Every Good Band Deserves Fudge

Sunday's Music - October 18

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 16:37:00 +0000

I posted this on Summit Crossing's internal site and wanted to share it here.

Wherever I hear the phrase, “I sin in thought or deed every day,” uttered by a Christ-follower I get frustrated. That idea is in opposition to Scripture.

The apostle John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1, emphasis mine)

And then there’s Romans 8:11: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Amazing! So there’s no reason for us to assume defeat. Yes, we still live in these tents of flesh and its our tendency to default to our old nature, but that is not the NEW default for those of us who have been buried with Christ and raised in His likeness, as His brothers and sisters.

Now, all that being said, I get mad at myself frequently because I realize this in my head, yet living it out can be frustratingly difficult. I like to indulge my own desires (there, I said it so you don’t have to). And that leads to sin. Therefore, I totally identify with the song we’ll be singing during communion time tomorrow:

Will Your grace run out if I let You down?

[Be]cause all I know is how to run.
Will You call me child when I tell You lies?
[Be]cause all I know is how to cry.

I am a sinner;
If it’s not one thing it’s another.
Caught up in words, tangled in lies.
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful; beautiful.

I am thankful for Jesus Christ. I have no hope in this life or the life to come apart from His life, death, and resurrection. He makes my cruddy life beautiful in the sight of God. (Remember 1 John 1:9)

I’m sorry this is so late, but here are the songs we get to song together tomorrow:

From the Day (I Am They)
Absent From Flesh (Sojourn)
Brokenness Aside (All Sons and Daughters)
I Stand Amazed In the Presence (Daniel Renstrom)
My Lighthouse (Rend Collective)

Below are your playlists! There is no recorded version of “I Stand Amazed” the way we’ll be playing it tomorrow so I linked to Chris Tomlin’s version.

Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1LVcHa7

YouTube: http://bit.ly/1Pyu7J8

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Sunday's Music - September 6, 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 01:08:00 +0000

I wanted to share the music plans for this coming Sunday at our church fellowship, Summit Crossing Limestone (and I added some stuff at the end).

For a quick-start, here’s a Spotify playlist for those who have the app:http://spoti.fi/1JUgi0R

And here’s a YouTube playlist: http://bit.ly/1i2KWPH

Here are the songs:

- Desert Song (Hillsong Worship)
– Our God is Faithful (UMobile Worship)
– How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (Christy Nockels)
– How He Loves (David Crowder Band)
– From the Day (I Am They)

I come from a church-culture background of singing and playing hymns. As some of you may remember, in the 90s, “choruses” edged their way in as the thing to sing. At least, they became the thing to sing for some churches. In many fellowships, though, music style quickly became a source of contention; believers argued vehemently and often quite viciously about which kind of song was the best kind of song for corporate worship.

It seems the lyrics weren’t theologically deep enough, or maybe they were too archaic. One group thought the music was too simplistic, but for some it was confusingly complex. And then there was the pivotal issue of “raise mine Ebenezer” vs. “All things are possible! All things are possible! All things are possible! All things are possible! (Repeat 3x)”.

And in all this confusion the Gospel was (and in many places still is), unimaginably sadly, lost. A totally unique vehicle that the Maker of the universe ordained for us to use to worship Him and loudly declare our thanks and praise — music — had become a source of divisiveness.

May that never be so among the people whom Jesus has brought to life. We have the mind-boggling privilege of being children of God. Do we really want to reduce that?

It’s my perpetual prayer that our corporate opportunities to sing to our Father together will be Gospel-centric; not focused on ourselves in any way.

Sunday's Music - August 23, 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 01:01:00 +0000

Yikes. It's been over a year since my last visit here. I thought I'd dust off the cobwebs and dive in with something I wrote to our church fellowship this evening. This coming Sunday I'll get to lead music with a talented group of musicians and singers. This is a post about what we'll be singing together
.

A scant few synonyms of the word "furious" might be "passionate," "unrestrained," or "fierce." The ones I typically think of, though, are more like "angry" or "enraged." (And I'm sure many of you think about cars and stunts.) I have to say that I haven't often thought of our Father's love for us as "furious."

Interestingly, though, that's one of the very reasons I so easily embraced our first song for this coming Sunday. It made me consider in a new way how how deeply God loves us. He is a love so passionate that He cannot be resisted. God's love for us will relentlessly persist in spite of our worst failures (and sometimes, it seems, in spite of our most proficient efforts).

And that's just the FIRST song.

The second song, "Look What God Has Done," has become a new favorite. I'll paste some lyrics below our song list for this coming Sunday...

Furious (Bethel Church with Jeremy Riddle)
Look What God Has Done (Ghost Ship)
Come to Me (Village Church with Lauren Chandler)
Like Incense / Sometimes By Step (Hillsong Worship)
All My Fountains (Chris Tomlin)

(And here's a playlist for Spotify users: http://spoti.fi/1PoUoHk )

Here are some lyrics from "Look What God Has Done":

Look what God has done: He redeemed us with His blood.
We were lost and dead in sin. He came for us.
Look what God has done: He adopted us in Love;
We were orphans without hope, now His children.

Who are we that He would save us?
Who are we that He would send us?

To God be glory, through Christ our Savior's Church
Through all generations.
To God be glory, through Christ our Savior's work
Forever and ever.

Look at Jesus Christ: He redeems His precious bride.
By His costly sacrifice, we're invited.
See the wisdom of His ways in the mystery of grace;
Every age and every race, we're united.

Do you see where this song directs our focus? What if we spent every day remembering that focus and actively modeling it? When I consider how I tend to inadvertently (and, to be real, sometimes intentionally) look down on other people, and then remember that Jesus never had the same disdain for me, I'm utterly shocked at my own arrogance.

Who am I that He would save me? Who am I that He would send me?

Look what God has done!

The Perils of Taking Center Stage

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 13:25:00 +0000

You may be inclined to stop reading (because you'll think I'm a complete jerk) before you get through the account below. I encourage you to read it all before making a judgment call, though.

