The Liars Walk

This morning I woke up and had some song lyrics on my mind. Its about NOT living in response to resurrection. So, here you go.

The Liars Walk
©2010 Ross Christopher Donaldson.

I'm tired of all this talk
I'm tired of the liars walk
I'm sick of acting like something I'm not
I'm tired, so tired of it all

I'm done with slight-of-hand
I'm done being bland
I'm done with half-belief
I'm done, done with it all

I've sold my life for mind
I've told so many lies
I've convinced myself, that's enough
And I'm tired of it all

Church Bell Calls

Yesterday on my way home from the studio, i scribbled these words down as I tried to avoid certain death-behind-the-wheel. Hope you enjoy!

Church Bell Calls

© 2010 Ross Christopher Donaldson.

Verse

They've trained their lives

To be in the cast

To perfect the character's role

They know the lines and staging calls

For the one hour play

Chorus

The church bell calls the actors guild

The theater fills its pews

Week after week a casting calls

And they don't give a damn

Verse

Onto makeup and wardrobe

Our masks are sealed

The lights have all gone down

The theater sits still

'Till the lights come up

And we take our seats

Chorus

The church bell calls the actors guild

The theater fills its pews

Week after week a casting calls

And they don't give a damn

Bridge

Stand and sit

Emotionless

Smile and nod

Its in the script

Memorize and recite

Its just what we do

What we've always done

Chorus

The church bell calls the actors guild

The theater fills its pews

Week after week a casting calls

And they don't give a damn

Book Excerpt #9 (Leading Out of the Gray)

Here's another quick look inside my upcoming book, Outsourcing God. Enjoy!

©2010 Ross Christopher Donaldson.

To those of us that currently call ourselves leaders…here’s permission to not always having the answer. If you don’t feel permission to leave things a bit unhinged and untidy, I’m sorry. It’s the nature of the beast – plus it feels good when we/I have all of the (right) answers. I quickly gain public persona and become the _________ answer man (you fill in the blank).

I tend to believe however, that Christ came to demonstrate a new type of leadership. His new leadership is completely counter-cultural that it leads people to scoff terms like radical, crazy, otherworldly, revolutionary, and un-realistic. But what we know of Christ is that he rarely did things in the assumed way.

When He should have ridden a stallion, He rides the colt of a donkey. When He can raise a legion of furious militant angels, He turns His cheek and remains silent. When He has the power to assemble the most just and righteous government known to man, He instead compels young fisherman to take up His cause. Jesus does little in the likeness of your standard leadership self-help books and gurus, but Jesus taught a better and holy way.

Jesus, our model leader, was asked a slew of questions throughout his three-year ministry, and from the four gospels, he responded over 50 times with questions – not answers. Jesus spoke often through the use of parables: quick, pithy, succinct questions or stories that strengthened the community by fostering deeper thought and conversation. Perhaps our response should be similar...

...It seems like in a world where people gravitate to either black or white; Jesus poses a question to blend the two. We all know our friends that see the world in total black and white. There’s no middle ground. It escapes nothing. Not politics. Not sports. Not foods. Not entertainment. Not religion. And in this world that is painted in stark contrast, Jesus is leading out of the gray.

Resurrection as Insurrection.

Please, please, please, take 10 minutes and watch this provoking video. Its an eloquent and challenging piece. This is Peter Rollins. He's the dude I've written about and went to Chicago last week to see during his pub tour. Enjoy!



-Ross

Baseball + Scott Stapp = perfection

uuummmmmmmm....



i hope that song was greeted by you, the doting listener, with arms wide open.

-Ross

p.s. that is sad, pitiful, and a disgrace to all that is right about music & art

.eucharist.

I recently wrote this song, and did some studio work on it yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!

eucharist (c) 2010 Ross Christopher

Peace,
Ross

what to expect at RE{stl}...

here's a small taste of the RE{stl} experience...

TUESDAY MAY 4, 2010
CICERO's (in the loop)
doors open at 7:30PM





MANY THANKS TO SAM WADE for your talent & heart!

I hope to see you ALL next month!

-Ross

Chicago Insurrection REcap

On Thursday I had the opportunity to experience Peter Rollins', Insurrection pub tour in Chicago. Peter Rollins is an amazing mind and provocateur for living faith. Some call him a heretic, some a hero. I think Peter would hope to be the guy that gets the conversation started. That's how I see him anyway.

He has balls, because he takes on the blogosphere, the evangelical right, the way things have been done, "because that's the way we've always done it." He speaks his heart and truth.


Peter is raw as he delivers lines like, "cry aloud, God can handle it...," "to believe is human, to doubt, divine" (showing us that as Christ hung dying on the cross, he doubts God "why have you forsaken me?!" and that in our moments of greatest doubt, perhaps we resemble Christ the most...), and implores us to stop making "church" a domesticated hour-long session to make us all tingly inside.


Spoken in a thick Irish accent, Peter says, "I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST..." And as the room comes to a screeching halt, he finishes..."because I passed the homeless on my way to the pub and did nothing; because I have not fought for justice; because I pursue self."

BRILLIANT!

Can we truly believe in the Resurrection of Jesus and ignore the implications of that Resurrection?

Peter articulates words versus action perfectly.

I hope he continues his pub tour later in the year. More people need to hear his words and wrestle with the Word. I'll do all I can to bring the crew to St. Louis. So if you're within a 4 hr drive, its worth the road trip!

Peace,
Ross

I Voted Today (well, yesterday technically)

I voted yesterday. I did most of my research on candidates and the issues, but alas, I did not know much about the mayoral candidates.

Good thing they have the option for a write in.

Let's just say I was disappointed to not hear of my victory on the 10 o'clock news...

Peace,
Ross

RE{stl} LAUNCHES TOMORROW NIGHT!!!

RE{stl} launches tomorrow night at Cicero's!

Its a diverse group of spiritual misfits connected by humanity & grace...

If this sparks your curiosity, I promise that you'll be pleased with your experience. Its not for lightweights though, the discussion is raw, true, and we don't pull punches.

Sam Wade of The Constant is our guest artist and has some profound words & art to share!

Check us out ONLINE: RE{stl}

Doors open at 7:30PM NO COVER

Peace,
Ross

Resurrection (by Rob Bell)

Resurrection: Rob Bell from The Work of Rob Bell on Vimeo.

A Brief History of Everything

It's Friday, the wind is breezing bye, and the weather is beckoning a good read. I finished up The War of Art last week and I'm about 100 pages into a new one - A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilbur.

Its a fascinating read at a little over 500 pages, because its crammed with info and set in a Q&A style of writing.

If you've seen Rob Bell's, Everything is Spiritual, you'll truly be a fan!

Check it out and we'll discuss it later...

-Ross