Christian hardcore

So you may remember me as that guy with the whack music, where standing outside my dorm room freshman year you debated whether the hardcore blairing from my Sony boombox (gosh I miss that thing...it rocked!) was me or my roomie from Tanzania (a dear fellow, whom I shall not name for lack of permission).

This was the époque in my life where I was just easing myself into the cold swimming pool that was "praise and worship" music...not so much out of religious duty, or my tastes, but rather out of social conformity. I remember my senior year, Sam led an "alternative worship" in the chapel...where we sang Taizé songs harhar.

But hey, maybe all these guys that other people accuse of "consumerizing the Church" are just God marketing himself...

Here is some more alternative worship -- Ancient Faith Radio! Orthodox guys are cooler when they sing in Greek. I remember for BXVI's Inauguration Mass the Orthodox guys sang the Word in Greek and that was the coolest thing ever.

I harken back to December, where at Rupt we were going to sing the Apostle's Creed in Latin, and dumbly thinking it was going to sound like my ultra-cool Gregorian polyphonies, I was wrong. It sounded like a cross between bunch of old people singing (which it was) and a flock of geese (interpretation mine).

Challenge -- before you listen to another measure of music, sit in silence for about 10 minutes and meditate on something like "Changes ton regard, et crois à la Bonne Nouvelle." "Change your way of seeing things, and believe in the Good News." This goes especially for all you Christians...

Wrench in the Cogs

Stuff in Colmar is going well, even in spite of the 34° F weather with the "rainy mix":) We have imported quantities of "sunshine" from the Côtes du Rhône, as well as Dordougne.

Here is an article to throw a wrench in your cogs...or maybe it doesn't do that for you at all. But for me it's a very real principle. Why am I not a French citizen yet? Because of this. The Preamble of the 1946 Constitution, although well-intentioned, distorts and dillutes real liberty with its near-communist principles. France is nice, but I'm over here to tell you -- there ain't quite anything like American Liberty.

Attached is a picture in memory of better weather around here...St. Martin's Church in Colmar; a shining example of high Gothic architecture. If you look at the northeast corner, you can see that it is just oozing with the Sacred Feminine, further evidence of the literal truth of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. *

*for those of you that might not know me that well, or that believe that I've been caught up in some sort of European nihilism, the above remark regarding the Da Vinci Code is sarcastic in nature

Craziness

Things have been crazy these past few months : we've moved 2ce since October! We are Aunt and Uncle! Congrats James and Claire! Welcome to the world, Julia! (she gets baptized on Easter!) We live in a city called Colmar now. Pretty old, steeped in history, with mazes of cute streets. Some friends came over last weekend and said I gave "the perfect tour" : well, Colmar speaks for itself. Come on over and visit! We have a guest room and a 3rd set of keys!

"Changes ton regard, et crois à la Bonne Nouvelle" he said as he put the ashes on my forehead. "Change your way of seeing things, and believe the Good News."

It's in the simple; it comes from the meek; Strength is made perfect in weakness; the Answer is in the Good News.

We are going to a Gallican church now -- 5 minutes on foot; rather nice. Le Collégiale de St. Martin, or, Marty's. Yes, I like having my piety look like the Alsatian pasta I tried to make last night -- messy. With a copy of "Let's Pray in Church" (Prions en Eglise), the latest Ben XVI bit, and a book written by some Southern Baptist guy, this little redneck is takin' Europe by storm. No longer content to dodge bullets in an unorthodox no man's land of orthodoxy, we are swimming the Tiber.

Soooo, the found Jesus's tomb, and Mary and their son...ummm, I tend to take ZZ Top's version, and believe the he's done left Chicago, and gone down to New Orleans. You might not see him in person but he'll see you just the same. You don't have to worry 'cause takin' care of business is his name.