It was a slightly breezy, cool evening and I'd set up my guitar and microphone as part of a trio to play music for an outdoor festival on a mountain for a moderately affluent community. I had to arrange my stage area on the front porch of a small white house; I believe it was an old historic landmark. The odd thing about the setup was that my friends Chris and Quentin (or "Q"), the bassist and drummer, had to set up their their instruments (insert your own joke about drums not being an instrument) in an open area off to my right at a fairly substantial distance for a typical band layout.

We didn't get a sound check, and I remember being particularly nervous about a couple of the songs that hadn't gone too well when we practiced. Strangely, though, at that moment I couldn't remember which songs those were. Stage fright, most likely.

When it was time to start playing I stepped up to the mic and said, "Hello. My name is Dean Lusk," and immediately noticed that the crowd seemed disinterested; still mingling without so much as a glance at the stage. I reacted by throwing out a fairly dumb one-liner. Mercifully, it received some chuckles. Continuing the schtick, I put on my best Liverpool accent (or whatever dialect it is when you really don't know which dialect it is) and proclaimed, "I'm actually British," and started to wade through another stupid anecdote.

Suddenly, while I was still talking and before I even realized it was happening, Q gave a four-count with his drumsticks and he and Chris began to play the first song, "Dock of the Bay." I fell in easily enough, though I felt incredibly awkward. I guess I had been talking too much.

The first few words I sang were fine. And then it struck me like lightning that this was one of the songs I'd been anxious about. The hard part came quickly: the last half of the first line of the chorus... "watching the tiiiiiide roll in." It was slightly too high for my vocal range, and my voice almost cracked so I took a step back from the mic even before I'd finished singing the phrase. And I noticed something that was surprising and embarrassing.

This wasn't even my song. It was Q's song, and he was singing. It had been his microphone I had heard when I began to sing. I was mortified and wondered what Chris and Q thought of me (which bothered me far more than what the crowd thought); I'd essentially tried to hijack the performance with my awful comedy routine at the beginning and then by trying to sing over the top of someone else's vocal.

I put my guitar down and walked away in embarrassment and shame. The song was still going. Q sounded great. Matter of fact, even though the music was now just drums, bass, and a vocal, it sounded surprisingly good. I don't even remember if anyone in the crowd gave me weird looks as I walked through the middle of them, over to another little white house near the back of the audience, where I woke up.

I was more than relieved to realize it had been a dream, but it did reveal to me a darker side of my personality. Jesus talked about it.

“When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

“Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
(Luke 14:8-11, NLT, emphases mine)

While I wouldn't dare execute this dream in real life, it illustrated the extent to which I sometimes live as though the world revolves around me. I've come to learn over the past few years that self-centeredness comes in many forms, all of which are corrupting and damaging to nearly every relationship, beginning with our relationship to God and extending to our families and friends.

For that reason, I hope this dream sticks in my memory for a long time to come.

You've Gotta Know When To Fold 'Em

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Thu, 08 May 2014 21:30:00 +0000

This is yet another fun account of me doing something dumb. After considering several spiritual parallels (and even consulting my friend Lee the Enabler, who helped me edit the post) I decided to leave it as just a story. I'd be happy if you'd like to comment on what you see as allegorical in it, though.

My wife and daughter had almost finished setting up my daughter's new bed by the time I got home from work. All I had to do was obtain a couple of oddball bolts from my tub of oddball bolts (to replace the obligatory forgotten ones missing from the parts packages) and attach the headboard.

Well, that's almost all I had to do. Callie helped me dismantle the old frame before heading out to a very important ladies' shindig, about which I remember nothing because I'm a typical male, sadly. My daughter went with her and my son was at work, so the task of putting the old mattress and frame into the attic was, both figuratively and literally, on my shoulders.

As I folded the three-segment attic ladder down and listened to its squeaky voice punctuated by the the occasional "Toinnngg!!" interjection of the springs on the sides, I thought, "This attic ladder contraption is actually a remarkable achievement. I'll bet the inventor made lots of money." After I pondered it for a few seconds I mused that anyone with a rudimentary understanding of geometry could probably have figured it out eventually, so I forged ahead with my task: transporting awkwardly large objects up rickety steps through a rectangular hole in the ceiling.

It went well until I was down to only a few pieces of wooden frame leaning against the wall, sitting on a smooth laminate floor. Darn you, physics.

I had folded up the ladder to give myself some headroom as I pushed the remaining pieces a few feet down the hall. That may have been my first real mistake. Maybe I didn't wait to see if they were stable as they leaned against the wall.

Before I continue, I'd like to note that the upcoming wound healed rather nicely. No scar, even.

I reached up, grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder, and pulled it toward me, letting it swing up and over so I could catch it on the way down.

Just as the unfolding ladder was reaching the upper part of its arc before descending (seeming to hang in midair for just a moment), I heard the headboard start to slide away from the wall behind me. I instinctively lurched my head and body to the right to save the day (still holding my left hand up to catch the falling ladder), grabbed the headboard before it fell, and thought, "Oh, yeah, I rock!" and then turned back to permit the ladder to gracefully fall into my outstretched hand.

Imagine my surprise when, rather than feeling the ladder fall gently into my palm, I was greeted with a sudden splash of white light, a loud (yet strangely not loud), wood-against-bone noise, and the sudden realization that I was stumbling backward down the hall.

<i>Falling... ladder... Hit... in... head... Blood... Home... alone... Must... get... help...</i>

It turns out it wasn't quite as bad as all that, but I realized I'd been smashed just above the eye by a rogue attic ladder.

Similar to Gloria Gaynor, though, I survived. (As I did in my last post.)

I was admittedly disappointed that I only had a small gash right next to my left eye but no cool shiner because I still think on sixth grade levels in some areas. Remember -- I'm a typical male. Regardless of the lack of a really good contusion, I received mostly acceptable levels of pity from my family when they got home in spite of my stupidity.

It was a neat experience, all told, but I doubt I'll do it again.

A Journey of Self-Awareness

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Tue, 06 May 2014 23:39:00 +0000

My bad attitude ramped up on Tuesday evening.

