:::prayers
- ::: the offices v2.0 :::
- ::: the offices :::
- ::: another place to pray :::
- ::: stations of the cross :::
- ::: offensive content :::
- ::: come clean :::
- ::: alternativeworship :::
- ::: aljazeera :::
- ::: amnesty :::
- ::: amazon :::
- ::: asbury :::
- ::: beanbooks :::
- ::: bible :::
- ::: bioethics :::
- ::: bloggercon :::
- ::: blogdom of God :::
- ::: bruderhof :::
- ::: burningpaper :::
- ::: catechism :::
- ::: catholic ireland :::
- ::: catholic pages :::
- ::: certaindoubt :::
- ::: coffeehouse :::
- ::: cnn :::
- ::: drudge :::
- ::: dnc :::
- ::: early fathers :::
- ::: emerging church :::
- ::: emerging kiwi :::
- ::: emerging/neo-liberal :::
- ::: epiphany :::
- ::: episcopal church :::
- ::: ewtn :::
- ::: faithmaps :::
- ::: fairtrade coffee :::
- ::: feminist for life :::
- ::: gop :::
- ::: greenpeace :::
- ::: habbo :::
- ::: henri nouwen :::
- ::: independent party :::
- ::: interfaith alliance :::
- ::: labyrinth :::
- ::: lakeland :::
- ::: league of reformed bloggers :::
- ::: logos :::
- ::: mondavi :::
- ::: my yahoo! :::
- ::: next wave :::
- ::: npr :::
- ::: ooze :::
- ::: pluggedin :::
- ::: portico :::
- ::: pray magazine :::
- ::: preaching + :::
- ::: relevant magazine :::
- ::: religious left :::
- ::: religioustolerance :::
- ::: resurgence :::
- ::: rns :::
- ::: sakamuyo :::
- ::: saint paul's :::
- ::: saints :::
- ::: stay catholic :::
- ::: techorati :::
- ::: theofframp :::
- ::: the vine :::
- ::: via dolorosa :::
- ::: vineyard central :::
- ::: work :::
- ::: lectio :::
- ::: livingroom :::
- ::: mars hill review :::
- ::: u2 sermons :::
- ::: un-bound bible :::
- ::: walking :::
- ::: world :::
- ::: wv :::
- ::: ys :::
- ::: new :::
- ::: new :::
dollar costs for war
(JavaScript Error)
:::confessional
:::canned goods
:::perishables
:::photoblogs
:::exposed thoughts
- 01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
- 02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
- 03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
- 04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
- 05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
- 06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
- 07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004
- 08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004
- 09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
- 10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
- 11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
- 12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
- 01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
- 02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
:::processing '05
- ::: new :::
- :::liturgy:::
- :::social communication:::
- :::dogmatic on church :::
- :::eastern church rites:::
- :::ecumenism:::
- :::office of bishop:::
- :::religious life:::
- :::eastern church rites:::
- :::priestly training:::
- :::chr'n ed:::
- :::others:::
- :::divine revelation:::
- :::laity:::
- :::religious freedoms:::
- :::missions:::
- :::ministry & life:::
- :::church in the modern world:::
- :::ascent of mt carmel :::
- :::catholic catechism :::
- :::cluetrain manifesto :::
- :::confessions :::
- :::imitations (thomas kempis):::
- :::summa theologica (aquinas):::
:::analogy books
:::vatican 2 docs
:::ebooks
Thursday, January 29, 2004
. : : : a conversation with Roman Catholic freinds : : : .
i have these freinds that are self described as 'rear-guard' of gen x . . . they are roman catholics and meet periodically in bars around town . . . i am sort of by-standing conversations that are taking place . . . its sort of like having lots of eye contact with a really cute girl at a high school dance . . . want to dance but afraid as much as desire . . . i would really appreciate any feedback/insight . . .
our question to Wen Stephenson [at the beginning of "Re: No Subject" (Agni 58)] forces me for the first time to consider my “generation,” the last Gen-X’ers of the late seventies—specifically, my peers, the then-babes of 1977. As for generation and perception, this seems as good a place as any to speak from. Although the Gen X domain may end according to some as early as '75 or as late as '81, there is no clear demographical determiner like that which the baby-boomers had, no made-to-order political leanings or homogeneous world-views we were told we shared when we weren’t yet old enough to drive. Thus,'77 seems as good a vantage point as any, especially when I consider the particular history I have lived.
