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RETHNK MONTHLY
THE DARK KNIGHT | GOD’S LOVE | FALLING UP | BLOCK PARTY
RETHINKING GOD IN TODAY’S CULTURE.
Keep Your Coins I Want Change Page 10
+ Oregon’s
Own Falling Up Page 13
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AUGUST 2008
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Rethink Inc. exists to present real and authentic thoughts, news, and opinions about spiritually, life and culture to their local community. Our main objectives are: to overcome cultural obstacles with grace and humility; to make sense of the black, the white and the gray issues we face; to cause believers and non-believers to RETHINK God in the world around them.
CONTENTS
COMING SEPTEMBER 1st
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RETHNK MONTHLY
BRAILLE | LA HACIENDA REAL | GAS WAR | HOLY HIPHOP
RETHINKING GOD IN TODAY’S CULTURE. SEPTEMBER 2008
Exposing America’s Craig Gross
+
Because I Care About Me
Dirty
Little
Secret
THIS MAGAZINE IS
F R E E
FEATURE
An exclusive interview with Craig Gross, the founder of xxxchurch. com, a ministry geared to helping people get free from the grip of pornography. His ministry has helped several porn stars get out of the multi-billion dollar porn industry. They have received quite the amount of criticism from both the Christian and non-Christian realms. But one thing remains true, regardless of which end you find yourself on, God is using this man to do what most people can’t (or won’t) do: reach the lonely, the hurting and the dying - right where they are.
MUSIC
We sat down with Salem’s own hip-hip master, Braille, over lunch. Braille, who over the last 13 years, has worked hard to develop his own sound. Braille ordered hummus and talked about life, his first love, hip-hop, Salem’s own music scene and the meaning behind who he is and what he does.
CULTURE
Of course this next topic will cause much debate but we sat down at La Hacienda in West Salem. Not only did we sit there, well, we ate a bunch of food too. And then we jotted down what we felt about the place. Good stuff.
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4_EDITOR’S LETTER 5_EDITOR’S LETTER 6_ASK PASTOR JOHN 13_FALLING UP 14_EVENT CALENDAR
EDITORS/PUBLISHERS >
Bo Lane > bo@rethinkmonthly.com Melissa Lane > melissa@rethinkmonthly.com
SALES MANAGER >
LeAnn Lane > leann@rethinkmonthly.com
ART DIRECTOR >
Vin Thomas > vin@rethinkmonthly.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS >
John Piper, Joel Christie, Mike Yoder, Anthony Trask
TO SUBSCRIBE >
RETHINK Monthly is a free publication and
can be picked up locally within Salem, Keizer and the mid-Willamette valley. You can also purchase a subscription at: subscribe.rethinkmonthly.com
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CREDITS >
Cover image by Vilhelm Sjostrom. Feature story image (page 10/11) by Leroy Skalstad. All images used by permission.
