thatjeffcarter was here

Mark 1:35

2012-03-02T00:52:00.000-06:00

The next morning, a long time before sunrise, he rose and went out and went to a lonely place, where he prayed.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://thatjeffcarterwashere.bandcamp.com/track/mark-1-35"&amp;gt;Mark 1:35 by Thatjeffcarter Was Here&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

I had a friend tell me that he preferred this in a translation that says "solitary" instead of "lonely." I don't think he liked the idea of Jesus being in a "lonely" place. How could Jesus be lonely? I think, how could he not?

The first 200 downloads of this song are free. Download a copy for yourself now, and tell a friend.

The Biblical Studies Carnival is up

2012-03-01T11:07:00.001-06:00

The Biblical Studies Carnival - a collection of some of the most interesting biblical studies blog posts in the past month - is now up for your review at Duane Smith's Abnormal Interest blog.

It's going to take me a while to read through all of them.
But I've scanned the list and am pleased to say that two of my own blog posts from February have been included. The Introvert and the Leper and Tupac Shakur, The Testament of Abraham and the Logos of God,

The carnival covers so much interesting material. Take some time to check it out.

Tupac Shakur, The Testament of Abraham, and the Logos of God

2012-02-29T16:06:00.002-06:00

Though hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur (2Pac) was known to be avoracious and eclectic reader, it seems that he may not have read TheTestament of Abraham – a Jewish pseudepigraphic apocalyptic text from thefirst or second century CE. We canforgive him this lapse, however; it’s not a text that is widely read outside ofthe community of religious scholars.

Tupac’s music was full of apocalyptic styling, and he mighthave appreciated The Testament of Abraham. But if he had read it, he might not have beenable to write his song, Only God can Judge Me.[i]

(*warning* Tupac uses some "bad" language in this song.)

In The Testament of Abraham we read of fatherAbraham’s reluctance to die and of his long journey, accompanied by an angel,into the presence of God. Along the wayAbraham sees a great throne of judgment. The angel then says to him:

"Seest thou, most holy Abraham, the terrible mansitting upon the throne? This is the son of the first created Adam, who iscalled Abel, whom the wicked Cain killed, and he sits thus to judge allcreation, and examines righteous men and sinners. For God has said, I shall notjudge you, but every man born of man shall be judged. Therefore he has given tohim judgment, to judge the world until his great and glorious coming, and then,O righteous Abraham, is the perfect judgment and recompense, eternal andunchangeable, which no one can alter. For every man has come from thefirst-created, and therefore they are first judged here by his son…”

Despite what Tupac claimed, God, according to this text, appointed a man, Abel the sonof Adam (the son of man) to judge humanity on the highly developedethical principal of “it takes one to know one.”

Now, we could forgive Tupac for missing this text. It is a bit obscure. We could let his oversight slide if he hadn’talso missed a very similar thought in a much more familiar work from about thesame time period. If Tupac had read hisNew Testament – specifically the gospel of John – he might have noticed theseverses:

“Morever, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted alljudgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. … For as the Father has life in himself, sohe has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authorityto judge because he is the Son of Man.” John 5: 22-23, 26-27

And similarly, Tupac could have read in Acts 17: 31 “For he[God] has set a day when he will judge the world by the man he has appointed”

Sorry, Tupac. Yourjudgment comes from a man, a Son of Man, the Son of Man.

There’s no evidence that the New Testament writers werequoting from or alluding directly to The Testament of Abraham but itdoes appear that in the first century it was a commonplace idea that God’sjudgment at the end of the age would come, not from God directly, but throughhis appointed – human – agent.

In the worldview of that time God was understood as entirelydistinct from his creation. He was aboveand beyond all that he created.

And he interacted with that creation via his –lesser,submissive and obedient – agents. Sometimes he appointed human agents to enacthis will or to speak his words. Sometimes he entrusted angels to these purposes. And sometimes God interacted with hiscreation via his Logos or Word or Wisdom.

The Jewish philosopher, Philo (20 BCE – 50 CE) describedthis Logos as “neither being uncreated as God, nor yet created as you,but being in the midst between these two extremities”[ii]

This is a bit confusing. How is something both uncreated and created?

“The Logos (or Wisdom) is presented as being none other thanGod himself in his interaction with the world, and yet also as separate fromand subordinate to God.”[iii]

Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders of his time wasrooted in this difficult distinction. Inhis actions and his teachings, Jesus’ claimed the work and privileges of God(which would have been blasphemous, as his opponents claimed, if he were notGod’s Logos.) He worked on theSabbath – because God works on the Sabbath. He healed and gave life to the dead – because God heals and gives lifeto the dead. Jesus shared all of thedivine roles with his Father.

But notice again what he says about the role of Judge,“the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son …he has givenhim authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”

The end of the age, apocalyptic judgment of humanity wouldbe done by Jesus, the son of man, (and not God) precisely because he was theson of man. It is because of hisfamiliarity with the both divine righteousness and the condition of sinfulhumanity that he is able to act as judge.

So Tupac may have been partly right. We’ll give him half-credit on this one. It is the divine prerogative[iv]to judge humanity,- God alone can judge - but he has given that role and theauthority to do it to his appointed agent, his Son, Jesus, the Son of Man – whois one with and at the same time separate from, equal to and submissive to Godthe Father in heaven.

[i] TupacShakur, on the 1996 album All Eyez on Me, Death Row / InterscopeRecords.

[ii] Philo -Whois the Heir of Divine Things? (206)

[iii] JamesMcGrath – John’s Apologetic Christology: Legitimation and Development inJohannine Christology, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

[iv] By theway… does anyone ever pronounce that word “Prerogative” the way it’swritten?

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week 10

2012-02-28T22:47:00.000-06:00

10 weeks in now? Really. Wow. Here is this week's powerpoint (or similar presentation program) background image - available in two sizes. Use it for your own personal, church, business or school projects. I only ask that you share these images freely and that you tell others that you found them here.

Here's a link to the prior week's images.

String Theory

2012-02-28T16:00:00.001-06:00

"This quick tour of the universe will begin with superstrings and end with butterflies.... I will not explain what butterflies and superstrings are. To explain butterflies is unnecessary because everyone has seen them. To explain superstrings is impossible because nobody has seen them."
-Freeman J. Dyson - Butterflies and Superstrings

If you like this song and would like to download it, click here.

Music by Thatjeffcarter was here.

Something Like Oxygen

2012-02-28T03:20:00.000-06:00

You can laugh.
You can smile.
You can dance.
Breathe.
It's something like Oxygen.

Music by Thatjeffcarter was here.

Intimacy with God is Dangerous

2012-02-24T13:20:00.001-06:00

The lectionary readings for these past couple of weeks havestarted to feel like a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino - without the excessiveviolence; we started out in linear narrative fashion, reading straight forwardthrough the pericopes of the first chapter, but then last week, withoutwarning, we jumped forward to the transfiguration event in chapter nine. And now this week, were flashing back to thebaptism and temptation of Jesus from the opening of Mark’s gospel. It can be a little confusing.

But reading the story in this nonlinear way can highlightsome things that might otherwise be missed, can highlight similarities andconnections that might not be noticed in stories separated by several chapters.

At the baptism of Jesus, Mark tells us that, “at the momentwhen Jesus was coming up out of the waters, he saw heaven being torn apart andthe Spirit like a dove descending to him. A voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved One. On you my favor rests.”[i]

We’re not able to determine from Mark’s telling of thisstory whether or not this event was witnessed by others that day. It seems to have been a personal experiencefor Jesus, a visionary experience to confirm for Jesus his intimaterelationship with God in heaven.

But this isn’t a calm and blissful spiritualexperience. There aren’t many of thosein the gospel of Mark. No, theoverwhelming emotional experience of Mark seems to be one of Fear andWonder. In Matthew and Luke’s accountthe heavens “were opened,”[ii]but in Mark’s the heavens were “torn apart”- violently and dramatically (evenif it were only seen by Jesus.) Andthen, immediately, Jesus was “driven” - forced - into the desert by the Spiritto confront the temptations of Satan and the threatening presence of wildbeasts.

Just last week we read about Jesus’ Transfiguration[iii]– but even this “mountain-top experience” is one overwhelmed with fear. Three of Jesus’ disciples (Peter, James, andJohn) saw him enveloped by a cloud, and then changed. His clothes and face became dazzlingwhite. And that voice from heaven spokeagain, “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.”

Again, the voice from the cloud speaks to confirm Jesus’relationship with God in heaven – and, this time, to confirm for his followershis authority. And again Jesus is drivennot immediately into the desert this time, but towards Jerusalem where he would be surrounded bywild beasts of another sort, where he would be delivered into the hands of menand killed.

Readingthese stories together, out of order, allows us to notice something we mightnot have seen otherwise: Confirmation of Jesus’ intimate relation with God wasin both events preliminary to danger. Mark seems to be telling us that intimacy with God may not leave usfeeling warm and fuzzy all over. Weshouldn’t expect unicorns and strawberry-scented rainbows. We should expect temptation and threats andwild animals.

We can also expect victory, and comfort, and resurrection,but that may be jumping ahead in the story…

[i] Mark 1: 10 – 11 Mark Anchor Bible Vol.27 Translation and Commentary by C. S. Mann

[ii] Matthew3: 16, Luke 3: 21

[iii] Mark9: 2 - 9

Take Time to be Alone with God

2012-02-24T12:21:00.000-06:00

I am, by nature and temperament, an introvert. I often tell people that, “It's not that Idon't like people. I just like them better when they're not around.” I am not one that enjoys being in a crowd ofpeople. After a few hours of interactionwith others I’m ready to spend some time by myself. I’ll go into my “cave” and close the door andif you don’t let me see you or hear you for a while, I’ll be okay. Some people are charged up by theirinteraction with others, but not me. I am energized in my thoughts and in mythinking. I like to be alonesometimes. I need to be alonesometimes.

And, based on reading through the gospel of Mark, I’d be willing to be thatJesus was a bit of an introvert as well. Look at how often he’s trying to get away by himself. Notice how often he is trying to leave thecrowds. He sneaks out of Peter’s housein the still dark hours of the morning; he leaves the city for lonely, solitaryplaces.

The crowds that followed him and clamored for his attention disrupted histravel plans, made it impossible for him to enter cities, and even –at times –made it impossible for him to eat[i]. Jesus, I think, might have even acknowledgedJean Paul Sartre’s comment that, “hell is other people.”[ii]

But it isn’t that introverts want to be alone all the time. Introverts needalone, quiet time to recharge and to think and to be whole – but we introvertsneed people too. Too much interactionand activity and noise ruins the introvert’s creativity and joy and ability tofunction, but too little interaction turns him into a recluse, a hermit. There is a balance to be found.

In his now classic devotional work, The Imitation ofChrist, Thomas a Kempis wrote:

To him who withdraweth himself from his acquaintance andfriends God with his holy angels will draw nigh. It is better to be unknown and take heed tooneself than to neglect
oneself and work wonders. It is praiseworthy for a religious man to go seldomabroad, to
fly from being seen, to have no desire to see men.

I am not ashamed to tell you that I am an introvert. It’s who I am, and it’s okay. Some of us are created that way. We desire to be alone, not because we don’tlike people but because we need to be alone with God, in order to better lovethe people around us. Maybe you’re likeme (and Jesus, it seems), maybe you find you’re the first to leave the party,maybe you don’t like to take part in group discussions. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s even a good thing. Take time to be by yourself, it’s important.It’s healthy.

But don’t neglect being with others. Youneed them too, and they’ll miss you if you become a hermit. Even Jesus, who in Mark’s gospel isconstantly trying to leave the crowds behind, spent much of his time with thepeople in those crowds. He shared withthem and taught them, and healed them and touched them. But he also took time –insisted upon time - to be alone, in a quiet and solitary place. He found abalance between time with the crowds and time alone.

* I wrote this article for our local newspaper - The Fairmont Sentinel

[i] Mark3:20

[ii] I jest,but only a little.

Of Meditation on the Hidden Judgments of God that We May Not Be Lifted Up Because of Our Well Doing

2012-02-21T01:24:00.001-06:00

I am not one who regularly reads "devotional" books. However... I do keep a copy of Thomas a Kempis' The Imitation of Christ near my bed and often read from it. This passage is one of my favorites.

*I've updated this post to add an instrumental version of the song. Enjoy. -tjc

Feel free to download this song and to share it with friends.

I used the following sounds from the Freesound Project

Thin Cloud
Beneath Ambient 2
Fake Vinyl
and a Librivox recording of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis - Book 3 Chapter 14

CHAPTER XIV

Of Meditation Upon the Hidden Judgments of God, that We MayNot

Be Lifted Up Because of Our Well-Doing

Thou sendest forth Thy judgments against me, O Lord, andshakest

all my bones with fear and trembling, and my soul trembleth

exceedingly. I standastonished, and remember that the heavens

are not clean in thy sight.[i] If Thou chargest Thine angels

with folly, and didst spare them not, how shall it be untome?

Stars have fallen from heaven, and what shall I dare who am

but dust? They whoseworks seemed to be praiseworthy, fell into

the lowest depths, and they who did eat Angels' food, themhave I

seen delighted with the husks that the swine do eat.

2. There is therefore no holiness, if Thou O Lord, withdrawThine

hand. No wisdomprofiteth, if Thou leave off to guide the helm.

No strength availeth, if Thou cease to preserve. No purity is

secure, if Thou protect it not. No self-keeping availeth, if Thy

holy watching be not there. For when we are left alone we are

swallowed up and perish, but when we are visited, we areraised

up, and we live. Forindeed we are unstable, but are made strong

through Thee; we grow cold, but are rekindled by Thee.

3. Oh, how humbly and abjectly must I reckon of myself, howmust

I weigh it as nothing, if I seem to have nothing good! Oh, how

profoundly ought I to submit myself to Thy unfathomable

judgments, O Lord, when I find myself nothing else savenothing,

and again nothing! Ohweight unmeasurable, oh ocean which cannot

be crossed over, where I find nothing of myself save nothing

altogether! Where, then,is the hiding-place of glory, where the

confidence begotten of virtue? All vain-glory is swallowed up in

the depths of Thy judgments against me.

4. What is all flesh in Thy sight? For how shall the clay boast

against Him that fashioned it?[ii] How can he be lifted up in

vain speech whose heart is subjected in truth to God? The whole

world shall not lift him up whom Truth hath subdued; norshall he

be moved by the mouth of all who praise him, who hath placedall

his hope in God. Forthey themselves who speak, behold, they

are all nothing; for they shall cease with the sound oftheir

words, but the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.[iii]

[i] Job xv. 15.

[ii] Psalmxxix. 16.

[iii] Psalmcxvii. 2

Why is Jesus Always Leaving? - a song

2012-02-20T12:39:00.001-06:00

Last night I asked the question with words - Why does Mark's gospel seem to describe Jesus as always leaving?

Today I ask that question again with a song.

Feel free to download this song and to share it with others

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week 9

2012-02-20T02:16:00.000-06:00

Here is this week's powerpoint (or similar presentation program) background image - this time in two different sizes. Feel free to use this image (or those of the preceding weeks) for your own personal, school, church, or business presentations. I only ask that you share them freely and that you tell others that you found them here.

Why is Jesus Always Leaving?

2012-02-19T20:51:00.001-06:00

Last week I was noticing how introverted Jesus seems to be in Mark’s gospel; at every opportunity he seems to be leaving the crowdsin order to be alone.

But then today I noticed something more… Mark’s Jesus is always leaving.

