foolishnotions.net

when i was a little girl i lived on a horse farm. every year my mom and i would string up fun decorations among the tall stacks of hay in the loft of the old barn. i would invite all my friends over for a really cool halloween party complete with real live resident spiders and naturally eery flickering lights.  the sweet smell of caramel mingled with the dusty scent of alfalfa hay as we bobbed for apples out of a metal water trough that would serve a horse again the next day.  it was so fun.  popcorn balls, hay, pumpkins, candy, games…  and then we would go across the street to the neighborhood to go trick-or-treating.  it was like the best of both worlds for me as i usually felt i was missing out on the whole neighborhood experience since i lived in “the country” (which was flanked on all sides of it’s 100 acre exterior by the city of raleigh, nc).  i remember the year we were now all christians who didn’t celebrate halloween, a tiny detail they failed to run by me before i signed on for the christian life.  it was really hard.

so, now i have a child and have to decide.  do we celebrate halloween or not?  and, most importantly, why???  cause he’s asking, and i hate it when he asks me something that i have said no to only to discover i can’t tell him why.  it painfully reveals how many things i still hold to because someone else said so.  this bugs the fool out of me.  so, here we go… why not?

other holidays do it…
i did some digging on other holidays.  come to find out, just about all of them have some sort of pagan influence or cultural folklore that has somehow infiltrated our western celebrations. so, what determines which holidays and traditions are ok?  some of these influences are decidedly darker than others. but, are the holidays that have put on a pretty enough face to make everything acceptable the ones that are ok?  or is a pagan practice just a pagan practice… even if you don’t fully realize what the reason for it was in the first place?

if a holiday is christian in origin, are the pagans who participate unwittingly worshipping god?
i’ve heard the argument that christians who adopt pagan rituals into the celebration of thier christian holidays are unwittingly worshipping pagan gods.  so, if a pagan religion puts it’s spin on christmas, are they unwittingly celebrating christ’s birth?  hmmmm….  ok, that may have been a stretch as more often than not it’s the christians who are adopting the pagan rituals into thier celebrations.  i mean, i don’t know if worshipers of odin had a nativity scene on thier coffee table a few feet away from the boots filled with food for his eight legged horse.  but it’s an interesting question given the vial treatment some christians have directed toward thier fellow believers for filling up stockings hung on the chimney on christmas eve.

pagan idols and traditions in the bible
god is clear about idol worship and his stance on the worship of false deities.  but is there a difference in having an idol for the purpose of worship and having an idol for the purpose of enjoying it’s artistic value?  is there a difference in using pagan practices for the purpose of worship as opposed to using ideas from pagan rituals as a springboard to inject a litte fun into our own culture?  i really don’t know… so, don’t throw stones.  i’m just asking the question that i don’t have a clear answer for yet.

ok, halloween
well, besides a little glimmer of the caltholic holiday called all saints day, (which honored saints and martyrs of the faith) it really has no redeeming qualities when you take a look at it’s origins. wow, bad stuff there.  and, no doubt there are some who still worship on this holiday, and they are definitely NOT honoring the saints or worshipping god.  but i’d have to say, the mainstream adoption of this holiday into our western culture is, for the most part, in good fun.  still, i have a fundamental hesitation.  and that is the extent that fear is celebrated.  fear is dangerous thing to dabble in.  what gives me pause is not the fun traditions but our human nature to be sucked in by fear.  humans like to be shocked; fear, to a certain extent, is part of what makes life exciting.  i have been so careful to teach cam to guard his eyes and ears every other day of the year and to be able to differentiate the healthy fear that challenges us in life from the dangerous fear that can be mentally and spiritually consuming.  is it ok to let my guard down on just this one occasion?  i know, just keep it all age appropraite, right?  but what happens when he gets into his teen years and age appropriate is not appropriate for anyone?  do i take a chance that i have taught him well enough to walk that fine of being entertained vs. being influenced?  should i not be concerned about that this one day - - well, month…. has the power to desensitise him to the kind of fear that is so completely unhealthy?  i mean that’s 1/12 of his time here on earth.

more questions than answers
admittedly, i haven’t answered much here.  not to mention, halloween is going to happen all around him, so it’s not like i can really keep him from this thing that gives me such pause.  couldn’t we just have fun and teach him to refrain from scary movies… and ouja boards?  you know, kind of like we play santa, and he knows it us, and he knows it’s not the real reason for the season.  i don’t know.  but i think this year we will not dress up and play halloween.  we will go to the county fair as usual and have free run of all the rides while everyone else is out trick-or-treating.  and, i will  have an honest conversation with cam about why we don’t celebrate halloween, and i will be honest about not having all the answers.  because that’s how our family gets through the tough questions.

ok, spill it…
how do you do, or not do, halloween?
set me on the straight and narrow.

haha.

