I'm using this marvelous text from 1st Isaiah as a prompt for day 47, "alive" of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
Isaiah 25:6-8
"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken."
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
day 46, roots
Saturday in Holy Week – "Holy Saturday" – and Day 46 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 46, "roots"
Thursday, March 28, 2013
day 44, cup
Thursday in Holy Week – "Maundy Thursday" – and Day 44 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 44, "cup"
For today, Maundy Thursday's "cup" prompt, here's my Cup and Loaf bulletin cover (again) and another repost of this holy reflection for Maundy Thursday by Paul Hammer. If you're not familiar with Dr. Hammer, he offered one of the Taking the Bible Seriously talks on the old UCC site and that you probably can find on their current site.
love one another
Jesus, how common can you get? Foot washing, bread, wine!
If you're going to be religious, at least use something special.
No, my friend, I came not to perform special religious rites
But to touch the daily life of everyone
With God's love in the commonest of things.
O.K., water, bread, wine.
But isn't foot washing a bit ridiculous?
And what about "this is my body"?
And "this cup is the new covenant in my blood"?
Foot washing is the work of the commonest servant—I came to serve.
But it points beyond to the "washing" of the cross—
God's self-giving service in me to cleanse away estrangement
And heal the distortions in people's lives.
The bread points to nourishment in that same self-giving of God
At work in my body, that is in me.
And the cup points to the new community drawn together and nourished
In my blood, that is in God's total self-giving in my death.
Do you mean that this common stuff of water, bread and wine
Becomes in you the very focus of God's love for me and for the world?
That there is no excuse for my not loving my common neighbor?
Because you have shown the depth of God's love for me?
You've got it!
But it isn't a love for special occasions.
It has to be that daily love that's as common as water, bread and wine!
day 44, "cup"
For today, Maundy Thursday's "cup" prompt, here's my Cup and Loaf bulletin cover (again) and another repost of this holy reflection for Maundy Thursday by Paul Hammer. If you're not familiar with Dr. Hammer, he offered one of the Taking the Bible Seriously talks on the old UCC site and that you probably can find on their current site.
love one anotherJesus, how common can you get? Foot washing, bread, wine!
If you're going to be religious, at least use something special.
No, my friend, I came not to perform special religious rites
But to touch the daily life of everyone
With God's love in the commonest of things.
O.K., water, bread, wine.
But isn't foot washing a bit ridiculous?
And what about "this is my body"?
And "this cup is the new covenant in my blood"?
Foot washing is the work of the commonest servant—I came to serve.
But it points beyond to the "washing" of the cross—
God's self-giving service in me to cleanse away estrangement
And heal the distortions in people's lives.
The bread points to nourishment in that same self-giving of God
At work in my body, that is in me.
And the cup points to the new community drawn together and nourished
In my blood, that is in God's total self-giving in my death.
Do you mean that this common stuff of water, bread and wine
Becomes in you the very focus of God's love for me and for the world?
That there is no excuse for my not loving my common neighbor?
Because you have shown the depth of God's love for me?
You've got it!
But it isn't a love for special occasions.
It has to be that daily love that's as common as water, bread and wine!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
day 43, help
Wednesday in Holy Week – "Spy Wednesday" – and Day 43 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 43, "help"
As many times as I've walked down that alley, this afternoon these bright flowers on the whitewashed fence were new to me, and offered real help in lightening my increasing sense of discouragement. Logically it "should" be the opposite with longer spring days, shorter nights? Maybe so, but I'm reading the way I'm feeling as a sign all's not well, as a symptom to push me to decisions for a better, more productive future.
As many times as I've walked down that alley, this afternoon these bright flowers on the whitewashed fence were new to me, and offered real help in lightening my increasing sense of discouragement. Logically it "should" be the opposite with longer spring days, shorter nights? Maybe so, but I'm reading the way I'm feeling as a sign all's not well, as a symptom to push me to decisions for a better, more productive future.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
day 42, light
Tuesday in Holy Week, and Day 42 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 42, "light"
Monday, March 25, 2013
Eucharistic Prayer: Resurrection 2013
A Glorious Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord 2013 to all! I'm reposting this from Easter 2009, when I explained:
• And also with you.
• Lift up your hearts.
• We lift them to the Lord.
• Let us give thanks to God.
• We rejoice to offer thanks and praise!
This is the feast of victory for our God, alleluia!
This is the feast of victory for all creation, alleluia!
Lord God, you created the heavens and stretched them out,
you spread out the earth and all that grows from it,
you gave a portion of your Spirit to all creation, alleluia!
You have parted the waters and saved us, confirming the covenant made in your blood.
Now you have brought former things to pass
and you have made all things new, alleluia!
Jesus Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has died for our sins; Christ has been buried and has been raised from the grave, alleluia!
Christ has ransomed us with his blood and has washed away our guilt; he has annihilated the powers of darkness and death and opened the gates of heaven, alleluia!
You have made for us a feast of fat things and well-aged wines, alleluia!
You have given us water and bread and fruit of the vine as signs of your presence among us, alleluia!
And so with the hosts of heaven and with all creation in every time and every place we sing:
Holy are you, God of mercy, glory and love, and blessed is Jesus, your Son. He came to earth and lived among us as one of us, he died for all on Calvary Hill, and was raised from death for the life of the world; he ascended to reign in justice and righteousness.
With the Church in all the ages we proclaim the mystery of faith:
• Dying you destroyed our death;
• Rising you restored our life;
• Lord Jesus, come in glory!
Come, Holy Spirit; sanctify these gifts of grain and fruit of the vine uniting us with all creation;
Come, Spirit of Life and bless our feasting at this table of reconciliation
that baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Spirit we may live as the just and righteous presence of the Crucified and Risen One...
Praise and glory,
wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor and power and
strength to our God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
endlessly throughout eternity,
Alleluia, Amen, Alleluia!!!
