Sunday Setlist 10.26.08

I haven't played Sunday Set List for a few weeks now; things caught up with me, and the past few Sunday afternoons required a nap instead of a recap.

But I'm back!  Briefly, we are still in our 'Awaken' series, going through the book of James.  Today we looked at a challenge in the fifth chapter:

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter."  James 5.1-5

All To You - Lincoln Brewster.  Just can't get enough of Lincoln.

Thank You, Lord - Paul Baloche.  Yee haw!

Video - scenes and sound bites from our ImpACT project last week, where he blitzed about 12 homes in a focused effort to help a neighborhood in our community.

Lifesong - Casting Crowns.  We sequed out of the video to this - the song said all that needed to be said.

When You Gonna Wake Up - Old Bob Dylan tune that really gets in your face about social justice and our sleepy ignorance.  I got to sing this one, which was a treat, and we had HORNS!  YES!  Three pieces of brass that made all the difference in the world.

Within Brian's message, I wheeled out a cart full of fair trade items that I found in the Richmond area - coffee, sugar, tea, chocolate, etc., and I shared a bit about what I felt like I could do - as a mom and a consumer - to honor the spirit of James' challenge in this scripture (which is, basically, to purchase fair trade items when I can find them).  We found some great stuff at Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's, and I also had a few items from Ten Thousand Villages.  It was practical and tangible, although it felt like a very different sort of service for us.  We learned a lot about Fair Trade practices, and we informed a lot of folks about something that they'd never thought of before - especially in light of the biblical mandate to do so.

We closed with Give Me Your Eyes and watched Patrick continue to grow spiritually and musically in amazing ways, as he sang and played this song with just the right amount of passion and precision.  

It was a cool day.  Very interesting, especially in this time of political labeling.  I have to confess that I always tossed 'social justice causes' in the box marked 'liberal theology'.  You know, the Unitarians and the Methodists could handle that end of the gospel; we evangelical folks will focus on getting them saved.  I am so thankful that God has kicked my ignorant butt and shown me something important through this scripture.  There is much being done; there is much to do.  And we are ALL called to do it.

If you buy fair trade stuff, what do you buy?  And where do you get it?

*songs are linked to iTunes

*This is part of Fred McKinnon's carnival.  Fred is so cool....

Latching On To Who You'd Like To Be

My brother is an artist, in the truest sense of the word.  The best and worst of him flows out of the rawness of his continual search for truth, the pursuit of a high melodic calling that clings to his soul and refuses to let go.  His faith informs everything about him with an authenticity that is as questioning and doubtful as often as it is passionate and reverent.  I am prouder of him than anyone else I know.  I love him fiercely, in the manner of love that an older sister carries for her little brother for a lifetime. 

He wrote some stunning prose on his blog this week that moved me, inspired me, and challenged me to think about music and art and worship and composition and even race in a new and unique way.  Here's a snippet:

The acoustic guitars thump and sing, fat and gray in the company of angelic harmonies and archetypal melodies. We all know this music. It is written in the celtic, anglo-saxon souls of Caucasians. We have strayed and betrayed ourselves, attempting to leverage ourselves into the gladiatorial arenas of hip-hop and "modern" music, but we need to face it.

We are mountain people. Even the most mixed breed of us is stuck with the pipes and the drums from the highlands, pounding wild and distant in our hearts. The grouse and heather cling to our thighs as we run, as we flail to flee our past.

Emmylou, and artists like her bring those pasts back to confront our empty, unanchored eyes. We have drifted, for we have forgotten who we are, and when you can’t remember who you are, it’s even more difficult to latch on to who you’d like to be. It recedes in the distance, fleeing your reaching, outstretched hand.

You can read the rest of this post here.  When you do, say 'hi' for me.  And tell him I'm proud of him.

Pediatricious

If you read nothing else today, please read this post.

Danielle is one of my all-time favorite writers.  Her blog offers a unique glimpse into the life of doctors and hospital personnel.  

Reading her blog changed my life.

Reading this post broke my heart.

Perfect Music For An October Morning

Many years ago, Amy Grant recorded "If These Walls Could Speak" on Lead Me On.  I was captivated by the tune, and later discovered - to my pleasure - that the composer was the same guy who wrote "All I Know", which I had discovered in the 70's when I heard Art Garfunkel.

Then I discovered - to my surprise - that the same composer wrote "Galveston", that anthemic tribute to the Texas gulf made wildly popular by Glen Campbell.  

Speaking of Glen Campbell, the same composer wrote "Wichita Lineman".

Then I discovered - to my shock - that the same composer wrote "Macarthur Park".  Yes, the 'someone-left-a-cake-out-in-the-rain', seven minute flurry of string climaxes and key changes.  Richard Harris.  Then Donna Summer.  Bad memories, anyone?

That was Jimmy Webb.

Let me say this:  put aside your preconceived notions of any of the afore-mentioned songs, and give this collection a try.  Jimmy Webb is one of the most profoundly perfect singer-songwriter's I've ever heard, and this cd showcases the strength of the lyrics and melodies under the gentle hands of their creator.

Good stuff.

*Interesting note, for those of you old enough to have heard 'Macarthur Park'; that song was originally written as part of a cantata.  Hmmm... It has been covered over fifty times, by the likes of Waylon Jennings, Frank Sinatra, The Three Degrees and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corp.  When Richard Harris recorded it, he kept singing 'Macarthur's Park' - an incorrect possessive form.  Webb tried to correct him through several re-takes and finally just gave up.

(ain't wikipedia grand?)

Awaken

I read this tonight and found it quite thought-provoking.

"When you hear "Repent for your past", realize it's a great religious distraction from waking up.  Wake up!  That's what repent means.  Not "weep for your sins."  Wake up!  Stop all the crying.  Understand!  Wake up!" - Anthony De Mello, Jesuit priest and author

Thank You, John Ivins

I got to sit in with this band tonight for a worship event. 

It's been a long time since I got to play, just play, for fun.  I didn't even realize the extent of the 'leader mode' I go into when we do worship music - even on Sunday mornings, when I am, arguably, completely comfortable and in the 'worship zone', as my friend Steve used to say.

Tonight, the responsibility was on somebody else's head.  I got to follow, play along, and sing my heart out.  As long as I knew what key we were in, I was good.

And it was so. much. fun.

Didn't hurt that the other guys on the platform were top-notch players.  Solid musicians, every one, and great guys.  They knew their stuff.

Tonight was incredibly refreshing.

Thus ends the five days that I could not comprehend getting through.  

Me?  I'm blessed.

The Epitome Of Cool

What is it with this family and all the modeling?  Is this what you get when one of the kids has a camera attached to her hand at all times?

They attached a fake earring to Daniel for this picture, and they - meaning the siblings - meaning the GIRLS, actually - think it looks so incredibly cool that they are now begging to have Daniel's ear pierced.

Let's be clear:  the girls want to get Daniel's ear pierced.

He has not yet weighed in with his opinion on the matter.