Reading week began today...

Does that mean I should be reading?

Where is the motivation to study?

It better arrive shortly or there will be problems shortly!

It's crazy to think I've almost finished a year of seminary...only by God's grace!

All this to say, the blogging world should not and cannot consume my time for the next 2 weeks. I'm peacing out till it's over.

Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak

I was going to wait and post on the book Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak once classes ended and I had time to start reading it. However, with people arriving at my blog with phrases such as Hotel Rwanda "where was God" that bring them to this previous post, I thought I would mention the book before having read it.

A while back I happened to overhear a guy who works in a local coffe shop mention getting a book from the free box in one of the local bookstores. I thought I'd check it out. I ended up finding an uncorrected proof of Machete Season and picked it up. When this book is published (June 2005) it will be the first English edition. The French edition was originally published in 2003.

A book that does not shrink away from the realities of the 1994 massacre which turned friend and neighbor against one another, should be a challenging read. Watch for it!

Joyce Chun-Reconciliation

I've mentioned previously my friend and fellow song writer Joyce Chun. I recently found a recording of a song she wrote for a North Korea Missions Conference and wanted to share it with you. It's a beautiful song entitled Reconciliation. May this song bless the Church seventy-fold.

Introspection for common reflection

Will I ever be satisfied with what I have, or will I always want more? Why am I not content with the blessings in my life, always wanting what is beyond my reach? Never at peace with where my life is going. Yet, what I do need more of, I am satisfied to ignore. Satisfaction with what I should not be satisfied with, and unsatisfaction with what I should be satisfied with. Every day I ignore this fact the problem grows. To ignore any longer places my focus on God at risk. Instead of turning to God to thank Him for my blessings, I begin to wonder, question, and doubt whether what I have really is a blessing. Can I not place my desires to the side, just this once? And have them stay on the periphery? Why must my happiness be confused with blessings, so that when I feel less blessed, I am less happy? When things don't turn out like I want them to, I am suddenly distraught. What I thought was a blessing is suddenly a curse because I cannot see God's plan and am impatient to wait for it. For once, can I not just trust God without falling into the same pattern of impatience? Why am I in such a hurry to know God's plan for my future that I forget the journey that is now? I forget the beauty of the process and concentrate on the end, which frustrates me because I cannot see the end. The goal is hidden. I hate it when things are hidden and unknown. I want to be in control. I want to at least know the direction I am headed in the various areas of my life--relationships, vocation, academics, music. I resist trusing God even though I know that I shouldn't resist. I resist because it's all I seem to know. I resist because it's more comfortable than faith in the unseen. I resist even when I know it causes me more pain that it is worth. Places me back at the beginning. I don't want to go back to the beginning! I've come so far! Trust is at hand, and the littlest things distract me from it. Will I ever be satisfied with the blessings God gives me, or will I continually desire more?

It reminds me of this statement:

I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

Happiness is up to me?! I don't want to hear that...it's God's job to make me happy. Or, is it? Should not my life be so centered on God that the journey He takes me on is a constant blessing? Should not every aspect of my life be an act of worship to God? If it is not, then there is the source of my unhappiness. I am living for myself, my own desires, and my imperfection, rather than for the God who created me and desires more for me than I can imagine.

How do you define "crawling pace" anyway?

So, I fibbed and decided to save my other posts from yesterday for another day. Sorry.

And, I'm not going to post on the marathon yet so that I can do justice to the event--I need pictures and those will arrive in due time.

Until then, let it suffice to say that Michael's crawling pace is definatly not what I would call a crawling pace...but hey, what do I know...

More to come....

Concerning said Marathon

There is so much I want to post now, it's ridiculous.

First of all, I want to make a comment on the marathon on Sunday. I've been working my way up on running this week. After I posted on Tuesday and then went on my run, I about died and wanted to change my mind. I'd already posted and told Mike I was running though. Thursday I approached the running a bit different than I have in the past. I had let myself fall into the bad and nasty habit of running for about 15 mins. and then stopping. Then run/walking the rest of the way. I realized that this wasn't going to get me through the last 3 miles on Sunday at any respectable pace, therefore I made myself run double the time I usually do without a stop. Even when I did stop it was a min. stop and then when I started running again and ran the rest of the way...it didn't hurt and was rather enjoyable.

