Pass_the_Aura's Xanga

God's Little Instruction Book?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:33:34 GMT

A lot of people seem to read the Bible this way:

[Note: that's apparently an actual book, oddly enough, but the following is not any kind of review or comment on it; I haven't read it and don't plan to.]

God’s Little Instruction Book. Sounds pretty good, no? You want to know what to do or not to do in your life, you flip open to the right chapter-and-verse in the book and it tells you. Thou shalt give 10% of thy net income to charity bi-weekly (1 Hesitations 3:15). Thou shalt not eat meat that is overly high in sodium (3 Bob 11:9). Thou shalt tell three people a week to read this book for themselves (Leeroy 22:6). Thou shalt be a good boy and share thy toys with Tommy (Obscurities 47).

I kid, but I know we’ve all heard that kind of thing before, in all those sermons and tracts and articles and self-help books. And sure, there are many parts of the Bible that you can take more or less that way without too much difficulty. The book of Proverbs, anyone? The Ten Commandments? Why not?

The problem is, if you just pull out verses here and there looking for instructions about what to do, you’re not really looking at the book for what it is. A few minutes of study will reveal the obvious fact that the Bible (with the possible exception of certain parts of Proverbs) wasn’t written as a collection of isolated moral aphorisms. The chapter and verse numbers we know and love were added by editors over 1300 years after the Bible was written—helpful for reference and study, of course, but not part of the text.

So if you just take the instructions and never get around to studying the text as a whole, eventually you’ll start to miss some important things about the Bible itself—like maybe why these particular instructions were given. What if the instructions themselves aren’t even the point? What if they’re afterthoughts, expansions, and applications of a larger and more significant point? What if (since God has, I believe, an ironic sense of humor) the point is, “Don’t read this book as an instruction book to follow the rules; read it to follow Jesus”?

Some people might object to that thought, being used to the “Little Instruction Book” paradigm (or “legalism” as it’s technically called). Some even object to it eloquently. Not long ago I left a comment on another website pointing out that just because a certain scheme of behavior quotes from the Bible doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a Christian scheme—it could be a legalistic scheme, whereas a Christian scheme is one that follows Jesus. In response I got this well-worded reply:

“Sorry, but I make no distinction between the two. To me, following the Bible… is the very same thing as just following Jesus. Where does anyone get Jesus's words? I'd assume from the Bible. If someone follows the Bible, they also follow Jesus; it's all the same. To me this self-professed Christian couple [in a fictional illustration of failure at rule-keeping—EP] who followed the Bible were following God's will and Jesus's will by following the, you could call it, Bible's will. … I can't see why you demand that everyone parse out guidance from Jesus from guidance from the Bible when you get one from the other.”

Fair enough points, on the whole. If we’re trying to answer the question “How do you learn what God’s will is?” the answer of course is “Read the Bible (assuming the Bible is what Christians believe it to be).” The action of reading a book is more or less the same, whatever your motivations are.

The thing is, having read the Bible quite a bit, I don’t think that God’s will, or Jesus’ will, or the Bible’s will (can a book have a will?) is for us to follow rules for rules’ sake. I think God’s will is for us to know Jesus. In other words, where my acquaintance sees no distinction, I see all the distinction in the world.

Think of the difference this way. Say somebody hands you a book and says, “Here, this book tells you what to do or not to do.” “Who says so?” “Mr. X says so, and he should know.” That’s the system my acquaintance objects to, and I think quite rightly so.

Now suppose somebody hands you a book and says this: “You should really get to know this friend of mine. You’d like him a lot. This is a book about him. It tells about some things he did, some conversations he had with people, and even some things he likes and doesn’t like so you can avoid offending him. Actually, reading this book is probably the best way to get to know him, except for talking to him yourself.”

What’s the difference? You mean, what isn’t the difference? In one, the system is all about the rules; in the other, the system is all about the relationship. In one, you get to know some things to do; in the other, you get to know a person. In one, following the rules is based on some unspecified appeal to authority; in the other, the rules are based on friendship.

This might look like a good setup for a debate over the validity of these two conflicting methods of reading the Bible. But there’s a way that could be short-circuited. What if you looked in the Little Instruction Book, hoping to find some rules to live by, and found these commandments: “(56) For goodness’ sake, don’t read this book like it’s just a Little Instruction Book! (57) Instructions on their own won’t do you any good anyway! (58) Read it to develop a friendship with the person it’s about!”

