Earth Has No Sorrow (Heaven Can't Heal) - SQOTW

johnny says to sarah as he takes her by the hand
"i hear angels 'cross that river in beulahland"
the waters are cold and they're deep my friend
i'm going down down down and coming up again
i'm checking my closets since i don't know when
surely life is more than learning how to live with your skeletons
wind swing low whisper in my ears
wind swing low dry these tears

why is joy something i must steal
starving skeletons looking for a meal
out in the graveyard the church bells peal
earth has no sorrow heaven can't heal

-- Earth Has No Sorrow, VOL from the Killing Floor CD

Bill Mallonee's line, "surely life is more than learning how to live with your skeletons" has to resonate with anyone who has regrets they live with, however "large" or "small." Because if they're truly regrets, does size matter at all? Another Mallonee song called Certain Slant of Light tells in this way, "Tell me your deep dark secret, yeah, and I will tell you mine. Oh, is that your deep dark secret? Oh well, never mind." Isn't that so true? The logs in our eyes reflect down into the burden on our souls, and they need to be dealt with. And with regrets, all of them may as well be the world on your shoulders, which is why we like to hide them in the dark places of the soul. Our closets. "Skeletons in my/your closet" is a running theme through a lot of Mallonee's work, and so much of his lyrics ring out on The Fall and Redemption. Skeletons are a tragedy of the fall. Each of us have our own, and they tear us down.

Added to our regret, grief abounds. Death, disease, paralysis, hurt, abandonment, divorce, abuse, treachery, depression, disfigurement, mental retardation... the list of grief sources is endless, and some of them can be found in every family and home in every place in the world.

But I don't want to dwell on that, because amidst all these tears is a wonderful and glorious Hope. And hope is defined as: a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment. Christ has come, and as Easter proclaims, he has defeated sin and death. While on earth we may experience these sources of pain and woe, in the big picture our lifespan is not even a hair's breadth, despite how we feel now as we're trapped in these skins. Our expectation is this: everything has and will be made right by Him who has sacrificed and conquered. And one day, trite as it may sound now, all the tears will be wiped away and our lives shall be restored, which is our hope.

Truly, earth has no sorrow that Heaven can't heal.

Best Living Songwriters

Paste Magazine has a contest going on their website asking for your favorite 20 living songwriters. To vote, click on the box on the right hand side of the site that reads "Contest: Vote! 100 Best Living Songwriters" (I've already voted and can't get back to the link, so you'll have to find it, but it's not difficult). They have a pretty comprehensive list so you just click your mouse in a box to make a check. You can write-in someone not listed if you'd like, they do give room for that at the end of their list. From everybody who enters Top 20 (or fewer if you mark less), they'll figure the top vote-getter and print it in the June-July edition of their magazine. Which, of course, I'll procure and give the answers on this site.

There's a lot of people on the list you'll know and probably a lot you won't. Dolly Parton, John Mellencamp, Beastie Boys, Alison Krauss, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and a host of other notables are on the ballot, and then there's names like Colin Meloy, Dan Penn/Spooner Olham, Jon Brion, names not as recognizable that are on the list. It's sort of fun just reading over all the names for a songwriter aficionado like myself.

A plug for Paste as well. Each magazine you buy (what is it, like $6.95?) comes with a sampler CD of generally around 21 full songs of various "Paste-y" type artists. The samplers are worth the price of the magazine in nearly every case.

Go on over there and vote. I'll give you my Top 20 if you give me yours.

Remembering

A visitor from Heaven
If only for a while
A gift of love to be returned
We think of you and smile

A visitor from Heaven
Accompanied by grace
Reminding of a better love
And of a better place

With aching hearts and empty arms
We send you with a name
It hurts so much to let you go
But we’re so glad you came
We’re so glad you came

A visitor from Heaven
If only for a day
We thank Him for the time He gave
And now it’s time to say
We trust you to the Father’s love
And to His tender care
Held in the everlasting arms
And we’re so glad you’re there
We’re so glad you’re there

With breaking hearts and open hands
We send you with a name
It hurts so much to let you go
But we’re so glad you came
We’re so glad you came
-- Twila Paris, A Visitor From Heaven

Taylor David
He would have been nine today.

