“A hidden fire burns perpetually upon the hearth of the world…. In autumn this great conflagration becomes especially manifest. Then the flame that is slowly and mysteriously consuming every green thing bursts into vivid radiance. Every blade of grass and every leaf in the woodlands is cast into the great oven of Nature; and the bright colours of their fading are literally the flames of their consuming. The golden harvest-fields are glowing in the heart of the furnace…. By this autumn fire God every year purges the floor of nature. All effete substances that have served their purpose in the old form are burnt up. Everywhere God makes sweet and clean the earth with fire.”
“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
In the Greek Pantheon, there are some names that command attention. After all, they are deities, so it is natural to notice them. I was a lover of Greek Mythology as a child. I sat and read D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by the hour. The illustrations were exquisite, and the stories fascinating. I was later to learn that I was not alone in my fondness for these stories, I found that much of our culture references the stories of Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, and Athena. I found that my knowledge of Icarus, the Minotaur and Hercules was to greatly impact my ability to understand a huge portion of Western literature, and that such literacy gave me the privilege of attaining at least a semi-classical education. I have been able to fake the rest with the help of Looney Tunes Opera parodies and a musical Hamlet on Gilligan’s Island. So now you know the truth…..
“At one time I thought the most important thing was talent. I think now that the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, training himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance–that is to throw away anything that is false no matter how much he might love that page or that paragraph. The most important thing is insight, that is to be–curiosity–to wonder, to mull, and to muse why it is that man does what he does, and if you have that, then I don’t think the talent makes much difference, whether you’ve got it or not.”
I’ve been playing the guitar for thirty-six years now. I started as a twelve year old in 1976, pulled into the music world by the incredible coolness of watching friends play “Smoke On The Water,” “Dream On” and “Time In A Bottle.”
I started studying under a fine guitarist named Don. Don had the good sense to teach me how to read music. He had a fine ear as well. And so, along with learning the rudiments of guitar and music, he taught me the music of my heroes. Led Zeppelin. Jimi Hendrix. Yes. The Allman Brothers. It was an exciting time to learn.
Very early on, Don kept telling me about an amazing guitarist named Phil Keaggy. I didn’t know who Phil Keaggy was. I knew that, like Don, he was a Christian and I had not been exposed to the Jesus Music of the 1970’s. Was I in for a surprise.
I left my lessons in the late 1970’s carrying home records of all my favorites and recordings of Phil Keaggy as well. I was stunned. This gifted guitarist could play lead guitar and fingerstyle equally well. He played incredibly fast, something that got my attention in the days where Eddie Van Halen was breaking in and breaking speed records on six strings.
Like Phil and Don, I eventually became a born again Christian and Phil’s music occupied a big part of my life and repertoire. My favorite album of Phil’s, to this very day, is The Master and the Musician. It is an instrumental album trading in all different genres for the guitar. Classical. Folk. Jazz. Rock. Fingerstyle. It has it all.
Phil has made a career of uniquely overdubbing multiple guitar parts when recording, creating rich textures of sound. It opened a new world for me and taught me to listen more carefully to music. Not just the melodies and tunes, but to the architecture. In that way, he carries on very much in the tradition of Jimmy Page, who also specialized in multi-layering of guitar parts.
Here are some other unique Phil facts:
Phil is missing the middle finger of his right hand. He lost it in an accident at his family farm when just a wee lad of four. This makes his fingerstyle work all the more stunning.
Phil is highly in demand as a studio musician but does not read a note of music.
Phil is about five feet, five inches tall. And yet he casts a large shadow in the world of the guitar.
For acoustic guitars, Phil favors handmade instruments from luthier James Olson. In his earlier years, he played a handmade Mark Evan Whitebook. The sounds of these instruments are stunningly rich and full.
For his electric work, he favors his sunburst Gibson Les Paul. His 1971 flame top Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, which he used in his band Glass Harp, now rests in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Phil lives in Nashville TN but is a native of Ohio. For about five years in the 1970’s, he lived near Ithaca NY—close to my home—and friends of mine were instrumental in bringing him to upstate New York.
