Singing Along the Journey
Thoughts about faith and wholeness set to the soundtrack of life

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
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Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
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And miles to go before I sleep…

Tomorrow is a most important day for me...and even though I barely have a moment to breath right now (let alone time to write something seriously meaningful and appropriately commemorative),  I decided to pause for a moment between my review of the infinitive construct in Biblical Hebrew and my drafting of the first chapter of my final paper to note the importance of  tomorrow, December 13. All day long people have been talking about how interesting it is that today is 12/12/12.  I even know someone whose young daughter turned 12 today, on 12/12/12, which is actually kind of cool.  But for me, the date that still resonates strongest in…
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Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
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A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
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Other people’s theology…

Reading and commenting on someone else's writing is not always the easiest thing.  But as eternal students of faith, we often face the task of picking up a book or an article, reading it quickly,  analyzing its usefulness, and incorporating the pieces of that message we need for a project or that we need simply to stimulate our own thinking and theological pondering.  And so, in this next writing reflection, I have chosen to read and comment on Chapter Three of our text, We Are Theologians:  Strengthening the People of God, by Frederica Harris Thompsett. I picked this chapter, titled "All Can Be Theologians", because the idea resonated strongly with my…
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A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
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And yes, now it is time for a research paper…

Seven years ago (such a very long time ago, it seems now), I had the idea to produce a concert on Good Friday at my then very new place of employment, the Calvary Baptist Church.  I was not yet a member.  The truth was, very few people in the congregation knew anything about me except that I sang with great gusto in the choir and seemed to be pleasant enough to talk to at the coffee hour.  In the previous year, someone of great importance in my musical and spiritual life had died, and I wanted to do a concert in his honor for one of his favorite charities.  I…
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Catching a breath, seeing the light…

And so, Saturday arrived -- the end of a long first quarter of seminary studies.  Test done, papers in -- check.  Suitcase packed -- check.  Boarding pass printed, hotel reservation in folder -- check.  House cleaned, refrigerator full -- check.  Everything in the car, off to the airport -- check.   Getting on the plane and heading to London -- oops. That's right, I didn't go on my trip.  Halfway to the airport, we turned around and came back home.  Why?  Well, it is complicated.  But the change between "I can't wait to get on that plane and have an adventure away from here" and "what was I thinking booking…
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And why is it that I follow Jesus?

Yes, that is our question of the day.  Not an easy question, but one with a simple answer:  I follow Jesus because that is what I must do.   And if I tell the truth, there are days I would rather not. There are days when the price feels too high, in terms of energy and sacrifice. There are days when it feels really, really lonely to follow Jesus. There are days when it seems like a fairy tale, a myth, a totally implausible belief that God could be made flesh and walk upon this earth, experiencing anger and illness and pain and joy, just as we do.  There are many days when…
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