What happened?!?!

My Sooners fell apart today! Bye-bye national championship. So sad.

EfM

I'm really excited, because I'm getting ready to start a very intensive study of Christianity-it's a 4 year program called Education for Ministry (EfM) that's basically the equivalent of 3 years of seminary. I'm not wanting to be a pastor or anything, I just want to learn more background about the faith I have had my whole life. I'm a little nervous as well, because I know a lot of people that go to seminary or Bible college or anything that has a really intensive Bible/theological focus can really start questioning their faith after doing all that intensive study. But I think it will be really amazing, and my husband survived Bible college and still has his faith, so I'll hope for the best!

If you want to check out their website, it is www.sewanee.edu/EFM/index.htm.

Here is a little bit about it:

Participants in the EfM program study the entire sweep of the Christian tradition from the earliest period to the present. Participants learn the disciplines of biblical exegesis and interpretation, systematic theology, church history, ethics, liturgics, and ascetical theology.

The traditional content is not studied in a vacuum. Students belong to small "communities of learning" in which the events of each person's life may be examined in the light of the materials being studied. While the course materials provide substantial academic content, the focus of the program is on life as ministry and understanding that ministry. EfM provides Christians with that basic skill which is the foundation of all Christian ministry -- theological reflection. In doing this, participants sharpen their skills of personal and cultural assessment and enhance abilities to be effective in a variety of ministries.

Brilliant Quote of the Day

I just called to pay a bill over the phone. Here is the conversation.

Me: Can I speak to someone in the billing department?
Them: Is this about a bill?

Where do they find these people??!!

How are the White Stripes at the top of the list?

Rolling Stone did some survey, and Radiohead was named #2 in the "Best Live Band Playing Right Now" list, behind the White Stripes who took the #1 honors. Here's the top 20:

1. White Stripes
2. Radiohead
3. Pearl Jam
4. Rage Against the Machine
5. U2
6. Metallica
7. Flaming Lips
8. My Morning Jacket
9. The Hold Steady
10. Arcade Fire
11. The Raconteurs
12. Wilco
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
14. Red Hot Chili Peppers
15. Gogol Bordello
16. Kings of Leon
17. Muse
18. Dave Matthews Band
19. Tool
20. LCD Soundsystem

White Stripes play fun music but nothing to write home about. And I can't imagine them being that amazing live. Anyone seen them live? I can say from personal experience that Radiohead is AMAZING live. Even though I've already seen them, I would still want to see them again before I saw anyone else in the world.

Here is a really good website for all things Radiohead:

www.greenplastic.com

Radiohead-head

Ok, all you Radiohead fans out there:

What is your favorite Radiohead Album and why? (Thanks to Mike for this great suggestion as a topic.)


By the way, they are possibly going to release their 7th album by the end of this year.

Sweeney Todd...

...is going to be a movie!!! I'm so excited!!! I played in the pit at the Pollard when they did it and loved it. The music is by Sondheim and is really cool. Dark, but cool. It's a very disturbing story but it was one of my favorite musicals that I've ever played in. Johnny Deppy is Sweeney Todd and Helena Bonham Carter is Mrs. Lovitt. It looks really scary! I'm interested to see how they sing, b/c I heard they all had to take voice lessons so they could sing their parts. The music is really hard, so I bet that was a challenge for anyone that has no musical background. I think it comes out in December. So excited!

Shattered glass and confessions of a dangerous mind

We just watched Shattered Glass last night. It was a really good movie. It was based on the true story of this young journalist at the New Republic (Stephen Glass, hence the title Shattered Glass) who made up most (or maybe even all) of his news stories. It was really interesting b/c this guy was one of the nicest people who no one believed could have done it and yet at the same time, you saw this kid that just could not tell the truth. Even when backed into a corner about if his strories were factual or not, he just kept making up more elaborate lies and went to great lengths to cover his tracks. Just an interesting look at a very complicated guy.

This movie reminded me a little bit of another movie Justin and I watched awhile back called Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. It was another "based on a true story" about Chuck Barris, who hosted the Gong Show. He claimed that he was a CIA assassin who killed people while escorting his prize winners on their vacations. No one really knows if it really happened or not.

Intriguing movies. Check them out.