The wooden room resounded with sound as a half-hundred people stomped their feet and industriously pumped their arms to accompany their singing. We sang from "The Sacred Harp," a hymnal first published in 1844, with lyrics pining for the Promised Land and glory beyond. Back then, church singing … [Read more...] about 12 Things I Enjoy About Sacred Harp Singing
Festival of Faith & Writing 2010
Next week I'm attending the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College. It's a literary feast, with appetizers, main courses, and desserts all concocted from words. The theme is always this: where do your faith and your words intersect? The plenaries have roughly 2,000 people in attendance. … [Read more...] about Festival of Faith & Writing 2010
U2: Holding Onto Love
One of the many reasons I love U2 is the way they keep reinventing themselves. It's not easy for artists to keep moving forward creatively, especially in a collaborative way. If it were easy, more people would manage it, right? This band makes me believe in synergy. Their vision is responsive, … [Read more...] about U2: Holding Onto Love
Olive Kitteredge, by Elizabeth Strout, a book review
Please read this book.? It won a Pulitzer for fiction for good reason. Olive Kitteredge is fiction in a unique format: linked short stories. Each story includes the character Olive Kitteredge, a tall older woman, a schoolteacher, the sort you might call a "battleaxe". And yet I would gladly have … [Read more...] about Olive Kitteredge, by Elizabeth Strout, a book review
Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a book review
Infidel is such a powerful word, isn't it? Resonating with self-righteousness and judgment, it quivers under it's own weight, like a bowl of jello. I just finished reading this book, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which I found mesmerizing, at least for the first two-thirds. In the last third the book became … [Read more...] about Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a book review
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation, by Charles Barber, a book review
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation, by Charles Barber, is worth reading, if only for the H.L. Mencken quotation in the prologue: "There is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong." Barber begins with statistics and commentary about the … [Read more...] about Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation, by Charles Barber, a book review
Stone Heart, by Diane Glancy, a book review
I became acquainted with the work of Diane Glancy when I lived in Minnesota. ?She's an interesting person, with a rather bifurcated background (Cherokee/Baptist) who has been incredibly prolific, producing award-winning poetry, plays, fiction, and non-fiction. I enjoyed hearing Ms. Glancy speak at … [Read more...] about Stone Heart, by Diane Glancy, a book review
Car Talk: Rules About Bumper Stickers
I'm not referring to the radio show. ?I'm being literal here. How much should cars be allowed to talk? My family and I have debated this when we're stuck in traffic, and have established the following Rule of Thumb (which I believe should be widely adopted, if not become the Rule of Law): Cars may … [Read more...] about Car Talk: Rules About Bumper Stickers
Got Acedia? Who cares.
I heard Kathleen Norris talk about "acedia" at the Festival of Faith & Writing. ?Acedia is an ancient term for a sin which can be defined as apathy, or boredom, or more precisely, "why bother." She quoted some very profound writers on the subject. ?It seems that in the 4th century acedia was a … [Read more...] about Got Acedia? Who cares.
Festival of Faith & Writing 2008
I'm home again after an amazing 3-day Festival of Faith & Writing. ?I stayed with my parents, time which is so precious. Both of my parents attended the Festival, their second one. They have good health and sharp minds, and are an example of how to keep meeting people and loving life. Three good … [Read more...] about Festival of Faith & Writing 2008
Singing Harmonia Sacra to Greet the New Year
I spent New Year's Night singing hymns in a church, unaccompanied, with 300 or so other people. ?The crowd was diverse in age, but entirely white in skin color. Everyone was dressed very nicely in what I called "church clothes" growing up. I've sung with Old Order Mennonites before, it's a memorable … [Read more...] about Singing Harmonia Sacra to Greet the New Year