Psalm 138

7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
8The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD , endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.

Sydney's tshirt says it all 

Riley with her Easter Bunny visor on 

NY Daily News: What's in your iPod?

The daily news has caught on to my iPodda Have It blog. On p. 12 today, there's an interview on the street column asking people what's in their iPod. They really are everywhere on the subway.

Some interesting answers: a jogging real estate broker on the upper west side, now playing "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera and also on the playlist: The DaVinci Code, Eminem, and comedians Chris Rock and Lewis Black.

A SoHo construction worker, now playing "New York, New York" by Frank and also on playlist: 50 Cent, Jay-Z , Frankie Valli and Motley Crue. [Talk about eclectic taste.]

The most prominently featured person is a direct marketing account manager from the Bronx listening to "Crossroads" by Deitrick Haddon and she says of the rest of her playlist: "It's all gospel and praise and worship music." [Your iPod could be a tool for evangelism]

So come on, if the Daily News is interested, so are we. Answer one of the music related questions today!

William Booth on Stupidity

"It is against stupidity in every shape and form that we have to wage our eternal battle. But how can we wonder at the want of sense on the part of those who have had no advantages, when we see such plentiful absence of that commodity on the part of those who have had all the advantages?"

William Booth founded The Salvation Army with his wife Catherine in 1865.

Desert Island Discs or IPodda Have It

In an effort to inspire discussion and lighten things up a little bit, I've decided to put a challenge out there that I always enjoyed in my college's weekly newspaper. It was called Desert Island Discs and the idea was to choose the 10 CD's you would want with you if you were on a deserted island. They would ask popular professors and other campus luminaries to answer the question. I do realize, though that CD's are on their way out and it's all about the mp3 player, so if you'd rather, answer this IPodda Have It question: What are the first 10 songs you did or would or wish you could put on that now universal handheld status symbol--the IPod? Answer either question or both. Just answer!

Here are my answers:

Desert Island Discs (in no particular order)
1. Illuminate -- David Crowder Band
2. Send the Fire -- TYI
3. Hello Nasty -- Beastie Boys
4. Forrest Gump Soundtrack -- Various
5. Beautiful Girls Soudntrack -- Various
6. Derelicts of Dialect -- 3rd Bass
7. Matrix Soundtrack -- Various
8. Access: D -- Deliriou5
9. Offerings -- Third Day
10. Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack (from the movie) -- Cast

IPodda Have It (I don't even have an Ipod, but I just figured out the mp3 feature on my new PDA. Now all I need are some white head phones and I can be an IFraud.)

1. O Praise Him -- David Crowder Band
2. Blessed Be Your Name -- Matt Redman
3. Let Me Clear My Throat -- DJ Kool
4. You Always Do -- Phil Laeger
5. Riley's Song -- Phil Laeger
6. Intergalactic Planetary -- Beastie Boys
7. Walk This Way -- Aerosmith/Run DMC Version
8. Let the Sunshine In/Age of Aquarius -- Fifth Dimension
9. Sweet Home Alabama -- Lynrd Skynrd
10. It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right -- Rob Bass and DJ EZ Rock

What is Emerging?

"Perhaps we forget that when we talk about 'the' reformation, there have been many reformations in the Christian church, and it's nature is self-reflexive and committed to correction and renewal."
Chuck Smith, Jr. What is Emerging? Worship Leader Mar/Apr 05


Maybe it's unfair to quote only this line out of this article. I realize this doesn't cover everything Smith says about the emergent movement in his piece, but it was good enough to be the pull quote in the magazine. He also goes on to say that change comes so naturally to the church that "it's in our DNA."

I'd like to think that he's right, and in the ideal world, in the world that Brian McLaren and others are trying to encourage and bring about, this would describe the church, but come on. The church in my experience has been one of the most fiercely self-preserving bodies in existence and change comes painfully slow even when we decide it's time for a change.

I think one of two things is going on. Either, Smith doesn't have an appreciation for the size of the shift that is involved in the emerging church conversation (some people are calling for the complete dsimantling of the church as we know it and a return to the NT expression) and puts it to the side as a minor tweak in "business as usual" or he is ignoring the seismic shifts that have taken place in world culture already and that continues to progress at blistering speed--he is ignoring the need for any change at all.

Emergent is a big deal because it could impact the church and the world as much as "the " reformation, it could be a shift of 'biblical proportions.'