Playcation

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Yep, family is going on vacation.  We are headed to Wisconsin Dells (a couple hours North) on Wednesday and won't be back until next week.  Awesome.  Longest vacation to a non-relative location for us.  And we need it.  This has been a stressful year of ministry. 

Here's our family video from our Wisconsin Dells vacation over Halloween 2005.  Make sure you watch it all the way through.  The ending is spectacular.  Well, at least pretty cool.  Music from The Go! Team: Thunder, Lightning, Strike.

The Lanyard

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Billy_collins_loc_1Billy Collins is a former Poet Laureate of the U.S. and creator of Poetry 180.  I heard an interview of him on some podcast, I think.  Maybe this one.  He read his poem, "The Lanyard."  I think it's brilliant and wanted to share it here. 

"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.        

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Double Digits

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Dsc_0088_1My daughter, Sarah Elizabeth McCoy, is 10 years old today.  She reminds us at every turn that 10 is "double digits."  That means today is an important day for her, and it's important for me too.

Dsc_00011 Sarah was born in Denver (Littleton) in 1996 she changed our lives and marriage more than I can ever explain.  I remember changing her diapers and watching her sleep so peacefully and gazing into her little life-filled eyes wondering what the future would bring.  She has made me very happy and terribly proud. 

Dsc_00202_1 Sarah gave her first public speech last week on the Elf Owl.  It was so good the teacher asked her to repeat the performance as an example for the other kids.  Sarah cries easily over her sin and seeks Jesus.  Sarah loves her cat, Calvin.  Sarah loves music, learning the words and singing along.  Sarah loves her three younger brothers and will put up with tons of sibling frustrations in order to help and serve them.  Sarah will sit in her room playing with dolls with the Bible on tape playing in the background.  Sarah enjoys learning to bake with her Mom and shopping for clothes and eating anything with broccoli in it. 

Dsc_00321_2 Sarah is a gift that unwraps daily, teaching me about life and love and hope and kindness and beauty.  Sarah is my little girl who isn't so little anymore and is more like a woman than a girl.  I love my Sarah, and my Sarah loves me. 

Happy birthday Sweetheart.  I love being your Daddy and you make me very happy. 

Saturday Selections

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I'm getting a lot of hits from Spero News.

Have you been listening to Ken Myers' podcast from Mars Hill Audio?  It's called Audition, and it's a great free resource for provoking thoughts on theology & culture.  And if you don't subscribe to Mars Hill Audio, I recommend it.  At least get a free sample issue to try.  It's a key resource for stretching me beyond my current intellectual boundaries.

I've gotten through part of the Book TV discussion with Andrew Sullivan and David Brooks.  The conversation focused on Sullivan's new book The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How We Can Get It Back.  I originally caught some of the end of the show on TV.  It is intriguing concerning political conservatives and evangelicals.  You can also get at least some (maybe all?) of the video at YouTube, which has worked better for me than the Book TV video.  Al Mohler just had Sullivan on his radio show as well.

Speaking of evangelicals and the political world, I'm very interested in the recent comments of David Kuo, who is currently a columnist at Beliefnet.  Kuo served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Deputy Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and has written the new book  Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction.  I just bought the book and look forward to reading it in the next couple of weeks. I was introduced to Kuo by watching Charlie Rose's interview a couple of nights ago.  Here's the Google Video of the program, and the Kuo interview begins at around the 35 minute mark.  Justin Taylor points to the Books & Culture review of Tempting Faith.

I'm already tired of the online discussion about Ted Haggard, and find Stephen Shield's post on the matter very helpful.  Mark Driscoll's good advice in his post on the subject are must reading, though nothing profoundly new (a typical sign of most good advice).

The late Mitch Hedberg has some important thoughts for us as Thanksgiving approaches.

I don't listen to country music, but the new CD by Alan Jackson is really good.  It's called Like Red On A Rose. 

I'm finishing up preaching Colossians this Sunday.  I've enjoyed N.T. Wright's commentary (TNTC) the most.  Then I'm taking two Sundays off for vacation and a planning retreat.  Tim Etherington will be preaching for me from Jude.

