C = 0
M= 22
Y = 24
K = 8

Try it as see if you like it.

Some friends of mine just went live with a business I think is pretty cool.  Box Office Pop offers low cost affordable posters for High School musicals and plays.  I was able to help out with some aspects of their web design.  You should check it out.

I love this poster they designed for The Crucible.

Really there needed to be twice as many craft tables, twice as many vendors, twice as many games and at least 10 times more snow. The sledding hill was the same height as last year but had half as much snow. So at the bottom of the hill, everyone slid into a big mud dump.

They advertised that there would be an $8 parking fee. They didn’t charge us for parking, but we would have gladly paid it if they had used the money to accommodate the large swarm of people they successfully attracted.

Check out these two pictures and tell me if you can see the snow all these Southern Californians are desperately trying get the opportunity to touch.

I use 4 different options using WordPress, each with various benefits.  It’s likely what you want to do fits perfectly within one of these options.  Before I get into those different options let me explain why WordPress is the only solution I’m recommending.  It’s the best. Period.  Many people are happy using Blogspot and Typepad, but if you ever want to expand and grow, you’re going to eventually be switching over to WordPress.  So you might as well start with it and make your life all around easier.  WordPress does everything Blogspot and Typepad do, only better.

Option #1 – FREE – WordPress.com

If you’d like to set up a free blog go to WordPress.com. Set up is easy and you’ll find it very easy to use.  There are lots of themes available that are easy to apply to your blog.  WordPress.com includes lots of great tools that block spam from filling up your comments section, link your blog to other bloggers talking about the same thing, and great search engine optimization.

I use WordPress.com for my religious themed blog: LDS and Evangelical Conversations.

Advantages: Free
Disadvantages: non-unique domain (i.e. yourblog.wordpress.com), Limited edit-ability, not able to sell advertising, limited disk space (though you’ll have a tough time filling their 3gb limit)

Option #2 – $10.95/year – Domain Forward

If you’d like to own your own domain name but don’t want to shell out more than $10, WordPress.com is your solution. Just set up a blog on WordPress.com then buy a domain name.  I recommend you use Ipower to purchase your domain.

Then just point your new domain (yourblog.com) at your WordPress.com blog (yourblog.wordpress.com).  Anytime someone types in your domain name they will automatically be directed to your blog.  In addition, you can set up an email address with your new domain that can forward to any email address of your choice (i.e. me@yourblog.com will forward to yourblog@gmail.com).

Advantage: a unique and memorable domain name
Disadvantage: your domain name will not appear in the address bar

Option #3 – $20.92/year – Domain Mapping

If you’d like to use WordPress.com to host and maintain your blog for free, BUT you’d like a unique domain name WordPress offers a solution.  All you have to do is buy a domain and then pay WordPress to allow you to map your domain to your WordPress.com blog.  They charge $9.97 a year to do this and include instructions on how to do it.  If you haven’t already purchased a domain name you can buy one through WordPress and save yourself $5.

My wife used this option. You can see what it looks like at Poverty Unlocked.

Advantages: a unique and memorable domain name with free hosting and maintenance
Disadvantages: Limited edit-ability, not able to sell advertising, limited disk space

Option #4- $71.40/year – Host It Yourself

If you’re ready to enter the big leagues this is your option.  You need to buy a hosting package and maintain your blog by yourself. I recommend using Ipower.  They can set the WordPress software up for you and get you on your way.  If you don’t want to design your own template there are plenty of free templates available.  There are also lots of free plugins available to extend your blog. I recommend at minimum that you install WordPress Stats, Akismet, All-in-one SEO, Robots Meta, and Google XML Sitemaps.  WordPress now has an easy to use search-and-add feature for both plugins and themes. There is also lots of help online for setting up and using WordPress.

I also recommend Podpress if you’d like to use WordPress to set up a podcast. If you’d like a contact form, I recommend Contact Form 7.

If you need to move from WordPress.com to your own hosting package, WordPress comes with tools to transfer all of your post and comments seamlessly. You can even transfer your post from Blogspot and Typepad.

This is what I have done with this blog as well as Foster Parenting Podcast. I actually host 3 different blogs on one hosting account.

Advantages: you are in control, you can sell advertising and modify your theme however you’d like, you can add some powerful functions to your blog, you get your domain name for free
Disadvantages: you have to maintain the behind the scenes functions of your blog and there is much more set up time

photo credit: Markus Rödder

A brief analogy

I think people should have the freedom to drive their cars into lakes. I do not want to use the government to stop anyone from having the experiences and consequences of driving their cars into a lake. Because I’m willing to allow people the freedom to be underwater-drivers does not mean I should advocate the government name all lakes as official highways. I think such behavior is harmful as I believe that Toyota did not make cars to drive underwater. Allowing freedom and granting government endorsement are two different things. If I have sway over my government, I can not lovingly allow it to endorse behavior which I feel is harmful, even if I’m willing to allow the freedom for that behavior.

Some may say that the government declaring all lakes to be highways will provide greater safety to underwater-drivers.  This will allow the government to post speed limits and guard rails throughout the lake which will make all underwater-drivers safer.  While I recognize the value of speed limits and guard rails I think they provide minimal assistance to cars unintended for the bottom of a lake.

I recognize that not everyone shares my views on the inability of cars to drive underwater.  Some call it a religious conviction and say that I should give way to other religious convictions.  This is why I’m all for the freedom to drive a car into a lake.  But if I truly believe that Toyota  didn’t make cars for underwater use I should not and can not encourage other people to drive their cars into lakes whether that’s through my personal relationships or my democratically elected government.

