I’m doing a little experiment: I’ve decided to make my blogging more seamless and easier within my day’s workflow by integrating it into a program on my computer. For this purpose, I chose the program MacJournal, by Mariner Software. I’ve been using the trial version for a few days already as my personal journal, but since it had this nifty blogging feature, I figured I’d try that out. I was able to easily import all of my previous blog posts, and the program has full support for features such as adding pictures to blog posts, so my experience with it should be similar to blogging on WordPress, but without the added hassle of having to get online. All I have to do is click the “Share” command and my blog posts are online. Simple. I’ll be posting more as I discover other assets to this program to writing in general.

It’s been a long six months or so, but I’m actually starting to feel normal again. We’re moved into our new house, and we’ve had the new baby. I’m done with one book (more or less) and the second book is nearly done, too. I’m actually starting to think about writing fiction again, and that actually sounds exciting to me. Of course, I’m not quite done with the non-fiction book, and don’t anticipate being completely done with it until around the beginning of the year, but I’m definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I also plan to start blogging a lot more, particularly about my life here in Jordan, as well as continuing to blog about writing, of course.

So all in all, things are starting to look up.

A few months ago, after doing a lot of research, I ended up buying a Sony PRS-505 e-reader (pictured to the left). Now, most people have heard about the Kindle, since Amazon’s been marketing it pretty hard and it’s been on Oprah and all. However, given that I live overseas, some of Kindle’s advantage in terms of its ability to wirelessly download books was lost on me, since you can’t do that with their service outside the U.S. Plus, I liked the look of the Sony e-reader more. Its brushed aluminum casing seemed more sturdy and aesthetically pleasing than the Kindle’s white plastic, and it was a bit smaller and easier to hold in the hand, and its screen was considered to be the best, contrast-wise.

So I bought one, and I’ve enjoyed putting books on it from various e-book sites out there, since it adheres to a wider, more open-source standard than Amazon’s reader. I’ve read dozens of books already on it, and the experience is just great for a bibliophile like me, since I can carry hundreds of books at a time on it and access them whenever I want. The reading experience, at least for me, is nearly the same as reading a regular book, and in fact, after reading for a while, I cease to notice I’m reading on an electronic device. I never forget that when I’m reading something on a computer screen.

A few weeks ago, however, something happened which just sweetened the deal for me even further. Sony announced an exclusive partnership with Overdrive.com, a company which works with libraries all across the United States to distribute their material digitally. Now, with my Sony reader and a library card, I can have access to thousands of titles for free. I can search for whatever I want, and if it’s available, I can check it out and keep it for up to fourteen days. At that point, the file disappears on its own and is “returned” to the library. No late fees. If I want to return it ahead of time, no problem. The program allows for that, too.

My reading world has just opened up new horizons now, and I’m excited for where the future of reading is heading.

By request (and because now that I’ve listened to the album a dozen more times), I’ve decided to review the rest of the songs on it.

This set of songs were more difficult for me to get a handle on, so to speak. Partly because their meaning was more obscure, partly because I simply didn’t like them upon first listening. But some of them have grown on me since, though there are still one or two holdouts from the mix that I’m not sure I’ll ever fully like, even if I have an appreciation what Webb is trying to accomplish both lyrically and musically.

So here we go:

Freddie, Please

Now this one at first listen just feels like a shot launched over at good ol’ Fred Phelps of picketing funerals of dead U.S. soldiers fame. And on the surface, I suppose it is. If that’s the case, however, it feels kind of like an easy shot, a strawman argument, if you will. Who could seriously have a problem with or feel convicted about Webb targeting Phelps, right? My main deal, however, came when I started asking myself: who is the narrator of this song? Is it a dead soldier or homosexual man? Maybe. To me, the lyric

How could you do this to me
How could you tell me you love me when you hate me
Freddie, please

holds the key. Phelps isn’t going around telling homosexuals that he really does love them. His message is that “God hates fags.” Check out his website. Fred Phelps does, however, claim that he loves Christ. And I think that’s the point Webb is trying to make in this song with its catchy 50’s crooner sound: Jesus Christ loves homosexuals. And when we reject and despise those that Christ loves, we reject Christ himself:

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:45)

So maybe the song isn’t so much about Fred Phelps anymore, but about any of us at any time. Fred Phelps is just one guy with an awful message of hate and a distortion of Christ’s message. But maybe, sometimes, we’re more like Phelps than we want to be at times. We need to tread carefully and be sure that we really are about what we say we’re about: loving Christ and unequivocally loving the people he loves, too.

