I’ll be enjoying the groovy tunes of Jack Johnson’s latest album, To The Sea. After a free Starbucks download of “At Or With Me” I knew this album would be good. He continues to deliver some of the best music out there and his sound/lyrics have theMangoTimes written all over them. Throw this on the speakers, climb in the hammock, pull someone you love close, and call it a night. Favorite lyrics of late:“Are they laughing at or with me? People are just trying to fit in-But is there something telling you-You can’t trust anyone in this town-Ah baby those are such great shoes”.

I’ve spent a great deal of time enjoying the preaching of Pastor Britt Merrick from Reality Carpinteria church. I was introduced to him through a few videos I saw on facebook. He has been very transparent dealing with his daughter’s recent diagnosis of stage 3 cancer. His sermons are some of the best I’ve heard and if you are a fan of gospel centered preaching, you will not go wrong with this podcast. His current series, Missio Christi, will speak life into any stagnancy you’ve allowed to develop in your faith. Ever wonder why a Christian’s favorite meal is fellow Christians? Ever questioned how to speak truth without judging your brother or sister? As a teaser, I’ve included a snippet of his sermon, “Truth Telling without Judging” below. If you enjoy it, go download the whole sermon!

Jason Mraz is another great musician you will find playing through mangoland (or my office…or my car…or on my iPod). If you listen to any pop-radio station, you’ve heard his music, but I would recommend you dig a little deeper for some of his really good stuff. If you get there fast enough, you can still get a FREE DOWNLOAD from Levi’s Pioneer Sessions of Jason singing “Spirit in the Sky” and if you want to see the behind the scenes video, here it is:

YOU CAN FIND ME HANGING OUT HERE:
We are going to Mt. Hermon’s Summer Concert Series to take in some great tunes by Sara Groves. She is one of Kendra’s favorites and we’ve been waiting a long time to find a way to catch her in concert…and this one is nearly in our backyard (well, maybe not our backyard, but close enough). I love going to Mt. Hermon. It’s perfectly placed in the mountains above Santa Cruz and on a personal note, it’s where God chose to reveal His grace to me (way back in 1982 when I attended Young Life Winter Camp).

The backporch is a favorite locale for many visitors to mangoland. For me personally, just swinging in the hammock chairs with Kendra or curling up with some cute mangokids while the warm valley California air drifts through the back yard spells summer at our house. I actually notice that I rarely use the front door during the summer. Life just slows down and moves at a slower pace. So drop by, leave your worries in your car and join me on the back porch to swing and relax. Consider this your invitation…

As part of our Summerzcool curriculum, we’ve made it our goal to get back to the beach as much as we possibly can to find out “what is and what is not cool.” We continue to return to some of our favorite sandy spots on the coast. Santa Cruz at the harbor. Capitola, complete with the pastel cottages dotting the lagoon and Pizza My Heart. Want to join us for our summertime classes on sandy beaches and distant reaches? There is just something about watching your kids chase waves and seagulls that makes this life we’ve chosen that much better!

You will definitely find me standing in front of this new addition. If you know us, you know that life often revolves around our kitchen! Now that my parents have recently installed this outdoor wood-fired pizza oven, our kitchen party has moved outside. We have been busy perfecting doughs and creating our favorite pizzas. At 700+ degrees, we are spinning out pizzas every two minutes for the hungry masses.

…AND THE REST OF US WILL BE HANGING OUT HERE:

Hope to see you this month!

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

A few months ago, I was approached by Storyville Coffee Company to host a live concert in my home. Since I have already hosted a few concerts before with our favorite in-home performer, Jon Troast, we seemed like a perfect match. This concert is a little different, because it is not just about great music, because the purpose is to spotlight a ministry called International Justice Mission.

Storyville Coffee has created an experience called Storyville Live.
From their website: “A Storyville Live concert is an opportunity for an evening of music, coffee, and community unlike any other. Our coming together also creates an opportunity to bring freedom to the millions of people around the world that are trapped in the atrocity of human trafficking. There are 27 million people today that are in slavery — not in slave-like conditions, in actual slavery. 27 million. We couldn’t believe it. We’re partnered with International Justice Mission, an organization that has created a blueprint to end slavery in our lifetime. The two main barriers are lack of awareness and lack of resources. Storyville Live provides both. By hosting or attending a concert, you’re making a difference.”

