tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63369342011-04-21T16:37:01.270-04:00Musings of a Wayfarer; Signposts Along the WayCarsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comBlogger1561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1111108243769124082005-03-17T20:06:00.000-05:002005-03-17T20:10:43.780-05:00

It is hard to change, but the time has come. I needed to find a new site to do some things that I could do here. Blogspot has been wonderful; however, it doesn't like Macs and I'm a mac guy since Tim Sturgeon and Ron Kirchgessner got ahold of me in 1989!At any rate I am moving to a new site-- http://www.carsonreed.squarespace.com (see. . . . I can't even create a decent link!Please drop by

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1111017280949094882005-03-16T18:53:00.000-05:002005-03-16T18:54:40.953-05:00

"We’re at the start of a Great Awakening—a time of spiritual upheaval and religious revival.... What’s different about this awakening is that there’s very little agreement on who or what God is, what constitutes worship, and what this ritualistic outpouring means for the future direction of our civilization." –Faith Popcorn, author.My next door neighbors are ex-Presbyterians who now are looking

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110891835535275842005-03-15T07:52:00.000-05:002005-03-15T08:03:55.536-05:00

Actually, this came to me via Aaron Zee. . . .170,000 people will die of AIDS in Zambia this year, according to the Birmingham News. But there is hope that that awful figure will take a different turn in coming years. As a part of Bush's 15 billion dollar initiative drugs and personnel are setting up clinics, training local health workers, and slowly changing people's attitudes about treatment.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110766525880298972005-03-13T20:42:00.000-05:002005-03-13T21:15:25.883-05:00

Brian Nichols is now in custody. The destruction and loss of human life remains. The senseless violence will not find an adequate answer. Already in the middle of a trial for rape, he now will have numerous additional charges to address. The "why" question raises its head and the answer, depending on your point of view, may or may not ever have a satisfactory ring. From a theological

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110685532075101132005-03-12T22:43:00.001-05:002005-03-12T22:45:32.076-05:00

"When I look back on the worries in my life I remember the story of the old man who said on his death bed that he had had a lot of trouble in life, most of which never happened." --Winston Churchill

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110685460696639622005-03-12T22:43:00.000-05:002005-03-12T22:44:20.696-05:00

"When I look back on the worries in my life I remember the story of the old man who said on his death bed that he had had a lot of trouble in life, most of which never happened." --Winston Churchill

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110485555628989622005-03-10T15:04:00.000-05:002005-03-10T15:12:35.630-05:00

What am I learning about you?How are you working in the world?How are you working on me?Do I see too much of the world's ways and too little of yours?How do I embrace my failure and still wear your clothes of grace?Do you ever give up, especially when we seem more interested in our stock portfolio than in the 20,000 people who died today because of the lack of food or basic medicine?How often

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110373761501018352005-03-09T07:50:00.000-05:002005-03-09T08:09:21.503-05:00

I finally took the opportunity to watch the recent movie, Luther. I was impressed. Sitting with my children around we kept stopping the movie and talking about so many of incredible points in Luther's life and in the sweeping sets of ideas that were flowing in the period of time.I was reminded, as the movie rolled, about the high cost of change. People, values, cultural attributes are all up

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1110228041077986052005-03-07T15:19:00.000-05:002005-03-07T15:40:41.080-05:00

Mark Galli recently interviewed Eugene Peterson for Chrsitianity Today (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/003/26.42.html) on spirituality. As usual Peterson's simple wisdom shines.Question: "Many people assume that spirituality is about bcoming emotionally intimate with God."Peterson: "That's a naive view of spirituality What we're talking about is the Christian life. It's following Jesus.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109797589693347042005-03-02T15:45:00.000-05:002005-03-02T16:06:29.700-05:00

Tom Long's recent book, Testimony, (thanks to Richard Wright) is really a continuation on this theme. Long's thesis is that the idea of witness is really a whole way of living in the world--our speech, our worship, our conduct, our work. The idea is not new with Long. He sounds this note in his earlier work, The Witness of Preaching.Telling, and living, truthfully is foundational. As Long

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109713308665675932005-03-01T16:02:00.000-05:002005-03-01T16:41:48.666-05:00

Keith Brenton raises important and probing questions in his comments yesterday. In a word, my response is "witness."Contemporary Christians are not the first people to be faced with the puzzlement of living out Christian faith in a pluralistic world. The earliest Christians lived in a world of great diversity and in an environment where Christianity was only one of many expressions of religion

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109627864030357742005-02-28T16:28:00.000-05:002005-02-28T16:57:44.033-05:00

Karen Olson writes in an opening essay in the current issue of Utne:"When I was 20 I was engagd to marry a soon-to-be-ordained Lutheran minister. While he was preparing to devote his life to being a spiritual leader in one church, I was in college and just beginning to sutdy world religions, large and small. Learning about different traditions leads some people deeper into their own faith. Others

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109559211730239062005-02-27T21:49:00.000-05:002005-02-28T09:06:25.250-05:00

