"Barton Hollow" | The Civil Wars | OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO | [HD]

Kanye West - POWER

Robert Plant & The Band Of Joy "Rock & Roll" (Led Zeppelin Cover)

encourage one another daily?

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
~ Hebrews 3:12-14
NIV

I've returned to this passage time and time again while living in a culture, 21st century America, where folks often are "bowling alone" as Robert Putnam put it in his important sociological study.  Are  Facebook or other social networking sites one way in which Christians can "encourage one another daily"?  Perhaps.  But surely this is not enough!  Where is the dynamic, deep face to face fellowship and resultant joy which one can see in Acts 2 and during many other times of Church History?
I see encouraging signs of deep community or deep church (as Jim Belcher calls it) among the Amish (for all their faults and fundamental problems related to understanding culture properly) and the "new monastics".

I do give thanks for the small ways in which I've experienced this with my 'nuclear' family, a weekly men's group and with some other friends.   I submit that Facebook and other sites can be a tool to enhance what should already be there with respect to friendships & community (but often is not).

Links to Common Worship - Morning Prayer

Yesterday
http://daily.commonworship.com/daily.cgi?yesterday_mp=1
Today
http://daily.commonworship.com/daily.cgi?today_mp=1
Tomorrow
http://daily.commonworship.com/daily.cgi?tomorrow_mp=1

"Daily Prayer provided by the official Church of England web site, © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2002-2004." and is linked to "http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/dailyprayer/".

Concrete Girl

from their first album:  Legend of Chin - my latest fav by them along with Love is the Movement from their 3rd album, Learning to Breathe

Bleeding thoughts
Cracking boulder
Don't fall over
Fake your laughter
Burn the tear
Sing it louder,
Twist and shout

Way up here
We stand on shoulders
Growing colder
Laugh or cry
I won't mind
Sing it louder,
Twist and shout

Immovable shadows
Concrete girl
They'll rock your world
To nothing
And they're swimming
Around again, again
And they're swimming
Around the concrete girl

Catch your breath
Like four leaf clover
Hand it over

Scream to no one
Take your time
Sing it louder,
Twist and shout

Nothing to run from
Is worse than something
And all your fears
Of nothing
And they're swimming
Around again, again
And they're swimming
Around the concrete girl

Concrete girl don't
Fall down
In this broken world
Around you
Concrete girl don't
Fall down
Don't fall down
My concrete girl

Don't stop thinking
Don't stop feeling

One step away
From where we were
And one step back
To nothing
And we're standing on top
Of our hopes and fears
And we're fighting
For words
Now concrete girl
And we're swimming
Around again, again
And we're swimming
Around now
Concrete girl

Written by Jonathan Foreman / ©1997 Meadowgreen Music / Sugar Pete Songs / ASCAP All rights reserved.

The Second Station hits home

The Second Station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross
(John 19:17)
Lord Jesus Christ, our Teacher on the Way, sometimes your call upon our life seems like
more than we can bear. We are tempted to shrink from the challenges and hardships of
our path. We wonder if we can make it all the way up the hill. Lord Jesus Christ, you
carried your own cross with strength and perseverance and were undeterred by those
who demeaned you along the way. As we walk this way together, show me what is my
cross to carry, my burden to bear, and teach me how to shoulder it well. Today is the day
for me to learn more of what it means for me to take up my cross and follow you.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.