Although the prospect of answering the question of what literary voice speaks in our name is befuddling (and perhaps premature in our case), this question of Who We Are is something I had never considered, and, as I came to realize, is a clear symptom of my generation’s identity. I wonder if that is the first step in the search for a voice. (Movies are the books of yeterday)
But let me better explain the group I am calling my own—the rear-guard of Gen X staring from our disinterested summit across the badlands occupied by Gen Y. . . . Well, not quite; the more I tried to define us in opposition to Gen Y, the more I realized the children of '77 bridge the gulf, a cusp-generation having the faults of both and (perhaps) missing the blessings of either. We continued Gen X’s interest in ourselves I'm not sure that this element is as defining as we might think, busters, boomers, X, Ys, and Z's are all generally interested in self to a fault . . . While Gen X had made a name for itself as the apathetic generation, we (the '77’rs) tried to one-up them in this regard, viewing the previous generation of the '70s as simply too earnest for our social circles. We looked to younger friends who preferred our lackadaisical guidance in the world of fashion and music over our elders. Unlike Gen Y, though, we could not share their enthusiasm and optimism—for anything. But we still turned to them because they shared the peculiar circumstances of our development.
My generation rode History (the American version). Progress was inevitable, surprising, and always positive. Here is a quick reminder of what we’ve seen: as children, we were told the Soviets could bomb us and destroy the planet by pressing a button. (Keep in mind that, like the Gen Y'ers, the first president we remember was Reagan.) As we entered the first stages of adolescence, the Wall fell (a good symbol of our new hormonal determination). The recession that depressed our parents and hollowed out the factory towns near us seemed to disappear overnight. The first war we could remember, Desert Storm (a blip on our radar), got rid of some tyranny or other and proved our country was the best. Bill Clinton was elected (the first time without our help) and the economy, which suddenly mattered in our appetite for CDs and Nintendo games, pushed ahead at full-throttle.
When we graduated from high school, the Internet, promised to us in grade school, was up and running and welcomed us to college. As we left college, the economy had a couple of amazing years left. Some of us made and lost a lot of money, but the people who did most of this were the “earnest” Gen X’ers who dared expend their energy. We had better video games, and suddenly cell phones were no longer just a good idea. The world was changing hand in hand with us. And for those who went on to a two-year Masters program (not because we wanted to, but because there was nothing else to do) left school in 2001— in time for the ride to abruptly halt.
Those were the good old days, at least for us middle-class kids, but now we would have to try like everyone before us, like the Gen X e’rs did in their dot-com craze, like our parents did in the final days of long hair and peace signs. Don’t get me wrong, this natural progress timed to our comings of age didn’t instill us with faith in humanity or goodness in the world; those beliefs could be left to our predecessors and followers. It was natural progress, or better—a secular predestination. No further introspection was necessary, until now—until we had to know who we are, what to push against in our efforts to DO something, BE something.
We haven’t started trying yet. We’re paralyzed.
I first considered my cusp-generational problems when I married an elder Gen X'er, though I don’t think she would approve of either label. For the first time, I saw someone who read the newspaper, emailed the networks about their poor news coverage of an injustice in our world—a person who used the word “injustice” and didn’t smirk. She even gave a little money to good causes. I told her she was emblematic of her “earnest” generation, and we had a good argument. She’s been my guide in my stepping down off of the History ride, a difficult venture since marriage even seemed a betrayal of my generation’s values.
In fact, Time seems to be on hold in these early years of the new millennium, as if my generation had willed it to a crawl while we figure things out. I like to think we aren’t just copping out, turning off the news and turning on our latest entertainment gadget, trying to drown out the world’s din, its calling to us finally to be accountable. I’d like to think this is a period of what Robert Graves describes in the writer as "proleptic thought," but on a generational plane. In these trances, as Graves fashioned them, time around the writer seems to slow down while he looks into the future or past (analeptic) to cull his materials and produce his work. Only after he has finished does he realize what has transpired, what time has really passed. I’d like to think my generation is writing itself right now.
But this was the long way around of telling you that we don’t have “a voice that ‘gets’ our generation.” We’re only now starting to learn how to read. But to grasp at straws, to put these strings together for a moment, I would say the voice my generation will turn to will not seem to try to reach us at all. While we need a truthful voice, we would shy away from anyone who seemed to wear a mask of good-intentioned earnestness. We wouldn’t believe them. To us, “earnestness,” like “sincerity,” belongs in the jargon of advertisers. And it isn’t a loud oracular voice either—one whose proclamations could be mistaken for sound-bites. In the meantime, I’d like to suggest that my generation turn to the Eastern Europeans who are much older than we are—such as Milosz, Zagajewski, Herbert—and have been through an actual deluge, identities clear, in some cases literally branded. Take this final stanza from Zagajewski’s poem “Elegy” in Mysticism for Beginners (trans. Cavanagh):
It was a black landscape, only the mountains were blue
and a rainbow sloped. There were no promises, no hopes,
but we lived there, and not as strangers.
It was the life we’d been given.
It was patience, glacier-pale.
