Well, I picked up reading The Ragamuffin Gospel again. I stalled out on it in early spring, but looks like I’ll be able to get into it over the summer.

In this recent section of the book, Manning has been focusing on trust, and “spiritual poverty” (blessed are the poor in spirit). I thought spiritual poverty was an interesting twist on the poor in spirit idea that brings it into pretty sharp focus.

The chapter I’m reading (chap 4) is titled “Tilted Halos”. Here’s an excerpt:

The prayer of the poor in spirit can simply be a single word: Abba. Yet that word can signify dynamic interaction. Imagine a little boy trying to help his father with some household work, or making his mother a gift. The help may be nothing more than getting in the way, and the gift may be totally useless, but the love behind it is simple an pure, and the loving response it evokes is virtually uncontrollable. I am sure it is this way between our Abba and us. At the deepest, simplest levels, we just want each other to be happy, to be pleased. Our sincere desire counts far more than any specific success or failure. Thus when we try to pray and cannot, or when we fail in a sincere attempt to be compassionate, God touches us tenderly in return.

In this sense, there is no such thing as bad prayer. A third characteristic of the tilted-halo gang is honesty. We must know who we are. How difficult it is to be honest, to accept that I am unacceptable, to renounce self-justification, to give up the pretense that my prayers, spiritual insight, tithing and successes in ministry have made me pleasing to God! No antecedent beauty enamors me in His eyes. I am lovable only because He loves me.

That’s such a good reminder. :)

If you have been experiencing strange things on your PC lately (especially related to the internet), you probably have some spyware on it.

Check out my mini-article on how to get rid of and protect against spyware on mattheerema.com my Web development site.

Dan Jones is our first brave “beta tester” of the not our home blogging community.

Welcome back Dan!

Also welcome to The Other Dan (or, A Different Dan) Dan Benson. Who has been commenting on our humble blogs here, and now has one of his own.

sigh i love community. Even if it is online.

I realize that I must be very careful when blogging about other people, especially when those people are ones that I have a second degree professional relationship with. But I think highest praise is always an acceptable form of blogging.

I have a new found respect for Boone High School more specifically their music program. I say new found respect as opposed to the deep loathing I had for the school previously. After all, they were a big rival of Webster City High School, my alma mater. (Though I kid about other sources of the deep loathing, I think the friendly school rivalry is the extent of it…)

Nancy teaches individual lessons for their high school band program there, and so naturally she wanted to go to their last music program last night. She wanted me to come along and meet her co-workers. I complained, not at the thought of having to meet her co-workers, or at the thought of having to listen to a high school music program, these are both things that I like to do. I complained at 1) having to go to Boone, and 2) having to go to Boone.

Let me say that the concert last night (featuring their Choir, Band, and Orchestra, as well as a few outstanding solo and ensemble acts) was impressive. Incredible even. But the highlight of the night (for me personally) and the reason that I’m bothering to blog about this was the orchestra. Not that it was necessarily any better than the excellent choir, or the skilled band, but because they played a lot of Rock ‘n Roll. :)

I have to admit that I was skeptical. A high school orchestra performing “Stairway to Heaven” and “Sunshine of your love” (by Cream…). But wow.

“Sunshine of your love” made me chuckle, as the conductor introduced the song, he proceeded to take off his sport coat, loosen his tie, and tell a story about how when he was 16, he begged his parents for a guitar (a Gibson SG nonetheless), and how his parents helped him purchase it (i missed the specifics of the story, as he was taking his tie off and making it into a headband…). He then proceeded to tell us that he was going to play lead guitar with the orchestra on that same song… “and remember, if it’s too loud, you’re too old…” at this point i rolled my eyes, but then they started playing. Let me just say that Mr. Swenson does a mean Eric Clapton. At the end of the piece, I wanted to stand and give him the too-much-rock-for-one-hand sign… too bad no one would have gotten it…

Nice work Mr. Swenson. I think I have found a kindred spirit. If I were an orchestra conductor, I would definitely play Sunshine of Your Love… on lead guitar, with a tie around my head.

Shout out to everyone who helped Nancy and I move yesterday. Your help was invaluable. Not only did the moving go INCREDIBLY QUICKLY (1.5 hours all told), but it was a lot of fun (lots o people means lots o fun). For the record, we had nearly 20 people there, with three pickups, two minivans, four cars, and a 16″ flatbed trailer (thanks to Nancy’s grandfather). We got everything (just barely) in one trip!

The piano move also went flawlessly. We ended up having it professionally moved so that we would be sure and not break it. It took the movers all of 20 minutes to load it out, haul it, and load it in.

I love you all, and thank you for displaying what the church is supposed to look like! Your service will be rewarded far beyond what our measley rootbeer floats can do :)