© leah chang 2009-2013
Although I'd intended to make this Great Thanksgiving more generic for the Sundays of Easter, it focuses on the Easter Day texts plus a couple of hints from Holy Week. I like the drama of positioning the verba after the Sanctus; the triple epiclesis parallels the one in the canon I wrote for Nativity 2007; the doxology is Revelation 7:12. You are welcome to rearrange the elements of the prayer for your preferences, as well as adding or subtracting to your taste; if you print it, please credit this blog.• The Lord be with you.
• And also with you.
• Lift up your hearts.
• We lift them to the Lord.
• Let us give thanks to God.
• We rejoice to offer thanks and praise!
This is the feast of victory for our God, alleluia!
This is the feast of victory for all creation, alleluia!
Lord God, you created the heavens and stretched them out,
you spread out the earth and all that grows from it,
you gave a portion of your Spirit to all creation, alleluia!
You have parted the waters and saved us, confirming the covenant made in your blood.
Now you have brought former things to pass
and you have made all things new, alleluia!
Jesus Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has died for our sins; Christ has been buried and has been raised from the grave, alleluia!
Christ has ransomed us with his blood and has washed away our guilt; he has annihilated the powers of darkness and death and opened the gates of heaven, alleluia!
You have made for us a feast of fat things and well-aged wines, alleluia!
You have given us water and bread and fruit of the vine as signs of your presence among us, alleluia!
And so with the hosts of heaven and with all creation in every time and every place we sing:Holy are you, God of mercy, glory and love, and blessed is Jesus, your Son. He came to earth and lived among us as one of us, he died for all on Calvary Hill, and was raised from death for the life of the world; he ascended to reign in justice and righteousness.
With the Church in all the ages we proclaim the mystery of faith:
• Dying you destroyed our death;
• Rising you restored our life;
• Lord Jesus, come in glory!
On the night of betrayal and desertion, our Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me."Come, Spirit of Holiness; come upon all creation everywhere and upon this assembly;
In the same way after supper, he also took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again in glory.
Come, Holy Spirit; sanctify these gifts of grain and fruit of the vine uniting us with all creation;
Come, Spirit of Life and bless our feasting at this table of reconciliation
that baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Spirit we may live as the just and righteous presence of the Crucified and Risen One...
Praise and glory,
wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor and power and
strength to our God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
endlessly throughout eternity,
Alleluia, Amen, Alleluia!!!
© leah chang 2009-2013
The Donkey Who Carried a King
The Donkey Who Carried a King on amazon. This book features a biblically-reflective narrative by R. C. Sproul with illustrations by Chuck Groenink.
In a similar manner to several books I've recently read, The Donkey Who Carried a King seeks to integrate scripture and "real life" by depicting current-day characters interacting with characters in a biblical story, or by relating scriptural characters' experiences to a present-day situation. In this instance, Reilly is a young American or Canadian (I believe, since he calls his mother "Mom") boy who isn't as popular at school as he'd like to be, so Reilly's grandfather decides to tell the Palm Sunday / Passion Week story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Yesterday was Palm Sunday 2013! Again we heard "The Lord has need!" "Hosanna!" "If these were silent, the stones would shout!" As many churches have been doing for a couple of decades, we celebrated Palm/Passion Sunday, moving too swiftly from Jesus' palms- and praise-surrounded triumphal entry to the walk with the cross, to the cross of crucifixion.
As part of creating context, author Sproul reminds us of other donkeys in the bible: diviner Balaam's donkey in Numbers 22; and Joseph's donkey – called "Barnabas" here – who carried Jesus of Nazareth's mother Mary. Through the voice of Davey the Donkey, Reilly's grandfather explains to his young grandson a servant God dying to self, and rising to new life for the redemption of the world, along with God's call to us to live as a servant creation―whether donkey or human.
For the Parents / Understanding the Story at the end of the book lines out some scriptural and doctrinal background. It's not comprehensive, but it is a good start in terms of reminding or teaching parents some basics and helping them explain to younger kids how the story of Donkey Davey and King Jesus is part of a larger, historically, and theologically interwoven fabric that also calls and enables us to live as servants.
Chuck Groenink's earthen-hued illustrations of both contemporary and biblical scenes are exceptionally beautiful. The book design also is exquisite, with some pages of text on a plain white background, others with words superimposed on the illustrations themselves. I realize R.C. Sproul is more accustomed to writing heavy-duty theology for adults than explanations for young people, yet he does well with this relatively simple account that alternates between donkey Davey and boy Reilly. The Donkey Who Carried a King could be a valuable addition to church or family Lenten, Palm Sunday, or Good Friday activities.
my amazon review: A Servant God, A Servant Creation
In a similar manner to several books I've recently read, The Donkey Who Carried a King seeks to integrate scripture and "real life" by depicting current-day characters interacting with characters in a biblical story, or by relating scriptural characters' experiences to a present-day situation. In this instance, Reilly is a young American or Canadian (I believe, since he calls his mother "Mom") boy who isn't as popular at school as he'd like to be, so Reilly's grandfather decides to tell the Palm Sunday / Passion Week story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Yesterday was Palm Sunday 2013! Again we heard "The Lord has need!" "Hosanna!" "If these were silent, the stones would shout!" As many churches have been doing for a couple of decades, we celebrated Palm/Passion Sunday, moving too swiftly from Jesus' palms- and praise-surrounded triumphal entry to the walk with the cross, to the cross of crucifixion.
As part of creating context, author Sproul reminds us of other donkeys in the bible: diviner Balaam's donkey in Numbers 22; and Joseph's donkey – called "Barnabas" here – who carried Jesus of Nazareth's mother Mary. Through the voice of Davey the Donkey, Reilly's grandfather explains to his young grandson a servant God dying to self, and rising to new life for the redemption of the world, along with God's call to us to live as a servant creation―whether donkey or human.
For the Parents / Understanding the Story at the end of the book lines out some scriptural and doctrinal background. It's not comprehensive, but it is a good start in terms of reminding or teaching parents some basics and helping them explain to younger kids how the story of Donkey Davey and King Jesus is part of a larger, historically, and theologically interwoven fabric that also calls and enables us to live as servants.
