Appropriate to the season

B'sides, I like the sound. It's mildly, and pleasantly, sensational.

And I'll never know.....

I suppose that I am 'about' to 'out' myself, as an absolute pinhead. I, for reasons, some of which may be unbeknownst, even to myself, continue to be uncomfortable with the verbal appendage to the song Here I am to Worship. In the first place, I do not particularly appreciate the song itself - as it is written, and as it is sung, in the context of corporate, or congregational, 'worship': Oh God, in case you hadn't noticed, "here I am to worship". Don't you know the effort I expended to haul myself to this place, and aren't you just so impressed? Aren't you just so lucky that I made this supreme effort? I really would, at this point in my life, just like to emphasize where I am at this precise moment, and what I'm doing. Anyone up there taking note of this? Didn't I say "pinhead"?
Well, the song could be made somewhat more palatable with a simple alteration. We could easily swap-out the word "I", for the word "we", to allow it to more accurately reflect a corporate emphasis - but that would not address the issue of the inane, incongruous, and incomprehensible appendage, "and I'll (we'll?) never know how much it cost, to see my (our) sin upon that cross".
I know that it is quite 'not impossible' for us to make some sense of that portion of the lyrics, but why the necessity of performing mental gymnastics? Why the necessity of having to un-twist this grammatically tortured linguistic pretzel? Let's take a look at what I, in my often, admittedly flawed perceptions, see as problematic, at best.
First of all, the conjunction 'and' endeavors to conjoin two broadly divergent trains of thought (for want of better terminology). Think of it this way: "here I am to worship, and I'll never know how much it cost......". It's like trying to swim in two streams (rivers) at the same time, or, maybe, alternately swimming upstream and downstream. That may be a frivolous observation, but hardly begins to deal with the real problems: what does it mean, to say that I'll never know? Does that intend to create in me an eternal dissatisfaction with my less than omniscient state?
What did it cost to see my sin upon that cross? Let's try that, with the emphasis on the word 'did'. What did it cost? Now, let's read it with the emphasis on the word 'cost'. What did it cost?
Now, let's advance to the concept of, "to see (seeing) my sin upon that cross". What does that mean? Might I suggest that it cost(s) nothing "to see my sin upon that cross"? It's a false paradigm - when we exchange an inane "to see" for an eternally substantive "to be". Seeing what is is apart from, and different from what actually occurred "upon that cross". The cost, of which I (we) will never have full comprehension, was paid, was experienced. The infinitive 'to see' is abysmally inadequate to even minimally comprehend the implications of the cross.
Besides which, who is the song referring to, in terms of the one who is, rightly, the one who is doing the seeing? Is God the One whom we have diminished to this conjectural "to see"? An objective "to be" should be greatly preferable to an incomprehensible "to see", in this instance. "To see" muddies the waters of intelligibility. Seeing my sin pales into insignificance, in light of being my sin, my sin-bearer. You say, well, that's what it means. That's my point; it doesn't say what it means - unless it means nothing more than an unintelligibly garbled, non-sensical 'filler' for a song that is problematic in its about me (I) emphasis.
Oh, not to mention, among whom the song is (has been) wildly popular! As I recall, PC&D , (they of non-trinitarian proclivities) has an album featuring this song as the title 'offering'.
Didn't I say "pinhead"?
Okay, okay, so it did cost God His Son, but it wasn't really about seeing, per se, so much as it was about the being and the doing. And I'll never need to know, but I'll ever need to embrace the person who bore my sin upon that cross. I really can know how much it cost - I will know in much greater measure, but it's not true that I'll never know, and if not, it'll be because I will never need to know. The song obfuscates the issue, and that I know right well!

OK, calm down now, just a little piano diversion!

Tim is my receding hairline, under 40 (briefly) nephew. He is the pianist for Legacy Five - those 'keepers of the flame' for The Cathedrals. This is some southern gospel - he sorta tickles the ivories, and is immensely popular among those whom he is among. Tremendous talent!
In my heart, there rings a melody (a melody rings).

We will get our Psalms singing - if only rarely!

This 'has got to be' a top-three fave o' mine. What a fantastic message it is! I've got a notion that, when sung in "spirit and in truth", it truly rejoices its inspire-or.

Psalm 130 (From Depths of Woe)

1. From the depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,

O who shall stand before Thee?
(Who shall stand before Thee?)
O who shall stand before Thee?
(Who shall stand before Thee?)

2. To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,

And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)
And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)

3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;

I wait for it with patience
(Wait for it with patience)
I wait for it with patience
(Wait for it with patience)

4. What though I wait the live-long night,
And ’til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth;
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;

And wait ’til God appeareth
(Wait ’til God appeareth)
And wait ’til God appeareth
(Wait ’til God appeareth)

5. Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free

From all their sin and sorrow
(All their sin and sorrow)
From all their sin and sorrow
(All their sin and sorrow)

©1997 Christopher Miner Music.

Listen to a sample of this excellent Martin Luther adaptation HERE.

I much prefer Andrew Sheffield's rendition, especially for 'corporate worship' - doesn't have the disconcerting echo effect, IMO.

