Sixty Percent?
So, what shows up in my inbox today but message touting the latest issue of the LCMS Reporter, the always entertaining house organ of the Violet Vatican. Front and center on the table of contents was mention of SP Kieschnick’s recent reconciliation meeting with the NICL pastors who wrote TTMBO.
More interesting, though, was this headline: 100 Worship, Praise Songs Approved
Money quote from the full article:
“Rev. David A. Johnson, executive director of the LCMS Commission on Worship, … said that nearly 60 percent of all LCMS congregations and agencies currently subscribe to CCLI’s licensing services for praise and worship music.”
60%? Wow, that’s sadly surprising. I don’t quite know what to make of it, but I really can’t say that it does anything to hearten me about the current state of the Divine Service in today’s LCMS.
Why? Well, this excerpt helps clarify that…
“…the LCMS Commission on Worship, which was assigned by 2004 Synod Convention Resolution 2-04 to ‘initiate a process leading toward the development of diverse worship resources for use in the LCMS.’
Johnson said that in carrying out that assignment, the commission will work toward launching information on its Web site (http://worship.lcms.org) that “includes the integration of these songs into the various lectionaries and provides biblical and topical references.”
‘This remains an important endeavor for the Commission on Worship,” Johnson said, “as we continue to strive to provide resources and assistance in support of all of our congregations — those steeped in the riches of Lutheran Service Book and those readily engaged in utilizing the vast wealth of diverse worship resources.’”
It’s too bad that the LSB can’t be enough, and that the richness of our shared liturgical history is willingly cast aside for the thin gruel of “contemporary” pop music.
Rock on.
-ghp
Checking in
Well, it seems that the surest sign of summer is here - the blogging doldrums. Lots of posting fodder rattling around in my head, along with all sorts of good intentions about writing witty & insightful posts to pass those pearls of wisdom and entertainment along to you, but darned little follow-through.
Typical.
So, I’ll give you a few things here that are on my mind at this moment, even though they are largely unrelated. Sure, they could, and possibly should, be broken up into separate posts, but…
SYTYCD:4 - Week 2 was predictably enjoyable, and the eliminations were neither surprising, nor problematic. By and large, what transpired merely solidified the opinions I described last week. I did, however, think of another reason why SYTYCD is better than AI - the way they do the voting & eliminations. By letting America determine the bottom 3, and then having the judges pick the contestant eliminated out of that bottom 3, SYTYCD helps ensure that America going stupid doesn’t taint the whole process - IOW, they retain some necessary editorial oversight. America gets input and the professionals get to shepherd the process along - everybody wins!
Sweet Tea - One of the things that I truly loved about living in North Carolina for 12 years was sweet tea. Not iced tea with sweetener in it, like I had grown up with, but honest-to-goodness tea, brewed in such a way that the sugar gets infused into the drink to such a level that your teeth start to rot just by bringing the cup up to your lips. The best sweet tea is usually found in little bbq joints where you get the best chopped pig, hushpuppies, & brunswick stew. Oddly enough, some of the best sweet tea I ever had was from the NIEHS cafeteria in Research Triangle Park, NC. Down South, they know that sweet tea is a proper menu option, and that adding sugar to unsweet tea is neither effective nor holy. Oddly enough, the sweet tea that is now being sold at McDonald’s isn’t all that bad for a mass market, fast food beverage. It’s not quite good enough to make me believe that it’s “real” Southern sweet tea, but it is just good enough for me not to be really torqued off by it. IOW, I like it.
The Brothers of John the Steadfast - This is a new organization of Lutheran laymen, organized “to defend and promote the orthodox Christian faith which is taught in the Lutheran Confessions, provide financial support for Christian new media (e.g. Issues, Etc.), and to support other endeavors selected by its membership that defend and promote the cause of confessional Lutheranism.” I recommend that you check them out at their brand-spanking-new website (they’ve been running out of a blog for a few months, while they got the formal website up & running), because they look like they’ve got some good stuff lined up & in the planning stages. While you’re at it, also check out the Augustana Confraternity…
I’m sitting here at the keyboard thinking there’s more that I’ve been wanting to write about, but my mind just went blank. That’s been happening more often lately. I must be going senile - just because I started kindergarten at 4, does that mean I’m going to start blanking out at 40? Yikes…
-ghp
Ballgames
Ballgames are a completely different experience as a parent than they were as a kid. I don’t remeber them being this boring 30 years ago — at least it’s a beautiful 70 & sunny as I sit, watch, and write at 7pm on a Wed evening.