Oh, it would've started at least a couple of days earlier had we not been bombarded by "significant weather event" warnings that began Thursday or Friday the previous week.

But I was distracted as we rode out a bumpy Monday night packed with considerable paranoia (and we were packed into the bathroom) as tornadoes ripped through Mississippi and parts of Alabama, laying waste to sections of Athens, a small neighboring city, as well as other towns and areas I know you've heard about.

But in the end we were safe and I was able to get back to the task at hand: having a phenomenally poor attitude. Looming ahead was the weekend.

Among other music-related things I do, I play with a band. We had three gigs coming up, crammed into two days: one Friday evening, one Saturday afternoon, and one Saturday evening. I knew in advance how tired I'd be.

They say you don't get paid for actually playing music; rather, you're paid for loading equipment in and out.

Okay, maybe only our drummer says that. But he's right.

Everything I did that week was bathed in the dim, miserable fog of the thought, "I have to play three gigs this weekend and it's gonna be awful." As miserable as my self-pity was for me, I have to imagine it was doubly (even exponentially) miserable for my wife. But she was a trooper (wow, that sounds patronizing, but I'm leaving it in the post, anyway). So we all slogged through the week.

But sort of like Gloria Gaynor, though, I survived.

Sunday morning we met with our church group for corporate worship. (Full disclosure: I was, indeed, humongously tired and I went out of a sense of obligation. My wife was the only one who knew this until you guys just read it.) We had an enjoyable and relaxing lunch with some relatively new friends from our not-to-be-called-a-small-group missional community. I grilled scallops that evening, and they were even good enough for me to have served them to friends without offering up self-deprecating comments throughout the meal.

At some point on Monday, or maybe even Sunday night before bed, I realized I'd taken a boat-load of gifts God had given me and tossed them into a miry swamp of indifference.

I'm not talking about the "good" things from Sunday -- the scallops and the happy lunch. I'm referring to all of the missed opportunities to be an integral part of what God was and is doing on the world and in people all around me. That isn't a passive religious idea. The God Who created everything gives me the unmerited privilege of playing a small part in what He's doing. And that is mind-boggling.

So how many people did I come into contact with over the weekend who were hurting in some way? How many wanted to tell someone about how God had blessed them? Who needed a few dollars to pay his utility bill? Was there anyone I came across who was at wits' end but was trying to maintain a happy face so no one would see how devastated he was? And what were the names of any of the families that lost their houses on Monday night?

I've no idea.

So help me, I have no idea whatsoever.

Instead of being aware of -- or, heaven forbid, acting upon -- the myriad chances to "be Jesus" to someone (those opportunities and people are constantly in every facet of our lives), I was consumed with something rather finite and insignificant.

I was consumed with myself.

I'd like to say it's a lesson I've learned before, but it appears it's only a lesson I've been taught before.

So it's another week of embarking upon a journey of repentance and awareness. Not a journey of self-awareness, though. Those tend to take me where I don't want to go.

They keep me from going where I need to go.

Abstinence of Evidence

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:54:00 +0000

"Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Jesus in Matthew 7:20, NLT)

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (Jesus in John 13:34-35, NLT, emphasis obviously mine)

Believe it or not, unassailable doctrine, large churches, observance of strict moral codes, etc., are not the best indicators that we're followers of Jesus, although they may sometimes come along for the ride. But it doesn't get much simpler than this: our love for one another will prove to the world that we are Jesus' disciples.

Is it possible that followers of Christ tend to live under the impression -- and teach and imply -- that our abstinence from such-and-such "evil" will prove to the world that we're indeed Jesus' disciples? Certainly there are codes of conduct that are taught to the believer in Scripture, and often those things begin with "do not." I'm not saying or implying otherwise.

The problem, though, may be that we're so concerned with the "do not" parts that we tend to forget the "do" parts. Consider the fact that Jesus did not make any of these statements:

"If you do not associate with sinners, you will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
"If you do not use foul speech, this will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
"Your abstinence from alcohol will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
"If you do not support businesses that act in a way that is contrary to Scriptural principles, the world will know that you are my disciples."
"If you do not gossip, it will be obvious to the world that you are my disciples."

Some of those things are fine (unless they're accompanied by legalism, at which point they're tainted), but according to Jesus, none are the most solid evidence that we are His disciples. In fact, our reliance on "do not" rules can have a tremendous negative effect. (Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons' eye-opening 2007 book, unChristian, is a great place to start in learning about this, and I highly recommend it.)

One of my favorite quotes about the Church is one made by a man known as Julian the Apostate, emperor of Rome from 361-363. He wrote in a letter to Arsacius, the high priest in Galatia, "These impious Galileans [Christians] not only feed their own poor, but ours also; welcoming them into their agapae, they attract them, as children are attracted, with cakes." It wasn't that this early group of believers stood up for their religious rights, abstained from certain foods and drinks, or didn't associate with pagans. It was direct outward evidence of their love for other people (which blossomed out of their love for Jesus) that was evidence that they were followers of The Way.

For the sake of Jesus Christ, let us become a generation of believers that is known for what it does rather than what it does not do.

(This post was originally made quite some time ago; you've just read a re-post. But that's okay. It was free!)

Mostly Harmless

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:44:00 +0000

GARDENDALE | Wed Jan 2, 2013 8:15am EST -- Several years ago in Gardendale, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, a group of people with similar interests began to meet in a community center they rented every other Saturday. The facility in an upper middle class section of town; an area where people took pride in their landscaping, had solid high-paying jobs, two and a half kids, etc.

There was nothing at all unusual about people meeting in the community center, but when word got out that the crowd was made up of parolees, convicted felons, and people who'd been accused of any number of crimes from petty theft to rape and arson, the community was none too happy, for obvious reasons.

Fairly soon it was discovered that the meetings were essentially seminars where attendees were given what amounted to step-by-step tutorials on topics like disarming alarm systems, offensive combat techniques, and weapons training. As this leaked out, the well-to-do neighborhoods nearby became paralyzed with fear. Sales of high-end security systems, video monitoring systems, and home window security bars nearly tripled in the first two months of the group's meetings.

