Bruce Springsteen Rocks Out

Dr. Jonas And Balthasar Hübmaier

Dr. Jonas has an interesting post on Balthasar Hubmaier on his Blog---here are a few snippets:

It was my church history professor and mentor in seminary, W. R. Estep that first introduced me to Balthasar Hubmaier. The first time I saw his name in writing I thought, "how do I prounce it?" But, it didn't take too many class sessions in Dr. Estep's course on the Anabaptists before the name became so common that all of us knew how to pronounce it.

The brilliant Hubmaier was born around 1481 in a small town called Friedberg just outside of Augsburg. He attended the University of Freiburg and there came under the tutelage of the great Catholic theologian Dr. John Eck. Hubmaier completed both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees then followed Eck to the University of Ingolstadt where he received the Doctor of Theology degree. Eck once called Hubmaier the most brilliant student he'd ever been associated with. Because of his great preaching ability and keen theological mind he accepted appointment as preacher at the cathedral in Regensburg in 1516. Five years later he became a parish priest in Waldshut and there came into contact with Ulrich Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation. Two years later, he became publicly identified with Zwingli’s reform in Zurich, but soon developed Anabaptist ideas.

...

...An eyewitness to his execution described Hubmaier’s death this way:

To the people he said, “O dear brothers, if I have injured any, in word or deed, may he forgive me for the sake of my merciful God. I forgive all those that have done me harm.”

While his clothes were being removed: “From thee also, O Lord, were the clothes stripped. My clothes will I gladly leave here, only preserve my spirit and my soul, I beseech thee!” Then he added in Latin: “O Lord, into thy hands I commit my spirit,” and spoke no more in Latin.

As they rubbed sulphur and gunpowder into his beard, which he wore rather long, he said, “Oh salt me well, salt me well.” And raising his head, he called out: “O dear brothers, pray God that he will give me patience in this my suffering.”

As his beard and hair caught fire, he cried out, “O Jesus, Jesus.”

Associated Baptist Press has this story today about the original writings of Hubmaier: http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3667&Itemid=53.

It seems that in just a few months all the writings of Hubmaier are going to be accessible on the internet. Great news about this nearly forgotten Anabaptist reformer! I have told my classes for years that if Hubmaier had lived out his full lifespan his influence in the 16th century might have rivaled that of Luther and Calvin.

Read the whole post at Dr. J's Blog. Besides, Bruce Springsteen, I remember Hubmaier being one of Dr. J's most passionate subjects---well Anabaptist history and church history in general. Here are a few more thoughts on the influential Radical Reformer:

[edit] Reformer and Anabaptist
In 1522 he became acquainted with Heinrich Glarean, (Conrad Grebel's teacher) and Erasmus at Basel. In March, 1523, in Zürich, Hubmaier met with Huldrych Zwingli, and even participated in a disputation there in October of that same year. In the disputation, he set forth the principle of obedience to the Scriptures. It was evidently here that Hubmaier committed to abandoning infant baptism, a practice he could not support with Scripture.

Anabaptist Wilhelm Reublin arrived in Waldshut in 1525, having been driven out of Zürich. In April Reublin baptized Hubmaier and sixty others.

In December 1525, Hubmaier fled to Zürich to escape the Austrian army. Hoping to find refuge, Zwingli instead had him arrested. While a prisoner, Hubmaier requested a disputation on baptism, which was granted. The disputation yielded some unusual events. Ten men, four of whom Hubmaier requested, were present for the disputation. Within the discussion, Hubmaier proceeded to quote statements by Zwingli in which he asserted that children should not be baptized until they had been instructed. Zwingli responded that he had been misunderstood. The bewildered Hubmaier agreed to recant. But before the congregation the next day, he attested the mental and spiritual anguish brought on by his actions and stated "I can and I will not recant." Back in prison and under the torture of the rack, he did offer the required recantation. With this, he was allowed to leave Switzerland and journeyed to Nikolsburg in Moravia. This weakness troubled him deeply and brought forth his Short Apology in 1526, which includes the statements: "I may err—I am a man—but a heretic I cannot be... O God, pardon me my weakness".