It does my prideful heart good to state that my daughter is good — carrying on in the tradition of me & my dad. And those of you who know me, know that I wouldn’t say she was good if she wasn’t (right bigsis?)
I’m just glad it gets easier to watch each year, particularly as the amount of self-esteem-boosting rule-tweaking gives way to actually playing by the rules - like keeping score, succeeding, failing, winning, and losing.
-ghp
SYTYCD:4 - Week 1
I’m so glad this show is back. It’s up there with Survivor & The Amazing Race as the very best realitytv shows going. And yes, my goodness yes, it’s so far and away better than Idol that it,s not even funny. The format, the judges, the voting, the contestants, the host — all better!
This season is shaping up to another good one. I don’t really have any die-hard favorites (on the level of season 2’s Allison) yet, although I could easily see Will, Jessica, & maybe Chelsie H. emerge from the pack.
SYTYCD brings out a rather primal/visceral reaction from me, in terms of what I like in/from the dancers. I find that the less I intellectualize it & the more I just feel & enjoy it, the better it is. It’s almost the exact opposite of how I approach Idol, in terms of analysis and breaking it down. Combined with the overall superiority of the show (especially with the judges, who happen to be choreographers that have actual, you know, current credibility & chops in the profession, so they actually speak truth rather than risk spouting crap like the Idol judges do so regularly…)
A quick word here about the choreographers. I’m not sure I’d want to ever really see Mia Michaels do her work & practice her craft (after all, who really wants to see sausage get made?). But, my goodness does that woman get beautiful results! The routine that she created for Mark & Chelsie H. was amazing, as her routines usually are. I don’t pretend to understand the creative, artistic mind, but I do know enough to appreciate good art when I see it — and more often then not, Mia Michaels choreographed routines are good art.
So, that’s another reason SYTYCD is a superlative show - it produces good art & makes it accessible to many folks (like me) who wouldn’t normally consume it.
I like the girls attractive, but mere superficial looks aren’t enough. Thus, this year I’m leaning more towards Jessica the most, closely followed by Chelsie H., Courtney G., & Kherington. Susie may have learned a lesson, because she toned things down nicely in week 1, and was well served by putting on more clothes & less makeup - but I don’t think that it should keep her in for the long haul. Comfort & Chelsea T. are worthy finalists, if only because they have great character and obvious talent. Kourtni L. is on the border for me - I think she could emerge as a serious contender, but I could just as easily see her wash out pretty quickly. I think I’d prefer the former. Katee? In week 1 I thought she & Joshua gave the best, “most pleasant surprise” performance. But I don’t think I care if she stays much beyond this next week or two.
The guys must be graceful & powerful but still manly. If you’re too gay you can’t really butch it up & fake it — it shows through - you can be nice, pleasant, & engaging, but just not a great, manly dancer is all (witness Chris, Matt, & Thayne). But guys like Will, Joshua, & Twitch have got it in spades. That’s why they’re my favorite guys so far this season. Mark is right behind them, just because he’s such an engagingly quirky & unique dancer. Marquis & Gev? Meh. They do nothing for me, they’ve done nothing to really stand out that much so far, so I hope they don’t do anything to drag any of the girls down too far before they get eliminated.
Overall, I agreed with the week 1 eliminations (Jamie & Rayven), in that I didn’t disagree with them. Truth be told I might have sent Matt home instead of Jamie, but overall it was a machts nichts to me. I was more annoyed by America putting Will & Jessica into the bottom 3 instead of Gev & Courtney G. — that was inexplicable & uncalled for.
All in all, though, it’s enough that SYTYCD is back & we get to enjoy it for the rest of the summer.
Yay for us!
-ghp
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