Posted by Brian June 30, 2005 No comments yet
Go have a listen at Bzzzpeek.com.
It’s a collection of recordings of children from many different countries imitating animal sounds. Some of the kids have very different ideas about what animals sound like than I did when I was growing up!
Posted by Brian June 28, 2005 6 comments so far
There’s a saying I’ve learned from the Episcopalians:
Praying shapes believing.
We pray what we believe, and we believe what we pray (eventually). That’s why they’re so picky about the Prayer Book. Another saying goes:
He who sings prays twice.
So, maybe it stands to reason that singing shapes believing, too. I guess that’s good, since I will often go home after church with a hymn stuck in my head. Usually other stuff forces it out of my head soon enough, but this week the hymn is hanging around. It’s one of my favorites, but it also happens to be a new one I learned recently, after joining the Episcopal church: I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light.
For some reason, it’s always interested me that my favorite hymns have come from all of the different Christian traditions of which I’ve been a part: Churches of Christ, Metropolitan Community Churches, and the Episcopal Church. On further reflection, it only seems reasonable and not very remarkable that each tradition would have it’s own treasures. But anyway, I’ve thought about it a lot from time to time. So I thought I’d post a list of some of my favorites which I encountered during my time in each tradition:
Churches of Christ:
Metropolitan Community Churches:
Episcopal Church:
Maybe I’ll add to this list later. But these are the ones that come immediately to mind. When looking up the links, I figured that the authors of the hymns would not have been members of the traditions in which I learned them. In fact, many of them were:
Posted by Brian June 27, 2005 7 comments so far
I was seduced by the commercials for a 50% off sale at Kohl’s this weekend. I bought some down-filled pillows (so comfy!) and two pairs of shorts.
I’ve been wanting the down pillows for a while now, but the shorts were an impulse buy, totally.
Posted by Brian June 27, 2005 2 comments so far
I went back to the orchard this weekend. I was crushed to hear that they had no peaches because they were in the transition period between the cling and freestone varieties.
But I did pick some more blackberries, and bought some corn-on-the-cob (already picked). Let’s see if I can get off my rear and either use or freeze everything before it goes bad.
Posted by Brian June 23, 2005 No comments yet
Last night David and I went down the Riverside Amphitheater to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on a big outdoor screen. Apparently they show a free movie down there every two weeks or so during the summer.
It could have been a really nice time - a good movie, the night air, the river, watching the lights of the traffic as it crossed the bridge. However, a word of advice if you decide to go sometime: sit in front of the pathway that crosses the hill. We had people walking by in front of us the whole time. Also, our patch of ground was really slanted - it was impossible to get comfortable.
David is very easily distracted anyway, and we ended up leaving before the movie was over. But we plan to go back again and sit in a better spot next time.
Posted by Brian June 23, 2005 13 comments so far
A convicted murderer has just been ordained an Episcopal priest while still in prison. The Bishop of California says it is a first in California, and likely the nation.
James Russell Tramel, a convicted murderer who has been behind bars for nearly two decades, has been ordained an Episcopal priest.
…
With his parents, fellow inmates and other clergy members from Sacramento and the Bay Area gathered around him Saturday in a courtyard off of the Vacaville prison’s visiting room, Tramel recited his vows and received the ceremonial vestment worn by Episcopal priests.
Then, using grape soda and a croissant from a prison vending machine, he administered Holy Communion, which Episcopalians believe is the body and blood of Christ. A paper cup served as a chalice. A small table served as an altar.
Swing, who performed the ordination, said the event had significance far beyond the ceremony.
“It was quite a symbol of hope,” Swing said.
“It meant that the connection between faith and prison is alive. It meant a bishop’s stole goes to a new generation of priests. It meant a witness of staggering hope to prisoners who were onlookers. It meant that resurrection is not just for the afterlife, but here and now,” he said.
I guess the Gospel can still change people. Even in the Episcopal Church!
(free registration required to access article)
Posted by Brian June 21, 2005 2 comments so far
Here is the sermon which the Rev. Alma Beck preached at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock this past Sunday.
Her final lines:
Our God has no rules that say “Don’t argue, don’t criticize, don’t talk back.” Anyone who tells us that is not speaking truthfully about God. Instead, our heavenly Father’s rules for talking to him are: “Be honest. Speak from your heart. Don’t hold back.”
This Father’s Day, it’s good to remember the kind of father we have in heaven, a divine Dad who wants our hearts, just as they are, when we come to him in prayer.
The Scripture readings from Jeremiah and the Psalms which she refers to can be found here.
No one and no sermon is perfect, of course. However, I am very glad that Alma has recently joined our church’s staff. I always like to hear her preach. (Seeing and hearing her live is better than just reading, but we don’t have streaming media on our site - yet.)
Posted by Brian June 20, 2005 9 comments so far
Here is an interesting essay from a rabbi about the punishment which God gave to Cain for murdering Abel.
I always find it fascinating to hear/read Jewish interpretations of Jewish Scripture. This article is part of a series, which I will now have to read the rest of.
Posted by Brian June 17, 2005 3 comments so far
This blogger thinks that Christian Bale must have used steroids to gain 100 pounds in 5 months for his Batman role. (He played an emaciated character in his last movie - “The Machinist.”) The blogger also wonders: why do we get so worked up about athletes on steroids, but apparently don’t care about actors who use them?
Posted by Brian June 17, 2005 3 comments so far
I went to see Batman Begins last night with David, Tonda and Stephanie.
It was great! Although of course much happens in the movie which could never happen in real life, nevertheless the move seems much more realistic than the previous Batman movies. It focuses on Bruce Wayne as a character, and the events/thinking that led him to become Batman. Christian Bale did an excellent job as Batman/Wayne, and Christopher Nolan directed an dense, entertaining, dark movie. I definitely recommend it. I think it is the best of all the Batman movies.
Um.... I sometimes post stuff here.
My mom wishes it was more often.
