It seems Chattanooga has finally turned the corner from Summer to Autumn. It's a glorious thing, and I have loved the weather over the past few days. Sunday afternoon I drove down the mountain from church with the windows down, the sunroof open, and U2's "Kite" blowing through the speakers. All was right with the world for those few moments.

The change in the weather has afforded us the opportunity to put our air conditioning to rest for the past few days. Unfortunately for me, we haven't been using the heat, either. I awoke this morning and yesterday morning to find that it was only 63 degrees inside our house. I've put on long sleeves, sat under blankets, and right now I'm enjoying my first cup of hot cocoa since February. Genia, on the other hand, is in paradise. Pregnant women are hot. Genia describes the feeling as if "there's a furnace attached to your body." She's lounging around in shorts and a t-shirt, enjoying the relief. She even said she's been sleeping better now that she doesn't wake up sweating in the middle of the night. Why would I argue with that? It's a good thing we've got a big canister of hot cocoa mix, because I'm gonna need it.

Next Saturday is the big co-ed baby shower in Anniston. It should be a lot of fun, with all kinds of family and KJT friends making appearances to celebrate our upcoming birth and give Bailey lots of pink presents. All the excitement from the baby shower should help me forget about the crushing defeat that Tennessee will likely hand to my Auburn Tigers that same day. After the shower, we'll be bringing all manner of baby stuff back home with us, and the following weekend, Genia's parents will be bringing a truck filled with baby furniture. All that stuff has to go somewhere, so last night Genia and I cleared out the second bedroom in our apartment, which had served us well as an office -- complete with the quintessential dot-com office accessory, a foosball table. We were able to find a pleasing layout rather easily, and the area feels surprisingly spacious. At the request of my skeptical friend ColeSlaw, here are some pics.

This is the view from the front door. The two canvas chairs are holding the spot for the foosball table, which was too big and too heavy for me to move without help from someone besides Genia. (She shouldn't be lifting heavy objects, being pregnant and all.)

This is what the room looks like from my desk. Our dining table fits perfectly in the corner, and there's enough room for the foosball table behind the couch.

This is Genia's workspace, complete with her favorite lamp and easy access to the stereo to excercise her right to veto too much U2.

This is my workspace. And, yes, those are bobbleheads of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil. They were a gift from my dad, and I love them! My U2 wall calendar and Speed Racer metal sign will be going up soon.

Via The Connexion I came across an interesting post on Martin Roth's Christian Commentary website. Should I Consult Christian Leaders before I Berate Them? deals with the question of discussing an issue privately with a Christian leader before publicly criticizing the leader, and specifically relates that question to the weblog format.

This interested me mainly because of the flurry of recent discussions in the Chattablogs universe regarding Douglas Wilson's comments on blogging.

If you missed all the drama, see the following posts from Josiah, Shannon, Ryan, and Christin. Basically, Douglas Wilson, a pastor, gave a brief (negative) commentary on bloggers in a recent column in his magazine. What ensued was a great deal of discussion on not only the validity of his statements, but his ministry and his public persona as evidenced through his writings. The question came up in one of the discussions if anyone who publicly disagreed with Wilson's statements made an effort to conact him to give any further explanation or to have a private discussion on the matter. Does it put any of his critics in the wrong if they did not make an effort to discuss it with him?

Martin Roth, in his essay, came to the following conclusion:

...I don't feel uncomfortable about criticising their public pronouncements, here on my website (which attracts just a minuscule fraction of the numbers of readers who are exposed to these leaders' press releases in the mainstream media). Nevertheless, I'm starting to think that as a matter of courtesy I should have consulted them.

It's an interesting question in the blogging age where anyone with internet access can fashion themselves a pundit and start sharing their views with the world. What are the ethics of blogging? What are the ethics of public criticism in general? Where do they meet? I agree with Roth's view that public pronouncements are generally open to public critique. If you are putting your views out into the public realm, expect that some of the public will analyze what you've said and respond to it. I also agree that, especially amongst Christian brothers and sisters, a measure of courtesy should be extended. One common response to Wilson's comments was that we blog for the sake of interaction, for the sake of conversation. If that is true, an invitation to join the conversation could have been extended to Wilson. We might have all profited from that.