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THE ALPHA
Editor’s Letter I was 13 years old when I got my first glimpse at homelessness - volunteering for a new outreach ministry in our church. At first it wasn’t so bad. I was 13 years old when I got my first true glimpse at homelessness - volunteering for a new outreach ministry in our church. At first it wasn’t so bad. I made some sandwiches, opened some extra large cans of peaches and watched elderly ladies smile as they poured their hearts out, giving their best possible, in a way they knew well. We collected as many boxes and paper bags as we could, stuffing them full of our freshly made bologna and mayonnaise sandwiches, fruit, and then topping them off with an NIV Bible. One of the ladies prayed a nice prayer, including something about protection or wisdom and we all felt this sense of closeness to one another and to those who would receive these blessings. We gathered our things together and I called my mom for a ride home. We were prepared to head out the church door after a long night’s work and that’s when it hit me: What happens next? Who were these blessed people that would receive this food that we had worked so hard to prepare? But more importantly, how would they receive it? Maybe we were going to create a nice sign and stick it in the front yard of the church; our Children’s ministry had loads of crayons, color pencils and markers. Or maybe we’d place an advertisement in the local Nickle Ads and include words like “free” and “bologna” and “less fortunate.” But as soon as I opened my mouth to share these miraculous ideas, the ministry coordinator blurted out, “Who’s coming tomorrow to help distribute these boxes? We’re heading out at 8am. It’d be a good idea not to wear your nicest clothes because you might get them dirty from walking through the trees and in the mud.” Silence. I surely didn’t expect that. Neither did anyone else. The worst part of it all was the fact that it was summer. No school, no obligations, and no reason to say “No.” Most of 4_RETHINK MONTHLY
the older ladies were retired or widowed and didn’t have anything better to do except quilt or play bingo or do whatever older widowed ladies do. Surely he didn’t expect us to sacrifice this much. After all, we had spent all afternoon and most of the evening preparing these blessed meals. The next morning I woke up at 7-something am, hopped in the shower and prayed that I wouldn’t get some sort of infection from stepping on fields full of needles because, after all, all homeless people are drug addicts or alcoholics, right? Emerging from the shower, I was oblivious to the fact that my life would change that very day. My heart would break for a homeless population. I would see things that would give me a different perspective on life and love. My judgment would cease. But it would take several years for me to find out that they, regardless of popular opinion, are just like you and me. They were at one time an infant, a child, a young person, someone’s son or daughter, another’s brother or sister. They’ve made mistakes, just like you and me, and they’ve paid a consequence. I find it hard to drive around Salem and the surrounding areas and not see the effects of our homeless population, both young and old. I find it hard to drive by and watch as people, yes actual people, live out their life on the streets of Salem. Just the other day Melissa and I came across a lady on a street corner. The years had obviously taken their toll. Life had settled in far too rapidly. All we had was one dollar. We couldn’t help but to think that at one point, this woman was in the arms of a loving (or not-so loving) parent. She ate baby food just like our 8 month-old daughter is eating right now. She grew up. She had acne. She cried a lot and smiled as well. She wore pig tails at some point in her life and we’re sure that someone loved her. Even if it was one person, we are con-
vinced she had experienced love. And at some point, one point, her life changed. Then we showed up, rolled down the window and handed her our dollar; useless to us but treasured by her. And then, of course, we drove off. We should’ve felt happy. We should’ve looked at each other with joy, relieved that we put our hard earned dollar to work in someone else’s life. But we didn’t. Let’s just be honest. We’re tired of just giving our coins. We’re tired of just driving by and saying a prayer that starts with “Lord, send someone their way…” Maybe that someone is you. Maybe that someone is me. Maybe we’re supposed to give our coins. Maybe we’re supposed to wonder if they’ll eat another meal. Maybe we’re supposed to feel like this because that’s how God would want us to feel. We started this magazine and called it RETHINK for a reason. We believe it’s time to re-think our position as individuals, as the church and start turning these thoughts into actions. Our son Benjamin has many books by Dr. Seuss. His favorite includes this line: “Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try.” What would happen if we did just that? Tried. Well, no matter how hard it might be, we “thinks” that’s a great place to start.