Oh No

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HaggardUh oh.

The president of the National Association of Evangelicals resigned Thursday after denying an accusation by a male prostitute that the pastor paid him for sex over three years.

The Rev. Ted Haggard said he is also temporarily stepping aside from the pulpit of his church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pending an internal investigation by the church.

Chicago Sports

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Things are looking up for Chicago Sports.  Last year the White Sox won the World Series.  The Cubs have shaken the Dusty off their feet and grabbed what I hope is a real manager in Piniella.  The Bears have returned to Monsters of the Midway form. 

Shaq_1And now, is it possible?  Could the Bulls be moving toward a new era of winning?  They have made some good off season moves and there is a lot of buzz about the team.  But no one expected the 42 point blowout on opening night against the defending champion Miami Heat tonight.  Pretty cool, and it should be a good season to be a Bulls fan.

Astonishing Generosity

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I'm preaching a series of sermons on generosity in January, and this post on "Astonishing Generosity" by Tod Bolsinger caught my eye.  A blurb...

• This is not just a strategy for adding some kindness to the world.  It’s a strategy for changing the world.  (It's a revolution strategy!)
• It’s not just about making the world better, it’s about making the world new. 
•Generosity is not just about making people think we are good nice and kind, it is about helping people see that God is good, compassionate and responsive to their cries.

It is a central activity of the followers of Christ to reveal God to the world. 

Our generosity is to remind people of God’s generosity.  Our generous forgiveness of those who fail us, giving to those in need, of openhandedness to those who were clinging so hard to the scraps of life, and welcome to those who are without a place in this world would be nothing more (and nothing less!) than a reflection of the “generous love of God into the whole world.”

Music Monday

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SleepingI have been captured by Sleeping at Last (myspace), a Wheaton, IL band, and their new CD Keep No Score.  They sound a bit like Sigur Ros & Keane with hints of Coldplay & Radiohead.  I think Christianity Today generally has it right when they call it "ethereal folk" (though Jars of Clay is not really ethereal folk to me).  But honestly, don't compare this band to anyone else.  Just listen.  Tons of redemption & beauty within. 

A few lyrics...

"Careful Hands"

Only with careful hands
We’ll turn their fangs into feathers and cures.
Only with careful hands
We’ll divide the prisoner
From the pioneer.

"Needle & Thread"

When the world welcomes us in,
We’re closer to Heaven than we’ll ever know.
They say this place has changed,
But strip away all of the technology
And you will see
That we all are hunters
Hunting for something that will make us okay.

"Heaven Breaks"

We’ll pray for Heaven’s floor to break,
Pour the brightest white on blackest space,
Come bleeding gloriously through
The clouds and the blue.
Forcing one place from two,
Killing formulaic views,
Only love proves to be the truth.         

When heaven meets the earth,
We will have no use for numbers
To measure who are and what we’re worth.

A Song in My Night

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"I Will Wait For You There"
by Phil Wickham

I will wait for You there
Down on my knees where I met You
Give You all of my cares
Find a grace to hold onto now
I’m calling for You

I will wait for You there
Far from the world and it’s violence
It left broken and bare
I need to hear You in the silence now
I’m calling for You

And with outstretched arms
I will sing out melodies
And my beating heart
Will pour out a symphony
Hallelujah’s in the morning
Hallelujah’s in the night
I will wait for You as long as I have life

I will wait for You there
Down On my knees where I met You
Cause life is a war fought with tears
But You are the strength I hold onto now
I’m calling for you

And with outstretched arms
I will sing out melodies
And my beating heart
Will pour out a symphony
Hallelujah’s in the morning
Hallelujah’s in the night
I will wait for You...

And with outstretched arms
I will sing out melodies
And my beating heart
Will pour out a symphony
Hallelujah’s in the morning
Hallelujah’s in the night
I will wait for You as long as I have life

Black Boots on YouTube

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I'm happy to say that I've added my take on murder and mayhem to YouTube.  If you haven't seen it or just feel compelled to revisit this dark film portraying the tragic mix of the wild west and suburbia, go watch the classic McCoy family favorite: Black Boots.