Chuck Groenink's earthen-hued illustrations of both contemporary and biblical scenes are exceptionally beautiful. The book design also is exquisite, with some pages of text on a plain white background, others with words superimposed on the illustrations themselves. I realize R.C. Sproul is more accustomed to writing heavy-duty theology for adults than explanations for young people, yet he does well with this relatively simple account that alternates between donkey Davey and boy Reilly. The Donkey Who Carried a King could be a valuable addition to church or family Lenten, Palm Sunday, or Good Friday activities.
my amazon review: A Servant God, A Servant Creation
Saturday, March 23, 2013
day 39, restore
Day 39 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 39, "restore"
These refreshing, restorative fruits and veggies actually are from day 37, but most appropriate for today's prompt.
These refreshing, restorative fruits and veggies actually are from day 37, but most appropriate for today's prompt.
Friday, March 22, 2013
world water day 2013
Today is World Water Day!!!
2013 is the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation.
My blog post for World Water Day 2012
Needless to say, water knows no borders and cannot be permanently contained; the Pacific Ocean I wade in knee-deep has been all over the planet! A few facts about boundaries and borders:
• Transboundary river basins cover 46% of the globe's terrestrial surface.
• Close to 450 agreements related to international waters were signed between 1820 and 2007.
• There are 276 transboundary river basins in the world: 64 in Africa; 60 in Asia; 68 in Europe; 46 in North America; 38 in South America. About two-thirds are shared by two countries, 256 or 93% of those 276 shared by 2, 3 or 4 countries, and 20 (7.2%) out of 276 shared by 5 or more countries. 18 countries share the Danube river basin.
Ever since they started establishing settlements, human creatures with their proprietary nature have imagined owning land, and marked the boundaries of their particular plots; nations and nation-states to follow suit. However, for political, economic, cultural, and other reasons, some borders, fences, and walls long have been more "porous" or easy to pass through than others. In his Mending Wall, Poet Robert Frost explains part of the why.
Just as water is boundless, the planetary need for water knows no cultural, political, or economic boundaries. How can we steward the gift of water more faithfully? In a recent Friday 5 about making healthy cuts in our lives, I had some ideas that also work well for this year of water cooperation:
• Don't dump toxic anything in the sink, gutters, storm drains—all of it reaches and grieves the rivers and oceans, and makes all creation less healthy.
• Keep beach boardwalks and sand clean and pristine! Sea plants and sea creatures depend on it; so does everyone on land, human and plant and critter alike.
• Who needs all those in-ground pools, especially in the desert? Reduce climate change!
• Buy local produce! In season fruits and veggies are fresher and more natural, less engineered, taste brighter and better; less long distance hauling means less depletion of oil, lower dependence on fossil fuels. For today's World Water Day, I'll add buying local is less water-intensive, too. Here in Southern California, San Diego County imports 80% of its water supply—mostly from Northern California and the Colorado River.
• Special addition to my list for WWD: San Diego is a coastal desert... sometimes hard to believe, since the Pacific Ocean is our western border! If you have a yard to tend to, serve on your HOA board, or wield other influences, why not consider xeriscaping or another yard treatment that requires minimal water? Green grass lawns began in rainy England, where no one ever imagined not having enough precipitation from the sky to keep them lush and verdant!
We have only one planet; the oceans and rivers are its circulatory system, so please treat them well, and help make 2013 a World Water Year.
#water #creation #worldwaterday #watercooperation #unwater
2013 is the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation.
My blog post for World Water Day 2012
Needless to say, water knows no borders and cannot be permanently contained; the Pacific Ocean I wade in knee-deep has been all over the planet! A few facts about boundaries and borders: • Transboundary river basins cover 46% of the globe's terrestrial surface.
• Close to 450 agreements related to international waters were signed between 1820 and 2007.
• There are 276 transboundary river basins in the world: 64 in Africa; 60 in Asia; 68 in Europe; 46 in North America; 38 in South America. About two-thirds are shared by two countries, 256 or 93% of those 276 shared by 2, 3 or 4 countries, and 20 (7.2%) out of 276 shared by 5 or more countries. 18 countries share the Danube river basin.
Ever since they started establishing settlements, human creatures with their proprietary nature have imagined owning land, and marked the boundaries of their particular plots; nations and nation-states to follow suit. However, for political, economic, cultural, and other reasons, some borders, fences, and walls long have been more "porous" or easy to pass through than others. In his Mending Wall, Poet Robert Frost explains part of the why.
Just as water is boundless, the planetary need for water knows no cultural, political, or economic boundaries. How can we steward the gift of water more faithfully? In a recent Friday 5 about making healthy cuts in our lives, I had some ideas that also work well for this year of water cooperation:
• Don't dump toxic anything in the sink, gutters, storm drains—all of it reaches and grieves the rivers and oceans, and makes all creation less healthy.
• Keep beach boardwalks and sand clean and pristine! Sea plants and sea creatures depend on it; so does everyone on land, human and plant and critter alike.
• Who needs all those in-ground pools, especially in the desert? Reduce climate change!
• Buy local produce! In season fruits and veggies are fresher and more natural, less engineered, taste brighter and better; less long distance hauling means less depletion of oil, lower dependence on fossil fuels. For today's World Water Day, I'll add buying local is less water-intensive, too. Here in Southern California, San Diego County imports 80% of its water supply—mostly from Northern California and the Colorado River.
• Special addition to my list for WWD: San Diego is a coastal desert... sometimes hard to believe, since the Pacific Ocean is our western border! If you have a yard to tend to, serve on your HOA board, or wield other influences, why not consider xeriscaping or another yard treatment that requires minimal water? Green grass lawns began in rainy England, where no one ever imagined not having enough precipitation from the sky to keep them lush and verdant!
We have only one planet; the oceans and rivers are its circulatory system, so please treat them well, and help make 2013 a World Water Year.
#water #creation #worldwaterday #watercooperation #unwater
day 38, alone
Day 38 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 38, "alone"
Like the rest of the world, I've got a huge stash of takes on alone, but for tonight, why not this "my space" one?