bo@rethinkmonthly.com melissa@rethinkmonthly.com
THE LOCALS
Oregon students prepare for Beijing Olympics
Why is the Gospel of Love dividing America? LAKE OSWEGO - Though nine out of ten Americans claim a belief in God, public expression of faith is more contentious as ever. Even as discussion of religion floods the media like never before, the rhetoric is divisive and hyper as the 2008 elections loom on the horizon. Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is the energetic, accessible documentary that explores the collision of faith and culture in America. Fed up with the angry, strident language filling the airwaves that has come to represent the Christian faith, director (and follower) Dan Merchant set out to discover why the Gospel of Love is dividing America. Utilizing a broad array of expert interviews, man-on-the-street bits, hilarious animations and “I’ve never seen that before” stunts, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers brings everyone into the conversation that this country is aching to have. In the tradition of “entertaining documentaries” like Super Size Me, Bowling For Columbine and What the Bleep Do We Know?, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, employs the language of pop culture to create a provocative, funny and redemptive viewing experience that will leave the audience talking for hours. From the man-on-the-street blitz of “Bumpersticker Man” to a “Culture Wars” game show, from Dan’s proclamation drive to re-name St. Paul to New Leningrad to the controversial and moving “Confession Booth” at Gay Pride, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers delves into all the hot button issues with candor, humor and balance. With exclusive interviews and features with Bono, Pastor Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life), James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, no stone is left unturned in this engaging, unpredictable and challenging look at the conflict over religion in America. SEE FOR YOURSELF. www.lordsaveusthemovie.com
S. SALEM - The South Salem Wind Ensemble has been chosen to perform during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Invited by World Projects International, the group will have performances in Shanghai and Beijing. They are the only Oregon ensemble chosen for this honor and one of the only high school bands in the nation performing in Beijing during the Olympic Games. The Wind Ensemble which is the most advanced band at South Salem High School is the flagship of the band program.
This group has won 12 state championships over the past 22 years. They have been named champions for the past six consecutive years, an accomplishment unprecedented for a 6A band. In 2000 the band was the United States’ representative to the Australian Youth Musical held at the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. The group returned “down under” for a two week tour in the summer of 2005. If you are interested in knowing more about the band and their trip, visit their site at www.southhighchinaolympics.com.
Edgewater takes National Night Out to new level W. SALEM - National Night Out is not new, in fact it has been around for years, but this year there is a twist to the National theme. A small group has banded together to organize and gain support for “Edgewater National Night Out.” The idea is to work with local churches in the Edgewater area and have them host their neighborhood’s block party on August 5th. If a home on that block is already planning a “Neighborhood Block Party,” the church is encouraged to join that party and support them however they can. In addition, this group is working to support residence in the Edgewater Neighborhood who want to hold block parties on their street. We hope to provide bottled water, ice, and even help with set up if needed. The groups are putting together packets with all required permits, flyers, posters and idea packets. They are also contacting local business’ seeking support and funds to acquire those items and more. Craig Oviatt, Director of the Salem Dream Center, says that this block party differs from others because “we are working to set up as many block parties in Edgewater as possible. We know it isn’t easy to make this happen, so we are doing as much ground work as is possible for those in the Edgewater area who want to
host a party.” The adopted schedule for all the individual block parties will go something like this: Meet and Greet from 5:30PM to 6:00PM, Eat from 6:00PM to 7:30PM, Games and Fun from 7:30PM to 8:00PM and then the “WALK to WALKER” campaign. At 8:15PM an outdoor concert will be held at Walker Middle School on 8th Street and will conclude around 10:45PM. This group is led by the Salem Dream Center, a non-profit outreach that adopted the Edgewater District in October of 2004 and is joined by SOMA Church, another group working to beautify the parks and streets, as well as supporting local residents. They are also joined by Hope Point Church, which holds their weekly services at Walker Middle School each Sunday as well as the West Salem Boys and Girls Club. They will who will be holding a block party in front of their new facility on 9th and Gerth. Herm Boes, long time resident of West Salem and Salem Leadership’s ‘Lighting Rod’ is using all of his connections to help bring this neighborhood together and help make this event a success. If you would like to join the planning team, host a block party in Edgewater or make a contribution, contact Craig Oviatt at 503.391.4346 or craig@wsfc.org. RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_5
