Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday Family - Happy Birthday, Page


It wasn't very long ago, I was a boy,
And your mother was just a baby;
But the time flew and I
was a man by and by,
And Cherené turned into a lady.
Then came the day when we stood side by side,
Saying vows before a bridal altar;
And we vowed there and then
that through thick and through thin
The love we shared would never falter.

And it all boils down to the family;
What matters the most is the family.
Father and mother,
Brother and brother
Living the life that was planned to be.
Love begets love like a planted seed;
Love is the root of your family tree.
Love is the sunshine,
Love is your lifeline,
Love is the reason you came to be.
And it all boils down,
It all boils down to the family.

I can still remember how I felt inside
The day we learned that you were coming:
Calm and cool and prepared,
Tense and nervous and scared,
And absolutely sure of one thing–
You had a place in our home and our hearts
That would not be filled without you.
And once you were here
It was perfectly clear
That all of us were thrilled about you.

And it all boils down to the family;
What matters the most is the family.
Father and mother,
Brother and brother
Living the life that was planned to be.
Love begets love like a planted seed;
Love is the root of your family tree.
Love is the sunshine,
Love is your lifeline,
Love is the reason you came to be.
And it all boils down,
It all boils down to the family.

© Copyright 1993 by Dave Burkum (burkum.com).

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Thursday Thinking - Responding with Grace


How would people of your church respond to a vandal spray painting a provocative question on the side of their building? I found inspiration and gospel in a news story about the Grace Episcopal Church in Randolph, NY. The essay, Vandalism as a Conversation-Starter, by Elizabeth Drescher, was posted by Religion Dispatches on Tuesday of last week.
Excerpted from Vandalism as a Conversation-Starter:
...When “Can I still get to heaven if I kill myself” appeared in two-foot letters on the side of the modest, Victorian church on Monday, May 20... (Grace Episcopal was among a number of buildings tagged in the area)...the initial response was dismay. Rather than approaching the tagging as a criminal act, however, church leaders decided to take the graffiti seriously as an expression of something spiritually meaningful—a cry for help, perhaps; even a mocking expression of religious skepticism. They approached it relationally, using the church building itself as a social media platform, and responding with their own message of hope (see photo below).

The promise...in this story, then, has to do with a church waking up to a bigger world, a more complex and challenging religiosity, and responding to it with, dare we say, a measure of grace that speaks not merely to angst-ridden teenage taggers, a small parish community, or a rural town, but also to the blur of cars along the highway outside the church, drivers waving and honking as they pass, read the tags, and head down the highway—as well as to the clicks of digital believers, seekers, and skeptics who shared the story across social media in the hours since it appeared.
God loves you with no exceptions!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wednesday Words - Silken Lines and Silver Hooks


Who says that guys who love fishing can't be romantic?! At least they could be back in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. This poem, "The Bait," is John Donne's imitation of Christopher Marlowe's classic poem, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." Oh yeah, did I mention that shepherds were also romantic back then?

The Bait
Come, live with me, and be my love:
And we will some new pleasures prove,
Of golden sands, and crystal brooks;
With silken lines and silver hooks.

There will the river, whisp'ring, run,
Warm'd by the eyes more than the sun;
And there, the enamel'd fish will stay,
Begging themselves they may betray.

When thou wilt swim in that live bath---
Each fish, which every channel hath,
Most am'rously, to thee will swim,
Gladder to catch thee than thou him.

If thou to be seen be'st loath,
By sun or moon---thou dark'nest both;
And if mine eyes have leave to see,
I need not their light, having thee.

Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legs with shells and weeds;
Or treach'rously poor fish beset,
With strangling snares, or windowy net;

Let coarse bold hands, from slimy nest,
The bedded fish in banks outwrest;
Let curious traitors sleave silk flies,
To 'witch poor wand'ring fishes' eyes.

For thee, thou need'st no such deceit;
For thou, thyself, art thine own bait---
That fish, that is not catcht thereby,
Is wiser far, alas, than I.

"The Bait" by John Donne, from The Complete Angler, Isaac Walton, Chapter VII, "Observations of the Perch, And How to Fish for Him."

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday Tomes - Valley Book Clubs

Tonight is final session for both of our current Valley Book Clubs.  I'm looking forward to some good discussion. Hope to see some of you there.


The Rise of Christianity
by Rodney Stark

Writing from the perspective of social science while drawing upon historical evidence and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark looks for possible explanations for how the marginal Jesus Movement of the first century became the dominant religious force in the western world within a few centuries.

