Blogasbord Time

Is Your Church Too Cool? -- I found myself cheering along with this article for the first half, and gently stroking my chin in bemusement toward the end. I thoroughly agree with the writer, that our worship is not about how "hip" we are, and that we cannot expect perfection in all areas in worship. I just wouldn't want that to become an excuse for offering to God anything less than our best, in worship. That's a fine line, and a difficult one. Do you welcome the singer into your choir who is tone-deaf? Do you let someone speak who is a poor orator? How long do you tolerate a Sunday school teacher without any gift of teaching? We shouldn't relegate our un-cool parishioners to the back pew, but what do you do with the ill-behaved child who's running in the aisles? Grace and gentleness are the watch-words here.

The Pitfall of Perfectionism -- Steve Brown wrote this article, and it resonated very deeply with several friends on facebook. But when I read it, I came away thinking that yes, these are important issues for some in the church, but no, this is not my particular area of weakness. I don't strive for perfection and then flagellate myself when I don't reach it. I'm afraid, like many others, I'm the opposite. I used to be a "high achiever," but in later years, "mellowed by the windy sands of regular difficulties," I've become more lazy. I don't work for perfection, and I certainly don't beat myself up over it. I'm full of excuses and reasons why it's better to slow down.  Am I some kind of model, according to Brown? I don't think so. I suppose both groups fall short of God's standard. Isn't that what His forgiveness is all about? Still, an important issue for some Christians to deal with, that's for sure.


The Heavens -- World Treasures of the Library of Congress. I just glanced at the first page of this site, but it looks very interesting: some of the most ancient writings of astronomy, with good photos.

We're singing tomorrow! Philip (tenor), Peter (bass), Anna (alto) and I (soprano) are singing a quartet in the morning worship service at church. What fun to sing with my children! We're singing Craig Courtney's arrangement of the compelling text from Job, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." If you'd like to listen to it, here's a link to a site where you can. Just scroll down until you come to the song, and pick the Courtney version. You can choose to use any of three different media formats for listening. I couldn't find it on Youtube.

I had some other reading, but I lost the links when my computer cut off once, sorry! I hope you have a blessed Sunday.