conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

ill

I am home.
I am sick.

*sneeze*

Thus endeth the blogging for today.

q visits

Susie is in town. So is Luke but he did not stay with us. Poor Luke.

This is Susie. She is taller than my wife, Trish.

This is the "official photo."

We wish Luke had been here. We do. But he is busy becomming important.

canta!

I need a nap. I know that I just got up, but I need a nap. Oy. Last night's rehearsal kicked my toochus. I sing with the Girls. I sing at North Shore. They each present certain challenges. But singing again with Chicago Choral Artists reminds me that it is art, discipline and flat out work. I used three octaves last night. Sometimes I played in my falsetto, but really I have to sing those high g's sotto voce and not falsetto. The low e-flat is no great stretch, But I know that there is a low b-flat in my future. And the literature that the directors have chosen for us is the most challenging I have encountered in quite a while. There is one pice for "a choir of barritones" that is mind boggling.

I will say it. I know it goes without saying, but what else is a blog for? I am thrilled...utterly beside myself with choral happiness.

Now I need a cup of coffee.

Tonight I will rehearse with the people from Immanuel Lutheran. I am serving as a cantor for Holy Week. There is much to learn.

chicgo choral artists

I have been asked to sing with my old choir, Chicago Choral Artists. Click the link for the suggested concert materials. The conductor wants to perform an all French concert. Nice. This looks lovely.

Now, can I really fit it in?
And do I even own a tux? Um, no...maybe I'll have one tailored. Kate?

Chicago Choral Artists Concert Repertoire
May 20th, 2006 St. Alphonsus Church, Chicago
May 21st, 2006 First Presbyterian Church, Lake Forest
Rev. 3/18/06

Jubilate Deo Guillaume Bouzignac (1590-1643) 2’
Conductor: AF

Messe "Cum Jubilo", Op. 11 (1966) Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) 15’
Kyrie 3’ Conductor: DŠ
Gloria 5.5’ Organ: BB
Benedictus 2¼’ Baritone:
Agnus Dei 4¼’

O Salutaris Hostia (1954) Villette 3’
Conductor: DŠ

Litanies à la vierge noire Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) 9’
Conductor: BB
Organ: AF

Messe Solennelle Jean Langlais (1907-1991) 9’
Kyrie 4.5’ Conductor : BB 38’
Sanctus 1.5’ Organ: DŠ
Benedictus 3’

≈ intermission ≈

Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens, Op. 10 (1960) Duruflé 6’
Tota pulchra es 2’ ♀ only Conductor: AF
Ubi caritas et amor 3’
Tu es petrus 1’

Motets pour un temps de pénitence Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) 6.5’
Vinea mea electa 3.5’ Conductor: BB
Timor et tremor 3’

Voicy le vert et beau May LeJeune 3’
Conductor : BB

Chansons pour choeur mixte (1914-15) Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) 5’
Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis 3’ Conductor : DŠ
Nicolette 2’ Soprano:

Incidental Music from “The Lark” (1955) Leonard Bernstein 2’
Court Song 1’ Conductor: AF
Soldier’s Song 1’ SSAATBB, drum

Revecy venir le Printemps Claude LeJeune (1529-1600) 3’
Conductor : AF 25.5’

pulpit

I think that my sermon went well. Sadly, it was one of those noteless sermons...well, almost noteless. I brough the odd little musings that are posted below with me. Some day soon we will be able to record our sermons so we can podcast them. In the mean, I'll try to give a quick summary.

I seem to be taking this route a lot lately, but grace can only be found in relationship...relationship with Christ and with one another. Paul seems to agree with me.

The passage (Ephesisans 2:1-10) is the first half of a brief theology of reconciliation. We are reconciled to God and to one another through grace. So, I spoke of being reconciled to God through grace. I know, to many this may be too obvious a line to take. I find it a worthy challenge.

Grace is hard to pin down for many people. Is it like karma? Somewhat...in that it is an understanding an undergirding of our relationships with one another, yes. But otherwise it is nothing like karma.

Is it something that is worth personifying? Yes, but only initially. I like U2's song a great deal. And I used it in my sermon, but only to start us off. If we are going to speak about grace, we cannot get cought up in an image, a metaphor. There are too many limitations in even the best metaphor. U2's Grace is no different. In fact, it can be sexist if we are not careful. It can be used to suggest that a man cannot be gracefull...that it is not a quality of being a man. But the nurturing that is understood, the strength that is suggestedin U2's metaphor...that is worth holding on to.

I also spoke of my struggles in this ecumenical endeavor. Some in our congregation understand grace as something that can be received within the litugy. Communion, the church year, prayers for healing...these are vehicles for grace. I am always reminded of my baptistness in my relationship with these traditions. I need grace to uphold me as I participate in them. Liturgy, as much a s I have studied it and come to love it, as much as my "tastes" lean toward a high liturgy, is still like walking in a foreign land for me. It still feels like something extra. I think that this is because of how I relate to and understand grace. Yes, grace is a gift. Grace is something given to me. Right on, Paul. But I take it with me into worship. This seems to be a baptist particular.

Or, maybe it is just me.

Grace is found in a person. This is true. The metaphor that U2 provides is dead on with this. But grace has a name. He carries the world on his hip. It is my relationship with Christ that is grace-filled. It is how I am who I am. It is how I am created (John 1:1-18). I am created in and through grace. I am saved by Grace. Jesus, who is grace, saved me. Any evil action I may commit is actually a denial of my creation. It is a denial of who I am. If there is any condemnation to be had by my deeds it is found in that truth...the denial of my gracefull existance in God who created me in and through Grace.

If you were at Reconciler last night and heard this sermon, fire off an e-mail. I want to know what you heard in the sermon as well. I still don't have comments working here. And I know that I did not get it all down.

sermon notes

Here is the beginning of something...

thinking about my sermon for sunday

It is a shame that using U2 in a sermon may be cliche.

Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace...
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that, changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma, karma
She travels outside... of karma

When she goes to work, you can hear the strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace...
She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings...
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty in everything

Still, it works for me. One of the lectionary text for the week is the John 3:16 passage. How many football games have I gone to where someone is holding up a sign. I can't preach on how that may not communicate anymore. That was my sermon a few weeks ago: What seems obvious to the faithful may simply be meaningless popularly.

This Sunday I am thinking more about grace. What if grace were a person. What would she be like? I have been thinking of dancers.

Wisdom is personified in the feminine. Perhaps personifying grace would be helpful in understanding her.

grace, wisdom, feminine, lectionary

time to face the strange changes...a morning meditation

This is from the Northumbria community again.

The readings this morning are all about change. The compilers of the prayerbook even go as far as to place this pithy saying for the reader to enjoy: "Perpetual Change is here to stay!" This appears to be the truth of things lately. And I for one am struggling under the weight of it all.

