There were so many great bands playing this year, in particular, Blood & Ink records did a B&I family and friends day at the Solace Stage (which spanned two different days).  What was cool about this show is that it included such great B&I bands as Venia, Jawbone, Friends, Dependency, Thin Ice, Ironwill, Thirtyseven, Divide The Sea, and Debtor, but also bands including Cool Cough (side project of the guys from Call To Preserve), Strengthen What Remains, Beggars, Call to Preserve, Messengers, Dynasty, and Gideon (whom are not on the B&I label).  What makes the fact that this was going on extra cool is the fact that our tent was wedged in between Solace Stage and Legacy Stage where all of these great shows were taking place.

Some of the highlights of the week were the following:

1.  Meeting so many of you that visit our site and post on the forum, and finally meeting many of the bands we interview in person and getting to know everyone better.

2.  Catching a few Dynasty sets.  I (Josh) really like this band and I think they are solid, their testimony is also very moving.  I think I almost broke my hand and wrist when I was dancing and clobbered some poor kid right over the head.  Turns out my hand is OK, if the kid I hit is reading this, sorry, hope you are OK!

3.  Getting Officer Negative to play the Legacy Stage on Thursday may have been a highlight of the week as well.  I knew of the band, but have never really listened to many of their songs.  Hanging with Chad (the singer) and Justin, Casey, and Rick (who was filling in on drums) was great, awesome bunch of guys, strong in the Lord.  It was awesome to watch everyone getting into their set, singing along, and dancing like a bunch of maniacs.  Plus, I am sporting my new Officer Negative shirt today!

Officer Negative – “JCHC” on Legacy Stage

Click here to view the embedded video.

4.  Final Call To Preserve sets at Cornerstone, while everyone is bummed that these guys are breaking up, it was cool to catch their last shows at Cornerstone.  I picked up their 7″ “Validation” as well, which I highly recommend everyone go and pick up.  These guys have grown musically over the years.  It was also fun to see Cool Cough, their side band with Harbor singing, and John playing guitar.  Good stuff.

5.  Debtor’s new material is awesome, nuff said.  The guys in the band are super cool, easy to talk with, and they blew up every set with their new songs.  Go and buy their new album Bloodseeds and Blood & Ink Records.

6.  Catching a full Graverobber set.  If you have not seen these guys live, then you are missing out.  They are like the Misfits of the Christian punk world, their music is tight, and their stage show is extremely entertaining.  Just a word of advice, if they are singing any song that includes the word “blood” in the title, run for cover.  Catch their midnight shows, way more fun then their daytime shows.

7.  True Liberty and FBS – again, both of these bands just keep getting better, and they are both tons of fun to hang with.  Make sure to catch them live if they happen to be coming through your town.

8.  Branching out – I checked out A Hill To Die Upon, I am not normally a metal fan, but these guys are actually really really decent, and when I listen to their stuff, there is a heavy undertone of hardcore in it.  Go and check them out.

9.  Strengthen What Remains and Clear Convictions – their split set was probably one of the most fun sets at Cornerstone.  Strengthen What Remains is out of Florida and the guys in the band are among some of the coolest you will meet.  Their music just keeps getting better and better.  Clear Convictions came all the way from Puerto Rico to play Cornerstone.  I was pissed that so many people slept on the this band during their set on Texas Stage, but I was glad that I was able to tape the set (check out video page).  Both of these bands are signed to On The Attack Records run by our friend Sammy.  Love you guys!  Make sure that you pick up both of their albums from On The Attack, worth every penny, and how often do you see the record label owner in the pit???  Now that is support for your bands!

Clear Convictions Set from Texas Stage

Click here to view the embedded video.

10.  Discovering new bands that everyone needs to check out.  Beggars, With Increase, Blackhole.

And number 11.  The super secret show at the barn.  WOW, Debtor and Beggars both played a set, and then there were three cover sets including songs by Minor Threat, Advent, Seventh Star, and Shockwave.  This was by far THE best show, held in the storage shed by the skate park.  There where probably two hundred people that showed up and only enough room for 50 in the venue.  I was lucky enough to get up in the storage rafters to tape some of the show.  It was insane.  And as one of the guys from Debtor told me, “I just had a huge smile on face the whole time cause it was so awesome.”  I agree that it was awesome and I think there should be more intimate shows at Cornerstone like this.  Check the video page for coverage of the event.  Sorry you missed it!
Over all, the event was great, seemed fewer people were there this year, actually seemed kind of empty this year.  Rumors are floating around that they may not have Cornerstone next year because they did not sell enough tickets this year.  I say, don’t listen to rumors and sit tight, they may change the look and feel of Cornerstone next year, but I find it hard to believe they will altogether cancel the event, it touches so many people’s lives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks for all your support and for everyone that stopped in to say hello, your kind words and blessing edify what we do and why we do it. Until next year, God bless and be safe!

Check out our video page for more videos, you can find our youtube channel here, and make sure to “like” us on Facebook!

Josh and the HXCChristian.com crew (John, RJ, Katie, Seann, Doug and special helpers like Mike!)

And one more fun video of the “best of” Cornerstone!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is our shirt design this year. Pretty cool huh?

Hey folks, the staff of HXCChristian.com will be descending on Cornerstone 2011.  We really look forward to fellowship with all our friends, new friends, and folks that we have not met yet.  This year we will be right next to our friends that run The Legacy Stage.  For those of you don’t know, Legacy Stage is THE stage if you want to catch all the hardcore and punk bands at Cornerstone.  HXCChristian.com will have our own tent this year and we will be having fun in the mornings.  We will have meet and greets during the week with various bands including Officer Negative, Strengthen What Remains, Clear Convictions, and several other bands.  We will be providing coffee for the meet and greets and probably some sort of breakfast, so be sure to stop in and check the schedule.  We will also have some freebies, so stop in and grab some DIY Gatorade and some HXCChristian.com stickers.

On Thursday evening we will have our annual “Christian Hardcore Spaghetti Dinner.” This is where the staff of HXCChristian.com serves you, the fans of the site and anyone else in appreciation for supporting our efforts. After all, we are here to support the bands, labels, and fans and help spread the gospel.  The dinner is free, but if you feel inclined, make a small donation and we can continue to feed as many hungry mouths as possible.

