Barnacles

I have the flu today, apparently. I don't get sick, but I am...with a screaming sore throat. Wow. So I have time to crank out some thoughts. I want to tell you about a new recording artist. Listen to Andrew Peterson's "All You Ever Need" (from Resurrection Letters Vol II) on his blog at www.andrew-peterson.com, posted Sept. 29, 08. Dr. David Alexander (President NNU) said of well-intentioned vocabulary, turned treasured tradition, "Some of those phrases had become barnacled over for me." Me too. Like any good silver becomes tarnished with time and exposure causing it to appear worn, cheap, used up, some of those meaningful--and accurate--orthodox expressions can undergo the same phenomenon. This song about "the blood of Jesus" (it's on my list of barnacled phrases for evaluation: keep, toss, rename) helps me to reclaim the essence of that beautiful, messy, redemptive truth--without the barnacles.

Oh, and Happy New Year. Yes, I did watch the ball drop, along with 3 of our 8 grandkids. And, yes, I prayed in the new year--watching Robbie Knieval (sp?) jump over the Las Vegas Mirage's volcano on a motorcycle. He made it.