Don't get me wrong. For the most part, this struggle is a good one. Friends are moving. Some for good reasons. Some for ill. One way or another Trish and I will be going elsewhere since our building has been sold. I may have said this before, but I have never lived in any place longer than I have lived in this old apartment. Change, as I understand it, is the norm. Such generous shifts are uncomfortable to say the least...but they are also often the norm. Heck, they are often the signs of growth...or at the very least opportunities for growth.

People move, change employment, graduate, rearrange furniture, it really doesn't matter. Our children grow. Our parents age. These relatively small change are daily, constant.

Living in this apartment for so long reminds me that somehow a stillness, a changelessness is almost required to navigate such Perpetual Change. I can't deny that as much as I see the wisdom of a connection to an inner stillness, I still desire an outer stillness. I will rail against change. To everything there is a season. Is there a season for stillness? It is certainly considered a virtue by some. The Benedictine Rule asks that adherents take vows...and one is of stability. Stability is a virtue? Wondrous...but how utterly inconceivable.

This morning I heard a bird singing outside my window. It is the first such bird of spring for me. It is cold this morning. It is hard to believe spring is here, but it is. I welcome this change. And somehow the signs of this change, a bird singing, brings with it a stillness, a changelessness, a welcome rhythm. Change is often its own stability. Is this what the vow refers to? Stabilitas does not necessarily mean changlessness, but perhaps it means constancy.

God is changeless. Psalmists proclaim this. Even though God changes God's mind from time to time as with Noah, or Jesus is surprised as with the woman wwith the flow of blood (crumbs!), God is nonetheless Stable. Constant. The mercy of the Lord never ceases.

Often I encounter people bemoaning change...the sheer rapiditiy of change in our hypertechnological world. What I am beginning to wonder is if this change is an illusion of some sort. Have things really changed for me? I mean, is the internet a sign of change in my life? I am less and less convinced that it is.

Sobriety is a change. Marriage, well, that was a change. There are certainly changes. Are they? I am unsure even as I write this if they are really changes. How different am I? "The man and the boy are the same, only the man is moreso."

Maybe, just maybe, change is the illusion after all. It is an illusion that crashes down upon us relentlessly. But reality, our place in God's Kingdom, our status as homo orans is changelss and no matter how I may reel from the changes about me, stability is my rule.

change, stability , Northumbria

free...

CHICAGO/TORONTO/IRAQ: CPT rejoices in the release of our peacemakers

Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden,
Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad. Christian
Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation
of their return to their loved ones and community. Together we have endured
uncertainty, hope, fear, grief and now joy during the four months since they
were abducted in Baghdad.

We rejoice in the return of Harmeet Sooden. He has been willing to put his
life on the line to promote justice in Iraq and Palestine as a young man
newly committed to active peacemaking.

We rejoice in the return of Jim Loney. He has cared for the marginalized and
oppressed since childhood, and his gentle, passionate spirit has been an
inspiration to people near and far.

We rejoice in the return of Norman Kember. He is a faithful man, an elder
and mentor to many in his 50 years of peacemaking, a man prepared to pay the
cost.

We remember with tears Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad on March 9,
2006, after three months of captivity with his fellow peacemakers. We had
longed for the day when all four men would be released together. Our
gladness today is made bittersweet by the fact that Tom is not alive to join
in the celebration. However, we are confident that his spirit is very much
present in each reunion.

Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles
facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for
justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked
by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of
the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe
that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root
cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and
suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.

Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our
enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to
our friends and sorrow to their families. In the spirit of the prophetic
nonviolence that motivated Jim, Norman, Harmeet and Tom to go to Iraq, we
refuse to yield to a spirit of vengeance. We give thanks for the
compassionate God who granted our friends courage and who sustained their
spirits over the past months. We pray for strength and courage for ourselves
so that, together, we can continue the nonviolent struggle for justice and
peace.

Throughout these difficult months, we have been heartened by messages of
concern for our four colleagues from all over the world. We have been
especially moved by the gracious outpouring of support from Muslim brothers
and sisters in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. That support
continues to come to us day after day. We pray that Christians throughout
the world will, in the same spirit, call for justice and for respect for the
human rights of the thousands of Iraqis who are being detained illegally by
the U.S. and British forces occupying Iraq.

During these past months, we have tasted of the pain that has been the daily
bread of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Why have our loved ones been
taken? Where are they being held? Under what conditions? How are they? Will
they be released? When?

With Tom's death, we felt the grief of losing a beloved friend. Today, we
rejoice in the release of our friends Harmeet, Jim and Norman. We continue
to pray for a swift and joyful homecoming for the many Iraqis and
internationals who long to be reunited with their families. We renew our
commitment to work for an end to the war and the occupation of Iraq as a way
to continue the witness of Tom Fox. We trust in God's compassionate love to
show us the way.

Living through the many emotions of this day, we remain committed to the
words of Jim Loney, who wrote:

"With God's abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies.

With the love of Christ, we will resist all evil.

With God's unending faithfulness, we will work to build the beloved
community."

CPT, Iraq, hostages

prayer, liturgy and things of conversion

I have been asked to share my conversion experience with people a lot lately. There is nothing in my experience like the pulpit search process to bring this question to the fore.
People have varying ideas and experiences about how someone's conversion should look. For some, it is a flashing moment when they met God and were convicted of their sins...or something like that. For others, it was a relationship or friendship based in the study of scripture. It could be most anything. Really. And for me, it was prayer and liturgy.
I have a degree in Religion from my undergrad. That was a great experience. I probably met God in the classroom as well. I felt welcomed by Christianity for the first time there at least. But the formation, that conversion when my soul gradually turned happened in the daily prayers of a shared communal life. This is another way to be steeped in the language of scripture and the history of the various streams of faith. It is as converting as bible study, as engrossing as the flash of light.
I have been thinking of this lately not just because I have been asked the question seven different ways from Sunday but because Reconciler seems to be moving in this direction. Certainly the other forms of conversion are welcomed, but our principal means of conversion, teaching and encouraging discipleship is in shared worship.
This witness will hopefully become stronger as Holy Trinity, an ecumenical intentional community associated with Reconciler grows roots. Daily prayer, daily reading of scripture, and a shared life together in the name of Christ can be a strong guide to a congregation...a core group of monastics, if you will, to guide us all.
I'm looking forward to all of this.
liturgy, prayer, conversion

listening bar

What are you listening to?

Yes...

I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long...
How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long...
'cause tonight...we can be as one
Tonight...

Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

How long...
How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long...
'cause tonight...we can be as one
Tonight...tonight...

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Oh, wipe your blood shot eyes
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)

Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)

And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die

(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)

The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On...

Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday...

U2

evangelism and desert theology

I am working through the lectionary for this Sunday. Thus far I have come up with two themes that are interesting to me.

Since I am preaching at an ecumenical congregation, it may serve to take a strong Baptist line and preach about being saved through grace by faith. That could be fun and cause a little conversation. The other option is preaching about how obedience to God can take us through a desert...that our numbers may dwindle, but if we are obedient to our calling...The desert, obedience and church growth.

