Ashley Cleveland, Real Live Preacher

I've recently been introduced to Real Live Preacher. I have been enjoying his writings because they are honest. He recently has been sharing about his battle with depression as well as other subjects.

I've also been listening recently to Ashley Cleveland, who has such a great bluesy voice - sort of a cross between Janis Joplin and the Indigo Girls. There is raw honesty in that voice as well as the songs on her previous albums. She has won two Grammy Awards, and was the first woman to win in the Best Rock Gospel Album category.

She has reworked hymns on her incredible new album "Men and Angels Say." You can listen to clips at her website. Musicians in the contemporary Christian genre have been covering hymns with a modern musical interpretation. Hers easily is one of the best.

These are not hymns set to power chords or knock offs. Incredible musicianship and vocal styling honor the hymns while, Cleveland makes them her own - and ours.

Just a piano accompanies her on "All Creatures of Our God and King." As I listen, I picture myself looking out over the span of creation, and experiencing awe that is beyond words.

When she sings "It Is Well With My Soul," you believe it. I really wanted to sing along with this song for the first time. She brings and exuberance that I haven't heard elsewhere.

The invitiation, "Come Ye Sinners" would bring just about anybody down the aisle. You believe the promise of new life is really real.

Steve Winwood joins her on "I Need Thee Every Hour." The two attend the same church for a while in Nashville.

This is an album that captures the exuberance that life can be before our loving God. I want to stand up, arms stretched out and sing so joyfully, "Take my heart, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."

An excellent interview with her can be found at Christianity Today.

I'm looking forward to seeing her at the Cornerstone Festival.

Change of focus

I recently have been reading the Rule of St. Benedict online as well as an accompanying commentary. This week, the readings have focused on humility, especially with our speech.

The readings have me re-thinking this blog and asking myself questions.

Have I written with humility? Sometimes yes, and other times no.

Is the blog saying anything that can't easily be found elsewhere by people seeking to discuss many of the subjects I have written about in this blog or an earlier version? Pretty much not.

Does it contribute in a positive way to life? On occassion but too often, I can find the same things written in more depth by people who devote more time to blogging.

So I have decided:

To continue with the blog, but focusing more on promoting life and sharing information I find that is helpful in this pursuit. That may be a book or movie review, quotes I've found, a comment on culture, or even just to point to something seemingly insignificant but which just might bless someone. I'm not sure exactly how that will look, but I'm learning to trust God to lead.

Grace and peace

Identity Crisis?

There seems to be a bit of angst in the mainline and evangelical camps over how they should define themselves. Both are concerned about how they are perceived by the "outside world." The mainliners don't seem to be as concerned as the evangelicals. I'm not sure why that is, but here are some thoughts off the top of my head:

1. The evangelicals have been in the news much more, and many in the media don't understand the movement. They know a couple of faces -Falwell, Dobson, Robertson, etc, and those faces represent just a portion of people who consider themselves evangelicals. Many evangelicals are put off by the words and actions of those most in the news, and now they are running from the word "evangelical" because of the negative experiences they have had when people hear they are "one of those.'

2. This may represent, too, that evangelicalism may be a tent that is far more diverse theologically than mainline churches. I confess that I have no data to back this up.

3. Evangelicalism is hard to define, and evangelicals don't know how to define themselves, although they may claim to know one when they see one.

I proudly consider myself to be an evangelical and will write in the near future on why I am bothered that people are increasingly not wanting to be identified as such.

Here are some links of recent articles about this issue. I was intigued by the Christian Century article because I had not heard the concern over being named a mainliner. Most of the people I know who come from mainline churches have been proud to say so.

Rethinking Mainline Liberal in the Christian Century.

Growing up Evangelical in Sojourners. This is a long piece focusing on seven people's experience in the movement. All have different takes. I am still working my way through it.

Philip Yancey does an excellent job in Christianity Today in a relatively concise manner discussing the Quirky and Vibrant mosaic of evangelicalism. As stated in the article, Evangelicals are admired, mocked, praised, scorned—and all for good reason.

Colson: Felt could have stopped coverup

In an interview with Christianity Today, Chuck Colson says Mark Felt could have put an end to the Watergate had he gone to President Nixon. Colson says he would have made sure Nixon met with Felt.

Colson doesn't believe Nixon would have stopped the coverup out of a sense of morality but simply from self-interest. Had Nixon done nothing, Felt could have resigned and THEN gone public with what he knew.

Deep Throat Irony, Stein's Mind

How ironic that some of those who were in the Nixon administration are upset at Mark Felt's "improper" behavior in supplying information to Woodward and Bernstein. Chuck Colson and G. Gordon Liddy - both of whom were convicted for actions related to Watergate -- have decried Felt's actions. Patrick Buchanan has referred to Felt as a "traitor."

I love irony.

Has Stein lost his Mind: Actor, economist and social critic Ben Stein says Nixon was a noble liar and Felt, Woodward, Bernstein, et. al. are responsible for Cambodian genocide.

The article appears in the American Spectator magazine, but you have to wonder what seats Stein is watching from.