We will also have a special guest this year at Cornerstone.  This man has been around for a looong time.  You may know him from your neighborhood you grew up in, or perhaps your church.  “Grumpy Old Man” will be joining the staff of HXCChristian.com and will be making guest appearances.  You may even see him harassing some of the bands or in the mosh pit.  Just beware, he is a extremely grumpy and always irritable. (see video below)

Click here to view the embedded video.

We hope to see everyone at Cornerstone 2011, if you are there, please stop by our tent and introduce yourself to Doug, RJ, John, or Josh.  We would love to meet you!

God Bless and safe travels to the everyone heading to Cornerstone!

Pastor David Wilkerson was quite a man.  He was an incredible pastor with fantastic messages.  He worked with gang member in New York in the 70′s and founded “World Challenge” an organization whose sole purpose is to spread the gospel of Christ.  I think the most interesting thing was a vision that David had in 1973 (from Wikipedia) “Wilkerson claimed to have received a vision in 1973 regarding the future of the United States, subsequently published in a book called The Vision. Some of the subject areas of this reputed prophecy were: “Worldwide recession caused by economic confusion”; “Nature having labor pains”; “A flood of filth and a baptism of dirt in America”; “Rebellion in the home”; and “A persecution madness against truly Spirit filled Christians who love Jesus Christ”.”  I think we are pretty close to having all these prophesies come true, all but the last…..

Here I am Lord……

Click here to view the embedded video.

For those of you who have not heard, HXCChristian.com will have a comp album due out around March 16th.  Special thanks to our pals at Thumper Punk Records who helped with all the heavy lifting on the comp.  “We at HXCChristian.com are really excited for this comp album to be released,” says Josh of HXCChristian.com, “not only did a ton of great bands step forward to contribute to the album, but the proceeds will help HXCChristian.com to continue to have a great presence at music festivals such as Cornerstone.”  While HXCChristian.com keeps it overhead low by a pure DIY ethic, we really like to do it up at Cornerstone.  Last year, we had an official generator tent where we were able to have bands do “meet-and-greets” with all the folks who attend Cornerstone.  Leroy – lead singer for War of Ages, Andy – lead singer of A Plea For Purging, and the guys from Debtor, all came out to answer questions about the band, life on the road, and how God has used them to reach out to people at shows.  We also had a pancake breakfast with Call to Preserve, and a free spaghetti dinner where we must have fed 200 people.  We look forward to doing it bigger and better at Cornerstone this year.  So, by purchasing a download of this comp, or buying the disc will help support our efforts.

Enough about us…..Who is on the comp?  Well, we had 25 bands volunteer to put a song on the comp.  It is just short of a full disc of music.  There are two sides of the comp, hardcore vs. punk.  Here is the track listing:

Side A (Hardcore Side)
1.   Welcome to Hardcore Christian Radio
2.   “Familyhood,” In Shepherds Arms, Armor of God
3.   “Nineteen Eleven,” Braveheart, Speak to These Bones, 1981 Records
4.   “Pale Rose,” Messengers, Anthems, Facedown Records
5.   “Keep On Smiling,” Gorilla Warfare, Keep On Smiling
6.   “Big Question,” Carrying The Fire, Demo (2011)
7.   “Lazy Sunday,” Those Who Fear, S.O.T.S. Demo (2009)
8.   “The Seed,” Killing Years, Demo (2010)
9.   “Control Freaks Who’ve Lost Control,” Divinity Theory
10.  “Bare Heights,” Debtor
11.  “Voids,” Strengthen What Remains, Humanity, On The Attack Records
12.  “Season of the Starved Wolf,” A Hill To Die Upon, Infinite Titanic Immortal, Bombworks Records

Side B (Punk, Oi! and Ska Side)
13.  Welcome to Hardcore Christian Radio
14.  “Old Rugged Cross,” False Idle, Hymns of Punk Rock Praise, Thumper Punk Records
15.  “Revolution,” True Liberty, City of the One, Wounded Records
16.  “Walking Dead,” The WAY, The Fight Is Ours, Thumper Punk Records
17.   “Lost Cause,” The Kings Kids, Thumper Punk Records
18.  “Take Me Away,” The Rekoning, The Road Less Traveled, Facedown Records
19.  “They Hate You” (originally performed by FBS), Grave Robber, Exhumed, Rottweiler Records
20.  “Standoff,” FBS, Live Grenade
21.  “Mad At The Girls,” Lust Control, This is a Condom Nation, Captive Thought Publishing
22.  “You Forgot Something,” Unshackled, Overcoming Years, Thumper Punk Records and Caustic Fallout
23.  “Another Day Gone,” The Hoax, Stumbling Through, Thumper Punk Records and Caustic Fallout
24.  “Boxcutter,” Skamikaze!
25.  “10,000 Ladders,” Send Out Scuds, High Score
26.  “I Wanna Let You Out of the Box,” Destroy Nate Allen, Until My Ankle’s Better
27.  “Hope, UniSEF,” Can These Bones Live?

AND….for the big reveal, we have been teasing folks with what the album cover would be.  I am big fan of the punk DIY style and lifting an existing design or album cover.  SO…we were huge fans of the Christian Aerobics album that was released many years ago.  And we thought, what a better way to honor such an interesting piece of Christian art/Americana than to update it to “Hardcore Aerobics?”  After all, anyone who has ever been in a pit knows that it is a real work out!  Folks that buy the physical album will also get some cool info on the insert including an exclusive on the how and why the site was started.

How much? Digital downloads will be available and will be priced at $5, physical copies of the CDs will be $10 plus shipping ($2.50).  Also, we should be able to take orders on this site or from Thumper Punk Records.  So check back often before the 16th for more details.

Thanks for your support, thanks to the great folks at Thumper Punk Records, Caustic Fallout, Seth from False Idle, and all the fantastic bands that have contributed to the album!  See you at Cornerstone 2011 and God bless!