That would be delightfully ironic. That would be a spectacular way to answer the question. That would be what the Bible actually says.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations––“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)––according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23 ESV)

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28-29 ESV)

The rules, according to Jesus as recorded in the Bible, aren’t effective on their own, and aren’t what God wants us to be concerned with anyway. The real subject of the Bible, again according to the Bible, is not rules but Jesus Himself:

[Jesus speaking] You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:44-47)

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. (Acts 8:35)

What does God want us to be concerned with? Why did He send Jesus? Simple: God wants us to know Him.

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

[Jesus speaking] And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. (Jeremiah 24:7)

But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD… (Jeremiah 29:12-14a)

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

So forget the instructions. Forget the legalism. Forget the rules. Forget everything except this one fact: There is a God who is the most amazing, wonderful, and loving of all personal beings, and He wants you to know Him. Like a friend. Like a Father.

And if you want to find out how to know Him, well, I can recommend a book.

Visit ericpazdziora.com for all the latest news, updates, and strange pictures of Charlton Heston.

Friday Updates: The Sublime and the Ridiculous

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:52:36 GMT

"It appears that this is the time of the week on which we usually see some News and Updates, is it not?"

"Correct as usual, King Friday."

"Upon my soul, I believe the thirteenth of the month has fallen upon a Friday."

"Correct as usual, King Friday XIII... hey, wait..."

Here's all the latest, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

1. Music and Such

If you're going to be in the Chicago area on December 18, then you'll want to come to Christmas on the Town, our church's annual Christmas concert. Our church is fortunate to have no shortage of good quality musicians, so it's always a treat. I'm working on a new choral arrangement of "Away in a Manger" (the Kirkpatrick tune--the English one that actually sounds pretty), and Carrie is sure to make an appearance as well. For more information, check out this link to the church website (which, by the way, is extremely cool for a church website).
"The Pilgrim's Progress" is progressing. This week it's a flashy solo for the brazen temptress Madam Bubble....
The new CD project is coming along. I'm trying to get with one of my graphic designer friends for his ideas on the cover, and I still need a good title... any ideas? Anybody?

2. Unsystematic Theology

As my friend Greg once put it (about something else), to some, this will mean nothing. To others, this will mean everything. My own attempts at out-of-the-box thinking are nothing compared to one of my favorite professors from Moody, Dr. Michael McDuffee, who exists in the unbearably colorful space between theology and poetry. Our class would hang on every word of his lectures, even though we rarely understood them. Saints, I just found out that he has a blog. It will leave your head spinning and your heart singing. Go.

3. Live from Muppet Labs!

Language Log reports the stranger-than-fiction case of a high school principal who made a rule forbidding students from using a certain four-letter word. The odd thing is, the word in question was (cover your eyes, kids!) "meep." This being Language Log, they offer phonological analysis of the vocalizations of Beaker and Road Runner, and the astute observation of "the dire possibility that young meepers may move on to harder stuff, like bork or manamana."

4. Link Love

One of my posts on Spiritual Abuse was favored with a link from Quivering Daughters, a thoughtful and sensitive blog focusing on the spiritual issues of women in (or recovering from) the "Quiverfull Movement." If you haven't heard of it, this is a disheartening form of spiritual abuse masquerading as conservative family values. If you have heard of it, head over that way for some encouragement.

5. Actually, I'm not requesting a cheeseburger; catfood will do nicely, thanks.

Because it's Friday and we could all use some levity, check out my latest discovery: Average Cats. You've seen LOLcats, but these cats have a knack for taking things literally in a way that's devastatingly hilarious. A sample:

And that wraps it up for this week. Have a good weekend!

Leave your own comments: What would you like me to post about next?

Visit ericpazdziora.com for all the latest news, updates, and literal cats.

Unsystematic Theology from the Comics (again)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:19:40 GMT

As you know (Bob), I'm a big fan of offbeat theological statements that make you laugh, or stop and think, or preferably both at once.

Sometimes you really have to go looking for them. Other times they're on the comics page.

Here are three.

1. Pearls Before Swine on factions and spiritual abuse:

2. 9 Chickweed Lane on a simple test for humility:

("Auntie Ethel" is a pen name, in case you were wondering.)

3. The incomparable Peanuts on theological arguments:

Bonus points to anyone who can identify cross-references from Scripture with the same ideas.