It was fear full of guilt. Courage
full of anxiety. Anxiety filled with power.
Zagajewski does not expend any extra energy. He goes straight for meaning, but still seems to accidentally arrive at truth, as if the bones of this poetry were aligned, built on their own magnetic compasses, born of itself. The poet is the vessel. Although not our landscape, this should appeal to my generation.
But while our nascent consciousness could be nurtured by these amazing poets, “our” voice will still be slowly forming. We are not a generation of prodigies. Knowing my generation of ’77 as I’ve defined it above, I don’t think our voice, our poet, will try to accomplish much at all, but by proxy will become our forward-guard. The poet will not try to round up the whole country, the whole generation in her oeuvre, but will write of and from a small region, a backwater community or borough. No Whitmans for us, we need a Dickinson.
Give us two decades, maybe three, and the answer to your question will be obvious.
our question to Wen Stephenson [at the beginning of "Re: No Subject" (Agni 58)] forces me for the first time to consider my “generation,” the last Gen-X’ers of the late seventies—specifically, my peers, the then-babes of 1977. As for generation and perception, this seems as good a place as any to speak from. Although the Gen X domain may end according to some as early as '75 or as late as '81, there is no clear demographical determiner like that which the baby-boomers had, no made-to-order political leanings or homogeneous world-views we were told we shared when we weren’t yet old enough to drive. Thus,'77 seems as good a vantage point as any, especially when I consider the particular history I have lived.
Although the prospect of answering the question of what literary voice speaks in our name is befuddling (and perhaps premature in our case), this question of Who We Are is something I had never considered, and, as I came to realize, is a clear symptom of my generation’s identity. I wonder if that is the first step in the search for a voice. (Movies are the books of yeterday)
But let me better explain the group I am calling my own—the rear-guard of Gen X staring from our disinterested summit across the badlands occupied by Gen Y. . . . Well, not quite; the more I tried to define us in opposition to Gen Y, the more I realized the children of '77 bridge the gulf, a cusp-generation having the faults of both and (perhaps) missing the blessings of either. We continued Gen X’s interest in ourselves I'm not sure that this element is as defining as we might think, busters, boomers, X, Ys, and Z's are all generally interested in self to a fault . . . While Gen X had made a name for itself as the apathetic generation, we (the '77’rs) tried to one-up them in this regard, viewing the previous generation of the '70s as simply too earnest for our social circles. We looked to younger friends who preferred our lackadaisical guidance in the world of fashion and music over our elders. Unlike Gen Y, though, we could not share their enthusiasm and optimism—for anything. But we still turned to them because they shared the peculiar circumstances of our development.
My generation rode History (the American version). Progress was inevitable, surprising, and always positive. Here is a quick reminder of what we’ve seen: as children, we were told the Soviets could bomb us and destroy the planet by pressing a button. (Keep in mind that, like the Gen Y'ers, the first president we remember was Reagan.) As we entered the first stages of adolescence, the Wall fell (a good symbol of our new hormonal determination). The recession that depressed our parents and hollowed out the factory towns near us seemed to disappear overnight. The first war we could remember, Desert Storm (a blip on our radar), got rid of some tyranny or other and proved our country was the best. Bill Clinton was elected (the first time without our help) and the economy, which suddenly mattered in our appetite for CDs and Nintendo games, pushed ahead at full-throttle.
When we graduated from high school, the Internet, promised to us in grade school, was up and running and welcomed us to college. As we left college, the economy had a couple of amazing years left. Some of us made and lost a lot of money, but the people who did most of this were the “earnest” Gen X’ers who dared expend their energy. We had better video games, and suddenly cell phones were no longer just a good idea. The world was changing hand in hand with us. And for those who went on to a two-year Masters program (not because we wanted to, but because there was nothing else to do) left school in 2001— in time for the ride to abruptly halt.
Those were the good old days, at least for us middle-class kids, but now we would have to try like everyone before us, like the Gen X e’rs did in their dot-com craze, like our parents did in the final days of long hair and peace signs. Don’t get me wrong, this natural progress timed to our comings of age didn’t instill us with faith in humanity or goodness in the world; those beliefs could be left to our predecessors and followers. It was natural progress, or better—a secular predestination. No further introspection was necessary, until now—until we had to know who we are, what to push against in our efforts to DO something, BE something.
We haven’t started trying yet. We’re paralyzed.
I first considered my cusp-generational problems when I married an elder Gen X'er, though I don’t think she would approve of either label. For the first time, I saw someone who read the newspaper, emailed the networks about their poor news coverage of an injustice in our world—a person who used the word “injustice” and didn’t smirk. She even gave a little money to good causes. I told her she was emblematic of her “earnest” generation, and we had a good argument. She’s been my guide in my stepping down off of the History ride, a difficult venture since marriage even seemed a betrayal of my generation’s values.
