"A Clear Midnight" by Walt Whitman
This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson
done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the
themes thou lovest best,
Night, sleep, death and the stars.
Review of Melanie Penn: Wake Up Love coming this week. Our whole family is really enjoying it. Christianity Today digs it. Watch her sing "Ordinary Day" below. I've provided some of the lyrics.
It's me when you catch the fragrance of spring
When tall trees sway
It's me in the cold winter sting
In the alleyway
I am the sigh
While all creation groans and waitsYou can hear me speak
If you're listenin'
I will always be
And I have always been
You can hear me blowin'
Although you don't know
Where I'm comin' from
Or where I go
Doug Burr is a new name for me, and that's a shame because his music is outstanding. His new song "Red, Red" can be downloaded free. Here's "Should've Known"...
Friday Haiku (or "Fri-ku"), by me...
misunderstandings
discombobulate the world,
so be slow to speak
Take 5 minutes, write your own and leave it in the comments.
Listen to this interview of Billy Collins by Christy Tennant of International Arts Mission (IAM). You should subscribe to the IAM podcast. One of the best things on the arts from a perspective of faith out there.
Also check out the most touching Billy Collins poem (to me) "The Lanyard." It's something I like to point to each April in remembrance of my Mom, who died of cancer in April of 2007.
Teach me work that honors Thy work,
the true economies of goods and words,
to make my arts compatible
with the songs of the local birds.Teach me patience beyond work
and, beyond patience, the blest
Sabbath of Thy unresting love
which lights all things and gives rest.
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”
(Job 42:1-6, ESV)
"Choose" by Carl Sandburg (Chicago Poems)
THE single clenched fist lifted and ready,
Or the open asking hand held out and waiting.
Choose:
For we meet by one or the other.
I found the Internet Monk website of Michael Spencer years ago. His words about Jesus and His Church, spirituality and truth have been deeply encouraging and helpful in my discipleship and as I work as a pastor. We soon connected and I had the privilege of speaking at his school in 2006 and my family enjoyed the Spencers & the whole experience. Michael Spencer died today in the presence of his family in his home in Oneida, Kentucky. I have this picture with Michael (left) and Matthew Smith (center) from our time there. The photo below is the bridge I took from the home we stayed in to the the school where iMonk served.
I thought it would be fitting during National Poetry Month and the day after Easter to give you a poem from Michael's wife, Denise, posted in 2007.
For Holy Week - Denise Day Spencer
THREE-FOLD TORMENT
Let me share with you His pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.– Stations of the Cross, St. Ann Roman Catholic Mission
He stumbles ‘neath the load.
It is not heavy, yet it crushes.
Merely a mangle of thorns
Woven as a crude crown.
Thorns that boldly dare to mock their Maker.He stretches out His hands,
Ready to embrace, but not fondly.
Only the ore of iron
Hammered into soiled spikes.
Iron dares to agonize its Author.He writhes upon the tree.
Alone, and utterly forsaken.
Simply a structure of wood
Fashioned as a cruel cross.
Splintered wood now dares murder its Master.He gazes on the crowd.
Mankind, pinnacle of creation.
One whispered word could destroy
Thorn, iron, wood, mad men.
Yet the Savior dares to speak:
“Forgiven.”
"On A Good Day" by Joanna Newsom: Have One On Me. Song with lyrics below.
Hey hey hey the end is near
On a good day you can see the end from here
But I won't turn back now though the way is clear
I will stay for the remainderI saw a life and I called it mine
I saw it drawn so sweet and fine
And I had begun to fill in all the lines
Right down to what we'd name herOur nature does not change by will
In the Winter 'round the ruined mill
The creek is lying flat and still
It is water though it's frozenSo, across the years and miles and through
On a good day you can feel my love for you
Will you leave me be so that we can stay true
To the path that you have chosen?
Wilco does a Take Away Show. This band is always good. (via)
Wilco - Country Disappeared - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
If you are suffering this Easter, read and be encouraged.
Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness by John Donne (via)
Since I am coming to that Holy room,
Where, with Thy choir of saints for evermore,
I shall be made Thy music; as I come
I tune the instrument here at the door,
And what I must do then, think here before;
Whilst my physicians by their love are grown
Cosmographers, and I their map, who lie
Flat on this bed, that by them may be shown
That this is my south-west discovery,
Per fretum febris, by these straits to die;
I joy, that in these straits I see my west;
For, though those currents yield return to none,
What shall my west hurt me? As west and east
In all flat maps—and I am one—are one,
So death doth touch the resurrection.