Visit ericpazdziora.com for all the latest news, updates, and tips on finding God in nonsensical cartoons.

John Newton: Degrees in Glory?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:19:54 GMT

Background: My brother, knowing my love for all things hymnology, got me a volume of the Letters of John Newton for my birthday this year. It's less about the origin of hymns such as "Amazing Grace" and more about the amazing grace that made up a part of his day-to-day thought and discussion.

In this particular letter, Mr. Newton addresses a question from a friend, Rev. Joshua Symonds, about the idea of "degrees in glory." In other words, is it true that those who do more good works in this lifetime will receive greater honor in heaven? Newton's response is especially encouraging in the light of some of my recent research into spiritual abuse, where so much depends on your performance. But Amazing Grace isn't just for getting saved with.

February 17, 1769

Dear sir,

I cannot agree with your friends, or with Witsius, respecting the degrees in glory. Perhaps we are not capable of stating the question properly in this dark world. I see no force in the argument drawn from 1 Corinthians 15:40-41; or rather, that does not appear to me the sense of the passage, or that the apostle had any respect to degrees of glory. The text in Matthew 19:28 may be compared with Revelation 3:21. However, admitting such degrees, perhaps they will not be distributed (according to human expectation) to such as have been most employed in active life, Matthew 10:41. As wickedness is rated by the judgment of God, not according to the number of outward acts, but by what the heart would do had opportunity offered, Matthew 5:28; so the Lord will graciously accept the desires of his people, and they shall in no wise lose their reward because his providence has appointed them a narrower sphere.

One man, like Mr. Whitefield, is raised up to preach the gospel with success through a considerable part of the earth. Another is called to the humbler service of sweeping the streets, or cleaning this great minister's shoes. Now if the latter is thankful and content in his poor station--if he can look without envy, yes, with much love on the man that is honored--if he can rejoice in the good that is done, or pray for the success of those whom the Lord sends—I see not why he may not be as great a man in the sight of God as he who is followed and admired by thousands.

Upon a supposition of degrees of glory, I should think it probable, the best Christian will have the highest place; and I am inclined to think that if you and I were to travel in search of the best Christian in the land, or were qualified to distinguish who deserved the title, it is more than two to one we would not find the person in a pulpit, or any public office of life. Perhaps some old woman at her wheel, or some bed-ridden person, hidden from the knowledge of the world, in a mud-walled cottage, would strike our attention more than any of the doctors or reverends with whom we are acquainted. Let us not measure men, much less ourselves, by gifts or services. One grain of grace is worth abundance of gifts. To be self-abased, to be filled with a spirit of love, and peace, and gentleness; to be dead to the world; to have the heart deeply affected with a sense of the glory and grace of Jesus; to have our will bowed to the will of God; these are the great things, more valuable, if compared in the balance of the sanctuary, than to be an instrument of converting a province or a nation. See 1 Cor. 13:1-3.

In a word, I should think, from Luke 7:47, that those who love most will be most happy; that those who have most forgiven will love most. And as, in the present life, every believer thinks himself a peculiar instance of God's mercy, and sees his sins in a peculiar light of aggravation, I apprehend it to be so hereafter. The sin of nature is equal in all; and so I think would actual sin be likewise, but for the differences made by the restraining grace and providence of God. He is not perhaps, in the sight of God, the greatest sinner, who has committed the most notorious acts of sin in the sight of man. We would not judge one wolf to be fiercer than another, because he had opportunity of devouring more sheep. Any other wolf would have done the same in the same circumstances. So in sin; so (think I) in grace. The Lord's people, every one of them, would be glad to do him as much service, and to yield him as much honour, as any of the number have attained to. But He divides severally, to one sixty, to one thirty, to one a hundred as he pleases; but they are all accepted in the same righteousness; equally united to Jesus; and, as to the good works on which a supposed difference is afterwards to be founded, I apprehend those that have most will gladly do by them as Paul did by his legal righteousness,-- count them loss and dung for the excellency of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Matthew 25:37.