Session 3: May 28, 8:00pm - -     
Chapters 7 through 10 (pp. 147-216)

CLICK HERE for Complete Valley Book Club Info


Becoming a True Spiritual Community
by Larry Crabb

In today's frenetic society, people spend their lives essentially disconnected from others, rushing through life content with brief visits and casual conversations. But what if one had a spiritual community of people who walked with and supported each other through life's journey? Larry Crabb explores how God can heal disconnected people and allow them to reconnect with each other and, ultimately, with Him.

Session 3: May 28, 6:30pm -  
Chapters 7 through 10 (pp. 147-216)  

CLICK HERE for Complete Valley Book Club Info

Monday, May 27, 2013

Monday Music - O Lord, Remember

Today I'm posting a song from my If I Close My Eyes CD that seems especially appropriate for Memorial Day. The lyrics are included below.

When Allied troops liberated Ravensbruck concentration camp in 1945, they discovered the horrible atrocities and human loss the Nazi death juggernaut had left in its horrible wake.  At Ravensbruck alone, 92,000 women and children died. The faith, strength and noble spirit of those who endured this incomprehensible persecution is surpassed only by the incredible capacity some of them had to forgive their oppressors. 

The words of this prayer were found written on a piece of wrapping paper near the body of a dead child. Nothing I have ever read or heard expressed from the heart of a human being has moved me more deeply or taught me more about forgiveness.  Never have I seen a more tangible incarnation of Jesus' command to "love your enemies, and bless those who persecute you."  I am indebted to the unknown writer of this prayer.


FORGIVENESS
Oh Lord,
Remember not only the men and women of goodwill,
But also those of ill will.
But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us;
Remember the fruits we brought, thanks to this suffering-
Our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility,
The courage, the generosity,
The greatness of heart...
The greatness of heart which has grown out of all of this...
Which has grown out of all of this.
And when they come to judgement
Let all the fruits that we have borne be...
Let them be...
Be their forgiveness.
Forgiveness.
Amen,  Amen,  Amen.

Words: Author Unknown, adapted by Dave Burkum from Lord of the Journey (Roger Pooley and Philip Seddon, eds. / London: Collins, 1986, p.349), Music by Dave Burkum. © Copyright 1993 by Dave Burkum (burkum.com).

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sunday Supplication - Awake and Honest

O God, you are a faithful provider and you give order and purpose to our lives. We ask you to help us put aside all the things that are hurtful. Help us to seek the things that are true and uplifting and healing and beautiful.

Father, forgive us our sins, and help us, in gratitude to you, to forgive those who sin against us. We recognize that our hearts are so prone to pride and unforgiveness. It is hard for us to confess our sins, even to you. Help us to see clearly how we so often offend you. And help each of us to have the humility to pray, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Give us eyes to see the good things you have prepared in advance for us to do. Give us hearts that delight in your will, feet that walk in your ways, and spirits that longs to honor you in all we do. Help us to wake up and get honest about any disobedience, apathy, or distractions that are keeping us from faithfulness to you.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Saturday Smile - What Is an ELECTONE?!?!

I had never ever heard of an Electone until I saw this video last week. Apparently, judging from the crazy number of YouTube Electone videos, they're all the rage in Southeast Asia. Cheezy as can be, but I have to admit, this performance is pretty cool. Definitely worth a smile from an old Kansas lover.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday Family - Best of Minnesota

It was fun to read this in "The Best of Minnesota" section in last Sunday's StarTribune. It's great to see the support and appreciation the boys are getting from local audiences and media.


Best Live Music Act to Feel Like 
You've Left the 21st Century - 
The Cactus Blossoms - 2013 Best of MN
The farther away you get from Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers and other early purveyors of classic country music — geographically speaking, and in years — the more likely it becomes that young musicians carrying their torch will come off as a clichĂ©d, hokey retro act. Song-pickin’ brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey defy the odds and tip their hats to the country greats, especially with their all-star backing band that includes pedal-steel maestro Randy Broughten from the Gear Daddies and Trailer Trash. Their original tunes sound 60 years old but have a fresh spirit, and their duo harmonies add to the timelessness of their covers. They play every Monday night at the Turf Club and ramble around on weekends. thecactusblossoms.com

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Thursday Thinking - Day In, Day Out

During a commencement address at Kenyon College in 2005, David Foster Wallace candidly shared his personal views about how to think about the day ins and day outs life. After his death, the speech was reprinted in The Wall Street Journal and the London Times, and eventually in book form with the title, THIS IS WATER.

