What is music? I mean really, what is it?

If you’ve had a significant musical moment, you will understand that music is far more than notes and rhythms, more than sounds and instruments, and more than what you hear. The real music is what drives that – but we cannot really describe it adequately. What is that something that takes a pretty melody and makes it beautiful? How is it that someone can sing a beautiful song and have it sound wooden? Why can two people play the same piano in the same talent night, yet only one play music?

I am delighted to share with you the Oasis Chorale 2010 Itinerary. The tour involves some recording, so the programs are not so many, but please come!

Wed, July 21: Blandon Mennonite Fellowship, Blandon, PA; 7:30 pm
Thu, July 22: Shippensburg Christian Fellowship, Shippensburg, PA; 7:30 pm
Fri, July 23: Venue TBA, Hosted by Island Creek Mennonite Church, VA
Sun, July 24: Foothills Community Chapel, Columbus, NC; 9:00 am
Sun, July 25: Cold Springs Mennonite Church, Abbeville, SC; 7:00 pm
Mon, July 26: The Prizery Center for the Performing Arts, South Boston, VA; 7:30 pm

Well, By The Way finally has a tour itinerary we are running with. Programs are listed below. Please note that details may be subject to change.

Monday, July 5: Lockhaven Mennonite Church, Lockhaven, PA, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, July 6: Living Waters Church, Goshen, IN, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, July 7: Antrim Mennonite Church, Freeport, OH, 7:00 pm
Friday, July 9: Solid Rock Mennonite Church/Galilean Children’s Home, Corbin, KY (?), 7:00 pm
Saturday, July 10: Prison service in Maryland
Sunday, July 11: Mountain View Church, 10:45 am

Hello - welcome to lee-weaver.com. This is a work in progress. :)

In philosophy class now we are reading the part about the Christian philosophers: Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The writer of the text, presumably not a Christian, although not a relativist, brought up the seeming unending struggle between faith and reason. It seems faith must go beyond reason, and reason cannot analyze faith. At some point, I think every Christian will go through some sort of struggle on this level. Those of us that are naturally inclined to think too hard struggle in a much deeper way.

Struggle is inevitable in the Christian life. Actually, not only in Christian life, but in life in general. It does not always go easy for us. We don’t have answers handed to us on silver platters, or microwaveable solutions for the tough questions in life.

Why not? It doesn’t seem fair. If God wants us to life an abundant life, we should have clear direction. Major problems should not even come along. Right? At least, that’s how it seems on the surface.

A person can only handle so much. The busyness fatigue syndrome then sets in, taxing the person of mental, physical, and spiritual reserves, leaving him in a state of nothingness, desperately in need of rejuvenation. It’s harmful, terrible, and cruel, but we do it over and over again. Why is this? Why don’t we simply learn the lesson, go on and live life like we should? Are we too stupid? Don’t kill yourself. Don’t be too busy.

Jesus was not a martyr. I just read that this morning from Oswald Chambers. Really, it’s a startling thought. We all assume Jesus died for our sins and stuff, but never really think about why it was he died. We think he died a heroic death, at the hands of the Jews and Romans, but what he did was not only heroic, it was necessary for us to have any hope of salvation. Innocent blood needed to be shed, and only his would work. We can be saved because of his death and resurrection, springing out of God’’s love. God loves us, but it is only through Jesus” work that we are saved.

I’m taking this math class at college. It’’s called Principles of Mathematics. It’’s the only math class that I could take that didn”t have any prerequisites, so I took it. Placing badly on the placement test for algebra is not the best.

We had this test in class the other day, and everyone was loudly declaiming math as the number 1 hated subject. But I like it. I mean it’’s a lot of work, but there’’s something about math that appeals to me. Maybe it’’s the idea that there is always a right answer. There is no gray areas, it’’s all black or white.

I just finished reading Blue Like Jazz, by Don Miller. The subtitle is “Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.” I found it refreshing, very real. For some reason, I”m finding myself (this year anyway) in a phase of reaction to anything that is pat, anything that has the answers. Life doesn”t have simple answers to tough questions, answers that make problems go away and the machinery of life to work smoothly. And I appreciate when I find people that don”t expect that, that don”t try to make it work smoothly, and that are real. Donald Miller is like that.