happy haiku friday!

christmas, christmas time

is near. time for joy and time

for credit card debt.

do you ever get stuck on a song?

from the first note you feel a lump in your throat. as you listen to the song you realize that somehow, in this moment and by God's grace, this song has become a sacrament. so you partake of the song not just once, but time and again. once that song is lifted up and transubstantiated, you can never listen to it in quite the same way again.

allow me to share with you a few songs that have become, for me, sacramental:

have a little faith by john hiatt
faith my eyes by derek webb
we are not as strong as we think we are by rich mullins
freddie freeloader by miles davis
big country by bela fleck and the flecktones
come thou fount
a mighty fortress is our God by martin luther

imitating terry gross

i'm not crazy about my job. i hate rotating featured products like a virtual bookwhore, constructing a feature page for the way of the master products and counting myself among those who make their living off the commodification of christianity.

however, from time to time i am able to interview an author i am actually interested in. these brief conversations (almost) make my job worthwhile. so, as a means of career therapy, i have provided links to a few of these interviews on the right. i intend for these links to serve as a constant reminder that, occasionally, my job is palatable. if you happen to find the interviews interesting, that's an added bonus.

gratitude

on friday evening i took advantage of a commercial break to go into the kitchen and turn on the kettle. in the fraction of a second between turning the knob to 'light' and seeing the blue flame scorch the bottom of the kettle, i realized that this was our stove. this appliance as well as the cold gray tile under my bare feet was entrusted to us by God and the DeFranzas. the latter commissioned us to 'use the house for Jesus.' we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity they have given us to do so.

today i give thanks to God and the DeFranzas for the home they have given us. i pray that kellie and i will never take our home for granted, but will remember that it is sacrament of God given for the people of God.