a coherent collection of random statements regarding God, words and tunes

Control-Alternate-Shift...

...but not "Delete."

Anyway, this unusually random halftime report has been brought to you by....

Wait -- halftime? I thought you were gonna be done with this fast thingy y'r doing on the 19th....

Well yeah, about that... let's start with the basic information first, and go from there....

First, the new services in town that our (personally) new church was starting up have been delayed a couple weeks. We knew the possibility existed (as the high-school auditorium we'll be meeting in is currently being renovated), but now it's official. The new start date for the "pre-services" is September 2nd (with the 16th being the "official" start date, which I think was already in place).

Thus, it's fitting to shift my spiritual prep time accordingly to reflect that. (It should be quite the Labor Day weekend, what with Marion's art show down in Denver starting that weekend as well.)

What does that mean specifically, in terms of the "fast thingy"? Largely, more of the same. For those who care, read on....

Keeping the "normal" fast stuff going, a no-brainer.

Music -- I came to the conclusion that I can prayerfully let myself off the hook on this one after the 19th (which I already committed to, after all), largely because I've been consciously making efforts to rediscover my prayer life. Especially after our men's group Saturday, it dawned on me that it's all too easy to feel convicted about something then walk away feeling all self-satisfied that you felt convicted about it without ever following through. So I spent my lunch time today getting back down to business, as it were -- and as I walked and prayed through the woods and quiet residential areas of west Loveland, it struck me that I hadn't done this regularly since my Lexis-Nexis days ('cause boy, I needed that -- but do I any less now? I mean, really?). And that the weather should be a whoooole lot more accomodating here than it was there. Not to mention the company has an actual prayer path around the premises (i.e., what the heck was I waiting for?)...

Anyway, it struck me that quiet, while useful (and less addictive), is no substitute for silence, which always has the potential for holiness within it. So I'm exchanging a short-term vow for a long-term habit on that one.  (And again, for the remainder of this week, doing both.)

Message boards -- Yeah, I'm'a keeping things here a while longer. I've already decided to ditch one board permanently -- a sports one from back on the East Coast that wasn't doing any favors for my spirit (and with the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry about to jump unusually ugly even for them, it's really not that tough a decision for a Mets/Rox fan to make. Unless you LIKE that much ugliness.   Me, I think I'm done with that kinda joyriding -- emphasis decidedly not on the "joy" -- and on more fronts than just this. On that note...).

As for the others -- which have always been both a blessing and a curse for the probably 8-9 years I've been on some form of them  -- I'll hold my tongue/judgment/whatever else (don't GO there, boy/girl-friends) 'til the 2nd. For now, suffice to say that it's hard to stay silent when y'r terminally churned up over stuff that's not even worthy of one's thought processes. So for all my buddies out there, the original offer stands -- e-mail me, or pop in here and if y'r IP doesn't start with 69.209 or 12.14 I'll actually read what you have to say and answer it.  

There's other stuff I could share -- let's just say that the "down time" has helped my productivity here at a time I really needed it, and that some longtime ideas that have obsessed me now and again are actually beginning to look like stuff with serious potential that (I think, anyway) the church desperately needs -- but it'd probably be better to wait until the 2nd when things have come to fuller fruition (or not).

In short, I'm doing fine. And maybe even better than fine.

So anyway, I'll seeeeee youuuuuu -- in Septeeeeeeeembeeerrrrrrrrrr....  (Unless, of course, you take the initiative first. )

Posted by: burninglight at 20:58 | link | comments