Fuller, Midnight Special, and Advent

Well, we're adding another application to the list: Fuller, you too will have the opportunity to read some first-class 500-word essays brought to you by David D. Bjorlin and the letter "J," which gives my name so much of its unspoken character. This is the first application with a spiritual autobiography essay - 500 words or less, which is a bit less than St. Augustine got in Confessions (I think he originally published with Zondervan?). Granted, I'm a bit less than Augustine. Still, it's hard to sum up that much in that little space.

I can't tell you how much I love Midnight Special. It's a radio show (speaking of which, I'm not sure if you italicize radio shows or go with quotation marks, but I decided not to look it up) on WFMT (98.7 in Chicago) on Saturday nights from 9 p.m. -12 (I realize you have to be quite a socialite with lots of free time on Saturday night to truly enjoy it) that plays exclusively folk music with some show tunes and comedy sketches thrown in the mix. I first discovered it when I was in undergrad on a late night run during winter. It was a magical moment when I first heard its dulcet tones that seemed to fit perfectly with the falling snow and possibly my melancholy mood that probably motivated a Saturday night run in the middle of winter (wow...poorly constructed sentence). I spent the rest of the evening lying on my living room floor listening. I have been in love ever since and always enjoy when I am home on Saturday nights and can tune in. If you're driving on a Saturday night and want to hear folk music, like folk folk music, check it out.

Does it show too sharp of divide between sacred and secular that I will start listening to Christmas music now but refuse to play any in the church during Advent? I mean, I'm not budging on the second part, but I wonder if I should attempt next year to go on an Advent Christmas music fast as a spiritual discipline to engender the anticipation and waiting aspects of the season. I don't know if I can listen to "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," and "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" enough to compensate for what I would be listening, but maybe that's the point.

Speaking of Advent, only 13 more days! Yesterday at church I got really excited thinking about planning a Christ the King service followed by four solid weeks of Advent morning and evening services. Planning liturgies during these more defined seasons is really when I feel in my element or working in my wheelhouse or whatever other cliche/aphorism you would like to insert. I will soon be sending out the annual emails to recruit people for the mini-choir to sing "Wait for the Lord" during communion. What I do not enjoy is the version of "Wait for the Lord" I have, which includes this really obnoxious soprano sax playing over the thing Kenny G -style. It just doesn't seem to fit the taize spirit; it fits more the riding-in-a-glass-elevator-at-Macy's spirit.

Well, Monday calls.