ASK PASTER JOHN
Explaining God’s love to a suffering child My guess is that children, maybe even more than adults, are able to understand that God’s final deliverance will make up for all the pain of the present. They may not be able to grasp with great sophistication the fact that this very moment God’s love is being manifested in and through suffering. But a child can surely understand that someday, just as he promises you, God is going to take it away. We may not know why, but he is going to take it away and he is going to reward you in a way that will make all of your suffering seem as though it was not suffering. And he is going to give you everything you need for ever and ever—millions and millions of years—and you are going to be as happy as you can possibly be. So I would make sure that I communicate to a child that if they trust Jesus then this disease, this pain, is going to be taken away. And you could read them from Revelation 21, “All crying and mourning and pain will be no more, for the former things have passed away.” Secondly, I think it’s important to say to them that these evils in the world—the calamity that has come upon you, upon the children around you, and upon the rest of the world—came into the world because of sin. God ordained that the creation fall into futility. And Satan exploits that, and sin exploits that. And God has brought suffering and permits it now because of sin. Your suffering is not necessarily a direct result of your own sin, but because of the sin of humanity and the sin of all our hearts there is evil in the world. So turn away from sin! Receive forgiveness of it and repent and embrace the Savior, and pray for healing. And if the healing doesn’t come now, it is going to come later. And the third thing I would say—and this will depend on the child’s capacities (you have to judge)—God builds amazing character, faith, love and depth out of suffering. I could point to people I know right now who’ve had 23 surgeries because of horrific birth issues and who, to this day, suffer significantly because of it. Yet they are some of the deepest, wisest, most loving, most patient, most ministering people 6_RETHINK MONTHLY
I know; and that’s because of what they’re suffered and walked through. On the other hand, if you find somebody for whom nothing has every gone wrong, who has experienced hardly any pain, sorrow or disappointment, you’ll find that they’re generally rather superficial people. It may be hard for a child to embrace that, but you can tell them that God is doing for you what he can do for nobody else. He’s going to make you something special. Maybe you’ll do like Helen Roseveare and take a rose—a long stem red rose—and hold it up before the child. And you’ll take a knife and say, “This red rose was what you might have been if you didn’t have this disease or this pain.” Then you start cutting it. And you cut all the green bark off of this long stem red rose. And you say, “This is what God is doing, and it hurts sometimes.” Then you cut off the barb. And then you lop off the flower at the end, and you sharpen it down. And what the child finally sees in front of him is a white straight sharp arrow. The rose has become an arrow that can be put into a bow and shot into somebody’s heart or into some enemy’s face, something that a regular rose could never had done. I heard that illustration from Helen Roseavere as she was talking about the destruction of some teenagers in South Africa back in the 1950s. And she showed with the arrow illustration how God used the killing of these teenagers in order to accomplish some great purposes that could not have been otherwise accomplished. So a child might get help from some kind of practical visual illustration like that, showing them that God is going to make them into someone unusually useful if they hold fast to him. By John Piper © Desiring God www.desiringGod.org
ABOUT
John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God’s call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D.theol.). John is the author of more than 30 books. He and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.
THE FEATURE
I Want Change My first encounter with a homeless mission was somewhat disappointing. I woke up at the insanely early time of 4:30 am and then proceeded to wake up my roommate, take a shower and wake up my roommate again.
We walked over to the Episcopal church across the street where breakfast was served every morning. We cooked in a hot kitchen for about an hour—the whole time asking others what to do and very often waiting our turn to perform a task. We then loaded the enormous pots of food onto a cart that a youth group on a spring break mission carted down to the serving area below. On our way out, we 10_RETHINK MONTHLY
were asked if we wanted to help give out bus tickets, as it would give us a chance to “interact with the guys.” I declined, as I had to go to work in a little while and my roommate wanted to go back to bed. All together, we had taken about an hour and done ... well what did we do, really? I wondered for a long time after that if Jesus’ orders to feed the poor were really all that important. Perhaps “giving food
