A good sabbath day today, comparatively. I’ve been grabbing bits and pieces of many books when I can, mainly at night when my lovely wife is asleep and I have a bit of time to read. That’s life while being in the ministry and sharing the joys and responsibilities of rearing infants. So its mainly my lightwedge and whichever book of the moment I grab from my bedside table: at the moment Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, NT Wright’s Simply Christian, Peter Rollins’ How (Not) To Speak of God, Jack Haberer’s God Views, and a re-read of Steve Taylor’s The Out of Bounds Church? Its a joy to read these, but hard to process them well in the short bits I get to chew on here and there.
Friday’s the day off, but I’ve not been good at taking much of it as a day off lately. There’s typically something that has to get done, and it takes up good hunks of my Friday. Even today that’s somewhat the case (don’t get me started on my perpetually infirm but beloved shih-tzu), but less than normal. So today, instead of figuring out how to file tax forms for our household employee (the girls’ daycare provider) like last Friday or figuring out an emergency fix for the busted showerhead the Friday before, I spent a good chunk of the day working on thousands of pictures of the girls I’ve been meaning to process-upload-and-share with family. And they’re so fun! And now I’m actually reading, getting more than those 40 sleepy minutes. I’m almost finished with Bell’s Velvet Elvis.
To be fair, it probably wasn’t smart of me to decide to use the wireless connection at the coffee shop to upload pictures to shutterfly. It says I have hours to go, but I’m sitting here enjoying my eclectic favs playlist and sipping joe while digesting Bell. There’s not a lot that I find to be profound in Bell’s book, but its refreshing to read anew much of what I have seen in his Nooma video series and that is fairly close to many theological convictions that I share. Bell writes in short bits, which is fine; I’m thinking that there are some people in my church who really would get a lot out of this book. I don’t really get the charge leveled at him in previous comments that Bell “has no theology” and is mired in relativism. Well, I get it; I just don’t concur. His work is deeply biblical, and there are clear theological convictions there. People might not agree with them, but they’re there.
Anyway, INXS‘ New Sensation just came on my playlist, and I’m rockin as silently as I can over here. I wonder if people are looking at me, but that’s ok. I’m enjoying my time off…
Live baby live
Now that the day is over
I got a new sensation
In perfect moments
Impossible to refuse
Sleep baby sleep
Now that the night is over
And the sun comes like a god
Into our room
All perfect light and promisesGotta hold on you
A new sensation
A new sensation
Right now
Gonna take you over
A new sensation
A new sensationDream baby dream
Of all thats come and going
And you will find out
In the end
There really is
There really is no differenceCry baby cry
When you’ve got to get it out
Ill be your shoulder
You can tell me all
Don’t keep it in ya
Well thats the reason why I’m hereAre you ready for a new sensation
A new sensation
Right now
Gonna take you on a new sensation
A new sensationHate baby hate
When theres nothing left for you
You’re only human
What can you do
It’ll soon be over
Don’t let your pain take over youLove baby love
Its written all over your face
Theres nothing better we could do
Than live forever
Well thats all we’ve got to doHey now I’m gonna take a new sensation
A new sensation
For anyone interested, the next song on the playlist shuffle was the Gipsy Kings‘ Djobi Djoba.
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