"... are we really that frightened of somebody’s willingness to go out and be stupid? In the United States of America, you have a right to be stupid.” - John Kerry
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Friday, June 30, 2006
stoooopid americans
I know my non-American friends will like to read this several different ways. Feel free to comment ...
"... are we really that frightened of somebody’s willingness to go out and be stupid? In the United States of America, you have a right to be stupid.” - John Kerry
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"... are we really that frightened of somebody’s willingness to go out and be stupid? In the United States of America, you have a right to be stupid.” - John Kerry
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Thursday, June 29, 2006
how does "getting saved" really work?
Here's the "post of the day" by Frank Turk at Pyromaniacs.
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Jesus’ work is not a consequence of anything but God’s intervention to save men who will otherwise be lost.This one is worth reading.
You are not saved if you can now find your own way: you are saved if you are actually taken out of the way of danger. Standing outside a burning building and shouting the names of those trapped inside does not make one a savior; even running through the halls of that building shouting names and “follow me!” does not make you a savior: going into the flames, and breaking down the doors, and searching under the bed for the scared child who doesn’t know how to save herself, and then carrying her out through the flames makes you a savior. A savior is who who actually saves, who does the saving and has saved someone when it’s all over.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
satriani
Wow - what can be said except "super colossal"!!! I have to say that while I enjoyed the Eric Clapton and Robert Cray show last month, Joe Satriani was out of this world! Simply an excellent concert.Technorati Tags:
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
no condemnation
"Jesus looks outward to the cosmos and to the sweep of human history before and after. He tells us we have no need to be anxious, for there is a divine life, the true home of the soul, that we can enter simply by placing our confidence in him; becoming his friend, and conspiring with him to subvert evil with good. He also shows us how we can be renewed in the depths of our soul, stepping 'beyond the goodness of scribes and Pharisees' to become the kinds of persons who are genuinely at home in God's world." - Dallas Willard
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reviving a plateaued church
A recent post at MMI, Reviving a Plateaued Church Without Ticking People Off, should bring in a lot of interesting comments. Rhoades simply asks readers to comment on the following statement from Rick Warren.
My experience on this topic is that Warren is correct. People tend to build inertia. Those that have invested the most and have been around the longest can be the biggest barrier to moving on. Sadly the majority leave rather than change. More sadly, they don't leave early and they make it miserable for all around until then. I find this to be a lack of real maturity. And that's hard since it often comes from those that appear the most mature.
The wilderness experience is part of our journey - individually and corporately. God’s overall intent is not to kill off a million people. His intent is to kill the thing inside that holds us back from Him.
We have to die to ourselves. Those that leave are those that resist death. I am learning to like having the junk in me killed but it is not easy. The faster we do that, the less time we spend in the wilderness.
Bottom line, God does not want us to leave, He wants us to transform. Unfortunately we often find leaving easier.
I encourage you to head over to MMI and leave a comment on this. More importantly, I encourage you to lay down your life and live all out for what God is doing. We need to let go of our forms and more closely hold on to Him - the giver of life.
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If your church has been plateaued for six months, it might take six months to get it going again. If it’s been plateaued a year, it might take a year. If it’s been plateaued for 20 years, you’ve got to set in for the duration! I’m saying some people are going to have to die or leave. Moses had to wander around the desert for 40 years while God killed off a million people before he let them go into the Promised Land. That may be brutally blunt, but it’s true. There may be people in your church who love God sincerely, but who will never, ever change.I like Rhoades' approach because he clearly knows that many of us will be influenced knowing that this came from Warren so he asks that we not first look up the origin before commenting.
My experience on this topic is that Warren is correct. People tend to build inertia. Those that have invested the most and have been around the longest can be the biggest barrier to moving on. Sadly the majority leave rather than change. More sadly, they don't leave early and they make it miserable for all around until then. I find this to be a lack of real maturity. And that's hard since it often comes from those that appear the most mature.
The wilderness experience is part of our journey - individually and corporately. God’s overall intent is not to kill off a million people. His intent is to kill the thing inside that holds us back from Him.
