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Beginning to get ready. . . . . I'm beginning to work on a Haiku for Easter. You know the syllable drill: 5-7-5. So lets see who can come up with the best closing line in the comments.
Dawn pregnant with Light
Darkness runs like a bandit posted by John David Walt | at 3/30/2006 09:40:00 PM | 5 comments
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Votefortheworst.com
Idol fans--- you've got to check this one out. these guys are attempting to thwart the mind of the producers and they claim to have done it in the three prior seasons of the show. They supposedly saved Kelly Pickler from a sure fate last night. Any predictions on who's next? posted by John David Walt | at 3/29/2006 10:10:00 PM | 3 comments
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
mandeesa ok idolaters--- time to ring in for Mandeesa-- text vote to 5701. she put it out there with shackles--- posted by John David Walt | at 3/28/2006 09:55:00 PM | 6 comments
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Ash Wednesday reprise
All we are is dust (earth) in the wind (Spirit).
;-) posted by John David Walt | at 3/19/2006 07:17:00 PM | 5 comments
It's all about who. . . . . . ?
Today in Church we sang a series of songs that were all making the same point.
"You're all I want. You're all I've ever needed.
You're all I want. Help me know you are near."
And then another from my friend, Chris Tomlin.
"All of you is more than enough for all of me
for every touch and every need
you satisfy me with your love
and all i have in you is more than enough."
As I sing songs like these my spirit increasingly rejects them. Why? Because I want my wife and my children and my friends in addition to God. Why? Because I need people in addition to needing God--- and frankly I need God in people and these songs just don't seem to make room for that reality. The two primary realities of most of present day evangelical Christian faith are 1. God and 2. Me.
After all, didn't God say, in the beginning, that one thing was "not good." Remember?
"It is not good that man should be alone. . . . ." The man clearly had God, but God (it seems) was not enough. Am I missing something?
Now consider this related idea.
Over and over and over again, in church gatherings, in conversations, from the lips of pastors, leaders and average Christians we hear these words: "It's not about me. It's all about you."
But aren't we doing the Gospel a tremendous disservice with all this rhetoric? Aren't we setting up a false dichotomy here? Doesn't it feel a little Islamist?
In the beginning of Creation there was God and the people. The fall destroyed this reality. But isn't this the big idea of the Tabernacle and then the Temple-- God dwelling with people? And isn't this the big idea of Jesus-- God being joined to humanity in perfect union--tabernacling with us? And isn't Jesus final prayer (John 17) for union between God and people? And in the end-- doesn't the bible clearly say something like, "Now the dwelling of God is with people."
Doesn't this bring the love of God and neighbor into proper focus instead of the ridiculous hierarchies we want to impose on these two commands. In the name of Love, are these two commands really in competition??? Please resist the temptation to get theoretical. Doesn't God dwelling with us depend precisely on our loving one another?
So why can't we break free from this thin-not about me-all about you dualism being propagated on us by so many of our leaders and say, "It's all about Us?" Us-- as in Father, Son, Holy Spirit, you, me, . . . . " I want to boldly assert that this is the locus of all true Christian theology. posted by John David Walt | at 3/19/2006 02:51:00 PM | 8 comments
Saturday, March 18, 2006
On Bible Interpretation
I've been pondering this question lately. Does character have anything to do with bible interpretation? Or can one interpret the bible adequately and correctly utilizing the scientific method or sound principles of biblical interpretation and be a complete hypocrite? posted by John David Walt | at 3/18/2006 07:59:00 PM | 2 comments
On Telling the Right Story
I finally saw Walk the Line last night-- the story of Johnny Cash. In the early part of the movie, John, as a child, is laying in bed talking to his older brother, Jack. John admires Jack's commitment to read the Bible while Jack lifts up John's devotion to their mama's hymnal. John asks him why he reads his Bible so much to which Jack replies,
"If I can't tell the right story I can't help anybody."
Here was the entire story of the story-- in one line.
A few themes I'm thinking about:
1. John Cash began by telling the story of religion and learned to tell the story of faith-- through the songs and his life. Pivotal scene: first audition at the recording studio. The dialogue between the record exec. and Cash was profound. you will remember Johnny sang a Gospel song and the record exec. responded, "You don't believe it." He went on to add that this Gospel music doesn't sell.
2. The profound brokenness in John's life occasioned by the disastrous relationship with his Father.
3. The amazing connections between his being drawn, early on to prison, his life of imprisonment to addiction and the galvanizing of his sense of mission to go into the prisons after his release from addiction.
4. The incredible scene where June Carter goes into the lake to rescue him from the tractor accident. It had baptismal significance.
5. Johnny's later meeting with the record executives where he told them he was going to make a live recording in Folsom Prison. They told him that Christians weren't much interested in buying records made for rapists and murderers. Cash replied, "They aren't Christians then."
6. I'm wrestling with the interplay between two of the most famous songs: Ring of Fire and Walk the Line. Welcome your thoughts on this one.
Johnny Cash, through his life and music, sang the story of human pain and redemption, a tortured journey of faith and beauty.
ok-- i know-- i'm way behind on this one. but four kids later. . . . . . . . dvd's are my only hope. posted by John David Walt | at 3/18/2006 11:37:00 AM | 5 comments
Thursday, March 16, 2006
BFF's Tonight at bedtime, David remembered a conversation he recently had with his friend Luke. He said, "Daddy, Luke asked me if God was my best friend." I responded, "And what did you tell him, David." He said, "I said Luke, you are my best friend and God is my best friend too."
What is the greatest commandment. . . . . . . .
Warms my heart. posted by John David Walt | at 3/16/2006 09:02:00 PM | 1 comments
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Ash Wednesday Our Lily begins her day crying out--not crying, but crying out, shouting and even screaming at the top of her lungs a desperate cry, "MaMa! Daddy! MaMa! Daddy!" Her cry runs down the long hallway, down the steep staircase and reverberates throughout our family room. Almost instantly as the cry reaches my ears I put down what I am reading, and make the journey up to her room, where I find her waiting; standing in the corner of her crib, arms over the railing, hair in her face. . . . waiting. And she is always so glad to be lifted out and carried away. Over and over through her pure, unadulterated, demanding and simple cry she has one desire-- to join the family, to be part of the day, to be led into the land flowing with chocolate milk and cartoons and brothers and sisters and MaMa and Daddy.
Ash Wednesday-- the calling to come into touch with our crying-- which leads to our crying out, "Abba! Abba! Abba!"
I couldn't help reprising this photo-- (not Lily's crib!) which depicts our condition-- enacted on Ash Wednesday. May the journey of these 40 days make visible the invisible bars that confine us, causing us to cry out to God with the simplicity and audacity and persistence and volume of a child.
posted by John David Walt | at 3/01/2006 08:32:00 AM
| 3 comments
Today...