I know it is too much for one sermon, but those are the connections I am making. Oh! And a friend sent this my way.

A Forum For Evangelical Theology
presents
David Fitch, pastor of "Life on the Vine" Church and co-founder of Up/rooted
next Thursday, March 23, Noon, Loder side dining room

Dr. Fitch will discuss his important new book, The Great Giveaway, which challenges
the way we do evangelism. No longer should we be concerned primarily for 'decision,'
but we must take baptisms and sanctification as our standards for evangelism. No
longer should we seek to model the Church after 'successful' corporate models.
Success requires a Christoform life.

Come and discuss with us the shape of evangelism from someone who practices it in his
church. The book is available at Cokesbury.

You all have a good day.

evangelism, desert, church

comments

Hey.

I have managed to average 400 spam comments a day.
I am shutting down my commenting option for a while.
I am sorry if this is a frustration, but believe it or not, this spam is filling up my server. Oy. Vey.

When I update MT and get things rolling again, I'll allow for comments. Until then, please accept my appologies. I want to know what you all think about my ramblings. I do. But I am not interested in pokeno, craps, poker or viagra. Really. Honest.

In the news...

I have been busy being musical and have not posted links to some interesting news articles. The vast majority of these is religious in subject, but I thought you might want a peek.

* Satellite images renew interest in search for Noah's ark
* More Baptist churches looking to Lent for community, confession, cadence I know of the pastor from River Road. It is the church located very near my alma mater. I come by this AngloBaptist thing honestly.
* Ordination variations: Some wonder is it baptistic? Is it biblical? And here I thought that my ecumenical efforts had changed the face of baptist life. Well, back to the drawing board.
* Cincinnati leaders change direction on homosexuality discrimination 8-1 is a pretty steep defeat.
* House passes resolution condemning Russian religious-freedom violations Hey, someone tell me what such a respolution accomplishes.
*Students Flock to Seminaries, but Fewer See Pulpit in Future Thanks for sending this, Crawford. It is interesting. I wonder if some of the younger people who choose not to serve a pulpit will find themselves choosing to try one on when they are in their 30's.
*Judges Overturn Bush Bid to Ease Pollution RulesAh...state and federal competition again. The judge they interview is a Clinton appointee. That makes some difference, I guess. But what is interesting is how this judgment is more about states' rights in working with corporations.

"Satellite image of the Mt. Ararat 'anomaly' in 2003. The anomaly is surrounded below by very rugged-looking strato-volcanic rock, however, the texture of the feature in question is relatively smooth and appears to be made of a different substance."

well, that was fun...

I posted a couple more images in the gallery from our concerts this weekend. I had a great time. Friday evening at Smallbar was great. We usually get a good crowd there. People are rowdy in appropriate ways. And the host, Fuji, is generous. Go to Smallbar, people. You con't go wrong.

The Poitin Stil gig was a little unusual. It went well and a bunch of friends showed up. I have to say that my friends seem to like going there for some reason. Anyway, it was an afternoon gig and I simply could not get my energy up...not where I would want it to be at least. Still, it was a good show and our host, Susan, treated us well.

Finally, we went to Hotti Biscotti. When I walked in I was a little worried. The only person there was the bartender. Really. The place was dead. I though to myself "Well, we will put on a show for our 12 friends and call it a night...maybe one hour of work." By the time 11:00 rolled around, the place was packed. Our last minuter e-mail did the trick. I think it was our best show. We played until 2:00. Al, our former banjo player, was in town. He joined us for the night. It was marvelous. And the crowd was great. Dancing, singing...listening to the ballads. Wow.

So, yeah, it was a good day.

'tis the day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone.

Click here for pictures from last night's gig. Oh, here's an mp3 for you.

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Have a blessed feast day.

stop the presses!

NO TIME TO UPDATE THE WEBSITE, PEOPLE.
THIS NEWS IS FRESH.

NEW GIG JUST ADDED!

Join us late night Friday!

ONE OF THE GIRLS
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Friday, 3/17
11 p.m.
Hotti Biscotti
3545 W. Fullerton
Only 0.7 miles from the Logan Square Blue Line
(yes, I google-mapped it)
NO COVER
ALL AGES (well, all who are up that late)
CHEAP DRINKS: $2 PBRs, $2 Rolling Rock, $4 whiskey

And don't forget to catch us tonight and tomorrow afternoon:

SAINT PATRICK'S EVE
Thursday, 3/16
10pm
Smallbar
2049 W. Division
$4 Guinness and $4 Jameson specials!

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY
Friday, 3/17
2pm to 6pm (Yes, in the afternoon.)
Poitin Stil
1502 W. Jarvis

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-One of the Girls

ruining my bracket

Oklahoma...

*ahem*

Brand new state!

Brand new state, gonna treat you great!

Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters,

Pasture fer the cattle,
Spinach and termayters!
Flowers on the prarie where the June bugs zoom,
Plen'y of air and plen'y of room,
Plen'y of room to swing a rope!
Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope.
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma,
Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine,
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma,
Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine,
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.

You may return to your regularly scheduled foolery.

a little meta magic for your morning

AKMA needs to re-explore his allegiances. It is sad but true. Duke is the Devil according to some. And from their own words, I am beginning to think that the Devils are all Calvinists. They are bound to win again? Predestination abounds! Number one in their bracket? They are Elect! Is AKMA a Calvinist? Hmmmm.

Amy Butler is a groupie. But does Hillary Duff know of her comparison?

Get Religion has posted more entries that are worthy of attention than I can link to right now. But here are two. One is about what happens to churches that don't make enough money. The other is about doctrine and Iraq. We fret, hem and haw about sectarian violence. But does anyone remember why Rhode Island exists? I will bite my tongue here. But read about Obadiah Holmes.

Cliff has a very informative post on the development of monasticism and how it can still speak to us. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. You should be wearing your green, praying for the snakes and remembering the monasteries he founded.

Pastor Larry has posted a review of sorts about Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller.

The Tentmaker has posted this sermon. It was written for his mother-in-law's funeral. It is wondrous. Bring your tissues. Peace and all good things be to you and your family, Tentmaker.

Also, here are a couple of links to other sermons. The Sacristan+ has provided a powerful reflection on what it means to carry your cross. Pastor Larry wants us to know a little more about encountering God.

Finally, stay tuned for the weather. We may get some snow. It is still winter after all. I moved the image of Michigan Ave to this post. It changes every few minutes. It is a live camera from WGN.

wednesday musings

Today is like Christmas Eve for me. Why? Well tomorrow the gigging (jigging?). Yep, tomorrow evening we are at Smallbar. Friday I will take the day off from the office, play at the Poitin Stil in the afternoon and then perhaps at the Hungry Brain in the evening. We are still waiting to hear. They have a small stage. That makes for a safer evening of Irish drinking songs. It seems that we are dangerous. I never thought I would be in a band that was considered dangerous. Hmm.