Mark 1: 29 – he leaves the synagogue

1:35 – he leaves the house

3:7 – he withdraws with his disciples to the lake

4:36 – he leaves the crowds behind

5:18 – he leaves the Gerasenes region

6:1 – he leaves another place

6:32 – he leaves with his disciples for a solitary place

6:46 – he leaves the crowds again

7:17 – he leaves the crowds yet again

7:24 – he leaves that place

7:31 – he leaves the region of Tyre

8:13 – he leaves the Pharisees in the region of Dalmanutha

9:30 – he leaves that place
10:1 – he leave another place

10:46 – he leaves Jericho

11:11 – he leaves the temple and Jerusalem
11:12 – he leaves Bethany

11:19 – he leaves Jerusalemagain

13:1 – he leaves the temple again

14:35 – he leaves the disciples to go on a little further

16: 6 - 7 – the angels tell the women at the tomb that he’salready left.

My Mind is Gone

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

My mind isn’t working
and my hand is gone.
My mind isn’t working
and my hand, my hand is gone.

He laughs and she leaves,
I am awake but I cannot move.
My mind isn’t working
and my hand is gone.

I watch the television
and the image blurs.
My eyes are closed
and my mind is gone.

(2012)

Alone Where it’s Dark

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

I sit in the servant’s quarters
alone where it’s dark,
it’s dark and it’s late
and the drugs are wearing off,
the drugs that have given me
miracles and signs and wonders
in the heavens and on.

Check my pressure and pulse
nod to the fire and pillars of smoke,
nod to the darkness,
but I can’t sleep with these remains.
Will I be judged for the call?

The bugs may crawl
among you with small resistance
but she will hand me a robe in Jerusalem
and we will look out the window
at the smoke in the valley.

(2012)

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week 8 part two... Now in HD

2012-02-15T14:47:00.000-06:00

I've had a request that I make these weekly background images available in 1920 x 1080 size for HD projects. Since I'm a can-do kind of guy (I try to be, anyway) I said sure. Can-do.

Powerpoint slides for Everyone - Week 8

2012-02-14T13:40:00.002-06:00

If you thought that last weeks slide was... well, lame, you're not alone. I thought so too after I had completed it. And to be honest, I didn't even use it. I went back to week 2's slide. Ah well, not everything I create will be a winner.

Here is the powerpoint (or similar presentation program) background for week 8 of the year 2012. Feel free to download these images for your own personal, church, school, business presentations. I only ask that you share them freely and that you let others know that you found them here.

The Introvert and the Leper - Mark 1: 40 - 45

2012-02-14T12:44:00.000-06:00

I am, by nature and temperament, an introvert. When I tell people this they very often reactwith surprise, or by saying, “no you’re not.” But it’s true.

I am not one that enjoys being with crowds of people. After a few hours of interaction withothers I’m ready to spend some time by myself. I’ll go into my “man-cave” and close the door. Don’t let me see you or hear you for a whileand I’ll be okay. Some are charged up byinteraction with people. After a couple of hours of chatting with people aboutthe weather and their grandkids and what happened last night onthat-show-that-everybody’s-watching they are full of energy and ready to goright on talking for another several hours. Not me. I am energized in my thoughts and in my thinking. I like to be alone sometimes. Sometimes I need to be alone.

And, based on reading the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, I’d be willing to bethat Jesus was a bit of an introvert. Look at how often he’s trying to get away by himself, trying to leavethe crowds. He sneaks out of the housein the still dark hours of the morning; he leaves the metropolis of Capernaum for the smallerbackwater villages. He’s trying to getaway from the crowds. He’s trying tolimit his interaction to small, manageable sized groups.

But it isn’t that introverts want to be alone all the time. As God said, “it’s not good for the man to bealone.” Introverts need alone, quiettime to recharge and to think and to be whole – but we introverts need peopletoo. There’s a challenge in finding thebalance. Too much interaction andactivity and noise ruins the introvert’s creativity and joy and ability tofunction. Too little interaction and hebecomes a recluse, a hermit.
Jesus went to the smaller towns because he needed to speak to the people thereas well. It seems to me that he wasbalancing his personal needs with those of his mission.

After leaving the crowds of Capernaum for the outlaying villages, Jesusencountered a man with leprosy who came to him, pleading on his knees, “if youare willing you can make me clean.”

Leprosy, we should point out, was a diagnostic catch all forvarious skin diseases – and not what we commonly understand as leprosytoday. The disease that causes bodyparts to rot and fall off (not really) is more accurately Hanson’s Disease andis actually a disease that affects the human nervous system. Biblical “leprosy” is an affliction of theskin (and sometimes clothing and the walls of houses). It could include excessive dry and scaly skin or fungal growth or other ailment of the skin.[i]

People with leprosy were to be separated from the rest ofthe community. They were to bequarantined. And this was to limit thespread of the infection. If you limitthe exposure you can control the outbreak. Lepers were to separate themselves until they could prove to aninspector (one of the priests) that the infection had fully and completely goneaway.

But while Beauty may only be skin deep, Leperous contamination went all the wayto the core. People diagnosed withleprosy were generally thought to have been cursed or punished by God. Moses’ sister, Miriam, was afflicted withleprosy after she challenged her brother. King Hezikiah was given leprosy when he overstepped his privileges asking and tried to act as a priest in the temple. The military general Namaan was only cured ofhis leprosy after he humbled himself. The scheming servant Gehazi cused with it when he tried to set aside alittle something extra for himself…

Leprosy showed itself on the surface – in red patches andinflammation and dry, scaly skin and white lesions – but the uncleanliness wasthought to go all the way to the soul. Lepers were kept apart, not only because they might spread the skin disease,but because they might also spread God’s disfavor and God’s curse. The Leper, with his dry ashy skin not onlylooked like death, he was thought to have been afflicted with a sort of “livingdeath” and was in all ways unclean.

They were to rend their clothes, and to leave their hair unkempt. They were to cover the lower half of theirface and if approached by others were to shout out “Unclean! Unclean!” They would remain unclean as long as they hadthe disease and were forced to remain alone outside the camp.[i]

This enforced isolation is very different than theintrovert’s need for alone time. This was a complete removal from human contactand interaction. It was, as the rabbisof that time called it, a “living death.” It was lonely.

In his novel, The Plague, Albert Camus described theemotional state of those forced to endure a lengthy quarantine from the rest ofthe world. They came to know the“incorrigible sorrow of all prisoners and exiles, which is to live in companywith a memory that serves no purpose.” They could remember the good and pleasant things that had happened, butthey could no longer enjoy them and so they became “hostile to the past,impatient of the present, and cheated of the future.” Each one had to be content to “live only forthe day, alone under the vast indifference of the sky.”[ii]

We don’t know how long this man with leprosy had enduredthis enforced isolation, but we can certainly sense his desperation. How long had it been since he had sat withhis family for a meal, or hugged his wife, wrestled with his children? How long had it been since he’d joined hisbrothers at the synagogue for prayer? How long had it been since he had walked through the streets of town,waving hello to those that he met? Howlong had he been forced to endure that vast indifference? He fell on his knees at Jesus’ feet andbegged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” [iii]

And Jesus, moved with compassion[iv] stretchedout his hand and touched the man and said, “I am willing. Be clean.”

He actually touched the man. Rabbinic law demanded that no less than six feet be kept from aleper. “Rabbi Meir would not eat an eggpurchased in a street where had been a leper. Another rabbi boasted that healways threw stones at them to keep them far off.”[v]But Jesus reaches out his hand and touches the man. Purposefully. He touched him.

The contamination of the leper was such that if he evenstood at the door of your house you were defiled by his uncleanliness. But Jesus touched the man. Jesus broke through that vast indifferenceunder the sky and touched the man who had been isolated by disease.

And what was communicated in this exchange wasn’t thedisease but the purity. Jesus wasn’tcontaminated by the man’s disease. Jesuswasn’t cursed with the man’s defilement. The man was made clean. Jesus sent the man away[vi]and warned him to keep quiet about it. The man was to show himself to the priest for inspection, and to makethe necessary sacrifices to reenter society, but he was not to tell anyone whatJesus had done.

But the man went away and began to spread the news freely,telling everyone what Jesus had done – and how can we blame him? After beingreleased from his exile, after being restored to his community – after beingbrought back to life, as it were, how could he not share this great story?

But look what happens as the result. Jesus could no longer openly enter a town butwas forced, by the crowds and their fervor and their crazed excitement, toremain out in the countryside and lonely places. Jesus, as the result of curing the leper,becomes almost a leper – unable to enter into public places -though not quitefor the same reasons.

This introverted Jesus, who has been seeking a bit of quitealone time and an escape from the crowds, cures a man who has been forciblyisolated from community the crowds, and as a result the crowds are even moredrawn to him. They came to him fromevery quarter with their clamor and their noise, and their questions, and theirdemands and needs.

And Jesus moved with compassion[vii]reached out to them.

[i] Leviticus 13 - 14

[ii]Leviticus 13: 45-46

[iii] Camus,Albert - The Plague

[iv] Mark1: 40

[v] Some of the earliest copies of Mark’s gospelsay Jesus was moved with “Indignation.” This is strange and difficult to understand. But it might fit. After healing the man, Jesus gives him a “stern”warning to keep silent about it. Andthroughout Mark’s gospel we find a Jesus who is tired and angry. Perhaps Jesus was moved with “indignation” aswell as “compassion.”

[vi]Edersheim, Alfred The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, vol 1, page495

[vii] Moreaccurately, he “cast” the man away – perhaps another indicator that he wasmoved with “indignation”

[viii] Or“Indignation” or both

The Old Man - The Old Goat

2012-02-10T17:34:00.000-06:00

Bring on the Dancing Horses

2012-02-09T19:52:00.000-06:00

First I'm gonna make it
Then I'm gonna break it
Till it falls apart
Hating all the faking
And shaking while I'm breaking
Your brittle heart.

-Echo and the Bunnymen

I'm Sorry

2012-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00

1 – I’m sorry that I’ve disappointed you.

2 – I’m sorry that your son is in jail. That is a hardship for you - his mother - and for hiswife and children as well. This enforcedseparation has taken away their father, her husband, and your son. It’s very hard, I’m sure. You want him home again.

3- I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to visit him moreoften. But, please remember, the jail inwhich he is incarcerated is not in my city, is not even in my county. (And can I add… if your count is correct, I’vevisited him more than you have….) Thisisn’t an excuse, it’s just the reality.

4 – I’m sorry that it seems very likely that at his upcomingcourt appearance he will be sentenced to three years in prison. And I’m sorry that it’s not very likely that Ican do or say anything to change that probability.

5 - I'm sorry that I can't make him believe in God.

6 - I'm sorry that I cannot meet your expectations in any of these areas.

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week 7

2012-02-08T12:57:00.000-06:00

Here it is, this week's powerpoint (or similar presentation program) background image.

I am making one a week (at least one) all this year. Feel free to download them for your projects at school, work, church, whatever.

I only ask that you share them freely and that you let others know that you found them here.

Ten Till Four

2012-02-07T23:54:00.000-06:00

This sound piece was created in response to a minimalist dare posted at the Freesound project:

The challenge was to work minimalist. We were allowed a combined total of 6 sounds or effects. That's not a lot to work with, but it's entirely possible. I often find myself working on a song with only one or two sound samples.

For this song I used 2 sound samples:
Alchemic Hunting
Triangle Loop

and 4 effects in Ableton Live 8 (lite):
Beat Repeat
Ping Pong Delay
Gater Pong
Chorus Fuzz

The total amount of time I spent on this project was also pretty minimal - about 45 minutes. But here's what I did (to the best of my memory):

I started with the Alchemic Hunting sample. It's in track one pretty much untouched - except for some volume changes.

I then took the Alchemic Hunting sample and sped it up. From that high speed version I sliced out some random segments which I put into another track and copied this pattern over and over. I applied the Beat Repeat effect to this, which gave it glitchy off-rhythm rhythm. And then I also added the Ping Pong delay to this track so that it had a lingering echo.

Next I created an empty track and set it to record what came out of track two (the glitchy off-rhythm rhythm track) as I fiddled with the various settings of the Ping Pong Delay effect. To the resulting sounds I applied the Gater Pong effect - which makes it sound a bit like a DJ scratching and mixing on a vinyl record. I also shifted the pitch up four semi-tones.

I liked that track so I made a copy of it but took off the Gater Pong effect and moved it back down the four semi-tones to its original pitch.

Next I went back to the glitchy off-rhythm rhythm in track two and cut a sample randomly from the middle. This I stretched out to play it at 1/4 speed and added the Chorus Fuzz effect

Nearly done, I added the Triangle Loop without any effects. It's nice as it is. I adjusted volume levels on all the tracks and adjusted the pan (left to right) on the Chorus Fuzz track so that the various sounds and rhythms came in and out of aural focus.

And then finally. I made two copies of the first several seconds of the Alchemic Hunting sample and layered them on to the end of the song to make a nice -almost church organ - sound. And done. Almost. Then, because I realized that my song was coming in longer than the 4 minute limit, I bumped up the song's tempo to make it play a little faster and brought it all down to 3 minutes and 50 seconds.

Which, by an outrageous coincidence (I Swear!) is the title I planned to give this song from the beginning - The title refers to Dare # 10, 2 sound Samples and, 4 effects.

Sweet Dolorous Jane

2012-02-07T09:58:00.001-06:00

Sweet Dolorous Jane is no longer content
with psychic predictions in obscure balls
or Ouija boards and tarot cards;
she’s disappointed with prognostications
in tealeaves and animal intestines.
It’s all magpie chatter on
drooping telephone wires.

She wants something more,
something newer than the new age.
She consults the digital wizards
that whisper and chatter,
and with those that have familiar spirits that peep and that mutter.
She watches as they fiddle electric zithers,
and strains to hear the voice of her dear departed.

(2011)

33 Lines for a Saturday in February

2012-02-04T17:32:00.001-06:00

Put away your loathsome eyes

unless you want everyone
to see you; catch you staring.

Have another cup of coffee
before you brave the winter blast,
just one more to warm your hands.

The river is frozen and
there’s no going on that way.
Turn around; try another path.

It’s not the right-handed hand
nor again the left
that so often offends,
but the eye, the eye
that won’t stop staring
that needs gouged away.

The Dead Sea Scrolls
are of no help to you here,
those Essenes, they knew nothing.

Nero’s prowling the courts
in lion skins again tonight
seeking whom he may devour.

The Apocalypse of Peter
and the pot-luck of Paul
never made the final cut.

This Chimera dream has
reached its gruesome end;
the Gorgon will soon be put to rest.

She wouldn’t want you anyway,
and the one who warms your bed
would throw you over, leave you cold.

So cross the bridge carefully,
one foot in front of the other.
The river below is frozen winter white.

(2008)

I wrote this poem a few years ago... but was reminded of it today. I drove today through some of the same cold grey fog, over the same frozen river that began to inspire this poem four years ago but it was all so different. The scenery was the same (or very similar) but I was different in it.

Music for Unfathomable Jovian Depths

2012-02-03T14:48:00.000-06:00

"Even as he fell through the roaring heart of the Great Red Spot, with the lighting of its continent-wide thunderstorms detonating around him, he knew why it had persisted for centuries though it was made of gases far less substantial than those that formed the hurricanes of Earth. The thin scream of hydrogen wind faded as he sank into the calmer depths, and a sleet of waxen snowflakes - some already coalescing into barely palpable mountains of hydrocarbon foam - descended from the heights above. It was already warm enough for liquid water to exist, but there were no oceans there; this purely gaseous environment was too tenuous to support them." - from 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke

You can download it here.

I created this little piece with using some randomly generated MIDI files, a little bit of selective tweaking, a sound from the Freesound Project, and a number of effects in Ableton Live.

I used the sample Midnight Twilight.

If you like the music that I've made, perhaps you'd like to check out some of my other songs.

Unfathomable Jovian Depths

2012-02-03T10:55:00.001-06:00

"They were still so close to Jupiter it was impossible to believe that that the ship was orbiting the planet; they might have been in a high-flying aircraft that had just emerged from a sea of clouds. There was no sense of scale; it was easy to imagine that they were seeding away from some terrestrial sunset; the reds and pinks and crimsons sliding below were so familiar.

