Ember - the emergence of The Republic

hey everybody,

just wanted to let you know that The Republic will be presenting it's first ever event, here in downtown Barrie, ON (Canada) ... it's called Ember, and will be at Casa Cappuccino (91 Dunlop St. E.) on Friday, Dec. 12th, 2008 from 7-9pm.

... featured musical talent will be local artist Bob Charters.

... we'll be showcasing the work of Illume Photography.

... the rescuing movement of To Write Love On Her Arms will be in focus.

if anyone is in the neighbourhood (or you know of someone who is), please pass the word out.

Ember - the emergence of The Republic

home of the dirty donut

my friend and fellow provocateur in The Republic sent this along to me ... I'd seen it before, but man does it ever resonate still.

home of the dirty donut

kilroy was here

rob bell has a great quote in the book Jesus Wants To Save Christians -

"If our church was taken away - from our city, our neighborhood, our region - who would protest?

Only the people who are members?

Only those who are a part of it?

Only those who attend its services?

Single mothers?

Refugees?

Atheists?"

it's the dilemma behind that question that compels The Republic to be.

kilroy was here

poems in the machine

i happened to be doing some research as part of my job, and while trying to locate information on online quiz design i stumbled (consider how that happened as you will) on this poem by steve turner ... and i dig it.









If Jesus was born today
it would be in a downtown motel
marked by a helicopter's flashing bulb.
A traffic warden, working late,
would be the first upon the scene.
Later, at the expense of a TV network,
an eminent sociologist,
the host of a chat show
and a controversial author
would arrive with their good wishes
-the whole occasion to be filmed as part of the
'Is This The Son Of God?' one hour special.
Childhood would be a blur of photographs and speculation
dwindling by his late teens into
'Where Is He Now?' features in Sunday magazines.

If Jesus was thirty today
they wouldn't really care about the public ministry,
they'd be too busy investigating His finances
and trying to prove He had Church or Mafia connections.
The miracles would be explained by
an eminent and controversial magician,
His claims to be God's Son recognised as
excellent examples of Spoken English
and immediately incorporated into
the O-Level syllabus,
His sinless perfection considered by moral philosophers
as, OK, but a bit repressive.

If Jesus was thirty-one today
He'd be the fly in everyone's ointment-
the sort of controversial person who
stands no chance of eminence.
Communists would expel Him, capitalists
would exploit Him or have Him
smeared by people who know a thing or two about God.
Doctors would accuse Him of quackery,
soldiers would accuse Him of cowardice,
theologians would take Him aside and try
to persuade Him of His non-existence.

If Jesus was thirty-two today we'd have to
end it all. Heretic, fundamentalist, literalist,
puritan, pacifist, non-conformist, we'd take Him
away and quietly end the argument.
But the argument would rumble in the ground
at the end of three days and would break out
and walk around as though death was some bug,
saying 'I am the resurrection and the life...
No man cometh to the Father but by me'.
While the magicians researched new explanations
and the semanticists wondered exactly what
He meant by 'I' and 'No man' there would be those
who stand around amused, asking for something
called proof.

poems in the machine

the other off-limits topic

so i'm watching the vice-presidential candidates debate last night, interested at how the leadership race of the world's most influential nation is shaping up ... and without ever really having pre-chosen sides in any political campaign, i'd back the obama-biden ticket easily.

feel free to disagree.

oh, and while you're thinking about people who can impact the future of the planet ...

the other off-limits topic