Listening to Albert Ketelbey

Many years ago, when people used to listen to records, my father had a 78 of two of Albert Ketelbey's smash hits: "In a Persian Market" and on the flip side, "In a Monastery Garden." Ketelby was an extremely popular British composer in the years between the world wars. His music was light, sentimental, and programmatic: perfect for silent movies. The more exotic the locale, the more he was inspired. Today his works sound cheesy and dated; but they remain a guilty pleasure for many of us. (The tunes are catchy. The Taiwanese girl group, S.H.E. has a rip-off music video of "In a Persian Market" entitled "Bo Si Mao.")

Here are three of his more familiar works:

Meditation for Worship: Dec. 27, 2009

William Holman Hunt, The Finding of the Savior in the Temple (1860)

Psalm 148
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Luke 2:41-52
Colossians 3:12-21


Mary and Joseph searched for Him everywhere.
Is He with the relatives? Playing with his cousins?
Perhaps he’s with John—
you know how those two like to run and play hide and seek!
No? Not with John and Elizabeth and Zechariah?
Well, then, Perhaps He’s with friends…Nathan and Jakin!
No?
Not with them, either?
What about Levi and Hannah?
Oh dear…
What’s that?
No one’s seen him since the day before yesterday?
Where is he? Where did he go?
Oh, Jesus! Where ARE you?

Sometimes we can’t find you either, Lord,
We take it for granted that you’re around somewhere,
And then when we call for you, there’s no response.
We become frantic—
Have you left us? What’s happened to you?
Where are you? Where did you go?
What will we do without you?

Mary and Joseph finally found him, after three days of diligent searching.
"Son, why have you treated us like this?
Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
Centuries later, our question is no different:
Lord, why have you treated us like this?
We’ve been anxiously searching for you!
I’ve been anxious...
I’ve been searching…
Why have You left me?

Later on You would pose that same question to Your Father.
But on that day,
you met Mary and Joseph’s question with one of your own:
Why were you searching for me?

Lord Jesus, thank you that You have come and searched us out:
Help us to remember that it is not You who are lost, but we ourselves.
May we be found in You today,
as God’s chosen people,
members of Your body,
holy, and dearly loved.

"I Am an Introvert and Jesus Loves Me"

Euangelion comes out of the closet and writes, "I have a post-Christmas confession. I am an introvert and Jesus still loves me. It feels so liberating to say that I am an introvert and a Christian....I'm saying all this because in 2010 one of the first books that I intend to read is Adam McHugh, Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture."

I'll have to follow suite.

McHugh writes, "for some churches, spirituality is equated with sociability." It's not been easy for many INTJ's, ISFP's etc to feel at home among most Evangelicals and Pentecostals. After all, (at least until recently, when music usurped the word) Evangelicals placed the sermon at the center of Sunday morning worship. A sermon delivered by an extrovert is almost always more entertaining and engaging than a sermon delivered by an introvert, because it flows more "naturally." Evangelism was all about Witnessing (at least in the old days), and it required a wide smile, ability to chat about the Game, deliver a smooth summary of What Jesus Has Done for Me and an invitation for Him to Do It for You Too. The Hail-Fellow-Well-Met personality is too often taken as the necessary and sufficient grounds for Christian maturity, not suprisingly because that sort of temperment is so successful in the marketplace, to which many evangelicals aspire.

It often hasn't been any easier for Pentecostals to be introverts. Introverts prefer quiet contemplation--alone-- but that can be misinterpreted as a lack of Spirit. Surely, if someone is filled with the Spirit she will move easily among all kinds of people and be gregarious! Surely, if someone is filled with the Spirit, he will not be self-conscious about displaying Spirit!

Introverts aren't able to be as "friendly" and "polished" or "unrestrained" because they have to force themselves to present themselves to the outside world. This "hesitation" can then be misinterpreted as aloofness, or pride, or a lack of love: all certainly missing the mark spiritually.

It will be interesting to see if, in light of the current recession and skepticism about markets in the general culture, introversion becomes more acceptable in these churches.

Which Church Father are you?

Take the quiz for yourself here . Here's my result:

You’re St. Justin Martyr! You have a positive and hopeful attitude toward the world. You think that nature, history, and even the pagan philosophers were often guided by God in preparation for the Advent of the Christ. You find “seeds of the Word” in unexpected places. You’re patient and willing to explain the faith to unbelievers. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Identities

The world says, "We can, so let's."

Christians say, "He was, and is, and is to come, so let's."

Coconuts and peaches

Reading one of my student's papers for PLA205, I came upon this wonderful description of managerial styles:

We received some insight into what the consultant called “coconuts and peaches.” He started by telling us to think about German managers as coconuts… A sturdy shell, hard to crack, but once cracked, the inside has lots of soft pulp. After some laughs, he continued to tell us that in Germany, people at work are very serious, you usually do not see your boss on a daily basis, and his door is always closed, you only see your boss when you are in trouble. On the other hand, you always know where you stand, and you can expect no surprises. Work is a very formal environment and while your boss may never become your friend, he always has a soft spot and cares a lot about their employees.

He continued with the analogy of the peaches. He told us that American managers are more like peaches. Peaches have the soft, fuzzy skin, but hard core inside. In other words, bosses leave their doors open, and they are always walking around talking to people, employees may think everything is fine because the boss is so friendly. But then, when you least expect, your boss makes “the hard decision” and gives you a pink slip, and the worst is that did not see it coming.