ok. who do you look like?

i like to go back and read my old posts…. lets me know i’m still growing up. if you weren’t around back then, check out my take on being…

authentically immature

how do you define authenticity?
how do you define maturity?

it could actually be worse.  the extent of the political harrass- -  ‘er, i mean advertising tactics, that is.  i got this email from pastor norma today.  it’s from her niece in puerto rico…

“Would this be legal where you live? Can you make out the speakers on top of the white truck in the pic? Like you guys in the mainland, it’s election time here in Puerto Rico and people here are passionate for their parties. All over trucks like these with giant speakers drive around blaring their poltical info. Can you imagine that passing by your house? I hear them all day long!”

new strategy for 2012 maybe?
i would not be surprised.
so glad this is almost over.

i walked into cam’s room after volleyball tonight, where he and his dad were wrapping up their evening routine of reading, devotions and prayers.  this is what i heard ernie say to cam as i entered the room…

there once was a day
i thought i need not pray
for the glorious hair on my head

to which cam said…

so i did not pray
and it did not stay
and now all the hair is dead

i think my boyz need to lay off the silverstein books…

i just got home from a tiring day.  it seemed like i had to do everything twice today.  it really it wasn’t all that stressful.  i got everything done and left on time but i just went away thinking i didn’t accomplish much of anything important, no grand strides, no measurable impact would come of today.

i walked in the door and checked my facebook account and found the following message from, chiti.  chiti is a colorful character who came all the way from zambia to go to bible college in baton rouge.  he arrived on campus during my second year.  he was tall, confident and had a smile as big as texas.  that was 18 years ago.  this is what he wrote to me today…

suddenly, my concept of what is truly significant was refocused.  who, lately, have i asked to lunch?  what person have i encouraged in passing?  how many notes have i sent out this month?

thank you, chiti, for reminding me what god’s idea of “really big things” are.  thank you for helping me recalibrate my ideals according to god’s scale.

this blows me away… 18 YEARS ago i invited the new guy to dinner, and it made such a difference to him that he thought to thank me all this time later.  i think this facebook message quite possibly has changed me forever.

i remember chiti’s smile
wow, what a smile… and what courage.

barnes and noble… our favorite date night activity.  i recite silently to myself each time we come, no books about work, no books about work… its’s one of my most important rules.  i’m incapable of engaging the love of my life when i’m thinking about my other true love.  i’ve tried it more times than i care to admit… it can’t be done.  plus, i’ve found this practice does a fairly efficient job of revealing suppressed hopes and dreams… which makes me a decidedly more interesting date.

last night’s quest found me in the ‘writing/publishing’ section.  i pulled 3 books off the shelf and proudly scored one of the 4 comfy chairs in the store.  it took me approximately 42.567 seconds to realize the irony of reading about being a writer.  i politely thumbed the pages of the books as if i didn’t want to hurt their feelings by dismissing them so quickly.  but admit i have absolutely no idea what they were about. my brain was too busy reminding me of the perfectly good moleskine right beside me.

satisfied i had sufficiently humored the fine authors, i plopped the books down next to my purse and began rummaging for something to write with.  as i suspected… moleskine - but no pen.  certainly they sell pens here, right? so off i went.  i really couldn’t justify a $15 pen.  seriously? $15 for a ball point pen?  they were really groovy looking and all, came in a fancy box… but wow, that seems a bit excessive.  determined, i headed for the door when i spied 2 shabby slender boxes over by the book lights.  $2.95,  totally doable.  plus, it had a handy dandy magnifying glass built right in.  pretty slick, actually.  i scooped it up and proudly marched it to the cashier.  this time i snubbed the available cushy arm chair in favor of a hard wooden stool in a quiet corner. i cracked open my moleskine, coaxed the ink out of my new ballpoint and this is what was on my mind…

how often i read, but fail to act;

how often i contemplate, but fail to plan;

how often i learn, but fail to practice;

how often i prepare, yet resist being ready;

‘to know’ is futile without producing ‘to do’;

‘to understand’ is prideful without producing ‘to teach’;

‘to grow’ is meaningless when it fails ‘to reproduce’;

‘to overcome’ is wasted if it fails ‘to encourage’;

knowledge & experience change nothing;

courage & action change everything.

why is it so hard to put the pen on the paper?
why is it so hard to act on inspiration?
anyone… beuller?

yesterday, i was backstage when i saw an old, but never used califone set.  i’ve known it was there.  i have to move it every time i reach for the “bin of brokenness” (clear rubbermaid tub of faulty cables).  but this time i had stored in my sub-conscious my growing need for a clear-com system.  when i picked up the box i thought… man, there’s 10 perfectly good sets of headphones.  so, i opened it and put a pair on.  they fit snug and the noise cancellation was fairly decent.  then i noticed the set came with a hub for the set of 10 headphones which had a 1/4″ source connector.  so, i started rummaging for other spare parts.  i know, i know…. bubbles.  but this time my a.d.d. moment paid off big as one hour later… i had a crystal clear clear-com system… for no money.  i am so serious.  i think this is one of my proudest mcgyver moments ever.