Sundays are busy and full; today has been no exception. Yet the fullness of the day finds special meaning in so many ways. Some of the highlights include: watching NL elders gather around a woman, annoint her with oil and pray for her; witnessing members of our youth group make commitments at the True Love Waits banquet; seeing a search committee wrestle with hard choices; worshipping while 5th

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109302911093436412005-02-24T22:12:00.000-05:002005-02-24T22:41:51.096-05:00

Working on Sunday's sermon in a hotel room in Nashville is a little out of the ordinary for me. But a Bible and Barth's commentary on Philippians is a good combination; certainly better than reaching for the remote.Sunday's text has that wonderful charge against some folk that worship their animal appetites (their god is their belly). I guess that means appetites--today it may well mean a well

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109121180575337932005-02-22T19:57:00.000-05:002005-02-22T20:13:00.576-05:00

Last night the Reeds played host to several friends and who had common links to missions and to textual criticism. Carroll Osburn was in town, who, many years ago did some translation and mission support work with Ralph and Susie McCluggage. Aaron and Sharon Zee joined us and much of the conversation was focused on the incredible needs that exist in Africa. Bad water, economic downturns,

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1109083661893858222005-02-22T09:47:00.000-05:002005-02-22T09:47:41.893-05:00

Monday morning in North Carolina. We listened to the patter of rain on the metal roof of a cottage all night and awoke to the gray mist of the mountains. Our host, Connie Grubermann, was in the big house preparing what by all accounts was a gourmet breakfast. If your ever in or near Franklin, North Carolina, spend the night at Oak Hill Country Inn. We had a delightful time.Yesterday brought

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1108849053644582022005-02-19T16:36:00.000-05:002005-02-19T16:37:33.646-05:00

Crowds gather and the watch on the ramp is on. Standing in the frigid weather and huddled in tight clumps church youth groups from Florida to Michigan wait. Their destination: the interior of the Gatlinburg Convention Center and another session of Winterfest.Music (Newsboys last night) and comedy (Bean and Bailey), worship and teaching (Jeff Walling) all combine to draw and inspire, challenge

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1108755864246336452005-02-18T14:43:00.000-05:002005-02-18T14:44:24.246-05:00

Okay, so it’s not the most sophisticated of museums; in fact, I’m not really sure it really qualifies as a museum by any academic standard. But when people go to places like Gatlinburg, a tourist trap by almost any definition one usually takes in one or two such traps, so. . . .Two-headed calves, men who drive nails up their nose, a woman who swallows swords, strange things from far away places,

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1108604442034563392005-02-16T20:38:00.000-05:002005-02-16T20:40:42.036-05:00

"What reason have they for saying that we cannot rise from the dead? What is more difficult, to be born or to rise again; that what has never been should be, or that what has been should be again? Is it more difficult to come into existence than to return to it?" --Blaise Pascal

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1108503845786015262005-02-15T16:21:00.000-05:002005-02-15T16:44:05.790-05:00

After living 20 years in Indianapolis, one of the things I really miss is my friends. Friends at church, friends in ministry, and friends in the community that become a part of your life. Haunting downtown restaurants (Working Man's Friend Bar, the Ram, or Milano), nine holes at the Clermont Country Club ( I bet you couldn't hit an 18 wheeler on I-74 if your life depended on it; I'll bet you a

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1108407274369562572005-02-14T13:43:00.000-05:002005-02-14T13:54:34.373-05:00

A group of believers gathered last night in the chapel for prayer. And it was a remarkable time indeed! Not that what we prayed for something new or different. In fact, much of our prayer was for dozens of requests for sick bodies, aged parents, young children, broken marriages, mission work in Honduras, care for the poor and stability in Iraq and Israel. Nor was it remarkable for prayer to

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1107918507521153872005-02-08T22:07:00.000-05:002005-02-08T22:08:27.520-05:00

Is there really a difference between Sunday and every other day of the week? We sometimes act like there is. Sunday is comprised of hymns and scripture, worship and visiting with other Christians. Then on Monday, we head back to work and life takes on its usual sort of flavor. Six days a week we take on the real tasks of living; Sunday comes and we go through the rituals of our faith. Sunday

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1107784604906909592005-02-07T08:44:00.000-05:002005-02-07T08:56:44.906-05:00

Letting go of the best of my resume in order to embrace Christ. I'm still thinking about Philippians 3.2-10 this morning. "I want to know Christ." To know Christ. How can we ever fully know him? And yet, that is not what Paul is claiming. Would it not be better to understand that Paul's desire is to be in a living, growing relationship with Christ? The relationship is characterized by an

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1107441056725277202005-02-03T09:18:00.000-05:002005-02-03T09:30:56.726-05:00

I'm working and preaching out of Philippians these days and I'm loving the rich resources that are available. Yesterday I was reading in Karl Barth's classic exposition of the letter. There are so many little gems of insight from this theological heavyweight. For example, on 3.8-9, Barth is commenting on Paul's phrase I consider my "history" as dung or rubbish in order to gain Christ and be

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1107388059737247002005-02-02T16:30:00.000-05:002005-02-02T18:47:39.736-05:00

