Memory levels saved.

Hi!  It's little me again at graduate school.  Pardon my tiredness as every morning this week has been an issue for me (no, really; I had Issues in Church Music at 8:30 a.m. each day!).  Just got the not-so-daunting "midterm" test via email, but haven't done it yet, and brewed another pot of coffee as I do when extremely bored (which seems to mean alone and unmotivated, rather than lacking assignments).

Just a little panorama with a picnic lunch.

Unconventional and unprecedented points that stuck in my mind over the first five days:

Worship is like bacon (it takes a while to make - there's no way to rush the process and have it turn out the same)

Bahama Mamas (coconut rum, Kahlua, something banana-flavored, orange and pineapple juices, and grenadine) are really delicious!

Congratulations!  You have a life.  Pick one of the three:  A.  have a full-time job; B. stay at home and raise a family; C. be awesome at your instrument.  I guess bonus points if A. and C. are the same.

The invocation is sacramental.  We cannot invite God the Holy Spirit down, but recognize that "as two or three are gathered," He has promised to be with us.  Aha!

The opposite of (instant) gratification is learning.

Living by oneself is extremely hard.  It drives me crazy to get back to not a little noise, but complete silence.  I hope I don't have to do this for the rest of my life!

It's possible to get sore ankles from "Christ Lag in Todesbanden" (BWV 625).  Not cool.

Cookie dough is a type of sushi.  Just think on that.

When you live by a Great Lake, you expect it to look the same every day, but it doesn't.  I wake up with a new scene outside my window, and it is just lovely.

Worship's efficacy does not depend on having a satisfying experience.

Along with that, cultural patterns today make the upbeat, fast, exciting, loud, happy = good.  Where is the room for solemnity, sadness, contemplation, and otherwise Lenten thoughts in church, then, if that is what we're accustomed to appreciating.

We read Marva Dawn's "Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down" for class, and it supplied great insights about worship and community life in a postmodern age.  Many good quotes:

"Genuine love gives people not what they think they need, but what they truly need" (66).

"Many modern songs actually praise not God but how well we are loving Him" (109).

Citing James White: "Nothing is a better source for variety and interest in Christian worship that careful following of the church year."

Finally, it is a true blessing to attend school where my professors can discuss sin and grace, Law and Gospel, Church Militant and Church Triumphant, the theology of the cross, sacramental and sacrificial, quote hymns, and recite the Third Article explanation in class.  Christian education is a freedom that I never hope to take for granted, and thank God for it every day.

Happy midterms!  The Lord be with you all.