I figured that I would run today, take tomorrow off, and then I'd be ready for Sunday. I was rather impressed with myself today because I did the route I ran on Thurs without stopping the whole way. A good 40 mins. I think. If you're a runner and think that a 3 mile day is a lazy day, then I don't want to hear it. :) I might have even exceeded 3 miles, which would be awesome.

As I told Michael today, "I'm ready for Sunday!" Let's just pray that his end of the marathon crawling pace does not equal my trying as hard as I can and yet still falling behind pace... Don't worry, I'd tell you if it was...and laugh at myself, so you could laugh also. It's more so about the idea than anything else. And, giving myself a little challenge in support of his challenge.

I'll post the second thing in a different window so as not to intimidate readers with long and rambling posts...which I have been known to do from time to time... :)

New Jersey Marathon

Sunday April 17th, 8am.

In case you're wondering, I'm not actually running this marathon. Heck no!

Michael Gross is however, and I think there are other PTS people running it as well (or at least doing other marathons or half-marathons this weekend). I have been considering running a few miles with him and found out that Eric and Matt are (tentatively) planning on doing this as well. I think we decided to jump in on mile 23 and run the last 3 miles with him.

I'm excited about this idea, yet also hesitant. Sure, slowly I'm getting back into my running, but I'm not at a point where I can run 3 miles straight. Running with people would probably encourage me not to stop, but I just picture myself 10 times more tired from running 3 miles than Mike is from running 26 miles... Perhaps I underestimate myself though. ?

As Eric put it today, I haven't run in a long time, but I figure if I can't keep up with Mike for 3 miles when he's already ran 23 there's something wrong.

Hummm...I'm afraid I'll be that sad case.

Props to all those running in the Marathon on Sunday!

The big smile on my face

Ever felt like you would win in a contest for the GREATEST friends in the whole world?

It's a good feeling.

Sure, life is hard, but that's why we're in it together. When life is rough it's always nice to have people to kick back with and chill in the night air, sit beneath the stars, play guitar and sing random songs at the top of your lungs. Compose tunes that no one else would think humorous--would earn you the label of crazy. I just want to save the memory forever. I've already laughed. Histerically. It makes me want to scream, "Beautiful!"

Beautiful!

The "L" on my forehead

Ever felt like you would win in a contest for the biggest LOSER in the world?

Not a good feeling.

Sure, you can tell me it's nothing I should dwell on, it's just a grade afterall, and I shouldn't beat myself up over my mistake, but really, I just want to scream. Already cried. Already asked myself "How in the hell!!??"

How in the hell!?

I almost want to write a song about the stupid things we do in life. The chorus being simply, "How in the hell?!"

If nothing else comes from mistakes at least they make for good song lyrics...?

Sometimes/All the time...

Sometimes we see others who we think do not belong, so we shout out their name to embarrass them. Sometimes we try to hide in the crowd, hoping no one will recognize us. Sometimes we are upset that others in the crowd have the things we want, so we complain and grumble out loud. Sometimes the crowd looms over us so that we lose touch with God. Sometimes we feel called to ask the crowd to do unpopular things, and yet we shy away from that call. Sometimes we say to ourselves, "if only I were somewhere else...". Forgive us, God. Help us understand our relationships with others. Help us to be a part of your people. See our hearts, O God. Know our deepest yearnings to be with you. Call us from where we have been hinding to take our place next to you. Welcome us into the crowd of your disciples gathered together in love.

I posted this a while back and thought I'd repost it for my own reinforcement purposes.

Sometimes we are in the crowd and wonder if the crowd really cares one way or another about our presence. Sometimes we cry loudly inside because we think we must smile quietly on the outside. Sometimes we bear our hurts and struggles alone, needlessly, because we're afraid to open up to people or to seek comfort in God. Sometimes we are joyful beyond measure and sometimes we let the weight of life bring sorrow.

Sometimes.

All the time...

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountians shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountians tremble with its tumult.
Psalm 46:1-3

Jonathan Sacks on the effects of the global market in terms of relationships

I'm reading this book for Sin and Salvation in the OT: Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations by Jonathan Sacks.

I've really appreciated much of what Sacks brings to the conversation concerning our current times. In light of some of the recent conversations I'm having with friends concerning relationships--their formation, their maintenance, and depth--I found the 8th Chapter of this book very intriquing. It speaks on the global market and its affects on society. Among the many different points in this Chapter, I will share those dealing with relationships.