so, you want to know how?  (i know you are all on the edge of your seat.  but, i’m going to tell you anyway. just humor me, i’m really proud of this. )

ok. this is what i did.  fyi, we have a yamaha pm2500 sound board.

listening set up:

1. i came out of an available matrix channel on the board with an xlr cable into a rolls pm50s personal monitor amp.
2. i plugged the 1/4″ cable on the califone hub into the rolls pm50s headphone jack.  this provided the pre-amp and power for the hub.
3. i used additional 1/4″ cable and adapters to extend headphone cords to needed length.

talk set-up:

1. i used the wireless mic we use for recording audio to video.  i just ran the mic signal to a channel the board as if i were using it for the house mix.  i could add a few  wired mics on stage as well if i ever need someone stationed backstage.  a mic you can turn off and on is really helpful as you can kill the open channel when you are not talking.
2. i sent the signal from my mic “clear-com” channels to an available sub-group.
3. i sent the sub-group to the matrix but not to the stereo channel on the board to keep it out of our house mix.
4. i turned all the sub-group knobs down on the “clear-com” matrix channel except for the “clear-com” sub-group.
5. i went through other matrix channels and turned “clear-com” sub-group down as not to send our clear-com banter to the nursing mother’s room, house recording, and so forth.
6. viola!  strong signal… and crystal clear.

now, i had all of this stuff laying around.  but, this is how much it would cost if i were to buy the pieces to build this:

1. comparable califone system new: $188
   but, i found one on ebay that sold for: $69.99
2. 1 xlr cable: $15 (i didn’t have very far to go - longer the cable, higher the price.)
3. rolls pm50s personal monitor amp: $50.00 (this goes before the califone hub so only one is needed no matter how many stations you use.)
4. 1/4″ cable - i used about 60′ for 2 stations:  $20.00 ea. ($40)
5. I had to use 2-1/4″ mono-f to mono-f adapters: $3 ea. ($6)  (this is what i had on hand… though i might consider buying some of these instead to reduce the number of links in the chain that could degrade the signal.)
6. microphones:  this sennheiser is modestly priced and has an on/off switch: $55.00 (but use whatever you have)
7. TOTAL:  about $250 for two listening stations and one talk station. (price of adding additional listening stations is in 1/4′ cable only.  additional talk stations require cable and mic.)  this is about the price for each head set in a true clear-com system.
   

downsides… this system is definitely not a perfect clear-com system.  but it will do in a pinch.  here are the disadvantages i forsee.

1. not everyone will be able to talk due to mic availability.  but the key positions can talk easily by simply picking up a mic.  not perfect, or as convenient as true, two-way clear-com, but it works.
2. eq, trim and faders all play a role in volume and clarity and are not conveniently located for video producer to adjust in a live environment without disturbing the foh guy.  however, it really shouldn’t require any adjustment once set up.
3. there’s no individual volume control.  but on the other hand everyone hears the same thing so whoever is talking can gauge their volume accordingly since they are hearing the same thing everyone else is.  i’ve been nearly deafened on true clear-com systems due to the differences in everyone’s volume adjustments.
4. the headsets are made of heavy plastic, but plastic none the less. so they will have to be handled gingerly from week to week.  but they fit snugly, are washable and do a fairly decent job of noise cancellation.  plus, they are cheap and easily replaceable.  sound quality is irrelevant - clarity is my only concern and they are clear as a bell.

i’m so thankful that part of god’s provision for us is giving us really creative ways to solve problems.  it makes life more interesting, i think.

what really creative ideas has god given you?
what is your greatest mcgyver moment?

Dancing for Hungry Children from Bryan McGee on Vimeo.

yes, this is our fearless leader dancing like a… f….earless leader to save the lives of malnourished children. you can help!  the project that gets the most votes gets 1.5 million dollars.  but hurry!  there are only 5 days left to vote. help get the word out!  here’s how…

are you an amex card holder? click here to find out more about the project and vote. you do have to be a amex card holder to vote.  but don’t stop reading if you don’t have an amex card… you can still help.

do you have a blog? then you probably have amex holders who read your blog (c’mon, at least your mom… right?).  post this video and the badge below to help get the word out.  but hurry!  there’s only 5 days left to vote.

i try really hard not to re-post others’ great finds. but this is simply amazing. i love a well composed video as much as the next person. but too often great content and talent takes back seat to special effects and clever camera angles. combine the two and this is what i want rock church’s video production team to crank out.

i’m inspired… and, i suddenly want a beer.

tnx: brad