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Subtitles and Footnotes on the Life of Christopher L Heuertz

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Jan
26th
Thu
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For real, one of the BEST films ever recorded by @twotp & @travisreed with the man who’s kept me alive, Rudy Rasmus @PastorRudyR

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Happy B-Day Angela Davis~

Happy B-Day Angela Davis~

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Jan
23rd
Mon
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4th Annual Oompa Loompa Love Songs Playlist :: The Best Songs of 2011

Okay, sorry this is getting out late. Last fall I wasn’t sure there were 40 songs that were worthy of the 2011 Oompa Loompa Love Song Playlist. But as the year came to a close I had a shortlist of 60+ songs. And I’ve been picking at the shortlist for a few weeks trying to widdle it down to 40.

If you’ve followed previous OLLSP then you’ll notice that Kanye and Rihanna (I hope she stays classy forever) get a lot less props this year than previous years, you’ll also notice that one of my all-time-hip-hop-man-crushes Common doesn’t get any play, but that’s only because his new album dropped so late in the year and I’ve not had adequate time to spend with it.

  1. Strange Negotiations by David Bazan from Strange Negotiations
  2. Shattered by Trading Yesterday (David Hodges) from More Than This
  3. Words I Never Said by Lupe Fiasco from Lasers
  4. Running Back to You by Matt Wertz from Weights & Wings
  5. Run, Run by Arrows to Athens (David Hodges) from Kings & Thieves
  6. Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes (feat. Adam Levine)
  7. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People from Torches
  8. Heartbeat by Childish Gambino from Camp
  9. Midnight City by M83 from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
  10. A Thousand Years by Christina Perry (David Hodges) from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Soundtrack
  11. Turning Page by Sleeping At Last from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Soundtrack
  12. Strip Me by Natasha Bedingfield from Strip Me
  13. Miss Shanghai by The Shanghai Restoration Project  (feat. Dez) from World is China
  14. Miracle by Matisyahu from the Miracle EP
  15. Give me Everything by Pitbull (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) from Planet Pit
  16. I Was Here by Beyonce Knowles from 4
  17. Super Bass by Nicki Minaj from Pink Friday
  18. Who Dat Girl by Flo Rida from Only One Flo, Pt. 1
  19. Who’s That Chick? byDavid Guetta & Rihanna
  20. Who’s That Girl by Guy Sebasian (feat. Eve) from
  21. New Day by Jay Z & Kanye West from Watch the Throne
  22. Paradise by Coldplay from Mylo Xyloto
  23. 1 Chance by Sori from Hip Girl
  24. Talk That Talk by Rihanna (feat. Jay Z) from Talk That Talk
  25. Calgary by Bon Iver
  26. Woo by Anthony Hamilton from Back to Love
  27. Violin by Amos Lee from Mission Bell
  28. Blazin’ by Nicki Minaj and Kanye West from Pink Friday
  29. One Love by Jennifer Lopez from LOVE?
  30. Who Gon Stop Me by Jay Z & Kanye West from Watch the Throne
  31. Where Them Girls by David Guetta (feat. Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj) from Nothing But the Beat
  32. Carry Me by the Emporiums from The Singing Well
  33. Shake it Out by Florence + The Machine from Ceremonials
  34. I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now by Lupe Fiasco (feat. MDMA) from Lasers
  35. Last Chance by Nicki Manaj & Natasha Bedingfield from Pink Friday
  36. Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae from Whatever
  37. Gotta Have It by Jay Z & Kanye West from Watch the Throne
  38. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall from Coldplay from Mylo Xyloto
  39. Best Love Song by T-Pain (feat. Chris Brown) rEVLOVEr
  40. TIE :: Sixty On from Birds by Aaron Strumple + Crew Love by Drake (feat. The Weeknd) from Take Care

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Jan
22nd
Sun
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Yep, @Jesus you’re gonna have to show your birth certificate if you want to be King of this country

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Jan
21st
Sat
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The 14th Annual 2011-12 Tom Osborne Memorial College Football Poll

1)   Alabama (12-1) 100 (4)

2)   Oklahoma State (12-1) 96

3)   Oregon (12-2) 91

4)   Stanford (11-2) 84

5)   LSU (13-1) 78

6)   Wisconsin (11-3) 75

7)   South Carolina (11-2) 71

8)   Michigan (11-2) 68

9)   Baylor (10-3) 67

10) Arkansas (12-2) 62

11) Michigan State (11-3) 58

12) Boise State (11-1) 56

13) Houston (13-1) 47

14) USC (10-2) 42

15) Kansas State (10-3) 39
16) TCU (11-2) 36

16) West Virginia (10-3) 36

18) Georgia (10-4) 34

19) Oklahoma (10-3) 32

20) Virginia Tech (11-3) 26

21) Florida State (9-4) 20

21) Nebraska (9-4) 20

23) Southern Mississippi (12-2) 17

24) Cincinnati (10-3) 13

24) Clemson (10-4) 13

25) North Dakota State (14-1) 7

 

Others receiving votes :: Vanderbilt 4, Notre Dame 3, Northwestern 2, Ohio 1.

