Andrew R Rogers

I used to get caught up in the magical “Spirit of Christmas,” like everyone else.  How could I not?  Jesus’ birthday, and a multi - billion dollar season of spending upon which many retail stores depend.  Ignorance was bliss.

From Wikipedia:

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It is celebrated on December 25, but this date is not known to be Jesus’ actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, a historical Roman festival, or the date of the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice.

When I realized December 25th is not Jesus’ birthday, I wondered what possible redeeming value it could have.  Just a little research, however, allows us to cut past the hype and find the true “Spirit of Christmas,” which has much more to do with our faith than I thought.

The following is an excerpt from the “Saint Nicholas Center: Discovering the truth about Saint Nicholas.”

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals-murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

Persecution, suffering, giving away an inheritance to the poor!  This is much more interesting than the typical Christmas stories I hear. What could cause someone to live this way?  What could cause someone to care that much about other people?

Somehow Saint Nicholas learned to derive his joy, strength, even pleasure from serving Jesus.  It wasn’t just his duty, it was his entire life.  A life spent gazing at Jesus and His Words.

Maybe Christmas is more about what Jesus did as a man, than as a baby…?

My hope is that we do indeed live in an upside down Kingdom where to live you have to die, and to die means to be with Christ.

It all started with the death of a good job.  Two years ago I worked for a music production company.  The Lord blessed my efforts.  The money flowed in.  Everyone was fat and happy - our partners, my bosses, and myself.  Everyone except my wife.  The hours and long commute added up to stress in the family department.

But then weird things began happening at the company.  After three rounds of layoffs, the company was a shell of its former self.  I found it hard to accomplish anything new.  Those of us who were left twiddled our thumbs while waiting to collect a check every two weeks.  After a few months, I decided to strike out on my own.  My wife was happy.

At first I wanted to be an indie - music distributor.  I had great relationships with all the top digital retailers and their suppliers.  After a year working with independent musicians I realized I was losing more money in distribution costs than the artists were generating. That dream shriveled.

I was also involved with a local rock band.  We began honing our songwriting and recording skills.  After years of practice and occasional gigging, it became apparent we were all headed in different directions.  Another death.  This was one of the most painful, because those guys had become my closest friends.

There were many other little deaths.  Realizing I’m not meant to be a music producer.  Working with a band and record label that couldn’t quite tie the knot.  Starting a website development company with no future.  The motorcycle of my dreams, with a dead transmission.  I decided to sell the parts on eBay.  This paid the bills for a few months.

Somewhere in there, the biggest death happened.  The death of my motivation and desires.  I just stopped caring about anything.  Music, money, jobs, trips, vacations, work, careers, gadgets, gizmos, stuff in stores, church.  All these things began to seem stupid.  A chasing after the wind.  Meaningless.  I read Ecclesiastes and was pleased that the wisest man in the world agreed with me.

I just didn’t care about the stuff we spend our lives and energy obtaining and protecting and packaging and selling and marketing.  I can walk through the luminous halls of any department or electronics or music store and I actually feel pangs of revulsion at all the shiny plastic and metal.

But I also realized the danger.  I had never stopped caring about my wife and family.  Or my friends.  I realized that protecting and caring for my friends and family means buying and selling and working and creating and interacting in meaningful ways.  All of those things and actions that I no longer cared about.

So I went searching for my missing passion. This went on for months.  I needed to find something I cared about.  I took some personality tests.  Slowly a few things surfaced.  I like helping people.  I like adventure.  I am technical but can also communicate well with people.

I talked to many wise friends throughout these adventures.  A few key thoughts stuck with me.  My friend David shared something about his own quest “I stopped living for myself and started living for something greater.”  My friend Bill encouraged me to ask a simple question whenever trying something new, “Will this please the Lord?” Such a simple, powerful thing.

So I’ll cut to the chase.  I’ve found my passion again.  Something that fills me with hope and inspiration and a desire to “GO” as they say at Glenstone Chapel. And the crazy thing is that it is something that I never would have considered, if all my dreams hadn’t died.  They had to die, to make room for this passion.  Check ‘er out:

I’m sure some people long for the “good ‘ol days” of the record industry. I wish I had known those days. All I have seen is confusion, unrestrained greed, the creation of idols, and ultimately, irrelevance.

Confusion: Napster
Some say the word with a sneer of calculated smugness, indicating that yes, they have, in the past, partaken of this heinous bastion of evil. For others who are inside the industry, the word is delivered with loathing, contempt, and many times a quiver of fear.

