Time, The Victorious

It seems like a long time since I've written a blog. Well, I guess it has by typical blogging standards. Since my last blog I have become a father, shifted job positions, visited 1 ER, hung the blinds in the bathroom, made (and eaten a lot of) my own salsa, lost my mind (AKA palm pilot) and I think I've attended 4 weddings and 3 funerals. Time does keep on marching, or harching as an old music teacher would say. Anywho, I just thought I'd give a brief update so I can clear my conscience and say I've blogged recently. And so you can know that I'm still around and excited about the future of my musical endeavors. I'm hoping to begin recording my sophomore album in the bleak midwinter. It will be a worship album. Hopefully much more on that later.

I think I'd be foolish, or "remiss" as they say, if I didn't mention how awe-inspiring it is to be a father. It has been completely remarkable to watch someone begin to be. My wife and I get to see all kinds of incredible firsts. Things that never worked before are beginning to. It's good food for thought as I realize that I, too am experiencing firsts in my life. I thought that from here on out I was looking forward to honing, clarifying, perfecting, and the eventual ceasing of all sorts of things, but realizing that each day continues to be full of amazing new things continues to inspire me. Unfortunately, it will be several years before you all start really hearing the fruits of those inspirations unless something really new happens with the financing of this career. Maybe I should look for sponsors. Okay, I guess that's what you are when you buy a CD or a song, right?

I guess I don't really have much more to say right now. I'll be sure to write again soon. Well, as soon as I have some extra time...


Richest Blessings,
cs

ps~this is why I normally try to think through things before I start typing. (not so this time around...surprising, you say? mm.)



.:. Reading Log

I will give a brief highlight of what I've been reading as I often try to. I am not really sure what all I've missed since the last time. If I think of any really great ones that I haven't mentioned, I'll try to pass them along. In addition to my ongoing readings, I have a bookmark in 4 different books. I was a little disgusted when I realized that in counting them up to tell you. On a positive note, I'm glad that I have some diversity in my reading. I'm in the middle of 1 novel (Son of a Witch, the sequel to Wicked), one religious book (Confronting the Controversies by Adam Hamilton), a western (yes, the same one I mentioned a couple posts ago), and a political book (Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right). It's fun to take the buffet approach every once in a while. I'm finding more and more how much I appreciate the sort of "out there" pieces of fiction. Great stories can be so fulfilling, educating, and inspiring. I'd be excited to hear about your favorites.

.:. You Shall Bear A Child

Well, we're in the home stretch. For those of you that didn't know, my wife is "with child" and at this point it could come any day! All of this continues to be quite remarkable, exciting, and just a bit unbelievable. Awaiting that child is such an interesting process. When we first had that conversation (the "I think I'm pregnant" one), I reacted in a much different way than even I expected. I was in complete disbelief (peppered with doubt and skepticism). How can this be? Granted, I shouldn't have been as surprised as the blessed virgin who spit out those same words to Gabriel...but I couldn't believe it!

So this time has become a reflection on Advent. Well, Advent and other things... It's just that throughout the scriptures we see all sorts of things regarding the waiting game for the Child. Not just Jesus, either. There are other pregnancy passages, but obviously the one who was prophesied about for generations is our focus.

The waiting might be the most interesting part for me. After It became a bit more clear that Erin was, in fact, pregnant I began to get excited. Ready? No chance, but excitement was building. Then a few weeks ago she had some pre-term contractions...it was enough to make us realize that this baby was not necessarily on the schedule we were working with--it could come any time! Ever since that, I feel like I've been longing for this baby. It's time... It felt like the pregnancy signaled us entering into a new season--we were due for it. But now it feels like there was some weird epilogue to the last chapter or maybe a forward to a new one. Maybe it's just a new book in the series. Metaphors aside, we continue to wait in eager anticipation--not knowing who this will be, eager to pour ourselves into him or her (a surprise). Knowing that that person will be a blessing to us and to many others.

.:. Reading Log

My Boys Can Swim by Ian Davis

It's only fitting to mention the book that my wife gave me to try to understand what being pregnant is all about. I must admit that I tore through this tiny little book as my in-flight reading on a couple flights. It took me a couple seconds to figure out the title (and what was on the cover). There are definitely some pieces that could offend, but some good insights, some funny prose, and some information that I was completely unaware of...some words that still make me cringe.

.:. Sniceshain and the Volga Boatman

Putting things off seems to be a profound part of who I am. I don't really like it, but I guess I don't mind it enough to lose any sleep over it. Take this blog for example: When I had first started it, I had just come in from chipping the alarming amount of ice from my driveway and sidewalks. Actually, both the first time, the second time, the third time, and even a fourth time. It seems I had been putting off chipping ice/shoveling and blogging in equal increments over a "several week" period. Now here we are--sunny springy Iowa...