On another matter, if the government decides to make all the lakes into highways I most certainly shouldn’t have to build ramps to help people drive their cars into lakes just because I’m a carpenter.  Calling me a bigot or accusing me of discrimination is something I can live with if I know that I am not complicit in the destruction of their vehicles.  If however people want a tow-truck to help them get out of the lake, I’m more than willing to call a Jewish friend of mine who doesn’t charge a dime.

Some will say that I’m attempting legislate my own morality or I’m imposing my values on others.  This idea is so obviously shallow it’s amazing that it has to be addressed.  All laws that affect personal behavior are legislated morality (murder, stealing, pollution control, pay child support, etc.).  All law is a reflection of someone’s values.  Because my values have been influenced by my religion does not make them automatically less valid than values formed by the lack of religion.  It is impossible to have law that does not in some way legislate morality or reflect our values.

The idea that “religious-views-should-not-influence-public-policy” is someone’s view about religion. If we shouldn’t be required to accept other peoples religious views, then we shouldn’t be required to accept “religious-views-should-not-influence-public-policy”.  It’s simply self defeating.  Moreover, Christians should not adopt such a view because it’s not a Christian idea.

If Jesus is the Lord of your life, and not simply your after-life fire-insurance, that means he has influence over all of your actions and everything in your life.  One of your duties as an American is to vote and that means as a disciple of Jesus that He gets to influence your vote.  To not allow him into the voting booth with you is to live a schizophrenic life.  Secularists will tell you that your religious views should remain private and hidden from the “secular” world.  But that is their religious view, not Christ’s.

God, not the government, invented marriage.  Do not let others tell you that it must be distorted or changed.  If it will be changed, do not let it happen with your vote.  Allowing people the freedom to drive underwater is different than endorsing it.

photo credit: CanadaGood

• Since Obama won the Peace Prize, I would like the literature prize for my unpublished novel since I have great hopes for it.
• Obama wins Cy Young for intending to hit home plate with first pitch of season!
• Use “Obama standard” for next promotion. You have changed the TONE of office and INTEND to do great work, therefore you have earned a raise.
• All students now enrolled in college have earned doctorates based on intention and sincerity! Well done and thank the “Obama Standard!”
• Packers declared Super Bowl winners based on “sincerity” of their fans and Aaron Rodgers change of tone from Favre “gun slinger” mentality.
• Nobel Peace Prize Committee Apologizes for Prize Saying Nomination Based on “Onion” story. “We were fooled like everyone else!” chair said.
• Obama proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor. Committee noted Prez intended to be holy, once ate Italian food, and would look good wearing crown.
• Benedict steps down and College names Obama new Pope for intention to be a good Christian. Church apologizes for acting “so slowly.”
• Russian proclaims President Obama “Tsar of all Russias” for watching Dr. Zhivago in one sitting and having read “War and Peace” in college.
• Iran gives up nuclear arms and proclaims President Obama “Shah of Persia” realizing he is not Bush, owns Persian rug, and means well.
• Peace comes to Middle East as Iran recognizes President as “Hidden Imam” based on his intent to read Koran this year.
• Nobel Peace Prize now equivalent of “Most Improved” on kid’s soccer teams.

photo credit: Smithsonian Institution

Direct download here or you can hear the entire episode here

I like Derek Webb.  He not only understands music and verse he understands his job as a Christian artist.  I’m not at all a musician but I’m inspired as an artist when I listen to his albums.

His latest album is surrounded by a bit of controversy.  His record label refused to include one of his songs, “What Matters More”,  in his newest release, “Stockholm Syndrome”, because he chose to use the word “sh!t”.  He, in turn, refused to change the song so they had to work out a compromise where you can only buy the complete, uncensored album directly from Derek Webb himself.

I think Derek made the right choice to use the word and to refuse to change the song.  Please watch the video above to hear the song before reading my thoughts on why it was appropriate.

In the song Derek is challenging Christians to consider “What matters more?”.  He weighs the condemnation we might feel about a homosexual’s personal choices against our need to respond lovingly to the AIDS crisis.  I think he quite thoughtfully uses to word “sh!t” to provoke a reaction out of Christians.  They’ll naturally be offended by his use of the word. Their feelings of offense offers him the opportunity to again ask, but in a slightly different way “What matters more? My profanity or your indifference to suffering?”

I think it’s an appropriate use of profanity.  He doesn’t sling the word about because he can’t find a better word to use.  His ability to communicate isn’t handicapped by the word, it’s enhanced.  He wishes to cause offense and the most expeditious way to do that is via profanity.  I think he follows a Biblical model for using profanity.  There is plenty that is profane in the Bible and my understanding of the Old Testament prophets is that they too use profanity but it has been white-washed out in translation.

All that being said, crossing this barrier in Christian art causes me concern.  Artist have a need to continue to provoke.  Once an audience becomes numb to one thing the artist must take the next step to illicit a similar reaction.  Next we’ll be on to the “f” word and then the “c” word.

A couple of years ago I saw an art exhibit in which the artist was torturing himself through various methods (his purpose had nothing to do with the Bush administration if that’s what you’re thinking).  It was quite disturbing and quite powerful.  He successfully garnered the reaction from his viewers that he was seeking.  Unfortunately I don’t think his message was worth the price to himself or to his viewers.  It’s one thing to be controversial, it’s another to be controversial for controversy’s sake.

I hope as Christian artist explore the use of profanity that they do so as thoughtfully as Derek Webb and avoid the cheap punch of sensationalism that it might provide.