John Brady Kiesling is a United States Diplomat, and has been for over 20 years. The following link is to a NY Times printing of his letter of resignation, as sent to Colin Powell. It's a very interesting read, as he states that "the policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests." If you are at all interested in politics or international relations or the war with Iraq, read this letter. On the subject of war, I have to admit that I fall decidedly into the "undecided" camp -- I can see pros and cons for both sides. Idealistically, I of course prefer peace, but realistically sometimes it takes physical action to bring about peace. I do have to agree somewhat with Mr. Kiesling that we are going down a dangerous path and that we are alienating even our closest allies. On the other hand, this letter is further proof that a resistance is building.

This morning I came across an interesting column on The Internet Monk called "Why I'm Not a Preacher, and Why That's a Good Thing". The thesis statement of the column is that "we don't need more preachers, we need better ones," and I certainly agree, after reading what the author had to say. Another great point he makes is that unless you absolutely can't not become a preacher or pastor, then you probably aren't called to be one. He specifically references 1 Corinthians 9:16 and Jeremiah 20:9 to back up this claim. I agree with that as well... I know personally that I can't imagine not going into the ministry. Speaking of which, late last!
week I received my official acceptance letter from Covenant College. Now if I can just find $19,000 a year to pay for it...

Wherein I post lots and lots of links, most of which will have little to do with one another, except that I like and recommend them. Surf away!

The Onion
@ U2
RazorMouth
Obscure Store
Esplodere Web Design
The Shots of Perspective
A List Apart
Despair Demotivational Products
Coldplay
U2 News Weblog
Metafilter
Starsailor
Pitchfork Media
Over the Rhine

U2 and Bono have been all over the place pretty much since All That You Can't Leave Behind came out in October 2000. They aren't losing any steam, and this post is going to be chock full of great links about what they've been up to. To start, we have a trio of articles from Christianity Today.

Bono's American Prayer -- "The world's biggest rock star tours the heartland, talking more openly about his faith as he recruits Christians in the fight against AIDS in Africa." This is an excellent article featuring quotes from Bono himself along with Bill Hybels (pastor of Willow Creek, one of the largest churches in the country) and Michael W. Smith, who both spoke up confirming their belief that Bono is a genuine Christian seeking to make the world a better place. It's a great read, and has a positive, supportive slant.

Pop Music With Brains -- "From the beginning, U2 has engaged spiritual questions." This article is considerably shorter than "American Prayer" and addresses the spiritual issues in U2's lyrics. There's nothing here that I hadn't heard before, but then again, I'm not exactly what you'd call a casual fan, so you might get more out of it. It's a good read either way.

Bono's Thin Ecclesiology -- "Any person can stand outside the church and critique its obedience to the gospel." This is an editorial criticizing Bono for criticizing the church even though he isn't a member of an organized church. I suppose they forgot about that whole "universal church" concept where all who are in Christ make up "the church." It's got a distinctly negative slant towards Bono and comes off a bit defensive.

Respect, Righteousness and a Mirrorball Lemon is a response to Christianity Today's editorial written by an Episcopal pastor and co-author of an upcoming book featuring sermons based on U2's lyrics. I personally find more to agree with in this editorial than in "Bono's Thin Ecclesiology."

Next we have a lengthy interview with Grammy Magazine in which Bono discusses his work campaigning for Africa and the new album that U2 is currently working on. A favorite quote from the interview: "I just came from the studio today, and it's ridiculous what's going on. Edge is just on fire; he's making the most extraordinary things come out of his guitar. It's astonishing. We came up with a tune today called 'Lead Me In The Way I Should Go,' which could be a big song. Another one, provisionally titled 'Full Metal Jacket,' is pure chrome. I'm very excited about what we're doing..."

And finally, Bono is an official nominee for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with DATA in the battles against AIDS and poverty in Africa.

We're finally settled in to our new apartment in Chattanooga and we're loving it! I took a lot of pictures with our digital camera, but I've been too busy to create a special page in the photos section of the site for these photos, so I'm just going to post a few of them here for the time being. Enjoy!

Some of you know, and some of you don't, that Esplodere is the name I've been using for my freelance web design business. What most of you don't know is that Esplodere is now a partnership between myself and Andy Coleman, a friend who is student at Covenant College. We are working diligently to turn it into a real business (read: we want to make real money). Behind the scenes, we've been working on a business plan, the legal steps for forming a company, and our world domination marketing scheme. The first public step is the relaunch of our website with a new logo, new design, and information about the partnership and our pricing. Take a look, and if you or anyone you know is in need of an incredibly well-designed site at a reasonable price, send them our way!