Last night was the season premier of The West Wing and it was amazing. For my money, there is not a better show on network television. Nothing else has captivated me the way it does since The X-Files. In the premier last night, one of the most brilliant plot twists started to take shape. The decision to have Bartlett to invoke the 25th amendment and temporarily grant power to his next-in-line, a Republican and obvious political enemy, was a fascinating choice for the show. Casting John Goodman was brilliant as well. He's the perfect antagonist. He's a caricature of real Republicans to some extent, but the stark contrast between his character and Bartlett makes for a lot of drama. I think it's going to be a great season.

Now that I know my "day job" is going away, I am working on my resume and getting my name out there. I will be hitting the major online job sites, and Mike graciously sent me a tip about a web design job open at a local communications company which I'll be applying for shortly. In a computer-driven world, I decided that it makes sense to have an online resume. So last night I put one together, and here it is. I'll be tweaking the content, but overall I'm pretty pleased.

Thanks to everyone who has given me encouragement in dealing with this tough situation. I appreciate it very much.

Genia had another doctor's appointment yesterday. Bailey's heart rate was good, and Genia's size is right on target. The doctor actually gets out a tape measure and measures the circumference of her stomach from top to bottom. It always looks so funny, but apparently that is a genuine method of making sure the uterus is growing enough.

The doctor recommened that Genia start working no more than 5 hours in one shift. This was welcome news to my lovely wife, who said "I could kiss this" while holding the doctor's note. Since she's salaried, her boss told her that she'd be better off financially just going out on maternity leave early, so she will do that after two more weeks. She couldn't be more thrilled! I am also happy about this news. She's been exhausted by work lately, so getting more rest can only be good for her and for Bailey. It will also just be nice to have her around the house more.

Big news in the Hawbaker household today. Yesterday afternoon I was informed by my boss that our small section of the company was being shut down, most likely by mid-October. Counting "salary continuation" (severence pay), I will stop getting paid the first week of November... three weeks before the due date of our first baby.

I've had this job, affectionately known as my "day job" (read: the one that pays the bills), for just over three years. I work for an outsource call center doing customer support and technical support. I am good at what I do and I enjoy the "helping people" aspect of the job. When we moved to Chattanooga, my bosses thought enough of me to allow me to keep the job and work from home. That was a huge blessing in more ways than one, the biggest being that there was little to no chance I'd find a similar job in Chattanooga paying more than 2/3 of my current salary.

I consider myself very fortunate that I was given this much notice about losing this job. I've been laid off before, by a dot-com-gone-bust, and was not given a single day's notice or a single day's severence pay. Trust me, I know it could be worse. Now it is crunch time -- I need to find a job within the next four or five weeks so that I don't have to go without a paycheck.

Ideally, I'd love to find a job utilizing my web and graphic design skills to some extent, or to start getting more steady work in those areas through Esplodere, the company I started with Andy (Cole Slaw). I am also looking in the customer service or tech support fields since I have more years of experience in those areas. So consider this a bit of shameless self-promotion. If anyone reading this knows of a job that I would be a good fit for, or if you are in need of any web design services, please email me.

Yesterday began Genia's 31st week of pregnancy. According to her pregnancy journal, in week 31 the baby is about 16 inches long, weighs around 3 pounds, can feel pain, and can be startled by loud noises. Another source indicates that some babies already have a full head of hair by this point in time. And to think, Bailey was a group of cells invisible to the naked eye a mere 30 weeks ago.

Even more amazing is that the scriptures tell us that God knows a person while they are still inside their mother's womb. He already has his hand upon her, and Genia and I can trust that she will grow up to know Him and follow Him. This week I will probably finish reading her The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Next week I plan to start reading her "The Gospel of John," most likely from The Message translation. I'm excited about reading the Bible to her, and beginning the lifelong process of her discipleship. I hope to establish a family tradition of reading the Word and praying together. One inspiring article I read regarding this process was Theology for Preschoolers.

JS Bangs on the Boar's Head Tavern gives the following description of Jesus:

Jesus was a hippie and a humanist. He beleived in nothing more than the rights of all people to live freely and tap their unlimited personal potential for good. He spend many nights getting stoned with the Twelve and talking about how the Good News and the Good Weed was, like, totally going to go to the nations. He never cleansed the temple, but instead held a love-in where he and his disciples linked arms and sang "We Will Overcome", and prayed for reductions in spear stockpiles. The statement, "I come not to bring peace but a sword" was later inserted by The Man, who was trying to suppress his groovy message. The Man also had Jesus executed because if his carefree ways spread to the youth, it would mean the breakdown of society. And after the resurrection, Jesus came to his disciples and told them to be chill, and to love all people equally and respect their belief systems because we're all, like, on a path to God.