With wit and a congenial straightforwardness, Wallace calls his listeners to wake up to life, to think compassionately about others, and to stop being the center of their conciousness. He challenges them to notice the things around them, the mundane, the everyday, the annoying, the boring, and the irritating. This is not easy, he says, it takes will and effort, and some days you will not be able to or you just won't want to do it. But most days, if you're aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look at things differently.

Someone, I think it was Woody Allen, once said that 90% of life is just showing up. If that's true, then David Foster Wallace makes a good case for the most important 10% to be living with awareness.

Glossary.com has released a short film that creatively illustrates an excerpt of the speech using a recording of the original presentation as its soundtrack. Give it a few minutes to see what you think. If you think it has something worth passing along to others, do so. It's probably better than most of the commencement speeches the graduates in your life will be hearing in the next few weeks.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday Words - The Vulnerability of Love

There is no safe investment.

To love at all is to be vulnerable.

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change.

It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.

The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

—C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tuesday Tomes - Mindfulness and Self-Forgetfulness

Here are two little books that were easy and helpful reads. Both were suggested to me by friends. The first is about becoming more mindful when it comes to eating habits, and the second (really more of a booklet than a book) suggests being less absorbed with thoughts about yourself.

Mindless Eating
by Brian Wansink

Publisher's Description:
This book will literally change the way you think about your next meal. Food psychologist Brian Wansink revolutionizes our awareness of how much, what, and why we’re eating—often without realizing it. His findings will astound you.

• Can the size of your plate really influence your appetite?
• Why do you eat more when you dine with friends?
• What “hidden persuaders” are used by restaurants and supermarkets to get us to overeat?
• How does music or the color of the room influence how much—and how fast—we eat?
• How can we “mindlessly” lose—instead of gain—up to twenty pounds in the coming year?

Starting today, you can make more mindful, enjoyable, and healthy choices at the dinner table, in the supermarket, at the office—wherever you satisfy your appetite.

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
by Tim Keller

Publishers Description:
What are the marks of a supernaturally changed heart? This is one of the questions the Apostle Paul addresses as he writes to the church in Corinth. He s not after some superficial outward tinkering, but instead a deep rooted, life altering change that takes place on the inside.

In an age where pleasing people, puffing up your ego and building your résumé are seen as the methods to make it , the Apostle Paul calls us to find true rest in blessed self forgetfulness. In this short and punchy book, best selling author Timothy Keller, shows that gospel humility means we can stop connecting every experience, every conversation with ourselves and can thus be free from self condemnation. A truly gospel humble person is not a self hating person or a self loving person, but a self forgetful person. This freedom can be yours...

Monday, May 20, 2013

Monday Music - From a Window Seat

I'm loving the new Stories Don't End CD from Dawes. This song seems especially appropriate for today since I'm flying to Nashville, maybe I'll even have a window seat.



Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sunday Supplication - Pentecost Sunday

O God, on this Pentecost Sunday, we thank you for the light and presence of your Holy Spirit. We ask that by the power and grace of your Holy Spirit you would lead us, teach us, and transform us so that we might delight in your Word, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name.

We confess our sin and ask you to forgive us.  And beyond forgiveness, we ask that you would change us and strengthen us that we might overcome temptation and escape the sins that entangle and diminish us. We also ask for the grace and generosity to forgive others, even as you have forgiven us.

Help us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And help us to love our neighbors  as ourselves. Help us to follow Christ's selfless example, watching for the needs of others, and doing what we can to meet those needs. Help us to use every good gift you have given us to bless and encourage others.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Saturday Smile - Ground Control to Major Tom

This came out a few days ago, so you may have already seen it. Couldn't resist using it for this week's smile. Chris Hadfield has really made the grade.


Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday Family - Travel Buddy

I'm flying to Nashville with this guy on Monday. My grandson, Soren, and I will be helping his dad load up a moving truck and make the big trip back to New Brighton, Minnesota. I think this will be the third or fourth time Soren and I have made the trip together in a moving truck. I like the direction we're driving this time. Your prayers for us are appreciated.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thursday Thinking - Renewal and Redemption

This 7th and final week of Easter, we close our series of resurrection posts with some thoughts from Dr. Ben Witherington. He talks about the Christian hope of bodily resurrection described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. The resurrection of Jesus was just the beginning.