We have to die to ourselves. Those that leave are those that resist death. I am learning to like having the junk in me killed but it is not easy. The faster we do that, the less time we spend in the wilderness.
Bottom line, God does not want us to leave, He wants us to transform. Unfortunately we often find leaving easier.
I encourage you to head over to MMI and leave a comment on this. More importantly, I encourage you to lay down your life and live all out for what God is doing. We need to let go of our forms and more closely hold on to Him - the giver of life.
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Monday, June 26, 2006
celebrating what you value
I read an article at MMI regarding the key elements of an externally focused church. The first point caught my eye.
In our excitement, we tend to focus on positives and end up distorting the real truth. This is not right, nor is it helpful. If we are doing the right stuff, there will be plenty to tell about without making things up.
The other point is that people celebrate what is important to them. Their "DNA" is visible in all that they do.
I've been to churches, listened to sermons, etc. where even though a core value is not explicitly mentioned, it is visible in everything. Sadly, I've been to other churches, listened to sermons, etc. where at the end of it all there was still no clear underlying message.
Our message must be clear and it must be consistently present. This is true for high level values such as the Gospel as well as for the distinctives of our local community. When I go to a church that understands the value of small groups, even without explicitly promoting them, they are in the forefront. I recently listened to a sermon about ministering to those with emotional issues. In that the speaker read a testimony from someone relating how her small group demonstrated the key points included in the sermons. It wasn't about small groups, yet it was evident that small groups were important - and helpful.
I attended one church that valued "inviting". Every time someone joined the church, part of the testimony the new person gave included mentioning the people that first invited them.
And then I go to other places and I'm left wondering ... or I see printed material indicating value X but I hear a lot more about Y in the announcements. Someone is kidding themselves.
So what about you? Do you celebrate what you value? The answer is "yes you do". So the real question is are you really valuing what you want to value?
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Externally Focused churches are convinced that good deeds and good news can’t and shouldn’t be separated. Just as it takes two wings to lift an airplane off the ground, so externally focused churches couple good news with good deeds to make an impact on their communities. The good deeds, expressed in service and ministry to others, validate the good news. The good news explains the purpose of the good deeds.The points I got from this are not limited to "externally focused churches". The first point is one of integrity. We ought not be sharing good news if there is really not good news to share. I see too many people talking about the great meeting they had that frankly wasn't so great. Or the wonderful small group program that truthfully barely exists. Etc.
Engaging the community with good news and good deeds is not just a tactic or even a foundational strategy of externally focused churches, it is at their very core; it is who they are. These churches have concluded that it’s really not ‘church’ if it’s not engaged in the life of the community through ministry and service to others. Ministry and service are not programs reserved for a few extraordinarily dedicated individuals but are woven into every aspect of life. This is certainly not the only thing these churches do, but to stop ministering and serving in the community would be to end their very existence. An external focus is embedded in their DNA.
In our excitement, we tend to focus on positives and end up distorting the real truth. This is not right, nor is it helpful. If we are doing the right stuff, there will be plenty to tell about without making things up.
The other point is that people celebrate what is important to them. Their "DNA" is visible in all that they do.
I've been to churches, listened to sermons, etc. where even though a core value is not explicitly mentioned, it is visible in everything. Sadly, I've been to other churches, listened to sermons, etc. where at the end of it all there was still no clear underlying message.
Our message must be clear and it must be consistently present. This is true for high level values such as the Gospel as well as for the distinctives of our local community. When I go to a church that understands the value of small groups, even without explicitly promoting them, they are in the forefront. I recently listened to a sermon about ministering to those with emotional issues. In that the speaker read a testimony from someone relating how her small group demonstrated the key points included in the sermons. It wasn't about small groups, yet it was evident that small groups were important - and helpful.
I attended one church that valued "inviting". Every time someone joined the church, part of the testimony the new person gave included mentioning the people that first invited them.
And then I go to other places and I'm left wondering ... or I see printed material indicating value X but I hear a lot more about Y in the announcements. Someone is kidding themselves.
So what about you? Do you celebrate what you value? The answer is "yes you do". So the real question is are you really valuing what you want to value?
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good-bye carrie and greg
Carrie and Greg are moving to Indiana. I understand they are considering raising Indiana bird dogs.
