Virtual Methodist

I was writing yesterday about saying goodbye to West Michigan Star 105.7, and more particularly Tommy and Brook in the morning. I'm reliably informed that they came from a Gospel Music Station 91.3 WCSG where they piloted their TOY programme under the less catchy title of "Drive Thru Difference." Star 105.7 is a secular station, but one of the things that I can't get over is the general prominence of explicitly Christian music on this and other commercial channels and the pop charts in general. It all seems to be part of a strange pseudo-christian cultural musical mainstream, which perhaps reflects the relationship of religion and society in general here. You have Marvin Sapp, who is both a chart topping singing sensation and pastor of the Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, then you have groups like MercyMe and their oft repeated "I can only Imagine", which I first came across at a funeral... More on that tomorrow... And then there was the r...

Just a brief note as an addenda to my earlier blog on the peculiar conjunction of faith and baseball in this weird and wonderful country. On the Tommy and Brook show last Monday they announced that anyone bringing the bulletin from their church service to the ballgame at the West Michigan Whitecaps ground, would get reduced price entry... I can just see that happening at Windsor Park or the Oval! I love this country!! Cheers

This morning we said goodbye to West Michigan... Hopefully not forever, but certainly for the forseeable future... Most of our formal goodbyes were said 2 weeks ago when we said farewell to the congregation at Faith UMC. Two of them, Ron and Shirley Marckini kindly drove us to the airport in Detroit... But we also said goodbye to Tommy and Brook who were constant companions each weekday morning for 7 weeks (bar the 3 days in Niagara)... Because they are the breakfast show presenters on West Michigan Star 105.7. Their programme is a fairly typical regional commercial breakfast show, with a playlist of current hits and "classics" from the 70s and 80s. But one of the features that sets this programme and the station as a whole is their TOY Program. TOY standing for Thinking Outside Yourself. The idea is for listeners to do something completely altruistic, and anonymous... e.g. paying the toll for the person behind you at a freeway tollbooth, or buying a soft drink for someone be...