CONJECTURES OF A GUILTY BYSTANDER

Review-Go Go Boots by the Drive-By Truckers

2011-02-18T10:14:00.003-05:00

I'm still trying to figure out how the Drive-By Truckers stayed under my radar for so long, when they are right in my wheelhouse. Bandleader (Patterson Hood) who is the son of one of my favorite musicians-check. Great southern feel-check. Twisted sense of perspective-double check. Impeccable musicianship-check. Yet they released some of the best music I never heard.

The last year has ended all of that. next to the Allman Brothers Band, these guys are my favorite act. Last years The Big to-Do was part of a burst of creativity that the band knew would produce two records. This years Go-Go Boots mines different musical territory-more country and soul to go with the blistering rock and roll, twisted losers and murder ballads that one usually finds in a Truckers record. The result-music that captures the soul and imagination and refuses to leave the CD changer or turntable (yes, they have VINYL available)

The disc opens with I Do Believe, which is one of the most openhearted affirmations of life the Truckers have ever recorded. The Muscle Shoals/Athens connections come screaming out of the speakers, and the listener is taken to a warm summer place with people you love. As Hood describes it a song about a little boys love for his grandmother.

How do you top this opener? Move straight to a murder ballad, the title cut Go-Go Boots about a murderous preacher who contracts to kill his wife. This is by the way a true story and one of two songs about the incident (The Fireplace Poker is the other) on the album.

Perhaps most pleasing to me, is the inclusion of the Trucker's first cover songs on a studio record, both by one of the greatest, guitar player/singer/songwriters/white soul men you never heard of, the late, amazingly great Eddie Hinton. Everybody Needs Love is a pure unabashed love song for life that Hinton wrote shortly after leaving a mental institution. The fact that he could write something like this at that point in his life, says something powerful about the power of love and our human need to be loved. If there were any justice in life, this would be a top ten hit. They also include Shonna Tucker's take on Where's Eddie, that Hinton co-wrote with Donny Fritts for a Lulu album in 1968. File under wonderful, but doesn't hold up to Everybody Needs Love.

Mike Cooley's Cartoon Gold takes my breath away with the simple wisdom of the lyrics and includes my favorite Trucker's lines ever
"It's like bringing flowers to your mama, tracking dog*** all across the floor
Jesus made the flowers, but it took a dog to make the story good.
i think about you when I can sometimes when I don't I probably should"

Used to Be a Cop reminds me of every small town cop, who thought he was someone because he had a badge. I always wondered what happened to those guys if they ever got fired, quit, etc. Patterson Hood's story nails my suspicions. Again another semi-true story.

Mercy Buckets is a song Patterson Hood has had in the notebook for a long time. This song sounds like it could have been an outtake from the Rolling Stone's Exile on Main Street Sessions that they did at Muscle Shoals Studios. A great mixture of southern soul, country, and rock and roll guitars supporting this beauty

"I will bring you buckets of mercy
put a smile back on your pretty face
Bring a shovel if you want it
Carry your secrets to my grave
When you're down and out
I'll pick you up down at the station
Give your hard times some vacation
Get you headed on your way
I will bring you buckets of mercy
And hold your hand when you're crossing the street
Pay your bail if you need it
I will be your saving grace…"

For those who insist on seeing the world in all of its complexity, twistedness and joy the Drive-By Truckers those buckets of mercy on this record. Do not delay-buy today. Five Stars out of five, and a real contender for my favorite record of the year

Westboro Baptist Church

2010-11-14T20:18:00.002-05:00

I posted this on Facebook a couple of days ago. figured I'd post it here so I can be on record.

Dear Friends.
Most of you know I have some strong political beliefs. I tend to be a center to center left type of person. Yet as I grow older, I want to be left alone by government, left alone by the law, left alone by any type of organized group, because I generally don't trust them. (This is why I'm a United Methodist-in spite of our structure there is little organized about us.) Yet, I believe that one of our callings as a people, both religious and political is to create a more just and holy world, balancing justice and holiness as best we can.

I opened the paper a couple of days ago to find that Westboro Baptist Church-the Wichita, KS church that protests at military funerals and says soldiers are coming home in boxes because America is soft on homosexuality-is picketing at Woodbridge High School and the Coast Guard Recruiting Station-Woodbridge this Monday morning. As a person of faith, and an American who believes in the consititution I feel I have to speak out about this. So off we go...