That was complete sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell, but biting only because there are people who actually believe the bulk of that. As much as we all sometimes try to re-form Jesus into our own image or according to our own preferences, He doesn't change. He is the Son of God as recorded in the New Testament. He preached an exclusive claim as the only way to the Father in heaven, and He knew it would be divisive when He said it.

On the left is Angle-Grinder Man, the UK's self-proclaimed "Wheel-clamp Superhero / Vigilante" as well as an "philanthropist entertainer type personage." He works tirelessly to remove wheel-clamps from the cars of Londoners (free of charge) and to work for political change.

He says "My obsession with Wheel-clamping is actually a rebellion against a much deeper malaise. Namely, the arrogant contempt that politicians hold for the people who put them into power, and whom they claim to represent."

Pictured on the right is Terrifica, New York City's own Superhero for Single Girls. ABC News Reports that "For the past seven years Terrifica has been patrolling New York's party and bar scene, looking out for women who have had a little too much to drink and are in danger of being taken advantage of by men."

In her own words, her story is born out of dealing with her own vulnerability and mistakes: "The reason why Batman was dark was because he kept seeing his demon [the murder of his parents and his need to avenge them] every time he did what he did," Sarah says. "I guess that is essentially the same thing with me. I experience the same hurt and pain over and over again [as Terrifica]."

Allow me to vent, please. Today's topics include our ill-mannered neighbors, Le Divorce, Francophonic marketing, and full body sneezing.

My Neighbors
I think we may have the most obnoxious neighbors in all of St. Elmo living across the street. The most annoying thing about them is actually their frequent visitors, who, instead of walking up the front steps and ringing the doorbell, sit in their car and honk the horn repeatedly until someone comes out. Not just one tap on the horn, either. They'll honk the horn five times, wait maybe 20 seconds, and then start honking again. Rinse. Repeat. This happens every single day, without fail, and usually more than once each day. It has happenned at 8am on Saturday mornings and 11pm on weeknights. How in any universe can this be considered reasonable social behavior? Has it not occured to them that if the people they're honking at can hear it inside, so can everyone else on the street, and we might not appreciate it?

Le Divorce
Last week Genia and I went to catch a chick flick matinee, and one of the other films playing that day was Le Divorce. I was unfortunate enough to have heard all manner of mispronunciations of the title. The most common one was for people to say [Lay] Divorce. That was annoying, but then I heard someone call it [La] Divorce. Quoi? The worst, however, was when a theatre employee called it [Lay Dee-vorce-ay]. I was stunned. Surely if you work at the theatre where a film is being shown, you've been exposed to the proper way to say the title. Ugh.

Francophonic Marketing
Another related pet peeve I have is the use of French articles or faux-French to try and make something ordinary sound fancy. "Le Nails" is a shop in St. Elmo and an offender of this nature. On Frazier Avenue there is a salon called, if I remember correctly, The Nu Cheveux. "Nu" is a French word, but it means "naked" not "new" and I doubt that's what they intended. Good grief.

Full Body Sneezing
Yesterday my sinuses declared war on me. They battled me from the time I woke up until the moment I fell asleep. They were relentless. My 12-hour antihistamine/decongestant Alavert was no match for the sheer volume of waste produced by my sinuses, and my body was no match for the brute force exerted upon its release. My arms hurt, my chest hurt, my legs hurt, and my abs (hidden as they may be) hurt each time I sneezed. I felt completely exhausted last night by 9:00. Of course, that didn't stop my from going to Barnes & Noble -- I felt like I deserved a treat for my suffering.

For five or six months now, my brother Joel and I have been talking about taking a road trip together to visit the U2 exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. We're both U2 fans bordering on obsession, and while our wives like the music, they don't share our extreme love for all things U2. So we decided to just go together. I wasn't sure that it would really happen, but it is. We're leaving one month from today, which is the first day of Joel's fall break at Covenant. It's going to be great.