"And that was an illusion; nothing here had any parallels with Earth. Those colors were intrinsic, not borrowed from the setting sun. The very gases were utterly alien - methane and ammonia and a witch's brew of hydrocarbons, stirred in a hydrogen-helium cauldron. Not one trace of free oxygen, the breath of human life.

"The clouds marched from horizon to horizon in parallel rows, distorted by occasional swirls and eddies. Here and there upwellings of brighter gas broke the pattern and Floyd could also see the dark rim of a great whirlpool, a maelstrom of gas leading down into unfathomable Jovian depths."

-from 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke

Another Surprise

2012-02-01T00:11:00.001-06:00

The surprise is not in the letters that come
this one today and another just like it
with kindest regards, thank you, we’re sorry
the judge has decided, the results are in
the contest is over and I didn’t win.
But this should not be any special revelation
it’s all part of the same
the surprise, if you’d see it,
is that I submit, again and again
to what will, almost certainly, be
another rejection letter.

(2012)

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week 6

2012-01-31T14:13:00.000-06:00

Here is this week's powerpoint (or similar presentation program) image. I'm trying to make one a week to share. I'm using them in our church services, but you could use them for homework assignments, business presentations, desktop backgrounds, or whatever.

I only ask that you share them freely. And that you let others know that you found them here.

And here's a link to the previous images.

Picture Day at Xantanlua Elementary

2012-01-28T17:55:00.000-06:00

Glort never liked this photo.

I Will Not Stumble Again...

2012-01-27T16:50:00.002-06:00

A few days ago I posted a poem I wrote based on Psalm 62- I Will Not Stumble (Not Greatly)
This is music to go along with it.

Feel free to download this and to share it with a friend. You can also check out some more of my music here.

I used a few sounds from the Freesound Project

Rhythm maker 16
Rhythm maker 31
Dynag3 stretched
The Yeti 01
The Yeti 48
The Yeti 51
Stumble synth 1
Stumble synth 2
Stumble synth 3

Beowulf Hesitates

2012-01-26T13:52:00.000-06:00

At the ocean’s edge

where cold grey waves
break upon sharp black stones
the knör ship waits to take us home.
We leave Hrothgar’s bloodied hall
having done our doom upon
the beast and his mother.

Our shields are cracked
our spears are splintered
and some of us
have felt death’s embrace
but Heorot
and all Hrothgar’s realm is saved.

But before we sail for Geatland
where we will enjoy the acclaim
our deeds have earned,
a thought occurs
and I hesitate to board the ship,
And it is this:

The monster has been slain,
for his cruelty and his wrath
but I am like that son of Cain.
And man, each man, every man
must die. I am not immune.
The wyrms of death will come for me.

Music for the Stars

2012-01-24T15:09:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I record a sound or a bit of a melody thinking that I'll use it in a song...and sometimes I don't use it.
Recently I recorded this little synthesizer noodle:

But I didn't use it. So I shared it with the Freesound Project.

And now, someone has discovered it there and used it in one of their projects. Bryant O'Hara has put together a space exploration themed song using (among other things) my stumbling synth.

Listen to Sed veni, spiritus, Martia, nam Stellae. ("We come, spirit of Mars, for the stars")

What I'm Reading - The Only True God

2012-01-24T14:11:00.000-06:00

The first Christians were Jews. This point is often forgotten. They did not consider themselves to beconverts to a new, different religion. It was, for them, a realization of truths already affirmed in theirfaith – that God was saving his people Israel, through his chosen andanointed servant, Jesus.

These Jewish Christians still believed in and worshippedonly one god – the Only True God. Thisis the idea that set Jews (and early Christians, not yet understood as aseparate group) apart from the rest of the world in the first century – theirmonotheism.

It wasn’t until much later that Christians developed thedoctrine of the Trinity to more fully express their understanding of the natureof God (the Father, the Son, and the Spirit). But the idea that Jesus could be described as the Son of God – thatJesus could be described as “the Word” who was with God in the beginning andwho was, himself, God was not a new concept within that Jewish monotheism.

In his book, The Only true God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, James McGrath succinctly describes howboth Judaism and Christianity diverged from this common doctrine.

But this task isn’t as straightforward as you mightthink. It would be relatively simple ifthere had been a uniform and monolithic understanding of what it meant to bemonotheist (a term that was not used until recently). But there wasn’t. Within Judaism during the centuries that ledup to the time of Jesus and the first century after there were differing ideasof how to express this worship of only one God. Was it appropriate to worship the one true God in temples devoted toother pagan gods? Could one pray to theone true God using a different name?

And what of God’s appointed agents… sometimes described asbearing God’s name, and entrusted with God’s authority and power? Were they worshipped as God, as part of Godor kept separate?

And how did a Christian understanding of monotheism differ from a Jewish one - if it was different...?

This short book isn’t a defense or apologetic for Monotheism(either Jewish or Christian) but is rather a history of the doctrine, trackingthe multiple currents within the two diverging faiths. And though it’s a shortbook (104 pages without endnotes (Endnotes! I hate endnotes! I always loose myplace flipping back and forth to read them.)) it’s not a simple book. McGrath holdsa dialogue with both ancient and contemporary authors. Sometimes I felt like I was watching aroundtable discussion between theologians, most of whom were unfamiliar to me.

But, that’s not to say that I haven’t come away from the book having learnednothing. I was especially interested inthe very Jewish way that McGrath approached monotheism within the gospel ofJohn. (So much so that I’ve alreadyplaced my order on-line for another of McGrath’s books - John's Apologetic Christology: Legitimation and Development in Johannine Christology (thoughI managed to find a used copy for much MUCH less than the $132 new price!)). What does it mean –from a Jewish (Christian) viewpoint – when John says that Jesus was accused of blasphemy for makinghimself God when he was “a mere man” (John 10:33)? What does it mean when Jesus utters the words“when you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am…” – usingabsolutely the unutterable name of the Only True God for himself? I am intrigued by his answer and I want toread more.

The chapters on Monotheism in the letters attributed to Paul, and win the bookof Revelation were also informative and engaging. But I found myself at the book’s end,wondering why there weren’t chapters on the monotheism in the synoptic gospels,and the other epistles... I always wantto read more.

Mysterious Bird

2012-01-23T17:09:00.000-06:00

I have missed painting. I haven't held my brushes since before Christmas, but today I got back to them. I paint on Monday afternoons with a group of old ladies. They mostly paint lighthouses and birds and tell me that my stuff is 'weird.' Every so often I paint a bird just to keep them happy.

I finished this piece today. I had started it back in November, but had to set it aside. I had painted the background and put in the collage materials at the lower left corner. (It's a couple of illustrations from an old Maytag repair catalog.) It was easy to set aside as I really didn't have any idea of how I wanted to fill the space. But, flipping through my sketch book I found a drawing of a bird that I thought I could translate to paint. And so...

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week Five

2012-01-23T10:30:00.000-06:00

One of the things I'm going to attempt to do this year (don't think of it as a New Year's Resolution.... those never work) is to create a usable powerpoint (or similar presentations program) background for each week of the year. I'll be using them for our church services, but they could also be used for homework assignments, business presentations, desktop wallpapers or whatnot... Feel free to download them for your own projects, whatever they might be.

I only ask that you share them freely and that you let others know that you found them here.

Here is the image for this week:

And here is a link to the previous four images.

The Long Goodbye

2012-01-21T15:59:00.001-06:00

I've been reading a lot of Raymond Chandler's work recently. Forget the upscale, literary detective with his locked-room puzzles. Forget Agatha Christie and her implausible multiple murders. Give me Phillip Marlowe and a femme-fatale and a Long Goodbye.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thatjeffcarterwashere.bandcamp.com/track/the-long-goodbye"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Long Goodbye by Thatjeffcarter Was Here&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

I used, as I usually do, a sound (only one this time) from the Freesound Project:
D Minor Dorian

I also used a muted trumpet sample from AfroDJMac.

You might also like my previous noir song - This Can't Be Real

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thatjeffcarterwashere.bandcamp.com/track/this-cant-be-real"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;This Can't be Real by Thatjeffcarter Was Here&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The purchase of either of songs supports two great causes - 1) The Salvation Army in Fairmont, MN and 2) my brother who is a missionary in Spain.

Emma

2012-01-20T18:34:00.000-06:00

I Will Make You Fishers of Men - Not Your Mother's Sunday School Chorus

2012-01-18T19:25:00.001-06:00

I will make you fishers of men,
fishers of men,
fishers of men,
I will make you fishers of men if you follow me.
If you follow me,
if you follow me.
I will make you fishers of men if you follow me.

Can I tell you something? I hate children’s Sunday school songs. I hate them. I hate themall. Even when I was a kid I hated them(but I couldn’t not sing them; my mother was the Sunday school teacher!)

This one I hated especially. 1) becausewe always had to do a cute little fishing motion with it – casting out our linefrom an imaginary rod and reel when, even then, I knew that 2) the disciplesJesus was calling in that story were fishing with large round nets. And I hated it because 3) I don’t really likefishing. I can appreciate it a bit morenow, but as a boy I didn’t like it at all. So, I had no real interest in being a “fisher of men.”

And the worst part about this cutesy Sunday school song isthat totally misrepresents the meaning of Jesus’ call in Mark 1:14 - 20 “Come after me, and Ishall make you become fishers of men.”

Like every other Sunday school lesson for children – fromNoah and the ark to Daniel and the Lion’s Den – this portion of the gospelaccount is horribly mutated from a startling and powerful story into a cute andneat and tidy story appropriate for tow-headed children drinking Kool-aid andeating cookies in the nursery. We teachthe kids that these stories are cute and safe and then we wonder why theyreject these stories when they grow up and discover that they have no relevanceto the world around them.

The image of fishing for humans doesn’t occur very often inthe bible. But in every instance whereit does appear it is in the context of God’s judgment. Consider these verses from the Old Testament:

Jeremiah 16:16 (NIV)
¹⁶"But now I will send formany fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will catch them. Afterthat I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on everymountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.

Ezekiel 12:13 (NIV)
¹³I will spread my net for him,and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia,the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die.

Ezekiel 29:4 (NIV)
⁴But I will put hooks in your jawsand make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you outfrom among your streams, with all the fish sticking to your scales.

Amos 4:2 (NIV)
²The Sovereign LORD has sworn byhis holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away withhooks, the last of you with fishhooks.

Habakkuk 1:14-17 (NIV)
¹⁴You have made men like fish inthe sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler.
¹⁵The wicked foe pulls all of themup with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet;and so he rejoices and is glad.
¹⁶Therefore he sacrifices to hisnet and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury andenjoys the choicest food.
¹⁷Is he to keep on emptying hisnet, destroying nations without mercy?

And it’s the same in the New Testament. Look at the parable of the dragnet:

Matthew 13:47-50 (NIV)
⁴⁷"Once again, the kingdom ofheaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds offish.
⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermenpulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish inbaskets, but threw the bad away.
⁴⁹This is how it will be at theend of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
⁵⁰and throw them into the fieryfurnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

If we look at other writings from that era we find the sameequation of fishers of men with the judgment of God. In the Dead Sea Scrolls weread “And thou has set me in a place of exile among many fishers that stretchout a net upon the face of the waters and [among] hunters [sent] against thesons of perversity.” 1QH 5:7 – 8

And if we cast our nets even further and look at the GnosticGospel of Thomas we find another parable:

“And he said ‘The Man is like a wise fisherman who cast his netinto the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a finelarge fish. He threw all the small fishback into the sea and chose the large fish without regret.” Gospel ofThomas, Logion 8

This call to be “fishers of men” was no cutesy kids’chorus. This was a call for thedisciples of Jesus to become bearers of an urgent eschatological warning. The Kingdom of Godwas breaking into the world and his followers were to confront people with itsproclamation. Repentance and beliefwould bring salvation, rejection and unbelief would bring judgment. The people of God were being rescued - fished out - from the waters - which all through the scriptures are equated with the enemy of God, the underworld, sin and death.

This is not what my mother taught us in Sunday school, butit probably should have been.

I Will Not Stumble (Not Greatly)

2012-01-18T15:33:00.000-06:00

Only for God will I be silent
only for God,
from him my triumph,
I will not stumble
(not greatly.)

While they bluster about
with noisy lies,
indulging in gossip like a drunk
lurching like a sagging fence

God alone is my castle
God alone.
I will not stumble
(not greatly.)

You low men, you common thieves,
are only a breath. Gasp! and you’re gone,
and you well born and white collared are only a lie
weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Only for God will I be silent.
I will not stumble
(not greatly.)

2012

(based on Psalm 62)

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone - Week Four

2012-01-16T21:42:00.002-06:00

One of the things I'm going to attempt to do this year is to create a usable powerpoint (or similar presentation program) background for each week of the year. I'll be using them for our church services, but they could also be used for homework assignments, business presentations, desktop wallpapers, or whatever... Feel free to download them for your own projects whatever they may be.

I only ask that you share them freely and that you let others know that you found them here.

Here is the image for this week:

And here is a link to the previous images

We Listen, We Escape

2012-01-16T17:28:00.002-06:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://thatjeffcarterwashere.bandcamp.com/track/we-listen-we-escape"&amp;gt;We Listen, We Escape by Thatjeffcarter Was Here&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

I awoke angry, with a furious headache. The family cat had been playing under the bed, unconcerned that he was disturbing the rest of us. I chased him from the room and collapsed back into bed, but could not return to sleep. My headache only grew worse; by mid-morning it was something of a migraine.

This was my day but it got better ...

To create this short song I used the following sounds from the Freesound project:

Ambient Sound

Universal Melody
Ambiance

Four is the Number

2012-01-15T13:24:00.001-06:00

The folks at Faturenet Recordings have just released their latest compilation: Project 4.

All of the eleven songs on this album were created using the same four sound samples. But each one is markedly different from the others. What would you make from these sounds?

I'm pleased to say that the song I submitted, She Dared Me to Love Her, is track #11. It's a free-download. "If you are going to download one release this year, make sure it's this one!"

And if you're still in the mood to download music, won't you check out some of my other music.

These songs are a dollar each, but the money goes to 1) The Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota and 2) my brother who is a missionary in Spain.

Thanks.

Thatjeffcarter Was Here is Now at Bandcamp

2012-01-13T18:11:00.001-06:00

I usually go to bandcamp in the summer, but now I've established a presence at the online Bandcamp.

There you can download (for the measly price One Dollar per song) some of my music.
The proceeds will be split between 1) The Salvation Army in Fairmont, Minnesota and 2)my brother who is a missionary in Spain.

Please, if you've got a moment, and if you like music, and if you like helping other people, take a moment to listen to some of my songs. Maybe you'll find one you like.

Thanks.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://thatjeffcarterwashere.bandcamp.com/track/dominion"&amp;gt;Dominion by Thatjeffcarter Was Here&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Watch the Flock of Holy Birds

2012-01-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

Watch the flock of holy birds
that flies over this troubled landscape
as the light
(but little heat in these winter days)
struggles against encroaching dusk and gloam.

We pronounce a blessing upon each and all,
our personal liturgy, a familial litany.

The night is not to be feared.
(2012)

The Island of Misfit Sounds - A Freesound Project Dare

2012-01-11T19:41:00.000-06:00

The challenge was to take the leftover sounds from Christmas - the sounds from the cardboard, wrapping paper, glass bottles, and etc... - to create a new and (hopefully) interesting song.

We were required to use at least 10 of the sounds specifically recorded for this dare. And the song had to be 2 - 4 minutes long.

Here is the song I created: The Island of Misfit Sounds

If you like it, you should feel free to download it and to share it with friends.