First, because I believe the constitution when it says that freedom of speech shall not be restricted by government, these individuals have a right to say what they want, regardless of how repugnant we may think their speech is. In the marketplace of ideas let all viewpoints be heard, and judged. Seems fair enough. Justice Hugo Black, on of the greatest Alabamians, and long time Supreme Court justice put it this way-no restriction on speech means means no restriction, period.

Their version of Christianity as I understand it from their website (www.godhatesfags.com) boils down to this.

1. God is a God of wrath
2. God doesn't love everyone
3. God's judgement is on America because we tolerate homosexuality
4. God hates homosexuals and everyone who doesn't hate them
5. Flee from the wrath to come

Simply put, I don't buy it. This is not the God I know personally and see revealed in scripture. The Bible clearly states that God's nature is complex, but IMHO is a delicate balancing act between holiness and grace. We are called to strive for holiness. But ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As a result our God of grace acts to redeem humanity. He sends his son Jesus the Christ to live, die and be raised to break the power of death in our lives (Philippians 2:5-11). How do we know that God has done this in our lives? We abide in Him (John 15) and we love one another (I John 4:7-21) This is the core of my understanding of God-not all of it, but the core.

So homosexuality. Among Christians there are many different positions. Among those of us who consider ourselves evangelicals, I think the position of the UM Book of Discipline sums the prevailing opinion. "Homosexual persons no less that heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth...We do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God's grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community. We implore families ad churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons."

Other Christians see homosexuality as another issue that reflects the cultural conditioning of the time and that homosexuality should be treated like our attitudes toward divorce (50% of evangelical marriages end in divorce, greater than the population at large) , the role of women in society (do we still require women to wear a hat and be quiet at church), alcohol (how many of us evangelicals are social drinkers and what would our grandparents say) and any number of other issues where we say that was a different world than the one we live in.

The one thing I am sure of is that as a person of faith, I can't be silent when people hijack the Christian faith with hate. If homosexuality is incompatible with Christianity so is hate. We have to say no to the Westboro folks and their ideas, but in doing so we can't say no to loving all and living out a grace filled faith.

So what am I going to do-and what do I hope that some of you will do on this occasion and others that may present themselves in other areas in the future.

1. Pray for your soul and the souls of all who hate. We have to begin by loving those we disagree with-even vehemently. Failure to love those we disagree with means there is no difference in us and the world around us (Matthew 5:43-48)

2. Consider counter-protesting-if you can show love while you do it. A sign like God even loves Westboro Baptist might make a good point while showing you think their ideas and theology are repugnant.

3. When people ask you what you think, be prepared to give account. If you think homosexuality is sin, fine, articulate that, but articulate that God loves all sinners and that all of us sin and fall short of the glory of God. If you don't believe homosexuality is sin, be prepared to place your argument in the context of your faith. Remember what you are trying to do is be faithful witnesses to the God who redeems sinners.

4. Speak the truth in love. This is very important for us to remember-if we don't articulate a fuller, more grace filled faith, we allow the world around us to think that Westboro speaks for us. They don't

I am convinced Philip Yancey said it best in his book What's So Amazing About Grace?-"There's nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. Together we struggle to live that out as we try to balance holiness and grace in our own lives.

One Book Game

2010-07-03T14:14:00.001-04:00

One Book Game
I saw this among a friends facebook notes and stole it because it looked like fun. This game originally was played on Christian (usually theology-related) blogs in 2006. To make the game from being too easy, I am removing the Bible or any book of the Bible from among the possible choices. I am going to ASSUME a strong love of Scripture, already, ok?

