Senioritis

SO I only really have 3 projects left thjis semester:

1 and 2)I have two lesson plans to write, but I've already done the lessons so it's just recflect and write about what I did.

3) I have an 8-page philosophy of ministry paper to write. But it's just a summary of all the other philosophy of ministry papers that I've written which were all at least 8 pages. So that'll be quick...

Other than that I only have tests..... and I am motivated to do NONE of it!

anyway... class time

Halle...
Craig

Geek-time

Stuff

    So this is my first time actually on xanga in over a year, and I'm severally disoriented. But anyway... reason for the post.
    1) Austin and I saw the new Indiana Jones movie today. It was great! I'm sure there will be a lot of nay-sayers out there who didn't like it but you know what? I don't care, I liked it. I won't give away anything, but keep an open mind, and remember it's a movie, it's fictitious and it's just for fun. Oh, and to the Shia skeptics: Hold thy tongue. Shia has left his Lois Stevens days behind him, he did an awesome job.
    2) I finally have a summer job. It's been a busy week of searching, but I've got a good one. the only thing is, I'm moving to New York for it. Not New York City, but Long Lake, NY. It's where my dad grew up and my Uncle Dave owns the grocery store and an outfitters, so I'll be working for him. This will be somewhat of an adventure so I'm thinking I might start posting on the old xanga again. I'll probably be doing a lot of reading and thinking and bible study and such, when I'm not working, plus it's out on my own, no parents or school legislation to tell me what's what, so that'll be a change. The main downside is that Long Lake, being in the middle of no-where, has very little cell-phone reception, so I may only be reachable by the outside world via the internet. So anyway. I'm leaving on Tuesday May 27th to move up there and I'll be starting work either Wednesday or Thursday. until then I'mma be packin.

~Craig

A fan feels the spirit during a recent concert by Christian rockers Barlow Girl at Grace Brethren Church.

Like many other young people, Craig Lamos listens to a range of music — rap, rock, singer-songwriterly fare and the hybrid genre someone concocted yesterday. If it’s derived from pop music, the 19-year-old will check it out — with one qualification:

"I listen exclusively to Christian music," said Lamos, a sophomore at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. "I think that it helps me more in my walk with Christ. With secular music, I’d have to sit through stuff I don’t want to hear."

A generation ago, someone in Lamos’ shoes would have been forced to feed his hunger for Bible-bred pop music with the occasional concert by the overwrought hard-rock bands Petra or Stryper, the crossover tunes of Amy Grant or the latest version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

But now, Christian bands play every week in any major metropolitan area. The Christian music festival SonFest, today at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, follows the nationally touring ShoutFest, which stopped Sept. 10 in Galloway.

Fueling the alternative-pop-music world are Christian labels throughout the United States —including Nashville heavyweights Sparrow, Rocketown and Forefront — which crank out band after band that build on the work of same-sounding secular groups (which built upon the works of secular bands that came before them).

Television, radio and, of course, the Internet also continually disseminate the nondenominational word of God via styled, groomed and prepped young people. Next month, the world will even come to know Myccm.org, the Christian version of the popular "social network" site Myspace.com.

"We’re tailored to Christianmusic fans and the saved community," said founder Joan Dyer, who works for CCM, a Christian-music industry trade magazine. "It’s so people won’t have to worry about seeing something suggestive or gross."

How sweet is the sound of that, said David Carr, the 31year-old drummer of Third Day, the Christian rock band that will play Friday in Value City Arena.

"I feel like there’s some sort of revival going on with respect to faith," Carr said. "When I was growing up in high school, I knew of one other person who claimed to be a Christian. It was hard to live to what I believed because I was constantly being encouraged not to."

Indeed, with the spread of Christian rock throughout pop culture — from the Vans Warped Tour to the metal/ thrash/hard-rock Seattle label Tooth and Nail, to Jay Bakker, the punk-inspired and tattooed preaching son of Jim Bakker — "Jesus Rock," is more conspicuous than ever.

According to Nielsen Sound-Scan, sales of Christian music, which encompasses anything marketed as Christian, are up 11.6 percent this year compared with 2005.

Christian music has grown from David into Goliath, and it is coming to convert secular souls.

"If you really are a Christian band at heart, you want to go to the mainstream," said Jason Roy, singer-guitarist of Building 429, which takes its name from a passage in the book of Ephesians.

"Paul said, ‘Go to the Gentiles.’

"We want to have an impact on the mainstream market and people who don’t know about Christ."