Soundtrack: “Grounded” from Chase the Sun – OC Supertones

So, many of you likely have seen the ad on the HXCChristian.com site looking for unpaid workers.  Music, specifically HXC, punk, and (gasp) metal, has been a large part of my life and God has literally used it to reach me and, more often than not, slap me across the face to get me back on the narrow path.  I’d written some things for a buddy’s metal newsletter and thought it was about time I gave something back to the other scene so influential in my life.  Calling up Josh and chatting about it and making a commitment to write something was the easy part.

Then the hard part I knew was coming arrived – what was I even going to write about?  I had some rather grandiose, overly complicated dissertations I was thinking about, but put those in the “just in case” file and set about praying for direction.  I even asked one of my colleagues at work to pray for me as well, and that email exchange is below:

Me: I need some prayers for inspiration and then clarity.  A burning bush would be nice as well, since I tend to get easily confused/distracted…  Then again, I might miss the burning bush so some stone tablets, perhaps?

Coworker Ryan: Lol. Let’s just believe that God will cause you to have a “trance like” experience much like he did for Peter on the roof of Simon the tanner. Then there will be no distractions at all.  I am looking forward to reading your blogs. I am sure they will be insightful and helpful.

Me: Now I’m hungry…

At the time, I just thought that whole exchange was somewhat comical as in Acts 10 Peter goes up to pray, is hungry and then enters a trance like state where he has a vision that involves food.  Of course, there’s a deeper meaning to the vision as well which we learn later in the chapter.  As I thought about what I was going to write, this email exchange suddenly seemed more important than some random banter.

My point to all of this is how critical it is for us as Christians to read and know the Bible.  We need to know it well enough to be able to work it into everyday conversation.  What better to come from our mouths than the word of God?  I know that it is much better than what often comes out of my mouth.

Being able to quote scripture, chapter and verse, is really cool, but that takes a while and in all honesty, some people’s brains really aren’t wired for this (trust me, I’m a scientist).  So, here’s my suggestion -  Get in the Word every day!  Find a reading plan and set aside some time every day.  There are a ton of reading plans out there.  Being an Anglican (stop snickering), we have a daily reading schedule where we have an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament reading, and a Gospel passage.  There are even websites that list these and have links directly to the scriptures.  So even if you are Bible-less, in this day and age there is no excuse.

Most of all, don’t be embarrassed if you’re not reading everyday.  It’s a discipline you have to work at initially, and I guarantee the evil one will throw all sorts of things at you to keep you from the Word.  I’ve been there and still have to fight some days to get it done.  Today, while thinking about what to write, I stumbled on the name Matt Morginsky in Facebook, which reminded me of how an OC Supertones song really spoke to me and pushed me into regular Scripture reading.

“War rages on through generations.
All of these Christians abandoned their stations.
A whole world around us, that we’ve ceased to reach.
An army of soldiers, we’ve neglected to teach…
How will you stand if you don’t understand,
Fight like a man Scriptures in hand”

From “Grounded” – OC Supertones.

The word of God is powerful and we need to have it in our arsenal.  The more often you read it, the more available it will be in your everyday life.  Soon enough, it will start coming out in everyday conversation with believers and non-believers.

1.  Interviewers

An interviewer is someone who hunts down and interviews bands that should be introduced to the HXCChristian.com fan base.  Interviews will be published by HXCChristian.com with all credit going to the person who conducted the interview.  Interviews can be conducted through email, in person, or by phone if you choose.  We would like a soft copy (Microsoft Word or iWork Pages) of the interview.  And we would love to add people to the “About Us” page!  We are looking for folks that love the scene, and want to help us out long term (not just one or two interviews).

Requirements:

• Must be a Christian that believes in Jesus Christ and that He was sent to die for our sins so that we may have everlasting life.  Yes, looking for saved folks or born again!
• Must have great verbal and written communication skills
• Must own a computer or laptop
• Must enjoy Christian hardcore, punk, ska, and Oi! (all or some is OK)
• Will understand that Metalcore is NOT hardcore.

Job Description:

• Has to be a self starter, we can give you a general direction to go in and guidelines, but can’t hold your hand
• Identify Christian bands (punk, hardcore, ska, or Oi!) that would be interesting to interview and introduce to the HXCChristian.com fan base
• Communicate with the bands to send interview questions and receive them back
• Edit interview questions for spelling errors, etc
• Use Microsoft Word or iWork Pages to send the interview to us for publishing
• Follow up with the bands to get them to post links on their website/social media pages

Pay:

• You get all the glory of working for HXCChristian.com and helping further the kingdom of God.

2.  General Writers for the Website

We are looking for folks that would like to write pieces for the website that are “news” updates (for example, who is signing to labels, upcoming albums, album reviews, etc) to keep the HXCChristian.com community.  Must be plugged into the Christian hardcore, ska, punk, and Oi! scenes and be in the know about what is going on.  Must be self sufficient and willing to work for free.   Want someone who is willing to help out long term and be a part of the team.  We will also add you to the “about us” page!

Requirements:

• Must be a Christian that believes in Jesus Christ and that He was sent to die for our sins so that we may have everlasting life.  Yes, looking for saved folks or born again!
• Must have great verbal and written communication skills
• Must own a computer or laptop
• Must enjoy Christian hardcore, punk, ska, and Oi! (all or some is OK)
• Will understand that Metalcore is NOT hardcore.

Job Description:

• Has to be a self starter, we can give you a general direction to go in and guidelines, but can’t hold your hand
• Write articles that are relevant to HXCChristian.com (Christian hardcore, punk, ska, or Oi!), band news, upcoming album info, who is signing to labels, on tour, etc.
• Album reviews are welcome and we can provide albums in most cases free of charge
• Create articles that are teachings from the bible (not required, but since we are all Christians, we should write about Jesus too!)
• Provide edited copy (hopefully free of spelling errors and grammatical errors – we are not English teachers and have no desire to be).
• Use Microsoft Word or iWork Pages to send copy to us for publishing
• Follow up with the bands, labels, etc. to get them to post links on their website/social media pages

Pay:

• All the air you can breathe

3. Cornerstone Festival 2011 Volunteers

At Cornerstone 2010, there were about 8 of us that really held down the tent, problem is that we fed people, coordinated meet and greets with the bands, and made a crap load of DIY Gatorade.  This year, we planning on having a better presence at Cornerstone and really want to help the bands out and be a blessing to all the folks at Cornerstone.  We are looking for people who would like to help us out at our generator tent.  If you are going and want to volunteer some time, we would love the help.  Thanks to the folks that helped out last year (Seabass aka Sebastian, QWERTY aka Alex, RJ and Katie, Doug-e-Hurt, the guys from Debtor and crew).  Any help would be appreciated, cooking, cleaning, wrangling people for meet and greats, coordinating bands for meet and greets, making DIY Gatorade, etc!

