show tunes with ed...

I first heard about Ed Farley
at a conference held
at Montreat, North Carolina.
We read an article Ed had written...
I believe it had to do something with the future church.
It must have been a good article.
I remembered his name all these years.
Here's a little info on Ed:

As a theologian, Farley’s contributions are foundational in the course of study among seminarians and are often part of the permanent libraries of other theologians and pastors. His more recent publications include Good and Evil: Interpreting the Human Condition (Augsburg/Fortress, 1990), Divine Empathy: A Theology of God (Augsburg/Fortress, 1996), Faith and Beauty, A Theological Aesthetic (Ashgate, England, 2001), and Practicing Gospel: Unconventional Thoughts about the Church’s Ministry (Westminster/John Knox, 2003). He continues to write articles and collaborate with others on a variety of topics for the Church.

So why all this talk about Ed?
Well....
he attends the church I currently serve.
When coming here
I had to swallow a few times
before climbing into the pulpit.
The prospect of preaching
in the presence of the likes
of Ed were daunting.

But as grace goes...
God's Spirit hovers just long enough
to create new perspectives and realities....
and this is why I write today.

I had dinner
with Ed and his wife Doris last evening.
After dinner we gathered around a piano and sang.
Ed played and I sang along.

I sang show tunes with Ed Farley!
What a hoot!
What grace!
What genuine fun!