the cross, "Cross", and the song

the cross
I am taking a class titled "Inductive Bible Study of Mark" this semester. My first assignment for the class has me reading the entire book in one sitting out loud- twice. Ha! Yes, when I finished my first round last night, my voice was getting a little horse. Takes about 2 hours to read through the whole thing. One observation I came away with is that Mark is hard to read out loud and would have made my college English professors groan if they had read it. The first half of Mark especially has a lot of sentences that begin with "And". Throughout the rest of the gospel, Mark uses the words "him" too much and makes it very confusing to read and understand who is being referred to. I never noticed this before, maybe because I'm used to reading small chunks or maybe a chapter at a time. But, reading through it out loud gives me a different perspective. It seems that Mark was so excited about the story that he was telling that he rushed through it (hence the use of "and" a lot, like you are breathless telling some exciting story). Once you get to the cross, the excitement slows down to acknowledge Christ's Gift to us. Then it picks back up again as everyone is experiencing the risen Christ around them. I'm looking forward to reading it through again tonight, but I'll have water on hand this time to wet my throat from time to time.

Cross
I finally started reading a book I've been waiting on for a while, thanks to my wife for picking it up at the library for me. It's fiction and not about the cross, but Alex Cross (of Kiss The Girls and Along Came a Spider fame)- an FBI agent who tracks down serial killers and puts them away. I love James Patterson's writing style, especially the way he lets you into the mind of the characters. Hope he catches his wife's killer and doesn't die in the process.
(note to all concerned about my seminary future: reading a novel is my relaxation each night before I hit the sack. Couple chapters as I wind down.)

One of the last songs I'd ever expect to hear played in church (BUT I LOVED IT!!!):
New Spring Church in Anderson, SC had a celebration service on New Years Eve to remember the great things that God has done in their church. They looked back at certain things, like songs that stood out in the year.
http://isite78285.intellisite.com/Page.aspx?id=216884
listen to the lead up to it- 31:00-32:35
there's a video in between, but you can skip it...
song starts at- 34:53