[significant albums]

Mark Trost’s Rules For Listing Your Top 15 Albums:

Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you’ve heard that will always stick with you. These are not your recommendations for quality. This list is about which albums are important in your life.

Here it goes. First fifteen that pop into my head.

1. The Beatles – Rubber Soul

2. Carole King – Tapestry

3. Neko Case – The Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

4. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker

5. Simon and Garfunkel –  Sounds of Silence

6. The Weepies – Hideaway

7.Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans

8. Andrew Bird – The Mysterious Production of Eggs

9. Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous

10. M. Ward – Hold Time

11. Mirah – You Think It’s Like This, But It’s Really Like This.

12. The National – Boxer

13. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away

14. Explosions in the Sky – All of the Sudden, I Miss Everyone.

15. The Welcome Wagon – Welcome to the Welcome Wagon

[turn, turn, turn]

There is nothing new under the sun.

Everything we need to do on this earth is covered.. isn’t it amazing?

There are people who can build.

people who can cook.

people who can comfort.

people who can lead.

people who can sing.

people who can….

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

ecclesiastes 3:1-8

We always want to be right, don’t we?  If we’re wrong… we’re weak.

no.. if we’re wrong, we just learned something new.

I’m glad God is big enough to give us more than one chance to get things right.

[A thought]

Some days, the most fear I experience is when I think I might have bad breath.

But I shouldn’t worry, because I have toothpaste.

The most pain I feel is having a fleeting stomach cramp.

But I shouldn’t worry because I have advil at my disposal.

My biggest inconvenience is that there is road construction, which closes the exit I need to take off of the freeway.

But I shouldn’t worry because I have a gps and a map to show me the way.

Maybe my heart for social justice should be even bigger… I am blessed with too many things to not share with and love others.

[One of us will betray Him]

Today I analyzed The Last Supper in my art history class.  The emphasis of Jesus’s red clothing and the window behind him gave him this glow that makes me want to never look away.  Judas is backing away.  Peter is pointing a knife he will cut the ear of Malkamus off with.  Poor John is falling asleep.  Bartholomew is just plain surprised.

One of you will betray me.

How would you react?  Judas is guilty.  Peter is angry.  John is overwhelmed.  Bartholomew, shocked.  How would I react?  Cry. Deep, deep sobs of sorrow would overcome me, my body in a blubbering state of weakness.  Please don’t betray him… he’s the best thing that ever happened to you.

I was reading bits of Job this morning and then moved into John.  In Job I was reading about his three friends who came to visit and give an explanation of why awful things were happening in his life.

³ Does God pervert justice?
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

⁴ When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.

⁵ But if you will look to God
and plead with the Almighty,

⁶ if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
and restore you to your rightful place.

Job 8

Ooh Bildad.  Don’t you see?! Of course God is just! Of course He knows what is right.  He created right.  But don’t forget about his grace.  When we are pure and upright, God sees that we love him and are trying to live aligned with Christ.  But when we fall, scrape our knees and point our knives at Malchus, God just looks at us through the lens of Christ’s blood.  He sees that we are made in His image.  And God KNOWS that his image looks damn fine in the mirror.

After reading Job I skipped over to the Gospel to read John.  I absolutely love the image drawn of John the Baptist.  I just imagine him being this hippie dude in the forest eating locusts and honey just saying to anyone who will hear him, “Hey! The anointed one is COMING!! Cant you believe it!?  I can’t wait!”

He was so excited that he even jumped when he heard the news from Elizabeth’s womb when Mary told her that Jesus was coming. Now that is dedication.

I can’t see Jesus, but I want to know and be a part of him.  It is seemingly impossible to align myself with Christ when I am constantly messing up, many times without even realizing it.  How could a man be so other oriented.  So understanding, loyal and never lacking an ounce of integrity.  Made of the purest of love.

[Being here, not there]

My record player is spinning too quickly.  It is rushing through the songs, thus messing up the key, pitch, tempo, yadda yadda yadda.

In a similar fashion, my life spins a little too quickly.

“Monica, you’re in pretty good health… you’ll probably last a good 50 or 60 years longer.  You don’t have to fit all of the interesting things you think to do in one semester.  Just be faithful to what you’re doing right now” – lunch time friend.

BOUNDARIES!  We all need them, yet we don’t always know how to create them.  Life goal:  make boundaries and be faithful to them, so I can take care of myself.  The world won’t end when I can’t attend a meeting or water someone’s flowers.

“This school would still function without you and Marcia here. - lunch time friend.

Some people put too much pressure on themselves.  I am one of those people.  Relax!

To relax I desire/need/am trying to be present with friends.  People I love, know, and care about.  The love of my life is in what sometimes feels like a galaxy far, far away.  But he’s there.  And I’m here for him, always.  Then there are those who live right under my nose that I love and cherish who I fully love to be around and care about.

Be there.  Just sit, listen, love.  The big dude gave me the means to love and figure out how to love.  His love, obviously much much bigger-stronger-better than mine, gives me the means to spread my heart and soul out to those who love me and who I love.

Gosh, just be present already.

[ Surrounding Myself ]

Often I forget what it means to ask yourself “with whom will you surround yourself?”  As I sat in the dining room, eating eggplant panini’s and apples with caramel dip, I realized that the people sitting around me could be my friends for life.  What an odd concept.  To think into the future, saying, “ooh yes.  ___ and I have been friends for over fifty years!”  What a joyous time that will be.

These people were the first friends that I made through Mike.  I knew who they were, and I felt awfully cool talking about being their friends, but tonight I realized even with Mike not around, they are great friends to spend time with.

With them, I associate large meals and conversation.  It’s funny, because whenever we visit nyc to see them all, we go into the city for several hours just to find a place to sit and talk.  Then when we become bored with our surroundings, we find a new place to sit and talk.  It never gets old.  Then back to their apartment to cook cook cook.

What does it mean to center relationships on God?  He’s our father. Our savior. Our friend, neighbor, brother.

“What is the center of your world,” she asked.

“Well, I’m 22 years old.  So it’s me I guess,” he answered.

-I’m Not There

Never, ever ever ever do I want to believe that there is truth in that statement.  What a sad existence to center the world around yourself.  What a set up for disappointment.

I never knew how much meaning a conversation about God could add to a relationship.  Once we find that we are seeking the same thing, it’s an instant connection.

Here’s to friendships that find their way into meaning for God’s sake.

Here’s to loving our neighbors and seeking truth.

Here’s to making music and exploring art in a way that brings us together.

maybe Madonna had something right in 2000.  Music makes the people come together…. yeah.

a night of music