If you are interested in any of these open unpaid positions, shoot me and email and we can chat.  Email me at josh @ HXCChristian.com.  Thanks and God bless you all!

- Josh

Clear Convictions - “The Mystery of Iniquity”

This is Clear Convictions sophomore album (for those in Rio Lindon, that means their second album).  I do not have their first album, so I can’t compare it to their first album.  Here is what is cool about the this album.  There are two tracks on the album that are dissertations on the bible.  Cool stuff, the background music on the tracks is a little out of place, but the biblical teachings on those tracks is really cool and reaffirms our beliefs as Christians.  What I like about the album.  The musical style is somewhere between hardcore and metal.  With strong hardcore riffs and a bit of metal mixed in between, the album is heavy, so heavy in fact that the bass drum seems to drown out the rest of the instruments at time, but I love drums, so I don’t mind.  The vocals are pretty guttural as well and lend a primal sound to the album.  In all their are 10 musical tracks, and the songs roll into one another, I could imagine going to a Clear Convictions show and hear them play all 10 tracks off this album, one after another with no breaks.  The album is a great album overall, if you like Clear Convictions, then pick it up.  You can go and buy the album from On The Attack Records for $8.  Well worth it and would make a great stocking stuffer.

Messengers - “Anthems”

I was able to get a hold of some older Messenger material, before they were signed to Strike First records.  I love their old stuff, and their new stuff is equally as good.  Hailing from Texas, which seems to be a growing area for Hardcore, particularly Christian hardcore, these guys are keeping the hardcore tradition alive.  If you like Thin Ice and Dependency, then I think you will like Messengers.  They mix a solid hardcore sound with a little bit of metal edge (I think it is a Texas thing) with driving hardcore style chug riffs.  The best song with the most awesome lyrics on the album is “Judge” with the chorus that rings out “Who are you to judge what I put my hope in? Who are you to judge? Who died and made you judge? You’ll never get the best of me, because you can’t take, what’s left of me.”  Gets me so fired up in their particular brand of breakdown.   I highly recommend this album and it can picked up from Strike First records for $6.99, and, check out the cool Messengers T-shirt done up with the “Not Man” from Anthrax style!

Destroy Nate Allen – “Until My Ankle’s Better”

I did a review of Destroy Nate Allen’s last album “Perfect Recipe for a Smile” featuring the dynamic duo Nate and Tessa.  I LOVE Destroy Nate Allen.  If you like folk punk, you will love Destroy Nate Allen.  This album is a little bit different than the last, seems like Nate does a lot of the vocals on this album.  It is also a bit cleaner in production value, but you still don’t lose any of the campiness of DNA.  What I love about DNA is the self deprecating humor of Nate.  With songs like “Math, I Will Defeat You.”  I can totally relate.  You can go download “Until My Ankle’s Better” from the Destroy Nate Allen Download page.  You can name your price for the album.  I suggest giving something $5, $10, whatever you can for the album, it is worth it, promise.  Also, you can catch DNA on tour still, they still have some shows while they are making their way back to Oregon, check out tour dates on the DNA website, and go and see them live, they put on a heck of a live show!  (and yes, Tessa does steal the show Nate!!!).

Fleas Naughty Dog Vol. 1 – Christmas Compilation

Beside having some really awesome covers of Christmas tunes done by some of our favorite artists, this download is also FREE!  That’s right….FREE.  So just go and download it already!  The good:  True Liberty’s punk cover of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”  True Liberty is amazing, they just keep getting better and better and their cover is just incredible.  Grave Robber does another great cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”  crap, it is a Grave Robber, you know exactly what to expect.  Desiring Dead Flesh contributes with “Holidays Suck” and original punk song, DDF is really a band to check out,  pure punk, everything about these guys is punk!  Sef gives us a tease of more False Idle with a cover of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” which might be one of the best songs on the album.  If you still have not gotten the False Idle album full of punk rock hymns, then you need to crawl out from under the rock you are living under.  You can go to Rottweiler Records and download the album for FREE.  The album contains rock, metal, death metal, and some other styles too, overall, it is a pretty cool album.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone.  I hope that God blesses each and every one of you!

I love that whenever anyone conjures up the 12 Apostles of Christ, that we get this image of these great godly men that floated around and never did anything wrong.  Like they were some kind of super-humans that were perfect.  I remember growing up thinking I could never be perfect like these guys and follow Jesus.  As I got older I realized that my perception is far from the truth, as is the perception of most people I believe.  What really makes me laugh is that some “religious orders” put these guys on such a high pedestal that no one can touch them.  This could not be further than the truth.

Here is a riddle, what do a murderous zealot, a money embezzler, a traitor, a second guesser, and a bunch of fisherman have in common?  If you can’t guess, these are the backgrounds of the 12 Apostles.  Not glamorous or lofty by any means.  But that is how God works, calling the sinners from among us to be his greatest followers.  Let’s take a look at and dissect Matthew 6:12-16

“Now it came to pass in those days that He (Jesus) went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called the disciples to Himself; and from them He Chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, who He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Phillip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”

In this scripture we find that Jesus has recently been tempted by Satan, and that he is now beginning his ministry.  He is calling the Apostles to himself, and instead of Jesus choosing the Apostles, he prays to the Father in Heaven.   Even Jesus – God Himself – prays, spending time with God and asking what to do and to show guidance on this important decision that would help set the course of His message throughout time.  When Jesus got done praying and the father helped to reveal the Apostles to Him, do you think he looked at the bunch of ragtag men and asked God if he was joking?  Seriously, if we take a closer look at the some of the Apostles, we see there is hope for us to be great teachers of Christ’s word.