Buy Phil’s albums. The Master and the Musician is a fine place to get acquainted with this remarkable musician. You’ll be glad you made the effort.
…In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work … For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the L-RD. -Leviticus 16:29-30
Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.
The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.
As I noted in Days of Awe, Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one’s body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.
As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a physician and a rabbi for advice.
Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 AM) and continue until about 3 PM. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar. See Rosh Hashanah for more about the shofar and its characteristic blasts.
It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Is. 1:18). Some people wear a kittel, the white robe in which the dead are buried.
It was martyred missionary Jim Elliot who once said, “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” If ever there was a human being passionate about living, it was Jim.
We live in an age that is largely characterized by passivity, especially in males. But passivity is a narcotic none of us can afford to indulge. The temptation to coast and exert as little effort as possible affects us all. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Lately I’ve been taking steps to slay the passivity dragon. And it has been refreshing to say the least. Taking initiative, grabbing life by the horns is a mark of leadership. In fact, it is one of the hallmarks of really being alive.
I have the guys in mind as I write this though it’s no less true for the fairer sex. Here are some of the benefits of full engagement with life:
Those who look to you for leadership, especially your woman, tend to respond much more favorably. Passivity is a huge turn-off. Corollary is that taking the wheel and taking charge where you’re called to heats things up.
Full engagement gives you a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence which can be acquired in few other ways.
You have the benefit of actually doing something to make life better for others as you lock in.
You will learn things about whatever area you are pursuing that will evade you if you are only half-hearted in your pursuit. As my friend Tom likes to say, “If you love something, it will show you its secrets.” I’ve learned this especially as I hone my musical skills.
Okay—try this in a sustained way. Use laser-like focus on the key areas of your life. And just watch what happens!
I had an interesting discussion with a friend this afternoon. He is trained and makes his living in the biological sciences. We discussed a variety of topics related to his discipline—Charles Darwin, natural selection, evolution, Intelligent Design and the book of Genesis.
I told him that one of the things that bothers me—a pet peeve, to be honest—is the way in which people comment upon and dismiss out of hand concepts about which they know little or nothing. Most of the people I know who eschew anything remotely connected to Charles Darwin and evolution have probably never read On The Origin of Species. If you mentioned the word “beagle” to them in context of a discussion about Darwin, they’d think you were talking about a dog rather than a ship.
Disclaimer: I’ve never read On The Origin of Species, though I’d like to in order to hear Darwin on his own merits. And for my purposes here, I’m not even discussing my own personal beliefs about how the universe came to be.
What I’m after is giving people a fair hearing on every matter rather than going on hearsay. This leads to libel, slander and all sorts of misunderstanding. And it gives ignorance a platform it doesn’t deserve.
When I attended seminary years ago, one of the strengths of the program in which I was enrolled was its insistence on reading primary sources. In other words, we got our information from the horse’s mouth, rather than from those who kept—or thought they kept—the horses. For example, we didn’t read an analysis about Clement of Alexandria; we read Clement of Alexandria. You encounter trouble rapidly when you get your information second-, third-, or fourth-hand.
So……..
How much do you know about President Barack Obama or Governor Mitt Romney from a) their own writings, b) their public lives and service, c) their respective voting and executive records, and d) their tax returns? You get this from going to the source. And that source is their own lives, their tax returns, public records and writings, not necessarily mainstream media.
Where, in the Scriptures, is the verse “God helps those who help themselves?”
What did C.S. Lewis and Martin Luther believe about the Virgin Mary, the Lord’s Supper and the communion of the saints? (You will be surprised!)
These are some teasers. You can find your own. You must do your homework–you can’t outsmart the work. But whatever you do, have the integrity to get your information first-hand. From the principals themselves, not their defenders or critics.
“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” (William Shakespeare)
Those of you who’ve been regular visitors to The Upside have noticed that my writing this past Summer has been intermittent at best. My wife and I are in a new season of our lives, preparing for moves vocational, geographical and social. We’ve spent the past three months getting our house ready and putting it on the market. Now for a buyer.
