some interesting reading, I would suggest the posts from Glenn’s synchroblog dealing with issues of church transition:
- Aaron Monts: Why I Stayed
- Alan Knox: A Revolutionary? Who? Me?
- Barb: My Response
- Erin Word: Are We There Yet, Papa Smurf?
- Jane: Onward Christian Soldier
- Jason Ellis: Why I Ended Up A Free Charismatic Southern Bapti-Methodist Nondenominational Christian Sitting In A House Church On Sunday Mornings
- Jeff Greathouse: So, You Want To Change
- Jeff McQuilken: The Great Shift–and My Unwitting Part In It
- Jeromy Johnson: A Safe Place To Experiment
- Jim Lehmer: There Is No Spoon
- Jonathan Brink: Re-Emerging Church
- Kathy Escobar: Surviving Spiritual Vertigo
- Rainer: A Revolutionary?
- Sarah: My Story of Following Him Out
The IRS and IRA’s
Remember April 15 is almost here. You might want to ask Michael Lee to help you with your return.
I had to choose some funds for our IRA’s yesterday. This year it was just a matter of trying to find which fund sucked the least.
More for American Idol fans…
I was disappointed to see Michael Johns leave this week. I didn’t really expect for him to win, but he certainly wasn’t the worst of the remaining contestants.
Lots of discussion this week about “Shout to the Lord” on American Idol. I tend to be embarrassed about how we as christians react or over-react when “christian” things occur in mainstream media.
Last, but not least, here is a picture of Jason Castro without dreads.
kingdom grace 
Guiness huh?
If you ever get to Germany (Bravaria specifically) I know this place that makes great beer… It even has a hotel attached.
Oh, that I had the gift of healing! Oh, that I could lay my hands on your taste buds and bring them back to life! Oh, that the power of God would flow through your body restoring the ability to truly taste Guinness the way it is meant to be tasted. Pre-fall taste buds appear in Grace’s mouth in the name of Jesus. :-)
Hope you’re at least smiling, Grace, if not laughing. I’m a huge fan of Guinness, at room temperature, of course!
jason is my daughter’s favorite. and she just walked in my office, looked at this picture and said,”Who’s that?”
we were also surprised to see michael johns exit last week. not expecting that at all! i think he’s great. reminds me of michael hutchence. that bluesy voice of his, his stage presence, the hands thing, he’s a natural performer. i look forward to hearing how his career takes off post AI.
and, btw, i had my first ever guiness at local irish pub during a blog meet-up for a couple of blogger-brothers who live in my town. i do not like beer, number one, and will usually order wine, or vodka, when out and about. but seeing as how i was in an irish pub i decided to have a go with the guinness..
i didn’t mind that it was warm. whatever. it wasn’t the worst thing i’ve ever drank, but i’ve not had a guinness since.
i’m just not a beer kind of girl.
Wow, you covered a little bit of everything.
I use to have a G every now and then but the taste is just not there for me anymore. I am more of an ale / cider drinker (Woodchuck)
Nice take on Idol. I actually wanted to see Michael gone. He did okay with Dream On but I agree with Randy and Simon; he is no rocker and the pic without “locks’ .. would have never guessed.
I like the dreads better… my poor bald husband :)
thanks gracie. i can call you gracie, can’t i, since it’s not your real name? ;-)
My friends call Guinness “Steak in a bottle.” I like it very cold.
If I were a beer I’d want to be a Guinness;-)
And that boy is as cute without dreads has he is with.
I’m sitting here, after a long hot day of yard work, sunburned and sweating, staring at that picture of Guinness. I can almost taste the cold caramely-ness of it. Sigh.
Yeap – pretty sure he’s an Aussie as well, Micheal Johns, born in Perth, WA.
Favourite beer? (at the moment) – Boags from Tasmania.
Hey. Guinness doesn’t always travel well, and needs a good cellar-keeper to deliver it tasting just right. Guinness in Dublin tastes pretty good, in my experience – they used to say it tasted even better in Limerick, after it had settled during the journey on the canal barge.
Then again, I enjoyed a good Guinness in Sydney Australia recently.
Guinness on tap is good.
Another by Guinness Brewing is Smithwick’s…not as dark, best on tap. I first tasted Smithwick’s in Ireland where it is one of the “regulars”.
Tom
BTW, Smithwick’s is pronounced “Smitticks”.
T
Grace, now you’re one of us.
One of US, one of US!
Guinness starts out tasty, and then it grows on you. Do have another!
LOL, apparently people are quite opinionated about guinness! :)
Hi Grace,
I like Guiness Cold too, but on to the Shout to the Lord Idol thing. My take was the “rocks are crying out” and I said that to my son when we were sitting there stunned at the end of the performance. I loved the “confetti guns” going off at the end of the song because it was just as i think worship should be!!! Is the Church raising $75 mill for missions? He will go out to the “highways and byways” to find those who will come to His Party!! And then to have Christians who have the gall to be outraged? No, really?? That just adds to the indictment in my book. I sit here in my traditional churchdirectorof christian ed office praying that the powers that be let us sing “Shout to the Lord” during the high and holy 11am Sunday Service.
nuff said?
love, Marcy