Chicago is chilly during March. Today is no different. They are even calling for a chance of snow tomorrow. So, come out to the show. Sit in a window, drink something Irish and watch the snow fall. We'll play something pretty for you.

With that in mind, I am trying to get the baptists to come to Friday's afternoon gig. It seems that some of the higher-ups are meeting in Chicago. All pastors have been invited, but I did not receive the invitation until yesterday. My absense is noted and understood. The meeting ends at four o'clock. It is only ten blocks from the Stil. It would be great for them to swing by. Heh.

I like it when communities overlap. It has always been a vision of mine, really. In reference to Bonhoeffer, I am not sure if it is a Godly vision, but I hope so. I have never been able to extract music from ministry or ministry from music. They go hand in hand. I cannot erase one from my life without the other suffering somehow.

listening bar
Hilliard Ensemble - Byrd, Three Masses
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
Gaelic Storm - Herding Cats
Huckleberries - Jigweed
Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty

last in a round of bullets

Follow the extended link for an essay about Tom Fox.

Last in a Round of Bullets
by Lisa Schirch

Lisa Schirch is an associate professor at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. Tom Fox took a graduate-level course with Lisa in the spring of 2004 in preparation for his work in Iraq and kept in regular contact with her about his work.

Bullets travel in circles - one side fires, another side reciprocates. Tom Fox's body was the final resting place for a long line of bullets in Iraq.

American soldiers wield guns to support democracy and freedom. Saddam
Hussein's forces used the power of the gun to terrorize civilians and
threaten neighboring countries and the U.S. Those who killed Tom are part
of the Iraqi insurgency and have their own reasons for wielding guns. If
we understand their story we have a better chance of preventing more
deaths.

The number of people joining the insurgency continues to grow in direct
correlation with mounting anger toward the U.S. According to a recent
poll, nearly half of Iraqis now support insurgency attacks on U.S. forces.
They are outraged at the ongoing destruction and occupation of their
country. Iraqis lament the almost total abandonment of reconstruction,
community development, and grassroots diplomacy efforts that would build
the foundation for their security.

Insurgents target Americans because they are angry at the illegal
detentions of innocent Iraqi people, the widespread torture in prisons in
Iraq, and the use by American forces of a chemical weapon, white
phosphorous, that killed and burned innocent families who were in the way
in Fallujah. The insurgents are mainly Sunni Muslims who are the minority
and fear being left out of the new political context.

Guns are a short term solution, whether in the hands of dictators,
insurgents, or militaries. Saddam Hussein could not hold onto power
through his brutal use of the gun. The Coalition Forces deposed him with
guns, but military power cannot defeat the insurgency. Guns have no power
to win the peace.

The more the U.S. has shifted its focus to fighting the insurgency rather
than reconstructing Iraq, the more the insurgents have been able to
recruit new, unemployed young men with little hope for the future to join
them. When I was in Iraq in August, I heard many stories from Iraqi
community development workers about the direct relationship between
unemployment and insurgent recruitment. When there is little hope for
this life, people begin imagining using the gun to gain martyrdom in
preparation for the next life.

Each one who picks up a gun believes bullets will create their desired
end. But instead of bending the will of their opponents, bullets only
harden the other's resolve to keep fighting. No amount of overwhelming
force can bring an end to the violence in Iraq. More guns will only make
the situation worse.

History suggests that terrorism disappears in the absence of the fuel of
economic and political desperation. The U.S. needs the courage and
leadership to work in partnership with the international community to
invest in long-term solutions of reconstruction, development, and
grassroots diplomacy among the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq. We
need to diligently support those undertaking grassroots diplomatic efforts
across Iraq. Development and diplomatic tools can prevent and curb the
growth of the insurgency.

Bullets ended Tom's life. But they have not crushed his vision for a just
peace in Iraq nor the inspiration he offers the living to join in the
cause of ending the war in Iraq. Tom was in Iraq to end the cycle of
bullets among Saddam Hussein's forces, the Coalition Forces, and the
insurgents. His body, his writings, and his work for peace all aimed for
that end. There should be no bullets in reciprocation for those that rest
in Tom. We need a different path out of Iraq.

Thousands of people like Tom Fox risk their lives everyday around the
world to oppose dictators through nonviolent actions, to document human
rights violations, and to build relationships across the lines of
conflict.

There are many people willing to give their lives for war. There need to
be more people who give their lives for peace.

a little bonhoeffer for you all

Good morning, everyone. Here are two Bonhoeffer quotations. They are both taken from Celtic Daly Prayer from the Northumbria Community. The first, if I recall correctly, is from Life Together. I believe the second is as well, but I am not entirely certain.

The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands thet it be realized by God, by others and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, his own law, and judges the prethren and himself accordingly. He acts as if eh is the creator of community, as if it is his dream which holds the community together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal pleasure is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So, he becomes first an accuser of his brethren, then God, then the despising accuser of himself.

The second quotation reads thusly...

The renewal of the church will come from a new type of monasticism, which has only in common with the old an uncompromising allegiance to the Sermon on the Mount. It is high time men and women banded together to do this.

I have been pondering once again what it means to have a vision, a dream of something. The proof is in the pudding, I realize, and I like pudding. But it is a fine line to walk, as Bonhoeffer suggests, to live into a dream. Any vision, no matter how inspired by the Holy Spirit, is still housed in flesh...as it should be. It cannot be realized otherwise, but it is always a trial.

And, somehow, this thought is connected to this nitpicking question: What is the difference between a congregation and a Christian community? I am thinking lately that I must be toting around an old definintion that needs some updating.

public space

It would seem that I have once again been reminded how this is a public space. It may feel private, but it is not.

I received an e-mail from Carol McVetty, one of the pastors at North Shore Baptist Church. She wanted me to know that my Thanksgiving reflection had been discovered by members of ECRA. One of the members had forwarded the link to others.

So, if you are visiting from ECRA, welcome. I am glad you stopped by. Some day soon I will try to meet you all. I am one member of a pastoral team for a small church start that meets at Immanuel Lutheran on Elmdale. You can go here to read our blog. I know we want to be an active member of ECRA, but the demands of getting our congregation off the ground have proven all-encompassing. Ha.

Welcome to a public forum. May it always feel private. I'm glad you are all here.

context...textual concern...

Dasein has provided yet another interesting quotation to muse over.

. . . text, context, and interpretation all emerge together, as a consequence of a gesture . . . that is irreducibly interpretive. It follows, then, that when one interpretation wins out over another, it is not because the first has been shown to be in accordance with the facts but because it is from the perspective of its assumptions that the facts are now being specified.

Stanley Fish, Is There a Text in This Class?, 340.

What do you think? It is a chiken and egg kind of conversation, but it I think it is a worthwhile one to explore. We have relationships with text. All text is interpreted. All text speaks to and from existing relationships. I think it is interesting that the author suggests that text is appropriated by points of view. Is this the nature of interpretation? Some suggest that it is unavoidable.

