But we have to continue to move forward in our musical liturgy so that our songs do not stop only at celebrating the joys and benefits of his nearness. Our repertoire must also guide us with songs that express how the soul responds and matures in God's presence. If the encounter of God's presence is a dynamic flourishing of the gifts of the Spirit, then the work of the same Spirit through such encounters should lead to the fruit of the Spirit.

Such encounters of the Spirit should not only inspire the gifts, but should lead to transformed character.  It is in this vein that I have recently been encouraged by the Chris McClarney song "Move" from the Jesus Culture album "Living with a Fire". 

As I listened to the song, I expected to hear about the joy of God's manifest presence. And while this is part of the lyrics, the punch line of the song is articulated first in the chorus, stating,

"So come move, let justice roll on like a river"

"When You move, the outcast finds a family

When You move, the orphan finds a home"

This, for me, brings the dynamic power of God's presence to its fully mature conclusion- that encountering God should change our hearts to be the good news, not just sing about it. That when God's spirit is manifestly present, people actually care for outcasts who show up at our doors and in our lives. That when His sweet Spirit inspires us, it eventually leads us to adopt the actual orphans who would otherwise be without a family.  These are the kinds of actions that demonstrate the chorus prayer "let justice roll on like a river" being answered through God's people answering the Spirit's unction and inspiration. 

If you haven't heard this song before, I'd encourage you to listen to it.  As a pastoral leader, I love seeing songs like this that move us towards an expectation not only of God's manifest Presence but his purpose through us in responding to that Presence.

Move

Chris McClarney, Jeff Pardo, Lindsey Sweet

Verse 1

When You move, darkness runs for cover

When You move, no one's turned away

Because where You are, fear turns into praises

And where You are, no heart's left unchanged

Chorus

So come move, let justice roll on like a river

Let worship turn into revival. Lord, lead us back to You

Verse 2

When You move, the outcast finds a family

When You move, the orphan finds a home

Lord, here we are, oh, teach us to love mercy

With humble hearts, we bow down at Your throne

Jesus

© 2018 So Essential Tunes, Capitol CMG Genesis, Da Bears Da Bears Da Bears Music, Jesus Culture Music, Meaux Jeaux Music

Prelude

This curriculum is intended for people who want to learn more about economics. Some of the materials are simple and easy to get through. Some of them are more detailed and will require more time. Even if you are already a studied person, I am guessing there will be material here that you can learn from. If you are a novice, this could help be a springboard for more study.

This curriculum is comprised of three things:

1. This curriculum introduction, overview and outline provided on this page.
2. The accompanying reading list
3. The recommended (though optional) assignments.

This information is presented here with no obligation.  The resources/books are your responsibility. They are not included and you must find access to them on your own. Even if you are not an avid reader, there is still a good reason to take this curriculum- all of the listed books readings are available through audio products such as audio books and apps. So, for those who don't feel they would read the volume of pages the materials that this program requires, you could theoretically listen your way through this entire curriculum. This may be the only reading program you can actually complete it without doing any reading! That said, I do highly recommend reading as much as you can, even if you listen to audio as a guide while reading through the books. If you have questions, feel free to contact me. Enjoy!

Economics at Your Own Pace: A Guided Reading Program with Kim Gentes

Economics is a generic term that is often narrowly interpreted. People see the word and decide it means "how to run your checking account" or "how investments work" or "how the government reports on inflation and interest rates". The truth is the term  economics is a broader term. And even its general definition is actually widely debated across scholarly authorities.

I will start with a very general definition.

economics - the study of scarcity and related use of resources.

This definition would fit for almost everything that might generally be categorized under the term. However, while this is a good generalization, it is so cautious as to be almost useless.

But Oxford, Webster and Wikipedia (and others) all have a hard time concisely agreeing on a common rendering of the concept. This is partly because, for over 200 years, economics has been tightly coupled with governance and government. In fact, in the early 20th century the primary scholarly term that was used was political economy. The reasoning for it had to do with the direct relationship that many took for understanding the purpose of societal governance and its unwritten (but assumed) responsibility to properly manage the resources of said society for the betterment of its members. But that doesn't mean economics isn't about handling your checking account, or investing money well or managing the fiscal responsibilities of a central bank and its setting of interest rates. Each of those are part of economics, but not all of it.

Central to economics is action in the form of decision making.

While not a definition, I would suggest that at the core of a discussion about economics is an acknowledgement of scarcity (quantified limits) and the development of a decision process (justification) which leads to use of those limited resources (expenditures).

What I propose here is a curriculum of reading that will lead you through some (in my opinion) excellent books on economics. The order is purposeful so that you can start with a good overview and build out from there. If you read them in that order, it may help grow an understanding and appreciation for the subject by having appropriate concepts in mind as you move to further reading. I generally have arranged this reading to start here with an overview, add some historical context and go from there into more specifics of technical and political economics study.

I also want to be clear on something. This reading list is one I recommend from my studies. It is not neutral, but I do believe it is generous while being pointed. I have included works both that I personally agree with (such as The Road to Serfdom, which is strongly focused on political economy and the results of economic thinking to political power) and those I didn't agree with from a political standpoint (such as Debt: The First 5000 Years), because I wanted to give the reader a balance of understanding that didn't explicitly exclude some important viewpoints. That said, this reading list is heavily influenced by my viewpoint and perspective. I am a solidly free market economy proponent, with important constraints and divergences.  In the readings here you will find broad sketches of many political economic viewpoints (such as those that are interested in ideas I don't agree with such as controlled and command economies, socialism and more), but if you wanted detailed learning on political theories focused and fashioned for those arcs, this will not be the program for you. If you are interested in The General Theory by Keynes or The Communist Manifesto by Marx, you won't find them on this reading list, though I do think reading them is helpful once this curriculum is complete. You will be more complete in your understanding if you read things you both agree and disagree with. That said, Keynes and Marx economic theses are covered (as are all main contributors to the field) in their contributions, main theories and essential critiques by the material herein (especially Skousen's The Making of Modern Economics).

Each book/resource listed has a link to my review included to help you before you begin each one. While this curriculum list of books is readable by all people, there are a couple of books which are more scholarly in their approach because of the audience intended (such as von Mises Human Action). They will be more arduous to get through.  But I highly encourage you to read them in any case. The value you will receive from these books will be directly proportionate to the struggle you make to digest them. Conversely, some books are both easily understood and simply written for the exact purpose of reaching a broader audience (such as Economics In One Lesson). Despite the simpler approach in these books, they provide excellent understanding and learning that should not be passed over because they are not written for a scholarly, technical audience.

Economics at Your Own Pace: Program Reading List (in order)

Were you to read this material and do the assignments (below) in a college format, this would be comparable to a 10 credit program in economics (9 credits for the courses and their assignments, and one additional for the major assignment). Given there are no lectures with this program, the credit values are diminished from a program that included weekly time investments of listening to a professor. That said, the pages and hours listed on each book are the publisher listed size of the book or hours of audio content. If you are a good student, you will be spending much more time than the listenable audio content hours studying the materials. Reading and re-reading, note-taking, preparation and writing for each assignment will flesh out approximately 40 hours per credit hour alloted to each course. As a guideline, I would give yourself 2 months for each course. This eases you into the program with a medium first course, then 3 heavier courses in the middle, and ending on 2 easier courses with your major assignment. Completing the entire program should be easily digestable in one calendar year of study.