Like the rest of the world, I've got a huge stash of takes on alone, but for tonight, why not this "my space" one?
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
day 35, dream
For day 35 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church, I don't have a photograph, but I do have an illustration of Acts 2:17
day 35, "dream."
"In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17
day 35, "dream."
"In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17
Your Mercies Are New Today
"Contemporary Christian Rock & Praise & Worship since 1982."
A few weeks ago Louis Tata offered some copies of his new CD on Facebook; happily, he sent me one! You can find both CD and individual MP3s on amazon.
Your Mercies Are New Today compact disc on amazon
The entire CD features a rich, open, resonant, full, acoustic sound that literally could not be better! I hardly can overemphasize the importance of sound quality; I've given away too many CDs where the performances themselves were fine, but the sound didn't measure up―to such an extent I didn't want to listen.
Music, lyrics, and arrangements on Your Mercies Are New Today all are fairly simple "rock & praise & worship," yet in a surprising variety of musical styles. Needless to say, I prefer some tracks; after a few listenings, the slower, more somber songs (2, 6, and 9) still didn't appeal to me as much as the others did. Once the website is live again, you can get chords for all these songs to use in worship.
1. Hungry for Your Love 5/5
Exquisitely beautiful, and a great set opener! "It's Friday night, and I don't know what I'm doing... it's been so long... Hungry for your love; thirsty for your word." I love this mellow, hope-laden rock!
2. Would You Turn Me Away 4/5
"waiting for an open door, to a life that's so much more..." this track is mid-tempo, a little morose.
3. Your Mercies Are New Today 5/5
"Woke up this morning with the sun in my eyes! new day!" CD title track with wonderfully energetic rockabilly!
4. Will You Dance? 5/5
"we bring an offering, his praise do we sing; we serve a mighty king, alpha and omega, first and last..." blues with laid-back energy and an unforgettable, hands in the air, celebration style!
5. Waiting for You 5/5
"Waiting for you; Jesus, here I am! I want to see your glory in my life!" Who would not relate to this? This song moves right along!
6. Here I Am 3/5
"You are holy, Lord, mighty is your name..." Although lyrics are solid, I don't relate much to the somewhat dragging, mournful style of this track.
7. You Are Lord 5/5
"You are life; you are love; you are Lord!" A glowing, easy to follow, basic tempo, worship opener!
8. My All for You 5/5
"I will worship; I will sing to you from the depths of my soul, till the day you call me home! I give you all my life, give my all for you..." I especially love this mellow, gently, rocking song! 6/5
9. You Are the Lord 3/5
This track also has a kind of melancholy sensibility; lyrics and music are ok, but it drags, and comes across as not very hopeful.
10. Only Believe 5/5
"Listen to the Spirit as it breaks through... it's God's perfect love, trying to get you in touch." "Only believe in the Son of God, in the Holy One..." this one's also a winner!
11. You Are Here 5/5
"...in this place, in this place. When I think about it, what I feel for you is not only in my mind, it's from deep within my heart; I always trust in your love to chase away my fears!" A perfect conclusion to an outstanding concert!
CD info: original music and lyrics by Louis Tata; released July 17, 2012 on the CD Baby label.
other credits include: Paul Frederickson – background vocals; Art Leather – harmonica; Keith Tata – rhythm Guitar; Don Spaulding – acoustic guitar; Keri Tata – graphics
When I last checked, Louis' music and production studio web pages were down; here's his Facebook:
Louis Tata Music
IHPM Production Studios
my amazon review: Contemporary Christian Rock, Praise, Worship
A few weeks ago Louis Tata offered some copies of his new CD on Facebook; happily, he sent me one! You can find both CD and individual MP3s on amazon.Your Mercies Are New Today compact disc on amazon
The entire CD features a rich, open, resonant, full, acoustic sound that literally could not be better! I hardly can overemphasize the importance of sound quality; I've given away too many CDs where the performances themselves were fine, but the sound didn't measure up―to such an extent I didn't want to listen.
Music, lyrics, and arrangements on Your Mercies Are New Today all are fairly simple "rock & praise & worship," yet in a surprising variety of musical styles. Needless to say, I prefer some tracks; after a few listenings, the slower, more somber songs (2, 6, and 9) still didn't appeal to me as much as the others did. Once the website is live again, you can get chords for all these songs to use in worship.
1. Hungry for Your Love 5/5
Exquisitely beautiful, and a great set opener! "It's Friday night, and I don't know what I'm doing... it's been so long... Hungry for your love; thirsty for your word." I love this mellow, hope-laden rock!
2. Would You Turn Me Away 4/5
"waiting for an open door, to a life that's so much more..." this track is mid-tempo, a little morose.
3. Your Mercies Are New Today 5/5
"Woke up this morning with the sun in my eyes! new day!" CD title track with wonderfully energetic rockabilly!
4. Will You Dance? 5/5
"we bring an offering, his praise do we sing; we serve a mighty king, alpha and omega, first and last..." blues with laid-back energy and an unforgettable, hands in the air, celebration style!
5. Waiting for You 5/5
"Waiting for you; Jesus, here I am! I want to see your glory in my life!" Who would not relate to this? This song moves right along!
6. Here I Am 3/5
"You are holy, Lord, mighty is your name..." Although lyrics are solid, I don't relate much to the somewhat dragging, mournful style of this track.
7. You Are Lord 5/5
"You are life; you are love; you are Lord!" A glowing, easy to follow, basic tempo, worship opener!
8. My All for You 5/5
"I will worship; I will sing to you from the depths of my soul, till the day you call me home! I give you all my life, give my all for you..." I especially love this mellow, gently, rocking song! 6/5
9. You Are the Lord 3/5
This track also has a kind of melancholy sensibility; lyrics and music are ok, but it drags, and comes across as not very hopeful.
10. Only Believe 5/5
"Listen to the Spirit as it breaks through... it's God's perfect love, trying to get you in touch." "Only believe in the Son of God, in the Holy One..." this one's also a winner!
