I’m pretty amazed. I also just started using Skype to work with a contractor on some web projects. It allows you to conduct free internet-based phone calls anywhere in the world. We are able to work on our projects (web dev) and talk about it as we work. (I guess other people would love it for gaming.) Most of you are probably aware of this, I am a late-comer on the IP telephony stuff. I used it about 4 years ago but the quality was so bad I wrote it off until now.

HisMethod (and all the rest of you in Australia) or CawleyBlog we may need to try this some day!

I’ve been using a couple of these web templates at Monk Development. Amazing! We just launched Players Vacation Club with a simple template (we edited it from tables to Web Standard based CSS) and it took 3 days! Talk about crazy.

Since, technagoraphobia (which you can now google btw, click on it) went over well. I have another term I’d like to introduce to the english language:

Search Engine Engineered, Search Engine Engineering or Search Engine Engineer. Ok, many websites will Search Engine Optimize, but that only takes existing data/content and ‘optimizes’ it for a Search Engine. Search Enginer Engineering, engineers websites from the ground up to peform well on Search Engines.

Mormon Shock
This letter is in reference to an article that was printed in the Reader on July 28 under the section “Sheep and Goats, Places of Worship Reviewed.” I am outraged that such an article was even written.

This article reviews a lecture given by a so-called pastor by the name of Gabriel Carlin. He is no doubt blasphemous against the Mormon religion. His statements are disrespectful and untrue, and I am outraged that the Reader would see fit to print such an article that degrades the beliefs of others. This man is uneducated about the Mormon faith. He fell away from the church, so all he knows is hatred and revenge. These are by no means Christ-like attributes in someone who claims to be a preacher. To set the record straight, Mormons are very God-fearing Christian people. Christ is the center of our religion, and our beliefs are based around Him and God the Father. Mormonism is growing because of the internal belief that people feel when they study our principles. They are never forced to join our church, but when they do their lives are enriched beyond measure. These are surely no signs of a “cult,” as Mr. Carlin tries to convey.

At any rate, I am shocked that this article found its way inside the Reader, and in the future I hope that these kinds of articles are not given any kind of consideration.
Name Withheld

(in response to this article: Unchained Internet Radio

Sergio Castro performed “spoken word” for a crowd estimated to be 170 people. “Worship is dangerous. Worship of God is forbidden in many parts of the world. Music reaches into the subconscious. Music is a natural channel to express one’s true feelings toward God. Music makes us part of creation. In the book of Job, it says the stars sang. Perhaps creation did not begin with a big bang after all; perhaps it began with worship,” said Castro, keeping rhythm with a beat from DJ Tony Vasquez. As the duo, known as The Root of Jesse, performed, an artist stationed on the stage’s right side painted a canvas. At the stage’s left, a PowerPoint screen rotated images of children and communities from around the world. Performances by Dance Floor Prophets and Soul Water followed. At this event held in the basement of Horizon Park Chapel in Banker’s Hill, several artists’ work was displayed. The art expressed Christian themes — the Holy Spirit represented by fire and a surreal collage about Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. Charlene Rice, a painter from Rancho Cucamonga, donated her work to the event. “We want to raise money in a creative way through the use of art and music. This is not your grandmother’s Catholic prayer group,” said Rice loudly over the music. “The art here isn’t the Passover art people hang over their dining room table. This art speaks to this generation.” With paint and seeds, Rice had fashioned a cross-shaped device. “The Christian art community is too saturated with angels, flowers, and trees. People’s souls are deep wells and I want to speak to them through my abstract expressions.”

Full Article: Trans:Mission (Soul Creative)

I contributed to the feature article in the San Diego Reader, Soundtrack.

Black Celebration by Depeche Mode

My life changed forever when I was 13 years old. Up until this time, my thoughts were filled with jumping my BMX bike off curbs and lighting things on fire in my back yard. This day didn’t seem all that different from any other day, but it became the day that divided my life into two. It was on this day I lost my pop-culture virginity to Depeche Mode. (continued at the bottom of this page.)