to the hungry” was supposed to be one of those things that you just had to have faith in. Perhaps to really get involved you had to be a church with facilities. Perhaps, in this case, things were OK and there really wasn’t a need for more volunteers—that we were, in reality, just an annoyance to those people who worked serving food to those who need it everyday. About a year and a half later, my college fellowship held a $1 dinner, for hungry, broke college students. Because we had never cooked for that many people before, and because we went shopping while hungry and ended up with too much food and even more leftovers. What should we do? We couldn’t give it to the shelters, as they only accepted canned food, and we couldn’t bring ourselves to throw it away. No one wanted to admit the obvious solution until someone said softly, “Why don’t we take it downtown and give it to the
homeless?” So we loaded up my fiancée’s car with food and set off for a bridge under which the homeless were known to congregate. That night, we ate with, prayed with and talked with the homeless of Oregon. And Jesus met us there. That was a year ago. Today, we share God’s blessing at two parks in Oregon. The locations have changed, the people have changed, but Jesus is still there. We’ve also learned a lot. For example, Jesus doesn’t say, “feed the hungry” in such strict terms. He says, “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:13). The difference is clear; Jesus didn’t order us to serve food to the poor, He ordered us to eat with them from food God provided. At our church in the park, we do that. Then we get out our Bibles and have a discussion or a lesson, trying not to dish it out in sermons, but rather open it up and find that we are among people who really do rely on God for everything, and they tell us things about Jesus and redemption that leave us speechless. Finally, we pray, sing, after many hugs and handshakes, depart. Leaving is always hard. There’s always a swirl of thoughts in my head that I can’t escape from. While there are many people who come and eat, then leave without a thank you, becoming part of a community is never limited to just eating and Bible study. It’s there, under that pavilion or around that picnic table in the park, that I have no trouble seeing Jesus. Maybe that’s why leaving is so hard, because everyone knows that the rest of the week will be nothing like this night: Jesus will be hard to see, the city will remind the homeless they are not welcome in some silly yet contemptible way (like cutting down the bushes where people store their things), and instead of being sure this is exactly where God wants us, we’ll be back to sitting at our desks or in our cubicles, wondering if this really is what we’re supposed to be doing.
TAKE ACTION
Keep Your Coins
Oregon has the sixth-highest per-capita homeless population, according to a new report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
According to the study, which reports 2005 numbers, Oregon had 16,221 homeless people - about 4.5 out of every 1000 Oregonians. The only states which scored higher were - in order - Nevada, Rhode Island, California, Colorado, and Hawaii. Oregon has managed to provide shelter for 48% of those homeless - a higher percentage than any of the other top six states; except Rhode Island, which shelters 98% of its homeless population. The number of homeless youth in Oregon is nearly impossible to count. The Oregon Runaway and Homeless Youth Coalition, using a federal formula that 1 in 12 homeless youth contact a service provider, estimates that as many as 24,000 Oregon youth are homeless, coming from rural, suburban, and urban areas. Homeless youth are those youth between the ages of 12 and 21 who lack a stable residence and are living away from their parent(s) or guardian(s). They are living in shelters, couch surfing with friends, seeking shelter in vehicles or abandoned buildings, or sleeping on the street. So, what can you do about it? State www.ehac.oregon.gov Nation www.endhomelessness.org
GET INVOLVED
Community Dynamic Life Street Teams 503-375-9555 | www.dynamiclife.org Union Gospel Mission of Salem 503-362-3983 | www.ugmsalem.org Home Youth and Resource Center 503-391-6428 | www.homeyouthcenter.org HOST (Homes Offering Shelter to Teens) 503-588-5825 | www.northwesthumanservices.org YWCA Salem Outreach Shelter 503-588-8898 | www.ywcasalem.org/sos Salem Interfaith Hospitality Network 503-370-9752 | www.salemihn.org RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_11
THE CULTURE
Shedding light on “The Dark Knight’ The Dark Knight might just be the best superhero movie ever made. I’ll have to see it again to be sure, but it easily cracks the top three. Why? It’s simple: because director Christopher Nolen refuses to be confined by the traditional limits of the genre. With superhero movies, the audience is expected to be generous with its suspension of disbelief, and clearly (judging from the box-office returns of many superhero movies), we’re okay with that. We can live with a certain level of nonsense, because it’s fun and exciting. It’s just a superhero movie, right? Lighten up. But as a result of this agreement, it can be easy to dismiss the Herculean characters we’re watching as mere pawns of entertainment. We like them, sure, but we don’t really identify with them. The Dark Knight pops that old agreement like a zit; no more nonsense. Knight insists on being taken seriously, and defies you to dismiss it as just summer entertainment. Everything hammers the audience as dead-on real. The settings. The danger. And most importantly, the characters. Like all good stories, it starts with great characters. There are no weak links; Christian Bale plays the increasingly smug Bruce Wayne with cool