Course I - Overview  [1 credit]

1. The Making Of Modern Economics / Mark Skousen - (500 pages / 19.6 hours audio)

Course II - Historical Perspectives on Economics, Debt and Money  [2 credits]

1. Debt: The First 5000 Years / David Graeber - (544 pages / 17.75 hours audio)
2. The Ascent Of Money: A Financial History of the World / Niall Ferguson - (442 pages / 11.5 hours audio)

Course III - Foundations of Free Market Capitalism  [2 credits]

1. The Wealth of Nations / Adam Smith - (1130 pages / 45.5 hours audio)

Course IV - 20th Century Political Economy and Its Fruits  [2 credits]

1. Human Action: A Treatise On Economics / Ludwig von Mises - (912 pages / 47.75 hours audio)
2. The Road to Serfdom / F. A. Hayek - (283 pages / 11.5 hours audio)

Course V - Practical Understanding of Economics  [1 credit]

1. Economics In One Easy Lesson / Henry Hazlit - (218 pages / 7 hours audio)
2. 50 Economic Ideas You Really Need To Know / Edmund Conway - (208 pages / 6.75 hours audio)

Course VI - Economics in Application [1 credit]

1. To Sell Is Human / Daniel Pink - (272 pages / 6.1 hours audio)
2. Earnings, Economics and Ecosystems: Discovering Your Divine Call / Kim Gentes - (4 pages)

The last two entries on the list are unique. Daniel Pink's To Sell Is Human is a book about sales, but about how the core of sales is economics (about resources) and how that intersects with human need. Even if you don't like sales (and I hate it) I feel this book is an excellent application of economic theory to human practical engagement. The final entry is an article by yours truly. It focuses on the impact of economics and personal earnings as part of the the concepts that need to be explored as you look for your sense of a life's calling in vocation. Again, this is another example of practical application of economic theory.

Optional Assignments:

1. Individual Course Assignments (for each book in each course) [credits already included in each course] - Write a short (2 to 4 paragraphs) summary of what you learned (agree or disagree) for each book read. Each summary should include:
   1. Book summary
   2. At least 2 citations/quotes (one that you agreed with and one that you disagreed with)
   3. Explanation on why you liked/disliked the quotes cited.
   4. Post your assignment online (to a blog, website, etc)
2. Major Project [additional 1 credit to program] - Write a 1500-2000 word essay about a single practical application derived from what you have learned about economics. If it is just an idea, that is fine. Flesh out the idea and its main concepts as a plan you would like to act on. If it is something you actually can use immediately (such as a budget for saving for college), turn it into a manual that someone else could use and include all the necessary steps and background needed for a novice to take your concept and put it into action.
   1. Post your major project online (to a blog, website, etc)

Finally, share your ideas and outcomes from this curriculum and readings. You can share them directly by sending them to me. But more than that, publish those ideas on your own blog, feed or other avenues to let others engage in a conversation with your learning. It could help both them and you!

"In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him."

Genesis 4:3‭-‬8

I have heard people explain this scripture in a lot of different ways. I've come to believe that Cain did not sin until sometime after verse 7 and sometime before verse 8. The acceptance/rejection of their offerings was not a sin issue. For both Cain and Abel, bringing an offering to God from their respective areas of work was a discovery process. There is no indication ahead of time what would bring God's favor. God asks Cain the self-obvious questions so that he knows he is focusing on the wrong things ("Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?"). Instead of staying in that place, the Lord redirects him to simply do "what is right". God even states that it isn't until Cain is brooding in anger and downcast that sin is "crouching at your door". Even then, God says that Cain still has the opportunity to master the temptation by refusing to engage with sin.

Cain was in the position that many of us have found ourselves in- we sometimes don't know for sure what God's desire is for our life. We have to search for God's favor in the specifics of each of our lives. We start by bringing God what we have and what we do. Then we see what pleases God. But notice what God is concerned about. He doesn't call Cain's offering (or even God's rejection of it) "sin". But he warns Cain that sin comes to tempt him in the context of how Cain responds when his offering is rejected.

And this is the true situation for us as well. Even when our work, our offering, our service to God seem to not be showing signs of God's approval, that is when the true test comes. Sin crouches at the door when we feel set aside, or when we feel on the outside of God's favor. Our failure is not in the work we have done in faith, but in the attitude and brewing resentment that leads us to anger and discouragement. Our actions in that moment produce the fruits of our character in the real pressure of temptation.

I said earlier that Cain sinned sometime between verse 7 and 8. We know that Cain's anger and downcast attitude was the seedbed that was fertile for temptation (verses 5-7). While the text isn't explicitly about Cain's actions at this point, we can understand the change in his heart more clearly by reading this text in light of 1 John 3:15 and Matt 5:22, where Jesus and John equate anger towards a brother or sister as sin. At some point Cain's anger from his rejection mixed with jealousy of his brother's receipt of God's favor. At this point, he turned his anger and resentment towards Able. At this point, he has sinned. The murder that comes in verse 8 is the result of that sin already entering his heart and giving birth to judgment and death.

As I've moved through various phases of my life, I've been tempted to feel angry or resentful about times when it seemed like I was left on the outside, my offering rejected. God is less concerned about my offering than he is about my response when I feel rejected or discouraged. I am realizing that the things I do in those moments is what God is really concerned about.

Perhaps you've been in a season of change. Perhaps you're feeling left on the outside. Consider that the situation is less the issue as your response in this season. Will you move into discouragement or anger? Will you act out of those emotions?

Or will you let the Holy Spirit bring his peace and direct you to the adjustments He is calling you to for this new season?

I pray you will find God's delight as you journey in this season of your life.

Peace my friends.

The Arizona Coyotes just finished a series of 7 (yes seven!) straight games against the St Louis Blues.  That is the equivalent to an entire playoff round/series. And all the teams are doing these multi-game series. But the most intense division is the Canadian North division (a temporary division of 7 teams created due to Covid-19 restrictions in Canada). With the least number of teams in the division, and some of the most heated rivalries (for example, Edmonton/ Calgary) the Canadian teams are grinding each other into a pulp in just the first month of the season.

The concept and reasons for setting up the season as they did is understandable for the NHL, but with every team facing rival opponents 10 times each or more the physical and emotional equivalent of playing 7 months of playoff intensity hockey is becoming a reality. It isn't sustainable. And we may soon be seeing some of the impact:  more injuries, lopsided games where teams are being blown out and a return to 70s style crosscheck hockey is already starting to show up.

I am loving the battle of Alberta games, the intensity in games,  and the high scoring individual efforts by Matthews and McDavid. But ultimately this experiment may implode on itself and burn the hockey season into a dithering exhaustion of emotion, injury and and leave literally nothing left for the real playoffs.

I was recently asked by a friend how their local church can stream their services legally. This is something I am hearing a lot with the current situation.

Licensing is important when it comes to streaming Sunday services if you intend on streaming the worship and music portion of your service. This is because music included in the stream of such a worship service is often copyrighted material. As such, that music must be properly licensed when it is duplicated. A video stream of a music performance is considered a form of digital use/duplication.

Most churches assume that since they have a basic CCLI church license that they are covered for such activity, but that is likely not true. If you are using songs in your worship that aren't exclusively home-written or public domain, you will need to get permissions (licensing) from the copyright holders of those songs to include them in your Sunday streamed service.

