Positive Notes

On vacation my wife and I visited a couple of really big and healthy Episcopal Churches. Still, we found ourselves missing our own parish, which is growing but certainly not anywhere near as large as the others. We missed our worship and our folks.

There is a great deal of negativity surrounding church life these days--much of it quite warrented. Call this a research question: What is it about your church that you love, on a deep, heart level? Forget the 'big this or that program,' what is it about your parish that brings you into the presence of God and inspires you to serve Him?

Would you read a book about...

-The last emperor of the Byzantine Empire?
-With lots of war and martial arts?
-With a tragic ending?

The real life story of Constantine XI is fascinating and I'd like to try my hand at writing a historical fiction piece. Any advice from the neophytes? Is there anyone out there who has actually done something like this?

7 Song Meme

The 'Ungodly Ranter' tagged me to name 7 songs I am currently 'into.' (Yes, I am avoiding the unraveling of the Episcopal Church). Here they are:

1)Don't Stop Believin'--Journey (it's even one of my ringtones, can you ever be tired of this song?)
2)Photograph--Def Leppard
3)Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
4)Here I am to Worship--Tim Hughes (a little CCM doesn't hurt anyone)
5)How Great is Our God--Chris Tomlin (see #4)
6)Imperial March (see #1)
7)I Bind Unto Myself Today--St. Patrick's Breastplate

Does this say anything about me, like a personality test?

'Tis in Hiding

No, I am not in hiding, just on vacation ('Till Tuesday at least). Currently, the whole house is napping which is a most unusual occurence!

I just finished Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes)second book, called 'Tis, which is his sequel to Angela's Ashes. What a riot! McCourt reminds me of a Saliger with Irish humor. Lots of drinking, lots of language, but what a picture of a poor immigrant's life in New York.

I was struck with McCourt's picture of the church--quite negative--but I got the sense he longed for it somehow. He was also brief in his description of how his first marriage failed and never mentions his current wife. I'm considering buying his third book Teacher Man, but I will be disappointed if he doesn't fill me in on those details. If anyone has read Teacher Man, let me know.