Today marks the first day of Fall. The autumnal equinox arrived this morning. It’s a new season in more ways than one. Fall tends to put people into a more academic frame of mind, if you will. Our children return to school and people are often eager to learn and grow as the weather begins to chill and the leaves to turn. It’s always been that way with me.
This afternoon I found myself thinking about what motivates the decisions we make in life. There are numerous perceived and imperceptible influences that guide us in our decisions. Some are healthy. Others are not.
For example, you may have made decisions about where to make your home and your living out of a desire to please others, even those close to you. You may have taken on burdens simply because you were afraid that if you declined—a boundary mechanism—you would lose favor with somebody. And then you live with regret and varied degrees of toxic self-disdain and recrimination.
Some years ago, a pastoral colleague of mine shared something with me over lunch. He told me that the most important book he’d ever read, outside of the Bible, was Boundariesby Henry Cloud and John Townsend. In fact, he refused to marry any couple who came to him for premarital counseling and would not read the book, a requirement for him to solemnize the nuptials. Yes, it’s that important.
Long and short of the message of Boundaries is this: The most important boundary marker you have at your disposal is the word no. You simply have to use it.
Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and a little ornery, but I now realize that the person I have to live with until I die—every waking and unconscious moment—is me. Christian Fahey. And when, to paraphrase Shakespeare, I’m not true to myself…I don’t walk in integrity…I’m not true to my calling, my wiring, my passions for life and vocation, I have to live with me. My conscience. My memories. My misgivings.
All of a sudden, pleasing other people at the expense of doing what I know is right and valid seems hollow indeed. Life’s too short to be somebody else.
So here’s to moving forward, living in such a way that minimizes regrets and self-doubt. Here’s to being true to the God-given vision for yours and my life. Here’s to being true to oneself.
And it will surely follow that we’ll all be more true to others.
This world has always needed leaders. Men and women aware of both the time and need into which they were born and live. The grace to lead well is given to some more than others. Today, in some ways like no other time that has preceded it, the world is looking for leaders. Individuals who will show the way. Who will stand up, even while feeling afraid, and give direction, security, competence and solace.
As I have grown older, I find that I am given strength and grace to lead. I don’t, however, have grace to cower, shrink away, idle away the hours and live for me. My agenda. My plans for a content life without taking those who know me into account. “My World and Welcome to It” is a fine motto for a ‘60’s TV sitcom. But it ill becomes a leader, who is supposed to embody–to one degree or another–selflessness. Sacrifice. It’s not about me. Nor about you.
I’ve been struck over and over again by the children’s movie The Lion King. One scene in particular. Simba, heir to Mufasa and kingship of the Pride Lands, has run away from his home and sphere after the death of his father. Afraid. He takes up a worry-less, footloose-and-fancy-free existence. Hakuna Matata. No worries.
But the call of leadership niggles at him. His father appears to him in a dream and says, “Simba, remember who you are!” Simba is afraid. His dad is dead. His uncle Scar, who killed Mufasa and is now ruling the deteriorating Pride Lands, intimidates him.
With the help of Rafiki, the sage mandrill, Simba gets his mojo back. He is a leader and has royal blood in him. He cannot escape the role of destiny except at the peril of those counting on him.
So he returns to the Pride Lands. There he overthrows the illegitimate ruler, corrupt Uncle Scar. And assumes his rightful throne upon Pride Rock.
People are counting on you. And you have what it takes to bring order, peace, direction and security to those who are watching you. And looking to you. Remember who you are….
“A hidden fire burns perpetually upon the hearth of the world…. In autumn this great conflagration becomes especially manifest. Then the flame that is slowly and mysteriously consuming every green thing bursts into vivid radiance. Every blade of grass and every leaf in the woodlands is cast into the great oven of Nature; and the bright colours of their fading are literally the flames of their consuming. The golden harvest-fields are glowing in the heart of the furnace…. By this autumn fire God every year purges the floor of nature. All effete substances that have served their purpose in the old form are burnt up. Everywhere God makes sweet and clean the earth with fire.”
The Upside 
