Going to the Chapel...

so far three weddings for this year and if you are my friend and plan on getting married let me know we can see if I can break lasts years record of seven.

Always a bridesmaid never a bride, um, I mean groom or something...

Released Bruce Springsteen Recordings (ones I own in bold)

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
Born to Run
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The River
Nebraska
Born in the U.S.A
Live 1975-1985
Tunnel of Love
Chimesof Freedom
Human Touch
Lucky Town
In Concert MTV Unplugged
Greatest Hits
Ghost of Tom Joad
Tracks
18 Tracks
Live in New York City
The Rising
Essential Bruce Springsteen
Live in Barcelona (DVD)
MTV Plugged (DVD)
Devils and Dust
Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition

Everyone's got to have a goal...

Desperado

If you gentle reader are anything like me you have frequently summed up the gospel with "there is something more than this". The implication is that God promises us the redemption of this broken world doing away with the oppression and death of this age and replacing them with beauty and peace and this is true. But, I think to often we emphasize the "not yet" facet of Christian hope and not enough the "already".

The place we find ourselves in is "joined to heavan" (to quote HC) and these relationships that we are so frustrated with: the friend that doesn't do what I want, the girl who doesn't reciprocate my feelings, and the school, job, and internships that have rejected me are joined to heaven as well. God tells us that this day is a gift not this day could be a gift if we work hard enough.

The problem with always dreaming of the coming grace and trying to live in the reality of the new kingdom (certainly one of the central tasks of Christian disipleship). Is that we deny Christ's lordship over this kingdom and the Spirit's presence in every facet of this fallen world. To often I think I am working for a better world or demanding truth when really I am rejecting the grace put before me today, the amazing love available today, and the communion of saints today.

Believe the Hype

This is going to be a regulr feature of my blog. The goal is to drop a line about things that are aggressively talked up and I recently discover deservedly so. Without further adieu, believe the hype about...

The Arcade Fire
Lancaster Mlik Stout
Grey Goose shaken up with a twist
Kicking Television: Wilco live in Chicago
Hannah Coulter(for D)

Believe the Hype

This is going to be a regulr feature of my blog. The goal is to drop a line about things that are aggressively talked up and I recently discover deservedly so. Without further adieu, believe the hype about...

The Arcade Fire
Lancaster Mlik Stout
Grey Goose shaken up with a twist
Kicking Television: Wilco live in Chicago
Hannah Coulter(for D)

Confession

I've always been somewhat ambivalent towards the practice of confession. At my best i think it is a neccesary part of being forgiven. At my worst I think of it as a somewhat macbre hold over from medevial Christianity that saw its adherents flagelating themselves for being human: for having a body and using it. And so I avoid it; I phone it in on sunday morning and avoid it with my friends. The modern confession is "fine, everything's fine" or "no, nothing's wrong" and this is the deception I practice lying to myself and others.

Today in church something else happened. "We confess that we have sinned against god and our neighbor" and there it was out in the open. I stood naked before God and the church: a liar, thief, and hypocrite. And in that I fealt loved by God as if YHWH was staring into my soul and wisdon was holding me tenderly. We only are really loved when we let other's see us honestly. If only I can forgive myself..