1. One book that changed your life: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Discipleship

2. One book that you've read more than once: Robert Penn Warren, A Place to Come To. An amazing novel by one of the greatest and most overlooked American authors

3. One book that you'd want with you on a desert island: Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace

4. One book that made you laugh -Dan Jenkins, You Gotta Play Hurt. I laughed so hard I cried the entire time I was reading it. Warning-not for the squeamish, folks who are uncomfortable with profanity, reading about too much drinking, recreational sex, or the politically correct. Of course this description fits all of Jenkins novels, and all are laugh out loud until you cry and your sides hurt funny

5. One book that made you cry- Leonard Sweet/Frank Viola-The Jesus Manifesto. It made me realize how badly even the best of us can get it wrong. A MUST READ

6. One book you wished had been written: When I was in seminary I envisioned writing a Baptist historical theology tracing the denominations theological evolution thru J. P Boyce, B.H. Carroll, Crawford Toy, E. Y Mullins, W. O. Carver and showing how those conflicting strands ultimately led to the Baptist Holy War of the 1980’s. I wasn’t smart enough, disciplined enough and besides, I ditched the denomination to become a United Methodist, so I lost interest

7. One book you wished had NEVER been written: Hal Lindsey, The Late, Great, Planet Earth In my not so humble opinion, this book did more harm to a generation of Christians than any other thing possibly could have. Followed closely by the Left Behind series, in which bad, near heretical theology was repackaged in novel form for the masses.

8. One book you're currently reading: Eugene Peterson-Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up In Christ

9. One book on your "to read in the near future" shelf: Dallas Willard-Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ

futility?

2009-12-18T16:46:00.001-05:00

I have a fairly settled morning routine. I drive Sarah to the train. I go to Chic-Fil-A and get my coffee and biscuit. While I’m there I read the newspaper and catch up on email on my phone. Finally about an hour and a half after I leave the house I stumble into the office. The soundtrack for the entire morning is Mike and Mike on ESPN radio. I am a sports obsessive.

One of the regular morning oddities is the commercial that just doesn’t seem to fit. The ad for the day spa in the middle of discussion about pro football. Perhaps it’s a pitch for men’s cosmetics (not that big a stretch for Greenie, though Golic would be mortified) Sometimes the add just sticks out like a sore thumb.

I had one of those aha moments with advertising this morning. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony came on pitching rethinking Christmas-do something good for someone while you spend on all your gifts. It was sandwiched between two ads for some of the largest retailers in America saying spend, spend, oh by the way, spend more, along with an add for a bank’s “wonderful” credit card deal.

The sequence of ads made me realize how much of an uphill battle we fight as part of the Advent Conspiracy. We are a few people standing against a 450 billion dollar marketing machine that has mastered seperating people from their money. How can a few people trying to spend less, give more and worship more fully survive against the overwhelming might of the consumption machine? Seems like a ridiculous thing to even try to do.

Truthfully, it is ridiculous. But is it any more ridiculous than a God who thinks that the way to redeem humanity and all of creation is to send his own son as a baby to two Judean peasants. This is the message that the retail hubbub tries in vain to suppress-God is with us and our stuff doesn’t matter. There is more to life than how much stuff we have. The one who dies with the most toys doesn’t win-he/she just dies. Meaning, purpose in life-is found in joining God in his effort to redeem creation

So this week, I want to invite you to choose to spend less, to give more and especially to worship more fully. I suspect like people thru the ages you’ll find unexpected joy. Perhaps The Band said it best in their song Christmas Must Be Tonight

How a little baby boy
Could bring the people so much joy
Son of a Carpenter
Mary carried the light
This must mean Christmas must be tonight

Video found here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_sOG1hdk-8

Grace and Peace

Jim Johnson

Concert Review

2009-11-17T11:06:00.003-05:00

OK, last night I took Amanda to her first real rock and roll show, Taking Back Sunday, AAR and Anberlin at the Patriot Center. Though she's been to see a few other shows, they've usually been festival situations, and not something she initiated. So this was a first. I vetted the bands with my daughter Rachel and she said it wouldn't be too awful, so we went. Ultimately she got to go because she made a decent grade in Math and her behavior hasn't sucked too bad.

Anberlin opened the show. Short set, I thought they were pretty good. The songs seemed interesting enough that I'd like to hear the record. I also saw the first of a trend-a really decent guitar player and a couple of other guys who were more show than player. 30 minute opener-not bad.