What was Napster really? A den of evil? A consortium of thieves? Or a streamlined distribution system that had the potential to reduce costs and deliver greater customer satisfaction in a fraction of the time of traditional media outlets?

Bertelsmann AG, a German media company, wagered the latter, when they offered to buy Napster for $85 million in 2002. But before they could take possession of this revolutionary system, an American bankruptcy judge blocked the sale and forced Napster to liquidate it’s assets according to Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws. This was largely due to pressure from the RIAA who was locked in a heated lawsuit against Napster for unauthorized use of its music.

The music industry didn’t understand the very technology that was in a position to grow their business, so they attacked it and shut it down.

Unrestrained Greed
The music industry has shown an incredible desire to sue individual customers of their music, when those customers behave in ways that the RIAA deems unacceptable. 30 year old Jammie Thomas of Brainerd, Minnesota was sued by the RIAA for $222,000 when she shared 24 songs on Kazaa. She is a a single mother with 3 kids and a salary of $36,000 per year.

This unrestrained greed shows that the music industry is willing to destroy individuals in order to (misguidedly) preserve an out of date business model.

Irrelevance
What are the main services that a traditional record label performs? Recording, pressing Cd’s, distribution and promotion. These services are no longer required.

Back in the “good ‘ol days” recording costs were astronomical. Reels of expensive tape, weeks in a professional studio with a highly paid staff, and several levels of production at different facilities. These days, a musician can record a great sounding album with a laptop and a few pieces of outboard gear.

Back in the “good ‘ol days,” a record label would estimate (often badly) how many albums they should manufacture. This could be any number from 100 to 100,000. Now an artist can use a variety of services to manufacture the exact number of physical albums they require for a certain event, or CD Release.

Back in the “good ‘ol days,” record labels either owned or contracted distribution companies to transfer their wares to outlets all across the globe. Services such as iTunes, Pandora, and Last.fm have replaced the need for this physical distribution. And where physical distribution is still needed, it can be easily shipped to the customer’s home via direct order from a website.

Lastly, promotion. Herein lies the golden goose of traditional record companies. For who else has the power, the connections, even the intelligence to assemble a flamboyant marketing scheme that could propel an unknown musician to the heights of stardom? The answer, once again is simple. The fans themselves now have that power. Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and other social networking communities have connected fans to musicians directly, and given them the tools and power to easily share their musical bliss within their own community of friends. Any marketer knows that this word of mouth advertising is more powerful and effective than any mass media shotgun blast could ever be.

Creation of Idols
I saved this one for last because it has probably been under - discussed around the inter web. Or at least discussed less than some of the other points above.

Everyone remembers Brittany Spears’ psychotic flame outs of a few years ago. The oddly shaved head. The neglect of her children. The flashes of nudity.

People may rightly say that she is responsible for her actions and that she made horrible decisions that lead to such odd behavior. These people would be correct.

But I feel sorry for ‘ol used and abused Brittany. She has been sucked into a machine that caused her to become something she never should have been. She never should have been a superstar who inspired millions of rabid teenage fans to worship her.. She never should have sold out her meager talents to the highest bidder so they could share the profits and create this freakish thing.

She was just a girl. Just another human being. Just another Jane Doe, who’s wildest dream came true. But instead of joy, this dream ultimately brought despair. She’s been sucked in, chewed up, and spit out the other side of the American Music Industry.

I’ve been learning that sometimes a bit of planning goes a long way.

This summer (mid September), Mieke, Alex, Jon and I plan to head to Colorado to visit my sisters (Heidi and Lori) and our parents, who will be back from Ecuador.  It’s been a few years since we’ve seen them.  It’ll be great to see them all in one place again…if only for a week.

I was adding up the various costs (gas, food, camping fees, etc) and I think we can make the 3000 mile round trip for about $500.

I stumbled across a great new online bank that promises to make saving for this trip fun and rewarding. And it has a great name to boot.  Click the image below to check it out.

You are all invited to an evening of music with two great bands! Sitka and Trisonic. I have seen both bands play previously and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed!  The admission price is 1 can of food.  Bring more if you want to.  All cans and proceeds to be given to the Second Harvest Foodbank which directly impacts hurting people in the Charlotte area.  Help us make this a success, please invite all your friends! The venue can seat 800, and we want to FILL IT UP!!

When: Jan. 31st @ 6:30

Where: Marvin Ridge High School Heres a MAP

Cost: 1 Can of Food

Type of Music: Sitka is acoustic guitar - driven indie rock with hints of folk and pop. Trisonic is classic rock at it’s finest!

Who’s invited: You and all your friends.