CCBlogs thinking critically, living faithfully

Today must be music video day... oh well...

Please watch it and pass it on. :-)

Everything from justin pae on Vimeo.

Tags: Vimeo, God

I wish I could have seen this in person...

The Killers performing live at the European Music Awards.

ht: Collide

Tags: Killers, Human, EMA 2008

I like it....

Christ has no Body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which he looks
Compassion on the world
Yours are the feet with which he walks
To do good
Yours are the hands with which he blesses
All the world.

Yours are the hands
Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes
You are his body
Planning in the Kingdom
It helps, now and then, to step back
And take the long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts
It is even beyond our vision.
Lord, we know in whom we believe
We accomplish in our lifetime
Only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise
that is God’s work
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that the
Kingdom always lies beyond us.

Lord, we know in whom we believe
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith
No confession brings perfection
No pastoral visit being wholeness
No programme accomplishes the Church’s mission
No set of goals and objectives includes everything
Lord, we know in whom we believe
This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted
Knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
Lord we know in whom we believe

We cannot do everything
And there is a sense of liberation in realizing that
This enables us to do something,
And to do it very well
It may be incomplete
But it is a beginning,
A step along the way, an opportunity for the
Lords grace to enter and do the rest.
Lord we know in whom we believe

We may never see the end results,
But that is the difference between
The master builder and the worker.
We are workers,
Not master builders,
Ministers,
Not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future
Not our own.
(Oscar Romero)

Lord, we trust in you
To eternally renew our belief in you
In ourselves and in each other
In this is our joy. Amen

Yours are the hands
Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes
You are his body.
Christ has no Body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which he looks
Compassion on this world
Christ has no Body but yours.

If you've never discovered the joy of serving other people maybe now might be the time. 

Tags: serve, servanthood, non-profits

Am I the only person who doesn't like this jersey?

Frankly, I would have preferred the now-infamous never-adopted "trumpet" jersey over this one. 

Ok, maybe not...

As a St. Louis Blues purist, I wish they would have stayed closer to classic "Blues colors" and not the darker one here.

Maybe something like Mike Liut wore, or maybe Bernie Federko.  Or better yet, a minimalist version like the ones worn by Plante and Hall "back in the day."

I guess the older colors are too washed out for today's sensibilities.

Tags: St. Louis Blues, third jerseys

From The Monk Downstairs:

There is a prayer that is simply seeing through yourself,
seeing your own nothingness,
the emptiness impervious to self-assertion.
A prayer that is the end of the rope.
A helplessness, fathomless and terrifying.
The Monk Downstairs, p. 282

Is this aspect of spirituality something you can relate to?

Technorati Tags: The Monk Downstairs, prayer

In case you didn't know, the President-Elect is already posting fireside chats on YouTube.

Check it out for yourself.

ht: marketing vox

Tags: Obama, Barack Obama, President-Elect

I guess its really true that small things done with God's love can change things... ;-)

ht: bob carlton

Tags: YouTube, Change the world

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Thousand of people will converge upon shopping malls and Big Box stores on the day after Thanksgiving.

It's customarily called Black Friday.

And it becomes all about over-spending
unbridled materialism
irresponsible choices
over-consumption
long lines, crowded parking lots and short tempers
trampling and pushing people to get the 10 discounted game consoles
loading credit cards to the max.

What would life be like if we ate turkey leftovers on the 28th, and spent time with friends and family making a few Christmas gifts-- baking, making cards, sewing or crocheting, or doing whatever you love doing?

I just might be a fun, relaxing and inexpensive day.

To learn more about Make Something Day and Buy Nothing Day, click on the appropriate links.

ht: sojo

Well, this is the seventh and final installment in this series.

I hope you'll be able to find something suitable for your personal (or faith-family) use in at least one of these posts.

So here goes.  This is my final recommendation.

I would be remiss if I didn't say something about the Advent blog (and art) of Jan Richardson. Jan is a "writer, artist, minister and director of a company called The Wellspring Studio, LLC."

Posted to the left is a sample of her Advent artwork.

Click here to see more and to read her daily advent devotions at The Advent Door.

Have a blessed Advent season!

Shine bright,
meb

Tags: Advent, Jan Richardson

Almost every major denomination has their own collection of Advent resources.  So, don't overlook the obvious.

Here are a few examples:

• General Board of Discipleship (UMC)
• SAMUEL (UCC)
• Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
• Anglicans Online

And if none of this is appealing, don't forget about Textweek's list of Advent links.

Tags: Advent, Advent resources

Needing advent resources?

No, I'm not talking about Advent calendars (like the one shown here), advent wreaths or manger scenes.

I'm talking about blogs, videos, articles and other resources that might help you (and the ones you lead) prepare for the holiday season.

So, I thought I'd share a few over the next few days...

Here's a collection of advent articles, as well as an Advent Guide, written by a former Presbyterian (hear *fairly conservative*) pastor.

I like what he says about why Advent matters to him.

That's today's suggestion, more soon...

Tags: Advent, Advent resources

I've always enjoyed "Whose birthday is it anyway?," the annual Advent/Christmas resource published by Alternatives for Simple Living.

They're "equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibility" through publications like this.

For more information, please click here.

Tags: Advent, Alternatives for Simple Living, Whose birthday is it anyway

I love this photograph.

It's a sculpture that once stood in Vancouver, BC. Sadly, it's been dismantled amidst controversy.

When I look at The Upside Down Church (or the "Device to Root out Evil" as it's formally known) I'm reminded of the subversive, topsy-turvy nature of the church.

You know, the first shall be last, the great shall be servants sort of thing.

What were your first impressions of the photograph?

ht: eugenecho

Tags: The Upside Down Church, Device to Root out Evil

I've been enjoying Following the Star for several years.

According to the site, the daily devotion writers "come from a variety of backgrounds, some are ministers or missionaries, others are professors or high school teachers, what they have in common is they know and love students!"

And they're "written especially for students and seek to provide reflections on themes that impact our faith journey. We hope that in the midst of busy or boring days, these sites will create a quiet space in your life for contemplation and prayer."

If you've never experienced Following the Star, I would encourage you to give it a try.

Tags: Following the Star, Advent

I've been enjoying Following the Star for several years.

According to the site, the daily devotion writers "come from a variety of backgrounds, some are ministers or missionaries, others are professors or high school teachers, what they have in common is they know and love students!"

And they're "written especially for students and seek to provide reflections on themes that impact our faith journey. We hope that in the midst of busy or boring days, these sites will create a quiet space in your life for contemplation and prayer."

If you've never experienced Following the Star, I would encourage you to give it a try.

Tags: Following the Star, Advent

This blog provides a number of Advent resources worth consideration.

One of the links they suggest is the Teaching Mom.

Have fun browsing.

Tags: Lent & Beyond, Advent

The Advent Conspiracy promo video. :-)

Here's their website.

Tags: Advent Conspiracy, Advent

“Like every human organization the Church is constantly in danger of corruption. As soon as power and wealth come to the Church, manipulation, exploitation, misuse of influence, and outright corruption are not far away.

How do we prevent corruption in the Church? The answer is clear: by focusing on the poor. The poor make the Church faithful to its vocation. When the Church is no longer a church for the poor, it loses its spiritual identity. It gets caught up in disagreements, jealousy, power games, and pettiness. Paul says, “God has composed the body so that greater dignity is given to the parts which were without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body but each part may be equally concerned for all the others” (1 Corinthians 12:24-25). This is the true vision. The poor are given to the Church so that the Church as the body of Christ can be and remain a place of mutual concern, love, and peace.”

- Henri Nouwen

ht: dream awakener