candor; Aaron Eckhart dials down his usual pomp a half degree for Harvey Dent and makes him both likable, and tragic; Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman continue to be perfect in the supporting roles of Alfred and Lucius Fox; Gary Oldman is subtly brilliant as the determinedly righteous Officer Gordon; and Maggie Gyllenhaal brings a nice spark to the role of Rachel Dawes. Yes. She sure does. I know what you’re thinking: this is all just filler talk. Yup. You busted me. Because as good as these actors are in the film—and I meant it when I said there were no weak links—they pale in comparison to the late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. It is already becoming something of a cliché to praise Ledger’s performance, but the truth simply can’t be understated: Ledger’s Joker ranks among the best movie villains of all time. 12_RETHINK MONTHLY
He’s flat-out mesmerizing, and it will be a stinging disappointment if he doesn’t posthumously receive the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It’s strange to admit, but I found myself being increasingly lured into enjoying his sick psychosis. Anchored by the maniacal Joker, the tone of the film is relentlessly dark. That’s not to say there isn’t humor. But it comes in unsettling forms: Alfred’s dry witticisms of the harsh times, the passively bitter exchanges between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, and most especially, the sinister musings of the Joker. Yes, the Joker is funny, but it’s definitely in the how-cansomeone-be-so-evil-and-so-charismaticat-the-same-time category of humor. The Joker never breaks the forth wall, but he might as well; his mockery of humanity’s goodness strikes us with uncommon force because indeed we fear that he might very well be right. As the Joker puts it, “People are only as good as the world lets them be.” That’s really the theme of the movie, this question being asked again and again: What happens to good when it is confronted by evil? Which is stronger? Even as he is terrorizing the hapless citizen of Gotham and challenging Batman to rise to the occasion, it is as if the Joker is actually looking at us—his audience—and demanding that we answer. When you are confronted by evil—and the movie promises that we will be—how will you respond? It is a haunting question, and not one easily shrugged aside. For it is one thing to denounce evil when it is locked in the realm of fiction; it is quite another to stand against it when it is manifested in its most terrifying and seductive forms in our actual lives.
ABOUT
Joel Christie lives in downtown Orlando, Florida. He is captivated by good stories; the Bible, movies, novels, and the flesh and blood stories being told in people’s lives every day. God communicates powerfully through stories.
THE MUSIC
falling up
oregon’s own
What once started out as a six-piece, more of an experience than a band, has according to their website been reduced by one half. Notably, Captiva is the first album released following the departure of guitarist Joseph Kisselburgh, who left the band to start The Send, which toured with Falling Up earlier this year. Still, with all of the member changes and departures, it would seem fitting that perhaps the sound would be reduced by half as well, or at least significantly changed. However, that is not the case. This may be in part because former members Micah Sannan and Adam Taylor did not depart until after the recording process. Upon the release of Captiva however, only three members remain. Thankfully, Falling Up rocks on. From the start, the similarities between all three of Falling Up’s albums can be seen. The same experimental, sometimes electronic pop rock is still very pres-
ent throughout, making this album a very pleasant but familiar listen. Captiva, just like the previous two, starts out slow. Unlike Dawn Escapes and Crashings, however, the first song, “A Guide to Marine Life,” does not gain speed and energy, but rather stays subdued and gives off a very melodic and almost atmospheric vibe. The same could be said for the rest of the record. While all very much in the same style as their previous efforts, Captiva finds Falling Up more mellow than ever before. Elements of rapcore and harder rock are almost non-existent. Even though some of the edge may be lost, it is clear that the passion isn’t. Songs such as “Hotel Aquarium,” “Goodnight Gravity,” and “Murexa,” while clearly upbeat, are no more passionate than ballads such as the opening track “A Guide to Marine Life,” and the album’s closer “The Dark Side of Indoor Track Meets.” Captiva just gets better with every listen. Lyrically, Falling Up continues to stay strong, pointing listeners to Christ and offering the hope that He gives. Songs such as “Maps”
are outright when vocalist Jessy Ribordy sings, “the further from you, the harder I try to exist (take these blinds from my eyes and wake me from the inside). Somebody tell me how did it come to this? (take these blinds from my eyes and wake me from the inside).” Other songs such as “Good Morning Planetarium,” are outright as well with the “He” referring to Christ in “I know He’s finding every lost and broken dream.” While not every song is outwardly about Christ, there is no question to who Falling Up follows and has given their lives to. Captiva may require a few listens to adjust to their slower sound, but there is no reason it should be written off as a low moment in their career. In fact, it is this difference that makes this album so great.