Another amazing testimony to the power of the gospel resides in a nursing home in Tucker, GA. His wife dead, his only daughter dead, and his body failing after three strokes, Lester still lives with hope. Even with his recent round at the hospital that included a pacemaker, he chooses hope over despair. Though deaf he hears the melody of God's grace. Lester knows pain and suffering; he also

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1107294015926935552005-02-01T16:32:00.000-05:002005-02-01T16:40:15.926-05:00

What a sweet spirit! At 85 years and counting Ross exhibits the hope of Christian faith with perseverance and most of the time, with a smile. Obviously, he has experience much in this life that is hard and negative. Even now, as he prepares to leave for a few weeks to stay with his son in Dallas, he faces the realities of renal failure, the triple weekly trips to the dialysis centers, the

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1107097558050753332005-01-30T09:44:00.000-05:002005-01-30T10:05:58.050-05:00

Here it is Sunday morning and I'm at home--strange feeling. But the ice storm Friday night and Saturday has left the parking lot at the church's building a skating rink. So no services this morning. So early morning quiet time and coffee was great; normally I am afraid that Sunday mornings are given over to final touches to the message. I still have a message to given at 6pm today, but

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1106915329481827342005-01-28T07:08:00.000-05:002005-01-28T07:28:49.483-05:00

Northlake is in the search for a youth minister and I have the task of finding some good candidates. And the thing that gratifies me is that I am finding good candidates. It does my heart good to talk to people who have passion and skills and a calling to minister to youth. From the midwest to Texas, from the Tennessee hills to the coast, I have found ministers doing great work and caring

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1106833966506121872005-01-27T08:52:00.000-05:002005-01-27T08:52:46.506-05:00

"The words with which we praise God shape the world in which we live." --Walter Brueggemann

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1106688534900403832005-01-25T16:27:00.000-05:002005-01-25T16:28:54.900-05:00

I had a provocative conversation this morning with a man who came to see me. He lives in the Tucker area and is homeless. Local people see him standing along Lawrenceville Hwy with poster board signs calling for people to repent and for churches and Christians to make major life style changes in their lives. Oliver (not his real name) has an absolute passion and understands that his role is

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1106237317381298802005-01-20T11:08:00.000-05:002005-01-20T11:08:37.380-05:00

As the week progresses I’m logging a few miles on the trails and a few more books find their way into the “read” column. McLaren’s The Church on the Other Side is a good read. Erwin McManus might be a good read; I’m never sure whether McManus is brilliant or just blowing smoke. Reread Jim Collins Good to Great, which isn’t about church life, but maybe it is after all! Collins never speaks

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1106059012885771392005-01-18T09:36:00.000-05:002005-01-18T09:36:52.886-05:00

Spending time in north Georgia this week is giving me some time to do some reading that I’ve been putting aside for some time. Read Thom Rainer’s Eating the Elephant and some Brian McLaren. But the real highlight didn’t happen until I began reading George Adam Smith’s commentary on Isaiah late last night. I wouldn’t expect much of anyone to know of Smith. Smith taught Old Testament at

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1105972328606661082005-01-17T09:31:00.000-05:002005-01-17T09:32:08.606-05:00

Understanding churches as a system, to see a congregation as a whole entity is vital. However, to think systemically is not easy. So I am also looking for ways to sharpen my vision. Here is another way from Peter Senge: There is something in all of us that loves to put together a puzzle, that loves to see the image of the whole emerge. The beauty of a person, or a flower, or a poem lies in

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1105368841517459622005-01-10T09:25:00.000-05:002005-01-10T09:54:01.516-05:00

Last night I spoke to a full chapel on the questions that the tragedy in SE Asia brings to us. Obviously the questions it brings to us are different, at least in intensity, to those living in Indonesia or Thailand. Yet we still are left with wonder and a sense of emptiness in trying to make some sense of it all. Here are some of my observations: 1. The Christian point of view holds a more

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1105005025450844192005-01-06T04:35:00.000-05:002005-01-06T04:50:25.450-05:00

It all boils down to discipleship 101. Over the past two weeks, interspersed among the holidays have come these converations that continue to linger with me. The male school teacher, the mother of three children, the returning missionary, and the college student home for the holidays all have similar discoveries. Though each have distinctive stories and widely divergent places in the world a

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1104937153663698842005-01-05T09:56:00.000-05:002005-01-05T09:59:13.663-05:00

Thanks to Pat Graham for the lead on this great editorial piece. http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110006097 Haven't heard much yet, but I'm sure it will soon come. Be wary of the building theology out of natural tragedies.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1104505347869069362004-12-31T09:56:00.000-05:002004-12-31T10:02:27.870-05:00

As one year closes and another begins, I pray that all who make their way to these pages will be blessed in their pursuit of that which is good and right, that God's Spirit might rest upon all, and that joy will be found in the imitation of Jesus. Even as I write such sentiments my heart is heavy for the burden of tens of thousands who have lost lives and homes and families in southeast Asia.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1103746970646228132004-12-22T15:22:00.000-05:002004-12-22T15:22:50.646-05:00

Received an email letter from an acquaintance the other day that raised again for me what pluralism looks like in today’s culture. Elements of Christian belief, Buddhism, and outright materialism were blended almost seamlessly together, shaping his worldview into something that fit for him. Pragmatically speaking, whatever works to make the world look orderly “to me,” is what I take to be true.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1103639593936205092004-12-21T09:27:00.000-05:002004-12-21T09:33:13.936-05:00

The Colts are in the playoffs, Christmas is bringing some quiet time (hopefully) to be with family, and it supposed to be 50 degrees in Atlanta today. These are all good things! The only thing that is hanging out there that I'm not quite sure what to do with is Vickie's idea that I should do so tile work in the kitchen next week. She did say I had some options. She said I could go to Lowes. .

