09Aug
One of my favorite poets is the great Ben Harper. His work is that filled with spirituality and hope, suffering and shame; shame at the inability to display a proper spiritual relationship with God. In one of his works, “Forgiven” he offers this line:
These eyes weren’t made for crying
This love wasn’t made to waste
These arms weren’t made for battle
But to share your warm embrace
The whole song is behind the idea of the relationship that we share with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We live our whole lives distracting ourselves from getting close to God. We throw up our defenses in battle; do anything to keep Him from getting to us. We live our lives so that we can work everything out ourselves and to forget about God- only remembering Him once every week. What our life, our very being, is made for is for His work, His love, and His life. We are in our existence for the glorification of Him. We waste our love by throwing up our walls; as a result we become weak, pitiful, and poor. We cry out to our God only to try to engage Him in battle. What we are made for is getting close with Him, finding that relationship, and glorifying Him through our lives of faith becoming His children (Galatians 3:26-27). So what is the take home message from Mr. Harper’s words? Our lives should be for our God. Dying for us was the most He could do; living for Him is the least we can do.
05Aug
Ruby Goodwin, Geralyn Beason’s mother, passed away Monday night, August 3, at East Glen Nursing Home where she lived.
Her visitation services will be at the Kilgroe Funeral Home in Leeds from 1-2 p.m. on Thursday, August 6. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m.
You can read her obituary here.
02Aug
The forte of the summer of 2009, Ultimate Camp Week, has concluded. I am in shock right now…
I certainly hope that the kids who went to Backwoods this past week enjoyed their time! I am sure Justin is glad to be back in Leeds and through with camp! This has been a great couple of months here and I am really thankful to all the teens, parents, and members who made this summer happen. It was a really awkward time to come in at the beginning of the summer and automatically jump straight in; and I was fearful as to how I would tackle this quick summer with my new job, but you guys made it so much easier. As we enter into the final stages of the summer and transition into a more “fall-type” atmosphere, there are a couple things that I would like to go ahead and point out for the parents of the teens and the teens: Continue reading »
02Aug
Alan Lomax was a pioneer folklorist, who spent his life traveling to remote parts of the U.S. and other English-speaking countries with his tape recorder, archiving a rich and diverse set of cultures through song.
When I was in college, I came across one of Lomax’s recordings called “Prison Songs,” which documented the songs sung by the prisoners of Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary) in 1947-48. The songs, all sung a capella, include “The Murderer’s Home,” “No More, My Lord,” “It Makes a Long Time Man Feel Bad,” and “How I Got in the Penitentiary.” I don’t know if I have ever heard a more lonesome, weary sound. Continue reading »