Cinematic Side-splitters

What movies, when you first saw them, had parts in them so funny that you laughed so hard you cried (or something close to it)? Here's a short list for me, although I'm sure I'll think of more and list them in the comments if I do?

My Cousin Vinny
The Naked Gun
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Ruthless People

These aren't necessarily my favorite comedies, because if I was asking for that, I'd be listing other stuff like Fletch, Murder By Death (which is probably close to being on this list for me - sometimes, I'm just in a mood), and maybe even some romantic comedies that I'm not brave enough to name in public at this point.

SO!!!!! What are some movies that almost made you wet your pants they had scenes that were so hilarious?

After the Moaning and Groaning

That's right. After all the riggamarole I wrote about taxes a couple weeks ago (a week and a half? I forget), I just finished them last night. And I'm, like, way tired. In fact, the Steakhouse seasoned Oberto Beef Jerky I'm eating (and it's a gift that keeps on giving, I assure you) to try and maintain my consciousness isn't working as well as I thought it would. I may have to break down and head up the hall for the Coffee IV.

I don't really have a lot of congruent thoughts for a post right now -- but that's par for the course, right? -- however, I thought I ought to try to get something down so The Realm of Possibility doesn't seem so dead. Weekends are pretty dead around here (until Ken gets the flame again), especially holiday weekends. Speaking of which, I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed!

So for my incongruent thoughts, here goes:

-- I didn't notice The Ten Commandments on last night. Wasn't that an Easter television tradition? Maybe the show came on Saturday and I just missed it. Well, I probably would have missed it anyway. Still, it's comforting to know somebody's watching it. I guess nobody was last night.

-- 24. Looking forward to that if I can pry my eyelids open after my son's baseball game tonight. So far, both my son's teams are 0-1, and neither game has been close. Both those teams could use a Jack Bauer.

-- We had a great Easter. Threw a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. After church on Sunday, which was also great, we had a family get-together with all my in-laws on my wife's side. Feasted, played basketball, another egg hunt... just a joyous day. The night wasn't so hot. Taxes, or have I mentioned...

-- The NFL Draft is two weeks away. That's correct, I'm one of those idiots.

-- My wife mentioned that there's a Five K-run next weekend. Not sure if she meant for me or for her. If for her, I guess she's saying (without saying - communication's our thing, y'know) she needs me to watch the kids. If for me, I'm not sure what she's trying to say. I'm okay with windsprints, even suicides, but anything over a mile straight and I'm just looking to make it to the next house with every step I go. Plus, I've been losing weight - a little at least. She must mean it's for her.

-- I'm going to give that Coming Up Sevens post two more days before posting the correct answers. Everybody's probably looked by now anyway, all two of you. And as long as I'm slipping stuff in about posts, I'll just ask here where I know Ken won't read down to: what did you guys think about his re-run of the Poopy Doopy post and then his Haiku? I'm thinking I need to give him a hard time again. Actually, the Haiku was kind of clever. Running poopy-doopies over again was a cheap way of him telling me he was going to get something up that day (night, as it turned out). Heck, I've got hundreds (literally, now) of crappy posts I could re-run. I just spare the public. Ah, "Ken"... I say the word and just shake my head.

-- The prize my wife received for taking our daughter to church (Sunday School last week) for the first time since baby dedication was a case of Pink Eye. We've had sort of a running disagreement. I've sort of said we should go ahead and take our babies to church after six months (or even less, really) at home, and she likes to keep them away from church for at least a year because of the germ aspect. Well, this latest episode didn't help my case, and it'll probably be 18 months now before my daughter harkens the doors of the church again.

Now, I've gotta go to work, so it's back to the moaning and groaning.

Haiku, Haiku Very Much

They called me the King
Now many think that I’m gone
But the Rock has Rolled!!

Silence

One of the BHT patrons, Wyman Richardson, posted The Harrowing Silence: A Confession at his own blog, Communio Sanctorum.

It's a moving post, and it reminds me of how often I flee from silence. Seems like it's the way of the world to do so. Instead of silence and reflection, I'll crank the stereo, grab the TV remote, pop in an X-Box game, write on our novel, surf the Net, call someone just to talk, and the list goes on. Anything but the silence.