One downside is that it's a ten hour drive according to MapQuest, but I figured "hey, 10 hours, 10 albums" so it shouldn't be too bad. Another is that our wives aren't going, and as much fun as we'll have, I know we'll be missing them. I have not spent a night away from Genia in three and a half years of marriage, so this will be hard.

We're planning on two full days at the museum viewing rare artifacts such as the first U2 T-shirt, stage costumes from ZOO TV, an architectural model of the PopMart set, and animation cells from the HMTMKMKM video. The museum also has a movie theatre in which they are replaying classic U2 concert videos, and I'm sure we will spend some time watching those, especially if they have ZOO TV from Sydney and the PopMart Mexico City shows which have not been released on dvd. All in all, it's going to be awesome.

Any recommendations for other things to do in Cleveland at night since the museum closes at 5:30 daily?

If you could recommend only two books for me to read, what would the be and why?

MindReader v2.0 is "an experimentation of computer technology, advanced mathematics, and extra sensory perception." It claims to be able to predict with 99% accuracy the card you choose from a list of six. It removed the card I picked every time I tried it. However, there's a catch. It's more a riddle than a computer program with ESP. Pay attention to everything when you play and you might be able to figure out how it works.

Today is day ten of my "reduced Coca-Cola diet" designed to wean me from what is certainly my favorite beverage on the whole earth. As good as it is, it just isn't good for me, and I'd be better off drinking a lot less of it. I have gone from an average of two cokes a day to only drinking three in the past ten days. I'm pretty proud of myself, and hope that I will get that number down further for the next ten days. The only downside has been caffiene withdrawal headaches, but they disappear with time. I am hoping, of course, that by getting rid of those empty calories, I can start losing a bit of weight. I was a skinny kid when I got married three and a half years ago, but as I got a little older, my metabolism slowed down. Also, I started working a desk job instead of retail, which didn't help things at all. The result is about 20 pounds I'd like to drop. I am making some other small changes to my regular diet -- eating a healthy breakfast every day is the biggest of those -- and I also plan on lifting weights regularly to build some muscle, which in turn burns fat. I think those changes will further aid me in my goal.

I'm sure this is pretty boring to my average reader, but I'm hoping that making my goals public will be a motivator for me.

What is your favorite cd purchased this year? What makes it stand out?

A few links of interest that, for whatever reason, I didn't feel like making a full post about.

• Fun discussion of regionalisms on Signal vs. Noise
• RazorMouth on why LOTR is better than Left Behind
• A Biblical argument by The Dane in favor of young marriage
• Things the Internet Monk can't talk about with his Pentecostal and Charismatic friends

This sermon deals with the Christian's need to combine conviction and compassion. It specifically related this theme to the issue of homosexuality, but I was more impacted by it on a general level and how it applies to my life. The pastor, Mark Adams of Redland Baptist Church, argues that compassion and conviction must be in balance. In my few short years as a committed Christian, I have seen myself at both extremes, and I know I need to find the middle ground.

Adams states:

If for example you are a person with great conviction but no compassion, well you?ll become just like those love-less Pharisees and Sadducees, people who were so judgmental that their hearts became hardened to the point that they were no longer sensitive to the needs of others.

I think we have all crossed paths with people like this before. I used to be a person like this myself. When I first made a serious commitment to Christ, I had a great deal of conviction. Some, like avoiding premarital sex, were good and right. Some, like the belief that any consumption of alcohol is a sin, were not right. Extrabiblical convictions such as that can cause more trouble than the convictions clearly taught by scripture, but the main problem wasn't the truthfulness of my convictions. It was the way in which I handled them. I intended to be uncompromising and "sold out" but I came across as rude, judgemental, and arrogant. It almost cost me a couple of good friendships.

Adams continues:

And, on the other hand, if we are people of ONLY compassion with no real beliefs, no convictions, then we become people who are merely sentimental... people with no conscience -- no moral base-- people like those described in this morning's text who suppress the truth and as a result have, depraved minds and do what ought not to be done.

In the last year, I have noticed that I have gone a bit too far in this direction. It's not that I have lost a belief in core Biblical convictions, but I rarely express those convictions to other people. Am I valuing the love of my friends at the cost of my relationship with Christ? I would like to believe that I am living out the words of St. Francis of Assisi -- "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." But the question then comes to my mind, when is it necessary?