Reformissionary Roundup

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Time for a roundup of random stuff.

1. I've started a Bible study series at our church based on Kris Lundgaard's book, The Enemy Within (@ Monergism).  Lundgaard's book is based on two of John Owen's works on sin.  I read it a few years ago and rereading it for this series.  Very helpful book.  Justin Taylor points to some of Lundgaard's audio messages on The Enemy Within.

2. Watched the movie Click with my wife yesterday.  It was moderately funny.  Best part of the movie is what Adam Sandler does to David Hasselhoff (there's a bad word here, so don't watch if you can't handle it).

3. Speaking of video, the Smiling Addiction video is great.  It's an original piece (including original music) by Crossroads Community Church in GA.  I think Joe Thorn first pointed me to this.

4. It looks like Paradox, a music venue at Mars Hill Seattle but not run by Mars Hill, is no more.  This article doesn't really give Mars Hill's perspective in a good light, but the news was worth mentioning.

5. Have you taken a trip on Line Rider yet?  Throw on a scarf and go!

6. Alan Hirsch is blogging.

7. Tim Keller wants to help you know how to "Work."  Great sermon.  Keller provides Dorothy Sayers' definition of the biblical doctrine of work: "Work is the gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others."  Other TK Resources.

Music Monday

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A couple of CD's that are burning up my iPod over the last week or two.

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife (MySpace)Crane_1

I bought the previous album from The Decemberists, Picaresque, and liked it.  Didn't love it, but liked it.  When I heard their new CD was out I wasn't terribly interested.  But when review after positive review kept coming in I thought it might be worth a try.  When Best Buy put it out for $7.99 I couldn't resist.  I'm glad I gave in.  It offers an array of interesting sounds and quirky folksy melodies.  I really like this CD.

Pitchfork says...

Given the band's graduation from minor to major leagues, The Crane Wife may prove to be the most crucial record the Decemberists will release in their lifetime. Fortunately, their fourth album further magnifies and refines their strengths. Winsomely balancing frivolity and gravity, the Decemberists assemble an oddball menagerie of the usual rogues and rascals, soldiers and criminals, lovers and baby butchers-- but they've got a lot more tricks up their sleeves than previous albums had hinted. The Crane Wife employs an impressive variety of styles and sounds to tell Meloy's imaginative stories: There's the band's usual folk-rock, honed to an incisively sharp point, but they also deploy a smuggler's blues ("The Perfect Crime"), a creepy lullaby ("Shankill Butchers"), a Led Zep stomp ("When the War Came"), and, perhaps most divisively, a multipart prog track ("The Island") that stretches well past the 10-minute mark.

Songs From The Voice (Vol 1): Please Don't Make Us Sing This SongVoice

Someone gave me this CD and I left it sitting on the shelf for a bit.  Taking it off and putting it on my iPod was a great move.  What a wonderful CD.  It is the first volume of songs based on The Voice, "a project to rediscover the story of the Bible as retold by a gifted team of writers, poets, pastors, and storytellers."  The folks working on this retelling of Scripture includes Chris Seay, Lauren Winner and Brian McLaren.  I'm currently reading some from The Last Eyewitness.

Artists on this CD include Sandra McCracken, Sara Groves, Derek Webb, Robbie Seay Band, Don and Lori Chaffer (of Waterdeep) and others.  There are too many great songs to list here.  But a few of the best are McCracken's "Call Him Good" and Lori Chaffer's "Please Don't Make Us Sing This Song," which was featured on a video about hurricane Katrina.  Highly recommended, beautiful and artistic CD.

Read more from Christianity Today.  Infuse says...

Please Don't Make Us Sing This Song, is part of a fifteen-year brainstorm of pastor and author, Chris Seay. Seay has set forth on a quest to reignite the beauty and artistry of the Bible, through working with an integrated team of authors, scholars, artists, musicians, and the like in order to rediscover the story of the Bible. This album is part of that collaboration and stands as a testament to the creativity, heart, and faithfulness of all involved.