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1103598616957501282004-12-20T22:03:00.000-05:002004-12-21T09:40:02.950-05:00

Our family tradition during Christmas time means gathering at the end of the day around the tree with every child with a lit candle. When the kids were younger this meant that I came to the tree with a fire extinguisher. Already this year we have had wax in the carpet and one burned finger! But we persist in our craziness! So we gather with the room dark, the tree lit, the candles flickering

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1103210650470503022004-12-16T10:23:00.000-05:002004-12-16T10:24:10.470-05:00

What is Christmas really about? I know that Elvis is afraid that he will have a blue Christmas and Bing wants a white one. Mariah wants you to come home—maybe to eat those well-roasted chestnuts that have been in fireplace since last year! Is Christmas about end-of-year parties, family celebrations? What do we make of the frenzy of shoping and buying and parties and travel? What is the

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1103128093581814092004-12-15T11:11:00.000-05:002004-12-15T11:28:13.580-05:00

I know it isn't popular, but thinking deeply about beliefs are important. For what a person believes guides and shapes what a person does. Luke Timothy Johnson states it well: "If I think the world is a struggle for survival, I will distrust and battle everyone I meet. If I think that owning more means being more, and also think that there is only a limited number of possessions available, I

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1103037074414514082004-12-14T09:49:00.000-05:002004-12-14T10:11:14.413-05:00

My kids love frozen pizza. I don't really understand it. The only thing that I do understand is that it is something easy and simple. Frozen pizza at our house is usually associated with watching movie; it may be associated with mom and dad going out. Of course, they like real pizza as well! But I've been wondering. The ease of frozen food or fast food has so ingrained itself into our

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1102973666756330812004-12-13T16:31:00.000-05:002004-12-13T16:34:26.756-05:00

Apparently, the culture debate roars in kid's movies this holiday season. Gay sharks? Overachieving comicbook heroes? See Frederica Matthewes-Green's opinion piece for sane read on the matter. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/157/story_15744_1.html

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1102542112149918632004-12-08T16:33:00.000-05:002004-12-08T16:41:52.150-05:00

I've been working in Matthew off and on for a couple of years now. And Matthew keeps impressing me. By Matthew, I mean the gospel of Matthew, the first and perhaps the most systematic of the gospels. For example, Matthew 13 presents a series of parables about the kingdom. Clearly Matthew is up to something. He is working out about the nature of the kingdom through Jesus' parables. However,

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1102374164743565822004-12-06T17:53:00.000-05:002004-12-06T18:02:44.743-05:00

What changes? What stays the same? Technology and communication are changing more quickly than the operating systems on my computer. Equipment is out of date before the new wears off. People are let go from jobs and workplaces spin on dimes trying to stay abreast of the least little twitch in some market. Family life is changing. There are more single people living my neighborhood than

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1101940216152589762004-12-01T17:27:00.000-05:002004-12-01T17:30:16.153-05:00

"Intercession is the most intensely social act the human being is capable of. When it is carried on secretly, it is mercifully preserved from, in fact, almost immunized against, the possible corruptions to which all outer dees of service for others are subject." --Douglas V. Steere And so I pray for others--named and nameless, past and present. Hear my prayers, O Lord.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1101844240751123722004-11-30T14:46:00.000-05:002004-11-30T14:50:40.750-05:00

The Thanksgiving holidays are in the rear view mirror and only a few turkey scraps remain. Since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I always enjoy fixing turkey and making dressing (cornbread dressing mind you!). I guess what I enjoy the most is simply not doing anything more constructive than preparing one meal. Although it is a big meal, once it is done, the work, such as it is, is over.

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1101310024577029332004-11-24T10:23:00.000-05:002004-11-24T10:27:04.576-05:00

Takk for alt She was not quite ninety-seven when she died. One who waited at her side heard her say it: "Takk for alt" "Thank you for everything." It was her home-going word to God. Like a good guest she addressed her Host. She spoke as one well-taught, well-taught by life, by memory and expectation! To be gift-conscious is to be wise; to know whom to thank is grace indeed. to know the gift

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1101229776768044042004-11-23T11:58:00.000-05:002004-11-23T12:09:36.770-05:00

Long time, no post. Staying focused on the discipline of writing comes and goes for me. Ironically, my personal journaling has been much more consistent in the past two weeks. . . . . Catching up on some reading on a rainy day. Brian McLaren is featured in the current Christianity Today along with some discussion of the emergent church movement--or dialogue. I think that McLaren has a lot to

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1100290330632669042004-11-12T15:04:00.000-05:002004-11-12T15:12:10.633-05:00

