Sacred Scarred

Goodbye and Hello

Tim Buckley (1947-1975) was an experimental folk musician who preformed during the 1960s and 1970s.  His albums are (in my opinion) phenomenal.  He died at the young age of 28 (goodbye), but today is the day he was born (hello).  Happy birthday, Tim, you left us too soon.

Tim's son, Jeff Buckley (1966-1997) is hands down one of my favorite musicians to have ever lived.  He too, left us far too soon.

I am currently involved in a biography about both Tim and Jeff Buckley (book 7, week 7).  The confusing jumble of love and loss and music and memory is beautiful and heartbreaking.  For fans of either Tim or Jeff, it is a great read.  The estrangement of father and son and the tortured musical genius of both is a story worthy of entering.

How Long?

You know, nobody invited the disciples to come to Jesus with them on Sunday morning.  Seems more like he went to them.  Just a thought. ~Annoymous

Seems like so often we have it backwards...

We invite people to church instead of being the church in their midst.
We ask people to come to Jesus instead of taking Jesus to them.
We believe salvation leads to discipleship instead of recognizing that discipleship leads to salvation.
We separate the sacred from the secular instead of realizing that in Jesus all secular is sacred.
We live like our occupation is our vocation instead of knowing that our true vocation merely influences our occupation.
We argue over church doctrine instead of conversing about faith in Jesus.
We focus on hell and heaven as future realities instead of reaching people who live in hell daily and demonstrating God's realm in our lives now.
We spend money to make ourselves feel better instead of serving others to make their lives just better.
We think worship is singing instead of seeing that worship is living.
We fight for "peace" instead of praying for and loving our enemies.

How long?  How long must we sing this song?

Cleveland Rocks

A friend's comment to me today about Cleveland being the "happiest place on earth" reminded me on this wonderful song and the Drew Carey Show full intro, and in turn reminded me of my wonderful college roommate who was a die hard Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians fan...here's to Cleveland, OH and John "Hot Tub" Nussbaum...

CLEVELAND ROCKS!

By Way of Execution

My friend JR posted some personal thoughts re: the execution of Saddam Hussein...

I thought my comments should make their way here...

For me, there's no "good" argument for capital punishment. Either we are for life or we are not. Either we truly believe that all of life is sanctified and inherently worth preserving or we really don't. How dare we as Christians lie to the world with our "PRO LIFE" bumper stickers and not defend the life Mr. Hussein. My reaction to the headline was one of disgust. Disgust at a world where God's kingdom is not yet fully established. Disgust at a system were violence begets violence and more violence begets more violence. Disgust at myself for not crying "no" on the behalf of this man in need of Jesus.

My Enemies are Men Like Me
Derek Webb (off of Mockingbird)

i have come to give you life
and to show you how to live it
i have come to make things right
to heal their ears and show you how to forgive them

because i would rather die
i would rather die
i would rather die
than to take your life

how can i kill the ones that i’m supposed to love
my enemies are men like me
i will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
my enemies are men like me

peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication
it’s like telling someone murder is wrong
and then showing them by way of execution

when justice is bought and sold just like weapons of war
the ones who always pay are the poorest of the poor

Better than the Last

Every December 31st at midnight, the New Year is ushered in with the beautiful music of Counting Crows' A Long December...




A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as You were leaving
Now the days go by so fast
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven...I wish you would
The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California...I think you should
Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after two a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower,
Makes you talk a little lower about the things You could not show her
And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass
And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean...I guess I should

Have a wonderful New Year…my prayer is that this year will be better than the last…

How to Dismantle Me

There was this thing that I once loved.  It brought me joy.  It brought contemplation.  In the midst of confusion, it made sense.  It spoke words of grace and peace.  It changed over the years - but only in ways that were natural, only in ways that seemed wise.  Early on, while others were screaming at the top of their lungs, "look at me, look at me", it quietly did it's thing, not even noticing that it was being looked at itself.  Later, as some fooled around with alternatives - drugs and depression and dreadlocks - it did it's thing, not even noticing that it was the alternative.  And then, it got popular.  Oh, there was always a popularity around it, but it embraced it's popularity - it elevated itself to a place that it had never been before.  In turn, it broke my heart.  So I walked away - biter, angry that I had given my heart to a sell-out. I allowed it to enjoy it's new found "cool" status, quietly remembering my youth, secretly wishing it would return to it's roots.  And then recently it reappeared.  Still carrying the "cool" tag and yet somehow it had moved beyond labels.  It had moved beyond itself and it refocused on what it was all about in the first place...God and others.  And so the healing has begun.  I am falling back in love despite the hurts of the past.  Maybe there is such a thing as reconciliation after all.

Who's Steering?

Spencer Burke, in his article Swords Into Plowshares writes…

…in many ways, we’ve approached evangelism as an aggressive business venture. The product we’re pushing?  Jesus….Ever see the movie “The Big Kahuna” with actor Danny DeVito?  In one scene, DeVito’s character, Phil Cooper, is talking with a young, zealous Christian about his desire to “steer” conversations toward Jesus, even while on company time.  The young man, Bob, says that for him not to talk abut Jesus would be dishonest because Jesus is the most important thing in his life.  Cooper responds with something like this: “It isn’t talking about Jesus that makes you dishonest.  It’s the moment you put your hands on the conversation to steer it that makes you just like every other salesman who lacks character and integrity.”

After watching “The Big Kahuna,” I was struck by how often I too have been a salesman for Jesus.  In my evangelistic zeal, I never thought what it must feel like to be on the receiving end of that conversation, and how my desire to “seal the deal” may have actually been taking away dignity and honor from that person.  I frankly didn’t realize how important it was to communicate in word and in deed—and for both to be authentic expressions of a changed heart.

Upon reading these words, I decided to revisit the 1999 file The Big Kahuna. It was as I remembered it when I first saw it in the theater…challenging and thought provoking (though a bit dull at times). It sets the stage for a great contrast (I really mean comparison) between evangelism and sales.

And I (like Burke) ask myself…
How often have I been guilty of selling Jesus like industrial lubricants?
How often have I turned unbelievers into commodities?
How often have I done more to hurt the kingdom than advance it?
How often have I tried to seal the deal rather than allowing the Spirit to work?

I think perhaps it is time for me to stop opening my mouth and start living my life…allowing Jesus to be seen rather than forcing Jesus to be known…allowing the Holy Spirit to work instead of Nate Hulfish working.

It’s the moment you put your hands on the conversation to steer it that makes you just like every other salesman who lacks character and integrity.
~ Phil Cooper (played by Danny Devito in The Big Kuhuna)

And you were too busy steering the conversation toward the Lord
to hear the voice of the Spirit, begging you to shut the fuck up
You thought it must be the devil, trying to make you go astray
Besides it could not have been the Lord because you don't believe he talks that way
~ “Foregone Conclusions” (by Pedro the Lion on Achilles’ Heel)