shine on all the churches they all love less and less*

love this song, it’s a take off of “this little light of mine.”

i spoke this week about how much i abhor “but theology”. you know how it goes…Jesus loves you BUT you got to quit sinning, God loves you BUT you got to give more so we can do his work, “I” love you BUT you’ve got to be willing to see it my way, i’ll let you all come up with your own BUT theology. if jesus had but’s in his theology then his love wasn’t unconditional. maybe the rich young ruler did walk away but bottom line jesus still loved him. i’m just tired of the buts and from this point forward it’s labeled “BUTT Theology”

*Joni Mitchell – Shine

the cell phone zombies babble*

recently like many of you i’ve wanted to disconnect.  which would mean closing twitter, facebook, few of my email accounts, lose a phone number or two.  i’ve stayed connected  to be connected and i’ve longed for simpler times.  if i’m not home when you call you don’t get me.  maybe some things would be redefined this way.  what’s an emergency, what’s important, what’s a deadline….etc.  maybe we would invest that time in the relationships around us, the neighbor’s around us, our friends…especially our families.

*Joni Mitchell – Bad Dreams

we should just surrender let fate and duty shape us*

it’s good friday and all i can think of this morning is the audio sermon from a pentecostal preacher years ago.  here’s a video all cleaned up but you get the gist.

joni’s song is about her relationship with donald freed, well most of the album is about her and donald’s relationship.  i like the lyric on the song “facelift” where she is having this conversation with her mother and she says…“She said, Did you come home to disgrace us!” I said, Why is this joy not allowed? For God’s sake! I’m middle-aged, mama and time moves swift and you know happiness is the best face lift! i’ve borrowed the line “i’m middle age” more then a few times to allow for certain behavior.  but that’s a whole nother song.  there’s days when i just need to surrender and let fate and duty shape me…though i want you to know it’s probably going to piss me off.

*Joni Mitchell – Stay In Touch

send me some pictures then and i’ll paint pyrotechnic*

i’ve loved joni’s painting side.  someday i hope to own an original though i’m not sure that day will happen. she was responsible for many of her album covers, along with others like “so far” by crosby stills nash and young and others.  there’s days where i’ll look through her pictures, pick one for my desktop background, dreaming it’s in a frame  on my wall.  she would say like others that i want a piece of her, maybe not.  there’s days i wish i could paint pyrotechnic, figuratively  speaking.  meaning i wish i could live a little version of the postcard.  some days i long for simpler times, which i know is unreal, sometimes i miss my dad who died some 29 years ago.  is it wrong to think about these things when my life is so blessed?

*Joni Mitchell – Love Puts On A New Face