Internet Gnostics

Have you ever heard of the Gnostics?  They were in existence during the early Christian church.  They believed that they had "secret knowledge," and that secret knowledge provided their salvation.  But that's as far as we will go regarding the Gnostics from the early centuries of Christianity.

What this is REALLY about is the internet, and websites and the "secret knowledge" necessary to build a website.  But of course the knowledge is not really secret, it's just not general knowledge.  Most people require the services of an "internet gnostic" in order to get things done.

Well, we've found a way to be finished with internet gnostics.  For the purposes of illustration dear reader, please go to the following web address:   http://firstcumberland.com.    

This website was built entirely by individuals who know virtually nothing about website creation.  Their lack of knowledge is no secret to anyone, yet the website promoting First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is the result of their efforts.  The staff at the church is entirely responsible for the site.  Individuals from the music department, the children's ministry, the youth ministry, and the administrative assistant, are the ones responsible for what you see on the page.

Admittedly, there was a template, and a very user friendly interface.  But no one has to send information and photos, or video to any outside entity (websites updated "while you wait").  The site can be changed every hour if need be.  The pages can be edited from any computer at any place around the world.  No additional software (Dreamweaver, Frontpages, Notepad++, etc) is needed to edit the site.  Multiple people can edit, save, and publish separate pages to the site simultaneously.

No "secret knowledge" needed!

And since I've gone to the lengths to explain all of this, lets give some big time props to cloversites, the brilliant young firm that assists companies and ministries to create excellent websites with the extreme advantage of amazing independence.
And no internet gnostics necessary!

I Missed It!

Well I missed it.  Kind of unusual, but it happened.  And it was a birthday of a very important person.  It was yesterday, so I'm one day late.  This individual has the respect of almost every person that I know.  He has influenced millions, especially in the Western hemisphere.


Now I should clarify, that while still influential, this person is dead.  But as it will be for all of us, his "works do follow" him (Revelation 14:13).  And with great impact, I must say!


He was quite a prolific fellow.  His work and his God was everything to him, and his output of work is voluminous.  And he had 20 children!  


I am referencing Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born 327 years ago yesterday, March 21.  And his impact is still felt around the world today.  This is a man who wrote approximately 300 sacred cantata's, and we still have (and use) nearly 200 of them.  Bach's original chorale tunes and his arrangements of those from other composers can be found in most good hymnals today.  


His contribution to the world of instrumental music is phenomenal as well.  Most prominent is music for the organ.  His contribution to instrumental chamber music dominates much of the baroque period.


I am fortunate to have been exposed to the tradition of authentic performance practice while in college, and in worship.  It has been a privilege to  know people like John Brombaugh, Judy Glass, Bruce Fowkes, Ralph Richards, and Harald Vogel who have taken the steps necessary to bring JSB back to life.  This has been done through music performed on instruments built for authentic sound, and through performers dedicated to giving modern listeners an accurate experience of what Bach produced during his lifetime.

What Bach produced in his life is worthy of emulation.  And if he was here to comment about it, he'd likely state that it was only through the help of God.  And Bach dedicated all of it to his Creator.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Music and Worship

Singing is a universal expression and a very personal expression.  The instrument making the music is the human body and the act of living and breathing is its engine.  Singing creates music of beauty and inspiration that is delightful to the singer and the listener.  Choral singing is necessarily a cooperative situation.  It brings people together and builds friendships and closeness among those that may not even meet under average circumstances. 

Choral music is found in every community and culture. I work in an area that has long dominated the art:  The Church.  Choral singing has been a strong tradition of the Christian Church for many centuries.  Music in the church serves various functions. These functions include: Education of people in the music of the church;  Teaching Christian doctrine through music; Increasing active participation by the congregation in worship; Emphasizing Christian truth in a way that sparks emotion and memory.  

I believe that when humans worship, God is the audience.  Worship is not so much about satisfying church members, but about praising God and returning love to Him.  Those of us in worship leadership represent the entire congregation in corporate worship.  We must not take lightly the responsibility.   We sometimes forget that worship is important to God.  Caine and Abel had a disagreement over worship and in that case, God had been clear about what constituted worship - a sacrificial lamb.  Caine’s worship offering of fresh produce did not fit the criteria, and was not accepted by God.  Music in worship is a ministry that can play a part in opening hearts to God.  What an astonishing responsibility!
    

Every successful leader of worship will desire to teach the young person, and the adult person in the church to successfully participate in singing.  There is a responsibility to add to the general musical education for the children of the church. This education will offer a tonal and rhythmic foundation that can be broadened with choral activities and the exploration of hymns in congregational singing.  The result is an increased musical literacy that will add to musical integrity within the church.

Worship leaders must desire to teach the adult choir to read music successfully, to understand rhythm, and to sing confidently with no instrumental accompaniment as needed.  Choirs need to be inspired with meaningful anthems for services so that their communication through music will come from the heart.  


Encourage the choir to be its best as a group, and to individually experience success in other aspects of their lives.  We must aid the self esteem of each person that sings.  We must  nurture the weak singer so that they will see their value, and will desire to be stronger.

Building a strong choral program within a church is a process that is rewarding in itself.  Continued effort on the part of the director and the singers will plant seeds for growth of the choir program, and even growth of the entire church.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”     Philippians 4:8

Did she or didn't she?

I don't think so.  It is not at all something that I would expect from her, but I will not have the correct picture until I see her again, likely late tomorrow.

