It's 11:05pm Los Angeles time.
Just came back from evening worship at Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, California. Probably the hottest thing happening in churches in America right now. Thirteen services just for Christmas, each one packed. About 50,000 people. Not only that but Fox Cable television is carrying the complete worship service as well as a documentary on the trips to Rwanda to take care of kids with aids, etc. My wife is signed up. She's going in mid-February. Tho she's still sending out letters for support, she's getting things ready for the trip to Africa.

Worship message was basic, clear message of salvation. If this one was over your head, you were dead. Faxed over Ray a note telling him watch Fox cable. Who knows, maybe he tuned it in for a few minutes...
http://www.saddlebackchurch.com

Um, we have a Christmas Eve service every year. This year I taped it. Maybe if Fox is short on footage they can run my tape.

We saw part of your Fox News special on Rwanda - pretty interesting.

We got back from services about five past midnight. A beautiful candlelight eucharist service last evening at our charming small parish (only about six thousand showed up for the three services, including regular attendees Nancy Reagan and, my favourite songwriter Brian Wilson!)

Gotta love those mega-churches!

http://www.belairpres.org/index.html

6,000 is small?
Our Christmas service is Dec. 25th, Old Calendar, so Jan. 7th New Calendar.
We had a nice Matins and Liturgy this morning for St. Herman of Alaska, St. Spiridon, and St. Lucia. We WERE small, about 2 dozen. We have about 500 on Sundays. I had to sing Tenor! Normally I sing Bass-Baritone, but there were only 5 chanters...
God bless.
Be of good cheer.

I'm sorry to change the subject, but Doug Spaulding if you're interested in reading more of my stuff... here's a few link's to some:

http://www.poets.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=71155#71155 <This one is in the works. I still haven't really decided what I want to do with it so if you check it out please tell me what you think.

http://www.poets.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8503

http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=179389&highlight=thecurerocks182

http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=174718&highlight=thecurerocks182

Anyways, hope you check it out Spaulding...if that is your real name.

Nard, hey, caught some of Rick Warren's project on Fox Cable earlier today. Fantastic. Hear over 100 world leaders traveled to this church and spoke there a couple weeks ago about AIDS. This obviously is one church on the move. Their P.E.A.C.E. project website, is, again, fantastic. Love the Video links. Makes me think, what have I been doing with my life besides navel gazing?
http://www.Thepeaceplan.com/

I think a couple of the links may have been removed since the FOX telecast is over. However, the videos about knowing Christ are good. Rick Warren was on Meet the Press on yesterday, Sunday morning.

==============

On another topic...
... talked briefly with Ray this week and he said he has a new play opening in about 5 weeks. I'll have to check the Fairmont Theatre Centre, in Pasasdena, and see if they have anything upcoming for Ray listed.

Doug wrote:
"Gotta love those mega-churches!"

Growing up in Anaheim we used to attend MELODYLAND guided by Rev. Wilkerson (the brother of THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE dude) the place was huge, but nothing compared to Robert Shuler's CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL. I once saw Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger) do the guestimonial thing at MELODYLAND. That was before I realized the church was a hindrance to my spirituality.

================================================

quote:

Originally posted by atroposmar:
icic... the users here seem pretty religious somewhat complementary to me and my athetist ways, but I believe in freedom of religion when it isn't preached...

There are quite a few religious types on here, but there are a few of us atheists as well.

I'm afraid I am also one of those 'professors', though (except here in the UK we call them 'lecturers'. To us, a 'professor' is a special and rare lecturer who has achieved high office!)

So 'lecturer' what changes should I expect when I attend University next year?

If your university is anything like a British one: you will at first get the mistaken impression that you have a lot of spare time, and may get into 'lazy' habits. I know I did, and I know a lot of students who do now. But once you start hitting deadlines for coursework, you will realise that university requires a lot of hard work!

If you are studying a subject that you are really interested in, you will have the time of your life. Alas, many students today (in the UK at least) are going to university for the sake of it, not because they have a passion for their subject. I don't think they get much pleasure from it.

Well, I'd be lying if I said I was excited because the thought of University frightens me and I'm not sure if I'm making the right decision, which is to obtain a Bachelor of Science. I really enjoy playing music and writing lyrics, but also writing in general. Still, I think at some point you have to come to terms with what is best for you, and so my dream of playing music is something I should just let go....I was thinking about going to the studio sometime, but now I understand how foolish that idea really is. Anyways, you don't have to worry about indolence with me because its never been a vice of mine.

quote:

Originally posted by atroposmar:
...Anyways, you don't have to worry about indolence with me because its never been a vice of mine.

Hooray!

A BSc is good; I have one myself. There's no reason you can't mix science with music and the arts. I started off as a scientist and technical person, but now work in film-making and screenwriting. The main value of university education is that it broadens the mind.

I'm an associate professor in literature and philosophy. That means I'm a professor, but part time. The value of education (specifically a degree) is not in the paper received at the end. In the NT, there are passages where Christ speaks against hypocrisy and says hypocrites receive a reward of men. As it relates to academia, I think there is a reward based on just earning the "paper". But the power of academia is in, as philnic says, broadening the mind. When I was younger, I read like a fiend,a nd felt I was learing all kinds of things (and I was). My dad kept telling me I needed to go to college and my argument was that I was learning plenty. But, as he pointed out, there are two problems with being an auto-didact. One, by not going to university/college, you miss working with scholars who have spent their lives studying their field, and hence, miss the insights of that encounter. Also, you only see things from the perspective of your own life experience. In a vigorous classroom, you have reactions from persons with different life experiences and capabilities so that your reading is enhanced beyound your own specific perspective. Gotta run, maybe more later on this.

quote:

Originally posted by grasstains:
That was before I realized the church was a hindrance to my spirituality.

In the cases of most churches, I think that is the case!