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Saturday, June 24, 2006
under-reaching v. over-reaching
Many church leaders are frustrated. I know I am. And it seems we are mostly frustrated with other leaders within our own church. The ironic part is I think that those leaders we are frustrated with are also frustrated with us. Why is this?
It seems to me that we have a few fundamental issues.
First, many of us overstep our call. Perhaps I'm called to really sow the life of Christ into a handful of people via small groups but because I'm a smart guy, I've been around the block a few times, etc., I notice some things at the church that are not going as well as they could be. What happens? I fool myself into thinking that is what God has called me to do. It starts out innocently. I have the talent. It shouldn't take too much time. Others ask me to do it and praise me for some short term results. Etc.. Initially the scope is low. But with every "success" comes more opportunity. Soon I'm overwhelmed - and by the way, that hand full of people that I could have really effected through the Holy Spirit, I haven't spent any real time with them in weeks. Certainly I am not praying for them daily, calling them to ask how their sick kid is, organizing a little celebration on their birthday, etc..
Nope, now I am completely focused on the "bigger" issues like what format should serving communion take? Should we let this group use our facility or not? Is it ok to park our cars over there? And so on. You know - real Bible stuff [sarcasm]. Sometimes it actually is Bible stuff. Like we really need to deal with so-and-so on some sin issue. But of course we are discussing it and working it by committee rather than by the people in our community that have real relationship with the person. And so on it goes.
And worse, those guys that once seemed to be great spiritual leaders, they don't share my passion for the car parking issue, they would rather talk about the curriculum used in grade 2 Sunday School. And that other guy, he's still going on about the size of the Christmas tree while I didn't think we should have one at all.
Frustration is growing. Tension increases. I do not even have to wait any more for them to fully explain themselves. I know where they are going and why - and more importantly, that they are wrong and that I have a better way. Sometimes contempt sets in.
Yuch!!!
God called me to care for that hand full and Satan deceived me with good works, recognition by man, etc.. I stepped out into more than God called me to. I need to be quiet. Allow those that are in other areas of leadership to lead with the grace God has given them and I need to do the same in what He has called me to.
But they are doing it all wrong. They really need my help. Right? No - wrong. I will make a more real, bigger, and longer term impact by effectively handling only what God has put on my plate. And while doing that, I need to demonstrate real submission to other leaders. It's easy to submit when we agree. It's time to submit when we do not.
The other problem is that sometimes we are called to more. And when that happens we will bump into others that are frankly not heading in the same direction. Or they are but they do not yet have the capacity for it. Certainly we should hang in and work what God is leading us to but we need to do so respectfully and lovingly. Without bitterness and frustration. When these set in we must ask (1) is my heart right? (2) oops, am I overstepping again? or (3) is it time to step out?
Time to step out? Yes, in addition to over stepping what God calls us to, some of us "under-step". At some point a person needs to stop expecting to be taught and start to teach. To stop critiquing the preacher and to preach. Etc.. I know a lot of guys like me who have received so much grace but we continue to hang in with our full time jobs thinking we are going to support and mold the guys that were obedient enough to go into full time ministry.
I think that some of the tension I feel is that we are just not obedient and willing to step out into all that God is calling us to.
So bottom line, there's too much frustration. It is sin. We need to get our own heart's right regardless of the direction. And then we need to decide if we are over reaching what God has given us or if we are under reaching. It is not ok to be under someone else's authority for the long term thinking that we are there to shape them while harboring a complaining, bitter, etc. spirit.
Next week we start in a new church in Cincinnati - let's see how well I do. Pray for me.
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It seems to me that we have a few fundamental issues.
First, many of us overstep our call. Perhaps I'm called to really sow the life of Christ into a handful of people via small groups but because I'm a smart guy, I've been around the block a few times, etc., I notice some things at the church that are not going as well as they could be. What happens? I fool myself into thinking that is what God has called me to do. It starts out innocently. I have the talent. It shouldn't take too much time. Others ask me to do it and praise me for some short term results. Etc.. Initially the scope is low. But with every "success" comes more opportunity. Soon I'm overwhelmed - and by the way, that hand full of people that I could have really effected through the Holy Spirit, I haven't spent any real time with them in weeks. Certainly I am not praying for them daily, calling them to ask how their sick kid is, organizing a little celebration on their birthday, etc..
