token lines

Realizing this song is now 7-8 years old, the proo...

2012-05-19T16:47:55.906-04:00

Realizing this song is now 7-8 years old, the proof of the merit is in the continued popularity. Nit picks aside, the message connects. The worship flows. The heart sings. Just like the 23rd Psalm has a special place, so does this song.

Blessings...
Dave

I thought the quotation sounded familiar! I loved ...

2012-05-11T08:11:57.710-04:00

I thought the quotation sounded familiar! I loved that book, too, and recommend it highly as well.

Favorite quotation from my favorite book by Franci...

2012-05-11T05:53:55.649-04:00

Favorite quotation from my favorite book by Francis Schaeffer. He goes on to say that we can exhibit either one of these in the flesh (holiness that is really self-righteousness, or love that is actually compromise) but to do both simultaneously requires the Holy Spirit. I recommend Schaeffer's best book, "The Church Before The Watching World."

Most of Wendell Berry's essays are available o...

2012-05-04T17:24:23.966-04:00

Most of Wendell Berry's essays are available online. There's even one that is on something like the Lesbian society of America, which is a wonderful essay starting with why he has his wife type his essays for him.

Joel, completely agree: just start reading. I've been reading Fidelity and have enjoyed the stories.

Thanks man. I had the library hold What Are People...

2012-05-01T10:03:56.712-04:00

Thanks man. I had the library hold What Are People For?

The best way to tackle Berry is to just start read...

2012-05-01T09:46:20.532-04:00

The best way to tackle Berry is to just start reading. Probably best to start with his essays, since each stands alone and you can read one and put the book down until you have time to read another. I loved What Are People For? (skip the first part of the book, which is book reviews). I don't agree with or identify with everything he writes, but he's a fascinating man and gifted writer.

Thanks for another great quote and for continuing ...

2012-05-01T09:13:34.062-04:00

Thanks for another great quote and for continuing to inspire me to read more than I currently am, but not as much as I say I'd like to. I still don't know how you manage to fit so much reading time into your busy life. I admire your mental stamina.

Wendell Berry is an author I've been recommended a couple times in my life by people I respect, but don't necessarily agree with (present company excluded). Since I'm somewhat of a Kentuckian now I guess it's time to pick up one of his books. I'm sure our library must carry him.

After briefly scanning Wikipedia I'm fascinated by his convictions and associations. Thomas Merton? Very interesting. Whom was also a resident of Kentucky at the Abbey of Gethsemani. I didn't realize that about him.

Excellent points, Brent. Thanks for bringing up ve...

2012-04-25T08:50:01.148-04:00

Excellent points, Brent. Thanks for bringing up very personal, powerful thoughts. I concur whole-heartedly about avoiding euphemisms for death, and love the word picture of looking death squarely in the face, along with Paul.

Wow. Having never read Allberry, his thoughts on d...

2012-04-24T20:20:57.306-04:00

Wow. Having never read Allberry, his thoughts on death are almost word-for-word what I said at the eulogy for my Mom in December.

Having witnessed a death close up (in multiple ways that phrase can mean), I certainly can attest to the fact that we were never created to deal with death. In many ways, it more than any other experience is what completely reinforced to me that we are broken, our world is broken, and we and it needs redemption desperately.

When my mom died, I pretty much refused to use all the euphemisms that were available. To me, using them is a feeble attempt to ignore death, and a way to comfort ourselves where there is no way to comfort ourselves. It is a way to (yet again) steal the comfort God provides and attempt to do it ourselves. I'm sure I came across as crass and insensitive. But unless we look death squarely in the face, we have no right to quote Paul from I Corinthians: "Death, where is thy sting?" And it is only by experiencing death do we understand that certainly the sting is still here for those of us left behind, but indeed the grave has been robbed of its victory!

I love retrospectives! It's a great way for me...

2012-04-24T20:08:22.682-04:00

I love retrospectives! It's a great way for me to catch up on the important stuff and ignore (well, at least delay dealing with) the rest.

Thanks for pointing me to this blog entry. It has ...

2012-04-24T19:17:39.460-04:00

Thanks for pointing me to this blog entry. It has been some 40 years since I read Robinson Crusoe (though maybe I never did - I certainly don't remember all the Bible references).

Reading your blog entry brought to mind an interesting question: it seems that the setting is the same in Robinson Crusoe and Lord Of The Flies, yet the outcome is vastly different. It would be interesting to compare the two books and discuss why they are so different.