It is our mission to put slavery out of business for good.

Our specific concert is being hosted on Saturday, June 19th. We are excited to welcome the featured musician, Pierce Pettis. Your ticket includes the concert, dessert and coffee…what a deal! See the images for details and concert code! We would love you to join us!

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

Well…it’s finally over.

For this LOST fan, I’m very disappointed to see such a great television show disappear (and this from a non-TV watcher). At the same time, I’m glad the producers decided to bring the story to an end before the show was cancelled or any of the major actors quit the series.

Not everyone liked the show. Some people were “lost” the whole time they watched it, while many others drew conclusions without ever watching an episode. Just living in my own house showed me there were people that didn’t understand the LOST phenomenon or the weekly addiction many shared, but I cannot think of another show in television history that connected great acting, great characters, beautiful scenery and consistently fantastic writing.

In the past few days, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether this show ended well and even more theories about what the show really meant. I read a twitter update during the series finale that said something like, “I never understood Trekkies until LOST.” As a self-professed “Lostie,” I’ve been asked several times what I thought about the show, so in true style I thought I would offer a top-ten.

Here’s my own list of Top Ten Reasons I Enjoyed Six Seasons of LOST:
ALERT: LOST spoilers and secrets are revealed!
10. It is a Survival Story - This series began with a bunch of people surviving a plane crash on a deserted island. What other comparison did I have but Gilligan’s Island? It took NO TIME for me to begin enjoying this show…only this time around there were not as many coconut creme pies.

9. Character Development – By the second episode, I realized this was not just another show. Methodically, the writers took the viewer through every characther’s “back story” and what led them to the island. You quickly began cheering and booing the characters based on who they were “off island” and who they had become “on island.” Over six years it became an emotional roller-coaster as characters travelled full circle from good to bad and back again and again.

8. Great Acting/Writing – LOST had a huge ensemble cast, extending to include international actors, screen actors, and stage actors. The writers mixed comedy, adventure, intrigue and drama brilliantly. Instead of a weekly show, LOST was really more of a six-year miniseries. Personal favorites: Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Elizabeth Mitchell, Daniel Dae Kim and the list goes on and on and on…and the writing was the best…hands down.

7. Hello? It was filmed in the Hawaiian Islands – Do I need any commentary here? From the beach to the jungle this series owned the cinematography.

6. Theme: Free Will/Destiny – Without giving away too many spoilers. One major theme from beginning to end was the constant tension between free will and destiny. Were the characters given choices in life or was it destiny to be on the island or even more were they “called” to be on the island. From the beginning, this theme was developed and massaged, so can you see why I liked it? The average viewer may have missed this in the first few seasons, but by the end it was as clear as black and white .

5. It is a Story of Redemption- I like stories that show characters needing, seeking and gaining redemption? LOST did not disappoint. Every major character in LOST lived some form of a tragedy that required redemption and each of them was given the opportunity to rectify the wrongs they had committed. Personal acts of contrition, confession, repentance were seen throughout the series, as well as forgiveness and healing, leading to true redemption for characters. Some characters turned the corner early in the series, while others took the full six seasons to develop and occur. I was blown away as the writers developed the most unworthy characters and showed that even they could be redeemed when an external source intervened in their lives.

4. Easter Eggs – One of my favorite parts were the fun “easter eggs” hidden throughout the series by the writers and producers for the viewer to find. Characters were named after famous theologians, philosophers, and scientists. Shows were developed around pieces of literature, musical scores, historical figures, scientific inventions, heroes of the faith, and characters of myth and legend. Sprinkled throughout the series were recurring literary, religious, and philosophical themes from Wonderland to Narnia to Eden to Hell to Purgatory to Nirvana. It was impossible for me to watch LOST without diving into research behind every cultural reference “hidden” in that week’s episode. Again, the writers/producers did not just write a show and develop characters…they allowed their own reading, religion and philosophy to work through the series.

3. Good vs. Evil – As the series came to an end, I rewatched the pilot episode. It was evident from the first 30 minutes that the writers were laying the groundwork for a story of good pitted against evil (or as it is introduced, dark vs. light) from the very beginning. The writers develop this theme each year through movie references (Star Wars), game playing (backgammon), biblical themes (Jacob/Esau), and even simple colors (black/white).

