Remember Sammy Jankis...

For your enjoyment:

I know this has been out for awhile but I've been busy relaunching the youth group website (which you can check out at www.oxfordyouth.org) among the various other things I've had to get done. Really, the fact that I'm blogging simply represents the eye of the storm--the calm between chaos. At least I'm drifting in the waters of useful busyness lately.

I'm afraid we're at an impasse. You see, our bible study buddies seem to be convinced (or at least hopeful) that we will abandon our calling, turn our backs on the church local and at large, give in to "plain reasoning" and tear down the "tyranny" of systematic theology and experiential faith*.

Frankly, I have similar hopes for them, but I don't follow them through town to that end. I mean, we sit there and listen to their little handbook, play a little "repeat after me" in answer to the question "what did that paragraph just say?", and really ponder hard if we can afford ten easy payments... I mean, yeah.

Then, as gently as I can, I pull the discussion into textual criticism and theological bias in translation and they either try to answer, hand me some material that offers a decent 'pat' answer, or write it down to get back to me. But, you know what, their super-slick sales spiel isn't accomplishing anything, and neither is my Koine-laden academic bludgeoning. We are simply at an impasse.

But, you know what, when we collectively decide that all that is done for the day, we have a good time talking about normal stuff. Stupid "cloister" mentality! Hmm... I wonder what they'll say when we tell them about Finn's dedication.

~If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read Fran's blog.

If you've got time, check this out.

How'd you do?--I see you've met my...

...faithful handyman...

Well, that was fun. Tonight was opening night for the little play I'm in (check it out here). I play a body guard who looks FBI/MIB-ish and is a self-proclaimed hyper-intellectual. It's quite fun. But, hey, I knew it would be when I found out I get to wear shades and a black suit the whole time and shoot people with blowdarts. Really, the only problem is the makeup makes me look like Boy-George from up close (apparently it looks fine from the audience, however). Alright. Now I've just got to get through 3 more nights of this play. But, like I said, we're off to a good start. Ah well.

I did have some thoughts I was going to write here about the yeast of the pharisees and white-washed tombs, but the play has got me in a better mood than that so I'll wait till later. Well, time for bed (and what a bed it is).

"I thought you were going to wake me at 6:30."
"I also said women like men who are shaped like potatoes. Can you find the pattern here?"

(BTW, you're going to have to look very hard for my hidden comments since I changed the template of my blog)

Comme tous les songe-creux,

je confondis le désenchantement avec la vérité.

A whole new look, a whole new theme/title/quote, a whole new set of pictures:

Finnan James vol 6

Other than that, you can expect some meanderings, thoughts, and generally misinterpreted comments to follow swiftly after this post (*please note: "swiftly" is a relative term).

"Pineapples aren't intelligent lifeforms."
"They're smarter than bananas. It's all relative."

3 part harmony

For some reason Fran didn't find this as funny as I did.

S. Morgenstern does not exist.

Now that that's out of the way, here are more pictures of Finn:

Finnan James - vol 5

"Talking money..."
"Talking monkey?"
"Talking monkey. Yeah... yeah, came here from the future. Ugly sucker. Only says 'ficus.'"