A challenge?

Mr. Pearce, I quoted some of your excellent point...

2012-04-24T13:39:36.521-04:00

Mr. Pearce,

I quoted some of your excellent points recently on my own blog. They are now generating some hearty discussion! Feel free to join us:

http://urcpsalmody.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/exclusive-or-inclusive-part-3/

In Christ,

Michael Kearney
West Sayville URC
Long Island, New York

I get what you are doing with this series on worsh...

2012-04-23T13:44:38.075-04:00

I get what you are doing with this series on worship music. I agree (being someone on a praise team) we should be really aware of what we are singing. However, many praise and worship songs are simple in nature because the majority of the congregation we are leading are not singers. By that I mean they don't read music, they are not singing parts and will not sing if a song is too difficult to follow. Simplicity often encourages those who aren't singers to join in.

We have a small praise team (4 regular singers and occasionally a 5th or 6th rotate in). We work out parts during rehearsal and are able to sing parts to songs like "How great is our God". The more technically or lyrically difficult a song is the less likely you will have a full corporate worship. That's not to say we don't include those more challenging songs - we just don't fill up a service with them. We pair them with simpler songs.

As far as the lyrics are concerned I see your point. However, I think these songs are written from the perspective of and for Christians who understand. Would a song be more meaningful or worshipful if different phrasing or wording was used? Perhaps. Looking at Chris Tomlin's body of work I see a variety of simple and complex songs. It may be that he felt moved to write a simple song of worship when writing this song in particular.

Ultimately, a worship service is not built on or destroyed by one song. A worship minister is going to build one song upon another creating variety and depth. It makes for an interesting worship time that leads everyone to a meaningful worship of God.

I've been meaning to read this one for a while...

2012-04-18T08:42:48.504-04:00

I've been meaning to read this one for a while. Thanks for the quotes. I'm re-excited to read it.

Pretty sure they were Amish, but they probably did...

2012-04-14T00:53:55.516-04:00

Pretty sure they were Amish, but they probably did have an English driver. I hear they pay their drivers really well.

Woah? Amish driving a van? Maybe they were just Me...

2012-04-13T15:33:51.247-04:00

Woah? Amish driving a van? Maybe they were just Mennonites? That's crazy. Unless an "English" person was the one driving, then that would be okay in these parts.

I've wondered if our Amish here in Kentucky we...

2012-04-13T14:24:21.037-04:00

I've wondered if our Amish here in Kentucky were the "liberal" ones from PA. We definitely saw some loading up their mini van at Sam's Club last week. Not sure if that makes them liberal or just thrifty.

I like Bruce's photos. Very cool.

I've enjoyed this weeks' quotes. Lifted m...

2012-04-05T20:51:31.306-04:00

I've enjoyed this weeks' quotes. Lifted might make it onto my reading list.

You've almost persuaded me to read Dickens aga...

2012-03-27T20:14:33.762-04:00

You've almost persuaded me to read Dickens again (emphasis on "almost")!

Scorecasting: sounds almost like Moneyball.

Screwtape: I have a recording of John Cleese reading Screwtape. After getting that, I never purchased another audio book: I knew I had the pinnacle of audiobooks.

I would never have guessed that you were not fluen...

2012-03-21T13:39:40.713-04:00

I would never have guessed that you were not fluent in Spanish; your "Spanish voice" is just so convincing! You can read the Spanish versions to me any time even if neither of us knows what you are saying.

Nice quote.

2012-02-28T12:44:39.257-05:00

Nice quote.

Whenever I read statements like, "Postmoderni...

2012-02-20T20:16:41.972-05:00

Whenever I read statements like, "Postmodernism as a movement is dead," I picture a huge display screen in Times Square tracking to the minute the current/trending worldviews.

This book has jumped to the top of my To Buy/To Re...

2012-02-20T20:09:56.366-05:00

This book has jumped to the top of my To Buy/To Read list. Thanks.

That is great! I did actually listen to it on audi...

2012-02-16T13:59:25.177-05:00

That is great! I did actually listen to it on audio, read by a British guy, though regrettably not John Cleese.

Once I listened to a recording of John Cleese read...

2012-02-16T12:06:05.080-05:00

Once I listened to a recording of John Cleese reading this book--fabulous! I think it was on LP, though, so I'm not sure if it's available in other formats....