John Calvin suggested as much. That was one of the fruits of his theological humanism. He even went so far as to say that the Church Fathers whom he so deeply loved fell prey to this. Thus the Church Fathers' interpretation is rife with Neo-Platonism. According to Calvin, they were too concerned with making the gospel relevent to the philosophy of the day...and in the process bent the text to fit the philosophical school.

Thus, sometimes we can appropriate on behalf of others. Such appropriation is common. Winning interpretations can be truth-telling and the results of popularity contests. Sometimes they are both.

Text can also be spoken. Let's not forget that. AKMA and Deep Weeds have both posted on this in terms of their own pedagogy. How one teaches is closely wed to how one interprets. Does not teaching also reflect the existing interpretation of the text? Sure it does.

This is why I like the podcast...and why I am working on podcasts of ancient texts for AKMA (Yes, I have not forgotten.). To read them is one mode of discovering interpretation. Hearing them is another. Our senses play a large part in how we interpret, how we are moved or not by a text. We learn in the process as much about ourselves as we do the text if we are self-aware.

the girls...

Editor: The link to the band's website is fixed. Thanks, Justin.

Go to our website www.oneofthegirls.net for performance information. We are still trying to get things worked out for Friday evening. It is very frustrating. We were supposed to play at a local pub, but they are now expecting so many people to be there that they are afraid that adding a band will be dangerous. There are too many opportunities for intoxicated revelers to trip on monitors.

It makes sense. Yes. I am greatly disappointed right now. I am in an Irish band in Chicago and our St' Patty's Day gigs are drying up. Oy!

I hope that The Girls can get a new head of steam going. There is much I would like to learn. There is a Nanci Griffith tune that has been niggling at me for a while now. Here are the lyrics:

I would bring you Ireland
The cool sweet of the Dublin rain
If you would keep my heart for me
In the quiet of your Texas days
And my old friend, will you shelter me from pain
In return I'd bring you Ireland

One day I'll build a tower
High upon my Texas plains
I can see from coast to coast
On hot platinum summer days
When the dust is still, and the cotton prays for rain
And the thirsty passers-by wonder why they came

I dreamed of Amarillo
On a foreign night in Dublin
The dust was on my pillow
When the raindrops started falling
In a hotel window, where I could see his rainbow
And I thought I'd send my heart to you
Cause that's the way the wind blows

And I'll reclaim my heart one day
We'll sit and watch your children play
And I will bring you lullabies
From the Emerald Isles for back porch days
And my old friend we will always meet again
And I will bring you Ireland
I will bring you Ireland
I would bring you Ireland

Well, in the mean, we do have two gigs finalized for the week. It may be that we can score a quick and dirth Friday night gig at a southside bar we played once. I think it could be great if they have room for us. I'll let you know.

the spirit moves

At least that is what I pray is going on. Boy, that was more cryptic than I intended.

Larry is blogging again. Generally, I would say this is a good thing. He is bright and insightful. On the other hand, when Jeffery comes by, I get called "rag tag." I know this is meant as a compliment. Heh. But "rag tag?!" Oh my.

Jane is back from her trip to St Hinterlands. It seems to have been a fruitful exercise. She knows how to speak her truth in love. Let us hope that the good people out there know how to listen. She also posted an essay from her bishop. It appeared in Christianity Today. He is a conservative in the ECUSA. He writes how it is more important to stay in the midst of such crises as the ECUSA is experiencing. Institutional schism, he suggests, is worse than heresy.

Last night's service saw 13 people. Thirteen is a lovely number. Our little chapel feels full with thirteen people. The singing was lively. The Bible study before the service was well done. We spoke about being "born again" ala the third chapter of John. Larry preached well. Keep your eyes peeled. The sermon will appear on the Reconciler blog soon enough.

Finally, we have decided that we will participate fully in the Holy Week celebrations at Immanuel Lutheran, our host congregation. Larry will preach at the Maundy Thursday service. I will join the choir and cantor throughout. The pastor at Immanuel feels that the Spirt is moving, that there is a deep relationship to be had between the two congregations. He is more than hopeful and things seem to be moving quickly. Keep us in your prayers. As we know more, I'll be certain to spread the news.

mourning...

Tom Fox is dead.

You can follow this link to read the article in the Washington Post. Or you can follow the extended link to read the e-mail that CPT sent out.

One of the women who attends Reconciler is a CPT'er. This has been a long ride for all of them. Keep all peacemakers in your prayers, that in time swords may indeed be pounded into plows.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

CPTnet 10 March 2006

CHICAGO/TORONTO/IRAQ: We mourn the loss of Tom Fox

In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of
our beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain. Tom Fox's body was
found in Baghdad yesterday.

Christian Peacemaker Teams extends our deep and heartfelt condolences to the
family and community of Tom Fox, with whom we have traveled so closely in
these days of crisis.

We mourn the loss of Tom Fox who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm
opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone.

We renew our plea for the safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and
Norman Kember. Each of our teammates has responded to Jesus' prophetic call
to live out a nonviolent alternative to the cycle of violence and revenge.

In response to Tom's passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to
vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done. In Tom's own
words: "We reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no
retaliation on relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their
enemies. We hope that in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening
nonviolently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we can
contribute in some small way to transforming this volatile situation."

Even as we grieve the loss of our beloved colleague, we stand in the light
of his strong witness to the power of love and the courage of nonviolence.
That light reveals the way out of fear and grief and war.

Through these days of crisis, Christian Peacemaker Teams has been surrounded
and upheld by a great outpouring of compassion: messages of support, acts
of mercy, prayers, and public actions offered by the most senior religious
councils and by school children, by political leaders and by those
organizing for justice and human rights, by friends in distant nations and
by strangers near at hand. These words and actions sustain us. While one
of our teammates is lost to us, the strength of this outpouring is not lost
to God's movement for just peace among all peoples.

At the forefront of that support are strong and courageous actions from
Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world for which we are profoundly
grateful. Their graciousness inspires us to continue working for the day
when Christians speak up as boldly for the human rights of thousands Iraqis
still detained illegally by the United States and United Kingdom.

Such an outpouring of action for justice and peace would be a fitting
memorial for Tom. Let us all join our voices on behalf of those who
continue to suffer under occupation, whose loved ones have been killed or
are missing. In so doing, we may hasten the day when both those who are
wrongly detained and those who bear arms will return safely to their homes.
In such a peace we will find solace for our grief.

Despite the tragedy of this day, we remain committed to put into practice
these words of Jim Loney: "With the waging of war, we will not comply. With
the help of God's grace, we will struggle for justice. With God's abiding
kindness, we will love even our enemies." We continue in hope for Jim,
Harmeet and Norman's safe return home safe.

belated birthday greetings...