Humor me with the whole blog thing, though--this winter dumped all sorts of crazy weather on Iowa. Several times we got some kind of progression of snow/ice/slush/rainish stuff that soon froze into something between an olympic ice rink and the surface of the Jupiterian moon, Callisto. I was tempted to ask for a zamboni machine for Christmas. Anywho, each time we got a round of this crazy weather, I tried to get out and make sure our driveway and sidewalks aren't too dangerous for passersby. Since my wife and I now own [at least part of] our home, I figure it's my civil duty.

On these four previously mentioned occasions, however, I went out because the temperature has popped above freezing and the walls of snow surrounding the sidewalks start to melt-A perfect time to chip ice. Each time there was more than 3 inches of water in one section, so I'd chop through the ice in order to construct a little moat for our humble abode. More often than not during my time sludging through the moat, I found myself singing the tune of the Volga Boatman--sometimes just humming the melody, sometimes singing one of the many lyrics that have been set to that tune, but mostly just repeating, "Volga Boat-man." I can thank my wife for that one. I wasn't in a terrible mood, but the tune felt somewhat fitting as I became aware of the futility of my task. It also helped that my ice pick or my shovel looked like an oar as I was sloshing and splashing like crazy down my sidewalk moat.

Just to back up even further, I'll just remind you of how I slipped on the ice earlier this winter only to break my leg. Then we continued to get crazy ice storms (I think we may have broken winter precipitation records...) and I was laid up on the couch in a cast, my pregnant wife was forced to go try to chip ice with a dirt shovel because 1.) we got a notice from the city saying, "Please clean off the snow that's covering the ice so that people can slip on it and sue you." there were no ice picks to be found in our county (tried 6 stores in one day and went back often)

Now that I've put off the blogging so long, I can't just write about my procrastination. I've had too much time to reflect for that. While it does affect all aspects of my life, sometimes it helps me. Take my current attitude...would I have been able to be so smiley about this whole ice experience if I wasn't basking in the sun on the other side? Another thing I've been thinking is

how there's a picture of God in all of this. God will do what God wants to do. The Bible says the rain falls on the righteous and the wicked. I think the same is true of sliceshain (the precipitation we often saw). I also reflected on how we depend on God. Part of my procrastination came because I just got worn out. I could not chip some of that crazy stuff without good weather.

I don't really know if this blog has a moral, but I guess we just take each day as it comes and get to what we can. Speaking of cans, one of those last times when I was fighting the sniceshain residue, one of my neighbors across the street yelled over to me as she was rolling in her trash can, "You havin' fun?"
"Always," I replied.
"It's supposed to get up to 40 on Saturday! I'm hoping mine will just melt," she said.
I smiled. My shoulder hurt, my hands were sore--seemed like the perfect time to put it off for another time.

.:. Lent

So we made it through our 40 days, our 40 nights with no chocolate or no trans fat or reading our Bible every day. We remembered the Christ as he came on a humble donkey leading a joyful procession to what would be an unexpected throne. We took Jesus at his word and remembered him in the bread and the cup, and were reminded anew of his betrayal, his denial, and his death sentence-coming from his closest friends and from the leaders of the church. Awkward Saturday came and went--the eve of Easter when huge parties of early Christians would be baptized--a beautiful picture-being bound to Christ in the depths of darkness to be raised again in a glorious light. And finally the real celebration.

I don't really know what the season of Lent means to you. I remember a couple years back reading some websites that were extremely critical in regards to the celebration of Lent. I don't remember all of the points that they made--actually, even the big picture is a little hazy to me right now, but I remember wondering if I should even be celebrating Lent. I had always kind of enjoyed Lent growing up. I was raised in a church aware of and fairly reverent towards tradition. I went through the traditional Lenten disciplines--giving up sweet things, unhealthy things, and sometimes just picked something because you gave up something for Lent...that's just how it was. One year in college...maybe it was High School, I forget (after I started thinking more deeply about some of these things) I gave up forks for Lent as a way to remind others about Lent--not just giving up something for my own sake, but trying to help the people around me, you know.

I remember those websites claiming that the season of Lent was a pagan holiday (a good chunk of people say the same of Christmas) which, in itself, is reason enough not to celebrate it, I guess. I know that the term "empty tradition" would tend to come up as well. Empty tradition has since been something I've continued to ponder and fight. I think it's only natural for us to seek authenticity and meaning in worship and relationships and every other aspect of life.

I suppose, then, that it seemed rather apropos this year that I chose a particularly pagan approach to Lent--not really giving up anything or holding too closely to the traditions. I guess I "tried" to do some things...but they didn't really take. It felt like a weird year for me in that regard. I think I was feeling like a viewer--like an outsider reflecting on the Christian community and found it mysteriously refreshing. Traditionally speaking, Lent is often considered a time of learning and reflection So I think it's fair that I share some of my reflections from this season.