“It isn’t often that you find a pastor who has been in prison and been divorced but has a real heart for people. He isn’t judgmental at all. If you are struggling with sin, this is a great church to attend because you won’t be judged,” said Blaine Morgan, a church volunteer, about Pastor Barry Minkow. “We don’t condone sin here, but we value the process of forgiveness and change.”

“There are many people who serve here who are ex-convicts,” added Fumi Tanaka, a congregant. “This really is a great place for people who need to be restored.” Tanaka said several of the church staff served prison time, including small-groups director Frank Wooters, David, the men’s ministry leader, and senior pastor Barry Minkow. Frank Wooters’s biography on the church website states, “By my 20s I was running in the wrong direction with the wrong crowd, in and out of jail. I was running in a world of violence and self-destruction.”

Barry Minkow’s criminal past and subsequent life change has received national press. Minkow, who was the youngest person ever to take a company public at 20 years old, was convicted of fraud in 1987. Minkow served seven years in federal prison and was ordered to pay back $26 million to investors. In prison, Minkow changed his life and says he felt God’s call to enter the ministry. Minkow was hired as senior pastor of Community Bible Church in 1997. In addition to his role as senior pastor, Minkow assists the FBI in busting fraud scams. In January, Minkow released a book about his life, Cleaning Up: One Man’s Redemptive Journey Through the Seductive World of Corporate Crime.

Full Article: Community Bible Church

Idiot Pastor
I’m calling in response to the “Sheep and Goats” article (July 28). I’m calling because I was curious if the piece was meant to bash the Mormon religion or to show that Pastor Gabriel Carlin is an idiot and has no clue what he’s talking about and he’s a racist, hateful bastard. I’m not a Mormon, but I was offended, or not offended — I’m not sure yet. Just wondering what the purpose of the article was.
Name Withheld

Discord Energy
I recently visited beautiful San Diego on a business trip and picked up a copy of the Reader to find some interesting places to visit and things to do. A completely out-of-place article struck my attention. A very slandering article written about Mormons (”Sheep and Goats,” July 28). I firmly believe that people can worship any way they would like to. And if this Pastor Carlin is truly Christian, he wouldn’t be focusing his energy on discrediting anyone’s religion. So my suggestion is to stick to things that make San Diego great instead of publishing articles that promote discord in a world that is full of it already.
Troy Brown
via e-mail

Absolute Low
I read the “Sheep and Goats” article in the latest issue (July 28). I thought the purpose of the column was for a particular church to tell about who they are, their philosophical focus, any events they may be having, and that sort of information. I was appalled at the current issue, where you allowed someone to use that forum to criticize another church. That is an absolute low blow. The writer said nothing about his church and what they are about, just used the space to put down someone else’s beliefs (and just for your information, I am not a member of the Mormon church either). If I had a subscription to the Reader I would cancel it. I question who your target audience is, but it certainly isn’t anyone with high values if this is the kind of comments you are allowing.
Ruth Davis
via e-mail

Hellish Semantics
I was a Mormon for 26 years, and I graduated from Brigham Young University, which requires all undergraduates to complete 20 hours of religious coursework. While I am no longer an active member of the Mormon church, I feel compelled to point out that Gabriel Carlin’s remarks about Mormons, and the Reader’s method of presenting them, are misleading (”Sheep and Goats,” July 28).

In the table of contents, under “Sheep and Goats,” the tag line reads, “Mormons say Hitler won’t go to hell.” Nowhere in the article did a Mormon theologian or individual say Hitler won’t go to hell. Drew Goodmanson, the reviewer, says, “Carlin said Mormons believe in three levels of heaven” and quotes him as saying, “Even Hitler isn’t going to hell in the Mormon view.” This is clearly Carlin’s argument, and he provides no citations that would permit the Reader to make this leap.

The argument itself is confused by semantics. The geography of the afterlife in Mormon theology doesn’t correspond precisely to the terms “heaven” and “hell.” In my recollection, those who know God and reject Him are cast into “outer darkness.” The church certainly teaches that this betrayal is a unique sort of sin, and only those who are, in effect, God’s witnesses on earth can commit it. But I was also taught that murder of even one person was an unforgivable sin, one for which you could never atone, and that you could therefore not expect anything but eternal suffering. This suffering, as I understood it, would be done in a place called the telestial kingdom, a hellish, not heavenly, place.