Happy Birthday, Megan!!!

sausage parade

Last night Trish and I went to Roger's apartment. His girlfriend, Sofie, is in from Germany for a few weeks. One her friends, Anne-Sofie, flew in to play in Chicago for a week. The two Sofies decided to host a Sausage Parade party last night. We enjoyed various forms of kraut (red and sour), sausage, mustards, knudel, and myriad beverages. I had some strong German coffee that kept me up late and got me up early. It was a great time. The caffeine has left me a little hungover, but this is the price you pay for sausage parades much knudeling.

In other news, Dasein is at it again. He speaks of humanizing ala Lessing. I must confess that I like the thinking. Humanizing is different from relativising. And, in terms of Christian theology, it allows for us to honor Christ in each person. That createdness (Word, Logos, read John 1:1-18) is what defines us and cannot be stripped away. Humanizing one another is a way to remember this truth. This is friendship, neighborliness.

Rather than have the truth and end conversation, Lessing chooses to humanize, to have the friendship, to have discourse.

Let us not seek an end to discourse, but its continuance.

moving day - an opportunity for whining?

Well, just so you know, I have permission from my friend and landlord, Leo, to post this. It is not a gripe. It is a prayer concern.

We are moving. Leo's family has sold the building. This means that all of us need to find new digs by 4/20/06. Oy. Veh. Anxious? Anyone? Yeah, just a little.

I'll let you all know how that goes for us. Keep all of us in your prayers. Everything happened so quickly. The house was put on the market a little less than a week ago. That's a pretty quick turn around even for our neighborhood. We are all scrambling for a place to live.

Trish and I will meet for lunch to discuss our various options.

listening bar

The Grand Illusion
Welcome to the grand illusion
Come on in and see what’s happening
Pay the price, get your tickets for the show
The stage is set, the band starts playing
Suddenly your heart is pounding
Wishing secretly you were a star.

But don’t be fooled by the radio
The tv or the magazines
They show you photographs of how your life should be
But they’re just someone else’s fantasy
So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because you never win the game
Just remember that it’s a grand illusion
And deep inside we’re all the same.
We’re all the same...

So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because your neighbors got it made
Just remember that it’s a grand illusion
And deep inside we’re all the same.
We’re all the same...

America spells competition, join us in our blind ambition
Get yourself a brand new motor car
Someday soon we’ll stop to ponder what on earth’s this spell we’re under
We made the grade and still we wonder who the hell we are

coffee et poetry

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back, Guiltie of dust and sinne. But quick-ey’d Love, observing me grow slack From my first entrance in, Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning, If I lack’d any thing.

A guest, I answer’d, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkinde, ungratefull? Ah my deare,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

Truth Lord, but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, sayes Love, who bore the blame?
My deare, then I will serve.
You must sit down, sayes Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.

Hope you all have a good morning. I just thought I would share this poem. Enjoy your coffee.

ah ha!

Notorious B.I.G. is in the CD player. Life after Death is totally unfamiliar to me, but it is doing the trick. Nice. I actually like it. Okay, I like the beats...the rhythm...the lyrics are, um, challenging. Wow. Can Notorious have been more angry? I hope not.

I guess I can get some of this and play it when I am cranky. I don't have to rely totally upon AC/DC to get me out of my funk.

caffeine hook up

I am trying to help myself.

I have a beverage. I have been warned that the beverage I am about to enjoy is extremely hot. But it is not. It is very warm. And milky. Oh, and there is hazelnut in it as well.

But I am still grumpy.

I'll let you know if the mood is improved with the kind assisstance of the Great Java.

wrong side of the bed

Urg.

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

Urg.

no, I said that it is really bad

I am watching The Unit. It is awful.

But I can't stop.

"Gentlemen, did you take this job to get out of the house, or to kick the door down?"

Wow. That line was delivered by the same guy who is the spakesman for All State Insurance. I trust that voice. I like that actor.

Why, O why is this show on? And why can't I stop watching?

_____________________________________________________________________

It is over. Shades of David in the end. The unit commander (That guy from T2?!) sends one of his sodliers out into the field as often as he can so he can have an affair with the soldier's wife. Has anyone seen Nathan? We could use Nathan right now.

Oy.

And they killed Islamic terrorists. Yep. I know. It's topical. But after this show, i am ready to riot. You think that the cartoons are offensive?! Wow.

I can't wait until next week. Rolling Stone says that this is the best new show on television.

Are there any other new shows on television?

quotation for you

"Religion opens up the depth of man's spiritual life which is usually covered by the dust of our daily life and noise of our secular work. It gives us the experience of the Holy, of something which is untouchable, awe-inspiring, an ultimate meaning, the sourse of ultimate courage. This is the glory of what we call religion. But beside its glory lies its shame. It makes itself the ultimate and despises the secular realm. It makes its myths and doctrines, its rites and laws into ultimates and persecutes those who do not subject themselves to it. It forgets that its own existence is a result of man's tragic estrangement from his true being. It forgets its own emergency character."

Paul Tillich, Theology of Culture (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959), 9.

Props to Dasein Ereignis.

october

I am listening to U2's October right now. Holy cow is this a great album. I forget how great it is. I forget to listen to it. I will go months. And then I pop it in and remember why I fell in love with the music 20+ years ago.

"Stranger In A Strange Land"

Stranger
Stranger in a strange land
He looked at me like I
Was the one who should run
We asked him to smile for a photograph
Waited a while to see if we could
Make him laugh

A soldier asked for a cigarette
His smiling face I can't forget
He looked like you across the street
But that's a long way here

And I wish you were here
And I wish you were here

Stranger
A stranger in a strange land
He look at me like I
Was the one who should run
I watched as he watched us
Get back on the bus
I watched the way it was
The way it was when he was with us

And I really don't mind
Sleeping on the floor
But I couldn't sleep after what I saw
I wrote this letter to tell you
The way I feel

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
To see what I could see
To hear
And I wish you were here

wow...am I tired

It was a great weekend.

The gig Saturday morning was fun. I am hoping that we will be able to score a copy of our segment to host as an mp3. That would be a good time.

Sunday was as I thought it would be. Sunday morning went well. The choir at North Shore is fun to sing with. Pastor Doug preached well. The meetings that afternoon went well enough. Meetings are meetings. But they filled my day. And then the snow started to fall. By five o'clock we had a few inches on the north side of the city. So, I almost did not get to Reconciler in time.

But I made it. I preached. I am told it went well. I must say that we sang well as a congregation. We are small...12-15 when everyone attends. But we sing! Parts. A cappella. Wondrous. It was a great way to wrap up my day.

Then I went to the grocery store to pick up ice for Trish's party. Someone had placed Sobe sodas in the freezer. Sobe is sold in glass bottles. I discovered this after I slit my finger open grabbing a bag of ice. Sigh. So, I filled out an accident report at the store and went home.

The Oscars were the Oscars. But they are much more enjoyable when you watch them with actors. The comments alone are worth the price of cheese puffs. We ate lots of cheese puffs.

