Penny Questions

There’s a game I like to play.  It’s actually more of an opportunity for me to flaunt my sometimes obscure musical knowledge.  It works like this: whenever I’m with someone and a song is playing in the background and I think there’s a good chance he or she doesn’t know it, I say, “I’ll give you a penny if you can tell me who sings this.”  The penny is brilliant, really.  The game is fun because of the wager (as insignificant as it is), but should my friend actually know the song, I’m only out a penny.  Sometimes I’m surprised, but for the most part, I haven’t given out many pennies.

I recently started working for a family as nanny/errand runner, and this afternoon I was having a snack with one of the boys. There happens to be an iPod dock conveniently located in their kitchen, of which I frequently make use.  Today I had my iPod on shuffle, and we’d already heard from Tom Petty, Ben Harper, even Toto, when a “penny question” song came on.  Considering that the song playing was way before his time, I told Bill I would give him a penny if he could “name that band.”  He smiled his smirky little ten year old smile and told me matter of factly, “The Beatles.  And I know the song, too.  With A Little Help From My Friends.  And I know the album.  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”  To which I replied, “Wow, Bill.  I owe you a penny.”  More like three.

Now there’s a kid that’s being raised right!

Late Night Lyrics

Little Elba, how’s the sun in South America?
Does it shine upon the faces of the poor?
Do they see in it the brilliance of the place that’s been prepared,
And dwell upon the hope of what’s in store?
Or are they just like me?
Do they only see,
An opportunity to complain about the heat?

Little Elba, how’s the rain in South America?
Does it fall upon the rooftops of the sick?
Do they thank the Lord for coming up with such a great idea,
And dream about a place beyond all this?
Or are they just like us?
Do they gripe and fuss,
About the rain and mud when they’ve had too much?

‘Cause I’m just a little jealous,
Of the nothing that you have.
You’re unfettered by the wealth of,
Of a world that we pretend is gonna last.

Well I’m weary of the spoils of my ambition,
And I’m shackled by the comfort of my couch.
Well I wish I had the courage to deny these of myself,
And start to store my treasure in the clouds.
‘Cause this is not my home;
I do not belong,
Where the antelope and the buffalo roam.

And I’m just a little jealous,
Of the nothing that you have.
You’re unfettered by the wealth of,
Of a world that we pretend is gonna last.

They say God blessed us with plenty,
But I say you’re blessed with poverty.
‘Cause you never stop to wonder whether earth is just a little better than,
The land of the free

So I hope you’re safe and dry in South America,
‘Cause I’m feeling pretty good in Tennessee.
May you never be so happy that you forget about your home,
Your home in the land of the free.

Andrew Peterson – hidden track on “Clear to Venus”

“We’re gonna make it to the church on time …”

Let me tell you about my future family tradition.  Years from now when/if I have a husband and children, we are going to have a Sunday morning car ride theme song.  I found said song a few years back tucked away at the very end of a collaboration album between Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama.  “Church on Time” is fun, peppy, and the perfect antidote to often stress/strife filled Sunday morning family car rides.

On this particular Sunday morning, however, no amount of Ben Harper was getting me to the church on time.  I have never been as late to church as I was today.  55 minutes!  A personal record.  I once was about 45 minutes late, but that was because I had no ice scraper and had to wait for a one inch thick sheet of ice to thaw off my windshield.

The plan today was to meet up with some of my Oklahoma friends at Willow Creek.  My friend Jamie is in town visiting me and her friend Devon who interns there, so Willow was the natural choice.  I got up just a little bit late and left my apartment about 15-20 minutes later than I had intended.  Then it was raining.  Then, ironically enough, I hit ridiculous traffic courtesy of another mega-church on my way to the mega of all mega-churches.  The directions I got off MapQuest might have been the shortest route, but they were by no means the most efficient.  Stoplights galore and flooded intersections contributed to the lateness, all of which really should have only put me about 25-30 minutes behind schedule.  However, stupid MapQuest instructed me to turn left at one point when I should have turned right, and I ended up in a completely different suburb.  I eventually turned around and happened upon Willow just as I was about to stop for directions.  I got maybe the last ten minutes or so of the sermon, met up with my friends and had a fun hang out afternoon.

While it seems that nature and a host of other things were conspiring against me today, that’s usually not the case.  Usually I’m just late on my own accord.  The last church I went to for several years had a countdown screen displayed in the sanctuary prior to the beginning of service.  I seriously had been going to this church for over a year before I heard someone mention the countdown and had no idea what they were talking about.

