MEMORY RESIDUE

The renewal of listening

There are moments where everything changes, because you can hear so clearly. I remember in my exuberant teen piety, I would pray time and time again, "Lord, I give you everything I am. I am fully Yours." I would burn my 'secular' music in bonfires, and anything else that I felt separated me from God. I went on a mission trip to South America where I came face to face with real poverty, and it turned my world upside-down. I returned to the states with a flipped worldview: I couldn't go back to the way things were. A couple of months later I was helping to lead a youth lock-in at my church, and with little [...]

By Joel|2020-04-20T00:51:39+00:00June 17th, 2015|Create, Morning and Night, Music, Nomad Chronicles, prayer|

The slow death of hurry

I remember the morning, and mornings just like it. Early morning sunlight streamed in the window of the cabin, as the end of my bed started to warm from the first rays of sunlight. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, I hung my feet off the side, letting my feet feel the cool wood floor of the cabin. Shuffling my feet on the ground I made my way to the kitchen of the small cabin, where I put some coffee on, and I stared anxiously as the pot dripped enough for me to pour into a mug. I took my cup outside to the picnic bench in the front yard where I sat, prayed, [...]

By Joel|2018-01-16T15:20:41+00:00May 30th, 2015|Breathe, discipleship, memories, Minimalism, prayer, Rhythms, Simplicity|

For Tomorrow: a reminder to keep on

I love music and spoken word that challenges and teaches. Here's one of my favorite poets, Joel Mckerrow, and his poem, "For Tomorrow." When we were watching this as a family, toward the end, my daughter turned to me and said, "That's Heaven!" and I smiled and said, "Yes it is, honey." The Kingdom of Heaven, a reality that is both now and not-yet, is something that I believe we hunger for. When we long for justice, for hope, and for wrong things made right, the compass of our hearts -as broken and imperfect as they are -point north again. Something stirs in us, and our hearts start to resonate with the heart of God [...]

By Joel|2018-01-17T22:17:51+00:00May 9th, 2015|Create, Jesus Shaped Community, Kingdom of God|

What a Friend: Songs in the Night

So, we were joking: Songs in the Night is actually more like Songs...after the kids go to bed. The original Songs in the Night that I named this musical series after was an all night worship and prayer vigil that I led in my early twenties. And at this time in our lives we don't quite have the stamina for that, but we manage to scurry to the basement for these recordings. For our worship time this month we decided to sing my friend Bruce Goode's song "What a Friend" from our Called as Friends album. You can purchase the song here: itunes. You can also check out that album's website at: www.joelbidderman.com/calledasfriends This song has been [...]

By Joel|2018-01-17T22:28:19+00:00January 12th, 2015|Breathe, Christian Music, Music, Songs in the Night|

Memoirs of a Visitor

The renewal of listening

The slow death of hurry

For Tomorrow: a reminder to keep on

What a Friend: Songs in the Night