Nope, now I am completely focused on the "bigger" issues like what format should serving communion take? Should we let this group use our facility or not? Is it ok to park our cars over there? And so on. You know - real Bible stuff [sarcasm]. Sometimes it actually is Bible stuff. Like we really need to deal with so-and-so on some sin issue. But of course we are discussing it and working it by committee rather than by the people in our community that have real relationship with the person. And so on it goes.
And worse, those guys that once seemed to be great spiritual leaders, they don't share my passion for the car parking issue, they would rather talk about the curriculum used in grade 2 Sunday School. And that other guy, he's still going on about the size of the Christmas tree while I didn't think we should have one at all.
Frustration is growing. Tension increases. I do not even have to wait any more for them to fully explain themselves. I know where they are going and why - and more importantly, that they are wrong and that I have a better way. Sometimes contempt sets in.
Yuch!!!
God called me to care for that hand full and Satan deceived me with good works, recognition by man, etc.. I stepped out into more than God called me to. I need to be quiet. Allow those that are in other areas of leadership to lead with the grace God has given them and I need to do the same in what He has called me to.
But they are doing it all wrong. They really need my help. Right? No - wrong. I will make a more real, bigger, and longer term impact by effectively handling only what God has put on my plate. And while doing that, I need to demonstrate real submission to other leaders. It's easy to submit when we agree. It's time to submit when we do not.
The other problem is that sometimes we are called to more. And when that happens we will bump into others that are frankly not heading in the same direction. Or they are but they do not yet have the capacity for it. Certainly we should hang in and work what God is leading us to but we need to do so respectfully and lovingly. Without bitterness and frustration. When these set in we must ask (1) is my heart right? (2) oops, am I overstepping again? or (3) is it time to step out?
Time to step out? Yes, in addition to over stepping what God calls us to, some of us "under-step". At some point a person needs to stop expecting to be taught and start to teach. To stop critiquing the preacher and to preach. Etc.. I know a lot of guys like me who have received so much grace but we continue to hang in with our full time jobs thinking we are going to support and mold the guys that were obedient enough to go into full time ministry.
I think that some of the tension I feel is that we are just not obedient and willing to step out into all that God is calling us to.
So bottom line, there's too much frustration. It is sin. We need to get our own heart's right regardless of the direction. And then we need to decide if we are over reaching what God has given us or if we are under reaching. It is not ok to be under someone else's authority for the long term thinking that we are there to shape them while harboring a complaining, bitter, etc. spirit.
Next week we start in a new church in Cincinnati - let's see how well I do. Pray for me.
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Thursday, June 22, 2006
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
members of the body
This cartoon is far too accurate. No wonder we have problems. We too often do not understand our calling and try to do the work of other members of the body.Eph 4.11-14, And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
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cat worship
Post on NextReformation an anecdote by Mike Riddell.
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There was once a teacher of great faith and insight. Several disciples gathered round him to learn from his wisdom. It so happened that each time the small community met in prayer, the cat would come in and distract them. The teacher ordered the cat tied whenever the community prayed. Eventually the great one died, but the cat continued to be tied up at worship time. When the cat died, another cat was bought to make sure that the teacher’s wishes were still faithfully observed. Centuries passed, and learned treatises were written by scholarly disciples on the liturgical significance of tying up a cat while worship is performed …Sadly, that is an accurate picture of so much of what we do in church these days. God grants us a wonderful gift/talent and we do one of two things. We reject it due to fear, or perhaps we reject the person or way He brings the gift, or perhaps it doesn't fit our "theological grid", etc.. Or we are at the other extreme. We embrace it but move quickly to package it and ultimately completely lose sight of what the gift was about.
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left behind v. the rapture
If you liked Left Behind, you are going to love The Rapture ...
CPH to Compete with Left Behind Series
Concordia Publishing House, attempting to capitalize on the success of the Left Behind series, has announced its own series of books based on End Times prophecy. The new Lutheran series will be based on the historic, traditional understanding of Christians about the last days of the world.
