"This video celebrates the members, past and present, of the UCC. The song was written and performed by Lost and Found (http://www.speedwood.com/) and the pictures are a mixture of historical images and photos of Eden Theological Seminary students and professors, UCC ministers, members and friends...."

Just heard this Tracy Chapman song and loved it...

Mary Travers Of Peter, Paul And Mary Dies

Her voice was an accompaniment to the black-and-white images of the freedom marchers who walked the roads of Alabama and Mississippi and the boulevards of Washington in quest of an end to racial discrimination.

Rosa Parks, the woman who started the boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Ala., was once asked which songs meant the most to her. She replied, “All of the songs Odetta sings.”

Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77

From The Washington Post:

BAGHDAD, Aug. 7 -- Iraq's political crisis deepened Monday as five more ministers withdrew from cabinet meetings, delivering a major blow to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's fractured unity government and efforts to reconcile Iraq's warring parties.

Hours earlier, a truck bomb in a Shiite village near the northern city of Tall Afar killed 31 people and wounded scores more, striking an area that was once hailed by President Bush and U.S. military commanders as an oasis of stability, following U.S. operations against insurgents there. Six children were among the dead, police said.

The U.S. military also announced the deaths of nine American soldiers, including four killed in an explosion Monday in volatile Diyala province, where U.S. forces are engaged in a major offensive against Sunni insurgents. The blast injured 12 other U.S. soldiers, the military said in a statement.

One soldier was killed by a sophisticated roadside bomb in west Baghdad on Monday, and another was killed during combat in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, the military said. Three soldiers were killed Saturday when a roadside bomb struck their convoy south of Baghdad, the military announced Tuesday.

Bring Them Home!

United Church of Christ Action Alert: Sign the Petition to End the Iraq War

Our church has two baptisms this Sunday and two new members joining.  I'm busy in the office trying to finish up everything for the worship service, studying up a little more on Paul (because we've been talking about him in our current adult education class), and trying to put out fires here and there.  Keeping me company is John Lennon.  Check out this important message from Amnesty International and then go download the album.  I did.  It is for a good cause and the music is, well, just what you would expect:  terrific. 

iTunes release Make Some Noise album

Some of the biggest names in music have come together to raise money for Amnesty International (AI) and awareness of the organisation's work -- especially on the current human rights crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.

An array of over 30 stars from across the globe -- including U2, Avril Lavigne, R.E.M, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Green Day, The Cure, Snow Patrol and Youssou N'Dour -- have recorded exclusive versions of iconic songs from the John Lennon back catalogue.

Yoko Ono has generously donated all music publishing royalties to the cause. Speaking about the Make Some Noise campaign, she said:

It's wonderful that, through this campaign, music which is so familiar to many people of my era will now be embraced by a whole new generation. John's music set out to inspire change and, in standing up for human rights, we really can make the world a better place.

Irene Khan, Secretary General of AI, said:

We're thrilled to be using John Lennon's songs in our human rights work. We hope this music will bring an awareness of human rights to a new generation. After all, human rights are what make music possible -- we wouldn't be able to create music, listen to it or dance to it without freedom of speech, expression, and association.

All 38 tracks will be available through the iTunes music store on Tuesday 12 June (with at least 97% of proceeds going to AI), while the 24-track double CD album will be released later in June on Warner Bros. Records.

AI has also launched a global petition on Darfur to coincide with the digital album. The petition calls on the Sudanese government to allow for a joint African Union and United Nations peacekeeping force to be deployed to the crisis-hit region. It also urges the Khartoum authorities to halt indiscriminate attacks against civilians, disarm a regional militia (the Janjawid) and enforce an arms embargo.

You can download the album and access the petition at: www.amnesty.org/noise

Make Some Noise: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur Track List

Disc 1
1. U2 – Instant Karma
2. R.E.M – #9 Dream
3. Christina Aguilera – Mother
4. Aerosmith ft. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – Give Peace A Chance
5. Lenny Kravitz – Cold Turkey
6. The Cure – Love
7. Corinne Bailey Rae – I’m Losing You
8. Jakob Dylan ft Dhani Harrison – Gimme Some Truth
9. Jackson Browne – Oh My Love
10. The Raveonettes – One Day At A Time
11. Avril Lavigne – Imagine
12. Big & Rich – Nobody Told Me
13. Eskimo Joe – Mind Games
14. Youssou N’Dour – Jealous Guy

Disc 2
1. Green Day – Working Class Hero
2. Black Eyed Peas – Power To The People
3. Jack Johnson – Imagine
4. Ben Harper – Beautiful Boy
5. Snow Patrol – Isolation
6. Matisyahu – Watching The Wheels
7. The Postal Service – Grow Old With Me
8. Jaguares – Gimme Some Truth
9. The Flaming Lips - (Just Like) Starting Over
10. Jack’s Mannequin ft. Mick Fleetwood – God
11. Duran Duran – Instant Karma
12. a-ha – #9 Dream
13. Tokio Hotel – Instant Karma
14. Regina Spektor – Real Love

Additional tracks available exclusively via iTunes
Gavin Rossdale – Mind Games
The Deftones – Jealous Guy
Ben Jelen – Woman
Meshell Ndegeocello – Imagine
Rocky Dawuni – Well Well Well
OAR – Borrowed Time
Widespread Panic – Crippled Inside
Emmanuel Jal – Mother
Fab Faux – I Don’t Wanna Face It
Yellowcard – Oh My Love   

There are three kinds of patriots, two bad, one good.  The bad ones are the uncritical lovers and the loveless critics.  Good patriots carry on a lover's quarrel with their country, a reflection of God's lover's quarrel with all the world.- The Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr.

