Traditional Worship is NOT Traditional - [heck it's not even worship]

Traditional worship sucks about as bad as the contemporary service. In the contemporary service at First Baptist Church of Wimberley you get the hip young guy singing gospel radio hits with a sincere feeling and music that has a basic harmony and maybe a catchy phrase that gets repeated to the point where you almost feel like you know the song.

[I didn't know these were radio songs till I saw a cheesy TV commercial listing "all the popular Christian music" and heard the samplings by the original artists and realized these were all the same songs we sung in church. I didn't know they were radio songs, but at least gained the insight into why our music minister thought they at least "should" be popular - the original artists made them sound good (meaning: and deep meaningful heart-felt emotions.)]

Along with "contemporary music" (which yes, basically sucks too) you get the hip young pray person who prays something like - "God, we just wanna thank you, and... just wanna.... blah blah ... just ....just ... just ... God ... Jesus ... Spirit.... praise you .. just now... feel your spirit... just... and on and on with fairly meaningless dribble "spontaneous" prayers that God would roll his eyes at if he has eyes. (Forget about the annoying Jesus-God-Father-Spirit confusion that leaves the listener reeling in wonder - "just who the heck are we talking to?" (I know the technical "trinity" one-for-all and all-for-one concept... but c'mon... can't we just talk to one or the other at least in clearly separated sentences? I mean, where'd all this "God appreciates it when I just blather whatever vague thought is on the tip of my tongue right now" communication style come from? Hmmmm.... even daily office American greeting chit-chat isn't consistently THAT predictable.

But I reserve my larger complaints for what was called the "Traditional Service" celebrated Easter morning in my used-to-be homey beloved church. I went to a traditional service on Easter expecting to sing "Up from the grave he arose, With a mighty triumph over his foes..." and some of those ... how do you say... "traditional" songs... what'd we call them? Oh, yeah... hymns.

What ever happened to the hymns?

Aren't hymns what we mean by tradional church anymore?

Instead I heard songs that essentially all sounded like they were "written just for that particular service" (as my mom puts it).... with a whole blaring horn section and screaming old ladies trying to stretch their off key voices louder than the brass sitting out front ....

And while I am ranting.... I am sick to death of these Microsoft PowerPoint presentations with the words to these songs that nobody knows how to sing and their wavy little colorful backgrounds! Don't we all get to look at screens enough during the week?! TV? Computers? How about shutting down the visual electonics and open up one of those strange hardback books sitting on the backside of every pew? Maybe we could look at possibly the MUSIC with measures and pauses and notes that indicate how the song is actually supposed to sound!

Why does everything have to be dumbed down!?

It's insulting, boring, non-creative, passive and as non-interactive as going to a theatre in a suburb.

Either give me some tradition and continuity that at least stirs memories of past feelings of worship, family, love and community OR make the music sound creative, modern with the expressive quality that most people in our society take for granted

But please stop drowning me this bland mediocrity of the "in-between" nothingness! It's embarassing and boring.

[Larry Norman, modern church customs either owe you an apology or the blame for this mundanely evolved style of music. Can anybody save us? How is it the black church seems to still have quality music with heart and soul? Is white church singing really committed to just being awful?]

Just One More Walk Around!

[This article was published in the Centralia Sentinel newspaper Feb. 14, 2008 and is reprinted here with permission by the author - my mother.]

Just One More Walk Around!

Well, here I am approaching 70 years old and I am still thinking about Odin. I think back to when I was a lone child delivering the Centralia Sentinel in Odin. What I want to do is to go back to Odin and walk my old paper route just one more time. Although I spent many an evening walking around delivering my papers I just can’t seem to get the experience out of my head!

I had my share of trauma. Dogs chased me and I was scared of them most of the time. I had no boots or gloves and in the winter I would play simple games of warming each of my hands in my pockets and pretending they were really warm. There was a gentleman that lived at the end of Woods Street that I was so scared of. He had a huge red horse which he rode to town to get his groceries and mail. I had to open his rusty old gate and go around the back of his large scary and spooky house to collect. No matter how often I went around the back of his house to collect, he never answered the door. However, one day he did open his door and paid up his bill. He was so kind and gentle. This taught me a lesson that I have carried with me through the years. The outward appearance of an individual may not reflect the true nature of that person.

I was a scared child. I was afraid of persons that I perceived to be grouchy, or people that lived in fine houses and people that obviously had more fine things in life than we did. You see, we were a big family and we did not receive an allowance nor did I get the money from the paper route. I had absolutely no spending money. After school most of the classmates went to the local Drug Store to get a cherry coke. Sometimes, I too would go, but I couldn’t buy a coke so I would stand around and dream of all the items displayed on the counter and in the cases.

Odin Schools – I am so grateful for the wonderful schooling I received at Odin. I realized when I went out into the world to work that I received a wonderful and outstanding education in Odin. Spelling: Mrs. Mattie Martin forced us to want to spell and spell we did! She went over the words daily and learning to spell helped me more than I can explain. This helped in my career. I was a medical secretary for two hospitals. Also, the training in office skills was terrific. Although I could not afford to go to college, the special training I received at the Odin school carried me way above many college educated co-workers. I ended up working as an assistant to the President of a large corporation.

So, before my 70th birthday this year, I plan to come to Odin and walk my old paper route, walk to school, down Main and back to my home street. Thanks to my childhood in Odin, it gave me a wonderful life!!

Sincerely,
Norina Veronica (Ingles) Lovvorn

I asked Moon/God/Other for a Revelation

FIRST REVELATION: What White America doesn't understand is that Black America has a deep wound that hasn't fully healed.