But Wyman's right. It is in silence when you meet God and see yourself for who you are. I write that last sentence, and then think to myself, well, yeah, no wonder I long for the clamor. Courage is needed to face the Almighty and my sin-blotched life in the same silent sitting. But it's in that same time I find out His true love for me as well. I think I've mentioned before that I'm not good at hearing from God. (I'm not good at the listening either.) But it is in the silence where reflection and oddball thoughts come to my mind. I loved how Wyman asked, "When was the last time I've thanked God for the birds?" That's sort of what I mean. It's only in silence that I'd open up my mind for trains of thought like that at all.

All of which means I need to slow down. No, even more, I need to stop. And listen.

Good Friday

Readings (ESV) for anyone interested:

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

John 19-1-28

1 Corinthians 15:1-3

Mark 15:16-39

Romans 5:6-10

Luke 23

1 Peter 2:24

Matthew 27:33-54

Colossians 1:19-23

And a hymn:

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down:
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of Nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!

-- Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Poopy Doopy

That's right. I've lost my mind and actually titled this post "poopy-doopy".

I had a half-dozen sorta serious, staying with the theme, life ponderable-type posts running around in my head. And when it came time to start typing, suddenly the word (although Webster doesn't seem to back this classification up) poopy-doopy popped, if you will, into my mind. And it wouldn't leave.

How does one work poopy-doopy into a post anyway I thought? (Though many of you may be thinking that "Why?" is a better question.) Then, I had an idea.

Which is exactly why Rich pays me in turnip greens and black-eyed peas from the Popeye's buffet (and occasionally Taco Bell or Captain D's if I'm really earning my keep) to be his co-author.

I'm an idea man, baby! And you can't put a price on that. (Well, that's not exactly true, we did put a price on it once, $1,034.56/yr. But he wanted me to work on Valentine's Day. And I told him there was no way in Hades I was working Valentine's Day without some sort of dental plan. And then, we got hungry, and the rest is history.)

But anyway, back to the idea. I thought hey, why not look and see if anyone has ever walked this mile before. Perhaps someone back in the late 60's (not in their late 60's, but the years 1967, 1968, or 1969 (and you could even include 1966, if you're one of those people)) once blogged and used the "word" poopy-doopy.

So, I went to Technorati, the blog search engine for sexy people, and searched on the use of poopy-doopy. And much to my surprise, not 1 or even 2 posts came back as a match. THERE WERE 18, ONE-EIGHT poopy-doopy hits and not one was even as far back as the early 70's. They were all in the last 365 days.

This, quite frankly, was amazing to me. I was stunned. Amazed. How is this possible, I puzzled. Has Rich been secretly taking someone else across the border? Could it be that... gulp...there were other ideapersons (This politically correct moment brought to you by the "word" poopy-doopy) besides me? People like nimrodpunk4455 and Shizzy Will, the Shizzy superhero of the new generation?

But not to be outdone, I quickly formulated a plan (which is like an idea only you pretend like you're going to do something afterward): I'll pick other strange or nonsensical words out of the dictionary or my own head, and see what happens. Maybe even challenge you guys to try and out-do the the idea man.

And ouila, there's a post. Perhaps, even a Post Of The Two-Thousand-Six Year (POTTY) award winner (requisite really far stretch for a bad joke).

But don't worry, the serious stuff is still coming (maybe with fewer parentheticals).

So, here's some others I tried listed with their results. Let me hear yours.

In my dictionary
penury (1,814)
foppish (1,662)
solecism (502)
dubbin (440)
umiak (80)

Not in my dictionary
frufru (423)
badang (246)
ritzel (156)
skoonch (1)
razzafracking (1)

Coming Up Sevens, and Then Some

Quiz time. Below I've listed the Seven Deadly Sins in no particular order. In Dante's The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio (the second of the epic poems in his masterpiece), he places each of these sins on a different level, the worst closer to Hell and the least bad closer to Paradise. Your job is to, without Googling or looking it up in any other way, guess the order of the sins, 1 being the closest to Hell and 7 being the nearest to Paradise. Of course if you've read The Divine Comedy then you may well know the order, and that's okay. However, you may have forgotten. If it's too easy for you, then you're probably pretty well read. Along with the sins - for education if nothing else - I've listed the corresponding virtue that goes with it and then given a description of the pairing that I got from whitestonejournal.com.

A) Vice: Avarice/Greed Virtue: Generosity
This is about more than money. Generosity means letting others get the credit or praise. It is giving without having expectations of the other person. Greed wants to get its "fair share" or a bit more.