Our daughter Heather is in the Grand Canyon.  She is on a short backpacking trip with several friends.  It is my understanding that they have hiked down to the bottom with all of their supplies, and when they hike out the supplies will be carried by mules to make the ascent easier.  Heather has prepared very well for this, purchasing appropriate footwear, clothing, and other necessary supplies.  She has looked forward to this opportunity for several months.

Heather has red hair.  Not as red as what remains on my head, but red nonetheless.  She started out almost bleach blond, and it stayed that way until she was 4 or 5 years old.  Why the discussion of her hair?  Take a look at this photo that she sent just before the hike into the canyon began.

Is this a red-haired girl?  Hardly!  It IS Heather, but the hair color does not look the same.  What do you think?  Can the leopard change its spots?  No.  Can the girl change her hair color?  You bet! 

The Taj Mahal of Enterprise South

Took a walk with family this afternoon.  We went to the nature trails over near the new Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga.  The plant was built in Enterprise South, a large parcel of property that had been a WWll era munitions manufacturing facility.  The Enterprise South Nature Park is part of that old property.

There are several remnants of the facility that remain.  There are many underground ammo dumps that are still able to be seen.  The locked steel doors are in the hill sides and the 25 miles of trails wind their way around them.  For many years, this entire area was idle, and off limits to the public.

We walked up to one of these underground storage facilities, and noticed that the steel door had an opening with steel bars across it.  This one was labeled number 35.  I walked up to the door, bent down and looked into the opening that was thigh high.  I peered into the blackness and noticed that the dim light from the opening revealed yellow lines painted on the concrete floor.  The lines stretched from the door back into the darkness farther than can be seen.  No way to know how large the area was.

So I did something that was completely intuitive.  And I executed without thinking.   As I remember it now, it is exactly what I would have done if I had pondered it in advance.   It seemed to be a natural way to test the size of the room I was trying to see.

I howled.  Literally howled right into the opening.  And then received a huge surprise.  The surprise?  An echo that lasted a full 20 seconds!  It's true, I did it a 2nd time and timed the echo.  Never have I heard an echo that lasted that long!  In fact it matches the daytime reverberation in the Taj Mahal!

I remember the jazz flutist (yes I said flutist, not flautist - more later . . . ) Paul Horn.  He made a solo recording in the Taj Mahal, and actually played trios with himself - in single takes with no multi-track assistance!

I still do not know how large the space is inside number 35.  But it sounds VERY large!  If you ever have a chance to walk to ammo dump number 35, give it a howl.

If you wish to do it just as I did, however, make sure no one is looking!

As little children . . . .

This weekend we are blessed to have a little visitor in our house.  She is Ivy, our granddaughter, who is just over two years old.  Now, if you asked Susan (or virtually any other female) she would express Ivy's age in terms of months.  I guess that is important if you are referring to someone who is that young.

Ivy is getting more talkative all the time, and it is fun to hear her communicate.  But she loves her Poppi and Nonni.  The name "Nonni" was chosen for Susan.  She felt that it was better than grandma, or granny, and is likely better than "Nanna."  Susan did not really wish to be "Nanna Peel" if you know what I mean!

We are happy that Ivy has bonded with her grandparents.  She will look at me, hold out her arms and say "Tum Poppi."  Because some of you know me, I'd better do a little translation.  This is no reference to the dominance of my midsection, rather a request to "come" or to be picked up.  She currently mixes up the hard "c" sound with the "t" sound.  We understand.

What beautiful and simple lives children live!  They completely trust others for their needs, enjoy relationships to the full, and do not worry for the future.  Jesus spoke more highly of children than any other person in recorded history.  In fact, he stated that any person who wished to be part of the kingdom of God must become like little children.  So what does that mean?  I think we are called to be trusting, generous, peaceful, loving people that relish relationships.  I think we are called to cast all of our cares on Him, because He cares for us, and every detail of our lives.  I cannot imagine a more restful thought than that!

Numbers that control almost everything

The church where I work has moved our internet service to EBPfi.  For those of you reading this from outside the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, EPBfi is an internet provider.  They use fiber optics that connect directly to the customer, providing the highest speed available anywhere.  The installation changed us from the local TV cable provider, to the new fiber optic system.  We switched yesterday.

The church has an electronic sign in the yard that is controlled by software on the office computer.  Our telephone system is internet-based.  The copy machine in the office has been set up as a network printer that will print from all of our computers.  It will scan documents to PDF or JPG that can be automatically sent to any computer in the building.  We have two separate wifi hot-spots that serve those of us that also use laptop computers or other wireless devices.

When EPBfi hooked us up, suddenly none of the above worked properly.  Why?  We had more powerful and faster internet than we did previously.  Isn't that enough?

Not enough.  At all!  In fact, all it took was the change of a few numbers to cause conflict in the system.  The numbers had to all line up correctly so that there was no conflict.  These numbers are the most powerful, influential numbers to be found as part of the internet, or of any network.  Know what they are?  IP addresses!  These addresses are a series of numbers divided by decimal points that look kind of like this:  123.456.789.12

EPBfi had assigned us an IP address that did not work with our configuration, and everything had to be reset.  And once the numbers were no longer in conflict, everything worked smoothly.

So what can I learn from this?  Are there little things in my life that cause conflict with others?  Perhaps there are some small things that I can adjust that would help to improve relationships with others.  An IP address points a domain name to a certain web page.

If I was an IP address, where would I be pointing?  Would I point others to myself, or to the One that has saved me?  Something I need to think about.