Dr. Witherington is an American New Testament scholar. He is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. He has written over thirty books and blogs on Patheos.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wednesday Words - Reach Out with Sure Hands

For Love in a Time of Conflict

When the gentleness between you hardens
And you fall out of your belonging with each other,
May the depths you have reached hold you still.

When no true word can be said, or heard,
And you mirror each other in the script of hurt,
When even the silence has become raw and torn,
May you hear again an echo of your first music.

When the weave of affection starts to unravel
And anger begins to sear the ground between you,
Before this weather of grief invites
The black seed of bitterness to find root,
May you souls come to kiss.

Now is the time for one of you to be gracious,
To allow a kindness beyond thought and hurt,
Reach out with sure hands
To take the chalice of your love,
And carry it carefully through this echoless waste
Until this winter pilgrimage leads you
Toward the gateway to spring.

From To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tuesday Tomes - Valley Book Clubs

Tonight is session two for two Valley Book Clubs.  I'm looking forward to some good discussion.


The Rise of Christianity
by Rodney Stark

Writing from the perspective of social science while drawing upon historical evidence and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark looks for possible explanations for how the marginal Jesus Movement of the first century became the dominant religious force in the western world within a few centuries.

Session 2: May 14, 8:00pm - -      
Chapters 4 through 6  (pp. 73-146)

CLICK HERE for Complete Valley Book Club Info


Becoming a True Spiritual Community
by Larry Crabb

In today's frenetic society, people spend their lives essentially disconnected from others, rushing through life content with brief visits and casual conversations. But what if one had a spiritual community of people who walked with and supported each other through life's journey? Larry Crabb explores how God can heal disconnected people and allow them to reconnect with each other and, ultimately, with Him.

Session 2: May 14, 6:30pm - -         
Chapters 4 through 6  (pp. 73-146)

CLICK HERE for Complete Valley Book Club Info

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday Music - The Wheel


Here is a track from my Breath a Little Deeper CD.



THE WHEEL

Spinning in circles under your fingers.
Working my way through your fist and palm.
Whirling away all the formless chaos,
I ride the eye of this holy storm.

Change me, please change me.
Mold me, make me real.
Throw me and turn me
As I ride this wheel.

Buried and black where my heart laid fallow
You pushed your spade into my dark clay.
Stubborn and slow to take on your image;
Still you keep working me everyday.

Change me, please change me.
Mold me, make me real.
Throw me and turn me
As I ride this wheel.

Round and round I go
And where I land nobody knows;
It's in the potter's hands,
I'm just the clay,
I'm learning slowly how to say...

Change me, please change me.
Mold me, make me real.
Throw me and turn me
As I ride this wheel.

It's a wheel in wheel,
Wheel in a wheel,
Wheel in a wheel,
Way up up in the middle of the air.


Words and Music by Dave Burkum.   

© Copyright 1996 by Dave & Tyler Burkum (www.burkum.com).

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sunday Supplication - Walking in Your Ways

O God, we give you thanks for our Lord and Savior Jesus, your only Son, who you have have exalted and given a name above all names.

Help us to follow where he leads, to honor him as Lord, and to live in the grace and purpose of his Kingdom. Strengthen and comfort us by your Holy Spirit, and teach us to walk in your ways to the glory of your name.

We confess our sins and we thank you for your faithfulness to forgive us and purify us. And as your grateful children, teach us and help us to be faithful to forgive others. May the resurrection power and grace of Jesus help us restore relationships, heal wounds, calm fears, forgive offenses, and resolve strife.

O God, show us your ways. Teach us your paths. Guide us in your truth. Give us the humility and wisdom to live for you and to follow you. Help us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Friday Friends - Dallas Willard

I'm stretching a bit this week in calling Dallas Willard a friend. I met him a few times, but I'm sure he wouldn't know me from the tens of thousands of others who attended his workshops and seminars over the years. But in a very real way, through his writing and teaching, he has been one of the significant "friends" in my life. It's safe to say that he is one of the most influential Christians in my faith journey. When he died, I truly felt like I had lost a friend.

Dallas made Christianity both plausible and attractive to me. Somehow, he connected with me in a deeper and more meaningful way than most. I remember when I first read The Divine Conspiracy, I felt like I was breathing the oxygen of the Kingdom in a way I never had before.