Northlake is gearing up for some study on the Christian practice of hospitality. Vic McCracken has got several of reading a great book by Christine Pohl called Making Room. Published by Eerdmans, Pohl's work is readable and convincing. I haven't finished it yet. But here are some quotes: "Strangers, in the strict sense, are those who are disconnected from basic relationships that give

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1100120617719857502004-11-10T11:53:00.000-05:002004-11-10T16:03:37.720-05:00

In the study mentioned in yesterday's blog more interesting things emerge. Functional brain-imaging challenges another aspect of American culture. I think that I will simply quote the article without comment: "Dr. Mathiak enlisted 13 gamers who played video games for, on average, 20 hours a week. While the gamers stalked and shot the enemy from the relative discomfort of a scanner's interior,

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1100034396613183152004-11-09T15:59:00.000-05:002004-11-09T16:06:36.613-05:00

This just in from 30 October issue of the Economist (thanks to Joe Page). A series of studies offers some striking insights into the importance of how we train and shape our minds to help us make good choices. Students in one particular study were place in a brain scanner and then offered the choice of receiving a gift certificate worth 5-40 dollars or the option of receiving one worth 1% to

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1099943498132286832004-11-08T13:29:00.000-05:002004-11-08T14:51:38.133-05:00

According to Diana Bass in her recent book, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church, a rising form of self-understanding for a growing group of churches is to appropriate the concepts of monasticism as a way of self-understanding. She doesn't mean that people are now living celebate lives and selling their homes. Rather, she is suggesting that the practice of spiritual

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1099397007796314012004-11-02T06:49:00.000-05:002004-11-02T07:03:27.796-05:00

Blogging as spiritual practice gets some play in an article by Rob Moll. (See link below) Frankly I think he is on to something--particularly as it pertains to creating a free place for conversation and engagement unfettered by church structure or authority. Frankly, there is a lot of bloggers out here. Moll states: "A Perseus survey estimated that by the end of 2004 there would be 10 million

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1099366957607503782004-11-01T22:33:00.000-05:002004-11-01T22:42:37.606-05:00

I'm spending a couple of days in Nashville. One thing is for certain; after a couple of months of living in Atlanta, Nashville traffic is no big deal! Of course, perception, context, and personal experience flavor points of view. I wonder what i would think about traffic if I had spent my whole life in say, Costa Rica or Tibet? That being said, I wonder what people might say of church folk

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098998128505317242004-10-28T16:06:00.000-05:002004-10-28T16:15:28.506-05:00

Red Sox in four. Wow, what pitching. Wow, what dominance. The only thing about the series that hurt for me was that it was the Cards that took the fall! I saw my first major league game in that stadium as a young lad and have a soft spot in my heart for the Cardinals. Yet it was the lunar eclipse that caught Lauren's attention last night. She kept working out the notion of how this was

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098795651564028502004-10-26T08:00:00.000-05:002004-10-26T08:00:51.566-05:00

One week from today the nation goes to the polls. This exercise in democratic governance, often taken for granted, will result in setting the course of the nation regarding America’s relationship to other countries, economic and social issues, and, at least in Georgia, shaping the debate on what properly constitutes marriage. Stakes are high and tensions are rising. In DeKalb County this week

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098713194958426622004-10-25T08:54:00.000-05:002004-10-25T09:06:34.960-05:00

Vickie, William and I made our way out to Loganville Saturday night and found Solomon's Porch. (No, this is not an archeological site; it's a coffeehouse/cafe!) Our goal was to hear Stranger 2--a three man band with more instruments on stage than most orchestras! More specifically, we were able to see old friends Ivan and Monica Benson, along with their two daughters Susie and Denise. We

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098462449157406542004-10-22T11:11:00.000-05:002004-10-22T11:27:29.156-05:00

Thinking about politics as the election draws closer prompts me to reflect on what makes for a Christian response in the confusing swirl of rhetoric. Working through Mark 9 for Sunday's message has given me pause. The disciples are asked to heal a boy who has epileptic seizures brought on by demonic possession. They fail to do so. In their failure the local critics take up argument with the

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098356136332792272004-10-21T05:54:00.000-05:002004-10-21T05:55:36.333-05:00

The following document was drafted by several leading evangelicals, principally Richard Hays of Duke, George Hunsinger of Princeton, Richard Pierard of Gordon, Glen Stassen of Fuller, and Jim Wallis of Sojourners. It was released, as best I can tell, last week. I post it here without comment from me at this time. My own critique will follow in a few days. Suffice it to say, politics and faith

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098296527872739332004-10-20T13:18:00.000-05:002004-10-20T13:22:07.873-05:00

A reader recently asked again about have a comments feature on this site. My answer was that I wasn't really smart enough to know how to do it but I hope to find a way to add it soon. So, with fear and trembling, I went to the control features at blogspot and lo and behold, it isn't as as hard as I thought. Just click a button and presto. So, with that done, I welcome any and all to comment

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098210918821335312004-10-19T13:33:00.000-05:002004-10-19T13:35:18.823-05:00

