Happy Birthday Blog

Happy Birthday Blog! You are 1 year old today. Nobody notices you. I nearly forgot it was your birthday. I have considered blowing out the virtual candle of your virtual life several times. But here you are, on your birthday, full of commas and choppy sentences. But perhaps you are the embodiment of this year for me- people notice you less than you think. You have a few close friends who stop by to check on you from time to time. That is enough. You don’t care much anymore if you are noticed, and you wish to care even less. Take joy in this state, for in being noticed your life only gets more complicated. Happy Birthday unread blog. You are beautiful in your honesty. Your Creator notices you.

Crowded

Not sure just how to say what I feel after watching David Crowder sing “How He Loves Us” on YouTube. It was a studio session for a radio- just David and his guitar and goatee in full bloom (watch it HERE). Somewhere in the middle of it, it appears that the dude just gets lost in the song. It’s like watching Jordan score 75 points- effortless and you know that he’s playing a different game than everyone else. In the studio, people are watching David, recording David, photographing David, touching David’s hair, complimenting David, probably paying David to be there, kissing David’s ego… who knows. Somewhere between getting lost in the moment, and hearing the applause, I just wonder if that’s not what the true worshiper lives for, those pure moments. God thrusts people before crowds, onto stages, into “moments” sometimes for whatever reason He reserves for His own understanding, and yet we have to sort it out, figure out how to deal with it. I don’t know how to say it exactly, but the purest moments are often unseen, or occasionally seen, and yet are so fleeting that you wish you could string them out longer, hoping the song won’t end, the moment of clarity while speaking in front of a crowd won’t fade, the lack of distraction as the candlelight hits your wife’s face just right over dinner, etc. Those moments aren’t crowded, they’re just pure. It must be tough for guys like David to get those moments in public. I feel bad for talented guys like him in some ways. How difficult it must be. Seems like a nice guy though.

Permission to Speak Freely

Permission to Speak Freely is a real problem of a book. It’s a problem because it is inconveniently right when it comes to church-people’s tendency to be narrow minded and judgmental. And it’s a problem because we give in to those same people out of our own fear and insecurities. It’s also the most problematic because Anne’s journey out of that crap shows us that we too can make the leap- out of hiding and into the wide-open seas of freedom. Without throwing unnecessary bouquets at Anne’s literary feet, I’ll just say that this girl can flat out communicate, and has learned enough about doing so in a way that multiple audiences can hear it that I don’t know of any age group of people I could not recommend this to. I wonder if she learned how to shape her words carefully in church? Anyhow, it is a gripping page-turner, overly honest, and compelling. For all who have hidden with Adam, and blamed others for their inconvenient sin, this book will find a welcome audience. Well, it may not be welcomed, but that may be the point of the whole book. We would rather hide in our fearful closet of past sins and hurt at the hands of others we thought we could trust. I’m officially a fan.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”