11. You Are Here 5/5
"...in this place, in this place. When I think about it, what I feel for you is not only in my mind, it's from deep within my heart; I always trust in your love to chase away my fears!" A perfect conclusion to an outstanding concert!
CD info: original music and lyrics by Louis Tata; released July 17, 2012 on the CD Baby label.
other credits include: Paul Frederickson – background vocals; Art Leather – harmonica; Keith Tata – rhythm Guitar; Don Spaulding – acoustic guitar; Keri Tata – graphics
When I last checked, Louis' music and production studio web pages were down; here's his Facebook:
Louis Tata Music
IHPM Production Studios
my amazon review: Contemporary Christian Rock, Praise, Worship
Monday, March 18, 2013
O Taste and See
New book by Paul W Meier! O Taste and See, kindle version on amazon
paperback, O Taste and See on amazon
Similar to Pastor Meier's book of reflections on Martin Luther's Church Postil, rather than being a book you'd read straight through, O Taste and See is one to read at random, or possibly zero in on a meditation related to one of your own favorite Jesus stories. You could read it straight through, but that's not where its true value lies. The author suggests, "25 minutes a day for the next 30 days" will help us fall in love with God in a more completely sensory way. O Taste and See happened partly because of Paul Meier's own conflicting confusions and difficulties reconciling some Old Testament images and presentations of God's actions and nature with those of Jesus of Nazareth as the incarnate face of the Divine: "if you have seen me, if you know me, you have seen the Father, you know the Father."
With the very recent election of Pope Francis I and the worldwide buzz regarding the new Bishop of Rome's Francis of Assisi-type humility and demeanor, Pastor Meier's observation, "If the lives of ordinary people touched by the finger of God produced results like Saints Augustine, Dominic, and Francis, then other ordinary people must have the same opportunity to be transformed" rings loud and clear! In order to assist each of us on that journey of becoming transformed and in turn transforming the world, Paul Meier draws upon the style of Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises.
From the start of Jesus' public ministry as recorded by the evangelist John, through Holy Week, and on to the post-resurrection walk along the road to Emmaus recorded by Luke, Paul Meier reflects upon thirty pericopes from the four canonical gospels ... but he doesn't include any actual resurrection accounts! For each scripture passage, his commentary suggests thoughts, actions, and reactions that might have occurred with people who were present at the time of the actual event. You imaginatively can read, feel, and sense yourself smack dab into the midst of the story, and live through your own growth in knowledge of the Divine through greater knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ. Since life is about story, why not place yourself in the stories of Jesus' earthly life, so Jesus then can become more present in the everyday interactions of your own life? It works both ways! I'd like to suggest starting a journal or notebook for recording your own experiences with these gospel vignettes.
In the "liberal [protestant and catholic] mainline" churches we sometimes emphasize our call in the Spirit to act in prophetic ways that further institutional and social justice more than we do that essential one-on-one, person-to-person relationship with Jesus, but as Pastor Paul quotes from Franciscan Richard Rohr, "We cannot just fall in love with abstractions, but only with concrete people and concrete moments and a personal God." The God who called Abraham, Moses, Amos, Peter, James, Andrew, and Paul to be God's redemptive, reconciling presence in the world; the God who calls us....
Psalm 34:8 encourages us to "O taste and see that the Lord is good." Reading and working through Paul Meier's most recent book can help us ordinary people experience more of God's goodness in a more sensory manner than usual. The DNA of God is Love. We recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the still-living enfleshment of God's love for us; may we also become lively embodiments of God's love in the world!
my amazon review: Tasting and Becoming the Goodness of God
paperback, O Taste and See on amazon
Similar to Pastor Meier's book of reflections on Martin Luther's Church Postil, rather than being a book you'd read straight through, O Taste and See is one to read at random, or possibly zero in on a meditation related to one of your own favorite Jesus stories. You could read it straight through, but that's not where its true value lies. The author suggests, "25 minutes a day for the next 30 days" will help us fall in love with God in a more completely sensory way. O Taste and See happened partly because of Paul Meier's own conflicting confusions and difficulties reconciling some Old Testament images and presentations of God's actions and nature with those of Jesus of Nazareth as the incarnate face of the Divine: "if you have seen me, if you know me, you have seen the Father, you know the Father." With the very recent election of Pope Francis I and the worldwide buzz regarding the new Bishop of Rome's Francis of Assisi-type humility and demeanor, Pastor Meier's observation, "If the lives of ordinary people touched by the finger of God produced results like Saints Augustine, Dominic, and Francis, then other ordinary people must have the same opportunity to be transformed" rings loud and clear! In order to assist each of us on that journey of becoming transformed and in turn transforming the world, Paul Meier draws upon the style of Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises.
From the start of Jesus' public ministry as recorded by the evangelist John, through Holy Week, and on to the post-resurrection walk along the road to Emmaus recorded by Luke, Paul Meier reflects upon thirty pericopes from the four canonical gospels ... but he doesn't include any actual resurrection accounts! For each scripture passage, his commentary suggests thoughts, actions, and reactions that might have occurred with people who were present at the time of the actual event. You imaginatively can read, feel, and sense yourself smack dab into the midst of the story, and live through your own growth in knowledge of the Divine through greater knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ. Since life is about story, why not place yourself in the stories of Jesus' earthly life, so Jesus then can become more present in the everyday interactions of your own life? It works both ways! I'd like to suggest starting a journal or notebook for recording your own experiences with these gospel vignettes.
In the "liberal [protestant and catholic] mainline" churches we sometimes emphasize our call in the Spirit to act in prophetic ways that further institutional and social justice more than we do that essential one-on-one, person-to-person relationship with Jesus, but as Pastor Paul quotes from Franciscan Richard Rohr, "We cannot just fall in love with abstractions, but only with concrete people and concrete moments and a personal God." The God who called Abraham, Moses, Amos, Peter, James, Andrew, and Paul to be God's redemptive, reconciling presence in the world; the God who calls us....
