Alaska Bound

I’m trying very hard not to gloat as I write this. Actually … that’s not a true statement. I’m not gloating because I am scrambling to get everything done before going very away for a little over a week … and once I get back into town I will face a mad scramble to get ready for Sunday morning in a little over a day.
I will not post this publicly until after I’m home, but we are leaving for Charlotte before the sun comes up in the morning to catch a flight to Seattle. Friday we will board the Celebrity Infinity for an Alaskan cruise. My parents, my sisters, my brother-in-law, and my niece and nephew will be with us as well (courtesy of my mother’s inheritance from my grandmother). It’s been about 3 years since we’ve all been together. Getting together is hard when you’re all scattered about like we are.

Joanne Harwell (Blake’s mom) sent me a piece of music last week that she thought I might be interested in looking at. All I’ve had time to do so far is just to read the text … but the text is the most important part of any choral music for worship. If the text is lousy, then the piece is lousy … no matter how spectacular the music is.

The text is John Claypool’s benediction, and goes like this:

Depart now in the fellowship of God the Father
and, as you go, remember:
By the goodness of God you were born into this world.
By the grace of God you have been kept all the day long,
even unto this hour.
And by the love of God fully revealed in the face of Jesus,
you are being redeemed.

I’m really looking forward to reading through the choral setting of a marvelous, humility-provoking text.

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.