Lastly, Goodmanson says in his review that “Carlin… often travels to educate groups about Mormonism.” To call Carlin an educator about Mormonism is like calling Rush Limbaugh an educator about Democrats or bin Laden an educator about American culture. Carlin promotes his own beliefs by demonizing those of a group he views as damned and misinformed. The nicest possible term for that is “preaching.”
Laura McNeal
Fallbrook

Catholic Inventions
Regarding your “Sheep and Goats” column of July 28, I think that Mr. Gabriel Carlin should have his head examined.

The Mormons are right about one thing: Adolph Hitler did go to heaven. Why? Because there is no other place to go. We all go there when we die. Hell and Satan are inventions of the Catholic Church. They do not exist. Do you think that a loving God would create such a place or such an entity so that we could be tortured for eternity? Nonsense! Do you think that a loving God would even allow some evil entity to exist or allow such a place to be created?

No way! The Bible is so full of b******t, I don’t know how anyone in their right mind can believe any of it.
Name Withheld
via e-mail

The Design of Sites: Patterns, Principles, and Processes for Crafting a Customer-Centered Web Experience (Paperback)
Submit Now: Designing Persuasive Websites (Paperback)
Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank (Paperback)

The Resolved Church has received a bunch of unwanted response from Christians who took issue with the SD Reader article I wrote about them. (Sheep & Goats June 23, 2005) In the article, Pastor Bragg said, “Beer is one of our core values.” Subsequent discussion has flared up in numerous sources:

World Magazine (100+ comments and counting)
Sharper Iron Forum (11 pages and counting)

Pastor Bragg writes an article to defend the criticism:

i feel as if i must defend and clarify a certain element of the resolved, and comments made by myself concerning who we are and what we do. if you have checked out the press section of this website, you have seen that there has been quite a bit of discussion from people about the infamous comment i made in the sd reader article: “beer is one of our core values.” for those of you outside of the church world, within the realm of “churchspeak,” core values seen as a necessity for all churches to establish in order to be successful. it is as if you have to have the clever and profound media-savvy, commercial-esque snips of information that define who you are as a church and how you do ministry. i don’t know if that definition is even accurate, because i don’t even really know what core values really are. i don’t think anyone really knows anymore. scholars maintain that the definition was lost somewhere in the 19th century (that is completely false, and a faint tribute to “anchorman: the legend of ron burgundy.”) frankly i am not much of a fan of the term. it seems to me that the church has been sucked into this trap of operating like a business, and we have to promote our faith in a tidy powerpoint-like presentation for people to buy whatever it is that we are selling. it’s straight pragmatism and it isn’t found in the good ole’ bible. well i don’t like the idea of marketing the gospel for anything. and i don’t think that the church operates in a bullet-point system. i think it’s messy, and in many ways, indefinable. i can’t coerce the nature of what the church is into well-packaged little fortune cookie statements that will appeal to the masses and make them want to come to church. when i said that beer is one of our core values, i was using seditious and provocative language to refute the idea that the resolved operates under a business mindset that prints core values and purpose statements over all of its literature and propogates the program of the church over the content we are attempting to communicate. the reality is that the gospel is our only core value. we treasure and love it above all other things. saying that beer is one of our core values is as accurate as saying cut-off jean shorts or cherry slurpees at 7-11 are our core values. we just don’t buy into the whole church as a business thing. church is a family and a community. church is the kingdom of God on earth, the living testimony to the world. yes, we like to drink beer, but no, we are not alcoholics and we don’t get drunk in order to preach better sermons or to make people think christianity is cool. we just don’t believe that we should refrain from enjoying something that God has granted us freedom to partake of, regardless of the tradition of the american church, which has avoided the issue entirely out of fear of making a mistake or being misunderstood. i don’t think we are revolutionaries in this, and i don’t think that it is a big deal. drew, the author of the article in the sd reader, did what any good writer would do, and used the comment as an attention grabber, which it most certainly was. but please, do not think that we are all about alcohol, and don’t judge the resolved on a single article written about us. when it comes down to it, if you come to a resolved service, you are going to be confronted with the gospel. it makes us uncomfortable, because it is offensive, but it gives us great comfort because it is our only hope in this world. all that being said, i have a terrible propensity towards sarcasm, and i have learned that sarcasm isn’t always best communicated in the black and white of printed media. so i will save my humor (which i find quite hilarious) for live audiences, and attempt to communicate in a serious and solemn, humorless fashion from now on (that was sarcasm). if this topic is of any interest to you (alcohol and the church), check out “drinking with calvin and luther,” by jim west. it is a good read and well worth your time. that is it for now kids, now go finish your homework before dinner, because homework is definitely a core value.

