Mon 4 Jan 2010
A flip of the calendar page brings a new year. A new year tends to bring thoughts of new opportunities, new relationships, new…whatever. I wonder what would happen if we approached each day like it was a “new year” type of day…open to possibilities, aware of God’s presence near us, expecting the positive? I wonder????
Mon 7 Dec 2009
Matt Damon is in a new movie, “Invictus,” about the rugby team in South Africa, during the Mandela presidency. Damon was struck at how Nelson Mandela could even offer forgiveness to those who imprisoned him. Here is the quote, from Parade Magazine, Dec. 6, 2009 edition, found in most Sunday newspapers:
“How can you spend 30 years in a tiny cell and come out ready to forgive the people who put you there? It makes you consider your own place in the world and your behavior to other people. It’s very emotional and very hard to understand.”
Yes, I reckon it is….
Mon 30 Nov 2009
“In the late 1920s, General Motors secretly began to purchase trolley systems throughout the United States, using a number of front corporations. Trolley systems in Tulsa, OK, Montgomery, AL, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, El Paso, TX, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles–more than one hundred trolley systems in all–were purchased by GM and then completely dismantled, their tracks ripped up, their overhead wires torn down. The trolley companies were turned into bus lines, and the new buses were manufactured by GM.”
pg. 16 “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser.
I have never heard that at any time until I read this book. Mass transit was alive and well until GM came in and killed it. That set the stage for our car-dependent culture today…and GM is getting bailout funds from the government. Simply unreal.
Thu 12 Nov 2009
Jim Tressel, head coach of Ohio State football team
Christopher Guest, an actor in the movie “A Few Good Men.”
Could they be brothers? Separated at birth?
Fri 23 Oct 2009
In part two of insights gleaned from Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith by Suzanne Strempek Shea, she summarizes her quest as such:
“What I have observed in this past year behind all those closed doors and beneath all those ceilings were faiths that looped down lanes of love, or trod the tired trail of blandness, or dwelled on demons, damnation, and discrimination. The frequency with which I saw the third route chosen by churches that also called themselves houses of a loving God was disturbing, and again and again made the case for the many engaging in some form of the pilgrimage I’ve made in the past year. And not just as a tour. They’re looking for a new spiritual home.”
She also spoke of how similar most of the worship services were, regardless of denomination or size. There was some music, some prayer, some type of message/sermon. Makes you wonder about all these churches that promise “we’re different, not like other churches, new type of doing church, etc.” Even contemporary churches have a basic format: branded children’s ministry (Kid’sZone, etc), “come as you are,” “relevant message/teaching,” contemporary music, and the like.
“I don’t know what the others are finding in their travels, but the past year has distilled for me the qualities I’d need in a new church home: a community that welcomed me warmly, didn’t give a whit about my politics or lifestyle, gave tons of whits about the social justice needs locally and beyond, contained little to no hierarchy, allowed congregants a say in decisions large and small, offered a spiritual message inspired by love rather than by fear, and did all this in an art-filled space that rang with awesome music.”
Does such a church exist? No hierarchy rules out mainline denominations, it would seem. Congregational say in decisions means probably a smaller church. Art-filled space with awesome music (notice she didn’t say what style, just awesome music) is wide open. Not caring about personal politics or lifestyle would seem to lean away from evangelical or fundamentalist and more toward moderates. Spiritual message inspired by love not fear is wide open. Social justice/mission local and beyond is wide open. Is there a small to medium, non-denominational church that appreciates art, produces awesome music, lives as a welcoming community which cares for those close and far away and preaches love and acceptance in an apolitical manner?
Wed 14 Oct 2009
Read an intriguing book recently, Sundays in America: A yearlong road trip in search of Christian faith, by Suzanne Stremper Shea
She visited 50 churches all over the nation, different sizes and denominations, worship styles and theology, liberal, moderate conservative, orthodox, contemporary, traditional, mainline and independent, famous pastors and unknowns. A couple of quotes below about two megachurches she visited:
“I guess I don’t need a coffee shop. A bookstore. Five styles of worship. I don’t care if the pastor tithes 99.9% or wears his pajamas. I just want the experience to hit home intimately. And maybe that’s a different thing for everybody. For me, it was not found here (Saddleback).”
“And while I fall into the camp that’s heard enough about the fires of hell, I like my contemporary sermons to contain at least a nod to God. To suggest how we might consider him in our daily struggles, ponder how he’s working in our lives. I’m all for self-help information, but this (sermon about weight loss tips) was too much about that self when there’s a whole world of problems out there to discuss. I find Lakewood (Joel Olsteen’s church)not much like a church at all. But maybe that’s just me.”
Having never visited either of those churches myself, I can’t really comment, but what about her perspective and insights?
Wed 7 Oct 2009
I finally was able to see U2 in concert. I could have seen them 20 years ago on the Joshua Tree tour for about $50 in Dallas, but I was a poor student at the time and couldn’t pull it off.
After joining the fan club to get pre-sale access and shelling out ticketmaster fees and the like and so forth, I finally got to see them. I was most pleased and had a great time. Their 360 stage is something funky for sure but provided great sight lines from where I was.
Partial set list (not in order and missing some songs, but gives you a flavor)
Boots/ Mysterious Ways/Beautiful Day/Stand By Me/Where the Streets Have No name/ Stuck in Moment (with a sweet tenor solo by Edge)/ Sunday Bloody Sunday segue into People Get Ready/Elevation/ New Years Day/ Vertigo/ Walk On
Encore - One…into Amazing Grace….Where the Streets Have No Name
Awesome.
