Tyler Lyle gets it right......

Jen brought this song along with her when she came back from Texas. It's a great song! Check out the words - and you can find the song here at itunes if you would like to own it!!

jesus loves lesbians
and terrorists
and pat robertson
jesus loves soccer moms
and immigrants
and hillary clinton

and if you don't love them too
then the love of God is not in you

jesus loves the homeless man
and he loves the fire and brimstone preachers that will never understand
jesus loves the liar, the cynic, the doubter, the hypocrite
and jesus loves me too

and if you don't love them too
then the love of God is not in you

jesus loves lesbians
and athiests
and republicans
jesus loves everyone
even southern baptists
even jesse jackson

and if you don't love them too
then the love of God is not in you

"It would be nice and fairly nearly true to say that 'from that time forth Eustace was a different boy.' To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. He had relapses. There were still many days when he could be very tiresome. But most of those I shall not notice. The cure had begun."

C.S.Lewis

"The vitality of thought is in adventure...

...Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them. "
Alfred North Whitehead

Did you ever have that moment when you had an epiphany, or a thought -maybe you saw something you had read a hundred times before in a new and different way? And you just had to write down before you forgot it? I probably have this problem more than most with my ADD mind. Sometimes in life there are times when there are none of those moments. Moments when synapses stop firing because I am too tired to engage my mind. Or times when I close the door on the thoughts - if I can. The moments I won't read because I know I will start the hamster wheel turning. And there are times, when I haven't given any grist for the mill. I have become routine, ho hum. Just going through the motions, thinking the same old thoughts - nothing new to say. And that totally frustrates me, and I wonder what is wrong with me... So, today, out of the blue, when I was doing my afternoon prayers a thought hit me. Kablooey, right between the eyes. And I didn't have a single thing to write on. For a person like me, that is a disaster. People who know me, know I carry paper with me to catch those fleeting thoughts for further consideration. So I'm scrambling for paper. Digging in my bag furiously, knowing full well I have a notebook in there. Somewhere. Quickly, before the thought leaves my head. Scrabble, scrabble. Throwing things around in my quest. Ha Ha. It felt kinda good. Realizing that the wheels are starting to turn again, rusty and as out of practice as they may be. Stone on stone - ready for something new to grind. Not fodder - that is just given to me. I want to forage and feed the mill. I'm ready for something new.

And today, I had a simple and very striking thought. Huh. In those same old words I've read a hundred times before.

Off I go to ponder.

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world."
~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927).

Better.......................brooke fraser

"Better"

Take my shoulder back now
Your head's too heavy for me
Please don't come around here no more
'Cos I asked you to stop
And you wouldn't

[Chorus]
I would give anything to make you better
I would give anything to point you to free
I would give anything to help you realise

I loved you 'til it killed me
So my logic wouldn't hurt you
I know you might blame me anyway
Well I'm sorry, I'm so sorry

[Chorus]
[added]
You're not helping yourself to me

I've tried all the things they told me
Trying to close up the wounds left open by you
And if I seem doubtful, distrusting.....I am
You said you wouldn't do it agin
You said you wouldn't do it again

[Chorus]
[added]
You're not helping yourself
You're not helping yourself by hurting me

Anything just to try and help you see
You ain't helping yourself by hurting me
Time to let you go, time for you to see
You ain't helping you

"If the Divine does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all the bad men, religious bad men are the worst. Of all created beings, the wickedest is the one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God."

C.S. Lewis

Weezer gets it.....

Imma do the things that i wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if i make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and i'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think

So, I went to the party and wore what I wanted. My jeans. I was comfy, and happy and me! And if anybody cared they didn't say, and I was good with that. No trendy shoes, no cool skirt; nope, not me.

So, yesterday was weird. Just weird. Emotions all over the place. We spent the morning helping Mike and Julie load the truck, well except for the time I took to hold Aidan for awhile, and play with Emma. Wow, was it hard to say goodbye. Austin, you don't know how fortunate you are.

And then, when emotions started getting the best of me, we had to go - which was beyond hard - and head to a party for goodness sake. A 25th Anniversary party for our good friends Phil and Betsy. Where we had to be happy and enjoy interacting with friends - some we hadn't seen for quite some time. Well, since we left our previous church. Hence the worry about what we wore and whether we were acting properly, or even if we were still being "judged" for leaving our old church. We were genuinely happy for Phil and Betsy though.

See what I mean about roller coaster emotions? Up, down, way down, up......until I crashed at 10:00 and went to sleep.

But it's another day.... hopefully Mike and Julie are well on their way to Austin, and Phil and Betsy are on their way to another 25 years.

And I'm gonna go do what I want.