Thomas – aka “The Doubter”

This was the guy that when Christ had risen and presented himself to the Apostles after his resurrection, he still was not sure it was him.  Here is Jesus, walking through walls in rooms then being whole in the flesh, and this guy says, “I’m not sure it is really you.”  and Christ has to present the nail holes in his hands and the cut in his side to show Thomas that he is in fact Jesus.  Oops.

Simon – aka “The Zealot”

Simon is probably one of my favorite Apostles because this guys was hardcore.  We need to look at what a zealot is to really get a feel for this guy. Zealots (or Zelotes) were Jewish nationalists that hated the Roman occupation of Israel.  They were known to start riots and revolts against the Romans, resulting in many deaths and damage to the city.  They were known to carry daggers and stab Roman citizens and soldiers stealthily and slip away.  These guys loved the Jews and hated the Romans, plain and simple, they were hardcore Jewish.

The Fishermen – Andrew, Peter, James (The Elder), John

Fishing in ancient Israel was not an easy occupation.  Fishermen used nets to catch fish in the Sea of Galilee, they would cast their nets and haul them from their wooded row boats.  It was hard and dangerous work, you have to understand that fishermen both loved and feared the sea at the same time (I don’t think they were good swimmers).  Fishermen were probably not very educated either.  Why would Jesus select fishermen as Apostles?  Simple, He wanted to show that He (God) could take the least from us and make them a teacher of God.  Jesus took these four men and made them “fishers of men.”

Bartholomew (aka Nathaniel)  and Phillip, James “the Son of Alphaeus” (aka James the Lesser) – The Unknown Apostles

Bartholomew who was also known as Nathaniel is really only mentioned once in the New Testament.  Bartholomew was the Apostle that said of Jesus “Can anything good come out of Nazareth.”   Jesus was from Nazareth, and from what I know about ancient Nazareth, it as a horrible place, or perhaps a small unimportant place.  Either way, Bartholomew was questioning the Messianic claims of Jesus, how could someone so important come from somewhere like Nazareth?  But that is what is cool about God, using the least of us to make the most impact.  Bart (as I like to call him) is also mentioned with Phillip quite a bit.  Phillip in fact introduced Bart to Jesus the Christ.

Not much is known about James the Lesser.  He is only mentioned a few times in the New Testament.  It has been speculated that James the Less may have actually been the brother of Jesus, but has never actually been clarified.

Matthew – The Tax Collector

Much is to be said about tax  collectors in ancient Israel. Nobody likes tax collectors, not even today (although the bible commands we pay our taxes to our governments).  But in ancient Israel, tax collectors were despised.  In short, they were Jews who where collecting taxes for the Romans.  They were crooked, they collected more than the Roman government required and kept the rest.  They were hated, because the Israel people felt they had sold out to the Romans and were not true to their Jewish heritage.  Matthew was a tax collector, perfect for Jesus to use as an Apostle.  He would illustrate that anyone can become a follower of Jesus the Christ.

Judas the son of James (aka Thaddaeus)

Not to be confused with the other Judas.  Another Apostle that we do not know much about.  It is thought that Judas the Son of James may be from Caesarea Philippi and may have been a farmer, or grown up in a family of farmers

Judas Iscariot – “The Traitor”

Maybe the most well known of the Apostles.  I find it kind of ironic that the guy who betrayed Jesus is probably the most recognizable of the Apostles.  Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and gave him to the Jewish religious leaders for 30 pieces of silver.  Amazing that Jesus knew of the betrayal, He broke bread with Judas, He even fingered Judas Iscariot as His betrayer at the last supper.  Judas Iscariot ridden with guilt hung himself outside of  the city after he betrayed Jesus.

Conclusion

We know that the real focus of the New Testament is Jesus, not the Apostles.  He (God/Jesus) chose the Apostles not based on their stature or accomplishments.  He chose them to teach them to glorify Himself.  To use them as instruments to teach the world.  First Corinthians 1:27 says “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”  Christ demonstrates this with His Apostles.  Christ also said “Follow Me” in the New Testament (he is quoted 19 times).  My challenge to you is are you willing to follow Christ?  To put yourself aside and be an apostle of Christ?  If God can use the 12 apostles, then he can use any among us to accomplish great things here on Earth for the Kingdom of God.

Please understand that I am not formally trained in the bible.  If I got something wrong here, my apologies.  If you have information to add, please leave a comment.

“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”

So you are probably thinking, big deal, Luke, who wrote The Gospel of Luke, is telling some guy about why he wrote this gospel. But….we need to read deeper, and look at the situation. I think if we understand who Luke was, and who Theophilus was, then we can really understand the significance of why this verse is so important.

Luke was a gentile, not a Jew. All of the other Gospels in the bible are written by Jews. For those of you who don’t know, there are 4 Gospels in the bible. Why are there 4 Gospels? Because they all give a different account and angle of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Matthew (a Jew) teaches to the Jews, that Jesus was the king of the Jews. Mark (a Jew) teaches the gentiles that Jesus was a servant of man and God. John (a Jew) teaches us that Jesus is the Son of God and shows the deity of Jesus. Luke on the other hand is a gentile, and is teaching the Greeks that Jesus is the perfect God/man. Interestingly, Luke is the only gentile author in the bible. He also wrote Acts, and some say the Book of Hebrews (some say Paul).

So who is Luke? Luke most likely was a gentile, we know that because in Col. 4:10-14 it indicates Luke was not “of the circumcision.” Luke was very educated, and wrote very well, he wrote in Greek. Many have said that Luke was physician, and was a close associate of Paul. Most likely Luke met Paul in Phillipi. Luke and Mark both assisted Paul in the ministry. Scholars say that the book of Luke was written as an account (eyewitness accounts) of the life and teaching of Jesus the Christ for Theophilus (who was a new believer in Jesus the Christ). This is the kicker, the name Theophilus means “lover of God or God lover.”