But it may be said, Is nothing, then, to be expected for so many trials and sufferings, as some ministers are called to for the sake of the gospel? In my judgment, he who does not find a reward in being enlivened, supported, and enabled by the Holy Spirit in the work of the gospel; who does not think that to have multiplied labours owned to the conversion even of a few souls is a great reward; who does not account the ministry of the gospel, with grace to be faithful in the discharge of it, a reward and honour in itself sufficient to over-balance all the difficulties it may expose him to; whoever, I say, does not thus think of the service of Jesus in the gospel, has some reason to question his right to the lowest degree of glory, or, at least, has little right to look for eminence in glory, even though he should preach with as much power and acceptance, and in the midst of as many hardships, as St. Paul did.

...

I am, yours, etc.

Visit ericpazdziora.com for all the latest news, updates, and quotes from 18th-century hymnwriters.

News and Updates: "The Pilgrim's Progress" and Other Progressions

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:31:41 GMT

Looks like it's time for one of those "News and Updates" things again....

"As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream...."

I have an unofficial rule that I don't like to talk much about my composition projects until they're well underway, not for any superstitious reasons but simply because I've found that, if I talk about what I'm going to write before I write it, somehow it never gets written. I have no idea why. Anyway, this particular project is now decidedly in the "well underway" stage of things-- I've got deadlines and I'm meeting them-- so it's time to let you in on the excitement.

Earlier this year I was approached by a friend of mine from college, Rita Juanita Mock, who runs a ministry that uses professional musical theatre to present the Gospel. Her ministry, UnMasked Productions, is currently forming a troupe to embark on a tour of Australia in summer 2010. As their first production, I've been commissioned to compose the score (and help in the script development) of a full-length musical adaptation of John Bunyan's classic allegorical adventure The Pilgrim's Progress. In Rita's words,

The show promises to be an exciting blend of challenging music and choreography, exciting action scenes and thoughtful dialogue, with a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

A few interesting facts about the production:

The original script will be centered on the somewhat less familiar, but more action-oriented, "second" volume of Pilgrim's Progress, recounting the adventures of Christian's wife Christiana, their son Matthew, their friends Great-Heart and Mercy, and of course all the monsters and menaces you remember and love. (And not to worry; we're still keeping all the iconic scenes you remember from the first part of book. How could we leave out Vanity Fair or Giant Despair?)

The score is designed-- it may be unique as far as I know-- for the accompaniment of an all-acapella vocal chorus. Think the King's Singers.

I'm letting my creative instincts run wild and incorporating musical styles from Broadway to Bollywood, 14th-century plainchant to jazz. This is me in my eclectic mode.

Excited? Me too. I just finished a big dance number in Vanity Fair, with more on the way.

Here are a few things you can pray for:

My composing-- There's a lot to write in not all that much time. I still have a full-time day job (copyediting) and commitments to church and stuff, not to mention wanting to spend time with my wife now and again. Add "my sanity" to the list as well... oops, too late!

Script development-- We're trying for a professional-quality drama that presents the Gospel clearly and accessibly to an Australian audience.

Team Building and Recruiting-- We're slowly but surely putting together a solid team of singers, actors, dancers, technicians, costume designers, administrators, you name it! If you're interested, or if you know anyone else who might be, we may have an opening for you. Check out http://unmaskedproductions.com/ for details. And of course, pray for all the usual support-raising, spiritual unity, ministry focus, and the like that goes with this sort of endeavor.

Of course, I'll be keeping you updated on the development, so stick around! And if by chance you can't make it to Australia to catch this production live, I'm told that there will be some good recordings made available... I'll let you know the details as soon as I have them myself!

In other news:

Those praying for my CD project (have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate you?) should add Peter's computer to their lists-- some technical difficulties are delaying the mixing and mastering a bit. We're still on schedule so far, but every prayer helps.

I still don't have a title for the CD yet, but a graphic designer I know was able to describe the CD and make a good guess of what should be on the cover just from reading the list of track titles. What about you-- what ideas do you have? I'm quite open to suggestions.

My brother's blog on fantasy writing gets more hits and comments every time I mention it here, and it deserves them, so why not go check out http://mrpond47.wordpress.com/ ?

There are only a-number-that's-too-scary-to-mention shopping days till Christmas.... I think I want one of these t-shirts! (See, that's why you should always read till the end; there may be a funny link with arcane takes on postmodern hermeneutics!)

Thanks, everybody. Leave any suggestions, remarks, or encouragement in the comments as usual.

Visit ericpazdziora.com for all the latest news, updates, and self-referential ironic humor.

Annoying Art and Music Files: Atheist Kitsch!

