The News from Lake Woebegon podcast review

Garrison Keillor spins a tale each week about a fictional small town in Minnesota as part of his show “A Prairie Home Companion”.  The full show is on public radio Saturday nights from 5 to 7 PM.  The News from Lake Woebegon is usually in the second half of the program and can last from 8 to 15 minutes.  Garrison will start in one place, describing someones activities or thoughts and will end up in an entirely different place describing another event by the end of the segment.  Sometimes he speaks about the church pastor or parishioners, sometimes teenagers or teachers, sometimes husband and wives, sometimes grumpy old men or dissatisfied women.  His topics are church socials, finding and falling in love, moving out of a small town, aging parents, gearing up for deer hunting, conversation at the local watering hole, and many others.  He is chronicling life in the United States but doing it in a very artistic way.  He essentially speaks back to us what we are doing and thinking.  Our quirks, contradictions, and ways of life.  Sometimes what he says ends up being a jab, other times it is confirming.  Either way, it is comforting to know that someone is noticing life in small towns.  He does not change his voice to try and mimic other peoples speaking styles.  He pretty much uses his own speaking style.  There isn’t any sound effects or music during this part of the show.  It is almost a sermon of sorts.  The humor is subtle but usually not the laugh out loud sort.  He can bring a slight smile to your face.  He does the news in an effortless way but what he is doing is by no means easy.  I believe he is a national treasure but sadly I would guess that 90% of the United States population has never heard of him or his program although it has been going on for decades.  The News from Lake Woebegon podcast is available for free using the app Stitcher.  I would highly recommend this podcast.

Fire

I enjoy fire and think it is a useful tool.  I like burning twigs, sticks, and wood in our backyards fire pit.  When I am done, the fire has consumed all this material.  What was there, is not there anymore, taking up space and getting in the way.  When I drive around our world, I see large pile of brush that farmers have piled up in the middle of their field.  If I were them, I would burn them up so that the whole field could be accessible   I also see old barns that are not being used.  If I were the property owner, I would call the fire department and ask them to have a practice burn.  I see piles of burnable material in yards and property and think how wonderful it would make the owner feel if they would responsibly burn that stuff up.  I think fire is under used today because people are concerned about global warming (a small fire is not going to add to the over heating of our planet), pollution (a little smoke will get quickly taken away by the wind), or that the fire will get away from there (yes, you need to be careful but containing a fire is very doable).  Let me encourage you to have a small fire to clear out some of your piles of brush and wood.

Believer or Disciple?

We had a challenging message today at The Vine Christian Fellowship.  The question before us was "Believer or Disciple:  can we be one and not the other?"  It was not a feel good and be happy message but the guest pastor delivered it in a manner that was not judgmental or condescending.  I think the church at large needs to hear this sort of message because we are in eternal danger if we get this one wrong.  We are so fuzzy on our theology and so many worldly and unbiblical messages have crept in.  One of which is that we can believe on God and merely give recognition that He exists and somehow that is enough.  No, it isn't.  We are called to believe in Jesus as Lord and that means we surrender to Him.  We do not come to Him to negotiate and attempt to have a little give and take.  We are called to pray "Let Your will be done".  Adding Jesus to our lives like adding a philosophy is not Christianity.  Being a disciple means we are teachable, disciplined and learning.  Any child is pushed to do things for himself and that includes feeding himself.  As a child of God we are suppose to feed ourselves.  We need to be in the Word throughout the week between services.  Sundays should be like desert.  Filling and sweet to be sure but it should be on top of what we have fed on during the week.  

Here is how we can be His disciples.  1.  Keep yourself in the love of Jesus and stay there.  2.  Serve God (and yes it can be work and inconvenient).  3.  Know who you are.  4.  Remember what is important (your soul and the souls of those people around you).  

Collect a new radio station

When I travel, I like to tune into local radio.  I enjoy finding a slightly different spin on the usual music I like.  Getting local talent and local advertisements is also interesting.  It can help to widen my understanding and it broadens my knowledge of what is going on.  When I get home, I will find the station in my "TuneIn Radio" app on my iPod Touch and mark it as a favorite.  Then I will listen to this station at home and it reminds me of the place I visited.  I will think of the terrain, the smells, and what I was doing there.  Here are some examples.  I found Beach 92.7 FM when visiting Florida.  I found Love 105 FM when driving around Minneapolis.  I found Rewind 100.3 FM when I was in Chicago.  When I was in Door County, I found The Lodge 106.9 FM.  When I drive through Madison, I will sometimes tune into Life 102.5 FM.  These are great stations not on the air in my area.  However, with the "TuneIn Radio" app and wi-fi, I am able to listen to stations that otherwise I would have only been able to listen to if I was physically present where they broadcast.  Try this out.  I think it is more enjoyable to bring home a new radio station than a tourist souvenir.

Let the fans rush the field

I love seeing the fans pour down out of the stands onto the field in jubilation.  The home team has won, the arch rival has been defeated, and there is not time remaining.  The goal post is climbed and eventually it tumbles.  People are all smiles and want to do something.  The heck with the grass and safety, let the fans fun onto the field to celebrate a big moment.  Why do we have to keep the fans so separate from the players that they love?  Why care more about the one fan who falls during the mad dash than the thousands who want to express their heart?  There are so many rules today that people are not allowed to do much at all.  This saddens me.  I secretly am delighted when security is over run and the enthusiastic band of hoodlums gets loose and onto the field.