SECOND REVELATION: If you concentrate on the form, you'll lose the essence.

I asked Moon/God/Other this morning for a revelation that I could keep. I got back two.

The first I realized when a Black Church came to our Church a few months back. It was a fellowship yearly agreement between our little country White Church and an Austin urban Black Church that goes back more than 20 years. The preacher wailed and preached and talked in metaphorical language that went over the heads of most White folks there. He talked about overcoming a harsh dark oppression that weighs heavily on the Black man's soul. (But he didn't SAY Black. He assumed it. He was talking around most of the Whites - like Black people are sooooo good at. It's a learned art I'm sure.)

He touched my soul and made me realize that there still exists a painful wound deep in the heart of this Black preacher, of every Black person there shouting 'Amen', and of Black culture in general. They understand this deep wounded psyche and it haunts them still.

To most White people the Black slavery episode is long gone and over with. Even prejudices in White culture has decayed into a sort of of squeamish "White Guilt" where we can't even hardly acknowledge "Blackness" or "Whiteness" and look a person in the eye - White or Black.

Like someone said, "You may be done with your past, but your past isn't done with you."

My second revelation has also been a long time coming - but it flashed into words again this morning. It is that Zen balancing act of awareness that all mystics seek. It applies to God/Religion, Martial Arts (live fighting/learned forms), and all knowledge and wisdom that can pursed into words. More can be said, but a lot less should be. If you focus on it, it is gone. If you see it, it disappears. If you hold on to it, you lose it. Blah, blah blah... :)

Actually, a third revelation also came/was-given to me.

THIRD REVELATION: My soul is living or dying NOW.

(Stir all 3 into a bowl and bake for 30 minutes, then send me a self-addressed stamped envelope for your officially approved "Mystic Certificate.")

Building a Data Infrastructure is Not Easy

I was asked today at work how long it would take for me to "get this data fixed"?

I replied as such:

With all due respect the words “getting this data fixed” makes me cringe (though I understand what you mean.)

The reality is - the system took my nice Rolex watch [working data infrastructure], took it apart, placed it in a bucket, took a bunch of other watches apart, placed them in the bucket also, blind-folded me, tied one hand behind my back [Org changes, IT restrictions, lack of hardware/space/access/software control, programmers in India coming/going] and then yelled,

“How are we supposed to know what time it is if you don’t have a watch!"

"Well, you’ve got the ingredients there… can’t you just make one?"

"We’ll need an ETA also… and don’t forget to finish up that other important thing you were doing.”

Then she asked me repeatedly for a NAME of the person in the department that wasn't helping me properly to solve this problem - so she could ESCALATE the matter higher.

So I tried to explain in more non-metaphorical terms the exact systemic problem and how it evolved to where it is today.

She insisted again that I give her a NAME so she could "escalate the issue" [read: hollar, scream, complain through a bunch of emails]

Some people just don't get it.

I gave her the name of the CIO.

Managing Expectations

I've found myself here at the "Rocky Edge Ranch" (aka my little cabin home on the Blanco river) turning into a "wanna getaway place" for everybody I know.

Unfortunately, I am not a B & B and have to work full time so I've found myself having to "set expectations" (a customer handling tactic I learned at work.)

Here's my reply to a friend. I figured I could just post and reference this to everybody planning to visit...... kinda funny I thought.

************************************************

Let’s talk about some specifics and maybe “manage some expectations”…..
Factors to consider:

• You don’t need to rent a car… I can pick you up and take you back – Austin airport works on workdays (me driving back and forth), is an hour’s drive from house otherwise. San Antonio airport is just a bit longer drive but much more pleasant, but I DO NOT drive near it on weekdays like I do the Austin airport.
• I work 5 days a week still and won’t be able to take off extra for entertainment purposes.
• I work 2 days a week from home on Monday and Tuesday so, those are good days where we can visit and be around the house. (while I work, assuming my duties will be light.)
• It’s nice just to sit around the cabin, with the dogs, looking at the river, sitting around a fire, drinking beer/margaritas….. that what we do best.
• Neighborhood fun doesn’t PLAN out too well - is more spontaneous and never guaranteed. But we can always go visit and see what kind of trouble can be stirred up.
• I have another friend (Christian free-thinker – a bit eccentric but intelligent and funny – plays guitar) named Pat who wants to come visit also…. I think you two together would be fun. Let me coordinate a visit from him the same time.
• I am pretty much worse than broke ($$) and everything (food, gas, etc.) costs just the bit more now a days and puts me into debit spending – not asking for money, just telling you my limitations.
• Adena naturally enjoys company but has tendencies to need to entertain everyone and drains herself of all energies to the point of illness. This is a repeated pattern for her. My desire is to subtract not add to her stressful life habits.

Don't Get Flustered. Get Even.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to avoid getting flustered when people walk up to me with emotionally charged demands. I'm getting some tips from the Jay Morrissey "Practical advice for living" blog. Thanks Jay.

And if these don't work I can always Google for nasty ideas ... :)

Cave Braving

...went caving with my "little brother" (Adena's brother).... he was expecting some kind of walk-in cave... you should've heard him whine when he seen what we were going through... most of these cracks and holes we crawled through were small small and black black...

Mike was braggin' all the way there about his bravery and skills.

Once we got about 40 yards down he was begging to go back. Towards the end he started saying things like, "don't be fooling with me now Mitch, how much further? I'm starting to freak out here."

Then I told him my little 14 year old niece and her brother went through this with me last summer right after she recovered from her cancer and all her treatments. I also told him that my son, Brandon, did this with me when he was about 6 or 7 years old.

I don't think he believed me.