All American Rejects came next. I anticipated them being the headliner, but no....The songs were pretty good, they have a real pop sensibilty as writers-hooks everywhere. Playing was a different matter. The drummer and lead player were aces. The keyboard player was ok, but the singer alternated between playing bass (using the term loosely) and being a really cheesy frontman. Now, I'm no prude when it comes to language, but this guy dropped more f-bombs than David Lee Roth, Axel Rose and all the hair metal bands of the 80's put together. The other "guitar player" sang a little, but it seemed his primary function was to be a pinball. I think the thing that struck me was they seemed to have a total lack of respect for the intelligence of their audience, kind of a collective smirk that we're pulling this on over on you. Yeah, I know, punk attitude. Well punk this. Final comment-the closer to ones knees the player holds the guitar, the more of a poser he/she is. Final analysis-they didn't completely bite, but they could have been really pretty good if they had given a @#$&.

Taking Back Sunday was an interesting experience. Their lineup was 3 guitars, bass, drums and a singer who split vocal duties with the primary guitar player. I still haven't figured out why they needed three guitar players, one guy did all the heavy lifting. The only thing I can think of is to create a heavier attack, which they had in spades. I very much felt my age during their set, very fish out of water experience. I'll give them great props for investing themselves in their show. They worked and played real hard. Songs-to my hearing not much there, but Amanda loved them, so I guess they got the audience they were looking for. In contrast to AARejects, they gave the audience their money's worth.

Trying to put these bands into perspective, each bands attitude flows from the two fountains of punk, AARejects embody Johnny Rotten's smirking, you wankers deserve to get taken attitude. Taking Back Sunday had the kind of ferocity The Ramones were famous for (though I think lacking in their sense of humor. Though they both have a long way to go to be honestly mentioned in the same breath with their predecessors, it was an ok evening of music, Amanda was thrilled, and I got to bed by 12:30. Successful all around

CD Review: Storm by Wind

2009-08-20T12:25:00.001-04:00

CD Review

Storm

By Wind

How do you stay faithful to God and to that best self God calls you to be when life gets difficult or complicated. How do we react when the pace of change threatens to overwhelm us? It’s not an easy journey, but songwriting/musician team Nori and Barbie Kelley (collectively WIND) invite us to join them on the journey.

Nori and Barbie Kelley have worked under the radar of the Christian music business for years, yet if you make a best of CD of their work for the last 10 years, it’s as strong a body of work as anyone in contemporary Christian music. Note to reader: If you haven’t heard their CD’s Straight Line, Wa, and Small Town Big God, go to their website (www.windmusic.us) and order them all today. You won’t be disappointed.

Their new CD is called Storm. Strong playing, great singing, thoughtful songs, avoidance of clichés make for a great listening experience. Storm is arguably their strongest work front to back. It mixes a wide range of styles; 60’s pop, solo guitar, blues, British art rock and comes up with a mix that is pleasing, challenging and thoroughly satisfying.

The disc opens with Butterfly, the first of a series of easily accessible tunes that will appeal to the casual listener. Using a familiar metaphor of the chrysalis journey they invite us to shed our cocoons and experience all that God has to offer us. The song features a rock solid groove, and some killer guitar wrapped around Barbie Kelley’s voice. All Creation Speaks continues the killer pop direction with some wonderful Beatlesque guitar hooks. I’m on Your Side begins with a rhythm kick built on a modern beat, that is melded with a traditional pop structure. The result-pure wonder.

The second section of the record is, I think the part closest to Nori Kelley’s heart as a musician. Windstorm mines the acoustic guitar/flute combination he has mined since he first heard Al Stewart’s Roads to Moscow. Black Forrest and Waterfall are solo acoustic pieces drawing on influences Steve Howe (Yes) and Bruce Cockburn.

This brings us to what is, to me the emotional heart of the record. Kiss You Goodbye invites us to dwell in the place where people leave our lives, whether by death or a changing season of life. Researched Heart mixes Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac with Marc Knopfler to create a brooding piece asking us to examine our thoughts and motives. Wrapped around Barbie Kelley’s amazing vocals the song really asks us if we ever truly examine ourselves. The extended guitar on the end is pure bliss. Speak/Where You Lead is a statement of renewed faith, strengthened by the struggle to follow God through all circumstances.

I will follow you where you lead

I will reach out an embrace you

You are the answer to my every need

Jesus, oh, Jesus, I place my trust in you.