More than that, Luke tells Theophilus in chapter 1 verses 1-2 that he is not the first to write an account of the life of Christ and about his ministry (nor would he be the last). Interestingly enough, the life of Jesus the Christ has been written about more than any other thing in our world (of course your colleges and universities will not tell you that). He is writing about things that “have been fulfilled,” or events that have already taken place. He goes on to tell Theophilus that he interviewed eyewitnesses to Christ, from his beginning, to his crucifixion and death. Since the Greeks were very analytical in nature, it was important to emphasize that these were eyewitness accounts he was reporting on. In verse 3 Luke tells Theophilus that he studied and verified all the things he has written as fact, from “the very first to give an orderly account.” In verse 4, Luke sums it up best “that you may know the CERTAINTY of those things in which you were instructed.” Notice I emphasized certainty, that means 100% for sure, no second guessing, no speculation. Basically, Luke says that he wrote these events based upon eyewitness accounts, proving them as fact.

So, Luke, was writing to Theophilus to reinforce his beliefs. To assure that what he believed was in fact true. What this teaches us, as Christians is that we need to know what we believe and why. I don’t mean just learning and repeating verses from the bible, but why we believe what we believe. For example, why is Jesus God? Do you know why, could you tell someone why? Could you trace references to Christ all the way back to Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament? So I ask you brothers and sisters, do you have a Theophilus? Someone who you can share Jesus with? A friend, a family member, a coworker, your spouse? What are you doing to advance the kingdom? Isn’t that what this is all about? Are you teaching Christ to others or keeping your beliefs bottled up?

So you might be scratching your head by now and wondering what does this have to do with music? Everything. When I hear a band say, we are Christian, but we really don’t talk about Christ in our music, then what are they doing to advance the kingdom of God? So maybe, you are my Theophilus’??? I challenge you all, in this New Year, to find a Theophilus, and make it your personal mission to help bring that person to Christ.

God bless you all, I want your thoughts. Please leave a comment

Josh

Thank you ZombieTime.com for putting this together, it is long over due!

I declare November 22, 2008 to be “Victory in Iraq Day.” (Hereafter known as “VI Day.”)

By every measure, The United States and coalition forces have conclusively defeated all enemies in Iraq, pacified the country, deposed the previous regime, successfully helped to establish a new functioning democratic government, and suppressed any lingering insurgencies. The war has come to an end. And we won.

What more indication do you need? An announcement from the outgoing Bush administration? It’s not gonna happen. An announcement from the incoming Obama administration? That’s really not gonna happen. A declaration of victory by the media? Please. Don’t make me laugh. A concession of surrender by what few remaining insurgents remain in hiding? Forget about it.

The moment has come to acknowledge the obvious. To overtly declare a fact that has already been true for quite some time now. Let me repeat:

WE WON THE WAR IN IRAQ

And since there will never be a ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue in New York for our troops, it’s up to us, the people, to arrange a virtual ticker-tape parade. An online victory celebration.

Saturday, November 22, 2008 is the day of that celebration: Victory in Iraq Day.

What do you need to do to participate? Simple. Just make a post on your blog on Saturday, November 22, announcing that the war is over, and declaring that day to be Victory in Iraq Day. That’s it.

If you want to write a short post (or a long essay) analyzing the nature of our victory or cheering the troops for a job well done, great; but if you just want to make a simple announcement of the victory, that’s fine as well. Anything will do. Just come and join the celebration to mark the day.

Keep reading below to find: evidence that the war is over (for the doubters); an historical discussion of previous postwar occupations and guerrilla violence; a list of blogs which have already joined the VI Day movement; free banners and graphics for you to download and put on your blog, if you so choose; and an invitation to submit your own “victory graphics” for posting here.

(If you would like to comment on VI Day, you can do so here.)

Observations and statistics agree: The fighting has ceased, the war is over

I have felt for many months that we had already won the war, but I was spurred to action by this report from Michael Yon:

“THE WAR IS OVER AND WE WON:” Michael Yon just phoned from Baghdad, and reports that things are much better than he had expected, and he had expected things to be good. “There’s nothing going on. I’m with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I’m with haven’t fired their weapons on this tour and they’ve been here eight months. And the place we’re at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there’s nothing going on. I’ve been walking my feet off and haven’t seen anything.”

This email giving a first-hand account from Baghdad was posted on November 17 at Confederate Yankeee:

Just touched down 3 +/- hours ago at Sather AB [in Baghdad]. Dude… INSANELY changed doesn’t begin to describe this place. I’ve land[ed] in Baghdad under fire before and watched random acts of anti-aircraft fire overhead as the locals would try and unsuccessfully utilize old triple a flak guns… I’ve seen Baghdad under lock and key so to speak throughout 04 and 05. NUTHIN and I do mean NUTHIN can begin to describe the change. Quick observations included the fact that the city was all lit up where it had never been before. Try standing on the runway and not having to worry about random acts of rockets, mortars and suchlike. Try no body armor seen on anyone anywhere since I’ve been here… This place is so laid back its stupid dude… I’ll post more to you and my blog later… but as Yon said “We Won.” I’d have to add “In Spades!” to that.

This post at the Mudville Gazette confirmed my conclusions.

On the political front in Iraq, victory has broken out as well. On Sunday, November 16, Iraq’s cabinet approved a security agreement with the U.S. which top analysts and pundits are saying is the closest we’ll ever get to a bureaucratic declaration of victory and of the war’s end. Hugh Hewitt, for example, says:

The Battle For Iraq Has Been Won. Will The President-elect Preserve The Victory?

Yesterday’s vote by the Iraqi cabinet to approve a status of forces agreement confirms what most reasonable people had concluded this summer –that the battle for Iraq is over and the country is stable and secure even though its enemies remain in small enclaves within the country and across the border in Iran. It has taken five years and come at a high cost in American lives lost and in thousands of wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

It is, however, a crucial victory in the war against Islamist extremism and for stability in the Middle East.

The News & Observer newspaper came to the same conclusion three months ago, and many of the points are still valid:

Somebody has to write this. The United States has won the war in Iraq.