In fact, Time seems to be on hold in these early years of the new millennium, as if my generation had willed it to a crawl while we figure things out. I like to think we aren’t just copping out, turning off the news and turning on our latest entertainment gadget, trying to drown out the world’s din, its calling to us finally to be accountable. I’d like to think this is a period of what Robert Graves describes in the writer as "proleptic thought," but on a generational plane. In these trances, as Graves fashioned them, time around the writer seems to slow down while he looks into the future or past (analeptic) to cull his materials and produce his work. Only after he has finished does he realize what has transpired, what time has really passed. I’d like to think my generation is writing itself right now.
But this was the long way around of telling you that we don’t have “a voice that ‘gets’ our generation.” We’re only now starting to learn how to read. But to grasp at straws, to put these strings together for a moment, I would say the voice my generation will turn to will not seem to try to reach us at all. While we need a truthful voice, we would shy away from anyone who seemed to wear a mask of good-intentioned earnestness. We wouldn’t believe them. To us, “earnestness,” like “sincerity,” belongs in the jargon of advertisers. And it isn’t a loud oracular voice either—one whose proclamations could be mistaken for sound-bites. In the meantime, I’d like to suggest that my generation turn to the Eastern Europeans who are much older than we are—such as Milosz, Zagajewski, Herbert—and have been through an actual deluge, identities clear, in some cases literally branded. Take this final stanza from Zagajewski’s poem “Elegy” in Mysticism for Beginners (trans. Cavanagh):
It was a black landscape, only the mountains were blue
and a rainbow sloped. There were no promises, no hopes,
but we lived there, and not as strangers.
It was the life we’d been given.
It was patience, glacier-pale.
It was fear full of guilt. Courage
full of anxiety. Anxiety filled with power.
Zagajewski does not expend any extra energy. He goes straight for meaning, but still seems to accidentally arrive at truth, as if the bones of this poetry were aligned, built on their own magnetic compasses, born of itself. The poet is the vessel. Although not our landscape, this should appeal to my generation.
But while our nascent consciousness could be nurtured by these amazing poets, “our” voice will still be slowly forming. We are not a generation of prodigies. Knowing my generation of ’77 as I’ve defined it above, I don’t think our voice, our poet, will try to accomplish much at all, but by proxy will become our forward-guard. The poet will not try to round up the whole country, the whole generation in her oeuvre, but will write of and from a small region, a backwater community or borough. No Whitmans for us, we need a Dickinson.
Give us two decades, maybe three, and the answer to your question will be obvious.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
2 days of driving : : : a parole hearing : : : and a class on symeon the new theologian ; ; ;
. . . linda came home from cincinnati on sunday and i left monday afternoon and came home at around 10pm tuesday night . . . i went to a parole hearing in huttensville, wv this morning . . . it was a first first for me . . . the inmate is a relative and serving a 1-15 years sentence . . . and the parole board determined that they were going to put him in a less stringent security prison that is only 20+ miles away from his mother . . . he is over 80 miles away today and she lives on very meager means . . . (read that as no car, no long distance service, etc.) . . . truly God was in everything that happened today including the drive thur the state . . . most of the roads were completely snow covered . . . i got back to the seminary at around 6:30 . . . only the monks were there no one from outside except me . . . father john was reflective tonight . . . (the class is symeon the new theologian . . . eastern byzantine catholic) . . . a few important items that 'shimmered' as we walked through symeon's discourses in a sort of lectio divina manner . . .
.
speaking of the process of santification: . . . only the tears of repentance are able to cleanse the soul. (Anthimos of Chios)
.
speaking of our struggles with sin: the tears of true repentance are greater than baptism . . . as baptism is received . . . we have all defiled it, but we [are] cleansed . . . anew with tears. and if God in His love for mankind had not given us tears, those being saved would be few indeed and hard to find. (st. john climacus, "the ladder of divine ascent")
.
.
. . . there is no weeping without repentance, there are no tears apart from weeping . . . symeone
.
in the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and afterwards, ineffable joy. it is like those who wish to light a fire; at first they are choked by the smoke and cry, and by this means obtain what they seek -- as it is said, 'our God is a consuming fire' -- so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work. (amma syncletica)
.
.
God is visiting you when tears come during prayer. (amphilochios makris)
.
speaking of the process of santification: . . . only the tears of repentance are able to cleanse the soul. (Anthimos of Chios)
.
speaking of our struggles with sin: the tears of true repentance are greater than baptism . . . as baptism is received . . . we have all defiled it, but we [are] cleansed . . . anew with tears. and if God in His love for mankind had not given us tears, those being saved would be few indeed and hard to find. (st. john climacus, "the ladder of divine ascent")
.
.