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Jan
20th
Fri
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Jan
18th
Wed
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Not my bank, but my city, #Omaha, and proud of it. (Check out the @WordMadeFlesh office building at second 27, brick building on the right, under the rainbow).

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Jan
16th
Mon
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Jan
13th
Fri
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I Don’t Want to be a Punk, but Please Don’t Start Another Non-Profit :: Five Reasons to Reconsider

About 8-10 times a year I get random calls from sincere 20-somethings asking me for advice about the non-profit organization they want to start. Usually these new, innovative ideas are cause-driven organizations that aim to help victims of human trafficking or women and children caught up in the commercial sex industry.

I don’t want to be a dream-killer, but in nearly every one of these scenarios my advice sounds something like this, “Please do not start another non-profit.”

Seriously.

Here’s why:

1) Most of the women and children who are victims of human trafficking or caught up in the commercial sex industry have already experienced so much trauma, loss and disappointment in their lives that your new, innovative idea for a non-profit will likely end up being another tragic disappoint they can not afford. On behalf of my friends and my co-workers who daily engage these women, do not do this to them, they’ve already suffered enough. Do not set people up to be let down again, they deserve better.

2) Unless you’re willing to forego your dreams of going back to school for a graduate degree, unless you’re willing to sacrifice the possibility of getting married, and unless your willing to consider remaining childless, do not over-commit yourself to the very real strains and demands of people who will become your family and dictate decisions that will limit what you perceive to be the entitled options and freedoms you think your future may entail. If you are serious about giving yourself to those who have lost everything then their lack of freedom will limit your notions of what freedoms you think you may have.

3) If you think you’re about to start or launch something that’s fresh or innovative or has never been done please re-consider it. There actually might be a legitimate reason why it’s never been done and your failure to find traction and relevance will only take away from those who are already doing the hard, undramatic work of fighting for freedom for those enslaved in the sex trade.

4) Apart from authentic and honest friendships with women victimized in the commercial sex industry, your ideas may very likely be misguided or romanticized. Without the presence and participation of actual victims, your visions and best ideas will most likely not have relevance to the needs of those you intend to help. Please do not perpetuate the notion that you can imagine something outside relationship that could actually be a successful idea. Real partnerships are built on trust, and in real partnerships both sides have lots to offer. Empowerment can be dehumanizing, the resources for freedom already exist within the imaginations of those you want to help, and the greatest gift you can offer them is supporting their vision, not imposing yours.

5) If you really think that you want to start a new project, program or non-profit, then prove it by joining an existing organization who is already doing a version of what you hope to do. Learn from them. Learn to nurture and cultivate real friendships with the kinds of folks you hope to help. See what it costs to get involved in the areas of need you hope to combat. Find mentoring so that you don’t become competition to good groups who currently are doing the work you desire to participate in. And take from these groups, expecting them to serve you, really roll your sleeves up and volunteer for the most mundane tasks—that’s where you’ll learn the guts of what this takes. If you really think you’re in this for the long haul then go to “college” (usually a 4-5 year certification commitment) and prove to yourself that you’re willing to obtain the tools you’ll need to be effective. You’ll learn the secret, that all great groups already engaged in this kind of work had their imaginations incubated by others already engaged in the fight for freedom.

And, even after these 5 bits of advice, reconsider. Really, I don’t want to be a punk, but the last thing victims of the commercial sex industry need is another painful disappointment. Don’t hurt them more than they’ve already been hurt.

Please.

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Jan
11th
Wed
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Jan
9th
Mon
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11 From 11 Best Reads :: The Dusting Off The Shelves Best Reads from 2011

Over the years I’ve attempted to put together little “best of” reading lists. Last year it was “10 From 10: The Dusting Off the Shelves Best Reads from 2010,” and the year before, “09 +09 From 09: The Dusting Off the Shelves Best Reads from 2009.”

Clearly I’m way behind on all my 2011 “Best Of” lists, so here’s the first of them, the long overdue “11 From 11 Best Reads.”