The CD’s closing brace of songs brings a blast of British Art Rock circa 1977 to the project. Heal begins as a nice acoustic number built around the (II Chronicles 7:14) idea of healing our land. Yet it breaks into a Pink Floyd influenced instrumental outro with a cascade of squalling guitars that would make David Gilmour proud. Over the Horizon is an instrumental driven by the unique sound of a Rickenbacker bass with a nod to mid-70’s Yes.

New, sometimes trendy artists can be a lot of fun and cause us to listen to music with new ears. An artist with a few miles and a load of experience (WIND) can unlock deep reservoirs of passion and faith. Nori and Barbie Kelley are artists at the peak of their creative powers, unleashing torrents of sound that leave the listener stunned and lyrics that invite us to join them on a journey to unexpected places. This CD is a blinder and a must have for anyone who wants music relating to the spiritual journey but abhors the cliché that CCM has become. Buy now, essential listening.

Jeremiah Project

2009-07-29T09:38:00.001-04:00

Last week was an amazing ride!! Sunday, July 19 Carol Good and I left church with five middle schoolers for the Jeremiah Project. I’ll confess, I’m not sure I expected too much. After all, how much production can you expect when you’re asking middle schoolers to work, much less build wheelchair ramps and paint.

I found out you can expect a lot. These kids did amazing work. They worked hard, they worked long hours, they did it with a minimum of complaining, and oh, by the way, they did pretty good quality work. I don’t know that I have ever been as proud of a group of kids as I was of our kids at Jeremiah Project.

The work was good and our kids learned that serving others might allow them to see God at work. Monday night, when Todd Freneaux (our worship leader and general JP guru) asked for Godsightings (where they had seen God that day) there was a lot of embarrassed silence and a few rolled eyes. By Friday, even the cynical kids were sharing where they had seen God at work that day.

I think this may be the biggest takeaway from the week for me. When we are looking for God, we find Him, probably because he’s always there. Unfortunately we get so caught up in our lives, our fears, our interpersonal dramas and yes even our church work, that we stop looking for God. Even in the midst of doing good our faith can dry up because we aren’t consciously connecting with the wellspring of our faith.

So agenda for the church-Let’s spend some time looking for God. Let’s find out where he’s going, what things he is blessing, love who he loves and serve those he serves. I have a feeling God might show up and we might receive the one thing we really need

Grace and peace

Jim

The Hermaneutic of Living

2009-07-13T12:23:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking about the Sotomayor confirmation bruhaha, especially the discussion of original intent vs. the "wise latina woman" comment. There is an assumption in much of the criticism of her that there is a clear original intent that is plain to anyone who reads the constitution. To those who follow this school of thought there was an almost total unanimity among the founding fathers about the meaning of almost every aspect of the constitution.

It reminds me of the approach many people have to reading scripture. The phrase "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" is a common expression of this approach. Somehow if we can just read scripture in some type of pristine mentality we will all agree on its meaning. No more religious arguments, denominations or especially theological liberals.

Problem is, both political and religious approaches are rooted in a basic fallacy-there is some kind of pristine original faith that was completely held in common. As students of American history know, disputes over the meaning of the constitution broke out during the Washington administration between Jefferson and Hamilton. The constitution itself was a compromise that had enough wiggle room in its structure that people of diverse viewpoints could claim it as their own and believe that eventually their side would win out. Within a religious context, scripture itself shows conflict between Paul and Peter and possibly between Peter and James over the role of Gentiles in the Christian community. It's pretty clear that this pristine faith, whether political or religious is at best a moving target

The current political debate also shares another common thread with the religious debate. It fails to factor the life experience of the interpreter into their interpretation. Theologians speak of a hermeneutic circle where the document (scripture/constitution) is read (us). We apply our biases and experience to our reading, whether we are aware of it or not (clear meaning anyone?) If we are unaware of our own experience and how it affects our thinking and decision making process we do violence to the document and its meaning. If we are aware of what we are bringing to the table, then we ask a new set of questions to determine whether our presumptions are a legitimate lens for interpretation. Hopefully this brings us closer to the truth itself.

For me the bottom line is that ALL OF US do exactly what Ms. Sotomayor is being attacked for. Life itself is a central part of our human hermaneutic. The difference is whether we can admit the truth and use it to bring something useful to the table.

Current Sermon Series-Godstories-The Foundation of Our Faith

2009-07-01T14:25:00.003-04:00

Godstories-The Foundation of Our Faith

June 21-In the Beginning God-Genesis 1:1-5, 26-31.