I used the following sounds from the Freesound Project:

Socket Spanner

Banana Box

Alligator Wrench

Packing Paper Hollow Tube Percussion

Plastic Packaging Squeak

Wrapping Paper Tube Hits

Wrapping Paper Tube Hits 2

Low E Guitar String and Wrapping Paper

Beer Bottle Notes

Packing Paper Tube Air Suck

Bottles Hitting and Rubbing

What I'm Reading: Valley of the Dead

2012-01-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

"Through me the way into the suffering city,

Through me theway to the eternal pain,

Through me theway that runs among the lost.

Justice urged on my high artificer;

My maker wasdivine authority,

The highestwisdom, and the primal love.

Before me nothing but eternal things were made,

And I endureeternally.

Abandon everyhope, ye who enter here."[i]

The poet, Dante read these words above the gate to hell - whereinhe would observe the most ghastly scenes of sin and vice and human depravity. But how did he come to such a place? Whatdid he see in his life to inspire such horrific descriptions?

Kim Paffenroth, a professor of Religious Studies and authorof several horror novels, has in his novel –Valley of the Dead: The Truth behind Dante’s Inferno - supposed it to be “a massive, horrifying outbreakof cannibalism… Dante had witnessed what I previously thought was a deadlyplague only in our modern world – zombies, ghouls, the undead, the livingdead.” (pg.10 -11) [ii]

This outbreak of flesh eating monsters flung the travelingpoet headlong into a valley filled with the most sordid and vile examples ofhuman depravity imaginable. But as inthe best zombie stories, the evil isn’t so much in the reanimated corpses butin the living. The dead are, of course,dangerous. They are the threat thatsends Dante and his companions fleeing, but it is the sin and wickedness ofthose still alive that raise Dante’s revulsion.

The monsters, the shuffling and moaning corpses are, for all the danger theypose, to be pitied. They have becomecreatures without will, without choice, driven by base and uncontrollabledesire.

At one point in the novel Dante and his three companions areasked by a lecherous man why they think the creatures have come. “Tell me, in your tidy universe of a just,loving God, who made these abominations, these creatures of evil, malice, anddestruction?”

One answers, “God made them so that we may overcome them and growstronger.” Another says, “They make nodifference to us, since this life is unimportant… We care only for the soul andeternal life.” Dante answers the man’squestion saying, “They are just people left to their own sinful ways…They arewhat we have made of ourselves.” And theother in his group, the only woman among them, answers, “They are here for usto pity.” (pg. 122 – 123)

Pity. And Mercy. Even in this hell on earth there is mercy forthese creatures. It is the living whoseem to be beyond pity (though hopefully not beyond mercy.) The dead may be forgiven theirdestructiveness for they do not choose it, can not resist it, and do not enjoyit. The living encountered in thisvalley of the dead, are truly wicked. They are greedy and gluttonous. They are lustful. They are full of malice and anger and blasphemy. Theyare the truly monstrous.

And like C.S. Lewis’s gates of hell –locked from the inside-the people of this valley refuse to leave. They are so consumed by theirselfishness that they will not leave their sin to flee neither the plague of walkingdead nor the invading army that is destroying and slaughtering everything andeveryone in its path.

It’s been several years since I struggled through Dante’s Inferno.And, truth be told, I didn’t actually finish it. I’ve wanted to read it through, but haven’tyet. But this lack of familiarity withthe Inferno wasn’t a handicap to reading Valley of the Dead. There were several references that Irecognized (the wolf upon the road, the river crossing, the fortune teller withan undead creature whose head had been turned backwards on its body, the frozenlake at the center…) and I can only assume that there were just as many thatwent over my head. But the novel is written clearly enough that even thosewithout any knowledge of Dante’s writing could understand and appreciate thestory.

The Zombie genre has a bad reputation (even worse that that of science-fictionor fantasy), some of which may be deserved. Many zombie movies seem to bemerely an excuse to fling copious amounts of blood and gore upon the screen. Zombienovels seem to be the new fad in horror writing – a quick way for publishers tomake a buck (in the same way that pulp crime novels, science-fiction novels,and romance novels have been for years). But good writing transcends the stereotypesand clichés of the genre to honestly describe the human condition. Though there is plenty of gore and violencein Valley of the Dead (what would a zombie novel be without them?), thethoughtful reader will recognize that there is something more within thesepages.

So bitter is it, death is little more;

But of the goodto treat, which there I found,

Speak will I ofthe other things I saw there.[iii]

***

And writing about the living dead gives me opportunity to link back to my zombie film : This Accursed Melody.

[i] Dante – Inferno - Canto III. 1 - 9

[ii] Paffenroth, Kim, Valley of the Dead: TheTruth Behind Dante’s Inferno, Permutated Press, 2010

[iii] Dante – Inferno - Canto I. 7 - 9

Go, Go, Godzilla

2012-01-10T23:05:00.000-06:00

With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound
he pulls the spitting high tension wires down...

Powerpoint Slides for Everyone -

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

One of the things I'm going to attempt to do this year is to create a usable powerpoint (or similar presentation program) background for each week of the year. I'll be using them for our church services, but they could also be used for homework, school projects, business presentations, or whatever... Feel free to download them for your projects.

I only ask that you share them freely and that you let others know that you found them here.

The first two backgrounds were cool colors, so I decided to go with a bright red this time. The image was made from two photos - 1 of a circus train car and 2 of a concrete wall.

Fast, Fast, Fast

2012-01-08T09:10:00.000-06:00

This is an entry in another remix contest. I enjoyed rearranging the musical parts and adding some new material to the song Fast by Lee Harris. It's a fun little song.

Fast-Lee Harris (Thatjeffcarter was here Remix) by thatjeffcarter was here

Fast, fast, fast, keep running baby...

In addition to the musical stems provided for the contest I used a couple of sounds from the Freesound Project.

Noisy Digital Octaver
Sonar Sound

You can watch the video for the original version here.

The Star of Glory

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

It may seem strange to discuss the birth of Jesus and thejourney of the wise men in January, after we have already celebrated Christmas.Some of you may have already taken down the tree, and packed away thedecorations. You may have already packed away the manger scenes. But in manychurches January 6th is celebrated as the Epiphany – the “manifestation” or the“showing forth” of Jesus in fulfillment of the prophecies of his birth. Thebirth of Christ is celebrated at this time along with the adoration of the magiand thus the manifestation of God’s Glory to the Gentiles.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehemin Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star inthe east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Whenhe had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law,he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ”In Bethlehemin Judea," they replied, "for thisis what the prophet has written:

" 'But you, Bethlehem,in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out fromthem the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make acareful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that Itoo may go and worship him."

Matthew 2:1-12

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, andthe star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over theplace where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On comingto the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down andworshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts ofgold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to goback to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

These gentile magi – wise men - were probably Persianastrologers, priests of Zoroastrianism looking for the birth of the comingredeemer of the world, the Sosiosh of their religion, whom they had identifiedas the King of the Jews.

These Persian astrologers had anticipated the coming of agreat leader, from the land of Israel. And this was acommon expectation of the time. The Jewish historian, Josephus, as well theRoman historians Suetonius and Tacitus describe the whole of the east as livingin great expectation of one who would come from Judea “to attain universalempire” and to “possess the dominion”.

They came to Jerusalemand asked, “Where is he that was born King of the Jews? We have seen his star.”Theses gentile astrologers may have been aware of the prophecy of the messiah’sbirth by yet another gentile, Balaam, who said:

I see him - but not in the present.

I perceive him – but not close at hand:

a star is emerging from Jacob,

a scepter is rising from Israel…

Numbers 24:17

But this also accords with the Persian idea of a fravashi– that is the stellar counterpart to a great man. When a new great leader wasborn on earth, a new brilliant star would appear in the heavens. The magi hadobserved and followed the star that betokened the birth of the great leaderfrom Judea, the one who would attain auniversal kingdom – the king of the Jews.

There has been through the centuries much speculation aboutthe nature of this “star.” The Greek word aster is commonly translated in theNew Testament as star, but is used frequently in other Greek writings todescribe other shining object, which is helpful because the star that the magifollowed didn’t act very much like a normal star. It moved across the sky – likeyou would expect, but then it disappeared from their sight, so that the magihad to stop and ask for directions in Jerusalem,and it also stopped over a particular place. Natural stars don’t behave likethis.

Nearly every kind of cosmic phenomenon has been suggested toexplain the nature of this star; everything from meteors, meteor showers, andcomets to eclipses of the sun or moon, supernovas, and bolides (super largemeteors that can generate as much light as the full moon).

Stellar conjunctions, and planetary conjunctions, have alsobeen proposed as the explanation for the star. In the 17th century Germanastronomer, Johannes Kepler observed the triple conjunction of the planets:Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. Working backwards he calculated mathematically thatthe same kind of triple conjunction of these planets would have occurred in theyear 7 B.C. which would have been about the right time for the birth of Christ,but there is some question as to how this conjunction of planets would haveguided the wise men to Bethlehem, and how it would halt over the place wherethe child was.

Other less scientific explanations have been proposedthrough the years. Some Eastern Orthodox traditions describe the star as aspecially created planet (like the specially ordained fish that swallowedJonah) that was put into place by God bearing a picture (an icon) of Mary andJesus, or of Jesus holding a cross.

Gregory of Tours in the 6th century AD said that the starwas an angel that tumbled out of heaven and landed in a well in Bethlehem. He furthersaid that the angel was still there and could be observed by passers-by.

More recently, author Barry H. Downing in the book entitledThe Bible and Flying Saucers explained the star as a “space vehicle answeringthe description of modern UFOs” with a “star-like beacon” to lead the wise men,sent by beings from another world to “deliberately draw attention to the birthof Christ” But as much as I’ve always liked the X-Files, I don’t find this tobe a very plausible or compelling explanation.

Instead I’d like us to search the scriptures to see if wecan’t find a more biblical explanation. And to start, I’d like for us to lookback to the book of Exodus.

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloudto guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by daynor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”(Exodus 13:21-22)

This pillar of cloud by day, and pillar of fire by nightguided the Israelites as they left the slavery of Egypt. They followed it out of Egypt and to Mt. Sinaiwhere it settled over the mountain. It was the Glory of God and to the peopleit looked like a devouring fire on the mountain-top. (Ex. 24:17) Later, afterthey had constructed the tabernacle, the Glory of God, this fiery presence ofGod, filled the tent. (40:34 – 35)

The Glory cloud / fire, the Glory of God, is also called theShekinah. This is the transliteration of a Hebrew word not found in theBible but used in many Jewish writings to speak of God’s presence. The termmeans, “that which dwells.” It is often used in combination with Glory to speakof the presence of God’s Shekinah Glory.

It was this same cloud by day, fire by night that theIsraelites followed to the land of Canaan. Whenever theGlory cloud rose from the tabernacle, the Israelites broke camp and followed.When the Glory cloud halted, there the Israelites pitched camp. (Numbers 9: 17– 23)

When Solomon built his temple in Jerusalem we are told that, “fire camedown from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and theGlory of YHWH filled the temple The priests could not enter because the Gloryof YHWH filled the temple. When all the Israelites saw the fire come down andthe Glory of YHWH resting on the Temple, they bowed down on the pavement withtheir faces to the earth, worshipping and praising YWHW with ‘For he is good,for his faithful love lasts forever!’”

(2 Chron. 7:1 – 3)

The Shekinah Glory – the fiery cloud – was thevisible symbol of God’s presence among the people. It was this fiery presencethat Moses observed in the burning bush. When the Israelites fled from Egypt theyfollowed this pillar of fire during the night. When they camped in thewilderness, the fire hovered over the tabernacle at the center of the camp. Thepeople camped around the tabernacle and dwelt in the light of God’s presence.When the Glory cloud moved, the people followed the brilliance of his presence.When they finally settled in the Promised Land God’s Glory resided with them atthe temple.

The fiery cloud guided them towards safety out of Egypt andthrough the wilderness into the Promised Land. The Shekinah cloud alsoprotected the Israelites from their enemies. When the armies of the Pharaohpursued them to the Sea of Reeds, the Glory cloudmoved from their front and took position behind them. It came between the armyof the Egyptians and the Israelites (Ex. 14: 19 – 24)

But…

But because of their sin and disobedience and theirrejection of the covenant God had made with them, that cloud of fire, the Gloryof God was removed from amongst them.

The prophet Ezekiel observed as the Glory of YHWH came outover the temple threshold and rose from the center of the city and halted overthe mountain to the east of the city. (Ezekiel 11:22-23) The Glory of God wasabandoning the city. The city of Jerusalemhad been polluted by the crimes and sins of the people and so God was removingHis presence from among them. It came out of the temple, over the city, to the Mount of Olives, and hovered there, as if loath tocompletely abandon the city.

A Midrash ascribed to the 3rd century AD. Rabbi Johananexpresses this as follows: “For three and a half years the Presence [Shekinah]tarried on the Mount of Olives, proclaimingthrice daily, ‘Return wayward sons’ (Jer. 3:22). When it saw they would notrepent, it flew away, saying ‘I will go back to my [heavenly] place till theyrealize their guilt; in their distress they will seek me and beg for my favor’”(Hos. 5:15)

And that was it. The Glory of God was removed and the cityalong with the temple was destroyed, and the people were sent into exile. Thatwas the last time in the pages of the Old Testament that the Glory of God –that Shekinah cloud of fire was observed. God removed His presence fromamongst the people.

Now God did promise that the Glory would return. When theexiles returned from Babylon and rebuilt thetemple in Jerusalem Zerubbabel was promised that the temple would one day the Temple would be filledwith Glory, “A little while now, and I shall shake the heavens and theearth, the sea and the dry land. I shall shake all the nations, and thetreasures of the nations shall flow in, and I shall fill this Temple with Glory.” (Haggai 2:6 – 7)

Meanwhile, the Shekinah presence of God was removedfrom the people. But not everything was lost. All was not in despair forEzekiel had received a vision of the return of the Glory of God. “… and Isaw the Glory of the God of Israelcoming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and theland was radiant with his Glory.” Ezekiel 43:2.

I propose that the star that lead the magi was not a UFO, ora comet or even a spectacular planetary conjunction, but that it was the Gloryof God- the Shekinah presence that lead the magi.

Ezekiel said, “…and I saw the Glory of the God of Israel comingfrom the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land wasradiant with his Glory.”

Ezekiel 43:2.

During the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east…

Isaiah prophesied

“Arise, shine out, for your light has come

and the Glory of YHWH has risen on you.

Look! though night still covers the earth

and darkness the peoples,

on you YHWH is rising

and over you his Glory can be seen.

The nations will come to your light

and kings to your dawning brightness."

(Isa. 60: 1 – 3)

Where is the one born king of the Jews? We saw his star atits rising.

This star and its fiery light guided the magi from theirhome in the East to

Israel

to find the newborn King who would attain a universal kingdom. They followedthe star in the same way the Israelites followed the pillar of fire by night.

The star that the magi followed led them to another star –the bright morning star Jesus Christ - 2 Peter 1:19 Rev. 22:16.

And just as the Israelites were protected from their enemiesby the presence of God, the wise men too were protected from the evil of KingHerod, being warned in a dream not to return the same way they had come.

This unearthly light – the Shekinah presence – hadretuned from its heavenly place as the star to guide the magi to the infantJesus Christ whose name was Immanuel “God with us”(Isa. 7:14)– the incarnationof God’s Glory. It was this epiphany, or manifestation of God’s Glory tomankind that we celebrate today.

God sent his Glory again, his Shekinah Glory in theperson of Jesus to dwell among us. Just as the Glory cloud inhabited the campwith the Israelites in the wilderness and the city of Jerusalem at the temple – Jesus inhabited thecamp with us. He “tabernacled” here among us and we saw his Glory, the Glorythat he has from the Father as the only son of the Father, full of grace andtruth (John 1:14).

Jesus, our Emmanuel brings us into the presence of God, intothe Glory of the Father. “Look, here God lives among human beings. He will makehis home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God,God-with-them.” Rev. 21:3

O star of wonder star of night,

star with royal beauty bright,

westward leading, still proceeding,

guide us to thy perfect light.

