Books, poems, and songs

Good Monday afternoon to anyone who decided to stop by today...

So you found a surprise today, didn't you? Amazing that the blog has been updated more than once in between Theophany services. I suppose I got inspired by a few of the voices that I've been hearing lately. No, I'm not hearing strange voices in my head--I'm talking about the voices that sing through the sound system in my car, speak from the written page, or muse from lines of verse. Springtime evokes a certain sense of culture for me, and I thought I'd share the work of some people who have caught my attention lately.

Books:

No Man Is An Island, Thomas Merton. Just started this one, but I can tell after one chapter that it's going to "blow my hair back" (for any Good Will Hunting fans reading this, you'll get that reference). Anytime I feel convicted in my own life after page 3, I know that I've got something special in my hands.

Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson. I've almost wrapped this one up, but I can tell that it will be one that stays with me for a while. The sooner that we move away from informational reading of the Scriptures to formational reading, the sooner the Bible will actually become living and real to us....and no one else helps us better to do that than Eugene Peterson.

Poetry:

Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. Rilke had beautiful eyes to see this life and this world, even at a young age. His voice is a treasure for anyone who has the heart of an artist.

The Ordering of Love, Madeleine L'Engle. If you grew up in my generation, you'll remember L'Engle from her novel, A Wrinkle in Time. Spend some time with her verse and sooner or later the tears will flow. She's beautifully honest, and simply beautiful as a human being. Her poems that come from a previous collection Cry Like a Bell tell the story of the Old Testament in postmodern verse. She preaches more in ten lines than I do in thirty minutes.

Music:

1. Theolonius Monk, Monk's Dream. Monk is one of those jazz geniuses who sounds cool and smooth even if you don't know what it is exactly that makes him a genius. Guess my jazz IQ isn't high enough to get that. But it makes you sound like you know what you're talking about when you can say, "Monk is a rare musical genius." Actually, I don't think about his genius too much. I just picked up a live recording of a concert he did in the 60s on Demand through Comcast. The cat is so cool and you can just enjoy watching him guide his trio, even if you've never heard him before. Jazz is a beautiful thing. And they always seem to have him on the CD carousel at the Panera on Cumberland. Trust me I'm there a lot.
2. Jack Johnson, In Between Dreams. Have you been outside lately? C'mon. Any hint of spring and summer makes Jack Johnson in season.

And check out these websites as you have time. These are some of my favorite artists these days.

www.andrew-peterson.com

www.derekwebb.com

www.squarepegalliance.com

If you have a sec, reply with some of the things you're listening to, reading, etc. My goal is to actually talk about books and music in a fun way, taking away the snob quotient as much as possible. So, I hope you don't think of these lists as posturing. As the Brits used to say to me, I'm hoping "it's just a bit of fun."

See you Sunday night...

Jack

Availability: "The One Thing Necessary"

Last night at Theophany we shifted our focus from the Apostles' Creed and began considering three practical, spiritual disciplines for the Lenten season. We'll have three services at Theophany during Lent, and I believe that we needed some practical messages that keep us in sync with the church year. Last night we talked about the discipline of availability, two weeks from now we'll reflect upon the Sabbath, and we'll consider the discipline of praise and adoration on Palm Sunday.

As I was thinking a bit further this morning about the discipline of being available to Christ and to one another, I was amazed at the simplicity of this discipline. Availability does not need great analysis, nor does it require an extensive theological discussion. At a very basic level, we need to ask the question, "am I available to simply be with Christ and be with my family and friends?"

Sounds easy enough, right? As I mentioned last night, availability is the most challenging discipline that Americans face these days, given the frantic chaos that comes with every week's schedule. We're not inclined to be uninformed about things; we are inclined to be unavailable, though.

I was thinking about the word itself today and was struck by the message of the very word itself. Availability is actually a compound word. Separate them and you have "avail" and "ability." When we look at it that way, we get a purere defintion--being "available" means that I am able to avail myself from one thing for something more important. This sounds quite different than the common refrain most people say about their schedules, "I'm not able to cut anything (avail) out.

I believe that the Gospel defines what is not only more important than our schedules, but what is most important on our schedules. Jesus called it the Great Commandments, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself." In other words, I believe Christ is calling us to recognize that we are able to avail ourselves to obey and honor the Great Commandments, if we will trust him with what I call "sacred subtraction." Sacred subtraction is taking our weekly routines and schedules to the Lord and asking what needs to be taken away that a) is not fulfilling the Great Commandments and b) is making my life crazy, and making me tired and exhausted.

Before I say much more about this subject, I think it's high time we begin a dialogue, not an extended monologue from me. What thoughts do you have on this subject? How does this discipline of "sacred subtraction" speak to you based on your experience?

I look forward to hearing what thoughts will come from a conversation such as this...

Peace.

Jack