Sounds like … modern rock offering an interesting mix of Fall Out Boy, Simple Plan, and at times, Radiohead’s more progressive Kid A era. RETHINKMONTHLY.COM_13
august6 8 15
LOCAL HAPPENINGS SALEM KEIZER AND THE MIDWILLAMETTE VALLEY
The 13th Annual TOM FEST of Christian/Indie bands, will start on August 6th and run through August 9th at the Lacamas Conference Center, 2025 N.E. Goodwin Road in Camas, Washington. Bands include MXPX, Falling Up, The Myriad, Dizmas, Generation Unleashed, and much more. For more information, check out their website - www.tomfest.com.
Salem House of Prayer is launching night and day prayer in the capitol city of Salem with their Day of Worship event starting at 6pm at Carousel Park on the waterfront in Salem. Bring your friends and family and come be a part of seeing history made. You can find out more about the event on their website at www.salemhouseofprayer.org.
Freedom Fest is Western Washington’s largest annual Christian music festival. It starts on August 15th and goes through August 17th. Freedom Fest is held at Stocker Farms in Snohomish, Washington. Such bands taking the stage are KJ-52, Braille, Worth Dying For, Everyday Sunday and many others. For more information visit www.freedomfest.org.
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22 23 24 30 HAVE AN EVENT? TELL US ABOUT IT. RETHINKMONTHLY.COM Salem hosts the Oregon State Fair beginning August 22 and running until September 1. The state fair dates back 147 years. After the first successful fair ended in 1861, they decided to move the fair to Salem in 1862, to its now current location. You won’t want to miss this year’s fair. Tickets available in advance on their website at www.oregonstatefair.org.
Sweet Home Community Chapel is hosting Aaron Shust in concert with Jeremy Riddle and Everyday Sunday. The Ames Creek Amphitheater is located at 42250 Ames Creek Road in Sweet Home. Concert starts at 5pm To purchase tickets in advance or for bulk rate, call 541-367-5106 or visit their website at www.communitychapel.net.
See Evan Wickham in concert on Sunday, August 24 at Southwest Bible Church at 6pm in Beaverton on 14605 SW Weir Road. Evan is an ordained minister who serves as a Worship Pastor at Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, CA, while also ministering in music and speaking worldwide. Call the church for more information at 503-524-7000.
Street Praise Festival will be held at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland on August 30 starting at Noon and going to 5:30pm Street Praise will feature local music from Michael Avery, Contrete Evangelist, Encomium, and Kylie Jean as well as Face Painting, Puppets and much more. Contact Steve Eskridge at 206-234-7859 or visit www.streetpraise.org.
Because your friend’s cousin Jimmy isn’t quite the “web designerâ€? he made himself out to be. Website Design •Logos & Branding • Biz Cards Church Websites • Band Posters • E-Commerce
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Building Bridges. Building Bridges. www.salemlf.org
Building Bridges. www.salemlf.org
www.salemlf.org sam@salemlf.org