Singing Along the Journey

General

A room for things that just don’t fit in other categories.

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More

Shalom…the greatest love of all

Let me begin by saying this:  one of the first rules of responsible blogging is that you never, ever write about other people and their private lives without their permission.  I don't know if the things that I am about to say are what my dear friends had in mind last night when they encouraged me to write about our joint experience.  But what I am about to write is what truly remains with me from the hours we spent together. Sadly, last night, I visited with a dear friend who was saying that most difficult goodbye to someone that she loved.  It was the end of a long period…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

So long to summer…

Most people probably said their official good-bye to summer a while ago, and you think that I might have done so since I started school back at the beginning of August.  However, despite 4 hours a day learning Biblical Hebrew, I managed to feel that summer continued and I did have one last blast of summer fun last week in Florida. For me, the real beginning of fall was this week -- the first official week  of my seminary education at the Virginia Theological Seminary and today, the "official" beginning of the church season.  Today is the day we move back into the sanctuary -- the choir robes come out,…
Read More