Over time, however, the community residents were surprised that although there was an occasional burglary in the neighborhood or a petty theft at a nearby convenience store, the crime rate didn't actually rise. On top of that, the extra income generated by the facility rental allowed the community center to make improvements on its property, initially adding a baseball diamond and after a few years, a swimming pool. The leader of the group continued to make occasional appearances on local-access TV channels and in spite of being outspoken and having rather alarming commentary on some issues, his ideas never gained traction outside the group.

It wasn't very long before the group of people meeting in the community center came to be classified as "mostly harmless."

The above is a work of fiction; a parable submitted for your consideration. Has the Church become all bark and no bite? Are our meetings just informational seminars that rarely result in action or implementation? Do we expect to get by on our reputation or things we've done in the past? Are we really "mostly harmless"?

If we lived and practiced what Jesus taught and what we teach in our meetings, wouldn't we expect to see some crazy changes in our communities?

Christmas Thoughts...

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:08:00 +0000

As I noted a bit earlier this morning via Twitter, I discovered last night that the version of It's a Wonderful Life that exists in my memory is notably superior to the Frank Capra film.

I feel unChristmas-like when I say that it was not only boring, but for some reason I had a hard time believing that Harry Bailey was graduating high school at what appeared to be something like 36 years old, and that George Bailey was only slightly older than your typical college-aged guy when he looked 52. Kinda like Napoleon's classmate and antagonist Don in Napoleon Dynamite.

In other news, we're about to go get the ingredients for Christmas Eve fondue! I'd like to point you to BestFondue.com, where last year I discovered an incredible beef fondue recipe. I made the mushroom dipping sauce, too. Not only did the family not hate it, they (and I) actually loved it. I think it kept our Christmas Eve fondue tradition from dying. Had it been bad we might not have planned to do it again this year.

Finally, stop by Amazon.com and download the absolutely free Green Hill Christmas Music Sampler! It's a straight-ahead, mostly traditional (and on occasion easy-listening) Christmas album.

Merry early Christmas!

Christmas Classics Flash Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 01:46:00 +0000

Okay, dig in:

1. Mannheim Steamroller or Trans-Siberian Orchestra?
2. Johnny Mathis or Nat King Cole?
3. Andy Williams or Frank Sinatra?
4. Dean Martin or Bing Crosby?
5. Jimmy Durante or Burl Ives?

Your responses and vicious arguments are solicited. Leave your comments below.

Ten Least-Loved Christmas Songs of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:29:00 +0000

I have about 750 Christmas songs on my iPod. The problem, if it could be called that, is that I've cycled through most of them a few times already. (That's okay, because albums like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" never seem to get old.)

So, after listening to our two local Christmas-music-only radio stations in an attempt to enjoy a little variety, I have determined that only about 50 Christmas songs must have ever been recorded other than those on my iPod. Among them are three versions of "Last Christmas" and roughly 26 versions of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (all nearly identical, which makes me wonder why they bothered to record the other 25 versions).

As fate would have it, those two songs are on my "Ten Least-Loved Christmas Songs of 2012" list. It's not enjoyable to wake up to an alarm blaring either of those, so I've decided to start using the buzzer on the alarm instead. It's more inspiring.

Because I enjoy not enjoying certain Christmas songs, I'd like to present the complete list for you. It varies a bit from last year's list in that it's a little longer. Please reciprocate by listing your bottom 10 (or however many you'd like to include) Christmas songs.

Dean's Ten Least-Loved Christmas Songs of 2012:

Last Christmas (Wham!, Taylor Swift, the Glee Cast)
Step Into Christmas (Elton John)
All I Want for Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey)
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, etc., etc., etc.)
Happy Christmas (War Is Over) (John Lennon, etc.)
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (Jackson 5, Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, etc.)
The Christmas Shoes (NewSong -- it's a huge victory that I've only heard this song once so far all season!)
Do They Know It's Christmas (Feed the World) (Band Aid)
Little Saint Nick (Beach Boys)
Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry)

Don't forget to post your own list!

Christmas 2012 Freebie 2

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Here's the second set of freebies of the 2012 Christmas season! Like the first, this set of freebies is Christmas music. However, you'll need to be much more selective with these songs than you were with those in the first post.

During my hunt for instrumental (and tasteful) Christmas music last year I uncovered FeelsLikeChristmas.com. Some of the songs will make you feel like Christmas in a way that makes you all warm and fuzzy and makes you pine for olden days -- happy golden days -- of yore. Some may make you recoil in disgust like that one time you heard your Aunt Erma singing Christmas karaoke. It's okay if none of you has an Aunt Erma or has ever heard a family member doing Christmas karaoke. You'll still recoil in disgust at some of these recordings. However, some are excellent!

But they are all free.

First I recommend visiting the Traditional Instrumental Christmas music page. You can preview a song by clicking on its title. Then you'll be taken to a page where you can click the play button and preview it. Like it? Then just right-click on the title of the song and "Save as" to your "My Music" folder (assuming you're using a PC).

If you mouse over the "FREE CHRISTMAS MUSIC DOWNLOADS" menu item you'll see a pop-down of a few other categories to explore.

Your mileage may vary, but hopefully you'll find some great new renditions of old favorites.

More Sleigh Bell!

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Were the classic Saturday Night Live cowbell sketch with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken executed in a Christmas setting, Walken would be Arthur Fiedler and Ferrell would be the person who played the sleigh bells on the quintessential Christmas favorite " Sleigh Ride." Of course, Blue Öyster Cult would be the Boston Pops Orchestra. (If you're not familiar with the SNL sketch, click here to see an excerpt at NBC's website. Mild language warning .)

"I've got a fevah (fever)... and the only prescription is more sleigh bell!" Although I'm not sure Arthur Fiedler put it that way, this is what comes across in the Boston Pops recording (link goes to Amazon.com's MP3 store), and although one rarely hears a percussion instrument droning in an orchestral song from start to finish, I'd have a hard time imagining "Sleigh Ride" without it.