Anyways, digitizing his works is a great way of preserving his works for future generations and introducing him to a younger audience.

Bruce Springsteen And Songs Of Hope And Redemption

First things first if you didn't see the Larry Norman videos in this post:TheoPoetic Musings: It's Time: Week 9---Hope---here they are:

Larry Norman - 1985 - Medley---Letter to the Church, Come Away, If the Bombs Fall


Larry Norman - 1980 - Why Can't You be Good & Pardon Me

Anyways, here are 4 other Bruce Springsteen songs, which are full of hope, lost hope and redemption: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Badlands and The River. Here are the videos with relevant sections of the lyrics:


Here is a good section:

...Don't run back inside
darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold
Thunder Road

(Read the full lyrics: Here).

Here is a relevant section of the lyrics:

In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
and strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
'Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
girl I want to know if love is real

(Read the rest: Here).

Here is the best section:

...Workin' in the fields
till you get your back burned
Workin' 'neath the wheel
till you get your facts learned
Baby I got my facts
learned real good right now
You better get it straight darling
Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king
And a king ain't satisfied
till he rules everything
I wanna go out tonight,
I wanna find out what I got
Well I believe in the love that you gave me

I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
We'll keep pushin' till it's understood
and these badlands start treating us good

(Read the rest: Here).

Here is the section to watch out for:

...
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me down to the river
though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight...

(Read the full lyrics: Here).

I'll let you draw your own conclusions this time around.

It's Time: Week 9---Hope

So this Sunday was the end of our church-wide series, It's Time and our last lesson was on hope, which I think is appropriate for these troubling times. In Sunday School, we discussed how hope has changed for us from when we were children till now. First, while we're on the subject of hope, I just want to say that I hope to start writing poetry and lyrics again next year as this year has been a dry period for me. You'd think with all that's been going on this year, I could find plenty of inspiration, but no such luck. Anyway, I've mainly been writing theological articles this year, but here is the only thing poetical/lyrical I've written all year: It's Larry Norman influenced:
SONG FOR MARY-KATE
(Currin)

Baby, you look so lonely
I’ve seen you in all those magazines
You’ve been living for fashion
Traveling all those party scenes
But you look so empty…you don’t know what to do
I think it’s about time that you look into the Truth

I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss

Now, you once were in Vegas
You played a Full House in your deck
And you once were one of Degas’ dancers
So graceful in your dress and steps
But now you look such a wreck…you don’t know what to do
I think it’s about time that you look into the Truth

I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss

Well, Baby…what are you doing
Doing with yourself
You can’t keep running back to the same ole things
With your heart upon the shelf
Baby, you really need to change

Because Baby, you look so lonely
I’ve seen you in all those magazines
You’ve been living for fashion
Traveling all those party scenes
But you look so empty…you don’t know what to do
I think it’s about time that you look into the Truth

I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss

Yes, I said: “I’ve got the answer…right here on my lips
Have a little bit of Jesus…He’s sealed with a kiss


©2008 T/H Songs, INC. & GB Lyrics, CO

Also, I'd like to direct you readers to my cyber friend, Bruce Reyes-Chow's excellent Podcast from January of this year on the subject of hope---specifically about hope within the PCUSA as he is the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but the Podcast ties in well with our lesson. Here is the description of Bruce's Podcast off his Podcast Blog: "Hope---Bruce talks a bit about Hope plus the Song by David LaMotte." Oh by the way, thanks for stopping by this post: TheoPoetic Musings: It's Time: Weeks 5 And 6, Bruce!

From one Bruce to another---here's a Bruce Springsteen song that gets to the heart of our discussion in Sunday School and speaks to these times of economic difficulties: Here are the full lyrics with my commentary on the relevant parts:

The Promised Land
(Bruce Springsteen)

On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on and I'm just killing time
Working all day in my daddy's garage
Driving all night chasing some mirage
Pretty soon little girl I'm gonna take charge

CHORUS
The dogs on Main Street howl
'cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land (The chorus particularly speaks to hope in the midst of desperate times.)

I've done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start (Here the call to a new start is the key to putting hope in action.)