"The Bible tells us a lot about Judgment Day and the End Times," said Wilken. "I think we might have a problem fitting it all into just ten books." [more]
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CPH to Compete with Left Behind Series
Concordia Publishing House, attempting to capitalize on the success of the Left Behind series, has announced its own series of books based on End Times prophecy. The new Lutheran series will be based on the historic, traditional understanding of Christians about the last days of the world.
"The Bible tells us a lot about Judgment Day and the End Times," said Wilken. "I think we might have a problem fitting it all into just ten books." [more]
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
church is a pain?
These quotes of Jason Clark were posted on NextReformation.
For a bit more on the topic, see Tod Bolsinger's NT Wright quote.
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…Church takes place when groups of people get together with other people and do something outside of [their] own interests…[and in doing that] what we start to find is that community, church, fellowship is inconvenient, it’s costly, it’s about other people, it is organised, it is planned, and it’s intentional – some [of] the things that we’re all allergic too…While I cannot speak to the accuracy, I certainly think Clark has the right understanding. We still have the club mentality. We must understand that we exist for missions. The church represents the Kingdom of God breaking into the world. It's out of that understanding and passion that then springs right living, discipleship, etc.. Until we grasp that and our utter dependence on God to do that, we can only try in vain to polish and recycle our programs. Some of us are unfortunately pretty good at that. This only delays the time it takes to fail and subsequently increase the pain we feel when we fail.
One of the reasons 55,000 Christians [across Europe] are leaving church every week is because – the problem is with the church, but [it’s] also because we will not pay the price of orientating our lives around following Jesus together…
For a bit more on the topic, see Tod Bolsinger's NT Wright quote.
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the world is crazy
the church and the kingdom
Got this from someone who got it from someone who got it from Liberating the Church by Howard Snyder.
The church gets in trouble whenever it thinks its in the church business rather than the Kingdom business. In the church business people are concerned with church activities, religious behavior and spiritual things. In the Kingdom business people are concerned with Kingdom activities, all human behavior and everything God has made, visible and invisible. Kingdom people see human affairs as saturated with spiritual meaning and Kingdom significance.
Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God and its justice; church people often put church work above concerns of justice, mercy and truth. Church people often think about how to get people into church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world.
When Christians put the church ahead of the Kingdom they settle for the status quo and their own kind of people. When they catch a vision of the Kingdom of God their sights shift to the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee 'the wretched of the earth' and to God's future. They see the life and work of the church from the perspective of the Kingdom.
If the church has one great need it is this: to be set free for the Kingdom of God, to be liberated from itself as it has become in order to be itself as God intends ...
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The church gets in trouble whenever it thinks its in the church business rather than the Kingdom business. In the church business people are concerned with church activities, religious behavior and spiritual things. In the Kingdom business people are concerned with Kingdom activities, all human behavior and everything God has made, visible and invisible. Kingdom people see human affairs as saturated with spiritual meaning and Kingdom significance.
Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God and its justice; church people often put church work above concerns of justice, mercy and truth. Church people often think about how to get people into church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world.
When Christians put the church ahead of the Kingdom they settle for the status quo and their own kind of people. When they catch a vision of the Kingdom of God their sights shift to the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee 'the wretched of the earth' and to God's future. They see the life and work of the church from the perspective of the Kingdom.
If the church has one great need it is this: to be set free for the Kingdom of God, to be liberated from itself as it has become in order to be itself as God intends ...
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Sunday, June 18, 2006
the kingdom of god and leadership
We can learn how the Kingdom of God relates to leadership recruiting through Mt 9.35-11.1. In the narrative section, Jesus showed his disciples what they would do if they chose to follow him and perform the works of the Kingdom.
Model - He taught, proclaimed the good news and healed, that is He demonstrated the presence of the Kingdom.
Mission - He saw and had compassion on the harassed and helpless. He was moved with compassion. The crowd were sheep in need of a shepherd. Into this Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom. His disciples are instructed to pray that God would provide workers to gather the lost.
