Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Storm - Wendell Berry (love this poem!)
awakened by thunder to the dark
in which our house was one with night,
and then light came as if the black
roof of the world had cracked open,
as if the night of all time had broken,
and out our window we glimpsed the world
birthwet and shining, as even
the sun at noon had never made it shine."
Thursday, November 25, 2010
UM Chamber Singers
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Art and Music
"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. The mind that responds to the intellectual and spiritual values that lie hidden in a poem, a painting, or a piece if music, discovers a spiritual vitality that lifts it above itself, takes it out of itself, and makes it present to itself on a level of being that it did not know it could ever achieve."
As a musician, this thought really helped me to understand what it is that attracts people to high forms of music. Music gets you outside of yourself. In a sense music puts you into a selfless state or maybe makes you less aware of your own consciousness and more aware of another's consciousness. To a being that is mostly selfish, selflessness is a refreshing phenomenon... The beauty of being taken outside of yourself, if even just for a moment creates feelings of the sublime. I haven't had time to really organize my thoughts on this subject but think its us worthy of discussing. Tell me what you think!
Friday, October 15, 2010
A meditation
My parents told me as I grew up that I should always treasure my youth because it would be the best time I would ever have in life. I have heard other people say similar things… I never understood why. Why should youth be so great and adulthood be so bad? I think it has to do with the fallen state of mankind. When we are children we don’t understand much at all and can live a life of faith. Faith is what we were meant for. Humans all have faith in something. When we are children we have faith in out parents, our teachers, Santa Clause ect. Children pray for trees and clouds and dolphins. In a child’s mind, God is good and he will let nothing bad happen to us. As the old saying goes, ignorance is bliss. Adults have a lack of joy because they have had time to realize that God didn’t keep his side of the bargain. At least that’s what they think. What they don’t realize is that it was not God but us who didn’t keep the bargain because we ate the fruit.
The simple faith of a heathen child (myself) was enough to let me live in ignorant bliss. False happiness. I was mad when my false happiness was cruelly striped from my heart as I witnessed the sin in the world. I was mad until I realized that it was my own fault. I am a human. Humans ate the forbidden fruit. Every bad thing that I experienced was a result /foreshadowing of the death that the curse would bring. The wages of sin is death after all.
I see hurting people on a daily basis… People who are depressed or worried or overwhelmed…. People who have everything and yet have nothing. Humans all over this globe experience real pain, emotionally and physically. This pain is enough to make me weep as I fall asleep at night.
Friends, God is not evil. God is not out to cause you pain. Know that just because God has allowed bad things to happen to you he has not forsaken you. God is faithful, just and loving beyond what we realize. Don’t be angry when the false joy of your youth has been striped away. Instead seek true joy in Christ! Though we ate of the fruit, God has grace on us through the blood of Christ Jesus. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Peace like a River
Romans 5:1
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
This really is one of my favorite songs. Its beautiful on so many levels. I think half of our choir was in tears last year during the performance. Turn it up medium to loud for the full effect.
Monday, August 2, 2010
B-ham
Sunday, July 18, 2010
A poem
Endowed with holy favor
with insufficient essence
driving weary eyes
expecting
hoping for equity
A potent grief causing tears
weeping,
understanding, yet not.
All the while reassurance
faith,
prospects of boundless tranquility...
Hushed, Sweetly-tempered,
the heir of this carefully crafted dirt.
The malnourished soul
craves quenching
honesty...
Instituting lasting fulfillment
Stirring pity,
the fountainhead of grace
flows out
moving away
only to return one day to its source.
Refined sterling blood
pumping
pumping
facilitating magnificent vistas of Yahweh
Fashioning a calm, still heart
He proclaims an immortal adoption
Jealousy and misunderstanding for this new inheritance
brings passing condemnation
leading to absolute
perpetual
sanctified
euphoria
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Ich liebe, aber hasse den Morgen.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Into the Woods
Saturday, June 19, 2010
My Pride and Joy
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Introversionfulness
Sometimes I wonder how some people can be so outgoing. As an introvert I love to spend time without people, reading, thinking and listening to music. To have the constant company of others does not appeal to me as it does most of my friends. This is not to say that I don't enjoy the company of my friends but rather that it simply wears me out. I am exhausted after a weekend of hanging out and subsequently need some time alone in order to get through the next week. I was thinking of this in light of a question I was asked by a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago. He inquired my reason for reading only nonfiction/ mostly theological books. I didn't have a good answer other than the fact that I really enjoy information... this would be why the only channels I ever watch are the discovery, history or national geographic channels. I am a sucker for random tid-bits information. Because of this I am often called an old man by fraternity brothers and even once by a middle aged woman. I am not ashamed in any way shape or form of being like an old man. I would tend to take such a remark as a complement. Anyway, I digress. The point I am trying to make is that I think I have found the reason for my introverted nature. Due to the amount of information that I pump into my mind I must have time to meditate on it or else the information will not be retained. This is why my journal is full of random thoughts, because if I don't sit down and think about my day and the things I heard or read it will all be gone by the next day.This must be why I am so bad at remembering peoples names. I meet someone and I store their name in a temporary file in my mind. If I don't reopen the file at some point that day my mind automatically deletes it rendering my initial introduction to this person useless. I hope this makes sense when you read it. So, my theory is that extroverted people retain information in a completely different fashion than introverted people which is why there is a such a difference in the way they spend their time. I have tried to live the life of an extrovert and think I was semi-successful... but couldn't get out of bed in the morning because of being overwhelmed still by the previous day. This whole cycle is humorous and slightly frustrating. Mad props to all the introverts out there who are in a social fraternity and still trying to maintain your grades... I understand, and I salute you!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A Sudden Return
Well, It had been just a few months short of a year since I have updated this blog... I know that's sad... but today marks the day of the rebirth of my blogging. Summer usually does that to me for some reason.
I am currently taking summer classes (so that I might graduate one of these days) and I am rehearsing for a musical called “Into the Woods.” Other than that, gardening and work take up all my time. Okay now that you are sufficiently caught up on the life of Richie, on to more fun and interesting things.
In the past year I have become obsessed with virgin coconut oil. You might say that its an unhealthy obsession except for the fact that coconut oil is one of the most healthy food items EVER. You can cook foods in it, use it in place of butter on bread or popcorn, eat it straight up, put it on you skin like a lotion, or your hair like a conditioner... I use it for everything. The oil is cholesterol free and high in medium chain fats that are really good for you. Coconut oil also contains very high counts of lauric acid which help support metabolism. On top of all this (we will see in time if its true) people say that the oil will actually keep men from going bald and even grow hair back in bald men! I don't know about you guys, but I am prone to go bald and really don't want to... its worth a shot and its good for your body unlike most hair growth products. A friend of mine recently said that what the bible doesn't tell you is that when Jesus healed the blind man with his spit, it was actually not spit but extra virgin coconut oil and the disciples just weren't paying attention when he pulled out the jar. Its pretty much miracle oil. Anyway you should look into it! Peace Out Yo!