CHORUS

There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain't got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted (Here the hopeful action takes place.)

CHORUS
I believe in a promised land... (The refrain ties the narrator to the Ancient Israelites and their search for the Promise Land though sometimes our own "Promise Lands" are right before our eyes but we wander blindly and aimlessly pass them.)

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Speaking of the Promise Land, here's a song by Rich Mullins (one of the most prolific songwriters to come out of the Contempory Christian Music/Jesus Movement, in my humble opinion) off his last album, The Jesus Record which captures the hope the Ancient Israelites had:


The original version on Disc One: The Jesus Demos is better, but I couldn't find a video for that. Here are the full lyrics to the above song:

My Deliverer

(Rich Mullins and Mitch McVicker)

Exodus 2:23, Exodus 3:8, Second Samuel 22:1-7
Psalm 40:16-17, Psalm 70, Isaiah 53:5
Matthew 2:13-21, Luke 4:18-19, Revelation 6:13

Joseph took his wife and her child and they went to Africa
To escape the rage of a deadly king
There along the banks of the Nile, Jesus listened to the song
That the captive children used to sing
They were singin'

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

Through a dry and thirsty land, water from the Kenyon heights
Pours itself out of Lake Sangra's broken heart
There in the Sahara winds Jesus heard the whole world cry
For the healing that would flow from His own scars
The world was singing

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise - He has written it upon the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
I will never doubt His promise though I doubt my heart, I doubt my eyes
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise though the stars should break faith with the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

My Deliverer is coming

The Jesus Record is a great album so if you don't have a copy---get one. Anyways, hope was a great theme to end our series with as we are approaching Advent season.

Together We Can Make A Difference: Song Lyrics About Poverty

Continuing from my previous post: TheoPoetic Musings: Blog Action Day 2008 : Increasing Poverty Awareness---here are some of my song lyrics on the issue of poverty---

Here are some Bob Dylan influenced lyrics:

THE LOST, THE HUNGRY AND THE DYING
(Currin)

Gather round me, listen to a story I’ve to tell
It’s a story that you should already know so well
There’re hypocrites seeping into our fair churches and steeples
And they’re tearing our churches apart and splitting up our fair peoples
And taking them down to the valley of shame
Where the leaders in charge forget their names
But there is nothing to blame
But the ulterior motives of a higher power’s game
Which comes down to these cultic death-like conventions setup to cause them pain

Now, there’s people dying everywhere as sure as those churches’ sidewalks are paved
But the heads in those churches don’t care a bit
They don’t give a flip, they don’t wanna do anything about it
Because all they care about is whether the lost are saved
While those poor countries are dying of hunger pains
Getting killed in the pouring down acid rain
In the raging hypocritical religious diseases coming on just like a hurricane
The winds of the powers that be are blowing fast like a freight train
Stamping numbers on the dying souls and leaving them without a name
They just won’t to forget those who aren’t saved, for they are just a universal drain

There’s a war going on and it’s hidden underneath the robes of your preachers and priests
Stealing money to go save the lost and dying, who just want something to eat first
But your priests, they just want to save them and leave them to be cursed
Now’s not the time for political missionaries to leave hungered folks in the tides that be
While the priests sit on golden thrones with plenty of food to eat and fill up their brains
With trash by not practicing what they preach and not having any shame
And getting caught up in these conventional political games
To leave the lost without a name, and from their unholy crusades earn all that they can gain
Those who philosophize disgrace and politicize grace are the only ones to blame

And those who wield the arrows of gossip’s sudden dust are the ones that cause the fall of man
While putting the unbelievers down for believing in all that they really can
And leaving them starving and naked, left to the wind of deceitful blazes
Of these conventions that turn their hateful gazes
Onto the ones who really know the Truth of the world and everything in life
But the religious leaders, they are just the ones that criticize with their knifes
And cause those who are really seeking to lose their life and die
And get stuck in the label of being misunderstood and the ones that hold the lies
Because to our church leaders, they aren’t worth anything in their eyes

