People Get Ready
April 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment
12From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing…(Matthew 11)
Sometimes American pop culture is able to transcend itself. Last night’s episode of American Idol is an excellent example. The evening’s theme was “Inspirational Songs.” Crystal Bowersox, held by most to be the frontrunner for season 9, put down her guitar and served up this cover of “People Get Ready.” More after the jump:
I never stopped to listen to this song or consider how it will preach. Had Jesus preached in a modern setting, it wouldn’t have been surprising to hear him use this train metaphor for the Kingdom of God. Check out some of the lyrics:
People get ready, there’s a train a comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
How many of us are still struggling to understand that last sentence? Still trying to buy a ticket, and all we have to do is jump on with a thankful heart.
But be warned. This message does have a bit of a sharp edge:
There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there’s no hiding place against the Kingdom’s throne
I think the key word here is hopeless. Hopeless, not because God refuses to help, but hopeless because we refuse to be comforted. That’s what’s behind Jesus’ invitation: “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near.” It’s also behind his exasperation: “37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing (Matthew 23).”
Today, let’s be willing. Let’s stop searching our pockets for a ticket we can’t buy anyway and just jump on…
I would be remiss if I didn’t throw in a link to Curtis Mayfield singing this one, too. After all, it was his song first. A more qualified historian could speak to this song’s importance to the Civil Rights Movement. Since Mayfield, dozens of artists have done their own versions. (I’ll spare you the Bob Dylan cover. You’re welcome.)
Julia Child and Celebration of Discipline
February 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment
A couple of weeks ago, when Rachel and I were hunkered down in a foot of snow in Charlottesville, reveling in our weekend of solitude, one of the movies we watched was Julie and Julia. It’s adapted from two books–Julia Child’s autobiographical My Life in France and Julie Powell’s memoir of her daily attempt to cook a different recipe from Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Child is played by Meryl Streep. It’s probably cliché to love Meryl Streep, but I do anyway. She’s just as amazing in this as she is in everything else. I love what AO Scott says about her in his review of the film: “By now this actress has exhausted every superlative that exists and to suggest that she has outdone herself is only to say that she’s done it again.”
Streep captures Child’s lust for life so well. In one scene, she springs out of bed early in the morning [I can’t recall, but I don’t think an alarm even goes off] so she can set about doing what she loves—cooking great food.
I have since wondered, “When is the last time I sprang out of bed in the morning?” And why don’t I? In the interest of keeping it short, I’ve decided that it has a lot to do with how I feel about what I have to do. Did you get that? What I have to do. When Julia Child jumps out of bed, it’s because she’s found something that she gets to do. Isn’t it easier to get more excited about a privilege than an obligation? And so I’ve noticed lately that it helps to remember what a privilege it is to care for my kids and get them to school and come to work at our church. I’m still not popping out of bed, but my attitude is a little better.
I think the same thing happens with meditation. That’s the spiritual discipline we’ll be talking about on Wednesday night as we begin talking about Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. The most common reaction I get from people who try meditating on scripture or on their relationship with God is, “This is hard work.” Yup. It’s not easy for a lot of reasons. We’re going to talk about that on Wednesday night. But one reason is because it’s often more of an obligation than a privilege. It’s hard to meditate on God’s presence when it’s something I do out of obligation and there’s something else I would like to be doing. Or, more importantly, there’s something else I feel like I should be doing.
It’s the difference between presenting a report to God and resting in the presence of God. It’s the difference between making myself get out of bed in the morning and falling into bed at the end of the day. Which sounds more appealing to you?
Anyway. There’s a lot more to be said about meditation, and we’ll be talking about it tomorrow night. But more than just talking about it, I’ll be encouraging you to practice it–maybe not during class, but sometime during the week. If you come to class and listen to me talk about the spiritual disciplines, you’ll get something out of it. But not nearly as much as if you actually practice them yourself. And I know I’ll learn a lot more than I would just hearing the sound of my own voice.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll stop running around and take a moment to practice being in the presence of God.
“The Light of God surrounds me. The Love of God enfolds me. The Power of God protects me. The Wisdom of God guides and directs me. Wherever I go, God is.”
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
–Psalm 139
Silent Monks Sing the Hallelujah Chorus
December 9, 2009 | 2 Comments
Rachel’s sister-in-law, Brittany (Is she my sister-in-law, too? I never get those rules.), posted this on my Facebook wall. Enjoy:
The “Talk”
December 8, 2009 | 5 Comments
I know, I know. It’s been a long time. It usually takes something particularly interesting to draw me back in.
This time it was because I wanted to direct you to this recent article on Time’s website about having “the talk” with our kids. One of the things I appreciate about the article is that it actually encourages having multiple “talks” rather than just one, each one being age/situation appropriate.
I also wonder about having “the talk” in Christian households. How is it different? How can we speak about sex with our children in a way that is open and honest and reflective of our faith?
Anybody out there who has more experience than I do, feel free to jump in. Both of our boys have shown some curiosity about “where babies come from,” but were satisfied with the most cursory of answers. This article makes me think we will be dealing with this sooner rather than later. What about you?
I am Second
October 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I believe this weekend marks the 104th installment of the Red River Shootout. (I refuse to call it the Red River Rivalry, just because AT&T is sponsoring it.) For many of you that means nothing. That’s because: A) You don’t watch college football. B) You’re not from Texas or Oklahoma.
The Red River Shootout is the annual football game between the University of Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma University Sooners. It’s almost always a huge game, because one or both teams are usually in the National Championship picture. The game takes place every year at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas during the Texas State Fair. If you’re a college football fan, this game is one that should make your bucket list.
This year the starting quarterbacks are Colt McCoy for the Longhorns and Sam Bradford for the Sooners. Both have been talked about as HeismanTrophy contenders (though Bradford’s chances have been diminished some by an early season shoulder injury.) Both really want to win this game. Both must be incredibly competitive to play a sport on this level.
But there is one thing they can agree on. Check out the video below. It was posted on Facebook by the Christian Chronicle. When you’re done watching the video, you can go read an interview with Colt McCoy at the Chronicle website. He attends a Church of Christ in Austin.
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