--John H. Hopkins jr.

The star – the Glory of God – led the wise men to Jesus, theincarnate Glory of God; the bright morning star. Jesus as the star, as theGlory of God guides us to the presence of the Father. We must do as the magidid, we must follow the star.

As with gladness men of old

did the guiding star behold,

as with joy they hailed its light

leading onward, beaming bright;

so most gracious Lord may we

ever more be lead to thee.

--William Chatterton Dix

The 'am'haretz and Me

2012-01-06T00:14:00.002-06:00

In an earlier post I commented about the presence of the ‘am’haretz in novel Mary of Nazareth. They were the poor and illiterate peasantpeople of Israel. The phrase means “the people of the land.”

In the earliest parts of the old testament the phrase was sometimesused to indicate the Canaanite people; they were “the people of the land,” i.e.the original inhabitants of the Promised Land. Later the phrase came to mean “landed people” – as in those who hadmoney and property. They were princes and members of the prince’s entourage.They were priests, eunuchs, and servants of the king. Even the king himself wasoccasionally included in this group.

But after the Babylonian exile, the phrase underwent aradical reversal in its meaning. Instead of indicating those who owned land andproperty, it referred to those who were left in the land – those who had notbeen taken away into exile, and then eventually, as a derogatory slur, thosewho were dirt.

They were despised. They were considered poor, and illiterate, and boorish. They were uneducated and stupid, and becausethey could not read to study the torah, they were held in contempt fortheir inability to abide by the Law of Moses.

Our Rabbis taught: Let a man always sell all he has and marry the daughter of a scholar. If he does not find the daughter of a scholar, let him marry the daughter of one of the great men of the generation. If he does not find the daughter of one of the great men of the generation, let him marry the daughter of the head of the synagogues. If he does not find the daughter of the head of the synagogues, let him marry the daughter of a charity treasurer. If he does not find the daughter of a charity treasurer, let him marry the daughter of an elementary school teacher, but let him not marry the daughter of an 'am'haretz, because they are detestable and their wives are vermin, and of their daughters is is said, "Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast" [1]

The Pharisees particularly viewed the ‘am’haretz withdisdain. To the Pharisees they were an untouchable caste within Jewish society. They were subhuman. They were outcasts and“sinners” because they could not read and study the torah. Recall Jesus’ many interactions with both the“sinners” and with the Pharisees. Jesusprovoked the ire of the Pharisees because he was willing to associate with these poor, uneducated “people of the land.” He associated with "sinners."

Now it would be easy to castigate the Pharisees for theirprejudice. But I have to admit that I am something of a Pharisee myself in thisregard. Not to the point where I would describe someone as a “sinner” merelybecause they are poor or uneducated, but I do find myself, at times, cringingaway from those who might be considered the ‘am’haretz of my time andplace – the redneck… the “poor white trash.”

I have laughed at photos at People of Walmart. I have been quick to judge. I have sometimesallowed myself to believe that I am more important to God than others merelybecause I have some ability to read and study and understand the scriptures. May God forgive me.

[1] Pesachim 49b - http.www.cs.utah.edu/~spiegel/kabbalah/jkm003.htm

Pat Robertson Isn't Supposed to Talk About That

2012-01-04T20:14:00.000-06:00

...but he will anyway.

I made this with Pat's sound clip, some drums, and a couple of sounds from the Freesound Project:

Big Stab

Inside the Blue Mosque

Feel free to download it and to share it with a friend.

A 2012 Goal - Powerpoint Slides For Everyone

2012-01-04T17:05:00.000-06:00

I'm going to try something this year. I want to make one decent powerpoint (or whatever presentation program you might use) background image for every week of the year. I will be using them in our worship services, but they could also be used in any sort of presentation for work or school or ... well whatever you might like.

My only request is that you share them and that you let folks know where you found it.

Here are the first two for the year.

January 1

January 8

What I’m Reading: Mary of Nazareth

2012-01-04T12:24:00.003-06:00

Mary of Nazareth - a novel - by Marek Halter, 2008.

I didn’t actually read this one. I listened to it on CDs as I drove to andfrom my parent’s house for a few days of vacation after Christmas. I picked it out from the library as somethingto listen to – mostly as a concession to my wife. I thought it would be something she’d enjoy.

I was wrong. It bored her.

But I was interested. At least a little.

For me, it was a mixed bag. There were some things that I really liked aboutthis novel by Marek Halter, but there were also several that I didn’t.

One thing I didn’t like – and this really has nothing to dowith the book itself: I did not care for the reader for the audio-book. The voices that she gave to many of thecharacters reminded me too often of the kids on the old Superbookcartoon. I nearly turned it off a number of times. But I persisted.

What I liked – really liked – about this book was the waythat Halter grounded the story in the political and economic desperation of thetime. It’s very easy to read and re-readthe stories of the bible and to become so familiar with them that we forget thebackground. The people of Israel duringthe time of Mary of Nazareth were, for the most part, poor. They were oppressed. They were hungry. They were tired. They weredesperate. They lived in fear – fear ofthe Roman soldiers, fear of the mercenaries hired by the wicked king Herod.

Halter brings to life their anger and frustration and theirparanoia and distrust. The Jewish peoplewere divided into numerous groups – Pharisees, Sadducees, ascetic Essenes,revolutionary Zealots – each with a dream and a plan to change the world. Butinstead of coming together and uniting against their common foe, these groupsdistrusted and even despised each other.

Halter also emphasizes in his novel the ‘am ha’aretz– “the people of the land.” These werepoor, illiterate, unrefined peasants of Israel. The Pharisees despised them because they wereilliterate and thus unable to study and adhere to the torah. They were, as the poor are everywhere, cursedand maligned.

And these are the people among whom Halter’s Marylives. She is one of them. This is a Mary who could sing of God turning away the rich and filling the hungry with good things.

I also like that Halter has allowed me to shift my thinkingby a little bit concerning Barabbas. Inthe past I have been quite content to accept the picture of Barabbas as thief,as a murder, as a violent revolutionary. (And no doubt, he was those things.)

But I have allowed the contrast between Barabbas (whose full name according tosome early Greek sources was Jesus Barabbas) to be that of polaropposites: Pilate offers to releaseeither the very evil and murderous Barabbas (booo!) or the quite obviouslyinnocent Jesus of Nazareth (hurray!). I have, inmy mind, allowed it to be a contrast between the totally reprehensible and the totallywonderful, between pure evil and pure good.

And, I think, I missed the point.

If we understand Barabbas (Jesus Barabbas) to be a revolutionary leader – committedto setting the people of Israelfree from their foreign oppressors, as one who stole from the rich and powerfulto feed and free the poor and lowly – he almost becomes heroic. He is Robin Hood and George Wallace fightingfor “our freedom!” Why would the people at Pilate’s courtyard clamor forBarabbas’ release? Because he was fighting for them.

And thus the choice between Jesus Barabbas (Jesus Son of theFather) – the bandit and Jesus Barabbas (Jesus Son of the Father) - the Messiahisn’t a choice between pure evil and pure good, but rather a choice betweengood and better. The difference betweenthem is the difference between man’s attempt to impose Righteousness on theworld by force (Might makes Right!) and God’s creation of Righteousness withinhis people.

I have more respect and sympathy for Barabbas after this novel (though no moresupport or admiration for his banditry.)

But wait… Barabbas? In a novel about Mary?
Yep. Barabbas. This is something that I didn’t like so much about the novel.

It is, quite obviously, a novel. Afictionalization. It is a romance in the classical definition of the word. It is a story of adventure and passion(though not much “romantic love” though there does seem to be some romance between Mary and Barabbas). Halter’s novel puts Mary of Nazareth at the center of intrigues andadventures and tales of daring do. In this novel she meets nearly everyone fromthe New Testament before her son is even conceived.

It’s forgivable, I suppose. It is anovel, and novelists are free to craft a story however they please – but I foundit increasingly implausible that Mary could be at the center of so much. She’son one hand joining Barabbas in a midnight raid on a Roman fort, and thenstudying the Greek language and philosophy with Mary Magdalene. Then she’s with the Essenes studying medicinewith Joseph of Arimathea.

It seemed to me that the Mary of this story would hardlyneed her miraculous son. In fact, the whole novel seemed to supplant the sonwith his mother – even the title Mary of Nazareth seems to put Mary intoa messianic role. That she conceives theinfant messiah by a divine overshadowing doesn’t come as a shock or surprise toher. She asked for it.

She isn’t quite the Mary, Queen of Heaven as in some of themore extreme Roman Catholic teachings, but neither is she the humble handmaidenof God.

And this is where I thought my book ended…

Halter brings his story of Mary of Nazareth to a conclusionwith her arrival with Joseph in Bethlehemfor the census. But that isn’t the endof the book. As a sort of epilogue he hastagged on a contemporary account of his return to Warsaw, Poland–the city of his birth – and how he was given a copy of an ancient documentwhich is, purportedly, a Gospel of Mary. This gospel then continues the story (switching to a 1^stperson voice for the first time in the book) as Mary tells of the ministry ofher son… but still it seems more about the mother than the son.

It was a strange break in the narrative. I’m not sure why Halter did this. Perhaps he worried that the book was gettingtoo long and wanted a way to short cut to the end. This was the weakest part of the book and Ireally didn’t like it. It felt like acheat.

Especially as it denies the central point of the faith based on Mary's son- his resurrection. Mary is, in this novel, part of a plot to fake Jesus' death on the cross and then to secret away his body from the tomb.

Overall I wasn’t terribly impressed by the book. It wasn’t terrible, and it did have some fineparts. I’m grateful that I’ve read (listened to) it. I’m glad to have had the chance to re-thinksome things. But it wasn’t a greatbook. And not one I’m likely torecommend.

Mary of Nazarethby Marek Halter, 2008

Now and Again (I Forget Where I Am)

2012-01-03T19:30:00.000-06:00

I made this track in Ableton Live 8 (lite) with a sound from the Freesound Project (and several other samples and midi files.)

Now and Again (I Forget Where I Am) by thatjeffcarter was here

This song is available for download.

I was also, at the beginning of the project, going to include this sound:

And that was the inspiration for the title. But in the end (after much dithering - yes...no...leave it in...take it out...) I took it out. Perhaps I'll use it another time, or now that it's available to anyone and everyone at the Freesound Project, perhaps someone else will use it in one of their projects.

Here is the sample I DID use: Space Tigers Moog Photosynth:

Starry Night in Madison Wisconsin

2012-01-02T20:18:00.000-06:00

This Starry Night Christmas pageant was held at The Salvation Army in Madison, Wisconsin. My parents are the corps officers there. My youngest brother filmed it for them.

The music is my song - The Gift of Myrrh.

First Approach

2012-01-02T02:51:00.001-06:00

First Approach by thatjeffcarter was here

I made this track for the Myloops Winter Trance Production Contest

In addition to the samples provided (from the "Dream Walker" pack) I used a few sounds from the Freesound Project

Deep Beat
Phased Ax Sweep

If you like it, feel free to download and share it.

December Biblio-blog Carnival

2012-01-01T17:24:00.000-06:00

It's that time again.

It's time for the monthly Biblio-blog Carnival: a round up of some of the great material posted to the interwebs in the field Christianity, the bible, and religion in general.

This month's collection (gathered through the month of December) is hosted at Dr. Jim's Thinking Shop. And it is huge. There's a lot to read here.

And, if I can point it out while retaining some small measure of humility, there are a couple of links to some of my material.

Check it out. It's a Carnival, Jim, but not as we know it.

This Accursed Melody - the Movie

2011-12-29T21:26:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas. I'm on vacation with my family so, of course, we are watching zombie movies. (Isn't that what every family does during holiday get-togethers?) We've even managed to coerce my mom into watching several episodes of The Walking Dead with us. She's admitted that the show is deeply compelling and well acted, but she wishes that "they'd not show so much gory stuff." I think she's missed the point...

But we're not just zombie movie watchers. We're also zombie movie makers.

Last summer, during my annual stint at music camp, I made a zombie movie with my brother and the staff and campers. We managed to film and edit the entire movie in just under a week. And everyone had a lot of fun. Some of the leaders were a bit nervous when they heard rumors of a zombie movie; they were apprehensive about it being a horror movie, but when the movie was screened on the final day of camp, every one was pleased. (At least, no one came to yell at me afterwards.)

My brother and I entered the film into a couple of film contests and festivals, but it was rejected (awww...). That was kinda' sad, but instead of being depressed about our rejection we are - finally - making it available for you to watch and enjoy - perhaps you'd like to watch and enjoy it during your next family holiday vacation.

We made extensive use of The Freesound Project - both in the music and sound effects - for this film:

Logo Crash

Olga's Table
Door slam

The Arrival

Nasty mono poly

Poly Six Chug

DX Atmos C2

Frellinnk
Rev Verb GuitarChord

Bloupr

Arrival

Hiking / Trunk

Sploosh

They Open the Trunk

Bassi Brummi

Drone 6

Women Singing

Fretless Leadsynth E2

Tense Fluctuating Drone

Hand Powered Drill No Ratchet

Rusty Music Box

This Accursed Melody (Fortissimo)

Trip Hop Driver Beat 4

Band Scene

Choir Scene

Fugue

Magnificat (Mary's Song)

2011-12-29T17:41:00.001-06:00

Magnificat (Mary's Song) by thatjeffcarter was here

This little song is based on Mary's song in the Gospel of Luke.

My soul glorifies the Lord and I rejoice,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

He has been mindful of his humble servant,
now generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
holy, holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm,
he has scattered those who are proud.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
he has filled the hungry with good things.

He has sent the rich away empty,
but he has been merciful to us.

My brother, Brad, helped me to record it this afternoon.
If you like it, feel free to download it and to share it with others.

A Christmas Blessing

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

May God grant you a merryChristmas and a happy holiday – a happy holy day.
May you be filled with the warmth of his presence,
but may you also be justcold enough to welcome the warmth of a close friend.
May you love as much as you are loved.
May your laughter be filled with glee, with a child’s delight in the unexpectedand marvelous.
May you know the awe and wonder of mysterious silences.
May you sing joyful and triumphant hymns of praise.
May God fill you with good things so that you will not be sent away empty.
May he lift you up.

May God grant you a merry Christmas, filled with love and joy and peace
(theseare so much nicer than turtledoves and partridges in pear trees…).
May you know the unknowable God just as he knows you.
May you know the light and life he brings.
May the light of life dawn in your hearts.

May God grant you a merryChristmas filled with joy.
May the rooms of your heart be open for him so that you can sing with all ofheaven and nature,
repeating the endless wonder of his joy.
May you be filled with gladness.
May you hear the good news that is for all men and all women everywhere,
that asavior, our savior, has been born.

May God grant you a merryChristmas filled with gifts and treasures.
May you have enough to meet your needs, and maybe just a little bit more sothat you
can share something with others around you.

May you be surrounded byfriends and family.
May your loved onesbe safe and protected from all kinds of harm.
May God give you peace in your family and love in your home.
May your table be a place of comfort and not merely indulgence.
May your bed bea place of rest and not just slumber.

May God grant you a merryChristmas, a mighty Christmas, a happy Christmas.
May the Christ Child be born in your heart. May the Prince of Peace rule over your life.
May you know the wonders of his kingdom – the kingdom of heaven within yourheart.
May God give you peace. May God give youa peace that is more
than merely the absence of conflict,
but a peace thatpasses all human understanding.
May God be with you and in you.
May God bless you today.

I recorded this for KJLY radio in Blue Earth, Minnesota. It should be broadcast this morning at about 8:40 AM. I thought I'd post it here for those who are not within the listening area of that station.

Dominion

2011-12-28T11:30:00.001-06:00

One of the card games that my family has been playing this week during our vacation is the game Dominion -
We've had a lot of fun with it. This song is a small soundtrack for our play.