The church I’ve been visiting since moving here actually has a count-up!  There’s a little screen outside the sanctuary that counts up the time that has passed since the service began with a message that says something about being courteous as you enter.  This I have seen.

Now yes, I do tend to run late to all sorts of things.  But it seems like when it comes to church, I am late without fail, sometimes ridiculously so.  Why is it that I am usually on time for class and work, but punctuality is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to church?  I would say that it has to do with the range of consequences.  If you’re late to work enough times, you might get fired.  If you’re late to class enough times, it could affect your grade.  If you’re late to church, what?  You have to face the shame of the “count-up”?  That’s not really enough motivation for me to be there on time.

I know, however, that when it comes to church, it’s not about what’s going to happen as a result, it’s about what’s NOT going to happen.  Worship isn’t going to happen.  Yes, I might get there for the last song or at least to hear the sermon, but in that case, what have I really offered to God?  In my New Testament Theology class this past week (soon forthcoming blog on the start of school ) Dr. Perrin talked about the point of the Exodus being worship.  What does Moses tell Pharaoh that God has commanded? “Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.”  (Exodus 5:1)  Again and again, Moses repeats the refrain of the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”  Dr. Perrin made the argument that worship is our highest calling, and yet how many forsake the worship gathering of believers each week?  I do believe that worship isn’t limited to a building or even a gathering of people.  However, why would I ever not prioritize the absolute privilege of such a gathering, when, unlike the Jews in Egypt, I am gloriously free to do so?

It’s not about my “getting something out of it.”  It’s not about me at all.  It’s an offering.  It was the purpose of the Exodus and by extension the purpose of all mankind.  My purpose.

So for next week, I have two goals.  I want to worship.  I want to ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.  I want to bring an offering and come before him.  I want to worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.  (1 Chronicles 16:29)  Yeah, and I don’t want to see the count-up.

Fringe & Teal

I hate clothes shopping.  It’s not that I don’t like clothes; quite the contrary.  I actually have a deep appreciation for clothing.  I am pretty particular in fact.  Therein lies my problem.  It’s rare for me to find clothes I really love.  Couple that with the ridiculous cost of most clothing I actually like, and I am doubly frustrated.  There’s an episode of Gilmore Girls (how many times have I written that?) in which Lorelai experiences my same frustration while clothes shopping with Rory.  She laments that there are no clothes for her anymore; “The Lorelai look is out!”  Yeah, well if the past few years have taught me anything clothes-wise, it’s that the Sarah look is out too.  Everything looks so young … and cheap.  Just this week a woman and her daughter came into work, and the mom said something about going shopping with her daughter to make sure she doesn’t end up looking like a hooker.  Yep, that’s how I would characterize much of what’s offered up these days … hooker-esque.

However, over the past couple of weeks I have seen what appears to be a glimmer of hope.  While doing a little back-to-school-clothes-shopping myself, I noticed (much to my delight) a prevalence of teal among the fall fashions.  Even more to my delight did I notice a peppering of fringe!

I’m not exactly sure where my teal obsession stems from.  Over the past year or so, I’ve been really drawn to that color.  I do, however, remember a scene from “The Wedding Planner” in which Jennifer Lopez (as the wedding planner) predicts the failure of a particular marriage down to the month based solely on the fact that the bride chose teal as the color for her bridesmaid dresses.  Well, her teal dissing didn’t stop me from my recent pretty teal nail polish purchase at Urban Outfitters.

The origin of my fringe fanaticism is much more clear.  Remember how the opening credits to The Cosby Show would change theme from season to season?  They had the same music, but always a different style.  Well, on one particular season, all of the Huxtables were decked out in their swankiest attire as they each took a turn dancing with Cliff.  I still remember Sondra in a simple black fringe dress with a little pink jacket.   You probably wouldn’t even notice it until Cliff spins her around and the fringe fulfills its destiny.  I LOVED that dress growing up!  I even talked about duplicating it for a high school dance, although I don’t think I got asked to that particular one.  : )  Fringe even makes its way into my beloved Gilmore Girls.  Rory is convincing Lorelai to attend her community college graduation, and Lorelai mentions looking forward to wearing her graduation cap, “for the tassel, ’cause you know my thing for fringe.”  Most recently I’ve talked about how I wanted to incorporate fringe into my bridesmaid dresses someday.  This prompted quite the eye roll from Sydnie Davidson … you just wait, sister friend!

Mmm … teal bridesmaid dresses with FRINGE!  Wonder what the expiration date is on that one?