Over the last 600 years, Jesus’s skin has grown fairer and fairer.

(I can’t be 100% certain, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have that Michael Jackson thing)

Today it’s pretty rare to see anyone’s vision of Jesus that doesn’t look like he’s originally from Wisconsin.

I’ve always wanted to make a serious mock-umentary (is that an oxymoron?) about Jesus and his humanity.

I’m working on a client project now that has at it’s center a mission to create a dialogue around racism and its effects in order that the conversation (especially the listening) might lead to understanding for some and healing for others.

In the midst of it I’m wondering how “White Jesus” has affected those of non-Caucasian decent.

How has it affected you?

I started paying attention to Wyclef Jean when I spotted Bob Dylan in one of his videos.

I really started paying attention when I heard about his charity and social development programs in Haiti.

Here is one man that cares about Haiti.

He may not be great at business or with personal finances…

His non-profit has definitely had some growing pains.

But he cared when no one else did.

One of the poorest and most desperate nations in the world is just outside the U.S.

It has been there for a long time.

Hurting for a really long time.

Nobody cared.

And though it’s been encouraging and inspiring to see individuals and communities across the U.S. contribute to healing Haiti right now…

It’s sad to realize what it took for us to even begin to care.

Check out Wyclef’s song “President” in the player and don’t forget to stay up-to-date with Strong Odors by becoming a fan on Facebook and following on Twitter.

Bothersome

• The Superbowl
• The Bachelor/Biggest Loser/American Idol/Golden Globes/etc
• Jay Leno
• Twitter
• iPad

Interesting

• Health Care
• Romans 12
• Haiti Aid
• Grain Edit
• Destination Truth
• Animoto

Obsessed

• Worst Cooks in America
• Lost
• Vampire Weekend
• (500) Days of Summer
• Super Mario Wii
• Independent Lens
• Unitasking

Don’t forget to follow Strong Odors!

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Every time New Year’s Eve rolls around I think, “Phew… I’m happy that year is over…”

“Now on to the next… it’s gonna be great!”

Only to find a few weeks later the new year is just as tough as the last.

So what can you expect for 2010?

Here’s a promise: It’s gonna suck.

It’ll bring pain and turmoil and misery and broken hearts.

Personal failures and bad business decisions.

Conflict and war.

Death.

Because a year can’t be so perfect.

But a day… a day can be great.

and a moment… a moment can be transcendent.

It could be a baby’s first smile or a big flash of lightning or a dog’s looking up into your eyes from your lap…

It could be a Radiohead song or a pepperoni pizza or that first sip of beer (or coffee)…

It could be an embrace or silence or the sea…

Whatever those moments are, they remind us that we are spiritual beings… that the pain and death is physical and temporary.

And if you learn to embrace each one of these moments…

then there is  hope.

That this year might just be better than the last.

The happiest people I’ve ever met in my life are people who were struggling in some way.

—Pete Seeger

If you can find a way to see the documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, it just might change your life.

Lost someone today.

You could lose half a day if you happened to sit down in the room with Tom. He loved theology and loved sharing his discoveries even more… Nothing really made him happier than talking about new things he was learning (regardless of whether you cared to sit and listen).

As he leaves mortality behind, I can’t help but wonder at the discoveries in store for him.

My brother Thunderbeard has been blogging about (among other things) the weeks leading up to his dad’s death.

Finding a way to emotionally understand their edgy past and courageously seek some sort of resolve in their relationship has been inspirational reading for me and spiritually nourishing for him.

Feel free to share a story about Tom in the comments and be sure to check out Thunderbeard. He’s my brother and I love him and my heart’s aching for him today.

I have a great church and I like my pastor a lot. He is compassionate and loves to study and meets the needs of his congregation well. His words of wisdom on a Sunday 4 years ago altered my view of God for the better and are tattooed on my soul…

A few weeks ago though, I almost walked out of the service.

He was teaching a message titled “Am I Unique?” which was pretty good up until a certain point…

and then, for some reason (I really don’t remember what the correlation to the subject at hand was) he made some sort of wisecrack about Al Gore and that God’s gonna be the one to destroy the earth so we’ve really got nothing to worry about (referring to global warming, I guess).

And the congregation erupted in a mighty cheer.

I haven’t felt so out of place in a really long time.

It reminded me of services from my youth when the suit-and-tie-bearing preacher would slam his fist on the big fat pulpit while simultaneously decrying the satanic evils of rock-and-roll… always followed by a hearty “AMEN!” from all the Baptists in the hizzouse…

I was mad.

I was mad because no one should ever feel alone in church.

I was mad because I thought he was preaching to the choir not the seeker… not the one really wondering “Am I unique? Do I have value”

I was mad because this particular idea has been a hindrance to the gospel for the past century.

This idea that God’s going to destroy the earth, so why bother trying to save it… that anyone who happens to care is an idolatrous tree-hugger… that any idea remotely associated with “liberalism” should be thrown out with the rest of the stank bathwater…

This idea is poison.

Because it gives man entitlement. We start to think of this earth as “ours.”

and it isn’t ours.

We are just the stewards… If you claim the Genesis story at all… literal, figurative, mythical, philosophical… then you should know that God created man and gave him a job to do…

Take care of this planet.

But instead of taking care of it… treating it like it is someone else’s perfect creation… like it is something that brings honor and glory to that creator…

We’ve exploited it.