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:28:45 GMT

If you've followed my blogging (here or elsewhere), you'll have noticed that I have a weakness for poking fun at bad kitschy "art" that's created in the name of Christianity. (The Christian Album Covers gallery being a prime example.) I also sometimes like to point out how atheist attacks on Christianity tend to miss the point (see Bugaboos). And I've mentioned a time or two my belief that most things in life tend to balance themselves out one way or another.

So I suppose I should have seen it coming. I didn't. I saw it the other day in an article on Scriptorium Daily (one of very few places on the Web where you can get substantive little historical theological studies in your blogroll). Author John Mark Reynolds gleefully points out that--you guessed it--there's plenty of bad kitschy "art" created in the name of atheism. Excerpt:

Whenever I feel too bad about such strange Christian “products,” I visit the web sites of the new Internet atheists.... It is perfectly possible to load up on atheist swag and the graphic quality of t-shirts there actually makes one long for the comparatively excellent stuff one can get in the local Christian book store. Only infidel tees can make you feel better about the dreadful “This Bloods For You” top. (Read more.)

This I had to see to believe. A few minutes with Google confirmed it. Oh, man, did it ever confirm it. Anything you can think of in kitschy Christian art has its equivalent in kitschy atheist art. Would you believe...

The Happy Throw Pillow!

The Patriotic Yellow Tote Bag!

The Huggable Plush Propaganda Buddy! (Awwww!)

The Tacky T-Shirts!

The Tacky T-Shirts With Cheap Knock-offs of Formerly Trendy Slogans!

The Tacky T-shirts With Silly Attempts at Worn-out Slang!

The Tacky T-Shirts in a Disturbing Unintended Juxtaposition!

(OK, a cheap shot I admit, but still-- really?)

A Cheesy Album Cover—wait, an album cover?!

That’s right, an album cover. This one deserves a little extra attention. As highlighted sarcastically in Reynolds’ article, prominent atheist activist (and former preacher) Dan Barker has composed, performed, and recorded a series of atheist-themed songs, now available on CD. I promise I’m not making this up. You can see the album and listen to excerpts at this link from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

How good is the atheist album? It’s everything you could dream of and more, if you’re a connoisseur of truly staggeringly awful art. You know the kind of thing I mean—no, not that current teen-pop idol with all the screaming fangirls. Not even the amateur praise band at Community Church of X overplaying a Vineyard song. Set your sights lower. Think back to Mystery Science Theater 3000 and “The Annoying Music Show.” Think Plan 9 From Outer Space. Manos, The Hands of Fate. The poetry of William Topaz McGonagall. Japanese pop stars covering Coldplay. William Shatner singing the Beatles. Doctors rapping about sickle-cell anemia. (No, really.)

Describing the sound of this debacle—the cheap electronic keyboard, the digital drumbeats, the too-earnest crooning—is all but impossible. A track title should give you the flavor in four words: “Stay Away Pope Polka.” My other favorites are the title track (think a rather creepy take on Mr. Rogers), “Love” (you only think you know about schmaltz), and “No Hurry to Die” (which, as Reynolds observed, may have you rethinking your position on that). Somebody call Jim Nayder.

As a Christian I certainly don’t mind anyone expressing what they believe or disbelieve in, but as a musician I just have to shake my head and laugh. I guess these “New Atheists” have a lot more in common with the Old Fundamentalists than they may care to admit.

Still, you have to give them a little credit: it's got to be hard to write a song about how good it is not to believe in something you don't think is real. Christians, on the other hand, have been known to make art this bad in worship to the Creator. And we even have Bach, Mendelssohn, and Handel to look up to. Hmm.

On the other hand, maybe the lesson to take away here is simply that a taste for producing, marketing, and consuming awful art is endemic to our society, regardless of faith or creed. I think that's called "the fallen state of man." God and/or Reason help us all.

[T-Shirt Images: 20 coolest atheist T-shirts for sale on the web - Telegraph. Yep, those were among the coolest.]

(Read more, hear music, and comment at ericpazdziora.com)

He Who Has the Most Broken Toys....

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:10:00 GMT

Last night I saw something I'd only heard about before. It was a bumper sticker bearing the famous slogan...

"He Who Has The Most Toys When He Dies, Wins!"

