Text version below. ... more

Liturgy is "the public work," which means that there has to be some political side to the church, or otherwise we are being isolationists.

Leadership Journal has a Church & Politics Quiz.  You take two separate quizzes then merge your scores together on a graph.  You can see mine below, I am a Quiet Critic who leans towards the role of Prophet:

I have been doing all the desktop publishing of The Everyday Journal myself (see here and here), and am currently looking for help as the journal becomes larger.  I am happy discussing stipends for any help with production of the electronic "print" version.

If you would like to help please contact me through the Contact page. ... more

This week went from 0-60mph like a Porsche 911 Turbo (I am a loyal subscriber to Car and Driver).  Labor Day was spent playing disc golf in the park with my wife, and then Tuesday was work and class.  The books I ordered online won't come in until next week, so after class I went to the library and read an essay on Victorian poetry I needed to read for Monday.  And I have to read Of Plymouth Plantation before Tuesday.  The joys of school!

I love it, I really do.  Just sometimes I get aggitated when life starts blurring.  And I feel so tired after yesterday, I am sitting here in a post- beans and rice coma desiring coffee or a pillow.  Either will do at this point.

Life just became crazy, but it's not that bad.  I enjoy it, it's good.  I am taking classes I want to take, enjoying life, being content, thinking a lot about how to begin to re-orient evangelicals and engage new converts in the infant liturgy of a church plant (the thoughts are in rough blog posts right now, stay tuned!).  I bought some limes and cilantro to make homemade and homegrown jalapeno salsa.  My birthday is less than a month away.  I have so much to look forward to, and to keep it from spinning out of control I made a spreadsheet. ... more

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J.R.R. Tolkien offers an interesting thought on how the Church is to function.

The 'protestant' search backwards for 'simplicity' and directness - which, of course, though it contains some good or at least intelligible motives, is mistaken and indeed vain. Because 'primitive Christianity' is now and in spite of all 'research' will ever remain largely unknown; because 'primitiveness' is no guarantee of value, and is, and was in great a reflection of ignorance. Grave abuses were as much an element in Christian liturgical behaviour from the beginning as now. (St Paul's strictures on Eucharistic behaviour are sufficient to show this!) Still more because 'my church' was not intended by Our Lord to be static or remain in perpetual childhood; but to be a living organism (likened to a plant), which develops and changes in externals by the interaction of its bequeathed divine life and history - the particular circumstances of the world into which it is set. There is no resemblance between the 'mustard-seed' and the full-grown tree. ... more

This is the third in the “Text(s) of Scripture” series between Dave and me.

Our present text is Psalm 18:30:

As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

Thom:

This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

“Prove It!”

That’s what a nine year old says to another nine year old when a boast has been made or a bluff is waiting to be called.  Even if something is proven, the person who is right still might need to take refuge from the more powerful or the bully.  Spun out into a cosmic game of good versus evil, where spears are being thrown at harp players and prophetic words seem weak when confronted with the sword, proving right over might seems impossible. ... more

I have been working hard at completing my MA in English at Rutgers, so I have been out of touch with the Christian writer's world for some time now.  A lot has changed even in the past two years, with blog and online writing being legitimized as a proper outlet for good writing, as opposed to the graveyard of hacks who couldn't get published.

I have been reading lots of non-Christian authors of literature, but I don't know who, besides Donald Miller or Luci Shaw, is involved in the artistic pursuit of written words.

Who should I know about in the Christian literary world?  Writing from blogs, online journals, and websites are welcome, as well as published authors. ... more

Image by PieterMusterd via Flickr

O God, as rain melts back into the earth and sky,
leaving not a trace on a hot summer day,
so let my cares and worries be.

O God, as the bear who does not want or consume all winter,
but sits content, dreaming, waiting
for the first hints of Resurrection,
so I plead you calm my soul in contentment.

For I have life abundantly, through Father, Son and Spirit.

Amen ... more

The PC(USA) provides a weekly podcast of the lectionary readings read aloud in their Devotions & Readings area.

Subscribe with iTunes here, and with a any other device/tool here.

Each podcast includes four lectionary readings for one of the Sundays or festivals of the church year:  an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, an Epistle and a Gospel reading. Following each set of readings is a prayer for the day from the Book of Common Worship. May these scriptures be a source of challenge and hope as you prepare your heart and mind for Sunday worship, and may the Word of God guide and nourish you in the service of daily living.  (From the PC(USA) website) ... more

Sorry for the late post yesterday.  It gets worse.  The ICEL, the group that is in charge of English translations of the Latin Mass, thought that MusicaSacra put up the sheet music and translation too early.  It's not ready yet.  So all the links are down.  I'll keep you posted. ... more