the inner ring

C.S. Lewis, as I've said before, is absolutely one of my favorite authors. I think it may be the fact that he can write something like the Chronicles of Narnia, and also pen works like Mere Christianity and The Weight of Glory. I don't know of (though I'm sure there are) any other authors that can or have tackled two markedly different genres of literature so successfully.

I've talked about The Weight of Glory here before, but there is another sermon in that collection that I read the other night called The Inner Ring. In this sermon, Lewis describes this inner ring as the place where we're all trying to arrive, though the inner rings you're shooting for may not be the same as the ones that I am pursuing. This inner ring may be a certain group of people that you want to be friends with, a group of colleagues that you wish to be accepted by, or a board of leadership that you wish to move onto. Whatever they may be, because I believe that we're all striving for multiple inner rings, certain questions arise in our pursuit.

In one section of this sermon, Lewis says this:

"But if all you want is to be in the know, your pleasure will be short lived. The circle cannot have within the charm that it had from outside. By the very act of admitting you it has lost its magic. Once the first novelty has worn off, the members of this circle will be no more interesting than your old friends."

Now, I can say from lots of experience with this that this statement is true. I can name countless times that I have moved into a new inner circle to find that I only wish to be back where I was previously. To me, these words in some sense also describe our relationship to sin. We see this thing that we are pursuing (lust, money, acceptance, things), and when we finally have attained it, we realize that our means of acquiring it were not pure, or that the end result leaves us feeling empty, unfulfilled, or dirty.

In another section Lewis says this:

"A thing may be morally neutral and yet the desire for that thing may be dangerous."

To me, this is probably one of the most simply profound statements that I have ever heard. If I think about it, this is probably the dilemma that I am faced with more than anything. For example, having nice guitar gear is not wrong, but if that desire consumes me, if I do things that I normally wouldn't to acquire that stuff, then this moves that desire to being something that is dangerous. I think we can look at a lot of different areas in our lives and notice that this is the issue we face. It's those things that are not markedly right or wrong, black or white that cause us to stumble more than any other.

If you've read this far, thanks for taking the time.

impressions from the inauguration

I would have to say that the enormity of the crowds left me a bit awestruck. I can’t fathom being in a crowd of 3-4 million people.

As a singer, I sympathized with Aretha. Temps that cold are not conducive to good singing, regardless of talent.

The Invocation was excellent, and when Rick Warren mentioned the name of Jesus, my heart leaped. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize the moment, but after all the previous controversy about praying in Jesus’ name, it pumped me up.

Obama’s speech was eloquent and down-to-earth, which are two things that don’t normally coincide. As a communication studies major, I tend to analyze every speech I hear, and I had to just let myself listen to this one. My favorite line was this:

“To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

The poem…the poem. Something we talked about in one of my classes last semester was that most writers and poets are not the best candidates to interpret their own work. This was a prime example.

The benediction...lets just leave it at the fact that I was cool with it until "and when white will embrace what is right"...

This is one of those days, like 9.11, that I will never forget. Surely this is one of the greatest days in the history of our young country, whatever side of the aisle you sit on.

inclusion

I've been thinking about something now for about 2 weeks. I (I guess I could say we, for most of the people that read this blog) have a friend who, in my observation, believes their sole job in the world is to make everyone around them feel included. This is by no means a bad thing, and something that I want to strive to do more of.

For example, there was a group of people having a conversation, in which this person was a part. I walked up to the group late, kind of standing on the outside of the circle, just listening in. This person backed up to make a spot for me to enter said circle.

Now, for some people, this may not have meant much, but it made a huge impact on me for some reason that night. To see that this person was conscious of everyone around them, and to see them extend that invitation, verbal or not, made me feel welcome and immediately accepted.

I wanna make moves to be more like that, to let everyone know that they hold worth in my eyes. To let them know that they are an equal.

new musics

So first, I want to say that my lap steel is completed. It sounds amazing. My playing, however, does not.

Second, YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE FICTION FAMILY (Jon Foreman and Sean Watkins) ALBUM RIGHT HERE FOR FREE!!!!!!1

moving

from the very first chord, THIS is one of the most captivating and unrelentingly beautiful pieces of music that I have ever heard. If you have the time, it's definitely worth the listen.

listen to this

No, seriously. Go listen to this album. It's Andrew Bird's forthcoming album, and it's amazing.

If you don't listen to the whole album, at least do yourself a favor and listen to the song "Anonanimal". It will blow your mind...probably.

this is a new year

Last night as that oh so iconic crystal ball dropped, I was surrounded by my best friends. Some of them I see everyday. Some of them I don't get to see very often at all. Regardless, I had one of the best nights of my life. We didn't really do anything special, just caught up on each others lives, ate a TON of delicious foods, and listened to some really good (and some not so good) musics.

Once again, I believe we experienced a very stripped down example of what heaven will be like, the banquet table with friends.

I want to look for those times this year, where the Kingdom crashes into earth.

Here we come 2009.