The State

This is Webb’s libertarian song on the album, in my opinion. It’s a message to any of us who would begin to blur the line between what we owe Caesar and what we owe God. Webb is concerned that we as Christians have given over too much of ourselves to the State, even to the point that our concept of what is right and good is entangled with what the government’s self-protection and its own desires and intents. We must be able to make a clear distinction again between what truly belongs to Caesar and what we owe him, and how we should live as citizens of a completely different kind of Kingdom.

The Proverbial Gun

“The State” transitions musically into this track, which is no accident, as the ideas in them are linked. The satire is thick in this one, showing one possible outcome when we allow the state to tell us what’s right and what’s not. These two lines from “The State” and “The Proverbial Gun,” respectively, follow the same theme:

Right and wrong were written on my heart
And not just in the laws that condemn me
Now with Caesar satisfied I can even do the things
That should offend me

—————————————

Now I can buy the proverbial gun
And shoot the proverbial child
While my uncle looks me in the eye
And speaks of freedom

What have we become, when we speak of proverbial situations, when the laws of our nation give us freedom to do certain things, but in the end, we are still condemned by the greater law of our conscience? The last line of the song, “Free” is sung with great irony. Freedom is not freedom when we defile our consciences with the implicit permission of the State.

I Love/Hate You

An interesting exploration on the ambiguous nature of the eros relationship between a man and a woman. The lyrics in the verses speak of a powerful, sexual attraction that the man has towards the woman–Webb’s imagery here is particularly poetic and sensual. But the chorus reveals the conflicted nature of his love–he sees himself being pulled in, but part of him wants to continue to be free and unfettered. Their relationship is sweet captivity. This is an honest song about how many men feel about their relationship with their lover.

As an aside, I’ve read analysis of this song elsewhere on the Internet, trying to make it out to be about the relationship between a man and God, but I don’t buy it. In my mind, that’s like trying to say the Song of Solomon is mostly about the love relationship between God and man, too, which although is one possible interpretation, is not, in my opinion, the intended major reading. It was written as Near Eastern erotic poetry between a man and his bride. Webb’s song is in a similar vein.

Becoming a Slave

At first blush, this song is easy to pass over. “Oh, it’s just about the white man’s treatment of the Native Americans when they colonized the New World. That’s water under the bridge.” Webb’s take on it is that our past continues to haunt us:

There’s always a price to pay
It’s gotta hit somebody’s back

All too often, we’re still saying, “well, they’re not like us, so it’s okay.” Injustice still cries out everywhere in our land and even beyond our shores. But if the faces look different than ours, it’s easy to ignore that cry. I love the last few lines, sung in the mode of an African-American spiritual/protest song:

We want justice in the system
The strong fend for the weak
We want justice in the system
We won’t accept defeat
We want justice in the system
Let’s reach a higher peak
We want justice in the system, system, system

Heaven

A poignant and convicting song about the journey of a dead homeless man to “Heaven.” Only when he gets there, he finds to his disappointment, it’s pretty much like his life on earth was. Here’s the horror: what if heaven really was like this–what if you only had what you came in with? Those of us who were rich in this world would be well off, but the have-nots would still be have-nots. Obviously, that’s not the case, but it should give us pause. What are we doing in this life for the least of these? How do we store up treasure in heaven? By our deeds in this life, by our care for those in need. As the saying goes, we should take care that we’re not so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good to those who need us the most.

What You Give Up to Get It

A great little song about discernment and knowing the limit. Where’s the line in the sand? When does what we feel we need to have go too far, cause too much damage. When is it no longer worth it?

Like style made by slaves
Like bribes to throw the race
Like women who know their place
Like an Indian casino or a tank of unleaded
It’s never quite worth what you give up to get it

We love to take advantage of all of the “perks” but when do we stop and seriously consider what it costs our own souls to keep consuming, or to achieve certain things that we want?

American Flag Umbrella

Despite the hype surrounding “What Matters More,” this may the most important song on this album.

The scope of this song is wide, but it focuses mainly on the prostitution of our values for expediency or because of our fears and biases.

