Sailing the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal
The Pentecostal and Charismatic world has been atwitter (a phrase with new meaning these days) about the conversion of Ulf Ekman, Sweden's foremost Charismatic pastor, to Roman Catholicism. My friend Dale Coulter has a more "respectable" take on this, and he's right: it's easier to make the Tiber swim from a Full Gospel start than …
Continue reading "From One Who's Been There: My Thoughts on Ulf Ekman's Conversion to Catholicism"
One trait that's deeply cultivated in this country--to a fault, really--is perseverance. How many times have we heard that "winners never quit and quitters never win"? How many times have we heard stories about people who have "pursued their dream" often a great cost (to someone) and accomplished what they set out to do. Isn't …
Continue reading "The Real Enemies of Perseverance–and Success"
This Cincinnati, OH, based group put out two very nice folk-rock albums. There is a mixture of original compositions and covers, some of which (well, one of which) you wouldn't expect on a non-Catholic album. The group does well in different styles and these albums are very good as a result. More information about the …
Continue reading "Rising Hope: Farewell to the Shadowlands and Where the Songs Come From"
It's always interesting to follow the various artists that grace this blog. One of them, Ian Mitchell of American Folk Mass fame, was featured a little while ago when I discovered that the L.A. Times reported on Halloween 1985 that he had been given the boot at St. Athanasius Episcopal Church. That took place because …
Continue reading "Out of the Frying Pan Into the Fire: Ian Mitchell Was Replaced by Jon Bruno"
Oblate OBLP 1001 (1981) Followers of this blog know that, if an album combines "Texas" and "Catholic," I'm generally interested. This album, which is a little later than most of the albums on this site, goes against the grain of where Christian music was going in the early 1980's (and that's also somewhat true of …
Century 30441 1968 One of those early, pre-NOM works, it was led by Rev. Nicholas Freund. The best way to describe this album is "eclectic." It has some of the "space age" effects of Leo Nestor's Sons of the Morning, but doesn't venture into the refined realms of that work. It explores the combination of …
We're starting yet again another Lenten season. The streets of New Orléans (and doubtless other cities which go out for Mardi Gras and Carnival in a big way) are full of trash but quiet. If you're not Roman Catholic and on fast and abstinence, it's a great time to eat in the French Quarter. But …
Continue reading "Broken Windows and Spiritual Warfare: An Ash Wednesday Reflection"
Crimea is back in the news; the Russians have basically taken the place over again and the Ukrainians--along with their friends in the West--aren't sure what to do. There's a lot of bluster out there; comparisons to the Sudetenland and even the Rhineland abound, the Cold War is being reignited by the neocons, etc. Barack …
Continue reading "Crimea, the Place Where the West Goes Nuts"
I spend a great deal of time on the Anglican/Episcopal world, to the extent that I'm listed in Anglican blogs such as StandFirm, Anglican Curmudgeon, and Locusts and Wild Honey (and for these listings I am grateful, their links are in the blogroll). Evidently the Roman Catholics are starting to find a kindred spirit, as …
Continue reading "Maybe I'm in the Catholic Blogosphere Too"
One of the more interesting albums I posted (or more accurately reposted) is Ian Mitchell's American Folk Song Mass. At the time he was living in Chicago. Listening to the album, it doesn't take a genius to figure out which side of the political spectrum Mitchell was coming from. But I've always taken an open …
Continue reading "Rev. Ian Mitchell: What a Difference Thirty Years Make"