Psalm 34:8 encourages us to "O taste and see that the Lord is good." Reading and working through Paul Meier's most recent book can help us ordinary people experience more of God's goodness in a more sensory manner than usual. The DNA of God is Love. We recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the still-living enfleshment of God's love for us; may we also become lively embodiments of God's love in the world!
my amazon review: Tasting and Becoming the Goodness of God
Friday, March 15, 2013
techie 5
Today features a techie 5, hosted by Jan.
1. My routine technologies are my iMac I cannot live without—"Snow Leopard," so it must be a kitteh thing; an iPod; still a simple basic cell phone with the old kind of VGA 1/3 MP camera; "I've got my [14 MP point and shoot] Nikon camera."
2. I've been on Facebook since late Autumn 2007; in May 2009 I started a page for my liturgical and "other" design. I also have far less active pages named after this blog and after my urban blog, preservation project; I started them mostly so no one else would take the names. Networked blogs auto-posts to both, and I rarely add other content. I have a pair of twitter accts: as @suntreeriver has close to 1000 followers and I've tweeted almost 5,000 times from that acct; the newer @liturgylegacy is less active, though I may start tweeting more from there. For a while I played Farmville a couple times a day, but thought I was quitting for a month in June 2011 when it became an almost full-time job. I imagined I'd quit for a month, but never went back. The other very simple cat, dog, garden, and critter apps I played for a while and enjoyed because they weren't demanding all evaporated from facebook.
3. With graphic design my basic work that involves my computer about 90% of the time, I don't separate online activities between home and work, so you could say, "it's all the same everywhere."
4. Per my response to (1), I don't have an i- or a smart phone, only a basic one, though I need to upgrade to a qwerty keyboard to make texting more convenient; I also need a data port so people can transfer files to me without emailing. I cannot justify the initial or ongoing price of a smarter phone.
5. What do I wish I had or didn't have in relation to these devices? Only the slightly smarter phone I'll probably pick up very soon. I don't want a tablet or laptop; in fact, I've never ever had a laptop. I'm happy reading e-books on my desktop, and for the most part prefer e-books to hard copies (paperback or hardbound). However, I'll confess, when the day comes I can buy a tablet that weighs 8 ounces, costs $80, and supports the Adobe design software, I'll be right there!
Bonus: The difference between my techie attitudes and the generation older or younger? In terms of my own generation, my skill/expertise level in the Adobe design software far exceeds most casual users (well, yeah, it's what I do professionally), though I'm an exception in not having a smarter phone or a tablet. Related to the young kids who find email too slow and mostly communicate by texting, I find texting irritating, though I know parents of my generation who text almost incessantly with their HS-age kids.
1. My routine technologies are my iMac I cannot live without—"Snow Leopard," so it must be a kitteh thing; an iPod; still a simple basic cell phone with the old kind of VGA 1/3 MP camera; "I've got my [14 MP point and shoot] Nikon camera."
2. I've been on Facebook since late Autumn 2007; in May 2009 I started a page for my liturgical and "other" design. I also have far less active pages named after this blog and after my urban blog, preservation project; I started them mostly so no one else would take the names. Networked blogs auto-posts to both, and I rarely add other content. I have a pair of twitter accts: as @suntreeriver has close to 1000 followers and I've tweeted almost 5,000 times from that acct; the newer @liturgylegacy is less active, though I may start tweeting more from there. For a while I played Farmville a couple times a day, but thought I was quitting for a month in June 2011 when it became an almost full-time job. I imagined I'd quit for a month, but never went back. The other very simple cat, dog, garden, and critter apps I played for a while and enjoyed because they weren't demanding all evaporated from facebook.3. With graphic design my basic work that involves my computer about 90% of the time, I don't separate online activities between home and work, so you could say, "it's all the same everywhere."
4. Per my response to (1), I don't have an i- or a smart phone, only a basic one, though I need to upgrade to a qwerty keyboard to make texting more convenient; I also need a data port so people can transfer files to me without emailing. I cannot justify the initial or ongoing price of a smarter phone.
5. What do I wish I had or didn't have in relation to these devices? Only the slightly smarter phone I'll probably pick up very soon. I don't want a tablet or laptop; in fact, I've never ever had a laptop. I'm happy reading e-books on my desktop, and for the most part prefer e-books to hard copies (paperback or hardbound). However, I'll confess, when the day comes I can buy a tablet that weighs 8 ounces, costs $80, and supports the Adobe design software, I'll be right there!
Bonus: The difference between my techie attitudes and the generation older or younger? In terms of my own generation, my skill/expertise level in the Adobe design software far exceeds most casual users (well, yeah, it's what I do professionally), though I'm an exception in not having a smarter phone or a tablet. Related to the young kids who find email too slow and mostly communicate by texting, I find texting irritating, though I know parents of my generation who text almost incessantly with their HS-age kids.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
day 30, "go"
Day 30 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 30, "go."
On an organ, a stop is a go! Today's image is a screen capture, cuz I didn't think ahead enough to take a new pic or scan an old one. How do you like my html table?
On an organ, a stop is a go! Today's image is a screen capture, cuz I didn't think ahead enough to take a new pic or scan an old one. How do you like my html table?
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
halfway to easter
Lent 4 / Laetare + 2 days
To mark the lengthening days of Lent, I've been participating in the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church; silence was today's prompt. Tonight in the silence I was double-shadows against the fence, but the camera didn't capture those nearly well enough, so here's the alley thoroughfare.
A couple weeks ago my Facebook status update got a few comments:
Tonight's double shadows by the fence in the alley were a compelling metaphor for the shadow I've become. Maybe shell, possibly ghost? Shadow. A while back on RevGalBlogPals' Thursday "Ask The Matriarch" feature, someone advised "do not announce the pastor's or the pastor's wife's pregnancy as a petition in the intercessions. Many many people struggle silently with infertility, and would not be able to rejoice." I've been struggling semi-silently with a different type of in/fertility, trying one thing after another ("this next thing will work, this next thing will work, this next thing, next thing, next...") to regenerate the level of productivity and participation I used to have and assumed I'd soon have again.