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

Well – summer is off to a kind of crazy start – between the doctors, the vet, the accident, and Kim, Chris and Kelsey traveling. Carissa is pretty busy working so I’ve been kinda lazy….
The hammock is a great place to read – when Cairo lets me.
So far this summer I have read:
Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: The Story of an African Childhood by Robyn Scott
Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
Fleeing Fundamentalism: A Minister's Wife Examines Faith by Carlene Cross ( I really liked and related to about half this book – then it just became sad…and hopeless)
Turning Tables by Heather MacDowell and Rose MacDowell
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection by Gordon Ramsay

So, now I have to decide what to read next. More Theroux? Some classics, like Proust, Sinclair or Tolstoy ? Victoria Rowell’s memoir? A book by Lisa Samson or Jo Kadlecek? Or Matthew Paul Turner’s Beatitude: Relearning Jesus through Truth, Contradiction, and a Folded Dollar Bill (while I wait for his new book Churched to come out)? Or something by Wright, McLaren, Rollins, Foster or Willard?.
I’m also interested in Lynne Hybels thoughts in her short book Nice Girls Don’t Change the World. Too many choices. Too many books!
Deep books, fun books, books to learn from, memoirs…….
This is supposed to be fun – not stressful.

What have you been reading; what is on your list for the summer or vacation reading? I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations – cuz goodness knows I don’t have enough choices already! ;)

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." ~Helen Exley

It often requires more courage to read some books than it does to fight a battle. ~Sutton Elbert Griggs

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan

My heart will choose to say.......

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman

 Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful 
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

 Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

 Every blessing You pour out 
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

 Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

 Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

 Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering 
Though there's pain in the offering 
Blessed be Your name

 Every blessing You pour out 
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

 Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

 You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

The Rose

Some say love, it is a river

That drowns the tender reed

Some say love, it is a razor

That leaves your soul to bleed

Some say love, it is a hunger

An endless aching need

I say love, it is a flower

And you, its only seed

It's the heart, afraid of breaking

That never learns to dance

It's the dream, afraid of waking

That never takes the chance

It's the one who won't be taken

Who cannot seem to give

And the soul, afraid of dying

That never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely

And the road has been too long

And you think that love is only

for the lucky and the strong

Just remember in the winter

Far beneath the bitter snow

Lies the seed

That with the sun's love, in the spring

Becomes the rose

Real To Me
Nichole Nordeman

Every time I try to find you
Every road comes back around
Just another hoop to jump through
Another mile of covered ground

I am weary of the answers
More theory and cliché
They raise the letter of the law like a banner
'Til you're small and far away

All the questions in my head
Are from my heart instead

Be real to me now
That's all I'm asking
Be real to me now

Every scribe and every scholar
No winners in this debate
Everybody seems to stand up taller
When you're easy to explain

I don't need to know what I don't know
Just got to let it go

Be real to me now
That's all I'm asking
Be real somehow
More than anything
More than anything

So lay down the sword
And put away the doctrine
Love a little more, love a little more
'Cause everybody's broken

Are you daydreaming when you should be working?

There is a song with a very catchy tune getting a lot of airplay these days. On the surface I found myself humming along - until I really listened to the words. And then, well - I don't agree with the song. But a lot of people aren't going to think about what they are hearing/singing along with, and the song is just gonna keep on rolling. When I was looking for the lyrics so I could post them, I found this comment with a question:

An awesome song that’s been ministering to me lately is What Could Be Better, by 33 Miles. Am I the only one who’s noticed a lack of songs written about looking forward to Heaven?

I’ve heard it said today
Is all we’re given
Tomorrow may not come
So you better start living
I guess it all depends
On your point of view
Pardon me if I
Just don’t listen
To everything the world
Says I’m missing
There’s nothing here and now
I’m gonna hold on to

I’m living in the days ahead
I’m already dancing on the streets of gold
Can’t stop celebrating in my soul
I’m living in the days ahead
Nothing on earth could ever compare
Can’t wait for the day when I get there
When I see Jesus face to face
Tell me what could be better
Tell me what could be better

If home is where the heart
Is then I’m in Heaven
It’s the promise of tomorrow
That I’ve been given
Who is waiting there I am living for
He’s everything I love
And I believe in
And I can hardly wait
Just to see Him
And hear Him say well done
I couldn’t ask for more

I’m living in the days ahead
I’m already dancing on the streets of gold
Can’t stop celebrating in my soul
I’m living in the days ahead
Nothing on earth could ever compare
Can’t wait for the day when I get there
When I see Jesus face to face
Tell me what could be better
Tell me what could be better
Life is full of ups and downs
Inside outs, round and rounds
Can’t blame me for dreaming about it

I’m living in the days ahead
I’m already dancing on the streets of gold
Can’t stop celebrating in my soul
I’m living in the days ahead
Nothing on earth could ever compare
Can’t wait for the day when I get there
When I see Jesus face to face
Tell me what could be better
Tell me what could be better

People! Do you ever think about the message of the song(s) you are propagating???
Maybe you do, maybe the way I think is totally different than the way you think. Even if your philosophy of the end times is different than mine, still to subscribe to the words of this song is totally missing the point of being a Christian. I'm not saying we shouldn't be excited about the future, or that we shouldn't long to see Jesus. But we have to stop being, as the cliché says, "too heavenly minded to be any earthly good."