. . . there is no weeping without repentance, there are no tears apart from weeping . . . symeone
.
in the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and afterwards, ineffable joy. it is like those who wish to light a fire; at first they are choked by the smoke and cry, and by this means obtain what they seek -- as it is said, 'our God is a consuming fire' -- so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work. (amma syncletica)
.
.
God is visiting you when tears come during prayer. (amphilochios makris)
Monday, January 26, 2004
. . . a real conversation in my head . . .
lovable linda came back from cincinnati last night!!! this morning during some time our family had together we discussed our personal tendencies toward unfairly judging others . . . i have really failed in this area of my life . . . the 'measure' that i have distributed to others have not been 'good' measures as Jesus taught us . . . they have been minimal to non-existent at times, smaller than fair/appropriate at other times . . .
that conversation started a conversation in my head between God and me . . . God reminded me of a story i once heard a long time ago, i just sort of listened . . .
a man who was on a city bus, had several children with him, the bus was as it usually is at that time of day, crowded and everyone was being juggled around by the uneven pavement of the city streets and the below average driving habits of a substitute bus driver . . . these children were totally out of control . . . and their father was just sort of spaced out and not really paying to much attention to them or what they were actually doing, they were into everyone's bags, purses, brief cases . . . asking rude questions, these children were loud, at times screaming, arguing with each other and passengers, it was a bad scene, and everyone on the bus knew it! a christian couple, non-verbally telegraphed their disapproval from across the isle without saying a word . . . they were very effective at communicating displeasure in this way without the ugly words of an argument . . . they were christians . . . the man 'got it' . . . he could feel the pressure, the social maneuvering and displeasure from everyone on the bus . . .
the man sort of broke his stare for a moment without really looking at anyone and said as he continued to look out the bus window: 'they really are out of control aren't they?' at times i'm really not sure what to do with them . . . the christian couple were ready to jump on this obvious evangelistic opportunity that the Lord had opened for them . . . they had answers for 'people like this' that needed to be more purpose driven . . . they were just about to offer suggestions (dobson's book a strong willed child, the new cd collection entitled raising boys, etc) but just as they were about to begin their 'gentle' approach . . . the man continuing to stare out into the distance of a city bus went on . . . 'their mother has been sick for so long that i guess we sort of dropped the ball with our kids . . . we really didn't mean to . . . their mother died about an hour and half ago . . . we've been so busy fighting the cancer that invaded our home . . . that i guess i need to really apply myself to helping them now, i'm just tired and not really sure how to begin . . . its been hard these last few years, i'm sure there are a lot of things in my life that are as messy but most people don't see it . . . or if they do they just don't say anything . . . who am i foolin' and at this point i'm not really sure myself which would have been best . . . we haven't really lived here that long . . . well i guess its been about 5 years now, but we were so consumed with visits to the doctor's office, tests at the hospital, i've even sort of lost track of time . . . the man stood up and quietly, with his head bowed said, this is our stop, sorry . . . and left the bus.
its strikes me as wired how we get pictures of people in our heads without having knowing the real circumstances of peoples lives . . . and when/if we take just a moment and look beyond the behavior and as christians 'create space for God' and see the person and what opportunities God is giving us to love and befriend others . . . i suspect that we would all be surprised at what God could really do beyond the mere talking and 'jesus junk' we think of as ministry resources . . . i'm not so much telling this story to any one who may read this little blog so that you will 'self correct' . . . but it is sort of a 're-play' of the conversation God had with me this morning . . . i just guess i just wanted to let you hear the conversation that took place in my head . . . because i want to respond . . . i want to be more like Him . . . help me/us Father to be more open to you and the kairos moments what you are doing around us . . . help me/us not to judge everyone else . . . but enable us to truly be your hands and feet, serving others . . . help me 'have the mind of Christ'.
. : : : peace : : : .
<><
that conversation started a conversation in my head between God and me . . . God reminded me of a story i once heard a long time ago, i just sort of listened . . .
a man who was on a city bus, had several children with him, the bus was as it usually is at that time of day, crowded and everyone was being juggled around by the uneven pavement of the city streets and the below average driving habits of a substitute bus driver . . . these children were totally out of control . . . and their father was just sort of spaced out and not really paying to much attention to them or what they were actually doing, they were into everyone's bags, purses, brief cases . . . asking rude questions, these children were loud, at times screaming, arguing with each other and passengers, it was a bad scene, and everyone on the bus knew it! a christian couple, non-verbally telegraphed their disapproval from across the isle without saying a word . . . they were very effective at communicating displeasure in this way without the ugly words of an argument . . . they were christians . . . the man 'got it' . . . he could feel the pressure, the social maneuvering and displeasure from everyone on the bus . . .