Just got an email from a long time friend in Little Rock. His blog today uses the same Philippians text. But I would suggest that his 95 theses is well worth the read. Thanks Keith! http://keithbrenton.blogspot.com/2004/10/nine-point-five-theses.html#comments

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1098193222856361942004-10-19T08:38:00.000-05:002004-10-19T08:40:22.856-05:00

I have arrived! Or have I? I’ve been to Matthew’s Cafeteria (repeatedly). I confess I love fried okra! I’ve been to the Ted; the Braves are .500 when I am in the ball park. I see Stone Mountain nearly every day. All in all, I’ve encountering the best of Atlanta. Besides, Monday, I had lunch at the Varsity! The Varsity, the culinary institution that has served cholesterol-laden good eats

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1097869144758889382004-10-15T14:23:00.000-05:002004-10-15T14:39:04.756-05:00

This just in from my friend Morris: NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) - Across the Bible Belt this Halloween, some little ghosts and goblins might get shooed away by the neighbors - and some youngsters will not be allowed to go trick-or-treating at all - because the holiday falls on a Sunday this year. "It's a day for the good Lord, not for the devil," said Barbara Braswell, who plans to send her 4-year-old

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1097674081076789962004-10-13T08:16:00.000-05:002004-10-13T08:28:01.076-05:00

Losing the Division Series for the third year in a row does create a certain cynicism for Braves fans. But in looking at the negative the positive loses its voice. To be in the playoffs for 13 years in a row is nothing to sneeze at. Seeing the realities that face as they are is important. Yet a persistant negativity can be a real obstacle in life. How do you see the glass? Whether it is

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1097615160823188742004-10-12T15:54:00.000-05:002004-10-12T16:06:00.823-05:00

" If anything Christian(!) be unrelated to the Gospel, it is a human by-product, a dangerous religious survival, a regrettable misunderstanding. For in this case content would be substituted for a void, convex for concave, positive for negative, and the characteristic marks of Chrsitianity would be possession and self-sifficiency rather than deprivation and hope. If this be persisted in, there

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1097507369891554782004-10-11T10:07:00.000-05:002004-10-11T10:09:29.890-05:00

YES You are the God who is simple, direct, clear with us and for us. You have committed yourself to us. You have said yes to us in creation, Yes to us in our birth, Yes to us in our baptism, Yes to us in our awakening this day. But we are of another kind, more accustomed to “perhaps, maybe, we’ll see,” left in wonderment and ambiguity. We live our lives not back to your yes, but out of

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1097246522459081272004-10-08T09:37:00.000-05:002004-10-08T09:42:02.460-05:00

"We must therefore make it our primary goal not just to hear the voice of God but to be mature people in a loving relationship with him." --Dallas Willard Wanting a sign from God gets dicey when we assume that we can hear him on our terms. "Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes." --Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1097153447464395362004-10-07T07:40:00.000-05:002004-10-07T07:50:47.463-05:00

The one thing that made watching the Braves crumble yesterday at Turner Field was watching a 42 year old Roger Clemens work his way out of several jams. It is sweet to see an "old guy" do these things, mostly because I'm an "old guy" too! Beyond baseball, I find myself engaging more and more Jesus' focus on the kingdom. Last night, working through Matthew, the kingdom figures so prominently

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1096924297340457342004-10-04T17:00:00.000-05:002004-10-04T16:11:37.340-05:00

That's what he said. She told me that she had surgery three weeks ago. Obviously tired, broke, dirty, and . . . . homeless. Two people standing in the doorway of the church building on a Sunday night. What do you do? Do you write your congressman, call the police, edit an opinion piece for the newspaper about the problems of the homeless, find the preacher or some other church leadership to

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1096557595459470772004-09-30T10:09:00.000-05:002004-09-30T10:19:55.460-05:00

Thanks to Pat Graham who recently sent along a review of a new book that looks like it would be worth the reading. From a Michael Cromartie interview with W. Bradford Wilcox, whose Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands has just been published by the University of Chicago Press here are some notable quotes by Wilcox: "Married men with children who are affiliated

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1096477130530257262004-09-29T12:33:00.000-05:002004-09-29T11:58:50.530-05:00

By some standards 90 minutes is not a long time to stand in line to transact some business at a government agency. However, we had planned ahead, got all our documents ready, arrived before the doors opened (well, okay we did take a wrong turn and arrived one minute before the doors opened). The only flaw in our plan was that 250 other people had the same plan and apparently made the right turn

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1096301243922203952004-09-27T10:56:00.000-05:002004-09-27T11:07:23.936-05:00

Furniture arrived at the Reeds one week ago today and I can tell you that sleeping on a good mattress is a good thing. After a month of spending nights on a old futon, the "ahhh" experience is still reverberating each night. That "ahhh" continued when Friday evening we found enough stuff to actually fire up the grill and have what to the Reed family is high spiritual experience--a sit down

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1095361460197185052004-09-16T13:53:00.000-05:002004-09-16T14:04:20.210-05:00