I’ve looked through the eyes of my father
I’ve walked through Lincoln’s backyard
And there’s still a backseat
When you ride on the bus through this town
There’s color on everyone

In this song, he addresses everything from the way we still treat homosexuals and blacks, as well as our fight against our “terrorist enemies” overseas, and how because of these things, we are in danger of losing who we really are and who we are supposed to be.

Oppression is always oppression
No matter the reasons or means
For skin or for sex,
By stares or by fists it’s the same
There are blinders on everyone

Yet though Webb has been critical of the direction America has been heading, he still holds out a lot of hope for positive change. He does see a way out.

So we lie beneath a tree of no color
Like an American flag umbrella
It keeps the elements out
And it’s stuck to the ground in this place
But there’s room for everyone

I know a way out of hell
We raise all our enemies’ children
After they’ve murdered ours
We affix all their scars to our walls
So there’s heartbreak for everyone

My favorite lines are these: “I know a way out of hell/We raise all our enemies’ children/After they’ve murdered ours/We affix all their scars to our walls/So there’s heartbreak for everyone”

This ties back to “Cobra Con,” which speaks of “out-loving and out-suffering them.”  Is this the easiest way off of the destructive road we are on? No. Is it the way that Jesus preached? Perhaps so. It’s the way of suffering and heartbreak, but maybe at the end, there will be healing for everyone.

In the end it will all be OK
That’s what the wise men tell us
So if it’s not ok then it’s not the end, oh my friends
There’s hope for everyone

After reading over a dozen different articles on the web about Derek Webb’s controversial new album, “Stockholm Syndrome,” I figured I’d take a stab at writing what I think about it.

Now, by way of disclaimer: I’m not a professional music critic, nor do I play one on TV. I’m just an ordinary guy who happens to like music and knows what he likes when he hears it. That said, my tastes are fairly eclectic. Take a look at my iTunes music list: you can find both gangsta rap and classical music, with everything in between.

All that is to say, I like Derek Webb’s new album, Stockholm Syndrome a lot, and on a couple of different levels.

First and foremost, I’ve enjoyed Webb’s most recent work, such as Mockingbird and the Ringing Bell, for their protest slant. I guess it’s part of my makeup–I liked Steve Taylor in high school for the same reasons, for his willingness to boldly but lovingly criticize the church and especially American evangelicalism where it most needed it. I like Webb’s most recent work for similar reasons, and Stockholm Syndrome is no exception.

As far as the music goes, I find some of it catchy, while the rest is a bit difficult to listen to. I think part of that is that I’m not too fond of some types of electronic music. Plus, I’ve read elsewhere that the music is deliberately dissonant in parts, and is actually meant to be a somewhat uncomfortable listening experience–analogous to how the lyrics are supposed to convict and niggle at us, I suppose.

I don’t like all of the songs on the album equally well, though a few I didn’t like at first have grown on me after half a dozen listen-throughs. Here’s a few of my thoughts about a few of the songs I like:

Black Eye

Good beat and lyrics, both. The repeated phrase “black eye” sticks with me, somehow. Good message about how those of us in the church have gotten a “black eye” from peering in at our lover (the world) too much. Not only that, but we’ve developed “Stockholm Syndrome,” where we’ve identified strongly with our captors (again, the world and its systems).

Cobra Con

Love the music here and the lyrics. Sounds like a track from one of the Bourne Identity movies (a bit like Moby, I guess). Great message about those who protest but give in to violent means, and those Christians who so easily side with those who wage war. There must be a better way, somewhere past violent protest and past blessing the bombs as they fall. I love the lyric which states: “It’s harder to wait/It’s harder to outsuffer them.” Have we chosen the way of suffering, of waiting on the Lord’s justice to prevail?

The Spirit vs. the Kick Drum

Can’t say I like the music in this one too much, but I like the lyrics. Good reminder for those of us who want a “tame Christianity.” So many of us settle for so much less. We want a vending machine, not a loving Father; a jury of peers, not a Son who died for us; a kick drum, not a Spirit who fills and empowers us.

What Matters More

The most controversial song on the album, mainly because of its use of the word “shit” in its lyrics. Besides the fact that the Apostle Paul used similar language when trying to make a point in one of his letters, this song hits hard with an important point that we will miss if we get bent out of shape about the cussing. Where is the love, the care for those 50,000 who die daily from causes related to poverty? Where is the love that we say we’re about in relation to our treatment of homosexuals? This is not necessarily a new message, but it is still desperately needed, in my opinion. Oh, and the music for this one rocks, too.