And the ones whom think that they have God on their side are the only ones that misunderstand
They disrespect other cultures and the people they are trying to save by telling them that they are damned
For not believing in the Pope, the political church leaders and the law and order
For they think anyone who doesn’t is a savage, so they run them out of their own borders
While filling the people they have in their control heads full of lies
And telling them to go out and murder in the name of religion and claim their prize
And to not give the hungry and the dying food, unless they except their own way of life
You know that’s just what the ancient people did when they crucified Jesus Christ
It’s because that He didn’t change to their way of life that He died
But it’s not up to you or me, you know it’s up to them to decide

But the leaders hiding behind the Cross are the ones that wanna force a decision on the dying
By lying to them and scaring them even more into hiding
It was those who brainwashed souls that killed the Jews, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi
Too, and many others besides them, for being just whom they were called to be
While breeding more religiously hateful tools to plant more lies
To take away food from those who need it, to blow them right between the eyes
They are only pawns in the hands of the greedy power mad devils in disguise
Who are taking over our churches and brainwashing the innocent lives
Into believing all that they say and never giving them a chance to decide
They just tell them to not feed those lost souls and just to let them die

Yes, and there is nothing to blame
But the ulterior motives of a higher power’s game
Which comes down to these cultic death-like conventions setup to cause them pain
Now, is not the time for rejoicing and arguments, which cause men to fall
And now, is not the time for deciding whom is lost enough to save, now
And now, is not the time to go pushing religion on people and all and all
Now, is just the time for tears to stop the war from going on any further down the line
And now, is the time to wake up any eyes that are still left blind
And now, is just the right time to stop all this bullshit going on all around, right now
So stop all the bullshit, already, right now.............

© 2002 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2002 GB Lyrics, C.O.

And here are some Bruce Springsteen influenced lyrics:

THESE EMPTY STREETS
(Currin)

These streets are empty
Everybody is down at the factory
And so am I
We hear them lonesome bells
Gonna keep on working, till the day we die

Down at the factory-we’re making dogs of war
We’re crafting tools of destruction, we’re raising steel
We’ve got to beat that steel down, we got to keep on ringing that drill
Down at the factory, we keep on going for 12 hours or more
In this place is the rich man’s paradise, but for us it’s the gates of hell

Forming scrap metal can be quite hard, but for soldiers we must provide
We want them to kill more people, so that we can stay alive
And with that smoke that comes out that smokestack, another dream has died
Been doing this kind of work for about ten years or more
Yes, and it’s true this factory, during a time of war

Always keeps these streets empty
And those trains we forever ride down to the factory
We’re selling our hearts and souls, because we’re Union men
As we hear them same ole lonesome bells
We ease ourselves back into our familiar stations

On the floor, we have the look of death in our eyes
Gotta keep on working till we retire or die
Whichever comes first, any way
We know that if we die, the only place we’ll go is to hell
In that factory of the great beyond for blasting a hundred men away

And another hundred more straight back to their Maker in the sky
Now, I use to have a girl that I’d keep right by my side
But she left me here with a little boy and a Union card
Now, that little boy and I, we just sit here working the factory drill hard
Yeah, we’re working off debts, cos everything fell apart in this factory cell

And these streets keep on staying empty
Cos everybody is down at the factory
And so am I
We hear them lonesome bells
Gonna keep on working, till the day we die

Gotta work that drill, gotta beat that steel down
We gotta lay down the line, cos everything we have the Union owns
We ain’t got no possessions, we ain’t got no home
Unless it belongs to the company and we’re sailing around
Main Street, you know we are bound to wind up dead quicker than the rest

We’re breathing smoke, we’re breathing steel fumes, can’t get no clean breath
And the rags we wear, we clench in our hands, but they get ground up in the dirt
Our guts they are raging with the dust on our backs and the fire of company hurt
The economy, well it carves it’s valleys into our minds as we burn through the day
Through the night as we keep on working to light this country’s way

Through the war--always keeps these streets empty
And those trains we forever ride down to the factory
We’re selling our hearts and souls, because we’re Union men
As we hear them same ole lonesome bells
We ease ourselves back into our familiar stations

And down at the factory-we keep on making them dogs of war
And we’re crafting tools of destruction, we’re raising steel
We’ve got to beat that steel down, we got to keep on ringing that drill
Down at the factory, we keep on going for 12 hours or more
In this place is the rich man’s paradise, but for us it’s the gates of hell
Yeah, in this place is the rich man’s paradise, but for us it’s just the gates of hell
Cos us, poor folks, keep on working as we die out little by little, piece by piece
And leave behind us the dogs of war and these empty streets

© 2002 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2002 GB Lyrics, C.O.