Dominion by thatjeffcarter was here

I have, once again, utilized a number of sounds from The Freesound Project:

Sculpture V2

Polar

Motion Pulsar

Ice Floop

This song is available for download.

Jesus and the Holy Innocents

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Today is marked in the Church calendar as the day toremember the “Holy Innocents.” Matthew’sgospel tells us that King Herod was so disturbed and frightened by word of thebirth of “the king of the Jews” – a potential rival for the throne that heoccupied – that he ordered his soldiers to kill all the boys 2 years old andyounger in Bethlehemand the surrounding area.

St. Augustinecalled these slaughtered children “the first buds of the church killed bythe first frost of persecution,” and said that they died not only forChrist, but in his stead.”

This is a story that haunts me. Every time I read it, am struck by itscruelty and horror. Though it isrecorded in just a few brief words in Matthew’s infancy narrative, its impactis staggering.

One tradition, from

Greece

, asserts that 14,000 boyswere murdered in this campaign against the newborn king of the Jews. Othertraditions say 64,000 children were slaughtered, and some Medieval writersclaimed as many as 144,000 died. This is, of course, extravagant and unreasonablyoutrageous. Bethlehemwas only a small hamlet and was of little importance. Few people would havelived there at that time, perhaps only 200 or so. Modern estimates of thenumber of innocents killed by Herod range from 6 to 20 boys. But that does notin any way diminish the cruelty of King Herod the Great, the evil genius of theJudean nation. Even one state sponsored murder is one too many.

The Slaughter of the Innocents

When the soldiers came with sharpened swords
obeying orders from a paranoid and murderous king
the holy family fled across the sands to a pagan land.
Mothers screamed into the silent starry night
as their tiny infants bled out and died.
Rachel weeping for her children would not be comforted.

When heavy booted solders come again with rifles and grenades
obeying orders as patriotic soldiers always do,
   when refugees flee acrossbarb-wired borders
            when innocents are crushedbeneath the rubble
            when mothers scream intosatellite skieshow will they be comforted?

O Lord, have pity on those today who live in rough andragged places as you did; have mercy on those who, because of persecution andviolence have sought refuge and shelter in a foreign land. We know that youcare for them because you yourself were once one of them. Help us to care too. Show us how we may helpthem. Amen.

A Christmas Mystery

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

There is a mystery at Christmas. Not a who-done-it detective story wherein onecan follow certain clues and evidences in order to solve a puzzle. But there is a deep mystery, a sense ofwonder at Christmas.

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die;
to save lowly people like you and like I,
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.

There is a mystery at Christmas. Something unknown and unknowable becomesknown. Something utterly beyond comesnear. This is the mystery of Christmas –that the God who is infinitely beyond our understanding reveals himself to usin the person of Jesus of Nazareth, that the God who dwells in inaccessiblelight stepped down into darkness so that we could begin to see.

But it’s very easy to let that sense of wonder slip away. Itgets crowded out by all the other “holiday spirits.” That quiet sense of awe and astonishment getsdrowned out by noisy carols, by holiday shopping and baking and gift giving. Weconfuse that wonder with nostalgia. Wemistake that awe for cheer. And in allthe bustling excitement and good tidings of Christmas it’s easy to loose thatsense of the numinous, that awareness that something impossible,something real, and something impossibly real has happened.

The Greek word from which we derive our English word mystery– mysterion – is not merely a puzzle to be solved but is some that isrevealed for our understanding – but also something that we can never understandexhaustively. There will always bemore. We can always go deeper into thismystery.

One of the early church fathers (Theophilus of Antioch) saidthat “the form of God is ineffable and indescribable, and cannot be seenwith eyes of flesh. He is in gloryuncontainable, in greatness incomprehensible, in loftiness inconceivable, instrength incomparable, in wisdom inaccessible, in love inimitable, [and] inbeneficence inexpressible.”

And yet, the wonder of it all is that we have been given aglimpse of this invisible and indescribable God. Though veiled in flesh and blood, that infantchild born to Mary and Joseph in a cattle stall in the backwater village of Bethlehem was God incarnate. They held in their arms the uncontainable andunapproachable God. This is a mysterythat we would do well to ponder.

As We Are, One of Us

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

In the fourth century the church father Gregory of Nazianuswrote “God became human and poor for our sake, to raise up our flesh, torecover our divine image, to recreate humanity.” Or, as another of the early church fathersput it, “he became as we are, so that we might become as he is.” This is the mystery of Christmas: that theinfinite and omnipotent creator of the universe would voluntarily put aside hisdivinity in order to become one of us.

In John’s gospel we are told that the Word that was with God in the beginningand is in fact God himself became flesh and lived among us. He was, as the carol says, “Pleased as manwith man to dwell.” He made himselfnothing, for our sake.

Though he was in very nature God, he did not considerequality with God something to be grasped or exploited, but he made himselfnothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being mad in human likeness. And, being found in human likeness, hehumbled himself even further and became obedient to death, even death on across! (Philippians 2: 6- 8)

He was poor. He was weak. He was helpless. And this was for our sake.

He emptied himself of everything and made himself nothing so that he could giveus everything. This is why wecelebrate. That God became as we are sothat we could become as he is. This is an amazing love!

He came to restore a fallen and broken creation. He came to restore a ruinedrelationship. He came to make all thingsnew. When we were unable see, he came torestore our sight. When we were sick, he came to heal us. When we were poor, he came to fill us withgood things. When we were dead, he cameto raise us up and to give us life and life to the fullest.

We were unable to come to God, so God came to us as one of us.

“Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more to die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth,
Risen with healing in his wings,
light and life to all he brings.
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! Hail the Heaven born Prince of Peace!”

Walk With Me

2011-12-24T09:53:00.000-06:00

Walk with me now through this solitary place

and show me the rose that blooms
beneath moonless skies and winter’s chill.
Teach me to sing the songs of praise
that echoed from the desert hills
when half spent was the lonely prophet’s night.
Strengthen my feeble arms,
bind up my wounded feet.
Speak courage to my fearful heart
that I might find the joy of this holy night.

(based on Isaiah 35)

A Very Merry Internet Meme Christmas

2011-12-22T21:53:00.002-06:00

Till it Echoed in the Earth Below

2011-12-21T00:02:00.000-06:00

Do you know the song that the angels sang
on that night in the long ago,
when the heavens above with their music rang
till it echoed in the earth below?
- Abner P. Cobb

This atmospheric piece was made entirely from one sample from The Freesound Project
Blue Finale

If you like it, feel free to download it for your own personal or church use. It's my gift to you.

A New Year’s Song

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

In our homeless wanderings through the wilderness of ourlives

through urine puddled tattered back alleys
sleeping in hospital examination rooms and lonely cancer wards
in cities of bullet-pocked buildings
surrounded by landmines andblind one-legged children
through the valley of the shadow of meth
and the disintegrating bodies of addicts who can’t escape

a light has dawned
a voice has been heard
the banner has been raised
and the highways made smooth

Be free, be whole, be made well!

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isa. 9: 2)

LOLCat Xristmaz 2

2011-12-19T23:28:00.001-06:00

My daughter asked for a couple more, so these are for her.

Here are the previous Xristmaz kittahs

Advent 4 – Promises, Promises

2011-12-19T12:53:00.001-06:00

2 Samuel 7: 1 – 16

Psalm 89: 1 – 4, 19 – 26

Luke 1: 26 – 38

Afterthe king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all hisenemies around him,
hesaid to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, whilethe ark of God remains in a tent."

Nathanreplied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, forthe LORD is with you."

That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: "Go and tell myservant David, 'This is what the LORD says:

Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a housefrom the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have beenmoving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.
Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of theirrulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you notbuilt me a house of cedar?"'

"Nowthen, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took youfrom the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all yourenemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of thegreatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and willplant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer bedisturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at thebeginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I willalso give you rest from all your enemies. "'The LORD declares to you thatthe LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over andyou rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, whowill come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish thethrone of his kingdom forever.
I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punishhim with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love willnever be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed frombefore you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; yourthrone will be established forever.'"
2 Samuel 7:1-16 (NIV)

This reading from 2 Samuel seems like a strange text for thefourth week of Advent. It’s not very Christmas-y is it? None of our nativity set figures are in it.We don’t sing any carols about it. It seems a strange choice for the lectionaryselections for this particular Sunday. Now, I’ve heard plenty of sermons onthis week’s text from Luke concerning the annunciation to Mary and herresponse. It’s a Christmas favorite, after all. It’s been pictured in art and sung in songs. And every preacher worth his or her salt haspreached from it at some point. But I don’t know that I’ve heard an Advent orChristmas sermon from this story about King David… come to think of it, I don’tthink I’ve ever heard a sermon on this story at all.

Yet one of my favorite biblical scholars, Walter Brueggeman, says that thispassage from 2 Samuel 7 may be the most important part of the Old Testament; hesays that it is “the dramatic and theological center of the entire Samuelcorpus . . . one of the most crucial texts in the Old Testament for evangelicalfaith.”[i] Andif that is the case then it would behoove me to try to understand why. So, fora moment, let’s set aside our expectations. For a moment let’s forget all the sermons we’ve heard about the angelthat came to visit that poor and humble young maid and the announcement shereceived. Just for now, let us – you andI – go back, way back, to the legendary King David.

At this point in King David’s story things are going prettywell. He’s secured his throne from bothinternal and external forces and he is at rest. He has secured his kingship against the claims from King Saul’sdescendents and followers and he has staved off attacks from the Philistinesand, as the narrator of this story tells us, the king was settled and at restin his palace.

Not a bad life if you can get it. His palace was built from cedar wood. Maybe you have a cedar chest at home. If so, you know how nice that woodsmells. And here we find him, at restand comfortable in that beautiful palace. But he’s slightly uncomfortable.

One of the things that King David did to secure his rule asking over Israel was bringthe Ark of the Covenant from its resting place in Shiloh to the city of Jerusalem. This is seen by some as an expression of hisdevotion, but others of a more cynical stripe (myself included) see it as anact of political pragmatism. Israel, thoughthey’d had a king for some time now, was still more of a loose collection oftribes than a united nation. Buildinghis palace in and bringing the ark to the city of Jerusalem created a central point in thenation for the people to focus; it brought everyone together, it centralizedboth the politics and the religion in one place - under King David.

But there was a bit of a PR problem. The Ark of the Covenant which had always beenhoused in the tent of the tabernacle was now sitting just down the road fromthe king’s newly constructed opulent cedar palace. Suddenly that tabernacle seemed shabby andthreadbare by comparison.

"Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while theark of God remains in a tent,” King David said to his advisor, the prophetNathan. It wouldn’t do for the people of Israel to see their king living ingreater luxury than their God. So Daviddid what kings do: he decided to build a house – a temple – for God.

This is what kings do: they build things to impress and toawe. If we jump forward to the time of Jesus again for a moment we rememberthat King Herod the (not-so) Great knew that the people didn’t really trust himso he initiated numerous and massive building projects – including an extensiveremodeling and expansion of the temple in Jerusalem[ii] –to try and curry their favor.

Kings build to awe and impress and to delight their subjects. They build todemonstrate their power and their wealth. But God wasn’t impressed. That night God spoke to the prophet Nathanand told him to ask King David this question:

‘When did I ever ask for you – or anyone – to build me ahouse?’

God was quite content to have the visible symbol of hispresence – the Ark of the Covenant – in the tent of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was mobile. The tabernacle could travel. The tabernacle – the tent of God – was amongthe people.

Putting it in a permanent house within the king’s capitalcity was a way to control God and to control the people’s access to God. Thistemple wasn’t going to be an improvement.

No. God wasn’t interested in David’s plan to build him ahouse. Instead God would build a housefor David - that is, God promised that a descendant of David would always be onthe throne of Israel - thathe would protect and bless the descendants of David as they led the nation of Israel. But God has more in mind in this promise thansimply a Davidic dynasty of kings. Andthough the kingship of David and his descendants is legitimized (even blessedby God) in this chapter, our expectations are rebuffed. Things are not going to proceed as King Davidexpected. He would not be allowed tobuild the temple. [iii]

The years of history have been kind to King David. Theyglossed over the darker parts of his story - his ruthlessness and politicalmachinations - until he became “the man after God’s own heart.” He’s become the legendary King David, thebeloved hero. His life makes a greatstory, doesn’t it? He’s a winner. He’s the epitome of the rags-to-richesstory: Obscure farm boy grows up to begreat warrior, beloved king and a national hero. But that’s the whitewashed, sanitized,Sunday-school version. The real storyincludes the fact that everyone – everyone – who ever opposed or spoke outagainst David ended up dead. He waseverything that we, even to this day, despise about politicians. He flattered.He bribed. He extorted. He cajoled. He betrayed. He manipulated.

And yet he is remembered as the heroic and belovedwarrior-poet-king, and he became the model of messianic expectations. By the time of Jesus the people of Israel expectedtheir coming messiah, the descendant of David, to be one like David. They expected him to come in great power,with wealth, and pomp. They expected thewarrior-king who would lead an army to overthrow their Roman oppressors.

God never wanted a permanent house for the visible symbol of his presence amongthe people of Israel. The tabernacle was just right. It was mobile. It was among the people. Itwas not built to awe and impress and manipulate the people by a violent warriorking.[iv]

And here we are coming back around to that familiar story ofthe annunciation to Mary – but we are finding our expectations rebuffed. The promised descendant of David, the one whowould fulfill God’s promise to King David, the one who would sit on an eternalthrone would not be what the people expected.

He would not come to impress. He wouldnot come to awe. He would not come to manipulate. And he would not come withviolent military power. He came as a tabernacle and not a temple.

And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us,and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full ofgrace and truth. John 1:14 (Young’s Literal Translation)

The Kingdom of God is not like theedifices erected by kings and politicians. It is not flashy and covered withgold. It is given to the humble and the poor. The Kingdom of Godis not containable. It is mobile andmoving. It moves within the people ofGod, for that is where God is – dwelling among his people.

"Now the dwelling of God is with men,and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will bewith them and be their God.” Revelation21:3 (NIV)

The Kingdom of God is not built in violence and bloodshed. God refuses thiskind of building. His Kingdom is built by a man of peace – the Prince ofPeace. There are no swords in his kingdom.

Mary was greatly troubled athis words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not beafraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the nameJesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God willgive him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house ofJacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Luke 1:29-33 (NIV)

Amen.

***

The Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota could use your help. If you haven't already given a contribution to the Salvation Army would you consider using this online kettle to make a donation. We need to raise $23,000 in our kettles this year in order to continue the services we provide to those in Martin County who need assistance. So far we've raised about 70% of that goal and we only have a week left. Every little bit helps. Thank you.

[i] Walter Brueggemann, I and II Samuel (Louisville: JohnKnox Press, 1990), p. 253

[ii] But just as God wasn’t impressed with David’splan to build a temple neither was Jesus impressed with Herod’s temple. When his disciples expressed their awe at thesplendor of the temple, Jesus brushed it aside with a prediction of itsimminent destruction.

[iii] Andeven though Solomon was eventually allowed to build this temple – we shouldremember that it was built with slave labor and excessive taxation of thepeople. It was a monument to the Davidicdynasty – not God.

[iv] We’re told in 1 Chronicles 22: 7 – 8 thatDavid was prohibited from building the temple because he had been a man of war.

Parthenogenesis?

2011-12-18T00:18:00.001-06:00

LOLCat Xristmaz

2011-12-17T22:16:00.004-06:00

The Gingrich Who Stole Christmas

2011-12-16T11:20:00.000-06:00

The Gift of Myrrh

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Gift of Myrrh by thatjeffcarter was here

The Magi brought myrrh as a gift for the infant Jesus - a strange gift for a newborn. Myrrh was a spice used in the preparation of corpses for burial. They brought something associated with death to the newly-born messiah.

