Refreshment

Three recent events really helped to lift my spirit: 1) last Saturday we had the privilege of attending the Psalm Festival at the Calvin College chapel. What a rich experience as we heard the Psalms performed in a variety of styles, in a variety of a languages, by a variety of groups, and were able to participate also in word and song. The service began at 5:00 and continued past midnight until all the Psalms were performed! I was encouraged by the number of students there. 2) last Sunday a number of area churches participated in a Hymn Festival at a local downtown church. It was great to sing in a choir with a variety of people from other churches and experience a glimpse of what is to come – singing with a great combined voice and a variety of instruments to our Creator and Sustainer! 3) Last night we watched a great movie called The Chorus that was very well done and demonstrated grace and the difference that one person can make in the lives of others. I highly recommend it – inspirational!

Celebrating Thinking Differently

I really enjoyed two books that I read recently because they bring a fresh approach to the subject matter and are presented in such a positive manner. I have never been to Rob Bell’s Mars Hill Church but know that the ministry has blessed many people. So I was curious to read his first book, Velvet Elvis. The design of the book is very cool and is written in a very easy style to read. Rob has thought about how to bring Jesus to his generation and raises appropriate questions about the church. His honest and straightforward style is very refreshing and I found I was blessed by this book as it made me look at my Christian beliefs in new ways.

Another great book that I have been talking about and recommending to people is entitled A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age by Daniel H. Pink. He presents a strong case for the future belonging to those who are able to maximize the right side of their brain – the artistic and holistic side. He effectively uses research to back up his contention that six aptitudes will be essential in the future: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. These aptitudes are what essentially separate humans from machines (he includes spirituality under meaning). The development of these aptitudes has huge implications for education and industry as well as basic human fulfillment in life. The loss of human dignity that occurs when man is replaced by machine is restored through recognizing, developing, and celebrating the gifts uniquely found in humans. Although I do not believe that the author is a Christian, he leads the reader through the discussion of spirituality and meaning such that the pump is very primed for next steps toward belief. This book led me to sing praise to God as I understood in new ways how we are made in the image of our Creator. Here is a good article about the book.