The opinion of other people should not be the biggest factor in determining one's right place, but they can be an indicator. Am I seen by my friends as a person of conviction, compassion, both, or neither? Do they take seriously the fact that I call myself a Christian, or do they dismiss it because I do not speak up about my beliefs often enough? Did I present a skewed picture of Biblical Christianity when I obviously lacked compassion? I believe I did. But am I now presenting another false picture by a lack of stated conviction? I'm not sure, but I believe that my compassion has earned (or regained) the trust of others, which is certainly a good thing. However, if I see someone I care about walking the wrong path, am I being a poor steward of their trust and actually displaying a lack of love by not sharing my beliefs to guide them towards the right path?

Right now I feel like I have a lot more questions than answers, but my hope is that the answers will come. I desire to be a "good witness" whatever that means.

This excellent quote I came across on Aaron's weblog got me thinking this morning:

"We do, I think, a grave disservice to our children when we ask them what they want to be when they grow up. Equating being with occupation is a horrifying thought.

"A job, in my view, is merely a pragmatic means to the honorable end of supporting oneself and his dependants. Nothing more. Nothing less. It certainly doesn't bring fulfillment to my life. Egads, if I ever look to my job to add meaning to my life, I will have reached such a pitifully low estate that suicide can only be a release. I mean come on. If all one has to look forward to is the daily grind, what kind of life is that? No, if I want fulfillment or meaning, I will always look to the things I enjoy outside of my toil of necessity." --Michael Cossarwal

Isn't that the truth for so many of us? While I do find a good deal of pleasure in working with web and graphic design, they are not yet my primary means of financial support. I have what is commonly known as a "day job" and it brings me no fulfillment beyond that of a paycheck that still doesn't stretch as far as I'd like it to. I definitely don't define my being in terms of that job. I don't even like talking about it. I do my work -- well, I believe -- and at the end of my shift I try not to think about it anymore.

I think a lot of parents dream of their children becoming doctors or lawyers, and many Christians imagine their little ones growing up to do those things or to enter the ministry in some way. Because I don't define my own being by my work, it isn't surprising that I haven't thought too much about what I want my daughter to do as a career. I do have my secret dreams -- that she could have some great musical or other artistic talent, but even if she does, most musicians and artists are not fortunate enough to live on their art, so she'll probably have another job. Whatever she wants to do is fine as long as it is not immoral -- I'm mainly concerned that she will be a good person, one who loves God and follows Him with all her heart, mind, and soul.

Two nights ago I had the most bizarre dream. I was carrying Bailey (our daughter-in-progress) in some kind of a bubble, kind of like an exercise ball. It was translucent, so I could see her but not with clarity. We were on some kind of journey, running from an evil woman -- I think a witch of some sort. I don't remember too much about our travels up until the end. I remember carrying her through some type of mall that reminded me of the underground level of Phipps Plaza, but when we walked outside, we were in New Orleans. Then someone told us that if we found the Terminator, that he would help us. We found him in a cave, and for some reason, his advice or words upset me and we argued. We ended up fighting, and I won. We escaped down an escalator and back out onto the streets. Finally I was able to break open the bubble I'd been carrying Bailey in, and I could see her clearly for the first time. She was so precious, and she looked right at me and smiled. The end.

After what must be a good two months of off and on searching, I hit the jackpot this weekend. I found a collection of FTP sites offering downloads of U2 bootlegs. They even had an "A" quality audience bootleg of the 11-30-01 concert in Atlanta, which Genia and I attended. Amazing! I spent all day Saturday downloading the files, and last night I listened to the whole concert. My memories of the concert came flooding back, and I was blown away all over again.

The band walked onto the stage, house lights up, with the opening chords of Elevation playing. Bono walked to the tip of the heart, knelt down on one knee, and made the Catholic sign of the cross before jumping up to begin his performance. The whole band was on fire for every single song, and the emotions Bono conveyed remind me of the stories of the Slane Castle performance. This was clearly an emotional night for him.