A consumer-driven, advertising-dominated culture militates daily against ongoing attachments. It is constantly inviting us to try something new, go for a better deal elsewhere. It should not come as a surprize that this begins to affect human relationships as well. A society saturated by market values would be one in which relationships were temporary, loyalties provisional and commitments easily discarded. It would, in short, be one in which marriage made little sense--and that, by and large, is what has happened. (155)


Quoting Jeremy Rifkin:

'[W]hen most relationships become commercial relationships and every individual's life is commodified twenty-four hours a day, what is left for relationships of a non-commercial nature--relationships based on kinship, neighborliness, shared cultural interests, religious affliation, ethnic indentification, and fraternal civic involvement? When time itself it bought and sold and one's life becomes little more than an ongoing series of commercial transactions held together by contracts and financial instruments, what happens to the kind of traditional reciprocal relationships that are born of affection, love, and devotion?' (155-156)


For life to have personal meaning, there must be people who matter to us, and for whom we matter, unconditionally and nonsubstitutably...we are not made to serve economic systems. They are made to serve us. (157)


The market is a means, not an end. (159)



Any comments?

Adam posted some quotes from this book as well.

Gathering Miriam

Gathering Miriam is Mary Beth Lecroy and Kiran Young Wimberly, fellow students here at PTS. They are having a concert on Thursday April 7, 2005 in the Gambrell Room upstairs in Scheide Hall. If you enjoy good folk music you'll love these talented ladies.

[from the insert to their cd]

The name "Gathering Miriam" is taken from the Hebrew Bible, Numbers 12. In this story, Miriam is struck with leprosy and forced to stay on the outskirts of her community. During her time of marginalization, her people do not leave her. They await her return, to gather her in again, before continuing on their way towards the promised land.

Like Miriam's community, we want to gather those stories from the outskirts, from the oppressed, from the unheard. We want to listen, and to learn how to tell those stories. We have found that singing is sometimes the best way to do this.

By singing these stories, we, and those who listen, pause in life's pleasures to count its many tears. For the tears are many, and need to be gathered, before we can all continue on the way toward our promised land.

John Butler Trio rising in popularity

A lot of my hits are coming from people searching for info in the John Butler Trio...sweet!

I was searching Google to keep up with how they are working their way up in American popularity, and found a bunch of articles on the Billboard.com--apparently they are breaking into the charts! Woo-hoo! I knew it was only a matter of time.

At the risk of sounding like a crazy JBT groupie (too late?)...you really need to go to a concert of these guys while you have the chance! They are playing small concerts now to build a fan base and this is the best time to see them. They are amazing musicians.

In America I stand right up next the the stage at a 150 person concert and watch John Butler jam on his 12 string and feed off of the drummer and the double bass player...I've gotten John Butler's autograph on the Zebra single, and talked to them...in Australia they play for 3,000 people. Even the last concert, a year after the experience I just described, there is less personal contact with the band.

Come on guys. If you have the chance to see JBT live you better take it!


Articles from Billboard.com:

Billboard.com March 30, 2005 article on John Butler Trio

Billboard.com March 28, 2005 article on John Butler's trvaling and upcoming US Tour

Billboard.com March 19, 2005 article on American release of Sunrise over Sea. This article describes their sound a bit--you know how I'm always saying they are hard to describe genre wise, it's better to just listen to them, but here's a shot at a decent description.

Found: Pirates

Arrgh! 


Thanks to Becca Sanders for the pic!

Found: Paradise

Found: Paradise 

Third Brown Girls started a tradition yesterday--an April Fool's Day Party, themed towards the beach. The walls were decorated with beach towels, sarongs, lamps, flowers, and other such beachy decor. Rooms were decorated in beachy ways as well.

As awesome as this theme was, I decided that to balance out the bright colors my room needed black streamers and a pirate flag above the door, as well as a black sign with skull and cross bones reading, "pillaging, drinking, flogging".

The inside of my room also found itself in black streamers and adorned with pirate flags, pirate ships, an island where the pirates would hide their treasure, and a kicking picture of Anne Bonny, a female who dressed up as a pirate.

I recruited two friends to join the piracy.

We've also been sighted singing Irish drinking songs wearing Guinness shirts and dressed like a leprechaun. We're a motley crew we are.

Pirate pics will definatly make the blog as soon as I can track them down...