the man sort of broke his stare for a moment without really looking at anyone and said as he continued to look out the bus window: 'they really are out of control aren't they?' at times i'm really not sure what to do with them . . . the christian couple were ready to jump on this obvious evangelistic opportunity that the Lord had opened for them . . . they had answers for 'people like this' that needed to be more purpose driven . . . they were just about to offer suggestions (dobson's book a strong willed child, the new cd collection entitled raising boys, etc) but just as they were about to begin their 'gentle' approach . . . the man continuing to stare out into the distance of a city bus went on . . . 'their mother has been sick for so long that i guess we sort of dropped the ball with our kids . . . we really didn't mean to . . . their mother died about an hour and half ago . . . we've been so busy fighting the cancer that invaded our home . . . that i guess i need to really apply myself to helping them now, i'm just tired and not really sure how to begin . . . its been hard these last few years, i'm sure there are a lot of things in my life that are as messy but most people don't see it . . . or if they do they just don't say anything . . . who am i foolin' and at this point i'm not really sure myself which would have been best . . . we haven't really lived here that long . . . well i guess its been about 5 years now, but we were so consumed with visits to the doctor's office, tests at the hospital, i've even sort of lost track of time . . . the man stood up and quietly, with his head bowed said, this is our stop, sorry . . . and left the bus.
its strikes me as wired how we get pictures of people in our heads without having knowing the real circumstances of peoples lives . . . and when/if we take just a moment and look beyond the behavior and as christians 'create space for God' and see the person and what opportunities God is giving us to love and befriend others . . . i suspect that we would all be surprised at what God could really do beyond the mere talking and 'jesus junk' we think of as ministry resources . . . i'm not so much telling this story to any one who may read this little blog so that you will 'self correct' . . . but it is sort of a 're-play' of the conversation God had with me this morning . . . i just guess i just wanted to let you hear the conversation that took place in my head . . . because i want to respond . . . i want to be more like Him . . . help me/us Father to be more open to you and the kairos moments what you are doing around us . . . help me/us not to judge everyone else . . . but enable us to truly be your hands and feet, serving others . . . help me 'have the mind of Christ'.
. : : : peace : : : .
<><
Sunday, January 25, 2004
a few thoughts on spiritual navigation . . .
they are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea [Sir Francis Bacon]
it was 3:20 this morning when i awoke. i have felt very unsettled over the last few days. my wife, lovable linda is in cincinnati, oh on a business trip . . . God truly makes two individuals 'one flesh' through the sacrament of marriage. thanks be to God for the divine grace of marriage . . .
i tried to work toward holy heart repetitions this morning . . . being still before God is very difficult for me . . . and this is only one of the many facets of spirituality that i am navigating through with difficulty . . . i have been reading incessantly over the last several months. the net of all my reading leads me to a conclusion that is somewhat intuitive but not fully implemented in my life . . . the conclusion is this: historically, my spititual aperture has been encased within the reformer's proclaimation of sola scriptura . . . but the influence of modern protestant-evangelicalism has influenced me to such a great degree that i have discovered i have grown toward theological error . . . i (would argue that me and the majority of the modern world) have moved well beyond the original trajectory of the sixteenth century reformers . . . to a place of solo scriptura (Scripture alone) or nuda scriptura (naked Scripture) . . . modern protestant-evangelicalism is by definaton an anticonfessional movement . . . perhaps to the point of a deification of reason . . . modern protestant evangelicalim has distored classic reformation thought . . . the reformers did not raise critical questions regarding the basic frame of reference handed down to us . . . becasue the reformers thought in terms of simul justus et peccator (simultaneously justified and sinner) that caused them to distrust their own thinking patterns and they acquiesced to the theological conclusions of the early church fathers and the creeds of the church. as a matter of fact these were the very devises that were used against the established abuses of authority witin the roman church. how did i forget that God is a person, and a spirit, and that he once very clearly, and unquestionably spoke to me, and touched me? how did i stray so far from a relational experience with the Christ to logical equations about God? . . . i feel like a bad merchant in the parable given by Jesus in my earlier post . . . i viewed the pearl and i even purchased the pearl . . . and i thought that for a while i was even in the jewerly business . . . but somehow i've neglected the authentic voice of Christ and as a result i have been active in a sort of armoured truck business . . . (the analogy breaks down fairly quickly, i'm sorry but you get the idea) . . . i once again want the pearl of great price, i want to be the merchant . . . with the very deeps of my heart i want to be with you, Lord. . . .
there has been a definite drift or undercurrent as i've been navigating these unfamiliar waters . . . of post-protestantism thinking . . .
