The Wired Wanderings of a Postmodern Pilgrim
Jan 21st, 2010 by Tom Lyberg
Tomorrow I will be posting a new podcast – God, Tragedy, and Stupid Christians – but I still get questions about what is podcasting, especially when I do consults with churches who wonder how it can help them in ministry and communication.
Well, here’s your answer. Podcasting is like apple pie for whales. Now its perfectly clear. Thanks, Shelly.
Jan 19th, 2010 by Tom Lyberg
I have found it fascinating how much some people in congregations struggle with “new” music in worship, completely forgeting that the “old classics” were once new and equally criticized by their ancestors. It is simply human nature that we forget our past often in favor of our own preferences.
Its too bad because it means for now only very few of us hear artists like Regina Spektor who have so much to say about God and the life of faith. Sure, its pop song but the words say more about the 21st Century desire to know and walk with God than what many congregations are willing to embrace. For those who have the opportunity, this is a video worth using in worship and discussing the lyrics.
Laughing With lyrics
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor
No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one’s laughing at God
When it’s gotten real late
And their kid’s not back from the party yet
No one laughs at God
When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake
No one’s laughing at God
When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they’re mistaken
No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one’s laughing at God
When there’s a famine or fire or flood
*Chorus*
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’ve lost all they’ve got
And they don’t know what for
No one laughs at God on the day they realize
That the last sight they’ll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one’s laughing at God when they’re saying their goodbyes
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughing at God in hospital
No one’s laughing at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God when they’re starving or freezing or so very
poor
No one’s laughing at God
No one’s laughing at God
No one’s laughing at God
We’re all laughing with God
Jan 14th, 2010 by Tom Lyberg
I came across this ancient hymn in my readings this morning and just goes to show that when our tendency is to make the church more like a funeral of facts, the ancients remind us that life with Jesus is party for all our senses. It reminds me of the great scene in The Last Temptation of Christ, where after the water turns into wine, Jesus toasts the steward of the feast and goes dancing out into the center of the wedding celebration. The kingdom is not about justice, its not about judgment, its about God being here in our midst right now. Our problem is that that we don’t know how to deal with it and want God to dance to our tune, not join in the dance with him.
I have invited You, Lord, to a wedding feast of song,
but the wine- the utterance of praise- at our feast has failed.
You are the guest who filled the jars with good wine,
fill my mouth with Your praise.
The wine that was in the jars was akin and related to
this eloquent Wine that gives birth to praise,
seeing that wine too gave birth to praise
from those who drank it and beheld the wonder.
You who are so just, if at a wedding feast not Your own
You filled six jars with good wine,
do You at this wedding feast fill, not the jars,
but the ten thousand ears with its sweetness.
Jesus, You were invited to a wedding feast of others,
here is Your own pure and fair wedding feast: gladden
Your rejuvenated people,
for Your guests too, O Lord, need
Your songs: let Your harp utter.
The soul is Your bride, the body Your bridal chamber,
Your guests are the senses and the thoughts/
And if a single body is a wedding feast for You,
how great is Your banquet for the whole Church!
St. Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Faith 14:1-5
Jan 6th, 2010 by Tom Lyberg
Finally, podcast #50 is posted to start a new year, making five years of podcasting. Hard to believe.
In this episode I reflect on the impact of social networking on how we form relationships and the generational gulf between the Boomer emphasis on information/communication and the hunger for authentic relationships by emerging generations. I have included links to our ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans and our denomination facebook page to give you a feel for how its is being used in those arenas.
One thing you will notice is that I don’t say much about Twitter and, frankly, I’m still trying to figure out how best to use it. 144 characters leaves me quoting bumper sticker type wisdom or updates on my latest random thought. Len Sweet is probably my model on how one person can use it effectively and I follow his tweets. I haven’t risen to that level yet but perhaps I talk too much – I need the extra space of facebook and my blog. Your thoughts?
Download the podcast here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Jan 2nd, 2010 by Tom Lyberg
I found this link while researching the backstory of O Little Town of Bethlehem for my weekend sermon on the origin of American Christmas carols. Its from a blog called CrunchyCon that is being shut down on Monday because the author has taken a new job that doesn’t permit partisan publications.
However, his commentary on this very cool video of the vastness of the universe bears repeating going into the new year.
This visual representation illuminates the power of Kierkegaard’s Absolute Paradox (the idea that the infinite could become finite — that the all-powerful and eternal deity could enter temporality as a tiny baby). It is also an illustration of what Mark Shea sees in this holiday celebrating the incarnation of the eternal and infinite God as a poor Jewish child in an insignificant village in a backwater of the Roman Empire.
Kind of puts things into perspective that the things we tend to argue and get hung up on in faith and church really pale when you consider God’s perspective.
Jan 1st, 2010 by Tom Lyberg
Today as I watched football, I completed all the updates and repairs on the blog and the RSS is now working again. If you go to your subscribed podcasts, all the posted podcasts appear. If you go to the Itunes listing for Wired Jesus, the most recent post, a rerun to test the system, now appears.
So, tomorrow morning, the transcript and recording of the long awaited #50, Facebooking Faith, and a working wordpress.
Dec 18th, 2009 by Tom Lyberg
Well, what can I say? The second half of 2009 did not go the way that I expected for Wired Jesus and there were no podcasts, much to your dismay. In the midst of it all, the new versions of Itunes don’t seem to play nice with my version of WordPress and its plugins. So what it boils down to is that I will be taking some vacation time after Christmas to completely update and renovate the whole Wired Jesus web page and possibly have to create a second rss feed to get Itunes working again.
So, my new year’s resolution – a working web page, new content from some of the Wired Jesus on the Road consultations from the past year, and yes, finally, podcasts. My pastors and wife agree – Wired Jesus is a key part of my creative sanity and I’m grumpy without it.
Here’s to shaking off the dust and a renewed WJP in 2010.
Nov 12th, 2009 by Tom Lyberg
It appears that something happened with the new Itunes store. The feed is still working but for some reason it won’t update the itunes podcast listing. It will show previous podcasts and allow you to download those through the podcast menu.
So, if you resubscribe to the feed, you should get a listing of podcasts 43-49 with GET buttons, as well as any new podcasts, which I am aiming for on Monday.
Hopefully between a wordpress and podpress upgrades, the rest should fall into place. Otherwise, I may have to create a second RSS feed to address the issue.
Nov 4th, 2009 by Tom Lyberg
In the midst of a funeral, community fundraiser, and the general church stuff, I have been able to figure out one thing – Itunes is still talking to Wired Jesus. While my old subscription in Itunes isn’t updating, I resubscribed and all the previous podcasts reappeared in the podcast menu where you can get any single one or get all.
However, it is not repopulating the listing on the Itunes listing page. Review are still there but no podcasts are listed. I’ll try and work on it some more but I may have to create a new rss feed to get Itunes to play nice again.
Frustrating. I’d rather spend time on a podcast but no sense in that if its not going to get out.
Nov 2nd, 2009 by Tom Lyberg
I’m at a loss as to what has happened. The rss feed is working fine, its just itunes. Arrgh.