2. Time Travel – I love the idea of time travel. Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with storylines that deal with this theme. Sure, it has been fun to think about going backward and forward in time (“Strange things are afoot at the Circle K!”). LOST takes it a step further. Can you travel backwards and change the outcome of your life? Can you create an alternate plan? I already mentioned that they did a brilliant job with character “back stories” (in a sense, they used this technique to show what happened pre-island/in the past). They also appeared to show the audience what happened post-island or what they called a “side-story,” which looked like a parallel time-line (not too much to comment here, because this is a major portion of the final season). Not to dissuade anyone who might think this show is just plain hokey, they incorporated time-travel brilliantly (taking into account the science, the myths, and all of the potential effects). Personal favorite: what if you could travel through time and see yourself in the past?

1. It’s Not What You Think – Finally, this is why I loved LOST. It is about a plane crash, but it’s not about a plane crash. It is a random group of people on an island, but it’s not a random group of people. Sure, there are polar bears, there is a smoke monster, and there is a lot of mystery, but everything has a reason. If you can’t handle the impossible, than LOST is not for you. It is more than really handsome/beautiful actors in a tropical location. Each episode of LOST is another piece in a giant game. You need all the pieces to put the story together. Unlike any other show, LOST never disappoints (well except for Nicki and Paulo and an episode of Jack in Thailand). For those that tuned in late expecting to see a show about people getting “off an island” they were probably confused and disappointed. Like Narnia is more than a story about school kids walking through a wardrobe, LOST is way more than what it looks like on the surface. It never failed to confuse or surprise the viewer, with each season pulling a different layer back on the bigger story!

But…
“But Fletch, LOST was uber-popular and at the center of our already television saturated culture. How could you be so positive? As a Christian, didn’t it conflict with your beliefs? I heard it was an “all paths lead to God” show…Why did you let your kids watch it? You are such a sell-out, You are a joiner!…”
Well, there are plenty more questions and conversations to be had about the television show LOST. Maybe I’ll talk about them and maybe I won’t. For those interested, I already addressed some of these questions in this post I wrote about popular culture. I understand that I respond to culture differently than most. Sorry to disappoint.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

B-52s – “Woo…stay away fools, ’cause love rules at the Love Shack!” One of my favorite memories of college was being at my best friend Eric’s apartment off-campus for a Love Shack party. To this day, I can’t hear that song without thinking of those good times.

Barenaked Ladies – “If I had a million dollars, I’d buy you an exotic pet, like a llama or an emu.” Fun song, fun band.

The Beatles – “It was 20yrs ago today…” Thanks to Mangoboy #2, I am loaded with Beatles songs on my iPod. Loving the re-listen to the fab-four. I personally like their trippy stuff, because I think that was when they were musical geniuses. But, I’ll still get up and boogie Ferris Bueller style when “Twist and Shout” is played…

Big Tent Revival – This was THE band that turned me back around to Christian music back in the mid-90s. After having loved the Christian rock bands of the 80s (Undercover, Altar Boys, etc…), it seems like we hit a dry spell. “Two Sets of Joneses” is a constant replay on my speakers.

Bob Marley – Another throw-back to college days. I don’t know anyone that did not have Marley’s “Legend” album in my dorm. “Don’t worry…about a thing…every little thing is gonna be alright…” Man, I could do an entire post on Bob Marley music alone…”Positive Vibration”, “Redemption Song”…great ones.

Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra – this is like a palette cleanser…I think Kendra put this on my playlist.

Bob Marley – Yes, I know I just mentioned Bob Marley, but at theMangoTimes it deserves double mention. Every time “Jamming” comes on, I get a little jump in my step… “and I hope you like jammin too!”

Quietly making noise mon!
Fletch

The video was made by Thomas Slawson, a missionary to Russia that our church supports. It was a great reminder this morning. It has been made in the same spirit that we celebrate our Advent in the Barn party each year.

Yes…it’s a party. We invite our guests to watch a Christmas movie, but at the same time we fully intend to communicate the life-saving news of the Gospel and also encourage our guests to think differently each Advent season with their spending habits.

Why do we care? Like the quote above…we want to repeat the sounding joy, year in and year out! Won’t you join us?

Quietly making noise,

Fletch

GREAT JOB ON THE VIDEO THOMAS!