You might not think of this urban blue state guy as a country music fan but I've always been one.  Lyle Lovett is without question my favorite contemporary singer and on my IPod you'll find such country artists as Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rick, and even the great Dolly Parton.

This week the Dixie Chicks are on the cover of TIME magazine - and not for their musical talent.  TIME labels the Nashville trio as the "Radical Chicks" because of the controversy which has followed them since the outbreak of the Iraq War when singer Natalie Maines and her band mates criticized George W. Bush for pursuing an unjustified military conflict.

Country radio stations - showing their support for First Amendment rights and the great American tradition of dissent - banned their records, the band received death threats, and some stations even had public burnings of their records. 

Now the Dixie Chicks are out with a new album and a hit single (at least where you can hear it) called Not Ready To Make Nice (if you cannot hear it on the radio you can at least download it on ITunes - or even hear it for free on their website... but you should buy it to show some support).

TIME reports that the Dixie Chicks have faced financial losses since coming out against the war and their new single speaks of some of the difficulties they have faced.

But is this group of moms radical?  30% or less of the American people now support the president.  When the Dixie Chicks first went public with their views the numbers were much higher.  The band clearly took a risk when they first became vocal. 

Sadly, their music is still banned by many radio stations and their new single is drawing some fire from those on the right.  A lot of conservatives like their women quiet and the Dixie Chicks are outspoken. 

It is simply not appropriate to ban musicians based on their politics from the airways.  Lyle Lovett (greatest singer of all time) performed at one of the Bush inaugural events and I didn't go out and burn his records (or send him death threats).   

If these singers can be labeled "radical" it speaks more about America than it does about the Dixie Chicks.  Not only were they right about the Iraq War - and the president - they were patriotic in speaking up when so many were silent.    

We made a short trip up to Seattle this weekend to visit our friends Shannon and Myles and to spend time with Chalmers and Carolyn, Liz’s dad and step-mother. Carolyn and Chalmers were in town to visit Stephen, Carolyn’s son, who so happened to be performing this weekend in the Tacoma Opera’s production of La Bohème, by Giacomo Puccini.

The News Tribune said on Saturday:

Rumph offered the audience a thoughtful Rodolfo, innocent and rather sweet, with a confident, warm tenor that used superb control to great emotional effect, particularly in the signature "Che gelida manina."

We were not surprised to see Stephen draw such high praise. He is a talented singer.

This was a much nicer Seattle experience for me than the time the mayor ordered his police to shoot rubber bullets and lobe tear gas into the crowd in which I was standing during a 1999 Seattle protest against the WTO. It has taken some time for me to want to visit Seattle again.

The air was much fresher on this occasion.

Additional photos will be made available later on our family site.

Three Sumach-Red Dogs I Run With is Kent Gustavson's blog.  Kent is a musical artist that you might have heard before on NPR.  He writes: "I'm a composer and a musician. I'm a wanderer and a tradesman. I believe in social justice. I sit on the porch even when it snows. These are the drippings of my tongue."  And now I'm a fan.  Check out his site and buy a couple of his albums.

Tune: AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D ("The Church's One Foundation")
Version of hymn with music, from the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship

A Hymn/Prayer Before Election Day

In times of great decision, Be with us, God, we pray
Give each of us a vision Of Jesus' loving way.
When louder words seem endless And other voices sure,
Remind us of your promise: Your love and truth endure.

O God, whose gifts are countless, You send us bearing peace.
You fill our dreams with justice For all communities.
You give us global neighbors That all may justly live.
May those we choose as leaders Reflect the life you give.

O God, you bridged the distance; You opened wide your door.
You call us by our presence To reach to serve the poor.
You teach us: Welcome strangers Seek justice on the earth
May those we choose as leaders See every person's worth.

You call on every nation To put aside all greed,
To care for your creation And for your ones in need,
To care for those in prison, For children, for the ill.
In times of great decision, may we choose leaders well.

Tune: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864.
Alternate Tune: LLANGLOFFAN ("O God ov Every Nation"). Welsh folk melody.
Text: Copyright © 2004 Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved. [email protected]

Hymn Note: "In Times of Great Decision" was inspired by "Christian Principles in an Election Year" by the National Council of Churches USA: http://www.ncccusa.org/electionyearprinciplesguide.pdf Carolyn Winfrey Gillette is co- pastor of the Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware and author of Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship (Geneva Press, 2000). A complete list of her hymns, including for the lectionary year, can be found at http://firstpresby.org/hymnlist.htm

Permission for free one-time use is given for a congregational or ecumenical community service. The above copyright and contact information shall be included when reproducing this hymn in worship bulletins. Thank you. People who want to make a donation for using the hymn may do so online to NCC or Church World Service to support their important work. Please share this hymn (with the above copyright and contact information) with other pastors, church musicians and friends in your community and online. Thank you.

A few fans of Christian signer Steven Curtis Chapman are mad about a post on my blog. Check out their discussion board.

Still the best band ever.

As a Beatles fan, I can't wait.

When the Beatles recorded "Let It Be," their intention was to get back to being "a pretty good rock 'n' roll band" - to playing live and recording together the way they did when they started out.

"Get Back" was the original title of that album, released one month after their breakup. Now, 33 years later, they really are getting back. On Tuesday, America will hear that album as the band originally intended, without any of the schmaltzy strings, choral fills, or other special effects added later by famed "Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector. They're calling the stripped-down version "Let It Be ... Naked."

Read the full story.