The thing is… no matter your political persuasion… no matter your perspective on climate change… no matter your eschatology… you should do everything you can to treat the earth respectfully… and keep her healthy.

Think global warming is just a conspiracy to sell more products in green packaging?… fine! I don’t care…

Think the universe is going to burn in a post-millennial lake-o-fire? Great!

But that doesn’t mean we should trash it now… we’ve still got to live here, you know?

And just because our world will end doesn’t mean we should hasten that day… I mean, your kids are going to die eventually, but you don’t feed them cigarettes for breakfast.

Besides all that… the way we treat the earth has a very direct impact on how we are treating other human beings… but thats another long post for another long day.

When it comes down to it… I am not an environmentalist because of climate change or because I’m trying to save the planet…

But because I am a part of creation… and I’m lucky enough to have been given a job to do.

Take care of this planet.

If you consider yourself Christian you should read (among many other things) Serve God, Save the Planet and Matt Krick’s essay Theology of Ecology.

Today’s post has been my part in a global social change event, Blog Action Day 2009

I would have coveted the AutoMower greatly as a young person… I hated mowing the lawn…

Actually, I’ve recently been reflecting on lawn mowing as it relates to my avoidance issues.

Whenever I’m faced with a particular task—big or small—that must be done, it almost always seems to be the least likely thing I’ll do.

Even though it is often something I enjoy or understand its value or feel strongly about.

I’ve never really understood this avoidance… I thought maybe it was the fact that I dislike pain or conflict…

But honestly, what is painful about mowing the lawn (or doing homework, or making a phone call, or filing paperwork, or riding my bike….)?

My parents lawn probably takes a maximum of 30 minutes to mow. I’d manage to make that job take days…

First I’d hope that I couldn’t get the thing started, or that it’d be out of gas, or something else would come up (church or school or whatever)…

Then, after exhausting all other excuses I’d start mowing… taking a break every two or three rows to have a glass of milk, or catch my breath, or check the fridge, or flip the Kriss Kross tape in my Walkman…

Finally about 2 hours later I’d have that great sense of accomplishment that comes with smelling the freshly cut lawn… and head inside to kick back on the couch for some guilt-free Saved by the Bell.

I’ve wondered often if I have a problem with laziness…

The Bible speaks quite strongly of it (and I take the Bible pretty seriously)… It is even included in the infamous “Seven Deadly Sins.” So you can imagine the guilt I’ve experienced over the years as I’ve never seemed to overcome my lack of will-power to get stuff done.

Something that has always confused me though, is that I’m not lazy. I work, and I work hard… often to a fault… when I finally find a way to throw myself into a task I give it my all until it is done (and done right).

About a month ago, I was in a waiting room reading Psychology Today when I came across a feature titled “Escape Artists“—a look at the psychology of procrastination…

Turns out I’m not lazy after all… my mind just cannot place long-term payoff in the same value category as immediate gratification…

Laziness involves a lack of desire; with procrastination, the desire to start that project is there, but it consistently loses out to our appetite for delay. And this is no ordinary delay. Procrastination is considered a needless, often irrational delay of some important task in favor of a less important, but seemingly more rewarding, task. And that accompanying negative feeling—the gnawing guilt, the building anxiety—is one way we know we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do.

It may not sound like much, but it explains a lot. Even down to really core spiritual and life-altering behavior…

The internet of course has allowed me to feed the immediate more and more rapidly, which I imagine has made that appetite stronger than it has ever been (and making long-term payoff practically unimaginable, let alone valuable)…

I’ve fallen prey to its most powerful aromas… seducing me away from satisfying (but strenuous) feasts of life only to get my fix of proverbial vending-machine junk, which is very tasty but doesn’t satisfy (actually makes you hungrier) and has extremely disastrous consequences (like cancer and gum disease and obesity)…

Of course those consequences fall into the same long-term category as the procrastinated item’s long-term payoff… so they aren’t much of a deterrent.

So where does this leave me?

Not exactly sure… but I am happy to always be learning more about myself and becoming more aware of what my real struggles are and finding practical physiological and spiritual and psychological solutions… (not that they are all totally distinct… it’s all connected, right?)

Anyways… is it just me, or does that auto-mower seem to have his sights set on that yuppie family… and where exactly is that kid planning to shoot that basketball?

I’ve noticed that the more personal my writing, the more readers I get. A lot more.

It’s hard though…

It is a lot more fun to write about new tunes or stuff that annoys me or whatever…

So either you are a bunch of bloodsucking fiends who take pleasure in my exposing myself…

or…

You share some of those hurts… you identify with my feelings… and you find some relief when someone articulates some of the same anguish or trouble or pain you’ve experienced yourself.

I’m pretty sure it’s the latter… and if so, I’m glad to put my heart out there for you…

But be patient with me… I can’t write something so personal every day… it takes a week or so to recover from writing stuff like that.

And it’ll take years before I work up the courage to share the strongest of odors… the ones that make you gag and cry and practically puke…

You’ll love that stuff.

In the meantime, enjoy as I do, the little things… like every bite of every single sandwich.

I did some work for an old friend recently…

He is a cool wedding photographer based out of Cincinatti. The best part about his work is that you can tell everyone in every photo is having a blast.

Perusing his recent work got me thinking about weddings…

I don’t really enjoy attending weddings as a whole… but the absolute worst, most obnoxious tradition of all (besides the bachelor party of course) has got to be the garter-removal.

Who is the moron that made up this tradition and why does everyone insist on including this as part of their celebration…

Ugh.