Is it wrong to lust?

A few months ago, Andrew Sheffield, our chief musician, introduced an old, new song into the congregational singing at Faith Community Church. In part, the song says "My Lord, I did not choose you, for that could never be. My heart would still refuse you, had you not chosen me".

If I were an arminian, that would be absolutely scandalous. There is, however, a clear biblical precedent for such an assertion. No less an authority than Jesus made that precise statement to his earthly disciples. He assured them that they were not following him out of their own motivation and desire, but rather, because he had selected (chosen) them from among all of Adam's fallen race - to be his followers. He opined(!), "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you ....". Well, it was more than an opinion. For sure, he also chose Judas, who would be the God ordained betrayer, but that's another issue, with its own implications.
I know this doesn't 'set well' with believers in libertarian (un-fettered) free-will, but it seems to be a true representation of the works and purposes of God.
Therefore, when we sing "My Lord, I did not choose you .....", I do so lustily, with gusto. I know myself to be a child of unmitigated free grace - otherwise, I would be a life-long, and throughout eternity, child of the devil.
As C. H. Spurgeon so eloquently postulated, salvation is ALL OF GRACE. Another way of putting it: Salvation is OF THE LORD.

My abysmal non-polymath(ical) stature! Could have gone without saying!

I am 68 years old. I am not "smarter than a fifth-grader". I am an intellectual pygmy, a real mental light-weight. I invite you to read THE LAST DAYS OF THE POLYMATH, and conclude that anyone you know is of that ilk. Not me, for sure, though, or since, that is the stuff of human progress, if, and only if, progress is defined by positive advances. I could wish, and have wished, to be one of those, but, due to my egregious indolence, as well as my innate lack of mental acumen, I'm not one - oh, am I ever NOT ONE.
Thanks to Shawn Mathis, himself, the Aspiring Polymathis, for the link to the article.

Denmon's first half buzzer beater!

The Missouri Tigers were on that night. They'll need a lot more heroics like this in the '09/'10 campaign. GO TIGERS! College BB rules, IMO.

Be my Guest, Edgar

The pics are of a little cloth-bound pocket-sized book that I picked up at a local church 'garage sale'. Cost me a paltry 50 cents (US!). The copyright date is 1921, and it appears to be a first edition. The book is in excellent condition, with only a muted mark on the front cover - otherwise, the corners are intact and undamaged, as are all the pages. Check HERE for some 'skinny' on Edgar Guest. Perhaps his most enduring, and popular, line from his poems is "it takes a heap o' livin' to make a house a home".
The book was a Christmas gift, as indicated on the inside 'fly-leaf', in 1926. Edgar Guest died fifty years ago, in August, 1959.

We don't have to 'go THERE', but we need to 'go there'!

Psalm Singing

Psinging Psalms Pstill Psuperior!

Step gingerly, the ground under your feet may explode!

Or, carefully choosing a safe path, or, Christ FOR us, or, CHRIST for us, or, Christ for US!


Or, continuing to take a perceived challenge to "grace alone, through faith alone" to task:


Guess he, or they, didn't hear this:

Or, is Paul Washer not hearing what Paul Washer is saying? Hmmm! See what I mean by suggesting that the terrain is well-strewn with theological landmines?

Why So Many Words in Worship?

Why So Many Words in Worship?

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Carry on, ML.

Hang in there for the vocals, and the text - good stuff.

Martin Luther - O Lord, Look Down From Heaven, Behold

There's gonna be some tough sleddin'

The social engineering is 'buildin' up a head of steam'.

Read this!

From which comes this quote:

"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C. S. Lewis

I'm Not Kidding

What we have here is a couple of cropped photos of a church 'marquee'. It's about a mile or so from where I live. Apparently this is the supposed result of their "Hell Night", an event that is the annual evangelistic 'out-reach' of that church, on October 31. So, this seems to represent the sum total of 'souls', out of whom the hell has been scared - which, being translated, means they have been "saved". I am confident that God has a decidedly different concept of "salvation". Salvation, in a true sense, defines a scenario in which "the hell" does not return. An actual count of "salvations" is impossible for anyone except God. I'm wondering, since these "salvations" largely occurred on Saturday night, how much the church attendance rolls were swelled on Sunday morning. Its not likely that attendance increased by 2474, but then, it is likely that a large number of lost souls were inoculated against the gospel. They, in a manner of speaking, got their ticket to heaven punched - so they're good to go.
Otherwise, they soon come to realize that they were emotionally manipulated to 'make a decision' that was simply born of that emotional manipulation. They soon realize that nothing enduring occurred, so they assume that there is no possibility that "salvation" can be a reality. So, so much for "religion" - thanks, but no thanks. Didn't do a thing for me, except temporarily 'scare the hell out of me'. Freddy Kreuger serves just as well, if you please.
Note that the number of supposed "salvations" was posted, without any necessity for giving evidence of true repentance and faith. Noses were counted, that's all. That river runs a mile wide and an inch deep. Well, maybe a half inch. Sad.
I'm reminded of the adage, "short term gain, long term loss." Also, "what you win them with is what you win them to".