Some other things to mention:





Bono And Poverty Relief:

THE 2008 CAMPAIGN; Bono's Poverty-Fighting Plan Promoted by Two Ex-Senators
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: June 12, 2007

Two former Senate leaders who were once fierce adversaries, Bill Frist and Tom Daschle, joined together Monday to promote a bipartisan effort to make global poverty a central issue of the 2008 presidential race.

The antipoverty drive, called the One Campaign, which was founded by the rock star Bono to combat hunger and draw attention to the plight of children in African countries, is pledging to invest $30 million to persuade presidential candidates to address the issue.

''It is in the strategic and national interest of the United States of America,'' said Mr. Frist, a Republican and former Senate majority leader from Tennessee. ''People do not go to war with people who save their children's lives.''

Both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will be asked to sign a pledge in the fall saying they will offer proposals to fight H.I.V./AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, improve children's health in other ways, increase access to education, provide access to clean water and reduce by half the number of people who suffer from hunger.

''Through the extraordinary challenge we now have, it is incumbent upon all of us to recognize that this must be a key part of American foreign policy,'' said Mr. Daschle, a Democrat and former Senate majority leader from South Dakota.

Mr. Frist and Mr. Daschle, co-chairmen of the One Vote '08 effort, began the lobbying campaign Monday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church here on Capitol Hill, with supporters joining by satellite from Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

While dozens of interest groups have formed coalitions to influence presidential candidates, the One Campaign stands apart because of its bipartisan leadership and a $22 million investment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will be invested in mobilizing supporters across the country.

The Republican and Democratic National Committees endorsed the effort Monday, saying presidential contenders should include proposals to combat global poverty in their campaign agendas. Organizers have hired experienced political strategists to work on the One Campaign, educating and urging voters to hold presidential candidates accountable.

''It is an idea where global poverty and disease transcend partisan politics,'' said Susan McCue, the president of the One Campaign.

Together we can make a difference and help eliminate poverty.
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

Blog Action Day 2008 : Increasing Poverty Awareness

See: A Noggin' Full Of Noodles: Below The Line, Blog Action Day 2008 Round-up and Blog Action Day: Poverty and Biblical Economics and rlp's blog for starters.


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.---thanks, Justin for the link to this video---I found it on your Blog post.

-Appropriate Scripture Verses To Read Over:

Matthew 6:24-34-NRSV

24“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

And: Mark 14:7
7For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me

And: Luke 18:22
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

And here are some of my earlier posts on poverty:
TheoPoetic Musings: Relationships needed to break poverty cycle

TheoPoetic Musings: Justice of jubilee in Luke

TheoPoetic Musings: Thousands turn to online prayer during economic crisis

TheoPoetic Musings: Increase In Homeless Families

Here are some more of my offerings for Blog Action Day 2008:

Here is an article about the CBF's contribution to poverty relief.

Anyways, I like Dr. Queen and the New Baptist Covenant believe that relationships are needed to break the poverty cycle. Secondly, education is key as in:

Mentors, who build relationships with and help guide those seeking to improve their lives, are an essential part of the decade-old Christian Women's Job Corps and its counterpart, Christian Men's Job Corps, said Cara Lynn Vogel of Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina.

The job-training ministry sites are separate by gender and vary in emphasis by location, Vogel said of the WMU ministry efforts in which "women mentor women and men mentor men."

"The issue of poverty can be overwhelming," said Vogel. "But more importantly, we need to talk about solutions."

The solutions found in the Christian Jobs Corps efforts are built on mentors encouraging and enabling participants to develop through spiritual nurture, health and nutrition, education and job skills training. (See my post: Relationships needed to break poverty cycle---for full context).