All in all...a good weekend.

softscrub

So, I sometimes get on my hands and knees to clean the kitchen floor. Yes, I scrub with a brush.

But when I do these things, my lovely wife is compelled to comment. Today's was a gem. Wilst on my hands and knees whe said:

All you need is a string of pearls and I would love you.

I am trying not to speculate beyond the initial humor.

the weekend

There is much to do this weekend.

Friday evening:

clean office, work on sermon

Saturday morning:

One of the Girls will appear live on the radio. If you live out of the Chicago area, you can listen to the live webcast. Go to www.wluw.org. Our show begins at 9:00am Central. We are one of two or three guests on Live at the Heartland.

I will continue to work on my sermon. I am preaching at Reconciler. If all goes well, I will finish an article I need to write. But we'll see. I have to pull the bulletin together as well. Oy.

Saturday evening:

The caterer I have worked for over the last few years has sold her business. So, she is throwing a party Saturday night. I will make a brief appearance. We'll see how it goes with the sermon prep.

Sunday:

Oh, church. Lots and lots of church...and entire day of church related foolery. I like such foolery, but I expect to be tired. I am singing in the morning, meeting during the day, preaching that night and collapsing when I get home...to my wife's Oscar party.

There you go. How does your weekend look?

catholic democrats

Catholic Democrats outline beliefs on church, state, abortion rights
By Robert Marus

In an apparent attempt to address a controversy that has swirled since the 2004 general election, a group of Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives issued a document Feb. 28 explaining how they reconcile their faith with their politics.

Published March 2, 2006

WASHINGTON (ABP) -- In an apparent attempt to address a controversy that has swirled since the 2004 general election, a group of Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives issued a document Feb. 28 explaining how they reconcile their faith with their politics.
The document, signed by 55 of the chamber's 72 Democratic Catholics, outlines how the signatories believe they should balance their roles as individual people of faith and as public servants representing people of all faiths.

"We are committed to making real the basic principles that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching: helping the poor and disadvantaged, protecting the most vulnerable among us, and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country," it read. "That commitment is fulfilled in different ways by legislators but includes: reducing the rising rates of poverty, increasing access to education for all, pressing for increased access to health care, and taking seriously the decision to go to war."

Both relatively liberal Catholics who support abortion rights, such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and moderate, anti-abortion Democrats, such as Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), signed the document. It addressed abortion directly only by noting that all the signers agreed that it is a practice that should be reduced.

"We envision a world in which every child belongs to a loving family and [we] agree with the Catholic Church about the value of human life and the undesirability of abortion -- we do not celebrate its practice," the statement said. "Each of us is committed to reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies and creating an environment with policies that encourage pregnancies to be carried to term. We believe this includes promoting alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, and improving access to children's health care and child care, as well as policies that encourage paternal and maternal responsibility."

The statement came as the 2006 House election cycle is heating up and as disputes still linger from the 2004 elections. That year, several Catholic bishops across the nation stirred controversy by declaring that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, such as then-presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), were out of communion with the Catholic Church.

Representatives from the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops were unavailable for comment on this story. But a Catholic leader at a conservative Christian group told the Washington Post Catholic Democrats couldn't discount their beliefs on the legality of abortion as a non-essential issue and simultaneously point to their support of other Catholic social teachings.

"What is at the core of being Catholic is the life issue, and that's something the pope has never strayed from," Tom McCluskey of the Family Research Council said. "While other issues are important -- such as helping the poor, the death penalty, views on war -- these are things that aren't tenets of the Catholic Church."

religious liberty

Gaddy warns Mainstream Baptists to be vigilant on religious liberty
By Robert Marus

Gaddy cited a litany of examples of what he considers threats to religious freedom and church-state separation. They included government money being given directly to churches for social services; increasingly polarizing religious rhetoric in political campaigns; government agencies spying on American Muslims, Quakers and other religious groups because they espouse beliefs that differ from the executive branch; and a sitting Supreme Court justice who has stated he doesn't believe the First Amendment's religion clauses apply to the states.

Published March 2, 2006

RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) -- Speaking Feb. 24 in the birthplace of the First Amendment's religion clauses, a Baptist minister who is a professional opponent of the Religious Right warned Baptists to be equally vigilant.

Welton Gaddy, president of the Washington-based Interfaith Alliance and preaching pastor at Northminster Baptist Church in Monroe, La., told about 100 people gathered for a Mainstream Baptist Network meeting that he is looking for some "real Baptists" to stand up for religious liberty.

"In recent years, the joy I find in the work that I do has been tempered significantly by a growing sense that something is wrong -- something is bad wrong in this nation," Gaddy said, speaking in Richmond, Va. "Politicians have latched on to religion as a key ingredient in their strategies to win elections, to pass controversial pieces of legislation, and to garner support for questionable public policies. Reciprocally, religious leaders have formed alliances with more-than-willing politicians in an effort to use the government -- its agencies, laws, policies and money -- to seek preferential treatment for their particular religious institutions and the advancement of narrow sectarian agendas."

Gaddy cited a litany of examples of what he considers threats to religious freedom and church-state separation. They included government money being given directly to churches for social services; increasingly polarizing religious rhetoric in political campaigns; government agencies spying on American Muslims, Quakers and other religious groups because they espouse beliefs that differ from the executive branch; and a sitting Supreme Court justice who has stated he doesn't believe the First Amendment's religion clauses apply to the states.

Baptists hold the key to overcoming such perils, Gaddy said.

"Every day I work with people who come from over 75 different religious traditions," he said. "With respect for all of them and intending no diminution in the importance of any of them, I believe that real Baptists can make a major contribution for good in the midst of a bad situation. Religious freedom is our tradition; religious freedom should be our vision and passion."

Gaddy's speech came during the Mainstream Network's fifth annual national convocation. The group was founded in 2001, formally bringing together a coalition of moderate groups dedicated to preventing fundamentalists from taking over the leadership of several state Baptist conventions.

Only a handful of state conventions are still controlled by moderates, and several of the state Mainstream groups have ceased to function.

David Currie, the network's Texas-based coordinator, acknowledged to network supporters that there may be some confusion over the group's reason for existence.

"You may be asking, 'Why do we still have the Mainstream Baptist Network? The fight is pretty much over in all the states,'" he said.

But Currie said the group still has a role in Baptist and broader American life, and a major part of that role is telling the Baptist story about religious freedom. "Conservatives should support religious liberty more than anyone," he said.

Currie said Christians should encourage religious freedom and the separation of church and state because too cozy a relationship between the two harms both church and state. He particularly criticized elements in the Religious Right who claim Christians in the United States are being persecuted because government won't endorse their views.

"They have invited persecution because of their overreaching into the lives of people and the religious expression of people who are protected by the First Amendment. If Christians are being persecuted in this country, in my opinion, it's because they've asked for it," he said. "We will experience much less persecution, if it exists, when we return to preaching the love of God -- that is all that has ever won people to the love of Christ."