Jena and Jimmy

Love both the music and the lyrics here. A little parable of an idealistic young woman into justice and social issues who gets seduced by an attractive man who’s only after one thing: getting her into his bed. This little story illustrates how the church, the bride of Christ, has allowed its ability to speak into social injustices to be seduced away by the world. Our much-needed message has been co-opted by the world’s–we have come to resemble our uncaring lover so much that our salt has become worthless. My favorite lyric, sung by “Jimmy”: “I’m gonna kiss your lips to shut you up.” Indeed.

There are other great songs on this album, but these are the ones that have stood out to me so far. This is a great album, and well worth a serious listen for anyone who cares about the direction American evangelical Christianity is heading and what it’s exporting out to the world.

What’s a sure-fire way to make sure the next short story you write is full of awesomeness? Try consulting the “Periodic Table of Awesoments.” (View full size at: Dapperstache.com)

For example, if you need add in a good dose of awesomeness to your latest less-than-awesome narrative, try throwing in #35 dwarves (Dw), #80 Time Travel (Rw), #94 Tattoos (Ta), and maybe even a smidgen of #113 Sex (Sx).

Be careful, though. Some elements, when combined, produce a level of awesomeness so…er, awesome, that your story may actually implode (Example: DO NOT combine awesomental #11 Chuck Norris (no abbreviation–Chuck Norris kicked it in the face with his awesome roundhouse) with almost any other awesomental, as anyone reading your story might spontaneously combust). To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Overall, used sparingly and in proper combination, the periodic table of awesomentals can turn a mediochre story into a freakin’ awesome story (Final note: the awesomental #1 Bacon (Ba) can be safely combined with any other awesomental–everyone loves bacon!) Enjoy!

My short story “Hawa Died Last Week” was reviewed at Scita > Scienda, a website run by a homeschooling writer and mom who seems to dabble in a lot of interesting areas of knowledge. She likes short stories, which is how, I assume, she stumbled across mine.

Anyway, her take on the story was interesting, as she interpreted the characters as African. I don’t have a problem with that, of course–I gave them their Arabic names when I wrote it, but it’s not much of a leap to see this as an African re-telling of a possible tangent from one of man’s oldest stories. Plus, given my own African origins, not to mention the possible African origins of the Mother and Father of all, that kind of interpretation appeals to me.

Here’s an excerpt from her review:

“Multicultural. Legendary. Beautiful.

This is a deeply moving spin on the Hebrew–human race’s–origins story, framed in the style of an African legend. Something to be read thoughtfully.”

As always, I like getting good reviews for my work. To be honest, as I re-read the story almost a year after I wrote it, I see its flaws pretty clearly, but I’m also glad I wrote it. For me, at least, I found it to be one of the most personally moving stories I’ve written (with the possible exception of “The Crimson Rod.”). I’m glad someone else enjoyed it and then blogged about their experience. Thanks!

Yes, that’s right. I’m still working on both books I was working on around this time last year. Argh. I really intended to have one or both of them done by this time, but circumstances largely beyond my control have prevented this. So I’m spending many of my spare moments (of which there aren’t many to begin with) editing and writing new material for these manuscripts. Not what I’d recommend, but hey, at least I’m getting paid to do what I like.

You should really check this out: Two Futures Project

I listened to Tyler speak, and his ideas were compelling, and world-view shifting, too.

It’s well worth the visit, if only to deeply challenge some common assumptions about the Christian stance on nuclear weapons.

Shanra over at Libri Touches just reviewed my short story “Woman is Cipher is Woman”  in the Semaphore Magazine year-end anthology for 2008. The upshot: she liked it. I’m quoting the whole review here:

Woman is Cipher is Woman by M. Lawrence Key is… I think the only scifi story in this. It. was. wonderful. I really, really liked this and it’s probably my second favourite in the whole anthology. It’s about what happens when a man forgets how unreal VR is. Go on and hunt for it on the Semaphore website.

Nice and short, but favorable, which is the kind of review I like (though the less and positive ones are also pretty instructive, too, though I’d rather they not be as public). Anyway, thanks Shanra!