Taut Truth Disguised in Rhythm

This week I got a new book on how to read and enjoy poetry. I have always been intrigued by poetry but never thought I understood most of it. Here are few of his suggestions. I. Read it slow and with a dictionary. 2. Poetry is high voltage and should not be read like you would a newspaper. 3. Poetry usually is not trying to get you believe something but rather is to share an experience. 3. You must bring your intelligence, senses, emotions and imagination to it. 5. Expect to find imagery, metaphor, symbol and paradox in good poetry.
For he that is a super realist,
must learn to perceive taut truth.

Taut Truth-- look up the word TAUT

Learn to Listen

The purpose of a sermon: A sermon can have many purposes but I like to keep in mind that it is used to repair souls. Each week when they gather, some just need a wash job, others need an oil change, some have malfunctions in their computer system. This often takes specialized knowledge and is delicate.

What we must remember is that a sermon can do as much damage as it can do good. Sometimes a doctor does as much damage as he or she does good. So if you are preaching Sunday, remember that a lot of responsibility lies in your hands. Pray for the right insight and the right attitude. If you are a listen be gracious and charitable; getting it right in the pulpit is one of the toughest jobs going!

More Of the Same !

Time Magazine came today but I find that I am reluctant to read it. I understand that professional Journalists have been working for days if not weeks and yes some have even risked their lives to bring me information about the world, still based upon what I've read in Time in recent months it will only bring me pain.

Every week there are reports of great hordes of people having to leave their homes on short notice. This week the fires in California are forcing them out.Last week it was a hurricane. Last week it was the Hispanics from South America still trying to get into the U.S., this week the Curds are being forced out. It seem like their destiny has been determined by the President of Turkey and the President of the United States. Both countries purport to believe in freedom and yet they are taking away the freedom of the Curds. So its little wonder that I am hesitant to open Time Magazine again this week.     

THEY ARE NOT CRAZY

Now that I have grown up ( 85 qualifies ) I see a much larger problem in the field of mental illness. This week a new report says that eleven million Americans are so mentally ill that they cannot fit into normal life.
Lets put that into perspective: the Southern Baptist Convention has about eleven million members. The United Methodist about eight million members and eleven million is more than all the charismatic movements put together.
Another way to think about this widespread illness is to realize that almost every congregation has someone who is suffering from a mental condition. To narrow in down even further; few families have escaped some form of mental illness.
Trouble is, the problem is getting worst! There are many reasons for this. There are more people in the world. Life is more complicated. Many people have failed to find a deep faith that brings peace of mind. This same faith believes that life has a purpose even when they can't see that purpose.
It's true that eleven million represents only about one percent of the population but that brings to mind the parable that Jesus told about leaving the ninety nine behind and searching for the one lost sheep. As Americans we should give far more attention to these one percenters. To create a safe loving environment should be our goal and it is possible. Just because the problem is difficult doesn't mean we should avoid it. 

Peeking At the Rich

INSIDE BILL's BRAIN
The last two evenings I have watched the Netflix special on Bill Gates. Now that he has stepped down as head of Microsoft he has focused his attention on how to solve three of the worlds biggest problems. Each of us would be wise to study his approach to problem solving and adapt what we could to our own lives.
True he has lots of resources including many well to do friends to help brain storm. You and I will probably not have those kind of resources but there's no harm of getting some of his advice free.
First he tries to find the real problem, the one that caused the difficulty to begin with. If we don't have the patience and or the courage to go back to that we will just be putting band aids on the surface.
Next he goes through a process of putting the possible answers on a board and evaluates their strength and weaknesses: will it take to long, will it cost to much,
will the public misunderstand and thus put up road blocks? In our personal life it may mean that our spouse will not understand or approve. In our work life it often takes awhile to bring the troupes on board.
Of course Gates has an extreme amount of resources but even so he must find something once established that will duplicate, something the community can continue to use.
Right now there is a need for large numbers of people who agree on the problems that we face and at least fall in line to support those who are hard at work trying to bring about a solution.

Home Town Road

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

Many many years ago when I was studying psychology, there was a phase when I looked into what makes a song popular. Why do some songs that seem to make no sense become hits and sell in the millions? There were those that caught the mood of the day and others that had certain vowel sounds which many people like to hear.

This year a song that stayed at the top of the charts for six months is; " Old Town Road." Written and sung by Lil Nas X, a name he gave himself, he's a young 20 year old black man and is already a multi millionaire.

But how and why has it become so popular? It does have those vowel sounds and a beat that is easy to dance too. ( I tried to show my guest how to dance to that beat but I fell on the couch. Need to practice more.)

But the psychology of the song is how it catches the nonsense and absurdity of our times. It switches subjects and directions faster than the horse he purports to ride. There is an element of rebellion and of moral looseness. The video captures the spirit of bewilderment and absurdity. And the beat goes on!