a reforming state of mind

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I’m a sucker for children and youth. I’m still a pretty big goofy kid myself at the age of 32.  I’ve always loved being around kids, playing games, leading recreation, befriending and mentoring to those many years younger, teaching children and youth in Church. And I especially enjoy holding babies and making faces at them.

But finally having one of my own feels very different.  Unlike the other children I’ve held and will hold in the future, none are of my flesh and blood.  None feel like an extension of myself and my wife Elizabeth whom I so deeply love.  I feel with Katie a very deep sense of obligation, protection, nurture, and love.  Holding her this morning at 1:30 am and later this morning as we rocked back and forth in the hospital room chair filled me with a sense of wonder and awe about God’s miraculous creations.

Those tiny toes and fingers with their own unique prints are markers that she belongs to God and that her parents who were given the blessed opportunity to conceive such an amazing being is a sign that we too belong always and forever to God. 

And I will, with every bone in my body for the rest of my life, do all I can to love and nurture her as a unique and special child of God.  Like the Paul Simon tune goes, Im gonna watch you shine; Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign; So youll always know; As long as one and one is two,;There could never be a father; Who loved his daughter more than I love you.

“Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon

If you leap awake
In the mirror of a bad dream
And for a fraction of a second
You cant remember where you are
Just open your window
And follow your memory upstream
To the meadow in the mountain
Where we counted every falling star

I believe the light that shines on you
Will shine on you forever
And though I cant guarantee
Theres nothing scary hiding under your bed
I’m gonna stand guard
Like a postcard of a Golden Retriever
And never leave till I leave you
With a sweet dream in your head

Im gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So youll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

Trust your intuition
Its just like going fishing
You cast your line
And hope you get a bite
But you dont need to waste your time
Worrying about the market place
Try to help the human race
Struggling to survive its harshest night

Im gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So youll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

Im gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So youll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you

Guess who just signed up with the KISS army? That’s right, Condoleeza Rice, secretary of state, concert pianist and Birmingham girl, whose favorite KISS song is “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Check out the Associated Press Story, which includes the photo above, here:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7G-KufUGv1zlEfpfLz8REbDAKMAD91029FG0

The Interfaith Peace & Justice Coffeehouse on March 8 at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in D.C. was an incredible experience. Many thanks to David LaMotte, The Cobalt Season and Native Deen for sharing their message of peace  & justice and for everyone who came out to support the event. Here are videos of Dave LaMotte and The Cobalt Season’s performances. More videos of The Cobalt Season and Native Deen coming soon:

Over the past few weeks I’ve been helping Kirk Johnston of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and Clay Thomas, afriend from Columbia Seminary & organizer of The  Christian Peace Witness for Iraq in D.C., March 8-10, put together the Faith-Based Peace & Justice Coffeehouse.  It’s going to be a great show with music of David LaMotte, Native Deen and The Cobalt Season. Check out the press release (which David Lamotte, who has been a great resource of wisdom for the event, had a hand in editing) Help us spread the word and if you can come out to hear voices coming together to proclaim peace and justice in the world.

WASHINGTON D.C. MARCH 8, 2008- A once-in-a-lifetime musical event is coming to the nation’s capitol on Saturday March 8, from 7:30-10 p.m. in the upper hall of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, for an Inter-Faith-Based Peace and Justice Coffeehouse featuring folk band The Cobalt Season; the hip-hop and R&B trio Native Deen; and the singer-songwriter David LaMotte.

The free event is sponsored by Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, an ecumenical group of various partner peace organizations who are committed to raising a Christian voice for peace, and  bringing people from various backgrounds together to enable the work of peace and justice (www.christianpeacewitness.org). Christian Peace Witness invites you, your family, your congregation and your neighbors to come to the nation’s capitol from Thursday, March 6, 2008 through Monday, March 10 to pray and act for peace in Iraq.

Christian Peace Witness hopes to empower participants to advocate for peace in their communities, countries and the world. “We will carry our public witness to the halls of government power, calling our leaders to embody values fundamental to the Christian tradition-and shared in other traditions-that truly make for communities of prosperity, security, and justice.”

David LaMotte (http://www.davidlamotte.com/)

David LaMotte is a veteran of 2,000 concerts in 47 states and on four continents. The Boston Globe says he “pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition,” and folk music magazine Dirty Linen calls him “a folk poet of elegant simplicity.”

Currently, he is on a “farewell tour” which will take him all over the U.S., as well as to Europe and Australia, before he puts his music career on hold to pursue his vocation as a peacemaker. He has been named a 2008 Rotary World Peace Fellow, and will move to Australia in 2009 to pursue a Masters Degree in Peacemaking at the University of Queensland.

Native Deen (www.nativedeen.com)

D.C. based Native Deen (Joshua Salaam, Abdul-Malik Ahmad and Naeem Muhammad) is a fusion of Hip-hop and R&B flavors. Deen is an Arabic word for religion or way of life. Using their unique talents and passion for spreading the message of Islam, the trio has embarked upon a professional career in the music industry to highlight issues confronting Muslims living in America, emerging as one of the leading Islamic Nasheed groups.

Native Deen uses only percussion instruments. This has not hindered the group’s musical creativity but has resulted in evocative audio efforts that have resulted in sounds that are a fusion of street rap, Hip-hop & R&B. Their music and positive message have been embraced by people of all ages and backgrounds, from Islamic clerics to non-Muslims.  The group has toured extensively throughout North America as well as Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

The Cobalt Season (http://thecobaltseason.com/site/)

The San-Francisco based-band describes themselves as “a few idealistic hopefuls who daily face personal limitations and worldwide inconsistencies…we also play instruments and sing in an acoustic trio. We wonder aloud: How are we to live faithfully as people of hope, of love, of mercy and justice? How can we cry out for fairer practices in the world AND work to live more fairly in our own lives? How can we transcend our current categories for something more generous and loving?”

I was viewing a friend’s MySpace page when the profile song, “Let It Ring” by Amy Ray of the folk duo The Indigo Girls, began playing.  Although I’ve been a big fan of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers’ music for the past 20 years, I had never heard this song which comes from Amy’s second solo album “Prom” released in 2005.  This amazing song struck a deep chord within me, especially considering the current state of world affairs on this New Year’s Eve.

Amy Ray has not made an official video for the song as far as I know, however, I discovered that a MySpace member created one to post on YouTube that fits perfectly with Ray’s powerful and stirring music and message.

May there be more love and hope and less evil and hate in the New Year.

Let it ring!

Let It Ring Lyrics by Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls

When you march stand up straight.
When you fill the world with hate
Step in time with your kind and
Let it ring

When you speak against me
Would you bring your family
Say it loud pass it down and
Let it ring

Let it ring to Jesus ’cause he sure’d be proud of you
You made fear an institution and it got the best of you
Let it ring in the name of the one that set you free
Let it ring

As I wander through this valley
In the shadow of my doubting
I will not be discounted
So let it ring

You can cite the need for wars
Call us infidels or whores
Either way we’ll be your neighbor
So let it ring

Let it ring
in the name of the man that set you free
Let it ring

And the strife will make me stronger
As my maker leads me onward
I’ll be marching in that number
So let it ring

I’m gonna let it ring to Jesus
Cause I know he loves me too
And I get down on my knees and I pray the same as you
Let it ring, let it ring
‘Cause one day we’ll all be free
Let it ring

http://www.indigogirls.com/discographyandlyrics/otherrecordings/lyrics/prom.html