In my attempts to imagine a future – to "practice resurrection?" – I remember those magical times when I had everything but didn't quite realize it―friends, opportunities, health, fun, creativity, responsive emotions, a ringing telephone. Everything went away in a heartbeat. Oh, I knew how badly life could tear, I knew how brittle it could be, but I trusted the power of resurrection―and the power of body and mind to heal.
It's amazing that I used to stay up until 1 am or 2 am after work, or school, or spending an evening with friends. Sometimes I even went out and walked the almost empty streets (ok, that was a very long time ago, when I was an undergrad in a very urban residential area). It wasn't unusual for me to write or create art into the night, yet I'd always be awake and out of bed before dawn. I still have plenty of physical energy, but whatever the ambient temperature or length of daylight, waking days have become short. My life changed when my friends disappeared.
Crawling rather than walking or limping, extreme non-productivity, the loss of ability to "just do it," absence of true social context, inability to practice resurrection, to live "as if," are symptoms of a broken life, just as chest pains, headache, a rash, or a fever indicate something amiss within a physical organism.
Most people almost immediately will attend to or at least be concerned about symptoms that are more physical in nature; even casually, people will ask if a person is eating properly, sleeping enough, getting at least a little exercise.
Despite contemporary awareness of human psychological needs, many, if not most (myself included) attempt to explain away more specifically psychological signs. What person asks about an individual's social milieu, about ways they have to contribute to the common good, about people they can "go to" in times of need, or about others seeking them out in their times of need?
Without the support of others (axiom: people do the best when and where they get the most support), and without the mirror of the other to tell me how I'm doing – and, in a sense, who I am – I've drifted. Life is about story, and for the story to continue, you gotta get back into community. I'm like the violinist who wonders why her career hasn't bounced back, then she suddenly notices her left arm is missing and finally knows why her career's still gone.
What do I want? Sun on my face, sand under my feet. A ringing phone, answers to emails. Fun, creativity, friends, Facebook likes and blog post comments! A real life to enhance my virtual one. A few people who recognize me as gift rather than threat. Oprah told the teenager, "you know you can't do life on your own." The door only can be opened from the other side—would you believe it's about grace?!
Hurry, Sundown!
by Earl H Robinson and Edgar Y Harburg
My seed is sown now, my field is plowed;
My flesh is bone now, my back is bowed.
So hurry, sundown, be on your way,
And hurry me a sun-up from this beat-up sundown day.
Hurry down, sundown, be on your way;
Weave me tomorrow out of today.
Get lost in the sunrise, of a new dawn.
Hurry down, sundown, take the old day,
My life cries out for resurrection from the dead!!
To mark the lengthening days of Lent, I've been participating in the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church; silence was today's prompt. Tonight in the silence I was double-shadows against the fence, but the camera didn't capture those nearly well enough, so here's the alley thoroughfare.
A couple weeks ago my Facebook status update got a few comments:
Blog readers and Facebook "likes" have become such a major concern (distress, devastation) because I'd imagined maybe I could create something of an online life, since the real, local one wasn't happening. In other words, theology blog, design page, aren't simply something extra I decided to try for fun or as an addition to what I was doing here in town; they became almost the whole entire thing. I realize most of the (art / design / theology, etc) peeps who get a lot of online action have an offline life that enriches and informs their online activity, which is why their stuff is (more) worth "likes." I'm aware nothing I've been doing for the past few years has been my best, but I believe it's respectable.That was one of my rethink church posts; I added, "I fear more months, years, decades of aimless drifting."
Tonight's double shadows by the fence in the alley were a compelling metaphor for the shadow I've become. Maybe shell, possibly ghost? Shadow. A while back on RevGalBlogPals' Thursday "Ask The Matriarch" feature, someone advised "do not announce the pastor's or the pastor's wife's pregnancy as a petition in the intercessions. Many many people struggle silently with infertility, and would not be able to rejoice." I've been struggling semi-silently with a different type of in/fertility, trying one thing after another ("this next thing will work, this next thing will work, this next thing, next thing, next...") to regenerate the level of productivity and participation I used to have and assumed I'd soon have again.
In my attempts to imagine a future – to "practice resurrection?" – I remember those magical times when I had everything but didn't quite realize it―friends, opportunities, health, fun, creativity, responsive emotions, a ringing telephone. Everything went away in a heartbeat. Oh, I knew how badly life could tear, I knew how brittle it could be, but I trusted the power of resurrection―and the power of body and mind to heal.
It's amazing that I used to stay up until 1 am or 2 am after work, or school, or spending an evening with friends. Sometimes I even went out and walked the almost empty streets (ok, that was a very long time ago, when I was an undergrad in a very urban residential area). It wasn't unusual for me to write or create art into the night, yet I'd always be awake and out of bed before dawn. I still have plenty of physical energy, but whatever the ambient temperature or length of daylight, waking days have become short. My life changed when my friends disappeared.
Crawling rather than walking or limping, extreme non-productivity, the loss of ability to "just do it," absence of true social context, inability to practice resurrection, to live "as if," are symptoms of a broken life, just as chest pains, headache, a rash, or a fever indicate something amiss within a physical organism.
Most people almost immediately will attend to or at least be concerned about symptoms that are more physical in nature; even casually, people will ask if a person is eating properly, sleeping enough, getting at least a little exercise.
Despite contemporary awareness of human psychological needs, many, if not most (myself included) attempt to explain away more specifically psychological signs. What person asks about an individual's social milieu, about ways they have to contribute to the common good, about people they can "go to" in times of need, or about others seeking them out in their times of need?
Without the support of others (axiom: people do the best when and where they get the most support), and without the mirror of the other to tell me how I'm doing – and, in a sense, who I am – I've drifted. Life is about story, and for the story to continue, you gotta get back into community. I'm like the violinist who wonders why her career hasn't bounced back, then she suddenly notices her left arm is missing and finally knows why her career's still gone.
