Rockin' Prophet

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.   - Bono
[Thanks to Larry James' for posting this on his Urban Daily Blog.]

Preaching

"I set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn."  - John Wesley

Disney World

I spent last week in Orlando visiting Universal Studios and the 4 Disney parks. It was a great time spent with my 85-year-young Dad, my sister and her husband, and her son and his wife. Fun was had by all! It is amazing how you can just "get lost" in these alternative worlds where the only agenda is having a good time. It was unreal. But as I settle back into "normal life" I am reminded of the fact that compared to about 3/4 of the world, I live in Disney World every day! I pray that I can get past my disneyesque expectations for this world by striving to engage with those who are not as fortunate. Give me a heart that is broken by those things that break Your heart, dear God. Help me to see Jesus as he is manifested in the needs of those who I encounter. Help me to incarnate Jesus' love for those who are "least."

Stryper

I am aging myself! So, Stryper has a new CD [I have several albums by them!] that is called "The Covering." It has 12 covers and one original that closes the CD. Now, I realize that I'm not supposed to like Stryper, but I do. I also realize I'm not supposed to turn up my car stereo so loud that my rooftop starts to billow, but I do. And this is a great CD to do that with! I'm normally not a big "cover boy" but this rocks! They cover songs by AC/DC, Dio, UFO, Kansas, Deep Purple, KISS, Ozzie, Judas Priest, Van Halen, Led Zepplin and a couple others that I can't place right now. It is fun! Michael Sweet still has a great voice and his fellow Strypes can play! I love the middle of the CD--"Lights Out" followed by "Carry on Wayward Son" followed by "Highway Star" followed by "Shout It Out Loud." And the one new Stryper song, "God," is a great closer [lyrically it is Stryper so don't expect deep] with some sweet licks. It's all loud--not a ballad in the bunch. Not bad for a bunch of guys that are older than me! "It's only rock-n-roll, but I like it!"

Debt

Apparently, our national debt is so large that we cannot be saved...except by Jesus--nothing has changed!

Blessed

We were blessed by the minister
Who practiced what he preached
We were blessed by the poor man
Who said heaven is within reach
We were blessed by the girl selling roses
Showed us how to live
We were blessed by the neglected child
Who knew how to forgive
We were blessed by the battered woman
Who didn't seek revenge
We were blessed by the warrior
Who didn't need to win
We were blessed by the blind man
Who could see for miles and miles
We were blessed by the fighter
Who didn't fight for the prize

We were blessed by the mother
Who gave up the child
We were blessed by the soldier
Who gave up his life
We were blessed by the teacher
Who didn't have a degree
We were blessed by the prisoner
Who knew how to be free
We were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed

We were blessed by the mystic
Who turned water into wine
We were blessed by the watchmaker
Who gave up his time
We were blessed by the wounded man
Who felt no pain
By the wayfaring stranger
Who knew our names
We were blessed by the homeless man
Who showed us the way home
We were blessed by the hungry man
Who filled us with love
By the innocent little baby
Who taught us the truth
We were blessed by the forlorn
Forsaken and abused

We were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed

Lucinda Williams

If you don't know who Lucinda Williams is, you should. Her latest CD is "Blessed." Listen and you will be...if you like great guitar licks, some real and honest lyrics, and some vocals that are uniquely Lucinda.

The Holy Thief

Word 8 of the Ten is "You shall not steal." I am thankful that Jesus stole. He stole my sins at the cross. He stole Satan's dream of power by walking out of His tomb. He stole the ease of legalism by "filling full" the commandments ["You have heard it said...but I say....]. He stole fear by letting me know how the story will end. He stole my heart...he stole my heart...he stole my heart!