The 1867 lithograph "A Brush for the Lead" by Currier and Ives

For this post I made a moderate effort to find the name of the Boston Pops member who played the sleigh bells on this song but I came up empty. If you know, I'd love to hear from you. It's a little odd; the person who has one of the most important parts in the song has gone relatively anonymous since 1949.

Fiedler has enjoyed fame as a conductor, the Boston Pops Orchestra has been in the limelight (if you consider orchestras as being in the limelight), and according to a reference at Wikipedia, "'Sleigh Ride' ... has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music."

But for all that, the sleigh bell player remains an unknown. He did his job, did it quite well, and his effort has assumed its place in history. If he could have foreseen the popularity of the song (written in 1948, lyrics added in 1950), do you think he would have said to himself, "I can't see the benefit for myself in this. It will just promote the conductor, the orchestra, and the record company will make loads while I'll remain a nobody," and as a result decided to let someone else play on the record? I rather doubt it.

Raise your hand if you can tell that I'm about to draw a really obvious parallel here.

As we put our gifts to use as one of many parts of the body of Christ, we are called to play our part and do so to the best of our ability. We are not given direction or license to envy someone who has a seemingly more important role or to have resentment if someone else gets credit for what we think was our work or our accomplishment. That's not easy.

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)

"In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary." - 1 Corinthians 12:22 (NLT)

I've got a fevah... and the only prescription is more sleigh bell!

Christmas 2012 Freebie Number 1

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:45:00 +0000

I've no idea how many of these I'll be passing along, but here's the first freebie of the 2012 Christmas season!

I stumbled across classical guitarist Jon Sayles' holiday music site and found a plethora of well-executed traditional instrumental Christmas songs. He's posted them all for free download here. You'll have to right-click and save them one at a time, but the investment will be well worth it.

If you visit his site and download his music, I encourage you to send him some feedback. There's a contact link at the top of his Holiday Music page.

NOTE: after you save the songs to your computer you should ideally edit the song names, artist name, genre, etc. (the ID3 tags) for each MP3 so that when you play the songs on your computer or put them on your MP3 player, the correct song title and artist will display. If you don't know how to do this or don't know what I'm talking about, you can contact me and I'll do my best to walk you through it. I couldn't find anything very usable on the web -- just a glut of "free" ID3 tag editors you can download -- but it's all confusing if you've never thought about this before and I'll do my best to help.

Don't be intimidated and don't let that stop you from grabbing these tunes, though! If you don't want to contact me or mess with the ID3 tags, worst-case, you'll have a handful of songs called "Untitled" on your MP3 player.

Keep checking back for more free Christmas music over the next few weeks.

May you be a blessing to someone this Christmas season!

Abandonware

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:46:00 +0000

I believe I'm part of the first generation that grew up with video games. I haven't really ever known life without them. I remember the Christmas when my brother got a Pong console (the APF "TV Fun" console) -- two built-in paddle controllers and a handful of games that featured lines and squares and three sound effects.

Eventually I enjoyed the Atari 2600 (we actually had the Sears Tele-Games system, the OEM version), then the Apple IIe, and a while after that was the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, an IBM PC, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and several others along the way. I still fondly remember playing Yars' Revenge and turning the score counter over 33 times. Another game that sticks in my mind is Lode Runner for the Apple IIe.

The nice thing about having grown up and having technology grow up right along with me is that many of those games are available and playable now in the exact form in which they were released. It doesn't happen too much, but occasionally I'll have the urge to play a classic from yesteryear, so I fire up my browser and hit a few of my favorite sites for old video games. Abandonia.com is the first place I usually stop. Abandonia hosts all kinds of old games that are legal to download for free now because the games have been abandoned by their copyright holders (that's the gist of it). This kind of software is, appropriately, called "abandonware."

Suppose I wanted to get my retro video game fix and I visited abandonia.com, only to find out that it had been shut down due to lack of funding. For a moment or two I'd be disappointed, then I'd Google for some more classic gaming sites. It's just what we do these days. I don't have to maintain a website or a huge archive of old games; I just get to enjoy the resources of those who do.

You see, I like old video games -- I'm a bit of a fan. But I'm not a hardcore classic gaming freak. Many people are, and many of them run websites devoted to the genre. If I find myself of a mind to act on my fandom, I expect that there will be plenty of resources out there to help me indulge that impulse. I'll play for a while, enjoy it, then forget about it until next time.

This kind of habit is rampant in Christianity. Not gaming (though that's certainly something Christians do), but the up-and-down fandom and periodic indulgence in a form of perceived holiness. I'm sure it's been a trend since Christianity's inception, even since worship of YHWH was instituted in ancient Israel. We fondly remember some of the good things in our past when we've experienced God doing great things. Maybe we recall Christmas Eve services as a child and remember how inspiring they were. When the impulse comes to do something about it, we run to the people who maintain a deep walk with Christ or people who simply fit into an established, revered religious office. There we can hear religious truths, be made to feel good about ourselves, but have no accountability or longevity. Ultimately, there is no change.

When we're done we put those feelings back on the shelf from which we got them, happy to have been able to experience something good and religious, and maybe even Godly. But all too often we leave it to someone else to maintain the websites and offer free downloads of abandonware. We can be pseudo-fans of Jesus and think we're doing something acceptable.

"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16, NLT)

Where I've Been

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 23:52:00 +0000

It's been a while since I spouted my opinions here. In that time, we in the USA have experienced much. Hurricane Sandy, many heinous crimes (and many acts of charity that are never reported), a presidential election, and... and... some other stuff. And I've had opinions on all of it.

But I haven't viewed much from the perspective of a traveler through a strange land; an alien to this world.

To be honest, I think I've been more focused on "stuff" than I have on the God who has saved me. You know, the God who flung the stars into space and stretched the universe out. The God who imagined and placed the duck-billed platypus and the giraffe and the cuddly little puppy on this planet (also the dinosaur and the carnivorous saber-toothed cat). The God who put the laws of physics in place. The God who set -- and sets -- the standard for truth.

That God.

The one who did all those things but has time and enough interest to interact with me. The one who wrote a book that I have the unfathomable privilege to read.

