The Pursuit of...Nothing Worth Pursuing?

Summer has started, and I'm not pursuing much of anything.

Last summer I pursued relationships with friends, family and perfect strangers all over the globe. And this summer I'm staying in Springfield, Missouri working at a preschool 30 hours a week.

I'm not pursuing anything of consequence. Except money to pay for rent. But I feel better about life than I have in a long, long time. Maybe this extended sabbath is exactly what God knew I needed.

It's too bad I can't think about anything but Africa.

After the Last Tear Falls

After the last tear falls
After the last secret's told
After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone
After the last child starves
And the last girl walks the boulevard
After the last year that's just too hard

There is love
Love, love, love
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

After the last disgrace
After the last lie to save some face
After the last brutal jab from a poison tongue
After the last dirty politician
After the last meal down at the mission
After the last lonely night in prison

There is love
Love, love, love
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last plan fails
After the last siren wails
After the last young husband sails off to join the war
After the last "this marriage is over"
After the last young girl's innocence is stolen
After the last years of silence that won't let a heart open

There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last tear falls
There is love

-waterdeep

Augustana

Augustana is one of my top 3 bands of all time. I went to their FREE concert at MSU on Wednesday (Free? What were they thinking?! This band is too good for "free"!!) and I was in the fifth row. I was also more than a little excited that my friends' band opened for them. (Check out Cloud City, they rock.)

After the band left the stage, the audience went crazy for an encore and in order to avoid being attacked by a mob, the band obliged. The main singer, Dan, took hold of the microphone, lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and said:

"I grew up with my parents telling me there was only one way to Heaven. Then I did some stuff I knew Jesus would never forgive me for. Then I met this girl who told me all that stuff about Jesus Christ was sh**. She said she would forgive me because Jesus wouldn't. And I married her, and she's loved me no matter what I've done, more than Jesus ever could."

I was glad to hear only a few audience members cheering him on. But what I wrote above is almost word for word what he said; that's how uncomfortable and sad it made me feel. I wish he could believe Jesus would forgive him.

He went on to play a song containing the lyrics Cause I believed in the Lord/ but He don't show up anymore.

I was talking to my friend Jill after the concert. The drummer of Augustana, Justin, asked me what the good bars were in town, and Jill and I realized that maybe if we went and hung out with them that night, we could maybe have a legit conversation about Jesus.

We didn't go. Sort of because we (at least me; I can't speak for Jill) were too unsure of what we would say. I also didn't go for selfish reasons, too--I had a six page research paper to write.

We got to talking about why Christians are so shy to share Jesus' love. But people who are against religion have no problem proclaiming their beliefs. Why? We're not ashamed. At least I don't think so. Maybe we don't want to start controversy. Maybe we don't think we know the words to say. But I hate to admit it...if I was Jesus, I probably would have gone and had a beer with Augustana and told them about how much I love God.