Another thing that is needed is farming/gardening/technical agricultural skills need to be taught as a way of self-providing food. Affordable land for growing goes along with that.

Here are some thoughts from an interesting article:

THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY

With the saying in the Bible that the love of money is the root of all evil…and many strong words against the rich and powerful, it may seem strange to some that God would be concerned about economics.

But the evil is not in the money or wealth itself. As with many other things, it is the way that money is used that causes it to be productive or destructive. One writer said it this way:

When we choose the Lord as our sole master, He does not remove our money. In fact, He takes the money and transforms it into an ally. The same dollar that places a bet, pays a prostitute, or purchases "crack" cocaine also buys a Bible, digs a well, or supports a missionary. The same dollar the shrewd manager uses to pave his way into a golden future, a shrewd disciple uses to invest in eternal friendships. But the difference is the product of a choice of masters.

I have written in my e-mail list some about the extreme unfair trade policies among nations currently and issues that are similar. I said economic principles are an integral part of the Bible. This article shows in some detail some of the Biblical principals of economics and why they are critically relevant for us here and now today. They are NOT just ancient ideas that were a nice idea at one time. They are the ONLY way to solve many of the serious problems that our world has today!!

Unfortunately, many people and even some Christians and Christian leaders don’t think that these principles can work today. To answer this doubt, I have collected quotes and thoughts from philosophers and thinkers of many persuasions ranging from the Bible and Christians, to atheists to people like Confucius to show as clearly as possible why the Bible’s economic principles are part of the most basic human rights that each person on this planet deserves and why they will resolve the problems that we face. There are very few other concepts that have such wide acceptance among people of such differing philosophies. This makes it all the more critical to understand and implement these principles.

When God’s principles are ignored the serious problems that we have today such as terrorism, crime, starvation and others are inevitable. After you read these, you will no longer be ignorant about the main cause (but by no means the only cause) of some of the most serious problems in our world.

Today, poverty is at one of the worst points in history. There are a very few extremely rich people and millions of extremely poor. And some of us who are the privileged wrongly in a way live in a “matrix” of our own way of life and we cannot or do not wish to see the extreme suffering that is going on worldwide to the majority of the world’s people. This little thought is illuminating:

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish some place ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore ... you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

It is doubtful if the gap between the rich and poor in the world has ever been larger than it is now on a world wide scale. And this is not at all by accident. It is inevitable because of the rejection of God’s economic principles outlined in the Bible and practiced to some extant by many ancient cultures which did not have the destitute poverty like we see so commonly today.

Here are some songs which speak to the issue of poverty:

---This Land Is Your Land-Bruce Springsteen

---Only A Pawn In Their Game-Bob Dylan

---The Boxer-Simon And Garfunkel

---Badlands-Bruce Springsteen

---The Ghost Of Tom Joad-Bruce Springsteen

---I Wish We'd All Been Ready-Larry Norman

---Camel Through A Needle's Eye-Larry Norman

---Letter to the Church-Larry Norman

---The Great American Novel-Larry Norman

---Where The Street Have No Name-U2

Continued in next post: TheoPoetic Musings: Together We Can Make A Difference: Song Lyrics About Poverty#links#links.

The Gospel Of Bruce Springsteen

#

Here this is for you, Dr. J:

http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/the_gospel_according_to_the_boss/


Here is an excerpt from the book The Gospel According To Bruce:

Bruce's Ten Suggestions for Spiritual Living

1. The world has gone awry. The world according to Bruce is often portrayed as a gritty, conflicted, sometimes dark and sinister place. It differs for the particular characters involved in each song, of course, but the darkness is always there on the edge of things or not very far beneath the surface.

2. There is a power within the souls of men and women to transcend the world and to achieve real victories in spite of the world. For every homeless loser who has left his wife and kids high and dry back in Baltimore, there is that good man or good woman who works endlessly at a thankless job to meet his or her responsibilities. People have within them the power to choose to be true to themselves and what really matters.

3. The world is as it is. There is both great pain and great joy in life, Springsteen affirms. Once we have accepted that the pain is part of the deal, then we are free to experience genuine joy when it comes our way.