Fortunately, there are some vendors who provide licensing packages for streaming of song content for churches and their services. Additionally, there are even some free options available. I deal with both "paid" and "free" solutions in this article.

Paid Licensing Solutions

The following are the "Paid For" licensing solutions that I am aware of. These are licensing solutions only (you must find a streaming provider to actually do the video streaming) -

• Worshipcast from CCS https://christiancopyrightsolutions.com/services/worshipcast/ -- this license package covers over 25 million songs that you can perform live in your church service and stream to your audience.
• CCLI Streaming license https://us.ccli.com/streaming-license-terms-of-agreement/ -- this license package covers over 300,000 songs (the vast majority of Christian worship publishing catalog). This license is an add-on agreement that you can purchase from CCLI and requires you first have the basic CCLI license, which most churches have.
• OneLicense Streaming option https://www.onelicense.net/how-it-works#podcast -- focused on music repertoire mostly for Catholic churches. This license is an add-on agreement that you purchase in addition to their basic church music license.

Important things you should know about these options:

• Live Performances only: Some churches use various musical accompaniment to augment their service music experience/sound, such as performance tracks/split trax, stems, multi-tracks or full purchased music. These are all pre-recorded productions whose rights are owned by the record labels that made them. They are not normally licensed for use in streaming services (such as the ones listed above) for your church. Your church would need explicit permission from the companies who made these recordings to use them in a situation which would be live streamed or broadcast in any way. Important exemption: because of the COVID19 outbreak, two vendors have worked with the record labels who own the master recordings and granted temporary licensing of their tracks under the coverage of the CCLI Streaming license (meaning you can use their tracks in your church service stream). If you have a CCLI streaming license and you purchase your tracks from any of the following: MultiTracks (see their announcement), Loop Community (their FAQ and their announcement on FB), and PraiseCharts (see their announcement) you can use those tracks during your streamed worship for the time being.
• Lyric Sync May Not Be Included: Any component of a song that is included in a video (called a sync) must be licensed. That means if you also included lyric projection in your video of your streamed service, that is a specific action requiring licensing. You should check with whichever licensing provider you select to be sure they include lyric sync with your use of their license or you should avoid including displayed lyrics in the video stream. Important exemption: I checked specifically with the folks at CCLI (chatted directly with their CEO Malcolm Hawker) and they confirmed that lyric sync for the use of your church service is already taken care of with their CCLI Streaming license.
• CVLI is not for streaming: CVLI (www.cvli.com) is a video licensing program brought to you by the same folks that run CCLI. Churches sometimes confuse this video licensing for a streaming licensing solution, but it is not. A CVLI license/membership is not a solution for streaming your service online or otherwise. CVLI is a specific license giving churches permissions to play video clips from a large collection of Hollywood movies and shows. People often use those clips as part of a youth group, Sunday morning sermon examples etc. Again, this has nothing to do with streaming the service. It is just the rights to use copyrighted materials (movies) by playing them in a church context.

Free Licensing Solutions

The following are the web stream solutions that include "free" licensing of music to anyone using their service. That means, these companies have already gone and secured the licensing from the copyright holders and record labels to allow music content to be distributed in videos hosted via their platforms. You don't do anything in that regard- these services take care of the licensing. In return, they make their money by displaying ads on the pages that contain your stream/video.

• YouTube Live Streaming (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2474026?hl=en-GB&ref_topic=9257984) -- You can live stream over YouTube without cost to you. However, like all such free services, they will monetize the content by displaying ads.
• Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/solutions/facebook-live) - like YouTube, Facebook allows you to stream video on their platform. They monitor the content and try to match it for monetization and royalty distribution. Again this is all paid for with ads on your stream / on their site.

Final Caveats

This article is intended for research purposes of church leaders, musicians and those creating worship experiences for local churches. A couple of important follow up notes on this information:

• US Only info in this article: The info in this post is specific to the US and law and services found in the US.
• Not legal advice: I am not a representative of any of the companies mentioned here. I am just giving information that I think would be helpful for people asking questions about streaming their services. Also, I am not a legal representative or professional and this note is not legal advice. It is just research information for people and churches who are looking for info regarding services streaming.

I hope this is helpful to your churches and ministry leaders

Can I just put this here? Worship leaders/worship pastors- just be faithful. I've been a Christian for over 30 years, and for much of that I have led worship/music and pastored people both on teams and in small groups. If I've learned anything, it is that God's love is the only valuable center for our identities and actions as Christians and ministers. But that reality takes time to sink in. You will see it in surprising encounters, but the weight of it doesn't always penetrate our lives deeply for years. The phrase "God's love" has become one of those overused terms that is so completely applicable and true it has become trite. Its reality has become obscured.

The long term antidote for this is faithfulness. Stay the course, and act on God's love even when it doesn't feel like it. This doesn't mean being unreal, just continuing to trust that God knows and loves you better than you can fathom. Over a lifetime, the truth of God's love eventually settles into our being, if we leave ourselves open to him. It becomes not only who we are, but who we see ourselves as- sons & daughters loved by God.

That being said, here are a few practical items from both "failures" and "high-five" moments in my journey. Perhaps these might help. This isn't an exhaustive list, but it's a start.

WORSHIP LEADER TO DO AND NOT DO

Things to do:

• Lead your communities in uplifted songs and lives to Jesus.
• Encourage and pastor folks in your fellowship through the leadership and musical gifts God has entrusted you with.
• Give away your ministry to those young and old around you. That means training others, equipping them, then releasing them to do ministry/worship.
• Get comfortable with public times of silence or "space"
• When it comes to music and people wanting to participate- find an opportunity for every willing heart to join in. It needn't be the Sunday morning stage, but try at least to make it a real opportunity.
• Take care of your life with God (soul care).
• Speak with your senior pastor about their heart for worship on Sunday morning.

Things not to do:

• Try to reach worship/music nirvana every service.
• Worry about comparing your church worship and ministry with others in your area
• Hope you'll get "noticed"
• Measure your value by the response of the people during worship in the gathered meetings.

If you're like me, you will have up/down days and likely run into a few of the above (on either side of the ledger). Don't let that discourage you. Keep going. Be faithful. God loves you. He doesn't just like you (though that is true). He loves you. You are His son/daughter. He's pleased with you.

Now, out of that love and knowledge, go do the things God calls you to in the kingdom.

After trying a few variants of "newer" approaches we settled back into a traditional 3-4 hour bake since we didn't want to go down the routes of brining, deep frying, fast cooking etc. This recipe is one we built, after studying, stealing and melding different things we saw and tried. In the end we just kept what we liked.  Over the years, family has given us glowing reviews on taste, juiciness and enjoyment of the meal.

Hope this helps kickoff your own journey of turkey cooking.  Below is the recipe in a standard format. Following that is a short pictographical step-by-step preparation sequence which may seem a helpful addition to the recipe information. 

Companion Video-Making the Perfect Juicy Turkey - with Kim Gentes.

Two Golden Rules: there are two absolute rules of cooking a turkey that cannot be broken. If you forget everything else below, remember these:

1. Internal Temperature. The internal temperature of the turkey is the guide to knowing when the bird is cooked, not the amount of time you are cooking the turkey or the type of oven you have. My goal is to have the internal temp reach 158. Once it does, the turkey is done. (see note 1 below for information on safe temperature and cooking)
2. Rest. The turkey should never be cut, carved or opened immediately after taking it out of the oven. It must be rested at least 30 minutes. See more details below.

