I haven't posted in a few years ... more than a few years. If you know me you know why ... and I'll get to that soon enough. I have increasingly felt a longing to write, a longing that grows along with my growing sense of grief over the state of social and political discourse in our country at present. Given my own moral failures, sins, and mistakes, I am on an unending journey of restoration and recovery. I find hope in Jesus, in the Scriptures, in the stories of those before me, in the living examples of those around me. In grace, I am compelled to press on, with the call of attempting to speak into our common situation.
Wanting to give credit where it is due, this morning (ll/13/18) I enjoyed the NPR Morning Edition story about our "American Anthems." The song for today was Simon and Garfunkel's America. It's a beautiful bit of Americana poetry, but the repeated refrain reflects a sentiment that we all, at some time or another, in some deeply personal way, will encounter our own search for the meaning of being part of our nation ... we all come to look for America.
Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner's pies
And we walked off to look for America
Cathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
Michigan seems like a dream to me now
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America
Laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said, be careful, his bowtie is really a camera
Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat
We smoked the last one an hour ago
So I looked at the scenery
She read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field
Cathy, I'm lost, I said though I knew she was sleeping
And I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America - Paul Simon
Perhaps at no time in recent history has that particular type of soul searching been more appropriate, and an open, empathetic, and mutually respectful dialogue about that search more desperately needed. It will be my goal in these writings to share my thoughts about that search for myself, and musings on what that search may look like for us as individuals, families, groups, faith communities, ethnic groups, citizens of communities, states, of America, and/or, as it were, world citizens.
Speaking confessionally, I seek my better self. I have a belief that we all can be better, individually and collectively, by individually and collectively seeking our better selves. I contemplated renaming my blog with that phrase, and quickly discovered that there is an organization by that name. Other than the obvious, what is it about? We can explore. Likewise, the phrase is a well known part of a William Wordsworth poem.
I wish to be committed to brevity in this setting, so I'll conclude for today.
I encourage a listen of the NPR Morning edition piece.
Wanting to give credit where it is due, this morning (ll/13/18) I enjoyed the NPR Morning Edition story about our "American Anthems." The song for today was Simon and Garfunkel's America. It's a beautiful bit of Americana poetry, but the repeated refrain reflects a sentiment that we all, at some time or another, in some deeply personal way, will encounter our own search for the meaning of being part of our nation ... we all come to look for America.
Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner's pies
And we walked off to look for America
Cathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
Michigan seems like a dream to me now
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America
Laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said, be careful, his bowtie is really a camera
Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat
We smoked the last one an hour ago
So I looked at the scenery
She read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field
Cathy, I'm lost, I said though I knew she was sleeping
And I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America - Paul Simon
Perhaps at no time in recent history has that particular type of soul searching been more appropriate, and an open, empathetic, and mutually respectful dialogue about that search more desperately needed. It will be my goal in these writings to share my thoughts about that search for myself, and musings on what that search may look like for us as individuals, families, groups, faith communities, ethnic groups, citizens of communities, states, of America, and/or, as it were, world citizens.
Speaking confessionally, I seek my better self. I have a belief that we all can be better, individually and collectively, by individually and collectively seeking our better selves. I contemplated renaming my blog with that phrase, and quickly discovered that there is an organization by that name. Other than the obvious, what is it about? We can explore. Likewise, the phrase is a well known part of a William Wordsworth poem.
I wish to be committed to brevity in this setting, so I'll conclude for today.
I encourage a listen of the NPR Morning edition piece.