Christians believe that God created the heavens and earth. Ok, fine, so what. What difference does that make in the way we live our lives? A look at the meaning of being created beings.

June 28-That @#$%& Snake-Genesis 3:1-7

Flip Wilson used to say “The devil made me do it..” What does it mean to be created in the image of God and then to fall. A look at the core temptations that lead us down the path away from our creator and His intention for our lives

July 5-The First Murder-Genesis 4:1-10-Have you ever watched the body count pile up on the news and wondered how we got here. This is the first murder, the entry of violence into the world. Do you think we can find any clues here?

July 12-Noah-Genesis 6:11-22-Have you ever wondered how Noah and his family dealt with the stink of all those animals for 40 days and 40 nights? That’s one of the few questions we won’t try to answer as we look at the story of the flood.

July 26-The Father of Faith-Genesis 12:1-3. God cut a covenant with Abraham and promised he would be the father of the nation. Now the worlds three dominant religions claim him as a patriarch. Come find out why.

August 2-Jake the Snake-Genesis 32:22-32-Jacob was the slickest operator in all the Hebrew Bible. Yet he unlike any of the others wrestled with the Holy One. As a special bonus, artist Frank Murphy will be with us in worship painting a scene from the Jacob story while it is told. THIS IS A DON’T MISS WORSHIP EXPERIENCE

A Few Thoughts on Easter

2009-06-30T18:25:00.001-04:00

This is something I wrote for Easter a couple of years ago. Probably tells too much about me, but......Original post date March 22, 2008

There are two people who have been part of my life who still seem to be with me even though they’ve been gone 22 and 33 years respectively-my grandmother and my father. I’ve had dreams about both of them that were so vivid they seemed real.

The dream about my grandmother happened a couple of years after she died. I had recently gotten divorced and truthfully my life stunk. I had no direction and even though I was preaching you didn’t see much of Jesus in me. In my dream, my grandmother, the sweet, blue haired Baptist lady who would never say anything bad about anyone (except Ronald Reagan and she confined that to calling him an old actor) appears floating above my bed looking down at me. When I saw her, she started cussing me with words I didn’t think I knew, much less her. It was a wake up call to do something with my life. Though it took awhile, maybe I finally got it.

The dream about my father was different, but just as vivid. This was just a few years ago, probably 25 or 30 years years after his passing. In my dream I was visiting Houston, Tx and went by to see the house my Father and Mother shared. A man opened the door and it was my father-obviously much older, but as alive as you and me. Somehow his death was an illusion and he had been here all the time.

In both cases when I woke up, I had a tremedous sense of emptiness and loss and yet I also had a sense of joy. I had seen and talked to the people I most loved and missed. For just a moment the two most significant people in my life had returned, touched me, brought a warmth I had not felt in a long time.

In reflection, perhaps this is the core message of Easter. The one thing we think is permanent and irreversable-death-really isn’t. The promise of Easter is that Jesus Christ destroyed death’s inevitability. In some way I don’t understand, God has made it possible for us to live the Resurrection life with him. I don’t understand the details. But I do know death is not the end of our story.

Stuff That Works

2009-06-30T18:20:00.002-04:00

I wrote this a couple of months ago, when I saw that Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity had died. I liked it so much, I decided to post it here. Original post date, Feb. 3, 2009

Just saw that Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity died today. For those who don't know the story, Mr. Fuller was a successful businessman looking for something more significant to do with his life. He hit on the idea for Habit and sold it fearlessly, finally seeing it catch fire when President Carter became involved. Because of Millard Fuller many Americans own homes they could never have afforded and millions of volunteers have become better people and citizens.

I suspect most of us would kill to leave a legacy that was just a shadow of Mr. Fuller. Somehow I have the feeling that the words "Well done good and faithful servant" were spoken this morning. Maybe its time for some of us sitting on the sidelines to contact Habitat (or some other group) and decide to get involved.

Some words by Guy Clark and Rodney Crowell seem appropriate (Stuff that Works from Guy's Dublin Blues record)

Stuff that works
Stuff that holds up
kind of stuff you don't hang on a wall
stuff that's real
stuff you feel
the kind of stuff you reach for when you fall