Back this afternoon from Indiana. Our furniture on its way to Atlanta; however it is an impatient wait until Monday before we will sit at our old oak table or crawl unto my bed. Funny as it sounds, I've almost got used to that old futon mattress Vickie and I have been sleeping on! Well as I blew from the north, the Ivan's early advance guard blew in from the south. Already 12 have lost their

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1095126632429234512004-09-13T20:43:00.000-05:002004-09-13T20:50:32.430-05:00

Leaving Atlanta at 5 am in order to clear work traffic was apparently a good idea. The only slow down was a truck off the road on 285 at 85. Anyway, I made my way back to Indianapolis today to see about closing out all our affairs here and to meed with packers and movers. Undoubtedly, it is not the most encouraging thing to come back to your old neighborhood after three weeks. Your new place

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1095126204030399582004-09-13T20:38:00.000-05:002004-09-13T20:43:24.030-05:00

Like a motor that has been running but sitting in neutral, I've been eager to preach again. Yesterday was the day to engage. What a wonderful day it was! It was good to preach and it was good to see people listening, nodding their heads, reading Bibles, and allowing for God to work in hearts. I'm so grateful to be at Northlake. Northlake has a great tradition of loving people and Vickie

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1094586901355032462004-09-07T14:54:00.000-05:002004-09-07T14:55:01.356-05:00

Arriving in Atlanta at 5pm is not the smartest thing in the world to do, but who says I always do smart things! In fact, when smart things occur in my life it is usually a sign of God’s providence or dumb luck. At any rate we were warmly welcomed by Jo Anne Stubblefield and ushered into our temporary lodgings in a small cottage on the church’s property—Love Cottage. Although rather Spartan (

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1094225689008477772004-09-03T10:33:00.000-05:002004-09-03T10:34:49.006-05:00

Well, it’s about time that I surfaced. Through the night last night I keep waking up and thinking that I needed to recount the various goings-on of the Reed family. So I got up this morning early, fired up the computer—and couldn’t get online! So I’m writing this out now and will post it when ever I figure out what is happening with our friends at Earthlink. The Reeds have moved. After

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1092941694734956592004-08-19T13:53:00.000-05:002004-08-19T13:54:54.733-05:00

When I focus NOT on what I could get and focus on what I could GIVE--life changes!

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1092754328513076522004-08-17T09:39:00.000-05:002004-08-17T09:52:08.513-05:00

Going through stuff at the back of the corner desk in my study--sneeze! Found this quote from Herb Caen, San Francisco Chronicle: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1092428439265663172004-08-13T15:06:00.000-05:002004-08-16T15:01:31.416-05:00

Late night slumber parties with a bunch of girls can turn up some interesting moments, but a couple of nights ago was particularly entertaining. Four 11 or 12 year old girls giggling and carrying on with all manner of silliness until, as it was reported to me, a strange noise was heard. Note: To those of you who might be embarassed with some terms to describe certain body sounds, I apologize

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1092156487852726932004-08-10T11:41:00.000-05:002004-08-10T11:48:07.853-05:00

"The poor will always be with you." Indeed. But knowing that does not ease the struggle of doing the right thing when confronted with a plea for help. Two cases this morning--a young couple with small children and a single woman down on her luck. How do you respond? Lord, how would you respond? Would you lift the burden of a light bill or aid someone so that they could have transportation

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1092091559287704712004-08-09T17:29:00.000-05:002004-08-09T17:45:59.286-05:00

At 15 years old, I guess it shouldn't surprise me. But when I call Vickie at 5pm in the afternoon and ask how she is doing, I discover that she has just pulled out from McDonalds after picking up two double cheeseburgers for William. Of course, food is a plenty at the house, but with someone looking at our house right now (showings always come at the moment that you are least ready for them),

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1091629219233582892004-08-04T08:58:00.000-05:002004-08-04T09:20:19.233-05:00

Returned yesterday from time with my mom and dad in Estes Park, CO. Dad celebrated 72 years of living and even with the realities of Parkinson's, he continues to find good each day. The nature of the disease makes it hard for him to do the things he enjoys. Walking trails in the Rocky Mountain National Park are not easily done. However, we did make it around Sprague Lake one day. It was good

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1091130312202387492004-07-29T14:39:00.000-05:002004-07-29T17:22:40.623-05:00

William has been mowing the church's back lot the past couple of years. So our old 1970 Cub Cadet has once again been showing its usefulness. However, this morning a front wheel came loose. Will comes running in and says, "I think we have a problem." When your 15 year old says that you already begin wondering whether we have a problem or whether he has a problem that he wants you to own. For

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1091045289017155832004-07-28T15:03:00.000-05:002004-07-28T15:08:09.016-05:00

While putting some material on anger together I rediscovered this quote: Anger is most useful as a diagnostic tool. When anger erupts in us, it is a signal that something is wrong. Something isn't working right. Anger is our sixth sense for sniffing out wrong. Diagnostically it is virtually infallible, and we learn to trust it. --Eugene Peterson Rather than fear anger, we should learn to

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1090934902769716662004-07-27T08:13:00.000-05:002004-07-27T08:28:22.770-05:00