Myrrh – that third giftmentioned by Matthew – is an aromatic gum, the sap of a tree that grows inArabia and Eastern Africa. The trees are cutwith a knife; the sap oozes out and hardens into “tears” that arecollected. The tears of myrrh weresometimes crushed into powder and worn by women as an aromatic sachet. Or the myrrh powder could be mixed with wine. Wine mixed with myrrh was used asa palliative or pain killer – and was offered to Jesus as he was dying on thecross.
Myrrh, though quite expensive (valued morethan its weight in gold) was commonly used in the embalming of corpses andburned to mask the stench of death. Myrrhis a symbol of death and dying.

But even this was appropriate.

***

I used a few sounds from The Freesound Project:
Instant 02

Gong

Steampipe 7 Darkpad E2

Snimaju 225

Stretched Theremin
If you like this (and I hope you do) feel free to download it and share it with others. It's my gift to you.

Ouuuuuch

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and E.T. was with them; then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to E.T., Reach hither thy hand, and behold my hands; reach hither thy finger, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And E.T. answered and said unto him, Ouuuuch.

Promise - the Fourth Sunday of Advent

2011-12-13T14:51:00.000-06:00

This Sunday (December 18, 2011) will be the fourth Sunday of Advent. The lectionary texts for this week include:

2 Samuel 7: 1 - 11, 16
Psalm 89: 1 - 4, 19 - 26
Romans 16: 25 - 27
and
Luke 1: 26 - 38

The theme seems to be the promise that a descendant of King David would continue to lead Israel. What is an "everlasting throne"? What does it mean that Jesus occupies this throne as a victim - as the slaughtered lamb instead of the royal lion?

As before- if you like these backgrounds I've created for our power-point slides, feel free to download them (One - Waiting , Two - Prepare, and Three - Rejoice-) for your own personal or church use.

***

The Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota - like Salvation Army units everywhere - is in the middle (or just past the middle now...) of our most crucial fund-raising season. We need to raise $23,000 dollars in order to continue serving those in need in Martin County through 2012. So far we have raised just under 50% of our goal. If you haven't already given at the kettles or mailed a donation, would you consider donating - right now - via this online kettle? Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

(That link goes to a kettle set up for Fairmont, MN - but you can also use it to find the Salvation Army unit nearest to you.)

No More Christmas

2011-12-13T10:52:00.001-06:00

Let’s have no more songs for
the corpulent home-invader
and no more television specials
for that holiday thief,
that holy day subverter,
perverter.
Joy for the world isn’t found
under tinseled trees,
or wrapped in patterned paper.
It was wrapped in cloths
and laid into the poverty of
a squalid cow stall.

Let’s have no more toy driven
celebrations of a fraudulent saint,
Get thee behind me, Santa.

I wrote this a few years ago(2007). I bring it out now and then to amuse myself and others.

Keep the Thor in Thursday

2011-12-12T17:33:00.001-06:00

Let's keep the Thor in Thursday! Share this if you're with me!

Christ and the Dragon

2011-12-12T11:33:00.000-06:00

We don't have very much information about the childhood ofJesus. Only two of the four Gospelsincluded in the New Testament (Matthew and Luke) have anything to say about thebirth and childhood of our Savior.

The rarity of information about the childhood of Jesus inthe scriptures led to a hunger of early Christians for more detail about theearly life of Jesus. This hunger was filled by a number of apocryphal writings in the 2nd century and later known as the"Infancy Gospels" – none of which were accepted by the Church asDivinely inspired Scripture, but were nonetheless very popular and considereduseful. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew(allegedly written by Matthew himself) is one of these Infancy Gospels.

In this text the holy families flight into Egypt (Matthew2: 13 – 18) is elaborated. Where theGospel of Matthew is sparse with details, the apocryphal gospel ofPseudo-Matthew fills in some of those gaps, and like the Evangelist linked theevents of Christ's life with texts from the Old Testament.

And when Herod saw that he had been made sport of by themagi, his heart swelled with rage, and he sent through all the roads, wishingto seize them and put them to death. Butwhen he could not find them at all; he sent anew to Bethlehem and all its borders, and slew allthe male children whom he found of two years old and under, according to thetime that he had ascertained from the magi.

Now the day before this was done Joseph was warned in his sleep by the angel ofthe Lord, who said to him, "Take Mary and the child, and go into Egypt by way ofthe desert. And Joseph went according to the saying of the angel.

And having come to a certain cave, and wishing to rest init, the blessed Mary dismounted from her beast, and sat down with the childJesus in her bosom. And there withJoseph and three boys, and with Mary a girl, going on the journey along withthem. And, lo, suddenly there came forthfrom the cave many dragons; and when the children saw them, they cried out ingreat terror.

Then Jesus went down from the bosom of His mother, and stoodon His feet before the dragons; and they adored Jesus, and thereafter retired.Then was fulfilled that which was said by David, the prophet, saying, "Praisethe Lord from the earth, ye dragons; ye dragons and all ye deeps." (Psalm 148:7) And the young child Jesus, walking before them, commanded them to hurtno man.

But Mary and Joseph were very much afraid lest the childshould be hurt by the dragons. And Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid,and do not consider me to be a little child; for I am and always have beenperfect; and all the beasts of the forest must needs be tame before me."

Merry Christmas, indeed!

"Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons; ye dragonsand all ye deeps." From the beginning of scripture the promise was madethat the dragon, the serpent, the enemy of mankind would bow before the LordJesus, and be crushed beneath his feet. The infant Jesus was the offspring of the woman who would break thepower of sin and death and trample upon the serpent.

***

Just a reminder. We have 12 days of bell-ringing left (including today). The Salvation Army of Fairmont, MN needs to raise $23,000 in our kettles so that we can continue to provide assistance to those residents of Martin County who struggle to make ends meet. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. If you'd like to donate to the Salvation Army of Fairmont / Martin County MN you can use this link. (You can also use that link to find The Salvation Army unit nearest to you...) Thank you for thinking of us during this season.

Advent 3 - Rejoice: Good News for the Poor!

2011-12-11T22:11:00.001-06:00

I have sometimes been accused of having no holidaycheer. People have said that I don’tknow how to celebrate Christmas. And,while it may be true that I tend toward the melancholic, I do know that we areto Rejoice during Advent - these weeks before Christmas.

I may grumble at way the holiday (that is “holy-day”) hasbecome an orgy of consumerism and greed. I may snarl a little bit every time someone mentions Santa Claus orFrosty or Rudolf. I may say “merryChristmas, move along,” as my holiday greeting, but I really do – deep down inmy two-sizes-too-small-heart believe in Rejoicing during this season.

The lectionary gives us two related texts for this third Sunday of Advent. We have before us a reading from the prophetIsaiah (61: 1 – 4, 8 – 11) and from the gospel of Luke (1: 46 – 55). Bothmention rejoicing. But I am convincedthat that Rejoicing has nothing to do with carols, or Christmas trees, orgifts, or any of that stuff. (None ofthat is bad, of course. You can have it if you want it.) The Joy of Advent – the Reason for theSeason, if you will, is not in any of those things.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed meto preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for theprisoners,
toproclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, tocomfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow onthem a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead ofmourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will becalled oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of hissplendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

"For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In myfaithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among thepeoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD hasblessed."
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothedme with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as abridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself withher jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, sothe Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before allnations.Isaiah 61:1-4, 8 - 11 (NIV)

This is the text that Jesus adopted as his “missionstatement,” and in it we find what should be reason for the season. This is the good news that should cause us torejoice. Unfortunately we rarely hearthis good news. We rarely hear thisgospel.

This is why we should rejoice – because God has good newsfor the poor. His anointed servant willbind up the broken hearted, will proclaim freedom to the captives, and willrelease those imprisoned in darkness. God’s anointed servant will announce that this is the year of God’sfavor.

And this means something. This is the announcement of the year of Jubilee. In the torahgiven by God to his people they were instructed to celebrate every 7^thday as a Sabbath day of rest. They werealso told to celebrate every 7^th year as a Sabbath year of rest forthe land. And they were also to celebrate every seventh 7^th year-that is, every 49^th [i]asa year of Jubilee. During this year alldebts were to be cancelled. Slaves wereto be set free. Prisoners were to be released and property that had been soldwas to be returned to its original owner.

This is good news, indeed. All debts cancelled, property returned, slaves andprisoners released! Can you imagine? This would be reason to rejoice.

But we rarely hear this good news. Instead we are told that the “year of God’sfavor” means his grace, his love, and his mercy toward us. And all of that is true. But it isn’t the whole truth.

The truth is that God is concerned for the poor – moreconcerned than many of his followers have been.[ii] Too often the church and God’s followers havesided with the rich and the powerful. Wehave marginalized the poor. We havedismissed them. We call them lazy. We call them greedy. And we establish laws and practices to makesure that the poor stay that way.

But the law given by God to his people included this “year of God’s favor” sopoverty would never become a crippling condition for the people, so that thegap between the rich and powerful on top and the poor and struggling beneathwould not continue to grow larger year after year. The law of God protected the poor.

Now I will admit that this year of Jubilee would not eliminate poverty. No. Itwas not a magic cure-all. But the yearof Jubilee made it impossible for generationafter generation to be crushed under poverty. There would be a regularlyscheduled redistribution of the wealth.

And this was good news for the poor. Good news, indeed, for the poor – but can you imagine the horror of ourcontemporary leaders? Redistribution ofthe wealth? Cancellation of debts? What that’s downright socialist!

And what is it that Mary, themother of God sang after the angel announced that she would carry the messiahin her womb?

AndMary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord
andmy spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on allgenerations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who areproud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."
Luke 1:46-55 (NIV)

Did you hear that? She was rejoicing, just like the prophet Isaiah, and for the samereason. Mary, the mother of God rejoicedbecause God had good news for the poor.

Listen to her: “Hehas brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the humble.”
Why, she’s talking about revolution and the overthrow of governments!

Listen to her: “He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away empty.”
Why, she’s talking about class-envy and class warfare. She’s talking like a Marxist![iii]

This isn’t to say that God dislikes the rich, or that therich are evil because they are rich. But, instead, that God has sent them away because they’ve already hadenough. They’ve had their rewardalready.

I struggled all week to collect and to organize my thoughtsfor this sermon so that I could speak without sounding angry.[iv]But I am so very tired of hearing those who would call themselves Christiansderide the poor. I am disgusted by thosewho talk about the ‘faith that made America strong’ but ignore the cryof the poor.

The Lord hears the cry of the poor. He has good news forthem, and it’s not merely a pie-in-the-sky-someday-by-and-by kind of goodnews. Too often the church has sidedwith the rich and told the poor that they will have their reward inheaven. But if the Kingdom of Godis here (and Jesus said that it is, that it is within us!) then we have ourmission statement laid out for us.

We are to announce the good news – the gospel – to the poor. If we are to rejoice during this season… ifwe want to celebrate the reason for the season, then we need to announce thegood news to the poor.

[i] Or 50^th – depending on thecounting and interpretation…

[ii] I’ll be more willing to believe that this isa “Christian” nation when we start putting this into practice.

[iii] Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to saythat Marx spoke like Mary!

[iv] It didn’t work. I was (am) angry.

Magnificat

2011-12-11T20:19:00.001-06:00

“My soul does magnify the Lord,”
sang mother Mary, the communist
picture her in cast-off
military fatigues and work clothes
instead of silken sky blue robes.
God’s humble handmaid was, after all,
a peasant girl,
not the Queen of Heaven.

Her manifesto in song:
Scatter the proud like dust.
Topple thrones of tyrant power.
Fill the hungry with fine food
and send the rich away with empty stomachs,
empty wallets.

This is the sort of leftist propaganda
we expect from godless socialists
and liberal secular humanists,
but from the holy mother of God?
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
What was she thinking?

Lullaby for the Holy Innocents

2011-12-10T23:47:00.000-06:00

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. - Matthew 2:16 (NIV)

I find myself returning again and again and again to this story. It haunts me.

If you like this little song, you may download it - here - for your personal or church use.

Salvation Army Red Kettle - Did You Know?

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

If you'd like to donate to the Salvation Army you can use the latest incarnation of that Red Kettle - the red kettle of the digital age.

The Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota needs to raise $23,000 in our red kettles during this season. Your contribution will help us to reach that goal.

And on a personal level - it will help me out immensely. My friend Brian has challenged me to see which of us can raise the most in our on-line kettles. The loser will have to participate in a polar bear plunge. Wouldn't you like to help the Salvation Army meet it's Christmas goal? Wouldn't you like to keep me out of the icy waters? Thanks for thinking of us during this season.

Music for The Magi's Caravan

2011-12-08T22:08:00.000-06:00

This is a song for those fabled Persian astrologers who journeyed to find the infant king.

The Magi's Caravan by thatjeffcarter was here

If you like it, feel free to download and share with a friend.

I used this cymbal roll from the Freesound Project. The rest I played on a midi keyboard and used Abelton Live8 (lite) to put it all together.

Rejoice - The Third Sunday of Advent

2011-12-08T09:25:00.000-06:00

The texts for Sunday include a couple of my favorite passages - Mary's "magnificat" and the passage that Jesus appropriated as his "mission statement,"- and both are concerned with Rejoicing.

Though, the reason for that rejoicing is often over looked - because if we were to actually pay attention to what the prophet said or what Mary sung, we might start to think that they were... (gasp!)...socialists.

Psalm 126
Isaiah 61: 1 - 4, 8 - 11
Luke 1: 46 - 55

As before ( Advent 1, Advent 2), if you like this series of Advent power-point backgrounds, you are free to copy them for your own personal or church use.

And if you'd like to make a donation to The Salvation Army at this time, you can use this on-line red kettle.
The Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota needs to raise $23,000 in our kettles this year. This will allow us to continue serving those with great needs throughout all of next year. (You can use this link to find the Salvation Army nearest to you, as well.) Thank you for thinking of us at this time.

The Slaughter of the Innocents

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

…the first buds of the church killed by the first frostof persecution;
they died not only for Christ, but in his stead. – St. Augustine

When the soldiers came with sharpened swords
obeying orders from a paranoid and murderous king
the holy family fled across the sands to a pagan land.
Mothers screamed into the silent starry night
as their tiny infants bled out and died.
Rachel weeping for her children would not be comforted.

When heavy booted solders come again with rifles and grenades
obeying orders as patriotic soldiers always do,
            when refugees flee acrossbarb-wired borders
            when innocents are crushedbeneath the rubble
            when mothers scream intosatellite skies
how will they be comforted?

(I wrote this in 2007.)

Christmas at The Salvation Army

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

A Salvation Army Christmas service - complete with band, songsters and a sermon. Dig those crazy bonnets and stand up tunics...

If you haven't donated at the kettles in front of the grocery stores, or sent in a donation through the mail, perhaps you'd like to use this online kettle?

When the Dead Speak

2011-12-06T09:00:00.001-06:00

She could hear the rumbling of the iron chariots, even atthis distance, so when the potter’s long-legged son came running back to thevillage to report between winded breaths that the Philistine army was camped atShunem and that they were “as numerous (gasp, gasp) as (gasp) the stars!” she wasn’t surprised. The boy may have been prone to the naturalexaggeration of youth, but she didn’t doubt that the Philistines were numerous,indeed. Nor did she doubt the rumblingsin the ground. She’d seen thePhilistines in their chariots of iron before. She had seen them crashing down the countryside, smashing anyone whoattempted to stand against them. She knew what those bone jarring vibrationsshaking the land meant: they meant death and destruction.

Years ago, the Philistines had been driven out by the armyof Israel led by the thennewly crowned king of Israel,King Saul. He immediately conscriptedevery able bodied man with a sword – and many without swords. They fought withnothing more than the farm implements they carried from home. Untrained andunarmed they might have been but they drove the Philistines out of Israel. In recent years, however, the Philistines hadbeen encroaching back into their former territories in Israel and KingSaul now seemed powerless to stop them.

