Not much to report

• There really isn't much to report this week. It's been a stressful week, but nothing overwhelming. I'm in the process of trying to lock down the summer schedule for the youth and children of Harpeth Presbyterian Church. It's been a bit shifty so far. I'm hoping to resolve it by the end of the week.
• I preached on Sunday, and it went over fairly well. There were parts I felt great about, and parts that felt rough. this was one of those times when I pray that God will use my imperfect offering to convey God's message to those who need to hear it. Thanks to those who posted comments. They were helpful as I wrestled with the text.
  
• Seriously, not much to report.
  

Dreary day...great lunch

Yes, it rained all day today, got colder as the day wore on, and eventually, the precipitation turned into wintery mix that then led to snow, that is now an icy snow. I have a feeling schools will be closed tomorrow. I hate rainy days, but I did have a great lunch with Stuart from The Good Fight. What an enlightened young man. I mean, this guy has more theological chops as a sophomore in college than I probably did after a year or two of seminary. Many props to Carrie Tuttle for bringing him up right in Burlington. Kudos to Jennifer Fouse for providing an awesome space for Stuart to grow spiritually at the Presbyterian Student Fellowship of Vanderbilt University. (Yes, there are two links in the paragraph) It was a real treat to have lunch with somebody who is so fired up about God and worship styles and dialogue and listening and just trying to glorify God in his daily life. Awesome.

I am currently sitting in bed listening to one of Gustav Holst's Suites for band. I guess if I had perfect pitch I'd know if it was in F or in Eb. These pieces of music are so simple but so beautiful.

I've been on a couple of awesome dates with a great girl in the past week or so. She's sassy, funny, and a great storyteller. Good times.

Great people I thought about today: Lindsey Wade, Mark Shivers, Matt Hardin, Harold Douglas, Edith Douglas, Jeff White, Kathleen O'Connor, and Tom Katona.

I'm preaching Sunday: Mark 1:14-20. Any thoughts?

Lyric of the Week

This one comes from the late, great, Rich Mullins. What a genius:

So if I stand, let me stand on the promise that you will pull me through,
and if I can't let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you.
And if I sing, let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs,
and if I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home.

• "If I Stand" from the album Songs by Rich Mullins

I love the emphasis this chorus places on God. If we stand, we stand because of God's promise. If we can't stand, Grace is still there supporting us. If we sing, we sing for joy, and if we weep, it's because we long to rest in the arms of God. God acts first...God is the foundation of all that we are. AWESOME!!

Another prayer

Here's a prayer I had ready to use on Sunday, but didn't, because we switched up our usual worship roles.

God of glory, God of grace,

You are truly a God of epiphanies, of aha moments, of moments when our world turns upside down and we are forever changed. You show up in the most unlikely of places, including the desert, the mouth of a donkey, and most recently, in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. Of course, the amazing thing is not the variety of ways in which you appear, but that you do, in fact, show up and say, “Aha.” Today, oh Lord, we are thankful for the sundry ways that you show up in churches all over the world, responding to the pleadings of people speaking in French, English, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Swahili, and all the tongues of those whom you claim as your beloved children.

Today, we celebrate your selection of us as your children, your adoption of us into your most holy family, your willingness to pick us for your team, regardless of status, skill, or social appeal. It is truly our desire to seek you and find you in everything we do, and yet, you still surprise us, and we love you for that…we love you for being a God who reaches out and makes us shriek with delight at having seen something new and amazing. Aha, we say when our feet land back on the ground.

At this time, we are also mindful of those who suffer from physical, emotional, or spiritual pain…we pray that those who are feeling broken, might be mended by you and find the aha in lasting moments of wholeness and healing.

It is at this table that we come to be nourished, to proclaim to the world and to one another that we are your children, that you have claimed us as your own, that we serve a Lord who has overthrown the powers of death and darkness and who calls upon us to live so that the principalities and powers no longer reign. May your kingdom be made manifest in our lives…the kingdom ushered in by the one we call the Christ, who taught all of us to pray saying…Our Father.

Lyric of the Week

I've decided to begin posting lyrics that I like, either because they make me happy, or because they speak truth, or because they capture humanity, or simply because they move me for some unknown reason. Who better to begin with than Nickel Creek?

• "I hope you meet someone your height, so you can see eye to eye, with someone as small as you."
• Song: Somebody More Like You
  
• Artist: Nickel Creek
• Album: Why Should the Fire Die?

Ouch!

