revmerrilsnotebook: the podcast

Entry 6: Crucify

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:37:37 GMT

And you thought I had petered out ...

Here's the sixth entry in revmerrill's public journal for Lent, 2008. Crucify

Listen Online

revmerrill's Journal: Entry 5: On Self

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:08:49 GMT

Here's the fifth entry in revmerrill's public journal for Lent, 2008. On Self

Listen Online

You may listen to this podcast online. If the file does not play, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Download A Smaller File

Some of you may prefer a smaller file in less pristine audio. Download this podcast here. If the file is not available, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Read the Journal

Here is a text version of revmerrill's journal entry

revmerrill's Journal: Entry 4: On Being Fruitful

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:04:06 GMT

Here's the fourth entry in my public journal for Lent, 2008. On Being Fruitful

Listen Online

You may listen to this podcast online. If the file does not play, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Download A Smaller File

Read the Journal

Here is a text version of revmerrill's journal entry

Entry2: You Are Dust

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:41:08 GMT

Oops. I forgot Entry 2.

Here's the second entry in revmerrill's public journal for Lent, 2008. You Are Dust

Listen Online

You may listen to this podcast online. If the file does not play, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Download A Smaller File

Read the Journal

Here is a text version of revmerrill's journal entry

Entry 3: God Remembers

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:24:36 GMT

Here's the third entry in revmerrill's public journal for Lent, 2008. God Remembers

Listen Online

You may listen to this podcast online. If the file does not play, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Download A Smaller File

Read the Journal

Here is a text version of revmerrill's journal entry

Journal Entry 1: Introduction

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:03:02 GMT

Here's the first entry in my public journal for Lent, 2008. Introduction

Listen Online

You may listen to this podcast online. If the file does not play, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Download A Smaller File

Read the Journal

Here is a text version of revmerrill's journal entry

Keeping A Holy Lent

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:16:54 GMT

Father Eric and I have our monthly podcast conversation Keeping A Holy Lent just in time for Ash Wednesday, February 6, 2008.

You will find a version of the hymn Forty Days and Forty Nights here.

The Genesis story is told in Genesis 3:1-24.

The Bartimaeus story is told in Mark 10:46-52.

Our music is Dawn by Josh Winiberg available at beatpick.com

Listen Online

You may listen to this podcast online. If the file does not play, please try back later, as archive.org may be having issues. The file is safe but may be temporarily unavailable.

Download A Smaller File

Healing A Boy Possessed By A Spirit

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:46:04 GMT

This is a cross post with The Voice of the Winged Ox I did a Bible study at St. Luke's on Sunday. It's based on Mark 9:14-29. It's Healing A Boy Possessed by a Spirit

Sorrow and the Rich Young Man

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:35:35 GMT

What a humbling experience! Today's podcast is a sermon I wrote but neither read nor preached. The voice you will hear is my sister, Gail, reading for her faith community I called the sermon Sorrow and the Rich Young Man

Daily Writings for January 5 Thru 13, 2008

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:31:59 GMT

For your listening enjoyment, I present Daily Writings for January 5-13

Conversation on Scripture

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:20:14 GMT

Here is a cross post of
my podcast conversation with Father Eric on Scripture

Daily Writings for December 27, 2007 thru January 3, 2008

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:41:14 GMT

Here are my daily writings from http://revmerrill.vox.com/ Daily Writings 2

Updates

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:25:05 GMT

In today's podcast, I give some updates on myself and describe my intentions for 2008. Updates

On Vox: Updates

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:38:46 GMT

Here's an audio version of my intentions for 2008 and other updates on me. You can hear my dog chewing on his bone, too.

Revmerrill_20071231

revmerrill

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

Voice Post

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:50:35 GMT

On Vox: Daily Writings for December 19 Thru 24, 2007

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:04:05 GMT

Here's an audio using synthesized speech to read my last week of posts. Daily Writings for December 19 thru 24

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

Let's see if Daily Writings 1 gets picked up in the feed now.

On Vox: Call

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:52:46 GMT

ON BEING A WRITER

This is not a new idea for me--to be a writer. Nevertheless, it came to me so clearly yesterday afternoon--a mouthful of Black Bean and Butter Squash chili in my moth, the spoon in my hand, Madeleine L'Engle's Miracle on 10th Street playing on my Victor Reader Stream.

"I can do this," I said to myself. I knew it was an answer to the call I have been sensing God is initiating in me. "I CAN write about my life, spiritual matters and I can draw the two together.

Advent, L'eNgle writes, is about listening. I have been at a loss to know how to listen to what God wants me to do precisely. I know Jesus has called me to follow but where? How? Scripture keeps coming into my mind:

"Therefore, bring forth fruit worthy of repentance." Matthew 3:8

"Tell those who have a fearful heart, 'Be strong. Don't be afraid.'" Isaiah 35:4

These texts have jumped off the pages the Gospeler has read on successive Saturday evenings. Yes, true enough. I have been afraid. I know I am to do a new thing, but how shall I bring it forth?

Bringing forth is biblical language for birth. How is this new direction, repentance, to be brought to fruition in my life?