Is the Pacific sea my home? Or are
The eastern riches? Is Jerusalem?
Anyan, and Magellan, and Gibraltar?
All straits, and none but straits, are ways to them
Whether where Japhet dwelt, or Cham, or Shem.
We think that Paradise and Calvary,
Christ's cross and Adam's tree, stood in one place;
Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me;
As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face,
May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace.
So, in His purple wrapp'd, receive me, Lord;
By these His thorns, give me His other crown;
And as to others' souls I preach'd Thy word,
Be this my text, my sermon to mine own,
"Therefore that He may raise, the Lord throws down."
The Beggar at the Door for Fame
Were easily supplied
But Bread is that Diviner thing
Disclosed to be deniedc. 1872
The Spirit Led Pastor from Acts 29 Network on Vimeo.
I just love Sam Storms. Solid, biblical advice for pastors. Not trying to be clever. Just clear.
Nurturing a Spirit-led Life
Billy Collins is my favorite contemporary poet. He is accessible, humorous and often slyly profound. Here one of his for day 1 of National Poetry Month.
The Golden Years by Billy Collins
All I do these drawn-out days
is sit in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge
where there are no pheasants to be seen
and last time I looked, no ridge.
I could drive over to Quail Falls
and spend the day there playing bridge,
but the lack of a falls and the absence of quail
would only remind me of Pheasant Ridge.
I know a widow at Fox Run
and another with a condo at Smokey Ledge.
One of them smokes, and neither can run,
so I’ll stick to the pledge I made to Midge.
Who frightened the fox and bulldozed the ledge?
I ask in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge.
Each month Amazon MP3 download puts out $5 albums. You can see all 100 $5 April albums for April. But you may want to start here with my favorites. Hard to believe we can get music this good for this cheap. Take advantage! If you are looking for a particular style of music and don't know where to start, comment below with what you like and I'll try to direct you to something in your taste-range. Enjoy!
As National Poetry Month (NPM) begins today here's what you'll find at Reformissionary.
I hope to get up a new poem every day. May miss a few, but will make an effort.
I hope to help you find some new voices in poetry and music (the most popular poetic medium of our day). I like to find new poets: whether they are young or old poets, alive or dead poets. Let me know if you have a poet that should be on my radar.
I'll try to get up videos of poets reading their poems or talking about the value and art of poetry.
I also help to find an essay or two on writing poetry and/or enjoying poetry.
Maybe I'll find something new and unexpected to post. Maybe I'll write a poem or two. Maybe I interview the greatest poet ever, whoever that is.
Take in at least a little poetry this NPM. Poetry is good for you. As a communicator I realize poetry can teach us conciseness in language, new angles in seeing the world and our experience of he world, a richness of description, etc. As a human I realize poetry makes me slow down and sip rather than gulp like I do most things. Information consumption has found a corrective in the slow ingestion of poetry, meditation on words and forms.
I had the privilege of attending Catalyst One Day Chicago last Thursday at Willow Creek. I didn't know a lot about One Day before I went. I knew it was ONE day and had Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel as speakers. I knew it would probably be mostly leadership and organizational principles. That's about it.
One Day's are four main sessions (Andy, 2 Craig's, Andy), significant Q and A time, and Andy-Craig dialogues. You get to hear the nitty gritty aspects of ministry from these two guys who lead two giant churches and who have been through a lot.
Topic was momentum. An important topic for my ministry & church in particular, so I was very eager to hear them on it. Let me first describe 5 things that I really needed to hear.
First, I needed the reminder from Stanley that if people aren't following, they aren't convinced of the vision. I'm working on vision stuff at Doxa this week and heading into summer. It's an important thing for me to hear and hear again. I'm not nearly good enough at casting vision and keeping it in front of my people.
Second, I needed the word from Groeschel that "If you're not hurting, you're not leading." Pain is a part of leadership and ministry, I've experienced it a lot, and it's a part of it that I can't avoid. But I love to try to avoid it. If I do, I stop leading. Another quote: "The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the painful decision you need to make."
Third, I needed everything from Groeschel's second talk. So good for me. We need to repent life as "Christian Atheists," as people who are full-time Pastors but only part-time Christians. This was another God moment for me, which are growing in number over the past few months. God is good.