Let's hear it for global warming

• Yes, for today, and today only, I'm setting aside my normal anger and rage at the lack of concern for environmental issues in our culture, because it is a balmy 75 degrees on this January 2nd, 2006. For today, and today only, I'm thankful for a trend in the world that would allow such a thing. It really helps one's general outlook on a new year when it's so beautiful outside.
• Before I forget, I'd just like to acknowledge the Mizzou Tigers for their rousing victory over the gamecocks of South Carolina. What a great come from behind win. Thanks to all of the gracious congratulatory e-mails and text messages from my SC brethren and sisteren (???).
  
• I've decided to weigh in a bit on the whole Christmas vs. Holidays debate. Here are my brief thoughts:
• We, as Christians, on a large scale, seem to have forgotten that the Christmas season doesn't actually start until December 25th, and then lasts for the 12 days following that day. Officially, all of the time leading up is Advent, so maybe saying, "Merry Christmas" isn't exactly right.
• If stores, communities, schools, whatever, want to call it the "Holiday Season," that's their prerogative. I'm pretty convinced that it is NOT our job, as Christians, to transform our society into a purely Christian state. On the flip side, I think that organizations that wish to claim their religious affiliation and designate a specific holiday (Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, etc.) ought to be able to do so without fear of persecution of some sort.
• The incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ isn't about trees, decorations, parades, parties, or any of the other nonsense the surrounds Christmas. I think it was Buechner who said that the incarnation ought to be something scary, not a feelgood event. I'll check my reference for that.
• Why do Christians in America feel such a great need for the state, schools, municipalities, etc. to legitimize our faith? The gospel doesn't gain its power from any of those places. God doesn't gain legitimacy from a public school's "Christmas/Holiday" concert. Why does it bother us so much that institutions that have no religious affiliation fail to use religious language? I'm sure Newbigin has something to say about all of this.
• So, there are my thoughts on that, for today. Push back...help me understand what I don't understand.

Christmas 2005

• This was the first year that I was away from home for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Weird. Good. Scary. Sad. Yeah, it was all of those things and more. Christmas Eve at Harpeth was awesome. Sure, there were a few flubs in the flow of the services, but overall, it was such a wonderful experience. So much love in that sanctuary. We had youth do all of the major readings, and they did a wonderful job. I love to see them take that kind of responsibility/ownership.
• Christmas morning was definitely a party. I played a handbells duet with Mary Fink. We had a baptism of an 11 year old. David, Biff, Mary, and I led a kind of spiritual song about the Christmas story. I read a children's story for the sermon. People came in their pajamas. It may go down as one of my favorite worship services of all time.
• Being home has been good. Anna (with Jimmy, her fiancee, in tow) and I got home Christmas evening. We opened presents and enjoyed being together. In the past few days I've seen some of my favorite people...Jeff, Samantha, Mr. and Mrs. Hadfield, John, Gordon, Catherine, Danielle, Mrs. Walker, David and Carrie Graham, and one of my childhood Sunday school teachers Marty Cutler. The ghosts of Christmas past (as Carrie Simpson calls them).
• I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season.
• GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!
  

Christmas Prayer

This is a prayer I prayed on Christmas morning at Harpeth Presbyterian Church.

God of incarnation and grace,

God of chaos and unpredictability,

It was you who swept over the face of the waters…over the chaos that was creation in the beginning…and brought order and beauty.

It was you who led the Israelites through the desert with a whirlwind by day, and a pillar of fire by night.

It was you, and only you, who said to a valley full of dry bones, “I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

It was your breath that filled the lungs of the prophets as they called upon Israel to live according your will.

It is your breath that fills the lungs of the Christ child who is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Today we breathe a collective sigh of relief. Relief from holiday shopping, relief from Christmas concerts and end of the semester performances, relief from exams and finals and projects, and relief from the stress that comes with waiting…with anticipating…with yearning for the arrival of, “The Something Special,” that we know is Christmas day. Creation itself says ahhhh as it experiences your arrival on earth…your arrival in a little baby.

We confess that we aren’t completely ready, and probably never will be, for your presence among us, but thankfully, you don’t wait on us to be ready, but rather seek us and show up in wild and unexpected ways.

On this special Christmas day, the Christmas that falls on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, we call upon your spirit to be among us and to guide us, that we might allow the little children to lead us…that as lions, we might lie down with the lambs, and that as kids, we might not be afraid to approach the leopard in peace and love.

It is truly an amazing thing that you have done this day…emptying yourself and being born in human likeness, that we might receive grace upon grace upon grace…heaps and piles and mountains of grace. As we all let go of that breath that we’ve been holding in throughout the advent season, may we breathe back in your tender mercies so that we can be your people in the world.