What do I want? Sun on my face, sand under my feet. A ringing phone, answers to emails. Fun, creativity, friends, Facebook likes and blog post comments! A real life to enhance my virtual one. A few people who recognize me as gift rather than threat. Oprah told the teenager, "you know you can't do life on your own." The door only can be opened from the other side—would you believe it's about grace?!
Hurry, Sundown!
by Earl H Robinson and Edgar Y Harburg
My seed is sown now, my field is plowed;
My flesh is bone now, my back is bowed.
So hurry, sundown, be on your way,
And hurry me a sun-up from this beat-up sundown day.
Hurry down, sundown, be on your way;
Weave me tomorrow out of today.
Get lost in the sunrise, of a new dawn.
Hurry down, sundown, take the old day,
My life cries out for resurrection from the dead!!
day 28, "silence"
Day 28 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 28, "silence."
Tonight in the silence, I was double-shadows against the fence, but the camera didn't capture those, so here's the alley thoroughfare.
Tonight in the silence, I was double-shadows against the fence, but the camera didn't capture those, so here's the alley thoroughfare.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
day 26, "ate"
Day 26 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 26, "ate."
We ate some post-liturgy, eucharistic snacks... a little sparse by that church's usual Sunday standards, yet nutritious and shalom-full, plenty "enough."
We ate some post-liturgy, eucharistic snacks... a little sparse by that church's usual Sunday standards, yet nutritious and shalom-full, plenty "enough."
Laetare 2013
"Through Christ God reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."
2 Corinthians 5:18; Lent 4C; Lent 4 C
2 Corinthians 5:18; Lent 4C; Lent 4 C
Friday, March 08, 2013
life map 5
Today it's another random Friday 5 hosted by revkjarla: My Current Life as Map Friday 5
If my life were a map:
1. The life of service I enjoyed and the friends who abandoned me still remain beyond my boundaries.
2. Among the cities or neighborhoods that need redevelopment or attention or revitalization are those necessary social connections, local opportunities, and more...
3. You know the glass always is close to full—if not overflowing! There are many verdant valleys; they include my own self-awareness and patience with people.
4. I'm lost in vast, thirsty, endless deserts of unacknowledged losses, loneliness, and overwhelming amounts of irresolution.
5. My abilities, experience, and education are treasures hidden from most onlookers but still highly visible to me and to a select few.
If my life were a map:
1. The life of service I enjoyed and the friends who abandoned me still remain beyond my boundaries. 2. Among the cities or neighborhoods that need redevelopment or attention or revitalization are those necessary social connections, local opportunities, and more...
3. You know the glass always is close to full—if not overflowing! There are many verdant valleys; they include my own self-awareness and patience with people.
4. I'm lost in vast, thirsty, endless deserts of unacknowledged losses, loneliness, and overwhelming amounts of irresolution.
5. My abilities, experience, and education are treasures hidden from most onlookers but still highly visible to me and to a select few.
Thursday, March 07, 2013
day 23, no
Day 23 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 23, "no."
No!!! to injustice, violence, poverty, suffering, loneliness, unkindness, exploitation, death...
No!!! to injustice, violence, poverty, suffering, loneliness, unkindness, exploitation, death...
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
day 22, shadow
Day 22 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 22, "shadow." In case you're wondering about the changing length of days, I took this pic 5 weeks ago, and loved the shadows, so here it is for today's prompt.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Sunday, March 03, 2013
day 19, thirst
Day 19 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
day 19, "thirst" for so much—community, friendship, opportunities, participation, freedom, fresh water, new beginnings, healthy food, "normalcy," wellness, resurrection, life, hope, restoration...
Friday, March 01, 2013
day 17, prophet
Day 17 of the Lenten photo-a-day challenge on rethink church.
We need to clean up the San Diego River.
sequestration 5
Today Pat R hosts sequestration 5, because:
1. Less Styrofoam everything. Not only does it not biodegrade for eons; it's also ugly and unaesthetic.
2. Please don't dump toxic anything in the sink, gutters, storm drains—all of it reaches and grieves our earth's circulatory system the oceans, and makes all creation less healthy.
3. Keep the beaches clean and pristine! Sea plants and sea creatures depend on it; so does everyone on land, human and plant and critter alike.
4. Who needs all those in-ground pools, especially in the desert? Reduce climate change!
5. Buy local produce! In season fruits and veggies are fresher and more natural, less engineered, taste brighter and better; less long distance hauling means less depletion of oil, lower dependence on fossil fuels.
Well, it's here. For better or for worse, automatic spending cuts in the federal budget are due to go into effect today. It's call "sequestration," which, when I looked it up in the dictionary, seemed to have something to do with "isolation," as in isolating a portion of the budget and making it unavailable. Or something to that effect.I'm making my answers activities I hope everyone else will consider doing more of, too.
There are wildly different ideas swirling around about how the cuts will effect the economy, the employment rate, and the services we are accustomed to counting on from the government. Here at the Friday Five, ours is not to prognosticate... let's leave that to the politicians and the pundits. Instead, let's all agree that there are some things that it would be good to have less of, some things that could use a nice trimming.
I invite you to name five of them here! The possibilities are endless, from the pruning required for the health of a tree to the hair cut that makes us feel fabulous. What are you planning to cut in the near future? And in what way will those cuts improve someone's life?
1. Less Styrofoam everything. Not only does it not biodegrade for eons; it's also ugly and unaesthetic.
2. Please don't dump toxic anything in the sink, gutters, storm drains—all of it reaches and grieves our earth's circulatory system the oceans, and makes all creation less healthy.
3. Keep the beaches clean and pristine! Sea plants and sea creatures depend on it; so does everyone on land, human and plant and critter alike.
4. Who needs all those in-ground pools, especially in the desert? Reduce climate change!
5. Buy local produce! In season fruits and veggies are fresher and more natural, less engineered, taste brighter and better; less long distance hauling means less depletion of oil, lower dependence on fossil fuels.
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