Since his death on Wednesday, many have had much to say about him, and I've enjoyed most of what I've read. I especially appreciated John Ortberg's comments because John knew Dallas so well. Like others, I knew I needed to post something about Dallas, and my first thought was to post some favorite quotations from his books, but plenty of others are doing that. Instead, I'm opting to share two personal remembrances that have been on my mind the last couple of days.

The first was at a teaching session at Bethel Seminary. There I was, sitting in the second row, directly in front of Dallas as he addressed a group of about a hundred seminarians and pastors. He began the session by asking, "If you could describe Jesus in one word, what would it be? I want you all to think of a word you might choose." Then he just smiled and left a long pause for everyone in the room to actually land upon a word in their mind.

Then he said, "If I were to choose a word," then pausing to heighten our anticipation, "I think 'relaxed' would be the one I would choose."

A murmuring sort of laughter filled the room as if everyone one in the audience were acknowledging that 'relaxed' was not remotely the word on their mind. He then went on to explain how the Christ-life was one so dependent, so assured, and so surrendered that most of the things that make us anything-but-relaxed would fade away under the overriding sense of wellness and hope we had in God. To live as Christ would live, he said, would result in us being anxious for nothing.

Years later, I had the opportunity to see Dallas demonstrate this kind of Christ-life in a very practical way. Dallas was scheduled to speak for a number of events in Minneapolis, and I had been given the job (privilege) of picking him up at the Twin Cities International airport. I was told to look for him outside the baggage claim at Door #1. I was careful to check his flight schedule and made sure to begin making my laps by the arrival doors at least fifteen minutes before his plane was scheduled to land. I didn't want him to have to wait for even a minute.

I watched Door #1 like a hawk, but he never arrived. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes after he should have been there, he was no where to be seen. It was a busy time at the airport and the traffic was about as bad as it gets. Hundreds of people and cars, but no Dallas Willard! I was starting to panic, wondering what could be going wrong. It was now thirty minutes past the time he should have been out by the drive, but he wasn't there!

I had been trying to watch all the other doors as I made my laps, but the airport police don't let you sit any one place for long. Dallas was definitely not at Door #1, and I couldn't see him anywhere else. So, I decided to stick by the curb starting at Door #1 and slowly work my way down the entire walkway. And sure enough, I eventually found him at Door #6.

Door #6! 

I felt so bad. Would he be concerned or stressed out or irritated? None of the above. There he sat, calm as could be, watching the cars and people pass by, not a visible care in the world. I think he even had a slight smile on his face. I'm telling you the truth, he could not have looked more calm if he had been sitting on a quiet park bench enjoying a beautiful summer's day off.

If there was one word I could use to describe him, I'd say it would be relaxed.

"I'm so sorry for the mix-up," I said. "I feel so bad that you've had to wait for so long. I was told you'd be at a different door."

He just smiled and said, "There's no problem. I knew someone would find me eventually."

I put his luggage in the trunk and we got into the car to head to his hotel. Once we were out on the freeway and headed toward downtown, he asked me about my work.

"Do you sense God's presence and goodwill as you do your work?" he asked.

"Yes, I think I do," I said.

And what I didn't say is that I sensed it in a special way that very moment.

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Thursday Thinking - Life after Life after Death

Here are some thoughts about resurrection for this 6th week of Easter. As a Christian, what does the resurrection of Jesus mean for the possibility of resurrection for me? N. T. Wright suggests that, more than life after death, Christians have hope for life after life after death.

The physical resurrection of Jesus is an eternal bodily resurrection, and eternal bodily resurrection is the promise for all those who are in Christ. To be absent from the body, when we die, is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), but the ultimate Christian hope is to be bodily resurrected and eternal life in the presence of the Lord (Rev. 21:1-3)--heaven and earth joined together.

This video is a wonderful primer for N. T. Wright's book, Surprised by Hope. I highly recommend this book and believe you will find Wright's teaching to be extremely helpful and hopeful.

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Wednesday Words - From Where You Stand

Foreseeing

Middle age refers more
to landscape than to time:
it's as if you'd reached

the top of a hill
and could see all the way
to the end of your life,

so you know without a doubt
that it has an end—
not that it will have,

but that it does have,
if only in outline—
so for the first time

you can see your life whole,
beginning and end not far
from where you stand,

the horizon in the distance—
the view makes you weep,
but it also has the beauty

of symmetry, like the earth
seen from space: you can't help
but admire it from afar,

especially now, while it's simple
to re-enter whenever you choose,
lying down in your life,

waking up to it
just as you always have—
except that the details resonate

by virtue of being contained,
as your own words
coming back to you

define the landscape,
remind you that it won't go on
like this forever.