The men of her village seemed to think that Saul and hisarmy were gathering near Mt. Gilboa and that a battlebetween the two forces was immanent. Many of them were already leaving their fields and taking theirpitchforks to join up. “Israel for Israel,” they shouted. They hoisted their makeshift weapons into theair and shouted again, “For Israel,King Saul and for God!”

She smiled as she worked; not because she shared theirfervor for the defense of the Promised Land but because bloody battles weregood for business. Soon there would begrieving mothers who wanted to speak to their dead sons just once more andwives who wanted to hear one more “I love you,” from missing husbands. No matter who won the battle - thePhilistines with their armored chariots or Saul with his rag-tag conscripts -the families of those who died in the field of battle would come to her. She was the witch of En-Dor and conjured thedead.

For a fee she could call forth the spirits of the deceased.She could bind them and force them to speak if they proved recalcitrant. She could charm their secrets from them. She knew the secrets of necromantic magic.

Necromancy was, of course, outlawed in Israel. The Torahbrought down by Moses from his mountaintop interview with Yahweh had declaredthat witches and sorcerers should not be suffered to live. The Law of Moses demanded that necromancersshould be put to death by stoning. However, what the law required and what the people practiced were notalways exactly in agreement. She’dmaintained the rites handed down to her by her mother and grandmother and greatgrandmother, despite the prohibitions of the Torah.

After his anointing as king over the tribes of Israel by the prophet Samuel, Saul had attemptedto bring Israelinto compliance with the demands of the Torahby banishing diviners, necromancers, and witches from the land. And he’d nearly been complete in hisefforts. But with a well placed bribeand the remembrance of conjures of the past, she’d been able to keep her placein En-Dor, though she practiced in secret these days, and always with asuspicious and watchful eye.

The people of En-Dor and its neighboring regions wanted hearwhat the dead had to say despite the prohibitions of Moses and Torah. The dead could describe future events or locate missing treasure. The dead could give advice to the desperateor comfort the lonely. The dead knew things that the living could notknow. And the people, living people,came to her because she knew the secrets of conjuring up the sprits of thedead. When the dead speak the livinglistened; though, as she warned those that came to her, what the dead had tosay wasn’t always pleasant or comforting.

She knew the old magic and the old prayers; prayers thatwere already old when the tower of Babel was left abandoned to collapse untended in theplains of Shinar.She knew conjuring charms that were old even before the world had been wipedclean by the flood that Noah and his family alone survived. They’d been taught to her by her mother, andher mother had been taught in turn by her mother, and so on back through theyears to an obscure past when the Great Mother and her vulture wingedattendants had taught them to the first priestesses of settled civilization.

Now she prepared to perform those secret and sacred ritesonce more. From a shelf along one of thered-ochre stained walls she gathered a number of clay jars, and placed them ona low wooden table. Each jar was marked with a symbol painted with the samered-ochre that stained the walls. Onejar contained crystallized myrrh, the hardened sap of a tree that grew in thedesert peninsula south of Kedar, another held a mixture of powdered spices:cinnamon, clove, coriander, another contained olive oil. Everything worked better with a little oliveoil. The other jars containedingredients that were more or less mundane but the last of the jars wasunmarked. It held ingredients withoutname and passed down in secret through generations of her family.

In the center of her single room home was a fire pit; duginto the earthen floor. She removed theiron grate that lay over the pit and arranged an armload of wood for burning.She would need the coals. With theflames lit and devouring the wood and the rising smoke drifting upward throughthe hole cut in the ceiling, she replaced the iron grate and went outside. It would be too hot inside until the sun hadset.

The sun had already crossed its zenith in the sky and was descending towardsthe western horizon. She had only a fewhours before darkness, but that was plenty of time to complete her preparations. She smiled again thinking of those who wouldcome to her when the battle was over. Philistia or Israel.It mattered little, to her, who won, except that the Philistines would be morewilling to allow her practice. Dagon,the Philistine god, wasn’t nearly as particular about such things as Yahweh,the deity worshipped by the Hebrews. Dagon laid no prescriptions againstdivination on his worshippers.

Looking south, toward Mount Gilboa,she considered King Saul and the army rumored to be encamped there. ‘He’s not much of king, anymore,’ shethought. Though he started off wellenough - routing the Philistines and uniting the often quarreling tribes ofIsraelites into a cohesive nation - somewhere along the way things began tofall apart for the first king of Israel. King Saul had lost the approval of theprophet Samuel, and with Samuel, the approval of Yahweh, the god for whom hespoke. And now, talk among peoplethroughout the country was of one David ben Jesse from the tribe of Judah who wouldsoon replace Saul as king. Hisdaughter, Michel, had already been given to David in marriage, and his sonJonathan was said to love David at least as much as the women of Israel who sangDavid’s name in the streets as they danced with their tambourines. “Saulhath slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.”

She finished gathering the necessary materials and returnedto her home before nightfall.

The glowing red coals shimmered beneath the iron grate. All would be ready when they came. She was prepared.

*** *** ***

A pounding on the door woke her. She lurched, frightened, from the pallet ofstraw where she slept. The room was darkexcept for the still glowing coals. Another pound on the door rattled the shelves along one wall.

“Yes. Yes.” She called out. “Allow an old woman a moment to gather herself.”

She lit an oil lamp to illuminate the room and shadowsflared. Through the ventilation openingin the ceiling she could see the crescent moon like the curved horns of somecelestial bull in the sky. It was latein the night, but still too early for any of the battlefield victims’ familiesto have come to her. The battle wouldn’tbe engaged for another several hours, at least. She was wrapping a scarf around her head when the door was banged again.

“You are impatient” she said as she unfastened the bolt thatheld the door secured. She opened thedoor. Outside, in the dim light of thewaning moon, stood a bearded man, tall and muscular. A sword was strapped to his waist with anornamented leather belt. Yet, despitehis size and build, he was shuffling nervously; glancing behind him, looking tosee if he’d been followed or observed. She hesitated briefly before invitinghim inside. It was unlikely that thiswas a trap, but still, witches were sometimes burned in Israel.

She closed the door behind him and refastened the bolt. “Visitors in the night are often unwelcome,”said the witch. “They bring trouble.” She lit another lamp and the shadows in the room danced wickedly. Thehorns of a bull mounted above the door cast long curved shadows like sicklesacross the room. The stranger flinchedfrom the light as she held the lamp high to examine him.

“I mean you no harm,” said the man.

“You may not, “she said before pausing to examine his face. “You may not intend any harm, but I can seethat death follows you, and I’d rather he not come through my door thisevening.” She paused again. “Your face is familiar, even though you’vetried to disguise yourself. And yoursword and belt betray your peasant outfit. Who are you?”

The man quivered where he stood; his knees buckled. “Please,” he said. “I need your help. I need you to disclose thefuture to me.”

She continued to stare at him. “How do you suppose I could do that? I am just an old woman.”

“By means of a spirit. I know that youare the witch of En-Dor. You can conjurethe one I name to you.”

The witch woman lowered her lamp and retreated across the room. “You must know that King Saul has outlaweddivination and banished wizards from the land. Were I to do this for you I could be killed. Are you trying to lay a trap for my life?”she hissed.

“I swear,” said man, “I swear by Yahweh, the living God,that nothing will happen to you because of this.” When she still hesitated, he drew a pouchfrom his robe and tossed it to her feet. The coins inside clanked harshly in the silence. Stooping down, she swept the coin purse offthe ground and into a fold of her garments with a startling swiftness.

“All right visitor in the night,” she said. “Whom shall Iconjure for you?”

The stranger lowered his eyes and starred at the dirt floor.When he finally whispered his answer it was with the hesitancy produced byguilt and fear. “I need to speak withthe prophet Samuel.”

The light of the smoldering coals and the flickering lampsreflected bright in wide eyes of the witch woman. “Samuel!” she spat. “No one would dare call for that departedprophet but King Saul. You are the king,aren’t you? Why does the king who drivesmediums and wizards out of the land come to the witch of En-Dor in the dark ofnight, disguised and distressed? Whatdo you want?”

“Please,” said the ashen faced king. In the reflected red light of the witch’sroom he appeared skeletal and rotted. “Whilehe was alive, the prophet spoke for the living God, and Israelprospered. And since his death, Yahweh has been silent. I am desperate now; desperate for hiswords. I need help that only the prophetcan give me, and only you can contact him.” The king begged, “Please, conjure up the spirit of Samuel, the prophet.”

After a moment she nodded. “Do not speak,” she said toSaul. “I will conjure up the spirit ofSamuel for you, but you must remain silent.” Saul sat cross legged on the ground and nodded. The witch began her rite in silence.

From the jars she’d laid out earlier she drew out variousmeasurements of the aromatic powders and mixed them together in a copperbowl. From another clay flask she pouredout a measure of oil which she used to mark her forehead and the forehead ofthe king.

“Keep your silence,” she warned him when he opened his mouth. Saul obeyed, butchewed the inside of his lip in frustration.

She held her right hand into the air and flashed a threefingered gesture toward the moon visible through the ventilation opening in theceiling, then swung her arm down toward the pit and repeated the gesture. With her left hand she drew out a pinch ofthe mixed powder at the four cardinal points around the pit. A second time she made the hand gesturetoward the moon and the fire pit and sprinkled the powder into the coals. For a moment the coals flared up in blueflames.

A third time she raised her hand toward the moon and flashedthe same three fingered gesture. Then,speaking a low deep voice, she uttered the secret words taught to her by hermother. She carefully poured out thecontents of the unmarked jar over the coals. Immediately a stench like rotted meat and orchids filled the room asheavy smoke billowed up from the pit. The thick smoke rolled through the room instead of floating upwards andout the opening in the ceiling. KingSaul rocked backwards, away from the pit, choking on the smoke, but the witchof En-Dor continued her incantation.

These were the words of an old and nearly forgotten language. She knew them well. They had been taught to her by her mother,who had learned them from her mother, but tonight they sounded wrong in her ears;they felt wrong as they flew from her lips and tongue. She paused to breathe and re-centerherself. It was the presence of KingSaul that was making her nervous; that was all. But the words stumbled from her tongue like a crippled dog. There was no magic in them tonight. They were empty. Something was growing.

Suddenly the witch woman shrieked and scrambled backwardsacross the dirt floor.

“What is it?” Saul shouted as he jumped to his feet. “Whatdo you see?”

“I see a spirit rising from the depths of the earth. He comes from sheol, the realm of the dead.” This wasn’t right. She hadn’t finished the incantation. She hadn’t yet called for the spirit butalready a spirit appeared.

“Who is it? Is it Samuel?” asked the king; fearful andimpatient.

The figure of a man began to take shape in the rollingclouds of foul smelling smoke. “He is anold man wrapped in a cloak,” said the witch. She opened her mouth to say more, but just then a voice spoke from thecloud of smoke.

“Why have you disturbed my rest?” said the voice of Samuel,and Saul recognized his voice – that voice that had so often comforted anddirected him now terrified him. Saulflung himself to the ground.

“Samuel, I need your help. I am in danger, great danger. ThePhilistines have gathered to invade and God has rejected me. He will not speak to me. Tell me, Samuel, what should I do?”

The smoke continued to billow up from the coals in thepit. The oil lamps scattered around theroom flickered and snuffed out; their smoldering wicks added more smoke to thealready oppressive cloud that filled the room.

“Ever foolish, Saul, you are seeking among the dead for thevoice of the living God,” thundered the voice of the prophet from within thesmoke. “If he has abandoned you, Saul, what can you do? If Yahweh has become your enemy, what can Ido for you?”

Saul lurched forward on his knees with his hands stretchedout into the smoke, “Please, Samuel. Tell me what I should do. Adviseme, as you did before.”

The spirit shape within the swirling cloud seemed to swellin size. “There is nothing more to saythan has already been said. Because youdisobeyed him, the Lord of heaven has rejected you as king of Israel. Your kingdom will be given, instead, toDavid. And, what is more, tomorrow theLord will deliver Israelinto the hands of the Philistines. Youand your sons will die in the battle.”

Saul wailed and beat his fists against his furrowed brow.“Is there nothing else? Is there noother way?”

The figure in the cloud was already fading. “Tomorrow, youwill be with me.”

The sound of a great wind filled the room and the oppressivesmoke rushed out into the night sky, obscuring the moon and stars. Saul collapsed in a heap upon the floor ofthe witch’s house, sobbing for all that he’d lost and all that he would lose bythe time the sun had reached its next zenith over the battlefield. The witch woman covered him with ablanket. She could give him nocomfort. The dead had spoken.

Vintage Salvation Army Adverts with Bill Cosby

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hey Hey Hey.

If you'd like to donate to the Salvation Army right this very moment you can use this online kettle. This link goes to a kettle for the Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota, but you can use it to find the Salvation Army unit nearest you. Thanks for your support this season.

December Dare - A Freesound Challenge

2011-12-04T21:54:00.000-06:00

My favorite musical resource in the past couple of years has been the Freesound Project. It is a vast -seemingly inexhaustible - database of sounds of all kinds. There are natural sounds, artificial sounds, and strange sounds. There are musical bits and atonal pieces. Animal noises. Sound effects. Everything. Seriously.

And if you can't find the sound that you need, there are hundreds of members who are willing to find it / create it and record it for you.

And - best of all - to share it with you ... free.

But it's more than just a warehouse of sounds. And it's more than just a list of go-to sound engineers . It's also a place for musicians and producers and hobbyists to challenge themselves and their musical production skills. Every so often the members of the Freesound Project challenge each other with a "Dare." A musical gauntlet is thrown down - can you make a song using only animal sounds, or using only sounds that are shorter than 2 seconds? Can you make a song using only the sound of thunderstorms and frogs? (This was an actual dare some time ago...)

This month the challenge was to let the random "sound of the day" selector choose 10 sounds for us to work with. We could fold, spindle and mutilate these 10 sounds in whatever fashion, and using whatever software and recording equipment we wanted - provided that we use all 10 sounds and only these 10 sounds.

And here is what I've created - my December Dare:

December Dare by thatjeffcarter was here

If you like it, you should download it for your continued amusement... and tell a friend.

Here are the 10 samples we were given to work with, and a brief description of what I did to them:

E - I took this very short sample and stretched it out with Adobe Soundbooth and applied copious amounts of reverb effects to it even before plugging it into my song - once there I added more reverb and shifted the pitch up and down a couple of steps.

Steampipe 7 Dark Pad C2 This drone is the foundation for the rest of the song. I didn't change it much. I just made several copies of it and faded them together so that it sounds like one long continuous sound.

18 - I tried several different ways of working with this sound before I finished. I tried cutting smaller bits out and rearranging it... I tried stretching it out (something I like to do to sounds... you can find all kinds of new and interesting sounds that way.) But I finally just dropped the pitch and played it at half speed - along with some reverb and delay.

Hinge - This rusty hinge sound I stretched out and dropped the pitch.

Radio Blurb - I shifted the pitch on this one, as well, both up and down.

Running Water This one is all but unrecognizable after I was done with it. I stretched it out and shifted the pitch way up. It began as a very soothing babbling brook and I made it into a strange sci-fi kind of sound

Hardkick 2

Inside Another Trash Compactor

Vocal Syllables These three sounds I stretched out (but not very much) and dropped the pitches a little bit. Then, with a little bit of reverb and delay, they became nice percussive sounds

Cascade of the Ketagwa This was the last sound for me to include. And I would have been content to leave it out... but the rules of dare said I had to include it. So I dropped the pitched, warped it forwards and backwards and added lots and lots of reverb and delay. Instead of running water, it now sounds like wind.

If you'd like to hear the other Freesound members responses to this Dare you can check out this link. They'll post them here as they are finished. My friend, Klankbeeld, has already posted his piece and it's very nice.