Roasted Butter Herb Turkey

Ingredients

• 20-25 lb Turkey (thawed), with giblets, neck and liver/heart removed

• 4-6 sticks of butter

• 2 quarts of chicken stock/broth (64 oz)

• 1 large white/yellow onion

• 5/6 whole carrots

• ½ plant of celery

• ½ lemon

• 1 large sprig of Rosemary

• 1 head of garlic

• 4 tablespoons Poultry seasoning (McCormicks or Spice Islands)

• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

• 3 teaspoons of Italian herb seasoning (parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage)

• 2 teaspoons of minced onion flakes

• 3 teaspoons of salt

• Fresh ground pepper

Preparation

1. Make butter herb paste. Mash the sticks of butter into a paste.  Mix in the poultry seasoning, cajun seasoning, herbs, onion flakes and salt. The mixture should be mashed until it is a spreadable paste.

2. Apply paste to turkey. With your hand, loosely lift the skin of the turkey from the body around the breast (trying not to tear it). Fill the entire sub-skin area with the butter paste, as far around the breast, limbs and body as you can. This should leave you with about ⅓ of the paste remaining. Use the remaining paste and completely cover the turkey with it. Add additional salt, pepper, minced herb and cajun spices lightly over turkey. Finally, add more fresh ground pepper over the entire bird.

3. Stock Vegetables. Peel carrots, Chop celery. Cut onion in half.  Break garlic into cloves.

   • Place carrots, celery, ½ the onion, and ½ of the garlic into the bottom of the roasting pan. Add giblets, neck and liver/heart to bottom of pan. Pour the 64oz chicken stock to bottom of roasting pan.

   • Place the remaining ½ onion, ½ garlic, the lemon and the rosemary sprig in the cavity of the turkey.

4. Roast turkey. Place turkey on roasting rack inside of roasting pan in preheated oven (325℉). Depending on the size of turkey, cook for approx 4 hours until internal temperature reaches 156-160℉1.  Once the internal temperature is reached, remove the turkey from the oven. [important: read the next point, so you do not forget to partially cover the bird with foil part way through cooking]

5. Cover top. Depending on the placement of heating elements in your oven, at about 1.5-2 hours into the bake of the turkey monitor the top of the turkey. Once the top has crisped and browned, gently lay a "hat" of foil over the top of the turkey to prevent the skin from crisping so far that it cracks or over cooks. This will keep the skin a perfect crispy texture and keep the entire bird consistently cooked throughout. This also prevents results of the skin splitting, where the meat below is cooked slightly more than other locations on the bird.

6. Remove and Rest. Upon removing the turkey from the oven and let it sit on the rack, in the roasting pan, for 40 minutes.

7. Carve turkey & make gravy. Remove turkey from rack/pan and carve on cutting board. Simultaneously, have someone remove the solid contents of the roasting pan (vegetables and meats), leaving the drippings and liquids. After straining, use the liquid in the pan as your gravy base. Vegetables and meats can be stored and used later for stew/soup stock. 

Tips

It is essential not to cut/carve the turkey less than 30 minutes after it is removed from the oven. This allows the juices to settle back into the turkey meat. Waiting beyond 45 minutes may make the turkey cool too much.

You can completely prepare the turkey, paste and vegetables all in the cooking rack/pan the night before, following all steps, except do not add the lemon and chicken stock liquid until just before you put the turkey in the oven.

Preparation: Step By Pictures

One: apply butter herb paste to under the skin and outside the skin on all parts of the bird possible.

Two: Place the buttered turkey on the rack and all the turkey extra parts in the tray below (giblets, heart, kneck etc).

Three: place the vegatables in the lower tray with the turkey extras.

Four: add the onions, garlic and celery to the bird cavity

Five: add Rosemary sprigs to turkey cavity and to the tray as well.

Six: grind fresh pepper over the final prepped bird.

Seven: The turkey is now prepped (evening before).

Eight: (on the day of the eating/cooking) Add a half lemon to the turkey cavity (cut twice) and pour the chicken stock liquid into the bottom of the tray. Cook the turkey for the appropriate number of hours.

Important Notes

1. The USDA recommends that you heat a turkey to 165oF minimum temperature for food safety. The purpose of this article is to record my own personal experience cooking turkey, and not to recommend or affirm the safety of the method I have set forth here. You should cook your food responsibly and use caution.

I believe one of the reasons people sometimes distance themselves from the Psalms as a primary source of prayer/song/reflection has much to do with the fact that the Psalms are work. They take work, energy, and effort. To read, sing, think and toil around in the grit and density of the Psalms requires more than effusive emotional sprinkling. It requires effort. One must engage and re-engage over so many topics, emotions, time, situations and personalities that the sheer energy required is more of a commitment than many of us (yes, me included at times) want to give.

If we approach church, gatherings or devotion as medicinal stop offs in life (like a convenience store for the soul), we expect them to deliver something to us- to bring relief. We don't expect to have to spend more effort. But the Psalms don't let us (very often) get away with that. They push, pull, or stand obstinately in the way of many of our ideas either mentally or culturally.

In tackling the Psalms we must stay on, working through them. And the fruit/outcome of our work is not instant. It takes years. And it takes this time for one of the reasons NT Wright and others mention in their books- the Psalms shape us. That is transformation. We are being literally reshaped by them. They aren't (or shouldn't be) reshaped by us.

All this effort, shaping and engagement is more like a relationship than a drive-through order at a fast food place. This may be some of what accounts for why people minimalize their real interaction and engagement with the Psalms. It costs us something. It shapes us. In the end, it is certainly the kind of transformation that matters, but many (like me, from time to time) find it to be too much when compared to the other options available. Be good, feel good, sound good media can allure us away with ease, even if the core has no transformational value.

This is the contrast the entire modern world faces: to look into the face of real life (as articulated by the Psalms, and the gospels for example) and be transformed by its slow work as we partner in it; or to lean into the ease of a media-rich world that neither cares or condemns deeply for anything except that all participants just be gently silent and enjoy the ride to oblivion where the stomach and appetites have become our gods.

This might seem very tragic and bristling with negativism, but what I am saying is both how I see some of our culture and much of our churches. Sadly, it even describes me at times. This is not to say that life with Jesus is not by grace. It is. But that grace, that power, has work to do. It's work (at least in part) is to bring health and real life to each one of our lives.

I think He is there to help us into that lifelong transformation and conversation. In my mind, one of the major streams of that conversation is the text of the Psalms. But they require a surrendering and intentionality by the reader / listener, to become a participant. That surrendered intentionality is what (I believe) many choose to waste on other things. Things that smile and sleep, but don't bite back. Things that excite but don't engage. Things that ultimately are not routing the disciple back into Holy Spirit transformation. The Psalms can be beautiful prose, amazing music, and iconic lyrical oasis for the soul. But they are also real, and that reality is the unstoppable energy of transformation that comes from real relationships. Real people. And a real God.

The friend who asked the question that started me thinking about this topic is Brian Doerksen. So I'll end this with a link to his musical group, the Shiyr Poets, who are putting the text of the Psalms to the sounds of acoustic/folk stylings in the unique voice of Brian and his friends.

https://www.theshiyrpoets.com/

So we look to people. Relationships make us see both the world and ourselves in a new light. They can challenge, strain and encourage us. They light up more of the path, but they don't bring us to the destination of journey. Good as they can be, friends, and even family, reflect something of our hopes, but are not themselves the erudite object of our desire.

