Money Matters
I just got back from a meeting with Megan. Yes, I have meetings with my spouse. Scheduled meetings for particular purposes. It works brilliantly. About every few weeks Megan and I will schedule a meeting to sit down and go over our budget. We’ll look at the shape of monthly income and expenditures. We’ll chat about any big purchases on the horizon. And we’ll make changes to the budget accordingly. We usually meet in coffee shops so it’s a little more business-like than just chatting — and its the quickest budget entry ever — coffee into the coffee line.
I haven’t blogged much about money before, so what follows are a few random thoughts, and some questions for the blogosphere.
First, our relationship would not be nearly as peachy were it lacking our money meetings. If money issues aren’t addressed, money thoughts can become all-consuming. On the other hand, if money matters are never addressed, well, checks bounce and things can escalate quickly. We’ve found no better way to deal with such challenges than addressing them head-on, but in a particular place at a particular time (yes, we’re both pretty strong “J”s).
Second, we keep account of everything we spend (well, we try to get darn close at least). Megan’s been the one to do so over the first few years of marriage by using a spreadsheet, but I’m going to take the reins next month. So, I need to find a method to call my own. I’m not a huge spreadsheet guy, or at least, I’d prefer to find a bitter way if one exists. Here’s where the blogoshere comes in…
I’m looking at Mint.com, Wesabe, and Geezeo. Anyone have experience using them? I think the interface of Mint looks great, but I wonder if it’s smart enough to handle our budget (not that it’s a big budget, just lots of line items that can be tricky — e.g. toothpaste, even if you buy it at the grocery store, must not be counted in the food line item). I’d say budgeting is my top priority for these sites, and then other functionalities are bonus. Any other sites/resources you’d recommend?
Finally, I’d just like to say in public how strange I think it is that folks don’t have more real conversations about money and budgeting. I mean, sure, people talk about it when they reach a breaking point. But I’d love for churches and groups of friends to offer safe places to have other types of conversations as well.
One of the ideals I love held by those who are members of the Iona Community is that they meet annually to check in, to pray, to keep each other accountable, and also to talk about how they are using their money to serve God and others. Maybe that’s a bit idealistic of me, or maybe it’s not. In either case, I’m happy to schedule a meeting with Megan and to talk it over.
image by sanja gjenero
What's so hip about "Guide My Feet"?
The past few days I’ve been meeting with the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song in Louisville. It’s a formidable but fun group with whom it’s a joy to work. I’ll have a few more reflections going up in the next week or so, but this one I had actually been planning to write for a while.
It won’t be news to anyone that each worshiping community develops a kind of core to their congregational song repertoire. Some hymns, for identifiable reasons and un, are particularly popular in certain congregations. Obvious examples include hymns or songs written by members, or pieces commissioned for the congregation.
(A favorite song in Montreat is “Montreat How I Love You,” which is a camp favorite but, I dare say, not being considering for the hymnal.)
I’m not really sure why this is, but by far the most popular hymn for Columbia Seminary chapel services is the African-American spiritual “Guide My Feet”. Nobody keeps good records about this at CTS as far as I know, so I’m only claiming this as a frequent chapel attender, but I’m willing to say ‘“Guide My Feet” was the most-sung hymn in each of my three years at Columbia.’
Mostly, at Columbia, senior M.Div. students plan and lead chapel services for the community. Why, then, is “Guide My Feet” so popular? Who knows, but here’s a few possible reasons that come to mind.
- I’ll be generous with my first reason: “Guide My Feet” is just a very good hymn. It’s chosen often because of it’s high quality. There’s probably something to this. Though it’s a simple text, it’s one of very sound theology. While some hymns can be a bit wordy, or too showy, “Guide My Feet” gets right to the point: help us out God! The tune is catchy, easy to sing, and has a rich heritage. It also invites easy singing in harmony.
- Less generous second reason: the average musical skills of seminary students these days are not great. Many (most?) are not very comfortable reading music and they have been formed by congregations with fairly small core hymn repertoires. When this is the case, flipping through the hymnal is a daunting task — especially when one feels the hymns will be analyzed by students and professors alike. So, “Guide My Feet” becomes a comfortable, safe, and familiar choice. It looks good on the page, so students choose it.
- Third reason for right now: “Guide My Feet” has several verses, but they are simple repeated words and one does not need the have one’s face buried in the hymnal to sing. In fact, one barely needs the words written at all. Perhaps this gives worshipers a confidence to sing out, a comfort not to worry about the words. Knowing the words make the hymn easy not just to sing, but to pray.
So that’s a few thoughts on the popularity of “Guide My Feet” at Columbia Seminary. What’s the most popular song in your place of worship? Any ideas why?
image by chris1961
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