It truly boggles my mind how I could take God for granted.

As God Is My Witness

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 01:32:00 +0000

"As God is my witness [insert something you're terribly determined to do]." Some reserve this saying for those very special occasions when a simple declaration just won't cut it. Maybe the most well-known version was when Scarlet O'Hara announced (to herself, I think) that she'd never be hungry again. And she meant it, darn it. Paul the Apostle even used the phrase in the beginning of his letter to the church in Rome.

While it appeals to the all-seeing, all-knowing characteristics of God, we use that reference to call on the nature of the One who is supremely trustworthy, otherwise it makes little sense. It's like a first cousin of the phrase "May God strike me dead if..." It promises that no matter the odds or the difficulty, we are going to do this particular thing.

Has it occurred to you that God essentially says this of His followers every single day? The statement of Jesus in Acts 1:8 -- "you will be My witnesses" -- indicates that He is saying to the world, for instance, "As Dean is my witness, anyone who believes in Me has eternal life," or to the Church, "As Dean is my witness, the world will know you're My followers by the love you have for each other."

That's a very tall order. But it's not only possible for us to be that kind of witness, it is reasonable and it is even expected of every follower of Jesus Christ. This is how much God has entrusted to us. The Church is His body on earth. I am His witness. You are His witness. He gives enough of Himself to us to expect us to be supremely trustworthy; to be carriers of His name and guardians of His character.

20 Items Or Less

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:25:00 +0000

A while back I was driving toward an odd five-way intersection and was about to make a left turn. I put my blinker on and waited for the police car coming toward me in the other lane to pass by. To my surprise, without using his blinker, the policeman slowed for what seemed like an eternity and made a right turn onto the road I was waiting to turn onto. Without sarcasm (to my wife's surprise and to my own), I said to my wife, "Hey, he didn't use a blinker. And look! He's talking on the phone!"

Very uncool.

As I was on my way to a church meeting one Sunday morning (also a while back), chugging along at the speed limit, a car zoomed past me, shattering the speed limit. The driver was dressed well, and given the time of day and the fact that we live in the Bible Belt, it's a moderately safe assumption that he was on his way to church services somewhere. I'm not stating that he was; just saying that it's probable.

I'm too critical -- this I know. However, in both cases above, I'm likely not the only person who'd notice that something was at least slightly awry.

All those reading are probably familiar with Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew 25. There are a couple of points that are super-important. First, we're expected by God to be good stewards of the title "Christ-follower" and all that it includes. Second (not mentioned in the parable, so thereby not to be taken as the words of Jesus, but as my own) people are watching to see what we do. I should interject that I really need to give my two example people the benefit of the doubt, and I do, but they were perfect examples for this post. The cop may have been dealing with a personally stressful situation on the phone, and the speeding car could have been driven by a guy on his way to see his lady friend or something.

Following is a very short list of the kinds of things that the Christ-follower should never say. Legalist thinking? Not in my opinion.

"I know I have 37 items in my basket, but this 'express' line at Chaos-Mart is shorter than the only other one that's open, so I'll use it anyway."
"He won't ever know the difference."
"I just don't feel convicted to obey the speed limit."
"He needs to be taught a lesson." (...when uttered with a malicious heart. Otherwise, this one's permissible and can possibly be adviseable sometimes.)

These thoughts and others like them lead to wrong behavior -- behavior that people will observe. Even if we somehow don't consider the resulting actions to be destructive to our walk with Christ, that they can, and very likely will, wind up being destructive to our witness.

"Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." (1 Peter 2:12, NLT)

Ripping off my own writing, this is a repost of "Obeying '20 Items or Less'" from EGBDF in 2008. Image above by Shaun Ellsworth, copyright The San Bernadino County Sun

Meeting the Minimum Requirements

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can neither do nor teach become critics. (Or so it's been said.)

Often I feel like I have a skill set that uniquely qualifies me to be a critic.

In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul noted that he had been given a thorn in the flesh to keep him from becoming proud. I get it. Not that what I'm about to describe could be called a "messenger from Satan" in any way, but when you meet the minimum requirements for a particular task there's little chance that you'll become arrogant about the job you do. That can be a good thing.

I have the privilege of leading corporate worship through music in a wonderful variety of places. My favorite, hands-down, is the Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville, AL. The first time I ever led music in a church setting was about 10 years ago at Wall Highway Baptist Church in Madison, AL, when we were going through what seemed to be a rather rough time for the church fellowship. We'd run out of options so I volunteered. I remember thinking, "What have I just done?!" Prior to that morning, I believe I'd only sung in public two or three times in my entire life. It petrified me, with good reason.

You see, I can tell if you have a good voice, and I can determine how well you stay on pitch. Matter of fact, I obsess about that kind of thing. The problem is that I don't have a particularly appealing voice, and believe it or not, staying on pitch isn't something that comes second-nature to me. It takes effort. I'm fine on background vocals, but if I'm the one who has the main vocal part, it's a risky venture. Every time I stand up in a group to sing with or lead them, I'm keenly aware of the shortcomings in my vocal ability.

For this reason I've never been able to identify with a worship leader who falls prey to pride in his own ability. God knew what He was doing when He led me into this area. He equipped me with the minimum amount of ability needed to do the job, and as a result I've been blessed far beyond what I'd have imagined.

I don't always agree with the saying, "God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called," but in my case the statement is validated. I'm grateful for every single opportunity to sing with the Church.

This is why I want to encourage each of you to step forward into what God calls you to do, whether or not you believe you're the best person for the job. Sometimes the best person isn't actually the best person.

Reactionary Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Did you see the news in late August when the American Atheists organization put up some billboards for the Democratic National Convention? Fox News reported on it, then the advertising company was bombarded with "a national outpouring of 'vitriol, threats and hate speech against our staff, volunteers and Adams Outdoor Advertising,'" (according to a spokesperson for American Atheists).

Fox News' original story is here and the post-billboard story from the Bradenton Herald is here.

As a result of the outpouring of negative feedback, whether or not it was as ugly as the American Atheists spokesperson described (I wouldn't be surprised if it was), the advertising company and the atheist organization decided to take the signs down.