B) Vice: Envy Virtue: Love
"Love is patient, love is kind…" Love actively seeks the good of others for their sake. Envy resents the good others receive or even might receive. Envy is almost indistinguishable from pride at times.

C) Vice: Lust Virtue: Self-control
Self control and self mastery prevent pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation. Legitimate pleasures are controlled in the same way an athlete's muscles are: for maximum efficiency without damage. Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion to its worth. Sex, power, or image can be used well, but they tend to go out of control.

D) Vice: Pride Virtue: Humility
Seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else's pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.

E) Vice: Wrath/Anger Virtue: Kindness
Kindness means taking the tender approach, with patience and compassion. Anger is often our first reaction to the problems of others. Impatience with the faults of others is related to this.

F) Vice: Sloth Virtue: Zeal

Zeal is the energetic response of the heart to God's commands. The other sins work together to deaden the spiritual senses so we first become slow to respond to God and then drift completely into the sleep of complacency.

G) Vice: Gluttony Virtue: Faith and Temperance
Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves this natural balance. This does not pertain only to food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company of others.

Now, rank 'em like Dante did. I'll publish an update in a couple days with the correct answers.
------
Along with those seven, here's a longer list from VirtueScience.com. There's some overlap with a few, but I'm not convinced all these are truly virtues. Which of these would you categorize as true Virtues, and which of these would you say - "Definitely not"?

Acceptance: To consider circumstances, especially those that can not be changed, as satisfactory.
Bravery: A quality of spirit that enables you to face danger of pain without showing fear.
Caution: Avoidance of rashness, attention to safety.
Curiosity: A desire to find out and know things.
Defiance: Bold resistance.
Determination: Firmness of purpose.
Devotion: A great love or loyalty, enthusiastic zeal.
Discretion: Being discrete in ones speech, keeping secrets.
Flexibility: Adaptable, able to be changed to suit circumstances.
Focus: Concentrated awareness and effort.
Forgiveness: To cease to feel angry or bitter towards a person or about an offense.
Generosity: Giving or ready to give freely, free from meanness or prejudice.
Gentleness: Moderate; mild, quite; not rough or severe.
Gratitude: Being thankful.
Honesty: Truthful; sincere; not lieing or cheating.
Humbleness: Modest; not arrogant or boastful.
Humor: The ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd.
Impartiality: Fair.
Industry: Diligent, hardworking.
Innocence: Guileless, not guilty.
Justice: Fair, impartial, giving a deserved response.
Kindness: Friendly, helpful, well meaning.
Love: A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
Loyalty: Steadfast in allegiance to one's homeland, government, or sovereign. Faithful to a person, ideal, custom, cause, or duty.
Majesty: Great and impressive dignity.
Moderation: The avoidance of extremes in one’s actions or opinions.
Obedience: Willingness to obey, to be controlled when necessary, to carry out orders.
Openness: Ready and willing to talk candidly.Unsecretive.
Patience: The ability to endure delay, trouble, pain or hardship.
Peace: Freedom from mental agitation; serenity.
Prudence: Wise or careful in conduct. Shrewd or thrifty in planning ahead.
Reliability: Can be trusted to do something.
Responsibility: Having control over and accountability for appropriate events.
Sensitivity: Heightened awareness of oneself and others within the context of social and personal relationships.
Simplicity: Straightforward; not complex or complicated. Unpretentious.
Sincerity: Free from pretense or deceit in manner or actions.
Sobriety: Serious, solemn and calm. Free from intoxication.
Spontaneity: Natural, not planned.
Steadfastness: Firm, resolute; determinedly unwavering.
Strength: Capable of exerting great force.
Toughness: Strong and durable; not easily damaged.
Tranquility: Serenely quite and peaceful; undisturbed.
Trust: Having confidence in others; lacking suspicion.
Trustworthiness: Able to be trusted or depended on; reliable.

Actually, I probably question a great many of these as true virtues - as opposed to nice or polite ideas - and some I seriously question are Strength and Toughness (as defined here), Majesty, Focus, Tranquility, Defiance, Spontaneity, and Curiosity. Not to say these aren't good qualities, but true Virtues? Not how I'd define them.

What do you think? [And don't forget your rankings of the sins!]