We turn inward. We've heard it said that it is the "character" of a person that makes them what they are. But if this is true, our humanity is perhaps our most broken recommendation to our own inner consolation. We fail. Even ourselves. People who take themselves seriously, and honestly, often ultimately come to the conclusion that Paul of Tarsus once did, "what a wretched man I am!"

If we can't look to the world, we can't gain our ultimate life from relationships, and we can't base our value on ourselves, what is this ultimate quest we are trying to achieve?

Just this- that the core of our worth only comes when we can find an answer to this single question:

who am I?

The one answer I've found that has has never failed is this:

I am God's child.

The simplicity of this will always be used as a taunt by the imagination to ignore it or make light of it. For good reason- it places the entire weight of our lives, our relationships, and indeed the entire world, on the words of a single man. Jesus of Nazareth.

Some two thousand years ago, the person of Jesus declared with unequivocal clarity that your value and worth as a human being rests soley in the evaluation of God. And that God has chosen not only to call you friend, but to call you sons and daughters.

You being God's child means that the treasures of the whole universe can be lost to you, and you are still richer.

You being God's child means that even if friends and family fail and desert you, He doesn't.

You being God's child means that your own character failures, personal regrets and most terrible sins are swallowed up by his overwhelming ocean of love.

Who are you? You are His.

And when you are His, even your own conscience and internal voice are not the guides to truth- He is. And he is both perfect truth and perfect love.

Who are you?

You are God's child.

To Whom is the Invitation Given?

Not to the worthy, but to the worthless. Not to great, but the weak. Not to the successful and triumphant, but to the poor, lost, lonely, and, yes, thirsty.

Isaiah 55:1-3

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;
and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David."

This invitation is given to that most unexpected person- you. And me. It breaks all conventions of honor, rank and accomplishment on which our world structures hang. It makes available the essence of true life to the very people who seem most far from it. In fact, there is no mention of those who have worked hard, proven themselves, earned their place, accomplished something or overcome great odds. 

The invited have just one thing in common across the thread of the biblical text- they are thirsty.

Being Thirsty

To be thirsty is both to have a need and to acknowledge that reality. Accepting such an invitation isn't gaining a prize or winning a lottery- it is the full surrender of yourself to the reality of your need and vulnerability of placing yourself at the mercy and resources of the inviter. Being thirsty is the awareness that you are in need, and that the singular answer to that need lays beyond you. It lies, in fact, with the true substance of survival- living water.

John 7:37

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

Who is Inviting You?

The reason this invitation is so powerful is found in its origin. The invitation is extended to each thirsty soul from the heart and mouth of God. In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophetically announces that Yahweh is calling to those who will listen: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters". In the New Testament gospels, Jesus declares, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink". And at the culmination of all things, the scripture gives us the invitation one last time:

Revelation 22:17

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

What is surprising here is not that the Spirit would recite the invitation again, but that this tiny phrase would be included "…and the bride say." But how can that be? How can "the bride" be co-inviter to this gift? In what seems like a misplaced phrase we find a glimpse into the essence of the Christian God- to include His community in the divine work of His invitation. The "bride" in scripture, and especially in Revelation, is the Body of Christ- the church. The Spirit of God is the free gift of the water of life. And by God’s choice, the fountain from which that water flows is His bride, the church.

In the last text of the scripture God stands shoulder to shoulder with redeemed humanity, his bride, and issues the invitation for those who are thirsty to come and find that eternal drink- the water of life.

If you are part of the bride of Christ, God has made you partner with him to invite those who are thirsty to find the fountain and its water- the church and the Spirit of life that fills it and flows through it.

If you are thirsty, there is an invitation- come.  As Jesus said "let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink".

Accepting the Invitation

So how does one respond to this invitation? This is actually quite clear already from the previous texts cited. One must recognize their need, acknowledge their utter powerlessness to meet that need, and then turn to the One who can quench that need with eternal satisfaction. The need in these texts is metaphorically presented as thirst. And that thirst represents the real spiritual condition of the human soul without the Living God.

In the fourth chapter of gospel of John, Jesus has a more in-depth discussion about this exact topic with a woman in first century Samaria when the two of them meet at a local well: 

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

This conversation has come full circle back to our question. We break at this point simply to see that the woman has come to point of acknowledging her need and asking for the water Jesus has promised. While she doesn't truly understand the deep spiritual truths that this will lead to, her investigation has led her to ask the right question to the right person.

In response, Jesus goes right to the heart of this woman's situation to help her find what she is seeking.

He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

"I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

"Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus declared, "I, the one speaking to you—I am he."

At this point, the woman has been given her first drink from the spring of life. She is told by Jesus himself that he is the promised Messiah. Embedded in her actions is the implicit acknowledgement of her acceptance of that truth and the immediate understanding that both her world and the world had dramatically changed course. The Messiah and Christ was here! We are now in the presence of the living water!  She responds without hesitation.

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?" They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

The woman, changed by her first drink of life, leaves her old water jar (the symbol for getting our needs met our way) and begins to live off of the living water that is now (as Jesus said) bubbling up from within her. She returns to her town and begins to tell others about the spring of living water.

The response of her telling others is immediate- the town's people come to see Jesus for themselves. Their investigation leads them to another milestone understanding. 

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

Every human being has a gnawing thirst. It cannot be satisfied by anything we find in our experience. We try them all- success, power, wealth, accomplishment, excitement, sex, drugs, art, culture, good deeds and even our searches for spiritual and mental understanding and ascent. But each one leaves the dry emptiness of unfulfilled thirst lingering deep in our souls.

In meeting Jesus and accepting his life and words as the Savior of our world, we drink at last from the eternal well. Like the Samaritans who came to him "we have heard for ourselves, and we know." In doing this, we become believers. Once believers, our lives are set on a new course. We don't need the old wells of sustenance. We rely on the Spirit of God to continue to water us, and those waters come powerfully flowing up from each one who has become a fountain of God's love.

Where Do I Find This Water?

What we've seen so far is that Jesus invitation is both the clarification of the issue of our need and answer to it. It is clear that we have one source in Whom is present the water of life. As Jesus said:

...Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink..."

So our need for life-giving water for our souls begins and ends with the person of Jesus who declares "...come to me and drink..."  What this means in practical terms, here and now, is that if you are thirsty for real, life-giving water in your soul, you can turn to Jesus. In hearing his invitation you can respond to him by believing as the Samaritans did- that Jesus is the Savior of the world. When you believe that, you can begin to draw on his life-giving water and the course of your life begins a new trajectory.

One of the clearest springs of the living water of God is to read, as we've been doing, the scriptures for yourself.  You may have been experiencing some of this life-giving water by the scriptures we've been discussing here. Continue to drink in this water. Find a Bible that you can read and drink in to your soul the words of the scripture.

As you do that, you will find that the scriptures will lead you to see that you are part of a community of God. The Bible calls that community the church. It isn't a building, though it often meets in one. It's isn't a denomination, though it sometimes belongs to a group of like communities. It isn't just an organization, though it is often gathered into such a structure. The church, both global and local, is primarily a community. It is a family that lives across locations, cultures, languages and races of the entire scope of humanity. Coming into a relationship with Jesus means you enter as well into the community of God. The two cannot ultimately be separated, as can be seen once again in the final vista of God's word that we quoted earlier:

Revelation 22:17

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Drinking from the fountain of life, means we become part of the "bride of Christ". It means that we stand with the Spirit and invite people to both drink from the water of life and join in the community of God.

