a yet more glorious day

I've had some blessed conversations, both public and private, over the past few weeks, and I need to be a bit more disciplined about writing things down. It's a busy season, despite the 90+ degree July heat, and the words of "For All the Saints" have been a continual encouragement. A couple verses that seem appropriate for summer's fits and starts:

The golden evening
brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful
warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm
of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Allelu... 

But lo! There breaks
a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant
rise in bright array;
The King of glory
passes on his way,
Alleluia, Allelu...

This hymn reminds me of the powerful imagery in Over the Rhine's "The Trumpet Child" (lyrics below) and the complete totality of the eschaton. Our pastor has been preaching in Romans and encouraging us to remember that "the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Our adoption as sons means the "redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:18-25). Amen.

The Trumpet Child

The trumpet child will blow his horn
Will blast the sky till it’s reborn
With Gabriel’s power and Satchmo’s grace
He will surprise the human race

The trumpet he will use to blow
Is being fashioned out of fire
The mouthpiece is a glowing coal
The bell a burst of wild desire

The trumpet child will riff on love
Thelonious notes from up above
He’ll improvise a kingdom come
Accompanied by a different drum

The trumpet child will banquet here
Until the lost are truly found
A thousand days, a thousand years
Nobody knows for sure how long

The rich forget about their gold
The meek and mild are strangely bold
A lion lies beside a lamb
And licks a murderer’s outstretched hand

The trumpet child will lift a glass
His bride now leaning in at last
His final aim to fill with joy
The earth that man all but destroyed

subcultures

Last weekend a Mormon couple we know through work joined us for dinner. They walked over (with their two-year-old) from their apartment down the street. We grilled sausages and burgers and they brought cream soda (no caffeine).

We had a really interesting discussion about college subcultures, comparing our experiences from BYU and Wheaton. Young evangelicals love to make fun of how we/they get married “right out of college!” But we’ve got nothing on the Mormons. They often meet, date, and get married before graduating—we heard about one girl who went from a casual date to a wedding in six months. “What about the wedding planning?” I protested. “Weddings aren’t big productions for Mormons,” our dinner guest replied. Of course. We went on to discuss alcohol, travel (read: missions), and our churches. I really appreciated the candor of the conversation, the camaraderie of comparison.

bounty

A friend volunteered to negotiate with scratchy leaves for the first big squash and zucchini harvest! We'll try to get them smaller next time ...

A yellow squash plays hide-and-seek.

The first cucumber sighting!

Tomatoes are around the corner ...