Margaret Vitalis sends this update to the Minneapolis, MN 04/04 date
This is probably more than you really need to know, but I'll just type the whole thing so I don't forget anything. Rich Mullins & The Ragamuffin Band in concert Friday April 4, 1997, 7:30 p.m. All seats general admission: $13.95 in advance $15.00 at the door Held at Crystal Free Church 4225 Gettysburg Ave. North New Hope, MN 55428 Individual tickets available at all Ticketmaster Outlets or to charge by phone call 612-989-5151. Tickets also available at Praise Unlimited without service charges. (they don't have a # for ticketmaster, but I'll try to remember to get that). To order tickets by mail: Mail your check to: Christian Concert Tickets 205 West Goethe Chicago, IL 60610 (add a $4 handling fee per order) OK, that's the scoop!
I received more responses to the following Bible question than any other post to date. Why am I not surprised that many on this list know their Bible? :-)
In [RichMailList 117], Wayne Millard wrote: > When I went to see Rich in concert at Grace Brethern, before he sang Let >Mercy Lead, he was doing one of he 'comedy routines', and was telling how he >used to think anyone who had kids was blessed, and he wanted one... Then >everyone around him started having them, and when they put him in charge of >the nursery, he understood this verse in the Bible(then he gave a Scripture >Reference from the Old Testament), and quoted it as saying something about >bashing the babes and sucklings heads against the rock, or something on that >order... Do you have any idea where that verse is????
Before I post just a few of the responses, and I want to thank all those who took the time to write, and also remind everybody - Rich was just kidding! It's a joke!
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 10:57:51 (CST) From: Elizabeth Haskins Hi, that verse can be found in Psalms 137 (verse 8-9). It is a very different Psalm, some call it a "cursing Psalm" because of it's tone. This Psalm calls upon God to bring curses because the writer believes that the punishment he is asking for is deserved. As a nation, Babylon had brutally murdered many. God promises in the Bible to hear the cries of the innocent and that God takes vengence - He is the judge. (see psalm 109 for another example of a cursing psalm.) In Christ, Elizabeth Haskins ------- From: Rebekah Thorne Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:35:22 (EST) [snip] ... Rich also quoted the beautiful poetry which begins that chapter. ------- From: Teresa Freeman White Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 14:34:46 (EST) I searched on my computer bible and found what may be the verse Rich was referring to: Psalms 137:8-9 : Happy is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. (NIV) Of course the wording may be different in other Bible versions. This was one of the "cursing psalms" that was written out of anguish because as a nation, Babylon had callously murdered, earning punishment & this was the voice of victim's testimony to God, the judge. Of course, this was before Christ came to take the punishment for our sins & to teach us to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Teresa ------- Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 00:33:45 From: Mike Novak Dear Danl, I remember this verse very well. It's from the end of Ps. 137. I had the strange experience of coming across this Psalm last May when I was at the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. 137 came up in the rotation of Psalms for the liturgy of the hours and as we chanted/prayed through it, we came to this strange conclusion. My friend and I looked at one another, trying not to laugh, as we were surrounded by dedicated Christian monks, committed to the most peaceful life possible, calmly chanting one of the most violent texts I've ever seen. I suppose that Rich began telling his congregation about his new "understanding" of the verse and this is why he's out with us instead of still watching children.... Michael Anthony Novak Graduate Student--Department of Theology University of Notre Dame ------- From: Chris Castleberry Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 11:57:20 Hi Danl! I'm sure you've already received some mail in response to Wayne's question about the baby-bashing scripture, but thought I'd throw in my two cents. (or two verses, as it were.) The scripture is Psalm 137:8-9. The NIV says: "O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us- he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." This is the Psalm that talks about when the Jews were captive in Babylon and how they hung their harps on the poplars (willows, in KJV) when their captors demanded songs of them. The Jews asked themselves, "How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?" They were obviously crying out for vengeance against their enemies, and I guess the ultimate in vindictiveness would be to wish that your enemies off-spring would be destroyed. Pretty violent stuff. When we saw Rich in Dallas in July of 1995, he also joked about this. Chris and Melanie Castleberry chrisc@icsi.net
The video refered to in the following message is about Sherri Howard, who went to Rich's church here in Wichita.
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 06:28:19 From: Brenda Bowman Ya know, Mars Hill makes Christian videos and Rich actually has a brief interview appearance in one of them: "The Call". We have a brand new web site; check it out sometime: www.mars-hill-media.org Thanks, Brenda Bowman Mars Hill Productions