Why are you a believer? To save yourselves from hell, and get into heaven? Is your belief simply an insurance policy?? What are you living for? The future? As in, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through"? Don't you think that being a Christian, a true follower of Christ is much deeper than that?? Way too many Christians go to church every Sunday to do their duty, or even just to be seen so others will not think badly of them, and then rarely think about God things the rest of the week.

He’s everything I love
And I believe in
And I can hardly wait
Just to see Him
And hear Him say well done
I couldn’t ask for more

But He can! If he is everything we love and believe in shouldn't we be living in His way, following his example, doing His work??
The point of our salvation is to join in the work of God as he reconciles the world to himself. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are to be about God's business. Loving, helping, fighting injustice.
If we spend all our time thinking and dreaming of the days ahead, what happens here and now? What about the fact that Jesus spent his time feeding the poor, healing the sick, eating with sinners, loving the children, challenging authority, teaching those who wanted to be like him?
What do we do? Sit in church and sing about heaven!
To hold to this future theology means to give up on the world. To give up on the people God so desperately loves. It means that we are selfishly saying," it's all going to just be destroyed anyway, why should I even consider working to make this world a better place?" It's defeatist, fatalistic thinking. Are we just resigned to the fact that there is nothing left in the world that is worth redeeming?
How does that help the hungry, or clothe someone who is cold?
If we are truly committed followers of Christ, if we are truly accepting him as Lord, and King, and Ruler - shouldn't we be following his plan? His way of living?
Instead of preaching we need to live our faith.
Instead of going to church, we need to be the church.
Instead of dreaming of heaven, instead of not being able to wait to get out of here, we need to work to make it a better place for all those God loves - and loves equally.
Instead of blame we need love.
Instead of finger pointing, we need teamwork.

In answer to the question of the above song's title "What Could be Better?" I leave the words of John Waller's song The Blessing:

The Blessing

Let it be said of us while we walked among the living
Let it be said of us by the ones we leave behind
Let it be said of us that we lived to be a blessing for life

And let it be said of us that we gave to reach the dying
Let it be said of us by the fruit we leave behind
Let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life

This day, You set life, You set death right before us
This day, every blessing and curse is a choice now
And we will choose to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us that our hearts belong to Jesus
Let it be said of us that we spoke the words of life
Let is be said of us that our heritage is blessing for life

'Cause blessings and curses are choices
Will we build up, tear down? The moment of truth is now

For your kingdom, for our children
For the sake of every nation
For your kingdom, for our children
For the sake of every nation
We will choose to be a blessing for life

Mighty to Save

Everyone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations


Saviour, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave


So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender
I surrender


Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing, for the glory of the risen king,
Jesus, Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen king

The same pain that can blemish our personality can act as a creative force,
burnishing it into an object of delight.

Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan

"There is no neutral ground in the universe;
every square inch, every split second,
is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan."
C.S.Lewis

Happy Valentine's Day!

"It is now well-established that both animals and humans show health benefits from social contact (e.g., House, Umberson, & Landis, 1988). Positive physical contact in the form of touching, hugging, cuddling, and the like is known to release oxytocin which, in turn, has anti-stress properties. The present analysis suggests some mechanisms whereby social support may provide health protection … accompanying relaxation. As such, oxytocin may confer health benefits (cf. Ryff & Singer, 1998)."

Simple lesson of the day, hug more and hug longer!

Happy Valentines Day!

Don't let other people's opinions

burn holes in your dreams.

Elsa Joy Bailey

What are you reading? Another Meme....

This one is fun. Here are the “rules.”

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

Here is my selection:

The book is Madame Dread: A tale of Love, Voudou and Civil Strife in Haiti.

"The church provided him the opportunity to travel to Rome, Jerusalem, Great Britain, and Canada, where he perfected his English, Spanish, Italian and Hebrew. But he needed only one language to get his message across to the Haitian people, and in Creole he shouted loud and clear and often that social change was possible and the Hatian people had the tools to do it. Like a rampant infection, youth groups took up his cry for liberation theology and social change and the Aristide dynasty was launched."

Tagging Julie, Christine, Jen, Mike (yes, I know you hate these.....) and Vanessa.

Our listening creates a sanctuary

for the homeless parts within another person.

Rachel Naomi Remen

People expect you, as a believer, to have all the answers,
when really all you have is a whole new set of questions"
Bono