In other words, Christians "won."

Or did we?

In the original Fox News article, a pastor from Christian Life Center said, "Of course it’s not appropriate, it’s never appropriate to insult another person, it’s never appropriate to disrespect another person."

I have nothing disparaging to say about that pastor because I realize that there's little context within which I can weigh that statement. Taking it at face value, though, the first thing I thought of when I read his statement was what Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12. "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (NLT) Now, Jesus didn't give specifics on how to react, but the implication is that we're not to retaliate. In verses 38-40 He says not to resist an evil person and if something slaps us on the right cheek, we should offer the other one, too.

I believe reactionary "Christianity" messed up again. Although the deluge of responses surely wasn't made strictly by the Christian community, we can safely say that they will get "credit" for it. Here are some questions I have about this set of events:

What does this incident tell non-believers about Christians and by extension, about Jesus?
What would have been a better response, if any, from the Christian community?
If I'm wrong about all this, what am I missing or misunderstanding?

The FoxNews.com and American Atheists logos above are the property of their respective owners.

Rewriting Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:14:00 +0000

The more I see and hear the news, the more I think many Christians must be using Bibles that have certain passages rewritten to accommodate their own personal or political worldviews and preferences:

Matthew 10:18 has got to be one of those passages: "You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are more righteous than other people. But this will be your opportunity to stand up for your rights."

And then there's Matthew 10:22-23. "And all nations will hate you because they are depraved. But everyone who fights to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, stay there and don't back down. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the states of America."

Our actions, or the actions of many of those who do things in the name of "Christian values" tend to reflect a set of pseudo-Biblical principles that are often patriotic or self-focused more than they are Christ-exalting.

Here's what Jesus actually said in those two passages:

"You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me." - Matthew 10:18 (NLT)

"And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel." - Matthew 10:22-23 (NLT)

Sometimes I wonder what "Jesus" we're following.

Adventures in Yardwork

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:52:00 +0000

I hope you'll enjoy this blast from the past (originally posted in 2008):

An appropriate subtitle for today's post is "Lessons in Stupidity." Some of you will read this post and think, "Oh, no he di'n't," and some will read it and say, "Dude! I wish I'd been there!" Regardless, in light of this story I find it ironic that I've ever posted anything at all about wisdom.

This morning I was string-trimming in some thick weeds behind our storage shed, and I hit one of those tomato vine stabilizing wire thingies. It was pretty rusty, and I leaned down through the weeds and pulled it and one more out of the ground. I threw them down behind me and I started to pray, "Lord, please keep me from stepping on that rusty wire while I work," and then either God or my common sense said, "C’mon… that's dumb, Dean. Move the wire." So I stopped trimming and put it in the trash.

Score one for wisdom! Yeah!

I kept trimming so I could get to this huge weed-berry-tree thing with purple roots and pull it up without stepping on a snake, and in doing so I had to move our old Rubbermaid trash can out of the way. We haven’t used it in forever. It housed a really old tarp, a bunch of soda cans which probably had fermented cola left in them, a bag with dirty diapers, and miscellaneous paper trash.

Oh yeah… and a wasp nest.

As soon as I rolled the trash can away from the shed, the air filled with a dozen or so wasps, which I thought were behind the trash can high on the wall of the shed (lots of good wasp hiding places in a tin roof). I ran to get the wasp spray, but it only lasted for two shots, neither of which felled a bogey. So I ran inside and grabbed some Lysol (TM)-style disinfectant spray. You need to be aware that it will not kill wasps; don’t bother trying. Also be aware that it's not flammable. That was the next step in my strategy -- the tried-and-true lighter-and-aerosol can plan. When the disinfectant wouldn’t ignite, I ran back inside and snagged a can of hairspray. My daughter wanted to help arm me when she found out why I was so excited, so she gave me a can of glitter hairspray, which turned out to be extremely flammable; even more than our boring adult hairspray. I took the glitter hairspray and a lighter and marched back out to the shed.

I got a couple of wasps before I realized that the nest was actually in the blue trash can, not on the wall of the shed. There’s a little circular cap on the top of the trash can lid (you can see it in the photo), and it was missing -- that's where the wasps were going in and out. I figured I'd smoke 'em out, so I sprayed a pretty good bit of glitter into the hole (no flame – that would be dumb), hoping to get a few of them from the fumes, and then I moved on to shoot them out of the air with the lighter.

A few moments later, a wasp landed on the edge of the trash can. It was a "gimme." That sucker was just sitting there waiting to be flamed. So I edged up to the can, flicked the lighter, and depressed the nozzle. Oh, man, was this ever sweet. And then...

BWHOOOOM!!!!

The trash can lid flew high into the air, along with soda cans and a bag of what appeared later to be dirty diapers. I instinctively dove away, thinking, "Were those cans THAT fermented?!" and before that thought was even past my synapses I remembered that I'd sprayed several gallons (or a lot, anyway) of glitter hairspray into the can.

Eyes still wide, I looked at the blackened soft drink cans laying on the ground and the white bag containing a poop diaper, and then I saw the tarp sticking out of the trash can, smoldering and beginning to ignite. I rushed to Hershey the Dog’s pool and picked it up, spilling the water but giving me enough to extinguish the growing flame. Then I poured the rest of the water on the smoldering diaper bag.

As I stood there, thanking God for saving me from a massive amount of foolishness, I looked at the upside-down trash can lid and spied a vacant, slightly-charred wasp nest.

Got 'em!!

All this to say... while I have never done this specific thing before (and most likely will never do it again), the building blocks and lessons were already in place for me to have known just how stupid I was being. How many times have we been given knowledge and wisdom that we ought to be applying but fail to do so because of a little temptation for excitement or fun?

He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
- Proverbs 15:32 (NKJV)

God Speaks In a Dream: Kyle Woods' Story

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:56:00 +0000

I spoke with my 19-year-old friend Kyle Woods a few days after a life-or-death surgery to correct a dangerous condition several months ago. When he told me the circumstances surrounding the perfect success of the surgery I was stunned. I asked him to write it down for me so I could share it with you.

