Simple Living Isn’t Always

I heard a news story on NPR yesterday about the new trend in pet funerals. Gone are the days of shoebox coffins and stick crosses. Now owners are ponying up for full-scale funeral services, and at least one new pet-only funeral home is ready to start franchising.

Though pet cemeteries aren’t a new phenomenon (Deceased Pet Care of Atlanta is more than 30 years old), things have gotten a bit out of hand. Below is a top-of-the-line pet casket, available for the very reasonable price of $1175. Burial lots at Oak Rest Pet Gardens start at $350.

If we might show some mercy to those who’ve lost beloved pets. The recent appearance in South Florida of Chateau Poochie deserves little charity. A 10K square foot pets-only hotel, it features groomers, plasma TVs and a disco. According to the hotel’s site:

Dedicated to over-indulging, extreme pampering and constantly entertaining our guests; Chateau Poochie provides extraordinary care and a potpourri of deluxe services guaranteed to satisfy every furry client’s whim. Imagine the finest ultra chic European five-star resort brimming with amenities galore.

Lifeontop.com, “the Ultimate Luxury Resource,” describes Chateau Poochie further:

The ultra-deluxe Crown Jewel Suites are each be decorated in a different gem stone color. In each suite, your pet will be treated to flat screen TV with special programming and luxurious, custom sofas and beds.

Services include nightly turn down service, tummy rubs and bottled water. The Palace Cat boudoir features three-tier deluxe condos for your cat with entertaining windows and a virtual coral reef.

There’s more, but I can’t bear to read anymore. If the pet stuff isn’t proof enough, the fact that a Web site called “LifeOnTop” exists is evidence enough that our society is sick.

Our society is very, very sick.

Get Rich Slowly says money is “more about mind than it is about math.”

I’ll be off the blogging grid, beginning today, for at least the month of October. Pax Christi.

I mentioned the death of Luciano Pavarotti this morning, and but I had no idea that Dr. D. James Kennedy passed away yesterday. Dr. Kennedy’s Sunday morning “Coral Ridge Hour” was a staple at my house. His biblical teaching and passion for our country hit the spot for my parents, even though we were “full gospel” Christians. I’ve grown up since then, and I realize now how much fuller the gospel we heard from Kennedy’s Florida pulpit was.

Dr. Kennedy was a tireless promoter (with such teachers as Ravi Zacharias, R. C. Sproul, and Francis Schaeffer–and others) of intellectual life as a Christian calling. He provided a vital counterpoint to the superprominent TV ministries that preceded or followed his on our local networks. The self-help “gospel” of Robert Schuller, the prosperity “gospel” of Kenneth Copeland, the end-times hysteria of John Hagee–all paled in comparison to the steady, reasoned, scriptural preaching of Dr. Kennedy.

His focus on evangelism, too, helped thousands of churches and tens of thousands of believers to fulfill the Great Commission in their lives. Evangelism Explosion was a landmark program that continues to influence churches and communities today.

His vision for Knox Theological Seminary continues to bear fruit in the lives of future pastors and theologians. May we, the church, continue to benefit for generations to come.

I’m no saint-worshipper, but we’ve lost a great champion of the faith.

Visit the Dr. James Kennedy Memorial site for video and text.

Dwight Yoakam, Population Me

A real country music outlaw, Yoakam’s blend of Bakersfield and classic country make for great listening. His twangy delivery and driving melodies–including the country shuffle, showcased here on “No Such Thing” and “I’d Avoid Me Too”–don’t make it onto country radio much, but Yoakam’s one of the best songwriters in the business. All that, and brains too. His interviews are always interesting. (And he’s not a bad actor, either, when he has a decent script.)

Silver Jews, Tanglewood Numbers

David Berman’s literate and rollicking band is back. It’s a mashup of indie rock and country, not to mention noise, but Berman’s quirky writing and vocal style makes it really listenable. I like “Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed” and “The Farmer’s Hotel.” Some songs suggest a more garage-style Hold Steady.

The Avett Brothers, Emotionalism

The Avetts have some indie rock sensibility, and they throw it into the mix with classic country instruments and influences. I love “Shame.”

Page France, Hello, Dear Wind

France’s earthy spirituality (HT: Greg Beadles) and lyrics have made this a staple in the rotation. “Jesus” is astonishing, but not really a bad song here from my perspective, at least as a listener.