In the name of the Christ who is born this day in the city of David,

Amen.

More like Lucy

So, there's a little girl at my church named Lucy King. She's the spitting image of Lucy from the Peanuts cartoons, and just about as precocious (without the mean streak). Anyway, during my time at Harpeth, I've decided that the world would be a better place if we were all a little more like Lucy. Here's why:

• After the childrens sermon, she always has a comment. She's always trying to find a way to make the story connect with her life. Wouldn't it be great if all of us, hearing the word of God, would figure out ways to connect it to our daily lives.
• She gives a lot of hugs and always seems excited to me, and pretty much everybody. You can't help but be happy when you see Lucy.
• She's so genuine. She wears her emotions like a badge of honor. There's no fronting, or facing, or trying to hide how she's really feeling. Her facial expressions are priceless.
• When she read her part of the liturgy for lighting the advent wreath, she read with such feeling. The whole place was abuzz.
  
• Finally, just yesterday, she and some other children from the preschool were playing in our big fellowship hall/multipurpose room. Apparently the tricycle was the most popular riding toy of the day. Well, Lucy saw that it was free, so she got off her big wheels and began to get on. Another girl swooped in from across the room and basically shoved Lucy out of the way. Did Lucy pitch a fit or cry or anything? No, she didn't say a word, but simply sat down on the back and went along for the ride. As I stood there watching, I wondered what the world would be like if everyone responded to that kind of thing like Lucy did. No fighting about, "I was here first," or "This is mine," or "Give it back," but rather allowing someone else to enjoy the tricycle.

Yeah, I think the world would be a better place if everyone was more like Lucy.

What time is it?

4:30!!

• For those of you who went to high school in the early 90's, you know that this question and answer comes from that great band The Spindoctors, who just happened to be in Nashville last Friday night. That's right, the band with the lead singer who I supposedly looked like in high school is back on the road. I went to check them out at a place called 3rd and Lindsley. They opened up with What time is it? Overall, it was a great show. Their guitar player is really amazing.

• I actually felt kind of bad for them at the beginning of the show. When they would end a song, you could hear so many people talking, as if they were just background music or something. But, as the night went on, and they got into their groove (and some people left I think) the crowd seemed to really be into it. I wonder what it's like for a group like that, who probably played some big shows back when they were big, to play at such a relatively small venue.

• On Saturday evening, I went over to some church members' house for dinner. It was a fun night. I'm always so thankful when people are willing to have me over and treat me to good food and fun times.

• Sunday was absolutely amazing. A very talented musician sang "There's a sweet sweet spirit in this place" for special music, and it really hit the nail in the head. Worship felt so alive at both services. I don't know if it's the advent season or something else entirely, but Sunday mornings have felt truly spirit-filled the last few weeks. Then, on Sunday afternoon, we had our Joy Gift Service, which featured the various music groups of Harpeth. I had the opportunity to sing with the choir, which was a blast. The handbells rang, the children's choir sang, and the youth brass group played. Biff and Mary put on a great service. Sunday was one of those days when I think to myself, "Man, I am home."

• Sunday night, after the Joy Gift service, I went to my first rehearsal with Bone Therapy, a trombone ensemble that is mostly made up of doctors. Clever name, huh? It was fun playing my trombone for the first time in quite awhile. I'm hoping to play with them regularly.

• Finally, as Mark Shivers has already pointed out elsewhere on this blog, the Tigers of Missouri will be facing off against the Gamecocks of South Carolina in the Independence Bowl this year. I look forward to much jawing between my South Carolina brothers and sisters and myself.

A Tennessee Driver

Yup, I'm officially licensed to drive a car in the state of Tennessee. I'm not sure why there's a little heart in the right hand corner of my picture. Weird. Anyway, it was actually a pretty painless experience, except for having to run next door to an ATM because I forgot my checkbook and they don't take debit/credit cards. I also registered to vote in Davidson County. Now I can write my senators and representatives as a concerned voter in the Volunteer State. Anyway, with the license and the plates on my car, I guess I'm officially from Tennessee now. Wild.

So, I decided to take the picture of my license offline, after the comments below. I don't need anyone stealing my identity, although, I think it would be difficult without my social security number or mother's maiden name, but still, better safe than sorry. Thanks for lookin' out for me folks.

