Monday, November 20, 2006

On Attending a Baha'i Devotional: We sang the Baha'i equivalent of Jewish camp songs

“My objective is to involve people in the experience. I try to make prayer user-friendly. Because the music is in a familiar genre, people are able to make the connection between the music and the text. The real power is in the poetry of the liturgy, how moving and stirring it can be, connecting us to our deepest and most precious ideas, hopes, and fears.” - Jewish songstress Debbie Friedman

Psalms 126: 1 - 6
1. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
3. The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.
4. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb!
5. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!
6. He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.


Zoe is going the University of California at Berkeley, she's happy, and she's listening to Debbie Friedman. -gw

Current mood: happy
Current music: Shir Hama-alot (Psalm 126:1-6) - Debbie Friedman


I went to a Baha'i devotional this morning and met all sorts of awesome, ridiculously diverse people. It was almost obscene. Case in point: A woman who lived in London for several years married a half Dutch, half something ex-Soviet guy who lived in Haifa for 2 years working at the world center. I chatted with a guy from Delhi and a grad student from Chile. We heard readings from the Koran, St. Francis, Zoroastrian texts, and Baha'u'llah. We sang the Baha'i equivalent of jew camp songs. It was the second most awesome way to spend a Saturday morning (the first being sleeping in... :0)

Zoe (zamis) wrote,@ 2006-11-18 14:07:00 on Pretty girl there washing shirts/I love you so much it hurts
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Above photo: "Band - Bahá'is from Nouvelle Caledonie performed some songs for us," by NataschaM on flickr
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{Re-posted with permission}

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