Well, I'm Impressed

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(In a nasally Yorkshire accent) I suppose this represents, yet again, the democratization and degredation of high-brow art forms by YouTube. Now the proletariat can hear Vivaldi being massacred by common Brummy louts, flailing away on 20th century instruments to the abecedarian delight of their college mates. Bullocks.



(HT: Neatorama)
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10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World

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I like trees. Always have. And maybe you do, too. If so, here's an interesting top-10 list of the world's greatest trees (includes some nice photos). Make sure to scroll down and read "Bonus #2."

(HT: Kottke)








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Amnesty International Outdoor Ad Campaign

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The text of the Amnesty ads reads, “It’s not happening here, but it’s happening now.”





(HT: Adland)
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More On How to Handle Criticism

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Last October, rap artist Curtis "Voice" Allen performed at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis at the invite of Pastor John Piper. He writes in Boundless Webzine about the harsh criticism he received from some Christians who saw a video of the performance. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Now how did I get from anger and judgment to encouragement and gratitude? It was through the cross of Jesus Christ. Let me explain.

The Holy Spirit brought to my mind a 1999 Journal of Biblical Counseling article called "The Cross and Criticism," by Alfred Poirer. The article pointed out that Christ's death on the cross criticizes us more than anyone else ever can. The fact that Jesus had to die for us to be forgiven indicates that we are a lot worse than we think.

"In light of God's judgment and justification of the sinner in the cross of Christ, we can begin to discover how to deal with any and all criticism. By agreeing with God's criticism of me in Christ's cross, I can face any criticism man may lay against me. In other words, no one can criticize me more than the cross has. And the most devastating criticism turns out to be the finest mercy. If you thus know yourself as having been crucified with Christ, then you can respond to any criticism, even mistaken or hostile criticism, without bitterness, defensiveness, or blame-shifting."

In other words, whenever you receive correction or criticism, look to the cross and see the ultimate critique of all you have done. Nothing we do apart from His Spirit is ever motivated by a love for Him or a desire to please Him (Romans 3:10-12, John 15:1-5). Even after salvation and our desire changes, at best our motives are mixed. This is humbling, I know. It is offensive to our pride.

The Lord also worked on my heart as I was beginning to write an angry e-mail to my critics. He showed me that I am not morally superior to them. He reminded me that I have slandered others and gossiped about others many times. How was I any better than these people? I could almost hear these questions, audibly, in my head. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my self-righteousness.

Read the whole thing.


(HT: Between Two Worlds)
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Homespun Advice: On Receiving Criticism

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You didn't ask for it, but I'm going to dole out some free, homespun advice here.

If I am given the privilege of one day walking my (currently in utero) child through adolesence and the teen years, I am going to tell her this:

Learn how to accept and receive criticism, but do not think that is enough. When your work is critiqued and your character judged, the ability to receive that criticism is good, but the constancy to receive it and yet refuse to complain is even better.

Here's why. Usually we are receiving criticism from someone with superior acumen and experience. And even when such correction is given in a tactful way, it is natural to chafe at the abrasion and to find solace in complaining to our colleagues who are in the same place (think high school and college). Indeed, it is often the default posture upon receiving correction to immediately whine about the faults or style of the corrector, but if whining becomes the ordinary reaction to criticism, two problems arise.

One, we simply do not develop the backbone to handle it. We get used to pandering to our own bruised psyches by lying to ourselves about the merits of our work. We blame the critics and the crude systems that give such luddites the power to give correction and generally assume an intellectual fetal position on the couch of self-pity. This process is a sure-fire way to create small, perpetually provoked people with little capacity for dialectic learning and accountability.

Two, when that time comes wherein an authority figure does give some plainly bad or undeserved correction, we have no grid with which to discern such faulty advice. The years of knee-jerk rejection of any criticism has left us bereft of discernment and unable to actually differentiate between bad advice and good advice poorly given. The internalization of some criticism is inevitable, and even while complaining, we usually are considering and sometimes heeding correction. But the whining retards our growth in discernment. Discernment and complaining have a polar repulsion that makes the exercise of one the abandonment of the other.

But there is an even deeper problem inherent in complaining and, conversely, a greater glory than simply being able to handle criticism. Read this from Philippians 2:

(14) Do all things without grumbling or questioning, (15) that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

It's interesting that the criteria for "shin[ing] in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation" is, in this passage, simply to not bellyache or question. Do you want to shine out in this depraved and darkened world? Then do stuff without complaining. Obviously, the list is not exhaustive, but it does serve to remind us that our refusal to complain is meant to set us apart in this generation. Our ability to display the glory of God, in a significant way, is contingent on our willingness to shut up, be grateful, and not complain when we are criticized at work or school or in friendships. So, in light of this, I leave you with my amplified version of the well-loved "Serenity Prayer":

God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed,the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other, and the strength to simply shut up and learn from criticism. Amen.

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Three Quality Minutes

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You need to multi-task while watching this video, created by my friend Josh C. at Spec-ta-cles. Listen, get annoyed, read, and consider. It's worth your viewing.
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Warning Bono-philes!! Possible Blasphemy

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So far, I haven't spent a red cent
on Bono's "Red Campaign," but apparently some people have.

The problem is this: It appears that the advertising effort undertaken to promote the program (people paying a premium for "red" items, with the extra money sent as aid to Africa) has dwarfed the actual funds raised.

So, some groups are calling the campaign out and imploring people to "Buy less crap"and simply donate more directly to relief work.

I don't know enough to have an opinion on this dispute, but I do know that it will
not help my recovery from Bono Fatigue.


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"The Only Indigenous Piece of Journalism in Darfur."

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An article on a remarkable journalist - 24-year-old Awatif Ahmed Isshag. For 10 years she has been reporting first hand on events in Darfur. A rather prolific start to a journalism career, I would say.

(HT: Instapundit)
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