Silly pop songs

• W - O - R - D Up (repeat) Yes, today in the car, I heard that song "Word Up" by
  Cameo??? (I'm not sure if that's right). I mean, they actually spelled the word "word" and then said "up." Silly...totally silly. It made me think of that great SNL skit when Tracy Morgan was dressed up as the guy from Cameo??? and came to testify before congress. All he would say was "Word up." It was hilarious. For some reason, I remember watching that with Lindsey Wade. Thankfully, she shares my great appreciation for Tracy Morgan..."I'm Brian Fellows!!"
• I had a great time in Columbia, MO for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to chill out with the fam and just enjoy being in my childhood home. Highlights of the weekend include the car rides with my sister, breakfast at Ernie's with Dad, lunch at Taco Bell with the whole Bancroft clan, seeing Grandma, lunch at our house...my parents are awesome cooks, Flat Branch with Jeff and Samantha (I had the Porter if anyone cares), and sleeping until I woke up(meaning no alarm clock) in the cave that is my room.
• Finally, David and I are team preaching tomorrow. It should be a fun experience. I love the idea of trying something different for the Advent season. I do think that every year, as we anticipate the arrival of God on earth, we're called to do a new thing. Isn't that what God says..."Look, I am about to do a new thing." I really do love Advent. We look forward, we anticipate, we yearn to see the birth of a baby. That's right...a little baby boy born to a carpenter and his wife in a stable of all places. It really is a ridiculous story, and I love that. I guess my question for the week is: How am I preparing myself for the arrival of Immanuel (God with us)?
  

Random thoughts

• There's something great about small towns. As I was on my way to Atlanta last weekend, I stopped at a BP in a random small town somewhere in Tennessee. I purchased a "cake in a cup" coffee and a h0ney bun. The lady behind the counter only charged me for the honey bun. I mean, how sweet is that? I don't know if it was because I used my own travel mug for the coffee, or if she was just feeling nice. Either way, I chalk that up to one of the great things about small town america.
• On my way back to Nashville from Atlanta, I heard a little segment of the John Tesh intelligence hour (or whatever it's called). He said that when girl servers write "thanks" and draw a smiley face at the bottom of a check, their tip goes up by 5%, but guys get no such love. WHAT??? All tolled, I probably wasted hours of my life writing "Thanks" and drawing a smiley face on my checks at Flat Branch. I can't believe it got me a big fat nothing. Bummer.
• I'm headed back to the Show-Me state today. I'm looking forward to some good food and good times with the Bancroft clan.
• Finally, my trip to Atlanta was awesome. It was great seeing seminary friends. Having dinner with them felt some comfortable. Spending time with Tom and Nicole was equally wonderful. A big thanks to them for letting me bunk out in their hotel room. It was fun lounging around with them all day on Saturday. I especially enjoyed the part of the morning when Nicole wanted Tom and me and get up, and we just layed there telling her it wasn't time yet. AWESOME!!! :)
• Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope everyone can find something to be thankful for.
  

What I'm excited about

This is a list of the things I'm currently excited about:

• Going to the ATL to hang out with some seminary friends and Tom and Nicole. I've missed my boyfriend tremendously and look forward to laughing in that "milk coming out of your nose" type way.
• The session of Harpeth Presbyterian Church. last night, the session discussed a very difficult issue and did so with respect, love, understanding, and passion. I just love it that people who think differently about issues can come together and love one another.
• Harpeth Presbyterian Church in general...There are so many wonderful people at Harpeth. I can't think of a better place to start out as a pastor.
• Heading home for Thanksgiving. This will include a night at my sister's house and a ride back to Columbia with her. I love having that brother/sister time.
  
• The new Harry Potter movie. I think I'll see it with Dad while I'm home for Thanksgiving.
  
• Walter Cronkite Newsflash (the frisbee team I played with this fall) won the fall league championship. On a related note, I'm excited about going to practices in the future and learning more about the sport.
• Advent...We get to come to church every week and know that we're one step closer to the incarnation of God...the incarnation of the almighty YHWH into a little baby. Forget Santa Packs. Jesus Christ is coming, Jesus Christ is coming, Jesus Christ is coming! (sung to the melody of those cheesy Coca-Cola commercials that announce the arrival of Santa Packs).
  

My Driver...Carl Edwards

That's right, NASCAR fans. My driver, Carl Edwards, won another race today. He won the Dickies 500, which puts him within 77 points of the Nextel Cup. Carl's a great guy, and I'll be rooting for him to pull out another win and take the cup. Bring home the glory, Carl! Bring home the glory!

No recycling for you!

So, I just tried to drop off my recycling at a Williamson County Convenience Center and was turned away by the attendant because I don't live in Williamson County. The tags on my car gave me away as a resident of Davidson county. That's right. I made the effort to gather recyclable items and bring them to a recycling center because nobody around here bothers with curbside (hello 21st century) and I was turned away. That, my friends, is one of the many things wrong with America. Heaven forbid Williamson county might pick up the tab for my recycling when most of its residents probably don't give a crap about recycling. That kind of stuff really pisses me off.

