This never gets old for me:

The other day I found this touching piece, by composer Morten Lauridsen. O magnum mysteriumet admirabile sacramentum,ut animalia viderentDominum natum, jacentem in præsepio. Beata virgo, cujus viscerameruerunt portareDominum Christum, Alleluia! Translation: O great mysteryand wondrous sacrament,that animals should seethe newborn Lord lying in their manger. Blessed is the Virginwhose womb was worthyto bear the Lord … Continue reading O Magnum Mysterium – O Great Mystery

I have written before about my friend Tony. I came across the video below several days ago. As it turns out, Tony translated the lyrics into Latin of this piece for the composer.To me, this is the perfect piece for the Advent time of waiting.Lux, (Light) calida gravisque (warm and heavy) pura velut aurum (pure … Continue reading Advent and Lux Aurumque

My good friend KC found this video on the web the other day. "In the Bleak Midwinter" is one of my favorite Christmas choral pieces, and this simple arrangement is wonderful. Advent is upon us, even in unlikely places, like coffee houses. I had never heard of Corrine May before. Check her out.KC and I … Continue reading Coffee House Advent – Corrine May

From the Los Angeles Times today:One day after an F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet fell from the sky and crashed into his two-story house in San Diego's University City neighborhood, Dong Yun Yoon returned to a home and life in ruins.Rescue workers sifting through the debris on Cather Avenue had found the bodies of his wife, … Continue reading Tragic Loss and Forgiveness

What else would make perfectly normal college people and grown-ups wear metal bowls on their heads, associate with a poorly dressed Santa impersonator from the hood, stuff their mouths with Tootsie Pops, and try to guess Christmas tunes?What else would get the cops called to our house (including police copter fly over!) at 8:30 PM … Continue reading YL Christmas 2008

For those of you unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Presbyterian Church, I have secured video footage of a "Session" (church leadership) meeting in a typical church in this denomination. No further narrative is necessary. You may thank me later.

Suddenly, and seemingly without warning, it is upon us, whether we are ready or not. I am not. It is Advent. To me, this means so many things. I still remember the period of waiting, of wondering, as both of our girls came into the world. And then they came, all wet, and noisy, and … Continue reading Advent Sublime

At left, Scott & Kathy Erdman, myself, and Jance Erdman, circa 1964.I moved in across the street from the Erdman family when I was just five years old. Ours was a family of three; I was an only child of a second marriage. This was Arcadia, California in 1963.The first family to welcome us to … Continue reading Remembering Richard Erdman