sheet of integrity

In years past, my NCAA Tournament Bracket has always been a pathetic disappointment.

And I don't know why.

I mean, I'm not a college basketball expert, by any stretch of the imagination. But I do casually follow the college basketball season. I do watch at least an hour of ESPN a day. I do know who is good and who is bad. I do, generally speaking, know the strengths and weakness of the major schools in the major conferences. I do know who Digger and Dick and Jay, not to mention Tony and Mike...and Mike and Mike..., pick for their Final Four.

Yet despite all of that, my Brackets always end up looking like a first-grader with a crayon filled them out. I might as well have just flipped Heinz ketchup packets to decide the winners.

But this year is different. This year, luck has finally turned my way. As you can see above, my bracket is not perfect. But I think I am doing alright. And most importantly, for the first time in my life, I am winning my office pool. Granted, that office pool consists only of myself and Mark. But either way, as of right now...I'm winning.

And I'm not worried about jinxing myself by saying that either. Because outside of Speed Scrabble and Darts, I can't beat Mark at anything anyway. So what have I got to lose? Seriously, in almost two years of playing disc golf, I have beat him only once. Once! And even when I did that, he acted like it wasn't that big of a deal, which is almost worse than losing in the first place.

So I realize that the excitement over my bracket is a little pre-mature, but I needed to post this before the tournament action resumes this evening.

Because by tomorrow morning, I'll probably be losing to Mark yet again.

awareness test

I found this on a friend's blog. Enjoy...

jane crewdson

Don't tell Mark Driscoll, but my new favorite songwriter is a "chick".

Actually, she was more of a poet or a lyricist (I don't know that she composed any of the music for her songs, which is not uncommon among hymn writers).

Jane Crewdson (1809-1863) lived with her husband, Thomas, in Manchester, England.

I stumbled across her work yesterday on cyberhymnal and immediately fell in love with her lyrics. Their depth and beauty was undeniable; but what struck me was that each of her songs seemed to contain a touch of darkness. She wrote about the hard truths of God and faith, and did so in a way that moves the soul.

I have often heard that there are not enough laments sung in contemporary worship settings. While this may be true, laments are equally hard to come by in churches that worship from the pages of your average hymnal, as well. That is why the work of Jane Crewdson caught my attention.

She was a poet and her songs are works of art. Below is just an example...

"Lord, We Know That Thou Art Near"

Lord, we know that Thou art near us,
Though Thou seem’st to hide Thy face;
And are sure that Thou dost hear us,
Though no answer we embrace.

Not one promise shall miscarry
Not one blessing come too late
Though the vision long may tarry
Give us patience, Lord to wait.

While withholding—Thou art giving
In Thine own appointed way
And while waiting we’re receiving
Blessings suited to our day.

O the wondrous loving-kindness
Planning, working out of sight,
Bearing with us in our blindness,
Out of darkness bringing light.

Weaving blessings out of trials,
Out of grief evolving bliss;
Answering prayer by wise denials
When Thy children ask amiss.

And when faith shall end in vision,
And when prayer is lost in praise,
Then shall love, in full fruition,
Justify Thy secret ways.

Read that third stanza again. "While withholding—Thou art giving in Thine own appointed way; And while waiting we’re receiving blessings suited to our day." If you aren't speechless right now...read it again.

To write words that lift up God as God; that glorify Him and honor Him and praise Him for all His goodness...and to do so in light of sorrow and grief and hardship...is not an easy thing to do. She not only succeeded in doing that, but did it with, as I mentioned, such depth and beauty. It is incredible.

She died after a long illness in 1863. Posthumously, a book of her lyrics and poetry, titled "The Little While and Other Poems", was published. I have yet to find it online and the closest library that has a copy is over 400 miles away. Thus I don't know if I'll ever get my hands on it. So, if you run by a copy of it at a used book store in England...hook a brother up.

Before yesterday, I had never heard the name Jane Crewdson. Now, she is an inspiration and, in many ways, (pardon me if this is cheesy) a hero. Even she is a "chick".

be kind rewind

Betsy and I saw Be Kind Rewind this past weekend. Below is the movie trailer.

Honestly, at first I wasn't all that excited to see it. I thought it would be silly and sophomoric...basically, another platform for Jack Black to act like Jack Black.

But I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

It is very silly. But it is also smart. And quirky. And heart-warming. And yes, I did say "heart-warming". Underneath the comedic surface, it is really a film about how story and art possess the power to transform a community; the power to bring beauty and life and joy to an otherwise ugly world. They can do more than provide an escape...they can provide hope.

If you've seen the movie...at this point, you may be thinking, "Geez, dude. You're maybe going a little too deep with this one." Maybe. I mean, in many ways it is just another goofy movie. We laughed out loud on a number of occasions. But in the end, it really struck a chord with me.

It is the story of two screw-ups living in a poor, urban neighborhood in New York City. Two screw-ups who, through creating silly little movies, unite their very diverse neighborhood and give them an identity and a sense of pride.

I think the movie is unique and brilliant.

How unique and brilliant? Well, its by the same writer/director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michael Gondry, if that gives you any indication. I actually didn't know that until I started writing this post, but it makes sense. It is not nearly as dramatic, or...trippy, as Eternal Sunshine, (it is a comedy, through and through) but it has the same heart.

It isn't an epic blockbuster. It won't win any awards or pull in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. But it does entertain. It does tell a story worth telling. And...it really does warm your heart a little.

Of course, all the while, providing a platform for Jack Black to act like Jack Black.

speedo guy

Below is a video clip from a Duke/UNC game a few years back. Notice, in the crowd, there is a man dancing in a Speedo. Today, he is known as Duke's original 'Speedo Guy' (his antics have since been imitated, much to Coach K's chagrin). ESPN did a piece on this particular gentleman this past Saturday night before the most recent match-up between Duke and UNC.

Something you would not know about the 'Speedo Guy' just by watching this clip: he is now a minister in Knoxville, TN. His name is Patrick King and he was a grad student in Duke Divinity School at the time. He now works with All Souls Church here in Knoxville.

Come August, I will be working with the "Speedo Guy", as All Souls and Crossings will be sharing space downtown at 4 Market Square.

I have met Patrick on a few occasions, each time he was fully clothed. So apparently the Speedo is to be used only for passionate moments of joy and jubilation.

...much like King David of old.

song of sorrow 1

A couple weeks ago, Mark taught on John 16, unpacking what Christ had to say regarding the suffering and sorrow the disciples would experience in his absence. To go along with his teaching...we did two songs that spoke of sorrow. I liked both recordings, so here they are.

The first is "By Way of Sorrow" by Julie Miller. Emilee Cook sang this song, and absolutely knocked it out of the park. She has an amazing voice and completely blew me away with how well she captured the mood of the song. Its a phenomenal recording.

Here it is...

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song of sorrow 2

The second is not nearly as good. But I still like it.

It is "Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys (think "O Brother Where Art Thou"). I played banjo and my friends Blake, Trevor and Duane played mandolin, acoustic and slide. We didn't wear overalls or don long beards, but we still had fun.

Anyhoo, enjoy...

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