“Joseph Smith believed there are men on the moon that dress like Quakers and live to be 1000 years old. Brigham Young taught that men lived on the sun. Until 1981, the Book of Mormon taught that dark-skinned Lamanites [Indians] would experience a change in the color of their skin should they embrace the Book of Mormon’S 2 Nephi 30:6,” said Gabriel Carlin. Carlin wrote The Truth about Mormons . He was invited to speak to a group of Unchained Radio listeners in San Diego. Carlin, a pastor of Living Faith Community Church in St. George, Utah, often travels to educate groups about Mormonism. “A lot of what people see in Mormonism is appealing, but most Mormons don’t even know all their own doctrines unless they go high up in the LDS Church.” Pastor Carlin practiced Mormonism for two years before he left the LDS Church. “I left [the LDS Church] when I realized it was not consistent with the Bible,” said Carlin. “Mormons are often surprised to hear me say that they are not Christians. Often, they respond by saying that they believe in Jesus so this must make them Christians,” said Carlin. “However, Paul warned that there was a counterfeit Jesus, a counterfeit gospel, and a counterfeit spirit in 2 Corinthians 11:4.

Full Article: Unchained Internet Radio

“One-third of my generation is dead because of abortion. Forty-five million babies have been murdered,” said Edgar Savage Brown III, 25-year-old founder of the local Bound4Life chapter. Bound4Life’s website claims they are “a nonviolent revolutionary movement of righteousness that will sweep through America and establish a culture of LIFE.” “This grassroots movement is composed of teens and 20-year-olds,” said Brown. “At the events, kids in flip-flops and jeans show up to participate. The movement is inspiring a new generation of young people.” The goal of the movement is to gather ten million people to covenant to pray, vote for pro-life candidates, and obey God. Members commit to praying a 22-word prayer at least five times a day: “Jesus, I plead your blood over my sins and the sins of my nation. God, end abortion and send revival to America.”

Full Article: Bound4Life

“People are Karma-producing machines. That is all we do and all we have ever been doing,” said Jeff Goin, a resident teacher at Vajrarupini Buddhist Center. Karma is the belief that for every action there are effects that occur because of this action. Twenty-five students listened to Goin teach the introductory class, Advice for a Happy Life , based on the teachings of Atisha, a spiritual guide from India. Goin taught on contentment, the third class of a six-part series. “Contentment is happy acceptance of any circumstance we are experiencing. We all want to feel good, to have happiness and contentment. Often we think, ‘I’m a good person. I don’t kick puppies. Why do bad things happen to me?’ It is because of Karma.” Goin said once the students understand Karma, they can understand how the world works and become content. “Karma is built up over multiple lifetimes as you make decisions and later feel the effect of these previous actions. What happens to us is the result of these countless lives before us. Often thousands of years can pass before we will feel the effects of our previous actions. Here lies the key to contentment. If the things you desire do not come, it is due to Karma a long time ago. So keep a happy and relaxed mind. If we are unhappy about someone who is yelling at us, we might as well be unhappy at the tide of the ocean. If we are mad that someone swindled us, we might as well be mad at clouds that bring rain. If you experience praise or blame, if you are poor or have abundant resources, you can be content knowing, I just created the Karma to experience this.”

Full Article: Vajrarupini Buddhist Center

I think I forgot to mention the Burnside Writers Collective store is now opened. The first 200 orders of Miller’s books get an autographed copy. Don’t give your money to Amazon, help support the BWC group.

I followed a link from my stat files which lead me to some local blogs that discuss the Sheep & Goats column I write.

“We have no theological readings of the Bible…” by noiseromantic
“We see God as our equal” by Blogcorner Preacher