"Foreseeing" by Sharon Bryan, from Flying Blind. 
© Sarabande Books, 1996.


Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Tuesday Tome - The Myth of Certainty

I recently finished reading The Myth of Certainty by Daniel Taylor. This is a wonderful book for those of us whose personal stories are deeply bound up in the greater Christian story, and yet our personal predisposition (our wiring?) toward reflection and critical thinking keeps us asking ourselves (and others) uncomfortable questions that poke and dig around the very roots of our faith.

I will be buying several copies of this book to share with reflective Christian friends who are kindred spirits--walking by faith and yet constantly questioning assertions and assumptions (both internal and external). The Myth of Certainty will also be the selection for a book club at my church later this year. Daniel Taylor lives in my neighborhood, so I'm hoping that he might even be willing to join us for one of the book club sessions and entertain a little Q&A.

Let me close this post by passing along the closing paragraphs from the "Afterward" section Taylor added to the most recent publication of his book:
"...I believe the reflective Christian I have described in this book can be one who is totally committed to being an instrument of God's grace to a wounded world. If he or she can at the same time also confess to questions, doubts, and struggles, that seems to me to make faith all the more believable to others who know enough about themselves and life to be suspicious of easy answers. The show of unquestioning certainty, while attractive to some believers, will be an obstacle to them.

"Put another way, while the life of faith will never be safe, it can be secure. Faith may lead us into all kinds of dangers--physical, intellectual, and spiritual--but it simultaneously gives that sense of meaning and purpose to life that is the groundwork of security. I do not expect to leave this life with all my doubts resolved; I do hope to leave it in good standing with Him from whom all meaning flows."
FYI - I've just started reading and enjoying Dr. Taylor's newest book: The Skeptical Believer.

Monday, May 06, 2013

Monday Music - Leagues Acoustic Session

Indianapolis Radio 92.3 WTTS hosted LEAGUES for an acoustic performance in Sun King Studio 92. I'm impressed with how well the band is able to crop big production tunes down to tasty acoustic versions for this performance. I like the original versions, but I do hope the band will record some of these smaller arrangements and make them available.

Sunday, May 05, 2013

Sunday Supplication - God's Love and Goodness

O God, we thank you for your love. Because you have given us your Son, we trust that your goodness toward us is greater than we are able to comprehend. We ask you to help us love you above all else.

Help us to love you in all things and in every circumstance. We trust you to keep your promises and we ask you to shape our desires.

Forgive us our sins. Help us to turn away from what is wrong and teach us to do what is right. Make us willing and able to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Help us to think, speak, and act in ways that restore lives, nurture relationships, create peace, and bring honor to you.

O God, help us to trust in you with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways—in every aspect of our lives—teach us to acknowledge you. Direct our paths and make our ways straight. Cause our faith to grow stronger and help us to enjoy lives that are filled with contentment, purpose, and hope.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Friday, May 03, 2013

Friday Family - Page & Jack

The Current 89.3 presents The Cactus Blossoms and JD McPherson tomorrow night (May 4) at First Avenue. If you like vintage rock and country, it will be a very good night.

 

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Thursday Thinking - Taking Jesus Seriously

Here are some thoughts for this 6th week of Easter. N. T. Wright explains how resurrection means that we have a job to do––joining with God to bring heaven and earth together.

The message of Easter, he says, is that the Living God has entered our world, with all its tears and distress, and has begun to turn it around. New things are now possible. God is releasing us from the past and opening the door for new creation. New life is now available for all who will take Jesus seriously.

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Wednesday Words - Bicycle Spring

Bicycle Spring

Windy, sunny, and Sunday,
the afternoon of your father's promise,
you will learn to ride your bike:

your father breathing hard
pushes, runs at your side,
one hand on the handlebars,
the other firm on the seat,

launching you like a glider
to soar long seconds
before wobbling to crash
in the soft green field

until you know how to ride
suddenly except for the brakes
and your father suddenly
is a speck waving way behind.

as you pedal toward strange sights
in blocks where he
has forbidden you to walk.

by Kevin FitzPatrick, from Down on the Corner
© Midwest Villages and Voices.