We Wont Stop Until We See Revival

2
Apr
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

This track was recorded in the hotel rooms of the lovely Emerald City Comicon vacation we all attended last weekend via my phone! I told Kyle at the start of the trip that I wanted to make a song before we left Seattle, though I had no idea it would turn into my first rap track. I was quite blessed with a room full of willing participants for the vocal tracks. I sing the first verse, Zach and Kyle the choruses, and the illusive “DJ XanderBeats” (Xavier Slattery) sings the second verse. We were all quite exhausted at this point (Kyle and Zach both singing while laying in their beds; Zach, nailing it in one take with a Breathe Right strip across the bridge of his nose) but it was totally worth it! 

The name “Comicozen” is a portmanteau for “Comicon” and “Dozen,” for Comicon 2012. Overall it’s a great artifact of our marvelous journey to Seattle! I hope you can find it pleasing as well! 

-James 


 

29
Mar

Went to delete old footage of my Flip camera in preparation for Comicon this weekend and discovered that I had footage from a small LM camping trip that has never seen the light of day…until now!

-Zach

28
Mar

This is the last video from last year’s Seattle Comicon. It’s pretty much all the scraps that didn’t make it into the original video or the Lost Tapes. So, savor them!

-Zach

22
Mar

More from the Lost Tapes series. This time we’re in Pike Place Market! Let’s be real, not a lot of footage happened this day, as we were all mostly tuckered out from a killer weekend.

Still, enjoy!

And more still may be on the way!

-Zach

20
Mar

The Lazarus Machine team is headed out to Emerald City Comicon again this year, and with it right around the corner, I have found myself going through the various footage that was never used to document our good time nerding it up in Seattle.

So, I present the premiere of The Lost Tape Series.

These should be coming your way every couple days, up until comicon. Or until I run out of good footage!

Enjoy!

-Zach

7
Mar

On Being Passionate And Informed


Invisible children is pushing ever forward with their mission to see justice done through the taking down of Joseph Kony and The LRA.

This movie is both moving and inspiring as it is intended to be. Their plan spelled out in the last ten minutes to create more awareness than ever before is more solid then ever, as they take steps no doubt inspired by the Anti-Internet censorship campaigns that came only a short while ago.

I have a soft spot for the Invisible Children Organization. Having been to their offices, talking with “the guys”, and seeing their hearts, I have no doubt their intentions are in the right place. I don’t believe them corrupt, I believe them pure in motive and passionate for fulfillment of their goal set long ago.  But I also don’t believe them perfect, as no one should. No man is perfect other than Jesus Christ.

Some of you upon seeing this video are, for the first time, being aware of The Invisible Children. Their plight. And this cause. Some of you watching it have been advocates for this cause since the beginning. Either way, when something exciting like this comes to our attention, it is easy to want to rally. it is easy to share a video link. It is easy to change your profile pic.

It is easy to jump on the band wagon.

But are you aware of everything? Are you really aware of the organization you support? How they operate, how they use these resources you provide, and what their game plan ultimately is? Have you looked at their allies, do you know of any dangers the way they fund certain operations may present? Do you know their plans after Joseph Kony?

If your answer is “no” to any or all of these things, maybe take a second before you run head strong into a cause that you feel you know everything about from your whopping half hour of video viewing.

Take a look at these links…

Visible Children

Innovate Africa

The above writers are obviously opposed to IC, but also obviously FOR Justice. They just refuse to enter something unaware of all the vast amount of details that surround them. I can appreciate that. In fact I support that mentality whole heartedly.

There is a dangerous thing happening in our culture where given a passionate or exciting cause we have some people running blindly in, unaware of who exactly they are supporting, or how exactly it will happen in the big picture.

Am I saying I am against The Invisible Children organization? No, I am not. I really do believe they are doing good and mean well. But I also realize that they started out wanting peace talks, and when that failed, they moved to taking this man out of the picture by any means necessary.

What I am saying is that we as a people need to be aware of these organizations as a whole not just the banner they fly under. How they operate, how they plan to implement past awareness, and how does their beliefs match up against your own?

We cannot get lost in excitement. Excitement will pass. 

My friend Matt Comer shot a tweet to the twittersphere today to the likes of “Jesus followers should be this passionate about social justice every single day.” 

And that’s kind of it isn’t it? We should be creating awareness, as best we can, all the time. We should be passionate about social justice and the ways WE can help make it happen. More than just The invisible Children’s cause. More than the causes of organizations with the money and reach to give us that “wow factor” we need to get past ourselves for a moment. But for all the injustice that surrounds us.

It does bring me joy seeing people rally around this KONY 2012 cause. It does bring me joy for the fact that people want to see justice. That people are filled with compassion beyond their selves.

At the same time I am saddened to not see that passion matched for my local city. Or your local city. It’s not even a close race. These exciting causes completely overshadow the needs of broken cities, and the broken victims within as far as the passion of it’s people. Being a part of the city of Portland, I would love to see this level of passion being brought by Portlanders in support of KONY 2012 matched in their support for justice here in this city, the one they call home.