Yesterday I made contact with a blind woman in Italy. She shared links and web sites to make accessing the Hebrew text of the Old Testament possible. What did this mean for me? To learn, to grow, to become reacquainted with these texts I love so well. I spent the morning downloading different chapters of the Tanak and listening to them, my Hebrew so poor I could only pick out the words Israel, Lord, God, child, earth or land. The word one or alone kept coming up. I turned to Deuteronomy:

"Hear, Israel: the LORD is our God; the LORD alone. Deuteronomy 6:4

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." Deuteronomy 6:5

Theresa of Avila said, in her fifth mansion, that the contemplative must love her neighbor as herself because that is the way she demonstrates her love of God.

Didn't L'engle say, quoting John of the Cross, that our judgment will consist only on whether or not we loved?

The author of the Cloud of Unknowing calls contemplative prayer the way of love.

So the path leads, not to Italy as a friend suggested, in jest I think, but to the contemplative life. I knew that before. I just didn't want to face it. That way will consist in listening to God, in writing and in loving God and neighbor.

NANOWRIMO now makes sense. I needed to demonstrate to myself that I could consistently write. One day I wrote over 9,000 words. In the span of three days I wrote about 15,000 words. They weren't pretty words. The writing was quite tortured, designed to generate word count. However, I can do it.

I also learned that I can write every day and when it is a good time for me to write. I write most consistently after dinner and the dishes are cleaned up.

I have expanded this essay today. It is still a shaky undertaking. It is more suitable for blog posting than for inclusion in a book. Nevertheless, it is a beginning.

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: Contemplative Prayer

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:45:07 GMT

Sadly, another cross posting. I have a backlog of podcasts to do for the church so I want to get them done before I do something new here. I am started to blog here, however, so there is some new content. Contemplative Prayer Cross Posting

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: Conversation on Healing

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:12:26 GMT

nanowrimo is taking my time and there's been lots of activity at The Voice of the Winged Ox so I'm cross-posting yet again. I hope you enjoy Conversation on Healing

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: Scripture and Me

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:18:49 GMT

This is a cross posting. This podcast is also available at The Voice of the Winged Ox I'm calling it Scripture and Me

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: NANOWRIMO

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:53:20 GMT

No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days

Chris Baty

On this breakfast cast I explain why I am participating in National Novel Writing Month with NANOWRIMO

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: At First Lutheran

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:15:47 GMT

At First LutheranToday's podcast is a devotional I did at First Lutheran, Jamestown. Roland Swanson is the president of Community Senior Fellowship. I'm Associate for Internet Ministries at St. Luke's and that podcast is at The Voice of the Winged Ox Music: Tuesday was a Swan by Cagey House available at podsafeaudio.com

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: Matthew 19:16-26

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:30:48 GMT

A friend wrote to me today:

What’s your take on the story of the rich young man (Matthew 19:16-22). Did this young man go away condemned? Or, did he go away convicted?
I’m interested in your perspective!

In rereading the text, I think the rich young man is trying to set Jesus up to tell him how good he is. Jesus tries dodging the question at first and then answers the young man with some of the Ten Commandments and Jesus catch all commandment from Leviticus. Honoring God is not at stake. It's behavior that they are discussing. Then Jesus sticks it to him: Sell all you have and come and follow me. In other words, if you really want to do something this is what you need to do. Then the young man goes away sad. Jesus goes on to say that the kingdom is very hard for rich people to enter which seems counter intuitive to the disciples who are of an entirely economic strata. Riches are a sign of God's favor. So why is it hard for the young man to enter the kingdom?

This is one of those rare times when the story is open-ended. We don't know the ending. We can write many endings.

He went back home and did not take Jesus' advice but led a righteous life nonetheless.
He went home and despaired of ever attaining eternal life.
He went home, thought it over, and did as Jesus advised.

Or there are other possibilities.

In Discipleship, Bonhoeffer says this story is not about possessions but about what keeps us from following Jesus. The rich young man couldn't manage his affairs and traipse around after Jesus. But if he released himself from his possessions and stopped thinking of himself as rich and successful and righteous, maybe Jesus' message would get under his skin and something would happen. We don't know what.

I don't think we know the answer to your question because we would have to make a judgment with insufficient information. Maybe that's the point. This is only a snapshot of a particular encounter. Since the 3 synoptic gospels tell this story, they all thought it was important. To me it is like the story of Martha and Mary. I've always wondered what Martha said when Jesus was finished speaking.

Being conventionally righteous is pretty straight forward. It only gets interesting when we have to let go of where we are and what we have known and where are security is. Then faith, trust, plays a bigger role in our lives and we are free to do more.

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: The Cheese Report: Podcast Style

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:58:41 GMT

about kohlrabi, cheese, yogurt and the spiritual impact of cooking.Here's the link for the podcast. The Cheese Report

The_cheese_report_rev

revmerrill

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com

On Vox: Blessing The Animals

rlsguide@gmail.com (revmerrill) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:09:43 GMT

This is a post for my podcast about Blessing the Animals Of course, I brought Elwood with me. I'm cross posting this at The Voice of the Winged Ox

Originally posted on revmerrill.vox.com