Announcing a New Blog

Come check out what I am doing over here:
http://livethedangerousjourney.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dangerous-Journey/467683099909149
@DangerJourney

It's all a new creation and is under construction, but enjoy the building of it with me!

Levon Helm, RIP

One by one the folks I listened to growing up are passing away.  I had "The Basement Tapes" on LP as a kid and I spun that sucker many a time.  I still have it in a box around here somewhere.  I'm going to imbed a song here that probably won't be one you will hear many other places as Levon is eulogized.  Enjoy the Gospel feel of this number and let's pray that someone showed Levon the way.

From outside the open window
How the faithful was gathered to sing
As the tears swelled up inside me
Still down in a mournful rain.

And all sands of time stood still
As the procession climbed the hill
And off in the distance it's a mother run away
The father turned to say

Somebody shine a light, show me the way
Take me through the night to the break of day.
Won't you shine a light so I can see,
Lift up these chains of darkness and set me free.

Lookin' through the open window
I can see where I went wrong.
I quit searching for the rainbow,
I forgot where I belong.

Then the darkness dips around me
And I have no strength to fight
Though I'll search for those who love me
I'll search for the one above me
Just like I said

Somebody shine a light, show me the way,
Take me through the night to the break of day.
Won't you shine a light so I can see,
Lift up these chains of darkness and set me free.

And all sands of time stood still
As the echo crossed my window sill.
I heard it plain as day, I could hear 'em sing,
I'm trying to find the way,

Somebody shine a light, show me the way
Make it through the night to the break of day.
Won't you shine a light so I can see,
Lift up these chains of darkness and set me free.

Shine a light, show me the way
Take me through the night to the break of day.
Shine a light so I can see
Lift up these chains of darkness and set me free.

Shine a light so I can see
Lift up these chains of darkness and set me free.

Where Y'all From?

I saw this on another blog today, I thought it was interesting the way they evaluated for outcome.  Is my accent "Midland"?  I don't know.  I was born in the deep south, grew up in Kansas, lived in Colorado and have now lived in Wisconsin for quite a while.  I guess I'm moving from south to north.  I guarantee you that I'm not going on north to Canada, and I sho' aint from Southn Indiana or Mo-zuri!  

Click on the link and let me know what your accent is!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West	 
North Central	 
The South	 
Boston	 
The Inland North	 
Philadelphia	 
The Northeast	 
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Party Like It's Around the 12th -15th Century BC

I've been reading in Deuteronomy lately.  This morning as I read chapter 14, I was struck by this section:

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.  Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.  But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose.  Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.

Now, when we modern Christians consider the tithe, we think about a felt obligation to make out checks totaling up to 10% of our income (net or gross, oh dear, what is one to do?).  We then make our checks out to the Christian charity or church of our choice, claim our tax deduction, and consider our love obligation to God to be met.

But here in Deuteronomy, I see something a bit different, something that feels like it is missing from our modern act of tithing.    Now, I may be on shaky interpretative ground here, I don't know, but I'm going to go with this idea.  I see here that the people are to bring a tenth of what they have produced and enjoy it in the presence of the Lord!  It commands them to eat the tithe!  Why?  So that they "may learn to revere the Lord".  Much of what Moses writes has to do with remembering that it was the Lord who set them free from bondage in Egypt.  It was the Lord who provided for them while they were wandering in the desert.  It is the Lord who has promised and will provide for them a land of plenty.  It is the Lord who blesses and provides.  Moses is attempting to provide an antidote to what happens when God blesses us -- we forget that he is the source and we wander away from Him and no longer revere His name.

So what is the antidote?  A party!  Now for many of us, the concept of a party with God may be anathema, but maybe that is just our baggage doing the talking.  Moses says to bring a tenth of what the fields produce as well as the firstborn of the herds and flocks to the place he has chosen.  Then the people are instructed to Eat!  And rejoice!  And they are to do this in the presence of the Lord!

I'm trying to imagine what this must be like.  All of these families coming together at the place of worship that God has chosen, eating and rejoicing together as they celebrate the provision of the Lord! 

Perhaps one of the reasons we often feel distant from God, is we forget to party!  What if we intentionally had a giant party where we celebrated the fact that all we have comes from God?  Of course, the party needs to be focused on the Lord and be conducted in such a way that it furthers our reverence of Him, but wouldn't that be amazing?  (Note to all the marketing, mega-church types, this party is about God.  No rock walls, movie clips, giant video screens, rock bands, etc, etc.). 

So what do you think?  Rather than seeing tithing as a painful act that separates us from our money, how can we return it to the joyful celebration that Moses describes that leads us to revere the Lord more and more each time?  I think I feel a party coming on!

Notification of Name Change

Ok I'm not really changing my name, but I am changing my "username."  I have changed my online identity from "Zarathustra" to "Pilgrim in Progress."  I found that most folks were confused by both the meaning of "Zarathustra" and why I would choose that name as representative for what I was doing.  The ensuing conversation was inevitably too complex and too confusing.  Therefore, I borrowed Ockham's razor and lopped the name off.  For now, I shall present myself as a "Pilgrim in Progress."  That should prove easier to understand and explain!

I also have a secondary  motivation - I plan on creating another blog where I will delve into difficult and perhaps somewhat controversial topics from time to time.  Stay tuned for details on that one! 

Boys Always Get the Blame

"They" want us to believe that "they" never do this.  "They" want everyone to believe that this is only an issue for the crass male species.  Apparently the process of inculcating this mindset into the young male starts earlier than I realized.  Or maybe my daughter is just creative in her writing and has the mindset of a junior high boy!

At least she did it in love 

Hope of Brighter Days!

Hope arrived today on the Frozen Tundra in the form of a flower.  

Winter, get the behind me!

Spring, we welcome your entrance!