I hope success for The Invisible Children organization. I hope their KONY 2012 campaign is full of victory with very little obstacles. I hope it becomes less about the “elimination of a man” and more about “the repairing of the broken”. I am in support of their cause. But still can’t help from saying…

Be aware. Look before you leap. Support Social Justice.  And understand Christ’s love is for local community, war ravaged countries, broken cities, the far off nations, and even Joseph Kony.

-Zach

Edit 3/8/12- Here is are some additional links to keep you informed -> Joseph Kony Is Not In Uganda

3/9/12- The Invisible Story Behind Invisible Children

6
Mar
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Here’s a high quality version of Zach and I’s collaborative theme song for our D&D podcasts! Yes!

Vocals: all Zach

Music: all me

-James 

6
Mar

It’s no secret that we here at The Lazarus Blog enjoy some Dungeons and Dragons from time to time. Well, we started recording our sessions a few months back, and are finally putting them up as podcasts!

Until we have our iTunes account running, enjoy this early access to our very first episode! Available streaming here, and to download for free!

-Zach

28
Feb

Around The Corner His Provision Waits

The past few days have been overwhelming for me when it comes to the topic of God’s provision. So much so that I can’t help but to take sometime to write about it here. Now I won’t bore you with extensive details, as the stories of provision themselves are not nail biting or page turning. They simply had to do with finances. 

I had found myself getting to a place where one might start to worry. Now, if you know me, or have read some of my previous blogs, I try my very best to fight against worrying. To just not do it. I believe strongly in the biblical principal of casting all your cares to the Lord. But here I was, faced with a few situations where I just might start to consider worrying for a bit.

This is where a infinitely good and gracious God comes in. Before I could even start to really be anxious about my situation, he came through in a hurry. Through random acts of financial generosity from people who did not know my situation, as well as some birthday gift love, topped off with a pain free process of getting my financial security back on track for a few more months, God completely shattered any need to be nervous in only three short days.

It felt almost like a playful wink from God, the kind you would give a friend after making a quick joke. Like he was saying,

“We’re you starting to worry? Maybe you should have stuck to the whole cast your cares thing.”  

And I couldn’t agree more. Our God is AMAZING, and his provision is real. He is the Creator God who CARES about his creation. So much so that he takes care of our needs. I look at the communities of followers that I am blessed to be a part of and see that provision oh so evident around me.

I get to see several bands, missionaries, pastors, writers, and several other folks be provided for time and time again through the provision that comes through Christ. Often times directly through his body, the church as a whole.

So, if you are trying to get something off the ground, or maybe just trying to make it to tomorrow, have hope! Have hope that God’s provision is around the corner. That he’s there with you in your struggle. That he knows what you need, and when you need it.

Remember that he cares for you.

-Zach

1 Peter 5:7

27
Feb

A Link to My Past


The other day, I started up Melody’s Nintendo 64 with the glorious gold-labled block of Ocarina of Time sticking out of it. As the title theme trickled through my ears, waves of long forgotten and unnamable senses pored into my reality. The joy of the coming temples and challenges was comparable to the feeling before a vacation, or as a child on its birthday. My recent decision to pick up my old adventure of a friend was due in part to my completion of Skyward Sword and its introduction to the series. This game linked (harhar) the series together like none other before it. I have always been compelled by the thought of one day understanding Hyrule’s full story, and with Skyward Sword and rough translations of the Hyrule Hystoria in Japan (check out the translation here), I have never been closer. After trading lightning bolts with Demise, I found many of my mental efforts being focused on the timeline bonding the games that were once but islands in an ocean of Nintendo mystery. 

Finding some answers to the questions I have had for a decade felt similar to uncovering truths about close relatives and friends; could this be wrong? Reflecting on the intensity of my interest and emotion towards this topic left me with questions of their worth. When I broke it down, I realized The Legend of Zelda series is a relevant aspect of my childhood because it has been there next to me for most of my existence. The intensity of our feelings for our interests and passions are essential to our formula as people, even if they are a piece of plastic with some wiring inside. The trick is finding a balance between our inanimate desires and our relationships with others. There are many that discard their childhood interests prematurely simply because they feel it is “time to grow up.” I yearn to live in a world where being “grownup” normally entails conquering the forces of Ganondorf and rescuing the maiden of light. 

Even with the previous erratic state I found myself in towards the stories of the Golden Goddesses, I already feel the intensity withering with time. This is just the natural flow of our walk, we take what we can from every object surrounding us, and then move on to the next fruit available. My only advice is to not take what you like for any less or more than it is. It’s just as easy to become compromised by your interests as it is to throw them away for the wrong reasons. Growing up trying to fill Link’s boots is probably pretty similar to kids wanting to fill John Wayne’s hat generations ago. The entire human experience is based on the nurturing of role models that shape the foundation for how we think later on in life. I am quite comfortable knowing that at least a small piece of my frame work is tied closely to the Triforce of Courage, and its Hero. 

-James