.:.1 I need all the help I can get sometimes to get me out of my normal routine and into something else. If it's a practice of changing your mindset for 40 days that's been observed by faithful people for centuries, swell.

.:.2 I don't know if tradition can be empty. With a lot of traditions we forget the meaning and we're called to constantly be reforming and reminding each other in the religious things we do. And what if for one person in that community it's a transformative experience one time in 100? Think about how that translates for each person...it is, even in this watered down scenario, still worth the energy spent on it in my opinion.

.:.3 I think we still feel ashamed of our response to our God when he walked with us in flesh and bone. We still feel the weight of guilt. I don't know that it's completely unhealthy, but we're afraid that we're so steeped in tradition that we crucify our only hope without realizing it. But like those religious leaders, I'm not sure that our well-intentioned response will bring about the results we want.

.:.4 Faithful followers of our God have remembered the events that have shaped our history in strange and foolish ways for as long as there's been faith to be had. Ancient Jewish feast days, building monuments, holding great celebrations...I can't help but feel right remembering my Lord in these ways.

In all these things, I continue to learn and reflect. If that's what Lent is, then may we all keep that season with us all year round--never losing sight of the cross that changes everything.

Peace,
CS



Reading Log-----------------

I've been reading The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs. I'll try not to bore you, but I thought it was pretty interesting to get an agnostic's view (the author calls himself a secular Jew)as he attempts to follow every Biblical law and command he can find to the letter. His reflections are especially candid, often saying what the faithful are afraid to say.

One of the things that struck me was the weight of the law. Towards the middle of the book Jacobs came to doubt and even despair because of that weight--not only because of his interaction with the Jewish subculture, but with the Christian subculture as well. He realizes he can, "rationalize anything" and looks for loopholes in all things. Still, he begins to see mercy and compassion in the law as he looks more deeply and finds comfort in the structure and plainness. Near the end, Jacobs talks about finally letting his guard down and said, "If I had to label it, I'd say the feeling is part love, part gratefulness, part connectedness, part joy. And that joy was like joy concentrate." You'll find yourself doing some more healthy reflection. I'd definitely recommend it.

.:. Overflow

When I wrote my first "real" blog entry, Getting Inspired, I briefly mentioned my debut album, Out of the Overflow, but I haven't really given much more detail than that. As I continue to learn about what the Overflow theme means, I wanted to share more about the inspiration behind it. So far, I've found three main pieces of the theme.

1.] God is overflowing love

Part of a little snippet on the album sleeve tries to speak about the very nature of God. We've all heard the often diluted quip from 1 John, "God is love." But I really believe that God is not simply a god of red and pink hearts, of happy feelings and fluffy clouds. I think God is rich, uncontainable, messy, beautiful love that pulses and spills into every particle of the creation that was spoken into being. In a very different context, St. Luke enunciates it this way, saying, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." This was the passage that kick-started my understanding of God in this way.

2.] That love changes things

In Psalm 23, the psalmist pens these words:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

For me, my cup overflowing became a powerful metaphor, and yet, it's not just a metaphor. I have been given all that I need. A great abundance. As I looked deeper, I realized that God has poured out so much of himself on us that we can't help but be changed. Suddenly, a dry and barren land bursts into life. We are given a life that is rich and full. Though I try to fill my cup with other things, it is scoured and rinsed and filled all by that rushing flood. We are swept away in adventure and awe. And that's not even where it stops.

3.] We are a vessel of that love

I think Derek Webb has rightly asserted that the Christian subculture has handicapped itself by longing so greatly to look like Jesus, forsaking the great need for us to make it clear how desperately we need Jesus. Within this, though is an interesting duality--like two sides of a coin. While it is not healthy to solely dwell on it, embodying Jesus now is part of the calling of the Church. Trying to look like Jesus may not fit in there, but living a life of service--I believe that is one of the highest callings of a Christian. And when we are giving love, we are acting on behalf of the one who is love. Acting on behalf of God? Yup. In many things God has given us the task of standing in for him--administering grace and love. How about that for an honor and a blessing?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. .:.Romans 15:13

.:.CS

--------------------------------------
Reading Log:
Christopher Moore
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

This is a book unlike other books I've read. A good friend gave it to me saying that it had changed his life. He followed that up by saying that he didn't think that all of his friends would appreciate it. I was honored that he wanted me to read it, but he had found it necessary to preface it, to kind of censor it. I guess I'd like to do the same. This is an amazing book. Very fictional, extremely thought provoking, pretty crude. It promises to offend and to make you wonder things you've never wondered before. I'd recommend it, knowing that there are pieces that some will find hard to get past. I think that's all I'll say about it here.