I’m compelled to proclaim victory because, these days, winning wars has become politically incorrect in Western societies. So much so that some political leaders opposed to the war refuse to recognize the definition of victory or to utter the word.

More than five years after the invasion, I still come across people who say they don’t know what victory in Iraq means. That’s on purpose. Feigning ignorance allows them to deny the obvious political and military progress that has been made and continues to be made each day.

The truth is, President Bush has been consistent in defining victory. Bottom line, it’s leaving behind a functional and democratic Iraq capable of defending itself from internal and external threats. Iraq is on an irreversible path to meeting those goals.

…

There is no doubt that much work needs to be done in Iraq, particularly in political and cultural reconciliation. But for all the moaning about Parliament’s failure to reach political benchmarks, Iraqis have achieved more political unity in their country than our Congress has in ours. A peaceful and stable Iraq is no longer in question. It’s only a matter of time.

So the next time I come across an Iraqi War veteran, I’ll not only thank him or her for their sacrifice in defending my freedom, I’ll also offer congratulations for winning a war.

The full article (see the link) outlines many convincing facts about the state of victory in Iraq. The only thing missing is announcing the date of the war’s end. Which this post rectifies.

If you don’t want to rely on anecdotal evidence or political analysis, carefully study the official casualty statistics for U.S. troops in Iraq (see the chart to the right) and you will notice that they have reached extremely low levels, so low that they no longer even come close to rising to the level of “war”. Also note that the totals on this chart include all military fatalities, including accidents and “out of theater” deaths. Of the 14 reported deaths in October, for example, only 7 were actually incurred in combat. So the totals you see here, as low as they are, still far overstate the very few fatalities from action in Iraq. It is now more dangerous to walk the streets of most major American cities than it is to be stationed in Iraq. For example, Chicago, just a single city in the United States, all by itself experienced twice as many shootings and killings of Americans as did the entire nation of Iraq over recent months:

125 Shot Dead In Chicago Over Summer
Total Is About Double The U.S. Troop Death Toll In Iraq

CHICAGO (CBS) — An estimated 125 people were shot and killed over the summer. That’s nearly double the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq over the same time period.

What more need be said? Of course every death and injury of a U.S. soldier is a tragedy and I would wish to see a long string of zeros on that chart over the upcoming months. But being stationed in a nation and a region that has a long history of hostility to the U.S. and an equally long history of violence means that our troops will always face some danger there. Yet “danger” does not equal “war.” Whatever lingering violence still exists is Iraq is now nothing more than a series of disconnected terrorist attacks, which have become completely ineffectual in changing the hearts and minds of the populace, or re-igniting another civil war.

Columnist Ed Morrissey on November 19 points to another kind of benchmark which indicates the war’s end: the fact that the Iraqi government in now engaging in infrastructure building projects that would only be possibly in peacetime:

Victory in Iraq: The Baghdad Metro

Eighteen months ago, the capital of Iraq worried more about whether it would survive than traffic control. Now that victory over terrorism and sectarian violence has all but arrived, Baghdad has big plans for its future.
…
Iraq needs to fix its sewer and electrical services before attempting anything on this scale, but the plan demonstrates an optimism about the future that has erupted in its capital. They’re already planning a traditional surface-level commuter train to help alleviate car traffic, which has grown overnight into a major headache. Roads and bridges closed due to violence have reopened, and people are once again on the move as Baghdad returns to life.
…
Representative governments have to deliver on their promises. That accounts for at least part of the optimism seen in Iraq, and for the sudden outbreak of big dreaming by Iraqis. They have their future in their own hands for the first time in decades, and the sudden liberation has fueled their imaginations. This, indeed, is what victory looks like.

Who gets to decide when it’s over?

Indeed, everywhere you look, someone has highlighted yet another detail which, cumulatively, demonstrate that “peace has broken out all over” Iraq.

Each person has their own criteria as to when the war was won: Some say we won the war long ago when we defeated the Iraqi Army in three weeks. Some say we won when the Iraqi government tried and executed Saddam Hussein. Some say we won when Iraqis voted democratically to elect their own leaders. Some say we won when we established control over the entirety of the country last year, eliminating the last remaining insurgent strongholds. Some say we won six months ago when the last remaining organized resistance evaporated.

On the other hand, there are those who are saying (in response to this essay) that we have not reached that magical benchmark. The Iraqi parliament may have passed the security agreement solidifying Iraq’s post-war stability, but some people say we should wait until the U.S. Senate approves it before we declare victory. Others say that the war won’t be won until casualty levels literally drop to zero. Other say we haven’t won until all troops are gone from the country. Others wait in vain for an official announcement.

There is no consensus. And there never will be. Still, the cut-off point between “war” and “not war” has to be drawn somewhere, and if we don’t draw the line ourselves, I guarantee it will NEVER be drawn. Because the Left and the media want to make sure that even ten years from now, when perhaps one US soldier is killed per year in an otherwise completely stable Iraq, that still won’t qualify as “victory.” Because their overarching goal is to to make sure that the war goes down in history as a defeat, no matter what.

My opinion is: This is as good a time to declare victory as we’re ever going to get. All signs point to “Yes.” If you don’t agree, that’s perfectly fine, you can ignore this essay. But if you think this is long overdue, then climb on board.

If we won, why are there troops still in Iraq?

Does our victory mean that I advocate the immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq? No. Wars may be won but postwar occupations generally don’t end crisply and cleanly like that. Troops often stay around to rebuild or to maintain the peace for years, even decades. Hell, the United States still has several military bases and many troops “occupying” Japan and Germany who have been there continuously since the end of World War II in 1945. We have two major Air Bases in Korea leftover from the Korean War. The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba is a remnant of the Spanish-American War and has been there for over a century; the U.S. military also “occupied” the Philippines at Subic Bay for nearly a hundred years as a result of the Spanish-American War. More recently we continue to have a presence in Bosnia at Tuzla Air Base as a consequence of our role in the Bosnian War of the 1990s. What all this means is that it is standard practice in the aftermath of nearly every overseas war in which the U.S. participates for us to keep some troops there on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.

