des Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 (edited) Hi Carl and welcome. Funny about the casseroles and all. I think the difference between UMC and UCC is this: you can't really bring a potato salad to a UCC potluck, better do something like 8 bean casserole and tabule. (I brought a traditional mayo-mustard potato salad to a UCC potluck and hardly anybody touched it. Devilled eggs worked ok. hehe :-)) Re: Taize. During lent one of the UCC churches did a taize service. I don't know where you get the music. But it was kind of neat. Not sure that I would want to do it as a regular thing. Anyway there is no sermon or readings, etc. It is more of a contemplative thing with a combo of meditation and chanting. I think it was started as a way to have a multilingual service. You could literally (and often did) have people chanting in 4 or more different languages. It can also be ecumenical-- neither particularly Catholic nor particularly Protestant, neither liberal nor conservative. I think it also attracted Jews at during WWII. I heard somewhere that the guy who started it died recently. My problem with it, was I started getting kind of antsy. They'd chant this one thing over and over, and I started counting how many times they did it and stuff. (Sounds like what Buddhism might call the "monkey mind". Made mine come out on steriods. ;-)) Anyway it was quite neat, and if you had a chance you should go to one.) Take a look at:http://www.taize.fr/ Has some music for sale as well with US links. They would be awesome background (or foreground) for one's own contemplative uses. --des Edited September 28, 2005 by des Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlytop Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 (edited) More on Taize -- Taize is a town in France where an ecumenical group of lay monks is stationed. The community was founded in 1940 and is known for its distinctive style of contemplative music -- sublime but simple melodies and repeated phrases. A full-on Taize service may include a few short readings, but they are mostly musical. It's really a contemplative prayer service, and the audience is encouraged to join in on singing the phrases -- they are very simple and it is easy to participate. It's really quite something to do this meditative, sung prayer with a group of people. Expansive and disarmingly beautiful. GIA, publishers of liturgical music, has some good recordings, both live and studio, of Taize music in all languages. The best English language one, in my opinion, is GIA's Songs & Prayers from Taize, recorded in Bristol in 1991 under the direction of Philip Dixon. Check out www.giamusic.com. curlytop Edited September 28, 2005 by curlytop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystictrek Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 (edited) I'm a retired Presbyterian Pastor. I retired early because my wife's career took off and I was ready for a change. I'm trying to write a lot and work on promoting what I call The New Church for the New Age. My website and blog are mostly devoted to this project. I don't see my calling as a call to start a new religion. I simply see myself as a reporter or messenger seeking to bring together and empower people of faith who are working to expand God's realm of abundance, joy, wisdom, beauty, love, truth, peace, justice and freedom. I am promoting 12 disciplines to heavenly awareness: stillness, silence, solitude, simplicity, detachment, discernment, devotion, delight, humility, healing, holiness and heavenliness. I like Baseball and I was delighted last year when the Red Sox finally won the World Series. Now it must be the White Sox turn. Or the Cubs. Did you know that the last time the Cubs won the WS was 1908? and the White Sox 1917? I lived in Boston in the 60s and 70s (Northeastern University & Boston University School of Theology). I lived in Chicago 1980-82 when I got a D. Min. at Chicago Theological Seminary. I lived in Dearborn, MI when the Tigers won the WS in 1984. They got off to a 35-5 start that year. Sparky Anderson was such a great manager, a pastor to his team I think. You guessed it, my favorite movie is FIELD OF DREAMS. I like Rock'n'Roll and wrote my D. Min. project focused on Rock'n'Roll as Play, Protest, Passage and Prayer. Harvey Cox is probably my favorite theologian. I also like John Biersdorf who I had the privilege to study with when I was in Michigan. Harrell Beck, The OT Prof. at BU School of Theology for many years was a major mentor as were several pastors. My favorite all time R&R band is The Who. I need to also mention Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Todd Rundgren, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, U2, Van Morrison, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper and the Cranberries. There are more but I will leave that to another discussion. I'm a grandfather now. Emily is now 17 months old (September 2005). My name is John but here I go by Mystictrek. I have lived in NJ, MA, IL, MI NC and now NY (upstate). I have been in upstate NY 1988-2002 and now 2005- . Most recently my wife's career took us to Chapel Hill NC and Amherst MA, 2 great towns. Now we are living in 2 places to be near family (Utica area) and job (Rochester). Edited September 28, 2005 by mystictrek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sissy Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 I guess I am one of the senior citizens here (50). Gosh, it is still hard to think like a 50 y/o. We are supposed to think differently, right??? I am married to a wonderful little guy (treats me like royalty, so I will allow him to share the kingdom ) He has 3 grown kids and I have 2 grown daughters that have recently married and moved to opposite coasts! "and here I am, stuck in the middle with........" hehe) I just realized today that my family has all moved and it is just me, Gramps, and an aunt. Maybe I will just move too! Oh, I live in NE Arkansas. Gramps lives with DH and me and we all share the place with Gracie the chocolate poodle. As far as interests go, I am working toward Simple Living, which is not simple, but worth persuing. I am a calligrapher, interior designer. I don't work at either now since I take care of Gramps. I also love music (playing and singing) I did play the piano, but haven't in quite a while. I have a folk harp that is quite challenging for now. I love to grow things. This is something that DH and I really share and we have a blast working in the garden. We are all die hard Cardinal fans and I am hoping that they win the pennant so that Gramps will get to see it in his lifetime. He is 94 and this is the first year that he has actually seen them on TV! I am not active in any religious group, but really am interested in Buddhist principles and how they can apply to Christianity. Buddhism seems to take up where Christianity has let the ball drop, IMO. The Bible tells what, but Buddha tells how. But, I am working on keeping an open mind for now. I like to read Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, Lama Surya Das, and Pearl S. Buck (lol) Pearl just speaks to my"earthy" side. I have gotten many reading recommendations from this forum that I plan to check out. I also love harp and flute, Celtic music. I am in love with Josh Groban. Of course, I am really into 70's music. (yeah, I know I really should move on....) enough...........Sherry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
des Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Sissy I don't know. I am 57 and I think that I don't think much differently (though it should be "think different" as I am a Mac user. :-)) than I did when I was younger. Maybe more slowly. :-) (But sometimes I think I think better, not so much angst. I'm a lot calmer than I was when I was younger.) I can't really tell a 20 year olds writing from a 60 year olds writing, but I am a on a forum with a lot of teenagers and there are some REALLY young ones with a lot of netspeak (example: i now wat i m talking r u listing-- typical spelling. It gets VERY annoying.) Why leave 70s music, I think it is better than 2000s music (though I do like Josh Groban as well) --des Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AletheiaRivers Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Sherry wrote: As far as interests go, I am working toward Simple Living, which is not simple, but worth persuing. Hehehehehe As I sit here reading the posts this morning, in front of me on my desk sits "The Idiots Guide to Simple Living" and "Affluenza." Both great books about consumerism and what it's doing to the planet. You have a fellow "Simple Living" wannabee here on this forum! And I agree, it's not all that simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest admin Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 I'll just keep saying this - so forgive me if I sound like a broken record - but everyone please consider cutting and pasting some of what you have written on this thread into your profile (click on "my controls" at the top and then navigate to your profile) so that people can read a bit about you when they click on your name Sorry to belabor this... but it really helps people get to know you, builds community, and all that good stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.