the shifting tide that i can feel as i'm making my journey is similiar to an event recorded by christopher columbus as he sailed from the north eastern hemisphere toward the new world in the north western hemishere. . . columbus' journal records indicate that a careful observation of the compass led columbus to discover that the magnetic variation or declination changes while traveling from place to place, partiularlly from N .E. to N .W .when crossing the 3? 30' meridian. this was noted during his first voyage. columbus wrote in his journal, an entry on a day to be remembered in the history of navigation, "during this day and night sailing on the rhumb line, west, we sailed 33 leagues and counted 3 or 4 less, the currents being contrary. on this day, in the evening, the compass needle pointed somewhat N.E. and by morning to N.W." it is agreed that the Admiral had noticed the change in magnetic declination when he really was still to the eastward of the line of zero declination. the motion of the ship as it crossed from the N.E. hemisphere to the N.W. hemisphere neutralized the effectiveness of his most trusted navigational devise. he observed that the neddle of the compass he had been relying on was no longer as effective as it once had been in providing navigational certainity.
spiritually, i am experiencing a similiar type of uncertainity . . . my Bible, and large doses of rationalism once provided a level of certainty that was unparalleled, it was the center of my devotional life . . . my devotion was expressed as one of logical equations and mental algirithims that expressed God's truth . . . as i navigate further into these waters of a more relational-centric experience with Christ . . . and away from the mooring devises of sola, solo and nuda scriptura oddly enough, a candle has become increasely more helpful as i navigate the waters of reflection and contemplation, as i seek to be with Him . . .
.::: blessings :::.
david
<><
it was 3:20 this morning when i awoke. i have felt very unsettled over the last few days. my wife, lovable linda is in cincinnati, oh on a business trip . . . God truly makes two individuals 'one flesh' through the sacrament of marriage. thanks be to God for the divine grace of marriage . . .
i tried to work toward holy heart repetitions this morning . . . being still before God is very difficult for me . . . and this is only one of the many facets of spirituality that i am navigating through with difficulty . . . i have been reading incessantly over the last several months. the net of all my reading leads me to a conclusion that is somewhat intuitive but not fully implemented in my life . . . the conclusion is this: historically, my spititual aperture has been encased within the reformer's proclaimation of sola scriptura . . . but the influence of modern protestant-evangelicalism has influenced me to such a great degree that i have discovered i have grown toward theological error . . . i (would argue that me and the majority of the modern world) have moved well beyond the original trajectory of the sixteenth century reformers . . . to a place of solo scriptura (Scripture alone) or nuda scriptura (naked Scripture) . . . modern protestant-evangelicalism is by definaton an anticonfessional movement . . . perhaps to the point of a deification of reason . . . modern protestant evangelicalim has distored classic reformation thought . . . the reformers did not raise critical questions regarding the basic frame of reference handed down to us . . . becasue the reformers thought in terms of simul justus et peccator (simultaneously justified and sinner) that caused them to distrust their own thinking patterns and they acquiesced to the theological conclusions of the early church fathers and the creeds of the church. as a matter of fact these were the very devises that were used against the established abuses of authority witin the roman church. how did i forget that God is a person, and a spirit, and that he once very clearly, and unquestionably spoke to me, and touched me? how did i stray so far from a relational experience with the Christ to logical equations about God? . . . i feel like a bad merchant in the parable given by Jesus in my earlier post . . . i viewed the pearl and i even purchased the pearl . . . and i thought that for a while i was even in the jewerly business . . . but somehow i've neglected the authentic voice of Christ and as a result i have been active in a sort of armoured truck business . . . (the analogy breaks down fairly quickly, i'm sorry but you get the idea) . . . i once again want the pearl of great price, i want to be the merchant . . . with the very deeps of my heart i want to be with you, Lord. . . .
there has been a definite drift or undercurrent as i've been navigating these unfamiliar waters . . . of post-protestantism thinking . . .
the shifting tide that i can feel as i'm making my journey is similiar to an event recorded by christopher columbus as he sailed from the north eastern hemisphere toward the new world in the north western hemishere. . . columbus' journal records indicate that a careful observation of the compass led columbus to discover that the magnetic variation or declination changes while traveling from place to place, partiularlly from N .E. to N .W .when crossing the 3? 30' meridian. this was noted during his first voyage. columbus wrote in his journal, an entry on a day to be remembered in the history of navigation, "during this day and night sailing on the rhumb line, west, we sailed 33 leagues and counted 3 or 4 less, the currents being contrary. on this day, in the evening, the compass needle pointed somewhat N.E. and by morning to N.W." it is agreed that the Admiral had noticed the change in magnetic declination when he really was still to the eastward of the line of zero declination. the motion of the ship as it crossed from the N.E. hemisphere to the N.W. hemisphere neutralized the effectiveness of his most trusted navigational devise. he observed that the neddle of the compass he had been relying on was no longer as effective as it once had been in providing navigational certainity.
spiritually, i am experiencing a similiar type of uncertainity . . . my Bible, and large doses of rationalism once provided a level of certainty that was unparalleled, it was the center of my devotional life . . . my devotion was expressed as one of logical equations and mental algirithims that expressed God's truth . . . as i navigate further into these waters of a more relational-centric experience with Christ . . . and away from the mooring devises of sola, solo and nuda scriptura oddly enough, a candle has become increasely more helpful as i navigate the waters of reflection and contemplation, as i seek to be with Him . . .