Yesterday I decided it was time to clear off a couple of file cabinets. I don't mean the contents of the cabinets; I simply am referring to that which was sitting on top of them. File folders, books, journals, encouraging notes from people, articles or material that might useful for some writing project or a sermon--it was all there. Dust was there as well. Now the janitor who comes through

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1090421349857748572004-07-21T09:30:00.000-05:002004-07-21T09:49:09.856-05:00

Regular readers may have noticed that the past few weeks posts to this column have been rather irregular. Let me reveal the reason for it. After over 11 years of ministry at the Westlake Church of Christ in Indianapolis, I have accepted a ministry role at the Northlake Church of Christ in Tucker, Georgia (metro--Atlanta). Needless to say, such a change has brought a lot of unusual stresses,

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1089979858695997002004-07-16T06:58:00.000-05:002004-07-16T07:10:58.696-05:00

Traveling yesterday from Indianapolis to Atlanta offered 558 miles of opportunity. A mom, a dad, four children, and a CD player that works only when it wants to--which isn't all that often. However, all the Game Boys were operational and that is a good thing. Understanding life as a journey is an apt metaphor. There are bridges under repair that must be negotiated; rude drivers who cut in and

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1089681577293619942004-07-12T20:06:00.000-05:002004-07-12T20:19:37.293-05:00

Cell phones don't float. I already knew that. I lost one overboard my sailboat a few years ago. And no, the weather was calm. Yes, we were tied up at the dock. What can I say? Sometimes I am all thumbs. So I guess it didn't surprise me when my last cell phone went accidently flying out of my hands in a thunderstorm into a puddle of water four inches deep. But I thought that at least the

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1088629755728738272004-06-30T16:02:00.000-05:002004-06-30T16:09:15.726-05:00

I don't always agree with Jim Wallis but his recent editorial entitled "Democrats Getting Religion" from the SoJo Mail (from Sojourners) rang particularly true. In testifying to a Democratic committee that is drafting their national platform, he encouraged them to look to faith and scripture to form policy on economic and social issues. Rather than avoid religious language, he encouraged them

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1088457244541929642004-06-28T15:54:00.000-05:002004-06-28T16:14:04.540-05:00

Leslie returned to Indianapolis last Thursday and she is still talking about her experiences in Washington DC. Her most famous moment was having her photo taken with Senator Evan Bayh (he touched her shoulder!) (See http://bayh.senate.gov/images/nylc61604.gif). Her most memorable places included Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, and the National Cathedral. Her most exciting

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1088176977729830882004-06-25T10:19:00.000-05:002004-06-25T10:22:57.730-05:00

Erik Weihenmayer's story is an incredible one and he possesses an incriedible spirit. Blind since the age at 13, Weihenmayer is the first blind climber to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. In 2002 he became one of less than 100 individuals to climb all of the Seven Summits--the highest peaks on the seven continents. Listen to his sense of perspective: My friend Hugh Herr lost both legs in an

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1087941844817559822004-06-22T17:02:00.000-05:002004-06-22T17:04:04.816-05:00

Who am I? Whose am I? Somehow or another, the second question informs the first. And in working through the second I must be prepared to embrace the truth that I can not be everything and all things. That place has already been taken. And even more humbling is the ever-growing truth that I can not be some of the things that I thought I wanted to be. Where does that leave me? I can begin

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1087851261448869392004-06-21T15:45:00.000-05:002004-06-21T15:54:21.446-05:00

The past two evenings I've been able to be out on the Dumbledore (a Precision 23 foot sailboat) and what fun. If I could get my whole CARE group out on the boat we would go tonight. Alas, somehow I don't think that 17 people would fit. Being outdoors and experiencing both the beauty and the dynamic nature of the world is fascinating and humbling. Saturday night the wind was steady and plenty

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1087575547181659592004-06-18T11:06:00.000-05:002004-06-18T11:19:07.183-05:00

Travel and a flurry of activity has swept me into a mode of living that has precluded my normal disciplines. However, I'm trying to reform, mostly for my own sanity. Life is best lived with a certain rhythm and order. God created the world with a certain order to it; "there was evening and morning, another day." Obviously, we don't live in a vacuum. And yet, establishing rhythm creates the

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1086640161783131982004-06-07T15:27:00.000-05:002004-06-07T15:29:21.783-05:00

"We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." --C. S. Lewis

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1086299943429771582004-06-03T16:33:00.000-05:002004-06-03T16:59:03.430-05:00

Children keep you engaged and connected to lots of things--like Shrek 2! Just last night I learned what ten year old girls are doing at sleepovers (a trip to paint ceramics), just how many colleges and universities would like for my 17 year old daughter to attend their institution (could it be about money?), and what 15 year old boys spend much of their time mulling over. Come to think of it, I

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6336934.post-1086139255713973362004-06-01T20:10:00.000-05:002004-06-01T20:20:55.713-05:00

Twisters have been really creating havoc across the country. A cousin writes to report spending the evening in the bathroom and ending up with roof damage outside of Edmond, Oklahoma. Local papers are full of photos and stories of floods, destroyed homes, and more. The Reeds were rousted out Sunday night in Ohio for tornado warnings as they passed a few miles to the north. In a moment of

Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09319523661037904561noreply@blogger.com