I'd heard it before, of course, as an example of the futility of materialism. (My favorite counter-slogan: "He who dies with the most toys is still dead.") So actually seeing it didn't surprise me as much as the, um, vehicle of the message. This materialistic bumper sticker wasn't on just any car. I mean, this is Chicago, where you regularly see people cruising in BMWs and Jaguars and Lexuses (Lexi?) and Mustangs and any other fancy car you can fantasize about.

The car that bore this triumphant paean to material possessions?

It was a Honda Civic.

Judging by the scratches on the bumper, the dents in the body, and the rust on the muffler, it was a Honda Civic from 1995 or so.

(Not this one exactly, but about this good looking.)

Maybe the driver just had an ironic sense of humor. I hope so. Either way, it's an intriguing point about your philosophy of life. If your value--whether you "win" at the game of life--is determined by the number of cool toys you own, then what does it say about you when your toys are, like everything else in the world, getting older and falling apart?

The Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer thought the same way:

In our culture nothing has exhibited such folly more than our automobiles. Go to a showroom and see the pride with which a man drives out his new car. Then think of an automobile graveyard or a rusting, stripped, junked car, abandoned on a city street. They are shells screaming out tremendous sermons against all practical materialism: "You're fools! You're fools! You're fools!" And Christians--as well as any others--can be such fools with their wealth. (Ash Heap Lives)

It's bad enough that he who dies with the most toys is still dead--but he'll probably even outlive the toys. The new jacket will go out of style. The new shoes will wear out. The new computer will be obsolete in five years. The new sports car will make its way to the scrapyard. Our most cherished possessions are disposable. If that's what we live for, then we're living for the landfill.

Probably the most pointed words on the subject came from a certain Jewish carpenter:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.--Jesus (Matthew 6:19-21).

He who dies with the most toys probably missed the point of living in the first place.

Rust in peace.

[See more articles and comment at ericpazdziora.com]

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:47:27 GMT

Everybody go wish a very Happy Birthday to my very favorite singer/songwriter-- you know, the one whose music I liked so much, I married her. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Be Carrie's fan on Facebook

Carrie on Xanga

Carriepaz.com -- Official Website with music etc.

Follow Friday?

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:31:37 GMT

(Answer: Follow Friday. Question: How did Robinson Crusoe find his way through the jungle?)

I know, it's supposed to be a Twitter feature (speaking of which: @ericpazdziora), but there are a few things happening in the blogosphere I think you might enjoy....

1. Look out, world: My brother John, an accomplished author of fantasy fiction, has just launched a new blog, aptly entitled "The Paradoxes of Mr. Pond." I expect a lot of interesting and offbeat entertainment to follow.

From his bio: "John Patrick Pazdziora writes fantasy. He does not write fantasy in his mother's basement. That would be stupid. His mother lives in a ranch...."

Here's the link for you to add to your blogrolls: http://mrpond47.wordpress.com.

2. Did you all see ChrisRusso's latest "Blogging Dangerously" post, "God Loves Gays"? If not, get over there and read it. It quite arguably stands a chance of being the very best thing I've ever seen on the subject, bringing a beautiful simplicity to a usually (but not here) contentious debate.

I was going to give a sample quote, but half the fun is in the smooth and inevitable development of the argument. So just go read for yourself. You won't regret it. Here's the link: God Loves Gays.

3. Because it's Friday and we could all use something funny: New to my website, ericpazdziora.com (I'll stop plugging it so much if you start subscribing and commenting more, how's that?) is an old favorite post that a lot of you liked. I refer, of course, to my little collection of unbelievably silly Christian album covers. Some things never get old. Other things do. Check it out again.

I expect a busy weekend of composing. Check in with you later.

John Newton: Spirituality as Composition

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:32:17 GMT

From a letter to Mr. B----, 6 November 1777:

MY DEAR SIR--You say you are more disposed to cry miserere than hallelujah. Why not both together? When the treble is praise, and heart humiliation for the bass, the melody is pleasant and the harmony good. However, if not both together, we must have them alternately; not all singing, not all sighing, but an interchange and balance, that we may be neither lifted too high nor down cast too low, which would be the case we were very comfortable or very sorrowful for a long continuance. But though we change, the Saviour changes not. All our concerns are in His hands, and therefore safe.

(John Newton, 1725-1807. English pastor, author, and hymnwriter, noted especially for writing the text to "Amazing Grace." As well as being good spiritual insight, this is fine advice for composers, of course.)