• PCs are finally legal in Cuba, but Cubans are stuck using Windows and CRT monitors!
• GodTube gets $30 million in funding … wow!
• The Plow is giving away cool shirts for a good cause.
• James Harleman has seen Iron Man.
• MMI shares a profile on the ministry to American Idol families.
• EW.com has a first look at W, Oliver Stone’s controversial George Bush biopic.
• Viewzi.com is a cool new way to search the Internet. Request a beta invitation here.
• Check out this design blog’s list of 50 great church website designs.

Did I mention that this might very well be the last Links of the Week? More on that later…

One of my favorite bands is the now-defunct Pedro the Lion, the brainchild of David Bazan. I was listening to The Only Reason I Feel Secure (a Pedro EP from 1999) this morning when I was reminded of the genius of one particular song, “Letter from a Concerned Follower.” In the song, Bazan asks God how in the world he’s going to keep up with the technological advancements of modern men. Bazan sings:

i hear that you don’t change
how do you expect to keep up with the trends
you won’t survive the information age
unless you plan to change the truth to accomodate the brilliance of man
the brilliance of man

some folks think we’re better now
social evolution’s new synthetic breed
will keep us on a straighter path
as better men use brand new math
with no wrong answers

i’m just a little bit worried
do you have some sort of plan
have you been finally defeated
by the cunning of these fully evolved men

Hopefully, as we go about using media and technology, we aren’t doing it because we think its the only way God will survive the Information Age.

Barton Damer, whose May/June cover art I shared yesterday, also contributed some writing to our May/June issue. He mentions being inspired by a little-known Bible character named Bezalel. Check out what Exodus 31:1-5 says about Bezalel:

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.

For an artist  like Barton, that passage is very meaningful. I suspect that other artists, pastors, etc. in the Church have similar passages that inspire them to contribute as they do, whether it be in the arts, teaching, or setting up the chairs before an event. In fact, I was looking at the site for Shawn Wood’s upcoming book, 200 Pomegranates, earlier today when I saw the verses that inpired the book. I Kings 7:15-17, 20-22 reads like this:

Huram cast two bronze pillars, each 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference. For the tops of the pillars he cast bronze capitals, each 7½ feet tall. Each capital was decorated with seven sets of latticework and interwoven chains…The capitals on the two pillars had 200 pomegranates in two rows around them, beside the rounded surface next to the latticework. Huram set the pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one toward the south and one toward the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north Boaz. The capitals on the pillars were shaped like water lilies. And so the work on the pillars was finished.

Obviously, that passage has a lot of meaning for Shawn as an Experiences Pastor at Seacoast Church (a book’s worth of meaning). What about you? Are there any passages of Scripture that inspire you as you serve in your particular area? Please feel free to share in the comments below.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the discussion following my “The Cover We Didn’t Use” post, which featured an iconic image of Christ plus some headphones to convey an idea from Tim Stevens’ “Pop Goes the Church” cover story. Because the brand new May/June issue is mailing out today, I thought it would be fun to share the cover we did use. Sadly, it will take 7-10 days for the issue to reach most of you, but I think it’s worth the wait. Enjoy: Read the rest of this entry »

• Check out the new Dear-God.net, a site like PostSecret on which people can submit prayers (via CatalystSpace). (Please be aware that some of the imagery and text is graphic.)
• The director of Basic Instinct has written a book about Jesus. Unqualified much?
• CNN.com: ‘Student Twitters his way out of Egyptian jail.’ Nice.
• BittBox has 25 more reasons you might be a hardcore designer.
• Kent Shaffer shares some Barna stats on the growing use of large-screen projection and websites by churches.
• Here’s more of that Barna research.
• Check out YouVersion Mobile!
• I assume this post is satirical, in which case it’s funny.
• David Sessions reflects on CCM’s “legacy.”
• Evidently death and resurrection are major themes in the new Coldplay record.
• Google has expanded its AdWords offerings to include TV ads.
• The iTunes Store is going to start getting movie releases the same day the movies hit DVD.