Means - He commanded his disciples to pray for workers. Jesus saw the task at hand and knew that God had initiated that these people be reached through him. He was placing a call to the disciples to fall in line with and be faithful to what God had begun.
Ministry - Jesus commanded the them to pray for workers and the disciples were they themselves were the answer to the prayer. They were called and commission (10.1) and sent out (10.5).
The call to these first disciples is the call to us. Workers are needed and workers develop into leaders. Jesus provides the model to identify leaders. He started with the workers who were called to him. They were not hired; they were developed. It took time but when they were ready (perhaps a little sooner then we today may feel is "ready"), they were released.
Developing and releasing leaders is risky but that is the business we are called to. As disciples of Christ, our lives are going to be marked by a level of discomfort or risk taking. In fact, to the world, we will look foolish. We will be called to invest in people that the world may not think is worth it. But if they are called by God, they are of infinite worth.
Ep 4.11-12 gives the clear model. First leaders are appointed by God and their role then is to equip saints for doing the work of the ministry. Out of that group of workers will come more leaders. This is a never-ending, ever-developing task.
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Model - He taught, proclaimed the good news and healed, that is He demonstrated the presence of the Kingdom.
Mission - He saw and had compassion on the harassed and helpless. He was moved with compassion. The crowd were sheep in need of a shepherd. Into this Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom. His disciples are instructed to pray that God would provide workers to gather the lost.
Means - He commanded his disciples to pray for workers. Jesus saw the task at hand and knew that God had initiated that these people be reached through him. He was placing a call to the disciples to fall in line with and be faithful to what God had begun.
Ministry - Jesus commanded the them to pray for workers and the disciples were they themselves were the answer to the prayer. They were called and commission (10.1) and sent out (10.5).
The call to these first disciples is the call to us. Workers are needed and workers develop into leaders. Jesus provides the model to identify leaders. He started with the workers who were called to him. They were not hired; they were developed. It took time but when they were ready (perhaps a little sooner then we today may feel is "ready"), they were released.
Developing and releasing leaders is risky but that is the business we are called to. As disciples of Christ, our lives are going to be marked by a level of discomfort or risk taking. In fact, to the world, we will look foolish. We will be called to invest in people that the world may not think is worth it. But if they are called by God, they are of infinite worth.
Ep 4.11-12 gives the clear model. First leaders are appointed by God and their role then is to equip saints for doing the work of the ministry. Out of that group of workers will come more leaders. This is a never-ending, ever-developing task.
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blaise on fire
Richard read a great quote today from Blaise Pascal.
When he was 31 years old, less than eight years before his death, Pascal had an overwhelming experience of the presence of God. He apparently made hasty notes, during the vision or immediately afterwards, so that he might always have at hand a reminder of what had happened to him. He transcribed these onto a piece of parchment and sewed it into the lining of his coat, where his servant found it after his death. There is no evidence of his having mentioned the experience to anyone while he lived. The parchment reads as follows (translation by Emile Caillet and John C. Blankenagel, Great Shorter Works of Pascal, Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1948):
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When he was 31 years old, less than eight years before his death, Pascal had an overwhelming experience of the presence of God. He apparently made hasty notes, during the vision or immediately afterwards, so that he might always have at hand a reminder of what had happened to him. He transcribed these onto a piece of parchment and sewed it into the lining of his coat, where his servant found it after his death. There is no evidence of his having mentioned the experience to anyone while he lived. The parchment reads as follows (translation by Emile Caillet and John C. Blankenagel, Great Shorter Works of Pascal, Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1948):
Fire!Amen!
God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob,
Not of the philosophers and scholars.
Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.
God of Jesus Christ.
"Thy God and my God."
Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except God.
He is to be found only in the ways taught in the Gospel.
Greatness of the Human Soul.
"Righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee,
But I have known Thee."
Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.
I have separated myself from Him.
"They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters."
"My God, wilt Thou leave me?"
Let me not be separated from Him eternally.
"This is eternal life,
That they might know Thee, the only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."
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chili peppers
I know this is stupid stuff but since I was already posting video, here's the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Dani California. I saw it a few days ago for the first time (hey I'm old and we don't have TV). I laughed my head off.
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