Brad Crisler

...So one of the disadvantages of a commitment to excellence in work is that it leaves little time for existence in other areas. For example, I haven't lifted a finger in exercise for the 2 or 3 weeks I've been hitting it hard at work....and I don't eat well if I eat at all during the day. And blogging..haha..well...you get the picture.

I obviously hit a nerve with my last post....(sarcasm is harder in written form)

Last night I dreamed I was fishing (I never fish) and I was on the bank with a tree limb and a very short line (like 3 feet)...There were lots of fish and I was catching a few but I was aware that the bigger fish were further out and I couldn't reach them because of the short line. I was looking around and finally took one of my shoestrings out and tied it to the end of the line and started catching bigger fish. Now aside from a myriad of sexual inadequacy references, anybody wanna take a shot at that??

Dawn sang with the Nashville Choir at the new symphony hall Sunday night. Several guests sang with them including our local American idol star Mandisa (Which by the way, I've always thought was the perfect testimony to how our God never changes: who else would use a little black girl from Antioch to show the love of Jesus to 100 million people starting with Simon Cowell better than Billy Graham or Pat Robertson could ever do)

Anyway, the night was filled with wonderful music and Christ-loving people of many races and denominations worshiping together. The most interesting part of the night was when Dawn and I and 2 other girls were in the parking lot and one of those guys walked up to me and said "Excuse me sir, I'm down on my luck and was wondering if you could give me something to get a hotdog or something?" So I put my arm around the guy and talked to him for a few minutes and gave him some money and hugged him. As soon as he left a Symphony hall security guy came running over and said "Did that guy ask you for money?" When I told him yes he said "I apologize sir, we're trying to keep people like that away from here"....

Was God in there....or out there?


...the last shall be first....

Have a peace-filled week,
b
c

After Dan Mcvay's short but powerful talk at Zoe this year, I recently bought a book he mentioned, "The New Christendom" by Phillip Jenkins. This book explains through solid research how the western world is no longer the center of Christianity and that there are now 100 million more Christians in Africa than in America....and that by 2050, if trends continue, only about 1/5th of the world's 3 billion Christians will white Americans.

Probably in my lifetime and certainly in my children's, the term "White Christian" may be a curious oxymoron, like a "Sweedish Buddist".

This is a hard sell to we post-modern American Christians. After all, aren't we the center of the universe in all respects. Doesn't everyone want to be like us? Aren't we the model of Christian society built on respect for God and his principles? Don't we perpetuate the ideals of freedom to the rest of the oppressed world?

?


Above is a 34 Star US flag (1863) I recently aqquired.


Peace-
bc

το καλύτερό μου



There was a 19th century funiture maker (although I can't recall his name..and I probably couldn't spell it even if I could) who, after spending countless hours perfecting his work and satisfied that he could not make it better, would carve into the piece in some inconspicuous place the Latin phrase that translated, "My Best".

I'm not much for Latin but above is the Greek equivalent.

This is my new philosophy on my job. From now on, when I sit down to make up a song, the end result will be the product of my best effort on that particular day. I understand some days will be better than others but that doesn't change what I expect of myself.

..and here's the bottom of the iceberg: I want this to be the micro-cosum for the rest of my life. Some days will be better than others but if I could end the day knowing that It was the product of my best effort as a Husband,Dad, Christian, Person....I think my head would hurt less before bedtime (although maybe a little less green tea might help too).

I wonder if they make those little ink stamps with Greek letters? Maybe Mars Hill bookstore?? :)


Holy Father, I am so bad at multitasking. Please make yourself the thread of consistency that runs through this wild ride called "ordinary life" and rain down grace, Love and peace on your broken but willing servant.



The only show worth watching "studio 60" had one of the cast members leading a prayer in last week's episode in which she closed the prayer "In the name of your son Jesus Christ-who must have had a great sense of humor to get so many people to listen to him."

..I'd like to believe that's pretty accurate.



HE is PeaCe-

bc