Do I advocate that the domestic government of Iraq continue to assume more and more of a role in its own defense and internal security? Most definitely yes. Do I wish to see U.S. troops going on fewer and fewer patrols and handing over more and more duties to the Iraqi army as time goes by? Yes. Do I wish that there would never be another suicide bombing in Iraq by demented jihadists seeking futilely to destabilize the country? Of course. Do I wish that there would never be another act of violence in Iraq? Naturally. But these things take time. So, even though the war is over, American troops are likely to stay on the ground in Iraqi bases in some capacity for quite some time — months, years, possibly even decades if circumstances warrant.

But yes, eventually many troops will have to start coming home one way or the other. I am not opposed to an incremental “drawdown” of forces as responsibilities diminish — which has already started to happen under the Bush administration and will likely continue under an Obama administration. What I do oppose is a reckless immediate evacuation of all American troops in Iraq as some sort of political “reward” from Obama to his antiwar supporters. That would send the wrong message to Islamic extremists around the world that the Americans were somehow “driven from Iraq,” which would not actually be the case. Even if we did leave Iraq entirely, it would be in victory, not as a retreat.

Since our troops did in fact win the war, they ought to have a victory parade or national celebration upon returning. But I suspect that, as has been happening up until now, the troops will just drift home mostly unannounced and uncelebrated when their “tours” are over. Which is the very reason why we need to declare a Victory in Iraq Day.

If the Iraq War is over, why do we still occasionally hear reports of violence or casualties?

A common misperception of warfare is that when a war is “won,” all fighting immediately stops, and that all members of the losing side passively lay down their arms and surrender. While that does happen on occasion, much more frequently the fighting continues as a low-level guerrilla war or insurgency for years afterwards by the diminishing die-hard loyalists of the losing side. Even wars with crushing conclusive victories and official declarations of surrender saw continued fighting long after those wars were officially “over.” After World War II, which was won as conclusively as any war was ever won, some Germans refused to acknowledge defeat and continued to operate as guerrilla assassins and saboteurs. Anti-Semitic massacres in Europe continued into 1946 long after the Nazis had been defeated. In the Pacific Theater, Japanese “holdouts” on various islands kept up their battle posts against the Americans for years and years after Japan surrendered, some well into the 1970s. After the American Civil War ended in 1865, several pro-slavery guerrilla terrorist organizations and groups of individuals continued fighting against the Union for more than a decade. The same is true of many other wars. It especially happens in modern “police actions” (such as the Iraq War) which have no actual formal “Declaration of War” and thus no official moment of surrender or ending point. (Remember that the United States has not actually declared war on anyone since 1942.)

So, just because there are still occasional suicide bombings (which are becoming rarer and rarer with every passing month) and occasional sniper attacks or IED explosions (also becoming increasingly rare), that doesn’t indicate that “the war is still being fought.” It just means that there are a handful of die-hard extremists who refuse to give up — which is exactly what happens after most wars. The last remaining pro-Saddam, pro-jihad or pro-Iran holdouts in Iraq are no different than any other post-war holdouts, and just because there are still a few left doesn’t mean that the war is still happening, any more than the existence of the Japanese holdouts meant that WWII continued after 1945. Wars end, whether or not every single extremist or die-hard acknowledges it and lays down his weapons.

What counts as “being at war”?

Many other countries have ongoing issues with rebels, insurgents, guerrillas, or whatever you want to call them; simmering civil unrest. But we do not consider those countries to be at war, even though their situations are not really any different than, and are in some cases even worse than, the situation now in Iraq. Tell me: Do you consider Mexico to be at war? Yet they have an ongoing insurgency by Zapatistas in the state of Chiapas. The Philippines? They’ve been grappling with an Islamic insurgency for decades. Is Thailand at war? Millions of tourists don’t seem to think so, but a violent rebellion by Muslim separatists in the southern provinces sometimes produces more casualties than there are in Iraq. India? They’re not at war — are they? Turkey, Sri Lanka, Colombia: The list could go on and on. In each case, the country in question is not considered to be “at war,” yet it endures simmering insurgencies and/or terrorist violence that in some cases exceeds that now found in Iraq. If these countries are not considered by anyone to be “at war” — which they are not — then neither is Iraq.

But where’s the official announcement?

The only reason that the war has not been declared “over” is that the media, which was generally opposed to the war and opposed to any of President Bush’s policies, doesn’t want to give him and his supporters the satisfaction of having been right. The media wants U.S. troops to return home, but only on condition that they do so with their tails between their legs in defeat — not as victorious liberators, which would invalidate five years of subtle and not-so-subtle anti-war propaganda on the part of the left-leaning media. The Bush administration for its part has not declared victory for two probable reasons: first, because they fear that by so doing they would only increase the call by the media and liberal Democrats to “bring the troops home now”; and also by so doing they might invite some last-ditch spectacular terror attack by the few remaining jihadists in order to embarrass the administration. And the incoming Obama administration will certainly never announce victory, since Obama spent over a year campaigning for the Democratic primary as the anti-war candidate. So both sides refuse to say the war is over. Even though it is, in fact, over.

It is up to the American people to declare victory. Which is exactly what we are doing right now.

There never will be an “official” announcement from the government or the media, so you can stop waiting for it.

This is the official announcement.

Join the VI Day movement!

Do you agree with the concept behind VI Day? Then post a VI Day entry on your blog.

Once you’ve posted it, email me the link! And I will post a link back to your blog here on this page.

Make sure to make at least two different postings: Make one now to announce your support of VI Day and to spread the word ahead of time; and make another one on November 22 itself, to celebrate!

(Blogs of all political orientations are invited to join: Even if you’re a progressive blogger and only want to announce an end to the war as a way to accelerate the homecoming home all troops, you are welcome to link to and/or mention VI Day too.)

One last note: If anyone is planning to hold a “meatspace” (i.e. real world) party or celebration to mark VI Day, send me the details and I will post them here as well.

Here is the official list of blogs that have so far agreed to mark VI Day on November 22, 2008:

                        Victory in Iraq Day: Participating Blogs