Are you thirsty? Jesus is the living water you are looking for. In finding Him, find and engage in a local community of God where you can stand shoulder to shoulder with both the Spirit and the people and call others in with a warm invitation- "Come!"

If you are searching, thirsty, have questions or would like to just discuss more of these kind of topics, you can reach me directly at:

http://www.kimgentes.com/contact-us/

If you happen to be living in the Phoenix metro area and would like to connect and meet with a local community of people who also have found the living water in the person of Jesus, we'd like to welcome you out to a small group where we gather weekly:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/gentesgroup/

Drinking from the well,

Kim Gentes

Machu Picchu

Without reciting the entire post, I will summarily quote its primary parts of interest:

"No Society Lasts Forever…

...When in history, has a society sustained indefinitely that is driven by greed, wealth and power? When has a society thrived and sustained that was driven by a so-called, progressive ethic and morality (whatever feels good to me and is mutually consensual)? When has a society sustained indefinitely that was focused on military might, war and violence? When has a society flourished, and is still around after a couple thousand years that was focused on peace, passivity and playing nice with everyone? When has a society flourished when it was about being conservative, rigid, and holding to the letter of the law? The answer: Never…None of Them! And so, history repeats itself.  As long as we, or any society, put our focus and the majority of our time, energy and money on what we can have, and want to have here and now, it simply will not sustain….no matter what position you are supporting. It has something to do with serving the “created” rather than the “Creator.”....

...I would encourage you to give the above questions I posed some honest thinking and consideration, and see if they stir something in you besides endless accusations, vitriol, slander and hatred. Life is not only about winners and losers..."

The remainder of my article here is a discussion about such societies as being pointed out above, and my follow-on response to the broader questions embedded in the post above.

First, I'd say that while the questions being asked are often put as anecdotal evidence that none of those system are sustainable, the historical record may be a little more unsatisfactory.

Asked--- "When has a society sustained indefinitely that was focused on military might, war and violence?"

Using the word "indefinitely" is certainly a disqualifier across all societies. The biggest example of such a society would be Ancient Rome. Roman ForumEven then, it morphed through various political orders as it's influence expanded. Culturally Rome places its founding at 753BC with the institution of the Roman Republic in 509BC. This transformed into the Roman empire just before the time of Christ (either on 46BC or 27BC, depending on whether you mark Caesar's dictatorship or Augustus emperorship as the beginning of the empire). But the Roman system, throughout its lifespan, existed as military political machine. It grew primarily as the result of its military expeditions and annexations of the territories around the Mediterranean. It maintained those holdings in strength until the initial split (east/west) in 395 AD and the fall of the west Roman empire in 476 AD. Political heirs of the Roman empire survived right up until 1453 AD when the last remnant of Byzantine empire collapsed with the fall of Constantinople to Mehmed the II and the invading Ottoman empire.

Military might proved it could build and sustain this society for almost 1000 years (if you take the Roman Republic days through to the fall of the Western empire). The influence it made and culture it spread, it did so through war and subjugation. I am not saying it was wonderful society. I am saying it was sustained through its activity (military force) and flourished in the context of the world in which it dominated. Rome's brilliance (and often believed downfall) was its capacity to conquer, subjugate and administrate various people's, cultures and languages into its vast political, economic and religious network. More than any other power, it mastered the art of managing a society of societies.

Rome's enemies were uncountable, since it went to war with just about every culture it encountered. Eventually, the political engine of the Roman empire became so entangled by its own internal self-interest that the vast mechanism of its government was eventually used primarily to serve the governing elites (Emperors, generals and others). With little of interest left to conquer in their known world, and the resulting lack of incoming spoils (and energy) of those conquests began the slow disintegration of the vitality of the Roman structure.

Was it indefinite? No. But it lasted in strength for nearly 1000 years. And its legacy as a single thread of rule spanned from 500BC to 1453AD. Might may not be right, but it was effective for nearly 2 millennia.Note 1

Asked--- "When has a society flourished when it was about being conservative, rigid, and holding to the letter of the law?"

The longest running state that we know of on earth is China. In my understanding of their history, they have been a political state longer than any other. Great Wall of ChinaAnd their form of society and political organization could have largely been characterized by the quoted phrase "conservative, rigid, and holding to the letter of the law". Initial reading in the history of China will explore its early dynasties, that began as far back as 2000BC. Cultural, societal, religious and philosophical rigorism became the milieu that would mark all phases of Chinese progression from clans to dynasties to empires to the authoritarian collectivist state of the last century.

Has the Chinese society "flourished"? That depends. It certainly has flourished in terms of population. It has become the single largest country on our planet. It certainly has changed, but it remains uniquely a collective culture and people whose identity as "Chinese" has pervaded for literally 3 millennia.Note 2

Stated: 'It has something to do with serving the “created” rather than the “Creator.”'

It doesn't escape me that many of the questions were asked as a matter of rhetoric to outline the assumptions about the nature of human behaviour and societies.

The introductory statement "No society lasts forever.." is mostly true. Although, as I mentioned about the Chinese, I think their society provides the exception that proves the rule. Why those societies rise and fall is often certainly attributed to the reason arrived at in the original post to which this article is responding - self-focus. Christ's ultimate antidote for our tendency in that direction was simple and clear- "love your neighbor as yourself". Our personal application of this will lead to proper orientation of the human life around our creator's design for us. But I am not sure that any socio-political organization can properly encapsulate such a dictum. In fact, I don't believe it ever will. The scripture actually makes this point pretty strongly--

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

The inference here is that we have one commander and Chief who can adequately assume rule and reign over our geo-political planet- Jesus of Nazareth. In my opinion, until he returns to assume such role over us, we should not impose our own structures of "righteous" rule. Our attempts on earth to create political entities that will embody our religious and personal principles (societies that attempt to 'ascend to heaven') has always led to failure, and worse, renewed self-interest. This is, I believe, what was attempted at the tower of Babel (Gen 11).

So what do we do? Our Prince of Peace actually prescribes an exacting formula in this regard when he taught us to pray-

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven."

In one sweeping paradox, Jesus diffuses our carnal desires for the power of political reality ("your kingdom come, your will be done") while conversely infusing our hopes for His "heaven on earth" rule and reign ("on earth as it is in heaven"). He is, in short, saying that we won't find our answers in earthly political systems, but rather in personal ("if you forgive other people") and community ("forgive us our debts") repentance and humility as a palpable manifest action that we can take to see God's "kingdom come".

Quoted from above --- " Life is not only about winners and losers."

Very true. It's not only about winners. But I believe, in the kingdom perspective, it is about losers. I believe that in one very real sense we are all "losers". Not trying to be morose at all, but just in the sense that we are all sin-filled and broken people. As Jesus says further in the prayer direction of Matthew 6-

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Jesus' answer for our sinfulness is not to banish and reproach us, but to instruct us in two things- forgive others and receive His forgiveness for us. In a very real way, I think the Lord's prayer is something of a political manifesto- a new way to be human (as the song goes).  We can engage in a truly helpful, and spiritual, political process from a kingdom perspective  by simply praying as it directs and doing as it says.