Here is Kyle's account:

My name is Kyle Wesley Woods.

In March of 2012 I started to get sick by coughing up blood. Weeks went on and I still was experiencing this and I went from one type of specialist to another during all of March.

Finally, I was supposed to go Vanderbilt Hospital to find out what was wrong, but they did not have any room for me. Instead I was sent to UAB. My Doctor ran a couple tests. I had to go back from Birmingham and Madison every couple days for tests or a procedure. Turns out I had an AVM in my right chest wall sitting on top of some of my ribs.

Basically, an AVM is just a bunch of veins that try to spread out but have nowhere to go so they end up forming into a ball and can make their own arteries and turn into a decent-sized mass. AVM's are common in the head, but there has never been a report of one in someone's chest wall.

I went in to see the doctor on a Thursday, May 3rd. He told me that he would go in and remove the mass. He explained to me that I could lose a lot of blood and that AVM's usually do not cause pain. But mine was. He explained that I may have to take pain killers for the rest of my life and have chronic pain. He then informed me that he cleared his schedule for the next morning and added me to it.

When I heard this, I realized that it is never a good sign when your surgeon tells you “Hey we need to get this out of you tomorrow morning.” I realized I was dying and this mass was attaching itself to other main arteries in my body and stealing blood from other organs.

I was very confused spiritually. I was not angry with God because I knew He would take care of me and sometimes I realize for God to take care of his children that may mean bring them to Him. I used to be addicted to pain killers when I was younger. I was confused why He would let someone who struggled with pain killers for many years be back on pain killers for the rest of their life. It did not make sense to me.

Friday, May 4th, I had my surgery in the morning and when I woke up I was fine. All I had was surgical pain. Other than that I was perfect I felt better. I knew I was not dying anymore.
My surgeon came into my room and told me that I am a miracle from God. This is what happened:

Thursday night, while I was questioning God of his plan, my surgeon prayed for me before he went to sleep. While he was asleep God showed him in his dream exactly how to do the surgery. Every incision to every stitch, from the start to the end. Friday morning when I was asleep on the table my surgeon started just like he did in his dream. He felt like he was cutting away too much of my muscle so instead he barely cut down into the mass [something that was not in the dream]. When this happened blood shot to the ceiling and he quickly plugged it with his finger and stitched it up. He then said, “Okay God, I will do it Your way.” he then finished the rest of the surgery the way he was shown in his dream.

After I was stitched back up and good, he then took the mass over to a table and cut through it like he originally planned. When he did, the mass cut open to reveal tons of more veins that were still alive and an artery that it had made. If he had cut through it he said that he would not have been able to control all of the blood and I would have died on the table within a minute.

I am a miracle of God. I am a child of God. God will take care of his children no matter what. I am alive today to help people strengthen their faith and teach them about my Savior. The biggest thing I realized is that this story is not for me. It is for everyone else who will listen or read it. I am alive today so that my family, everyone else and Satan will know that death does not scare me and will not shake my faith.

I am called into the ministry.

Reader Response to "To Whom Would Jesus Contribute?"

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 23:06:00 +0000

A reader at Revelife.com (which occasionally reposts things I write here) sent me a message with a wonderfully thought-out and graciously-worded rebuttal to my post "To Whom Would Jesus Contribute?" I wanted to share it with you. He punches me in the teeth at the end, and I'll bet the same fist will punch you.

My post had expressed frustration with the two main presidential candidates' campaigns and their use of massive, massive contributions they'd received as of the end of March (I might throw a tantrum if I looked at the amounts today). I opined that that campaign money -- being used for television ads, cross-country trips, smear campaigns, etc. -- would be better used giving someone a hot meal or clean water.

The reply below comes courtesy (and with the permission) of AnyasFriendMe. You may find that what he says makes more sense than what I wrote. I encourage you to read the second part of my ramblings, "When Necessary, Use Money," though, at some point. It may express my conclusions better than the first post.

Here's the response (I put a number of phrases in bold for emphasis):

Hmm... it's hard to put big numbers in perspective. Given that there are some 313 million people in America, even if Obama spends a billion, see http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/30/us-usa-campaign-spending-idUSTRE77T3ZX20110830 -- that works out to about $3 per person. I'm sure many non-profits spend that much money mailing and phoning their average supporters to get them to support their campaigns, since it takes money to get people to act. It's sort of a necessary overhead. It adds up to a lot of money because there are lots of people in our country.

Well, is it worth it? That's hard to say. Obama and Romney each advocate numerous policies that they might be able to implement. Many policies have impacts of many billions of dollars. If there have been 50 or so million abortions since Roe vs. Wade, and if an additional billion dollars would have changed elections that would have changed who the Supreme Court Justices were, then for a pro-lifer the question would be, "Is it worth about $20 to stop an abortion?"

From this perspective spending a billion dollars to stop 50 million deaths could be considered pocket change.

Or in other terms that may be easier to relate to: outlawing abortion could save two babies every minute in America. For those who don't care for a pro-life argument, feel free to switch it. For example, money spent to elect a candidate who was concerned about global warming (or whatever your pet issue is) might save the lives of many people.

There are a billion plus people who need clean water. I'm not sure how many wells would be needed to save as many people, but I'm guessing it would be a lot, and I doubt that it would be cheap to provide them all with clean water.

In short, there are a lot of uncertainties, but there are big bucks spent on politics because politicians have a lot of influence on a lot of big issues that have big impacts on many people. Do we get our priorities perfect? Of course not.But it may be possible that many Christians have spent too little money supporting candidates that shared their concerns.

Then again, how many of us invest time praying for our leaders? Hmm... could that have an influence on the decisions that they make? Maybe asking how we spend our money isn't the only or even the best way to change the world. Maybe we need to ask how we spend our prayer time.

Book Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Laudio) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Congratulations to commenter Christy on landing Andrea Palpant Dilley's book Faith and Other Flat Tires: Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt. It wasn't a hard-fought battle; maybe I need to give away a Hunger Games book next time...?