It was a beautiful day...

Today worship REALLY came together:  my band mates sang like ANGELS, the sound guys were spot on, I didn't forget the core of my interpretive message and the Spirit was palpable!  Thanks be to God!  As one young man said, "Sometimes just for a about 30 seconds I can feel something in me lifted into God's presence in the beauty... I am so glad for today."  Me, too, man and I can't wait to post a video of our reworking of the Springsteen's "The Rising."  Very soulful, slow and more gospel chant than rock anthem - and my buddies really cooked on it today - as we saw something of Ezekiel's dry bones story at work in the Boss's homage to the heroes of 9/11. 

Next we're off to rock and soul land with the "creative imagination of God as expressed by U2."  For 4 weeks we've been practicing a gospel version of "I Still Haven't Found" with children, youth, adults, classical choir and rock and rollers making up our 20+ person group. It has been a total blast. We're also going to be doing: Beautiful Day, 40 and When Love Comes to Town.

And just to round things out, we'll be hearing from a daughter of the congregation about this summer's CPE work before she starts her third year in seminary.  We want/need to help raise a few thousand dollars for her, too. Hmmmm.... grace is busting out all over the place these days and I am so grateful.  More on "a spirituality of authentically blended worship - part three" as next week unfolds.

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out