Daily Mug Shot :: Scott Hodge :: storychicago

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Daily Mug Shot

this insight that was tweeted last night from Andrew Sullivan says it all:
There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again


Earlier this week I referenced an article by Ben Arment titled " Modern Day Multitude Makers" Here's an excerpt " The spiritual impace of his ministry goes without saying, but there were social forces at work that gathered the crowds. Multitude -making is a social phenomenon, not a spiritual one. And if we overlook tht truth, we do stupid things in the name of faith" page 76 Multitude Makers.
http://www.collidemagazine.com/

Daily Mug Shot

Today's daily mug shot is art in a cup...love that, I've been pouring and sketching with syrup lately...chocolate, raspberry & milk atop Moon Monkey Coffee you almost can't go wrong with that combination. Headed to the coffee lab today after the Shine.FM studios...putting smiles on more raving fans! Decided not to roast in the midst of tornado's last night!
Reading a new book today: "Just Do Something" a liberating approach to finding God's Will OR
"How to make a decsion without dreams, visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random bible verses, casting lots, liver shivers, wrting in the sky, etc. by Kevin Deyoung. I'm stuck on page 15...combined with quote from Ben Arment yesterday....I'm wrecked, the coffee lab is the perfect place for me.
"Second, our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as "looking for God's will, as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.
As a result, we are full of passivity adn empty on follow-through. We're tinkering around with everyone and everything. Instead, when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something.

Followed by Ben Arment, "God uses social forces to propel the Gospel ... and multitude making is a social phenomenon not a spiritual one and if we overlook the truth , we do stupid things in the name of faith.

Yikes, I needed that...Note to self: Don't be stupid!