Notes

1. There are a number of excellent sources for information on the Roman Republic and Empire. The primary starting point for most people should be the classic text by Edward Gibbon- "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Another excellent modern history book that includes Rome as part of the broad sweep of human history is JM Roberts brilliant "History of the World". Beyond that you can branch out to read a couple directions of materials: first, source materials from the time period, such as Polybius' "The Histories", Tacitus' "The Annals", and Plutarch's "Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans". Each of those (and others) provide additional insight beyond what is covered by Gibbon in his broad survey. The second direction is current popular writers who place the Roman story into modern language and concepts, some even in narrative. These include choice writings such as  Mary Beard's "SPQR", Adrian Goldsworthy's duel books on "Caesar" & "Augustus",  Tom Holland's "Dynasty", and even Lars Brownworth's "Lost to the West".
2. My research of China has been limited. Most of my understanding of their state development comes from reading Francis Fukuyama's "The Origins of Political Order". I've read the main groupings of books attributed to Confucius as well, to get a sense of the back drop of some core Chinese cultural basis. Aside from Fukuyama's excellent work on the Chinese state, I'd recommend reading (again) Roberts "History of the World" for broader context into which China interacted with Western society across historical development.

This led to a discussion about the tunes my sweetie enjoyed as she drove around doing errands during the day, which included the aforementioned "Rockstar" (Post Malone), "1-800-273-8255 (I don't wanna be alive)" (Logic), and her favorite "Let You Down" (NF). My (much more docile) current pop favorite is "Perfect" (Ed Sheeran), although I have been enjoying virtually every track from the movie track of "The Greatest Showman" for about the last 3 weeks.

It's interesting to me that so much great musical talent is out there, speaking to our world and culture. Things we agree with and things we don't. Music is a kind of life illuminating script that has the power to dissolve the barriers to conversation. That power has always been a part of the human experience and the human community (what we call culture). History, archaeology and anthropology have known this for as long as these studies have been around.

The sound of the illuminating music from the community of Jesus (what we have called Christian music, or in the past, sacred music) has ebbed from its bright place of prominence that it once burned with (at different times and cultures) in the last two millennia. I wonder where its next Gregory (the chants), Joseph Haydn, Johann Bach, or Charles Wesley will come from? Who will write the next great, life-illuminating music that cracks us open to the heart of God as beams of light to the shadow-saturated culture of brokenness of the 21st century? Not just a song to please the "insiders", but sound and lyric that lifts as a sail to catch the wind of the Creator himself. A sail whose vessel can carry any one of us into the clear-eyed vision of the scripture's new creation, that very real place we call hope, faith and love.

--Kim Gentes

Me.

and you. Spending time looking for where the blame lies is also part of the problem. Not attending to the solution, but glaring at those failing. Refusing to forgive as Jesus taught us to.

The church is broken because people are broken. But the answer is not throwing away the community, or the God who has called the community together. Jesus promised to return for His church. 

God, come to us. Bring your kingdom reign here on earth, now. Make it as active and alive as it is already around your throne in the heavens. Heal us.  Help me to be caring, and to care. Make us the community that begins to look like the glorious and clean, radiant bride you will one day celebrate with on that great day. Help us stop saying things and doing things to manipulate others to do our will. Instead, may your will be done. Help us forgive, like you forgive. Help us trust you to take care of each day, as we live faithfully and kindly in each day, treating others as we'd like to be treated.  We need your love, Lord.  We need it because ours is dead or empty. We need it because the brokeness and heartache around us is more than we have the resources to help. Jesus, come help us.

--Kim Gentes

Yesterday, one of the scammers went as far as leaving a voice message. Here is what it said:

Hi. My name is David Grey, and this message is intended to contact you regarding an unfortunate action executed by the United States Treasury intending(sic) your serious attention. Ignoring this will be an intentional second attempt to avoid an issue appearance before a magistrate, judge or grand jury for a Federal criminal offence. My number is 631-729-5316. I repeat, it's 631-729-5316. I'd like you to cooperate with us, and us to help you. Thank you.

Here is the raw audio from the voice message.

Audio Recording of--  Scammer Voice Mail [click link to play]

It is probably obvious to many (perhaps even comical), but please remember- these are bogus and illegal scams. Please don't ever respond to these things. I was tired of all these fraudulent calls and harassment. So I decided to see what I could do to report these calls.

I went to the IRS website and read up on the ways to report such things to them. Their primary recommendation is to submit a report to the Treasury Department here:

https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report.shtml

You can also call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.

 You can also report phone fraud with the FTC here:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Part of the reason I get tired of this kind of harrassment is not because it is so clever that it isn't fairly easily detected, but because these tactics are so constant that it takes up time and energy to screen out. More than that, these same types of scammers are calling others, especially elderly friends and family members who may tend to trust "official sounding" scammers. If you know someone who is harrassed by such calls, and you aren't sure if they understand what to do and who to contact- help them get access to the numbers and links above. But most of all, sit with them and help explain these are fraudulent calls and they should not believe them. 

Finally, here is a video posted from the IRS themselves helping to warn people about these issues:

Be safe out there folks, and be sure to help those around you who might not understand the nature of the fraudulent calls they are recieving. 

I am not a lawyer. I am not licensed to give legal counsel. This article is meant for research and resource purposes, and only renders my personal ideas, not a legal opinion. If you have serious questions about the law, consult an attorney.

Fortunately, I had prepared ahead of time and got the research done on the new law, and some details on how the airplane policies intersect with that. For those that haven't heard, a new law was introduced as part of the recently passed "FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012".  You can see the entire act published on Congress' website here. The pertinent portion of the act for us is "Sec. 403. Musical instruments" which describes the requirement upon airlines to provide adequate accommodations for passengers traveling with musical instruments.

The Actual Law

For our purposes, I am going to focus briefly on the sub-section here headlined as "Small instruments as carry-on baggage".  Rather than just summarize it without context, I am going to quote the relevant text here first then comment.

Small instruments as carry-on baggage. --An air carrier providing air transportation shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other musical instrument in the aircraft cabin, without charging the passenger a fee in addition to any standard fee that carrier may require for comparable carry-on baggage, if-

• (A) the instrument can be stowed safely in a suitable baggage compartment in the aircraft cabin or under a passenger seat, in accordance with the requirements for carriage of carry-on baggage or cargo established by the Administrator; and
• (B) there is space for such stowage at the time the passenger boards the aircraft.1

If you read nothing more, at least know what the law says. It can help you on your next trip.

What Does This Mean To Me?

The law is crisp and simple. Airlines must allow you to carry-on your guitar (with no charge) if two conditions exist. First, your instrument must be small enough to fit. That is- your instrument should be small enough to be stowed in the compartments provided for carry-on luggage (under the seat in front of you or in the overhead storage). Second, there must be space available in those compartments. I've found that my two guitars (2008 McPherson MG-3.5 EIR/E, and 1992 Ovation Elite CE) and cases fit easily in regular overhead compartments. My estimation is that most acoustics will fit, unless you have a monstrous body axe or super power case that you know can't fit in regular bins (but check your own guitar case specs against your airline).