Assembling this list was actually pretty tough because in 2011 I was slugging away on my own manuscript, soon to be my 3rd book. That means I spent much of my time reading my own writings instead of reading other people’s books.

That’s not an excuse for a below average reading year—I did end up reading nearly 60 books totaling over 14,500 pages—but a lot of (ummmm, this is a painful confession tinged with shame) was tied to the Harry Potter series. Yes, I have finally caught up to the early 2000’s.

So, given a smaller than normal pile of completed books, this list highlights some of my favorites.

AND, just to remind you of my personal criteria:

First, I cannot presume that I would be able to name the best books of 2011, that would be impossible for anyone—so rather than this list being the best of books published in 2011, it’s the best of whatI read in 2011.

Second, it’s not fair to compare fiction to non-fiction, so the books that made this list are simply the books that left the biggest impression on me regardless of genre.

Third, because I don’t think you can really compete books against each other, this list is ordered alphabetically by author.

Fourth, I endorsed a number of excellent books this year that didn’t make this list, however each of those books is fantastic and I whole heartedly recommend them all.

So, here ya go:

  • Fall To Grace: A Revolution of God, Self & Society by Jay Bakker :: Oh Jay, I dearly and truly love Jay and for full disclosure consider him a friend (true story, we both filmed for a show at TBN on the same spring day in 2011, classic), and still was blown away by his honesty and vulnerability this pseudo-memoir. Certainly provocative and painfully honest, Jay really makes a strong biblical and theological case for inclusion of all humanity in communities of faith. Bam.
  • Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived by Rob Bell :: Yep, probably the best reviews (both positive and negative) of this book came from folks who actually never read it. Crazy. I sat down, popped open the cover, and didn’t get up till I was finished. Regardless of what you think about Rob or the ideas in this book, he has given voice to many concerns that a lot of thoughtful Christians have. This book validates some of the questions we still don’t have good answers for, and ultimately, it’s a book about questions not answers.
  • The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins :: So, I have this issue (among my many, many others…) where I feel guilty reading non-fiction. To over compensate for that I’ve made it one of my life goals to read something written by every author who’s ever won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I’m probably 70% way through that list and often am disappointed by what I read. But when I let myself have a guilty pleasure like the Hunger Games I wasn’t disappointed. Great story, I can’t wait for the movies now.
  • The Sisters Brothers: A Novel by Patrick deWitt :: Oh boy, I love love love this story. Generally I’m not a fan of westerns or anything from that category of film or book (and, this should go without saying, but music as well), but this book is so readable, funny and kept my attention all the way through. Love it.
  • A Lever and A Place to Stand: The Contemplative Stance, The Active Prayer by Richard Rohr :: It is pretty hard to say what’s the very best of Richard Rohr’s books because almost every single one of them kills it. This is no exception. This little book actually seemed to sneak into publication, tucked between a couple other books he wrote that apparently had huge marketing budgets. But this title is among his clearest and most important.
  • Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr :: On one hand I’m afraid this book was wasted on me because I’m still (hopefully) floundering around in the first half of my life. But, as turned 40 this year much of what Rohr unpacks in this little volume spoke loud and clear. Read it and keep reading it, this one will have lasting value.
  • The Miracle, The Message, The Story: Jean Vanier and L’Arche by Kathryn Spink :: I was able to spend part of my summer in France with Jean Vanier and read this as sort of background research. Much more than merely research, this book is an inspiring story of illumination. I’m certain that Vanier is one of our time’s modern saints and this biography paints that in the most authentically human way.
  • Decoded by Jay Z :: I hardly have to say anything about this one. Pretty awesome. Hit it up already.
  • Peter Rollins :: This is sort of an honorable mention because I read all of Pete’s books in 2011 and think they’re all great, his first two blew my mind and I will likely return to them frequently. I put Pete on here rather than naming a specific title from him because I’d suggest finding at least one of his works and reading it slowly, letting it wash over you. If you dig him then chase down his other stuff and you won’t be disappointed.

That’s it. That’s what I go. Now, I am still working on my manuscript, I turn it in to my publisher this week and once that’s out of my hands I’ll get back to some serious reading. And here’s a little stack of what I’m really looking forward to for this upcoming year:

     With that, happy reading.

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    Jan
    4th
    Wed
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    “The Inside Edge Of The Outside” with @chrisheuertz and @twotp

    The Inside Edge Of The Outside” with @chrisheuertz and @twotp

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    Dec
    20th
    Tue
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    Dec
    19th
    Mon
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    An Advent Reflection :: “Remembering Mary & Joseph” :: for @altervideomag

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    Dec
    18th
    Sun
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