Picture I like

This is a picture that Patrick Marshall, Kimberly Warwick, and I used during our senior chapel week at Columbia Theological Seminary. It's entitled Hannah. I think it's supposed to represent the power of God coming to Hannah as she rose and called upon the Lord. In case anyone cares, I totally want to name a daughter Hannah Rose. It seems empowering.

Unbelievable

So, I sat down tonight to watch Tom Brokaw's report entitled In God They Trust and instead found a special program sponsored by the Billy Graham Foundation. That's right...The Billy Graham Foundation bought out the hour Tom Brokaw's story was supposed to air. They paid off the TV station. I have now lost all respect for my local NBC affiliate. The only reasons to preempt a news story like the one supposed to air are sporting events, breaking world news, or an address from the President. Unbelievable...Simply Unbelievable.

Mixed feelings about this Miers thing

I have some thoughts on the Miers situation:

• First, I don't buy the conspiracy theory. I don't give Bush enough credit. I really think that Bush thought he had enough political capital saved up to be able to appoint someone with no record as a judge for the supreme court, simply because he felt good about the person. It sounds naive, but somehow, that's the vibe I get.
• I feel bad for Harriet Miers. Did she feel competent to be a supreme court justice? I don't know, but I imagine that when the President of the United States asks you to do something, you say yes. I imagine she feels hurt, and maybe a little bit betrayed. I imagine she trusted Bush to know what he was doing, and apparently, he didn't. I was reminded of my days in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity when a group of brothers convinced me that I should run for pledge educator. They assured me that there were a number of people in the fraternity who were looking for a change. Nope. I put myself out there and lost the vote. Yeah, I feel bad for Harriet Miers.
• I'm a little bit pissed that the criticism from some republicans and members of the religious right had to do with whether Harriet Miers was conservative enough. What about whether she has the proper credentials? What about whether she's a person who will hear cases and judge fairly? What about her integrity as a person? I'm getting enraged just thinking about the absurdity of it all. "She just isn't conservative enough." What the hell does that mean? Is that what we've come to in this country? What the hell does conservative or liberal really mean? Is that what we want in supreme court justices...totally conservative or totally liberal? I thought they were supposed to hear cases individually and judge fairly by the merits of the case presented.
  
• It's unfathomable to me that people from "the right" are now criticizing Bush for not being conservative enough. What? Are you kidding me? When are we going to quit playing the blame game? When are we going to quit looking for ways to criticize "the other guy?" When will our elected officials start acting like those pursuing what John Calvin called "the highest calling" and quit acting like little kids who demonize anyone who roots for the "wrong" team? I'm just wondering.

Music you must listen to

• I recently bought Jackie Green's new album Sweet Somewhere Bound on itunes. It's spectacular. I think it's classified as blues, but it has kind of a rock feel to it. He's clearly influenced by Bob Dylan, but not a copycat or anything. If you're looking for some quality music for a Saturday afternoon drive through the country, this is the CD for you.
  
• Fall has fallen here in Tennessee. There was actually frost on my car this morning when I went out to head to the gym. FROST!! I couldn't believe it. On my way home from work in the evenings, I have a beautiful view of a hilltop full of trees whose leaves are changing. The cooler temperatures and crispness in the air make me happy somehow. I just love the feeling in the air that comes with the fall. As I've noted before, some of that may have to do with fond memories of marching band in high school and college, but all in all, I think fall/autumn is my favorite season of the year.
• What else comes with fall? That's right...The World Series. John Weicher's White Sox are one win away from their first championship since 1917 (Czars in Russia!!!). Apparently, the Houston Astros heard that you only have to play five innings in the world series. They've been in control the last two games until the 6th inning. I mean, last night, they had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth and couldn't get a base hit or a sac fly. Pitiful.
• I visited some homebound members of Harpeth today. Most of them were folks who are experiencing the autumn of earthly human existence. I hope that I handle aging with the same kind of grace that all of these Harpethians have. I worry, sometimes, that if I get dealt a bum hand healthwise late in life, I'll become bitter or angry. I worry that when my mobility wanes and I'm unable to come and go as I please, I'll get grumpy or crotchety. I hope I won't...I hope I'll face aging with grace and give thanks to God for each day, even if I can't get out of bed. I hope I'll be a blessing to those who take care of me and not a drain on their emotional reserves. These members of Harpeth give me hope for aging gracefully.