He also said the group retains an educational role in Baptist life, explaining how the Southern Baptist Convention took a rightward turn since fundamentalists began to gain control of it in 1979.

"We are still, basically, the only group that publicly challenges fundamentalism -- and that's an important thing to do," he said. "Now others may challenge a specific issue … but we're still the only folks who are still trying to educate Baptists about what's happened the last 26-27 years."

Currie also said the network could continue to "stir the pot" and encourage separate groups of "free Baptists" -- such as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the American Baptist Churches-USA, the Baptist World Alliance and the moderate-led Virginia and Texas state conventions -- to work together.

inequality in public education?

So, the executive minister of the ABC-Metro Chicago has posted his thoughts on Chicago Public Radio's "Chicago Matters" blog. And here you thought I was liberal. Ha! Have at thee!

postliturgy recap

I am sitting at the diningroom table marveling at all that I have gotten done this morning. It is a tremendous thing to get up 90 minutes before one's scheduled rising. But I hope not to experience such productivity again for a while. I do, however, rather enjoy the coffee and leisurely blogging. Ah, such trials. It must be Lent.

Last night Reconciler joined with Immanuel Lutheran and St. Elias Lutheran (Arabic) churches for an Ash Wednesday service. Monte, the pastor at Immanuel, had invited one of us pastors at Reconciler to participate by reading the scripture. In the spirit of the Olympics, I was the first off the blocks. It was a pleasure to participate.

Immanuel has a lovely liturgy. It is all high church with a bohemian flair. That is to say that at least to me it seemed a sincere expression of faith and not simply a way to show off a new kind of candle or incense. Also, hearing the gospel read in Arabic by the Syrian pastor was amazing. It is just what they do. Like North Shore will have readings in Spanish and Japanese, Immanuel has readings in Arabic. Justin and I both commented that it is as close as these American Ears will come to hearing the gospel in the way that it was perhaps spoken. I am a sucker. I know. It should not matter, but I found it utterly engaging.

But that is neither here nor there. What made the evening so tremendous was the hospitality extended and the excitement shared. Reconciler has been renting space from Immanuel for six months or so. "Renting" is perhaps too strong a word. We do pay, yes. It is a tiny sum and barely begins to meet the electric bill, I'm certain. But there they were, approaching me and Larry and the other assembled members of our congregation with joy and excitement. They want to help us grow. They want to tell their friends about us. They want to know how we can worship together. Monte, the pastor from Immanuel is meeting with me and Larry on Monday to see what we can do. The pastor from St. Elias said that he would like to have a joint worship service with us. Larry's eyes popped. He even bounced. Larry does not bounce. It was incredible to behold. It was all so overwhelmingly generous. Is this Lent or is this Easter?!

Thank God for such a welcome.

In the midst of this joy, however, I came to a further realization of something. You know, as the Body of Christ, sin and grace are shared. I don't want to overburden anyone with my sacramental economy right now, but suffice it to say that I understand sin and grace to be shared burden and gift. But the application of such thought often escapes me.

I get the systemic stuff. I am a liberal after all. Systemic racism? Check! Systemic oppression? Check! Got it like I got milk. But my own sins are still somehow my own business. I horde them like they are of value. Or I attempt to diminish them like they are of no importance at all.

Well, Larry and I were talking about church and en/inculturation. We both agree that is part of the wider conversation whether Emergent or about church growth in general. We mused on this a bit and then these words came out of my mouth: "If I would finish my thesis, I bet I could talk to Ruth about our participating in her Liturgical Enculturation class at Seabury." Then I made the quick sidenote for myself (out loud I might add) "And this is how my sin becomes a burden for all."

Not to be too dramatic about it, but that is as true as I get. I had never even thought of my incomplete thesis as being something that would be a burden to another. I never made the connection before. I guess it does not matter that it is not The Sin of the American Corporation. It does not have to be that huge, that systemic. I am in the Body. Right. I forget. I don't know how, but I do.

So what do I do for Lent? I am afraid to say it. But it is forty days, with time off on Sunday to eat chocolate and drink caffeine...or do whatever it is we said we would not do. Can it be that the light is starting to dawn in my head?

How many times will I have to do this before it finally sinks in?

emerging insomnia

I love it when I wake up at 4:00am. *urggle*

But in this case, I poked around on an old blog or two and found this link. Huw started an interesting thread about the Emerging Church. This is one of the least pedantic and divisive posts yet. It is also honest and fair. We should all be glad Huw posts.

To contribute to his conversation, I offer these unstructured musings.

A friend of mine, a young pastor who recently started a church, talks to me from time to time about the new face of the church in America - about the postmodern church. He says that the new church will be different from the old one, that we will be relevant to culture and the human struggle. I don't think any church has been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of his gospel. If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool Web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is just another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing. - Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz p. 111

You see, Miller is just about as emergent as they come. He is as "pomo" as they come. And yet he has these words of critique. What Huw has the courage to say is roughly this: There are people out there trying to find God in their own lives. They stumble and grope just like people always have. Sometimes, as Miller states, they make false idols. We all have. A golden calf in the desert was the first and arguably most blatant attempt to make a god we could get to know quick and dirty like...that would not change our lives but simply make them "meaningful." The Law, Rome (It is, after all, just a city.), icons, scripture (sola scriptura and fundamentalism are not the same), and any number of other theo-liturgical foibles of the church have been idols from time to time. The Emergent Movement, by the very fact that it is populated with us sinners, is subject to the same failing. It just happens to be websites, haircuts and alternative music this time. Every aspect and tool of the faith has to do its time as an idol.

one of the girls

One of the Girls will be on the radio this Saturday!

Here are the details about the station.

So, tune in and have a listen. You can also come to The Heartland and get some good eats while you listen. That would be great. We would love to pack the joint.

ashen protestants

This is a link from Slate that my friend Tom provided. If you are interested in how/why Protestants participate in Lent at all, this is the article for you. Give it a read.

Observing Lent is also part of a Protestant move in the last generation toward more classical forms of spiritual discipline. The hugely influential 1978 book Celebration of Discipline, by Quaker theologian Richard J. Foster, encouraged churchgoers to rediscover fasting and meditation in "answer to a hollow world" and as a way to turn toward God. Some questing Protestants started making like monks, practicing silence and solitude. All this was made more palatable by the improved relations between Catholics and Protestants that followed the Second Vatican Council reforms of the 1960s.

some news from the baptist press

IRS investigation discovers illegal electioneering by churches in 2004
By Robert Marus
Published February 28, 2006

The report, released Feb. 24 by a special IRS task force, shows that many of the churches and charities referred to the agency during 2004 engaged in illegal electioneering. Since 1954, churches and other charities organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax codes have been prohibited from clearly endorsing or opposing candidates. However, they may speak out freely on legislative or ballot issues.

In 82 cases where a decision has been reached, the IRS found violations in 60 cases. Another 28 cases are still open.

You can find the entire article here.