He talked about losing his father and dedicated "Kite" to Mike Mills (REM) who had recently lost his father also. He mentioned Micheal Hutchence (INXS) before singing "Stuck in a Moment" and said that there were "less stars in the sky" before singing George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord." He talked briefly about September 11th before an acoustic performance of "Please." Bono recited the line from the Psalms -- "What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me?" -- as The Edge played the spectacular opening chords of "Where the Streets Have No Name." We were feeling a bit of heaven on earth at that moment, and a heartfelt performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" took us a little bit higher. As I listened to Bono sing "Hear us calling, Lord, knocking at your door" as he closed out "One," I shared the cry of his heart. The show closed with "Walk On" and a chorus of Hallelujahs before Bono said "and unto the Almighty God, thank you, for all gifts, [and] blessings." Amen.

The power of this concert was amazing, and there are few other moments in my life that compare. It was everything U2 means to me rolled into one two-hour shot. Having this bootleg, and being able to listen as I remember, is a really special thing for me.

If you ever want to win a football game again, learn how to protect your quarterback so he isn't on the run every single play.

A discussion at MetaFilter about bad cover songs got me thinking about my favorites (and least favorites). Here are some great and/or fun cover songs:

• Johnny Cash - "Hurt"
• Smashing Pumpkins - "Landslide"
• The Lemonheads - "Mrs. Robinson"
• P.O.D. - "Bullet the Blue Sky"
• Over the Rhine - "Ruby Tuesday" (Live)
• Matchbox Twenty - "Time After Time" (Live)
• Caedmon's Call - "Walk on the Ocean" (Live)
• Jars of Clay - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (Live)
• Coldplay - "What the World Needs Now" (Live)

My sister-in-law April is thinking about recording an independent album next summer, and one thing she wants to do is include one great cover song (more than likely a U2 cover). Here are a few that we've talked about:

• U2 - "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"
• U2 - "Staring at the Sun"
• U2 - "Running to Stand Still"

Through U2Log I found out that Universal Music Group just announced that they are dropping wholesale cd prices and lowering the suggested retail price of their cds to $12.98 (from $18.98) as of October 1. Signal vs. Noise asked "are the price wars on?" and noted that EMI shares dropped 10% after the Universal price cut was announced.

Personally, this was exciting news. I love music, and buy cds as often as I can, but the budget just isn't always there for a $15 or even $20 cd purchase. Yesterday, while browsing the music section of Target, I noticed that the new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album, which I blogged about last month, was on sale for only $6.98. While I probably wouldn't have bought it for, say, $14.98, this sale price was too good to pass up. If retailers such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Amazon.com, who already sell cds below suggested retail prices, lower their prices on Universal cds proportional to the drop in wholesale prices, we could start seeing cds retail for $10 or less by the end of the year. This will certainly be met with an increase in cd purchasing by myself and many other budget-conscious music lovers that don't download albums. Let the prices fall, and let my cd rack fill up!

Jamey Bennett of RazorMouth has written a good column entitled God Gave Rest which discusses the Sabbath:

The Sabbath is a day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and the rest and freedom we?ve been given when Christ set us free. It is a day to eat until stuffed, to drink wine until the cheeks are ruddy red, and to laugh until the belly hurts. The Sabbath is a day to remember Christ crucifed and then leap for joy to remember Christ is risen.

That's something I needed to hear. I generally do look forward to attending church, worshipping, and hearing the Word preached on Sundays. I also enjoy the fellowship of spending time with Joel and April, and occasionally other friends, after church -- sharing a meal and conversation. I'm thankful for all of that, and yet I don't always remember to rest. I'll sit down at the computer and work on one project or another, thinking, "I need to get this done" which is really just saying "I need to make sure I have what I need" or, put more strongly, "I don't fully trust God to provide for my needs."

Bono and the Pope, among many others, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded later this year, and this article is an interesting comparison of the two -- their works, beliefs, and methods. It's a good read if you are a fan of Bono and admire his charitable work.

In this confusing, ever-changing world, the Pope and Bono dispense the most coveted and elusive intangibles of all: certainty and purpose and belief. They do this by sharing some remarkably similar traits. The Pope is a churchman who embraced showbiz while Bono is a showman who embraced faith. Both have done so with a messianic clasp.

There is also an interesting insight into young Bono's faith and mission:

Aged 20, Bono wrote to his father about "offering each day up to God, meeting in the morning for prayers, readings, and letting God work in our lives - I hope our lives will be a testament to the people who follow us and to the music business where never before have so many lost and sorrowful people gathered in one place pretending to have a good time."