The real key for the second item (B) in the above law text is that there must be space available for your guitar. This seems like a bad-news clause, since we can imagine airlines claiming they want to first load other items before letting your guitar in the overheads. But the DOT does a slam dunk against that with a swift phrase in its ruling on implementation of the law when it says that the airlines music allow you to store your instrument "if... there is room for the instrument at the time the passenger in question attempts to board"2. Bingo! That is the key right there.

So how can you be sure there will be enough room when you board? The answer- board early! I know it seems obvious, but it basically comes down to first come, first served. If there is room when you get on, your guitar has rights to that room. My solution- since I was flying with US Air/American on my flights, I used their "Priority boarding" option when checking in online (with my regular cabin fare ticket). For those two airlines, at least, you can purchase a simple $25 early boarding option that lets you get Priority or Group 1 boarding on a flight. Purchasing that feature online means it must be available, which means you should get online ASAP to check-in (usually 24 hours before your flight). The longer you wait to check-in, the less chance there is of spending a $25 fee to give you a bit of peace of mind that you will get on the plane before the other traveling hordes. Of course, if you are a Platinum, Gold, Silver, Diamond, blah blah blah passenger, you already will have access to those premium seating priorities and don't need to spend the extra 25 clams.  REMEMBER- check your airline to find out what their boarding policies are. The key is- be in or before the FIRST major group to board.

My Story

All that said, written law and "real life" often times don't seem as compatible as they sound. When I boarded my US Air flight from Phoenix, AZ to Kona, HI recently I had guitar in-hand. I had done the research, but I worried about what would happen as I got on the airline. I had purchased the priority boarding so I was in Group 1 to board. I stood up early and got in line at the head of group 1.

The Unhelpful Airline Employee

My wife and I scanned our tickets and were walking down the jetway when an airline employee said "oh, let me get you a ticket so you can gate check that guitar". I quickly replied, "no need, I am carrying it on."  She looked surprised, and responded "oh, that won't fit". I replied, "It's ok, I've brought it on flights before. I will just take it on and see. The new federal law says that I have a right to carry-on the guitar and stow it if it can fit". Obviously frustrated with not getting my compliance she sent one more salvo, "so you are just going to take up space for other passengers baggage with that?" Her tone of condescension and shaming was hard to miss. "Yes," I said, "I am".

I got on the plane and the flight attendants were super nice and no one else said anything. There was tons of room and I placed my own other item in front of the guitar, along with my wife's allowed carry-ons so that the guitar and our items actually fit nicely and only took up a portion of an overhead (plenty other bags were in that overhead bin).  Thankfully, the upset airline employee who had accosted me for taking my guitar on the plane didn't board the craft, as I didn't want to have to come under some mysterious "beverage shortage" as retribution for my insistence on accessing the plane with the guitar.

On the flight home, we had two legs to the trip. From Kona to LA was great. I got another priority boarding pass and was golden with finding lots of space for the guitar. But I couldn't get priority boarding for the second leg of the flight because it was a a connector flight with a different airline (who's reservation system didn't allow me to pre-purchase priority boarding). Even worse the jet was a small Canadair commuter jet. I feared the worse.  I had flown those before and I knew that the overhead bins were too small for the guitar. I had resigned myself to gate-checking the guitar, praying for protection.

The Angel with Wings

As I waited at the end of the jetway, the USAir Express flight attendant (run by Mesa Airlines, I believe) asked me if she could help with anything. I pointed to my guitar. I was about to ask if I could talk to the person who would carry my guitar to the luggage compartment. I wanted to be assured that he/she understood the value of the guitar as I really needed them to be careful with it.

But she said "let me help you get that on the plane". "Bring it in here", she said. She cleared out a small forward compartment that contained the crew's luggage and some drink supplies and had me place my guitar in the back of it. Then she piled the items back in the compartment in front of the guitar. I couldn't believe it. "Will that work?" she asked, not realizing I was almost ready to cry with thankful, joyous tears. She had gone out of her way to make sure the guitar was safe and I was a happy customer. And to do that, she placed my guitar in their employee storage compartment in the cabin. I was elated!

Your Takeaways

• Check-in Early - the goal is to be one of the early boarders. Don't forget.
• Purchase "priority boarding" where available - if you don't have some preferred status with the airline, and they allow you to buy a cheap boarding upgrade, consider the small fee as insurance to keeping your axe safe from baggage handlers that are used to throwing your checked items. Ya, remember that.
• Get in line for boarding early - whether you have priority boarding or not, get in the appropriate line ASAP. 
• Assert your rights - When being questioned by the airline employees, politely assert your rights to carry-on your instrument. I am Mr. non-confrontational, but for my guitar safety I set aside my homegrown Canadian politeness and take on my American "assert-my-rights" attitude. Don't be mean, but be ready.
• Be nice and Thankful - the airlines can be amazingly helpful as well as rule-bound. I have found that the majority of folks want to do the right thing and help their customers out. My story includes people who were not being helpful, and ones that were. When folks help you and treat you with respect, it feels great. But even when they don't, be nice. And when they help and do right, be thankful.

In addition to the section discussed above, let me clarify a couple addition points.

It's Already Enforced Law

Whenever a law is passed, there is an intermediary time between passage and "implementation" that can thwart the regular people (like you and I) from taking full benefit of the law. I can imagine some uninformed TSA or gate agent saying that it's a signed law, but no rules are available for it. Not so. This law was introduced 02/11/2011, passed the house in 04/01/2011, resolved final differences on 02/06/2012 and was signed into law by the President on 02/14/2012.  This isn't a proposal or something only passed by congress or the senate. It is completed, finalized law of the land in the United States. Further, this law has not only been issued but it is now being enforced by the feds as outlined in a final rule of implementation by the US Dept of Trans (which you can read here).

Filing An Official Complaint

IF you have problems with getting airlines to comply with the new law, you can complain to the airline customer service dept directly (which may or may not help you), or report them to the Dept of Transportation directly by registering a formal complaint here. I haven't had to do this, but it is nice to know that the feds are actually going to listen to you if the airlines are being unreasonable or incompliant.

Larger Instruments

Second, there is also a section dealing with larger instruments than can fit in the overhead or stowage compartment of the passenger cabin. All still part of the section 403, the sub-sections "Large musical instruments as carry-on baggage" and "Large musical instruments as carry-on baggage" both may help you with how to handle those larger instruments that the airlines are still now bound by law to allow you to bring on (or check) at no additional cost.  There are limits related to size and weight that may apply to extreme cases, so be sure to look into that if it applies to you.

More resources.

FlyingWithGuitars - There are a lot of other things you might consider when looking into flying with your guitar other than strictly knowing there is now law to allow you to bring your guitar with you! I found a great guide online related to various areas such as packing, gear, airlines & airports etc and more right here. If found his research to be good and (best of all) from practical experience very helpful. 

SHARE YOUR STORY

If you have had an experience with your instrument on a plane, especially related to this law, please post a reply (below is a form) to those post and let us know what you learned. We will all benefit from sharing our experiences in this regard. Thanks!

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Important disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I am not licensed to give legal counsel. This article is meant for research and resource purposes, and only renders my personal ideas, not a legal opinion. If you have serious questions about the law, consult an attorney.

Document references:

1. Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, 49 U.S.C.A. § 41724. (Pub.L. 112-95, Title IV, § 403(a), Feb. 14, 2012.) (link)
2. 4910-9X . DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION . Office of the Secretary . 14 CFR Part 251. Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0231 . RIN No. 2105-AE37 (link)