4. Life without connections is empty and dangerous. Springsteen sings of a stark array of misfits, criminals and losers. But there is always compassion in the portraits he presents, and we sense that the line between winners and losers is a narrow one and that what differentiates the former from the latter are the connections they have with other people.

5. Our stories symbolize something deeper. The great lie of our contemporary, celebrity-crazed culture is that only the rich and famous have stories worth telling. There are almost no celebrities featured in Springsteen's songs. His stories are our stories, and the wisdom (as well as the folly) they contain is ours, too.

6. Life is embodied. Sexuality is intrinsically neither good nor evil, Springsteen implies; here, as in all human ventures, only good soil will produce worthy fruit.

7. It's all about change. If we cling to the past, it withers and dies. If we let it go gracefully and move on to the next stage of our lives, the gifts of the past can continue to bless us.

8. There is no guarantee of success. Sometimes life teaches us lessons about humility and silence and emptiness and pain and unanswered prayers. At those times, we know that our true treasure is the power of our own integrity, and our reward lies in keeping faith with those other decent, down-to-earth, hardworking people everywhere.

9. Hope is resilient. The men and women in Springsteen's songs may win or they may lose, but they seldom abandon all hope. Despair is seldom, if ever, given the final word. It is hope that carries us human ones on the sacred vector toward life's divine possibilities.

10. There is always something more. If Bruce is luminous in his work — shining a light of perception on the horizontal dimension of this earthly life — so he is numinous as well — casting this life we lead in the brilliance of an almost mystic glow; shedding the radiance of discernment on that vertical beam which crashes through the linear plane of existence and points it toward that which is higher, deeper, somehow transcendent.



**Excerpted from The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen by Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz. Reprinted by arrangement with Westminster John Knox Press. © 2008.

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

9-11 Remembered

Courtesy of: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/Northeast/New_York/photo953831.htm

And

Courtesy of: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/Northeast/New_York/photo953922.htm

So I was looking for a picture of our Youth Group at FBC-Laurinburg, in front of the Twin Towers, but I couldn't find it---so I had to steal this one off of TrekEarth---I did find this Youth trip picture though: http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1291977&op=1&aid=53071&auser=510820886&id=510820886&ref=mf.You can find more pictures here: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/Northeast/New_York/.

And for an even more moving experience watch this video:

to hear a piece by Samuel Barber (Mister Rogers' favorite composer) that captures the tragedy. It's hard to believe that it's been nearly 10 years since the 9-11 tragedy. So where were you when it happened and how did it affect you?

I was in CEP at Campbell University and didn't know the extent of the damage until later and so I wrote these lyrics inspired by the tragedy:

TWO TOWERS
(Currin)
I seen Two Towers burning down
The fools they done the wrong thing
I seen the Pentagon crumbling to the ground
And painted crimson roses, where the towers stood spring
And all along the New York City promenade
To the shores of LA, Palestine feels like a giant razor blade
Nation in terror, nation full of fear
Perhaps those bloody terrorists were drunk sitting their ass on too much beer
Well, I seen those Two Towers when they still stood
Times back then seemed pretty good
The times weren’t too bad, the rents were low
I couldn’t have known those towers would soon blow
Now they’re lighting candles all around
To celebrate the lives that toppled down
Twas a day of darkness, early in the morn
Now the hearts of many American are torn
In their prime, when they stood, those Two Towers
Stood just like two great big steel American flowers
Wasn’t just part of the landscape, they were a symbol of the American soul
I don’t know why, but these days the world seems a little too dark and cold
Well, up here in the ‘God blessed’ U.S. of A
Things are getting tainted with too much racial hate
We all been turning the knob too long, turning the tap
On some kind of ignorance suicide rap and racial acid bath
A million bodies lying in the ground, where those Two Towers stood
Under the rubble and ash of the American dream, decaying like wood
Those bodies keep springing up like concrete roses
Many years ago, we never thought that those towers would go
Heart beating steel all across this archaic land
Military chain of command goes hand in hand with urban Nam
Factory smoke littering the sky
Scattered all along the train tracks, gleaming in your eye
Two Towers crashing, building bridges in America’s veins
Highways connecting ‘coast to coast,’ where freedom reigns
For all my freedom, I thank my God each and everyday
And I thank God that I was born here in the U. S. of A
Telephone lines ringing slam shut
When America felt it’s biggest cut
Red, White and blue flying in the air for weeks to come
Well, pretty soon we all will lose this feeling of numb
Well, I seen Two Towers burning down
The fools they done the wrong thing
I seen the Pentagon crumbling to the ground
And painted crimson roses, where the towers stood spring
And all along the New York City promenade
To the shores of LA, Palestine feels like a giant razor blade
Nation in terror, nation full of fear
Perhaps those bloody terrorists were drunk sitting their ass on too much beer
Well, I seen those Two Towers when they still stood
Times back then seemed pretty good
The times weren’t too bad, the rents were low
I couldn’t have known those towers would soon blow
A million bodies lying in the ground, where those Two Towers stood
Under the rubble and ash of the American dream, decaying like wood
Those bodies keep springing up like concrete roses
Many years ago, we never thought that those towers would go
A million bodies lying in the ground, where those Two Towers stood
Under the rubble and ash of the American dream, decaying like wood
Those bodies keep springing up like concrete roses
Many years ago, we never thought that those towers would go
Well, I seen Two Towers burning down
The fools they done the wrong thing
I seen the Pentagon crumbling to the ground
And painted crimson roses, where the towers stood spring
Well, I seen Two Towers burning down
Well, I seen Two Towers......................
© 2001 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2001 GB Lyrics, C.O. ---that one was Bruce Springsteen influenced.

LADY LIBERTY
(Currin)
Liberty...Lady Liberty
Dance fer me
Her sweat is glistening, in the morning sky
Blood piercing tears rolling down her eye
Liberty...Lady Liberty
Sing fer me
I knows you have felt the pain of having no name
And felt numb, when you got stung with shame
Well, they hurt yer pride, but don’t let it break yer heart
Don’t let them kill all yer senses and fall apart
Lady Liberty...Liberty
Set me free, oh please, come rain down on me
Liberty...Lady Liberty
Won’t you cruise the strip once fer me
Well promises and dreams fade
Underneath that summer haze
Liberty...Lady Liberty
The drag is flying free
And all those girls of my youth blow away with all those lies
Too many causalities of age, too many lost lives
Well, the bar-room prophets gathering on Main Street
All come out to philosophically sing and preach
About...Lady Liberty...Liberty
Set me free, oh please, come rain down on me
Well, I looked down that strip, all around, left and right
There ain’t nothing there, but emptiness and factories out of sight
The dark clouds of aggression are filling up the air with smoke
But don’t let that stop your hope and make you begin to choke
Well, tonight is a time for ‘American dreaming’ again
So let that American seed germinate within your skin
For hopes die young and dreams fade out quick
But still nothing should make you sick
Pretty soon, we’ll all see Lady Liberty shining through
The future is wide for dreaming and so are me and you
The drag is an open highway just right
Filled with so many new dreams and so much light
So I say...Liberty...Lady Liberty
Won’t you cruise the strip once fer me
Well promises and dreams fade
Underneath that summer haze
Liberty...Lady Liberty
The drag is flying free
And all those girls of my youth blow away with all those lies
Too many causalities of age, too many lost lives
Well, the bar-room prophets gathering on Main Street
All come out to philosophically sing and preach
About...Lady Liberty...Liberty
Set me free, oh please, come rain down on me
Liberty...Lady Liberty
Dance fer me
Her sweat is glistening, in the morning sky
Blood piercing tears rolling down her eye
Liberty...Lady Liberty
Sing fer me
I knows you have felt the pain of having no name
And felt numb, when you got stung with shame
Well, they hurt yer pride, but don’t let it break yer heart
Don’t let them kill all yer senses and fall apart
Lady Liberty...Liberty
Set me free, oh please, come rain down on me
© 2001 T/H Songs, Inc.
© 2001 GB Lyrics, C.O.---that one was Bob Dylan influenced.