Fourth, I needed the reminder to talk to my wife about when it's best for me to be home. I've just flat-out neglected this. I'm home a lot and I'm a real homebody, a family man. But often not at the times that serve her and my children best. I'm correcting this.
Fifth, I needed Stanley's encouraging closing talk as it pertained to my approach to ministry. He said programs are created to answer a question or meet a need and we must stop them when they no longer answer the question or meet the need. I've seen a need to work on this at my church, and I just needed to be encouraged again on how important this work is.
Now, a few critical thoughts I have and I know some others have.
Some will criticize conferences like this for not emphasizing the Gospel more. I hear that, and agree to a point. I know we can't assume a lot of guys in ministry know and/or preach the Gospel all that well. I agree that the Gospel is THE filter and directive behind all that we do. And I do think the message of One Day would be impacted and improved should the Gospel take a more prominent place as the day begins.
But I also like the format. I like having some assumptions so we can narrow the focus. We don't always have to say everything. You know coming in to this that it isn't really a theology/Gospel conference. There are other places for that. This is leadership and organization and best practices. And I found it of great value for what it is.
I disagree significantly with both Stanley and Groeschel on some organizational aspects of their churches. It's hard to talk best practices without the conference teaching a model, at least to a point. I was able to pass off the stuff I didn't find sound or compelling from my point of view, so it wasn't a big deal for me. Is it possible the Gospel/theology aspect is not only absent because of the narrow focus of the conference, but also because it's under-utilized in these models? Possibly. But that doesn't mean I can glean what I find valuable there, and I found a lot of value.
Another criticism could be that these pastors of large churches with lots of staff aren't speaking quite as helpful for smaller church guys. There's some validity to that and had that thought during One Day. But I also think there is enough there that anyone in any place of ministry will be blessed. Like I said, yu can't do everything at every conference. And the principles discussed are meant to be universal. I was happy enough, though I wasn't always fully tracking with where these two guys are in their leadership journey.
If you have a chance to attend a One Day or other Catalyst Conference, I think you will be blessed. I was.
Daniel Montgomery of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY on the Gospel (via)...
Kyle Bobby Dunn asked if I would check out his new double album. A quick online sample was encouraging so I decided to give it a go. Stunning. I feel it's important to say that I don't know if I have the vocabulary for this style of music. Here's my best shot.
This is ambient, minimal music. The tracks range from 4-17+ minutes in length for a total of just under 2 hours. This explanation from the label's website is helpful...
Utilising an instrumental palette of guitar, strings and brass, often played by classically trained musicians drafted in on the spur of the moment, the sounds of these sessions were recorded as Dunn dictated and then reworked via computer processing into spine-tingling soundscapes.
Dunn's compositions here are fully rich in timbre, painterly, hopelessly romantic and haunting balanced between a wash of pure sound yet subtle dance of classical instrumentation. Occupying a truly cinematic scope, these pieces can transport the listener from the deepest and most forgotten landscapes to the furthest recesses of time.
I liken it to being in a Solaris (movie) dream, but even that is too melodic. I would take two above words and put them together: "textured soundscapes." Everything builds and fades without sudden surprise. It's tide, not waves. And it's expansive and mysterious. It's full of a sense of "the in-between," for me. As if trapped between two worlds. And we willingly linger there.
Where there are storms, and there are a couple (like "Empty Gazing"), they crawl across the plains in full sight. There's plenty of time to take shelter so you stand in the calm before and feel what is coming. There's a sense of smallness before it.
I also appreciate this explanation from CokeMachineGlow concerning the minimal undulation of the music...
The effect—and I’m guessing this is the intention—is similar to watching the sea from the window of a gently undulating aircraft; Kyle Bobby D knows when you’re over that much water you only want to undulate so much.
I appreciate more than anything else the sense I get from this music of time slowing. It's like living in that first moment in the event horizon of a black hole. Experiencing a sense of timelessness in a smart-phone-calendar-alarm world is of massive benefit.
This album takes time and isn't easy. Don't let that scare you. Well, let that scare you a little bit. If you only want 3 minute ditties, this isn't where you turn. This isn't for the person who buys the Hershey's bar. It's for the one who picks the 70% cocoa over the 60% and can give you the reasons why. And I hope it's for the person who is willing to try something new and find something worth the effort. Turn off the phone, take a deep breath or two while decanting an aged red and enjoy.
This is the only place I know to pick up A Young Person's Guide To Kyle Bobby Dunn. I highly recommend it.