.::: blessings :::.
david
<><
Saturday, January 24, 2004
i spent a good deal of time today with dave fleming . . . through a conversation, he guided me past many thoughts and i'll share a few of them with you:
we discussed our personal decisions to be mentally open, or at various times we are mentally closed . . . Jesus words really apply here . . . '. . . the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. . .' (Luke 6:45 NIV) . . . when my heart is mentally closed, then the words that i use are also closed, when my heart is open the words that i use are open. so with this in mind, as Christ followers we must remember that this whole thing got started as a conversation around a lake . . . and the words that our Master used were very open and inviting words and that is what the 'less desirable' individuals that Jesus routinely attracted, responded to around the lake where this all began . . .
a word of caution before we travel any further around this virtual lake. we should remember something . . .
we must remember that God is an infinite being, and as a infinite being God is truly a mystery to us finite beings, not to be comprehended . . . so often we prescribe the 7 easy steps to . . . (you fill in the blank) . . . or 3 ways to . . . . and the 9 methods of . . . the difficulty that arises out of this equation based thinking is that these methods, and formulas really don?t work no matter how hard we attempt to deploy them. Many of us have sat through countless hours of listening to this type of quick fix theology and nothing substantive in our lives really ever changes . . . I suspect that many of these failure are due to the fact these scientifically-sound, behavior-modifying, formulas and approaches only work in a laboratory setting where nothing else disrupts or interferes with the process. the fact is, that the environments that we live in, with all of its elements do have an effect on how we really live our lives, and some of those external elements do hinder us . . . simply said: the God of the universe is not an equation to be figured-out, but rather a relationship to be pursued . . . (its worth repeating, we must remember this all started as a conversation around a lake and the basis of that conversation was the relationship) . . .
digging deeper
consider the following passages:
. . . God?s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. the finder is ecstatic ? what a find! ? and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. . .
. . . God?s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. finds one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it . . .
. . . God?s kingdom is like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard, it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches and eagles build nests in it . . .
. . . God?s kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread ? and waits while the dough rises . . .
. . . notice in these passages what are the characteristics of the searcher, and what are the characteristics of that which is being sought . . . it would seem that this is what Jesus taught the Kingdom was really like . . . not a decision based experience, and a subsequent mental assent to a theological construct . . . rather it is a discovery process or a journey, full of the unexpected . . . and lived out together . . .
. . . blessings . . .
david
we discussed our personal decisions to be mentally open, or at various times we are mentally closed . . . Jesus words really apply here . . . '. . . the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. . .' (Luke 6:45 NIV) . . . when my heart is mentally closed, then the words that i use are also closed, when my heart is open the words that i use are open. so with this in mind, as Christ followers we must remember that this whole thing got started as a conversation around a lake . . . and the words that our Master used were very open and inviting words and that is what the 'less desirable' individuals that Jesus routinely attracted, responded to around the lake where this all began . . .
a word of caution before we travel any further around this virtual lake. we should remember something . . .
we must remember that God is an infinite being, and as a infinite being God is truly a mystery to us finite beings, not to be comprehended . . . so often we prescribe the 7 easy steps to . . . (you fill in the blank) . . . or 3 ways to . . . . and the 9 methods of . . . the difficulty that arises out of this equation based thinking is that these methods, and formulas really don?t work no matter how hard we attempt to deploy them. Many of us have sat through countless hours of listening to this type of quick fix theology and nothing substantive in our lives really ever changes . . . I suspect that many of these failure are due to the fact these scientifically-sound, behavior-modifying, formulas and approaches only work in a laboratory setting where nothing else disrupts or interferes with the process. the fact is, that the environments that we live in, with all of its elements do have an effect on how we really live our lives, and some of those external elements do hinder us . . . simply said: the God of the universe is not an equation to be figured-out, but rather a relationship to be pursued . . . (its worth repeating, we must remember this all started as a conversation around a lake and the basis of that conversation was the relationship) . . .
digging deeper
consider the following passages:
. . . God?s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. the finder is ecstatic ? what a find! ? and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. . .
. . . God?s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. finds one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it . . .
. . . God?s kingdom is like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard, it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches and eagles build nests in it . . .
. . . God?s kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread ? and waits while the dough rises . . .
. . . notice in these passages what are the characteristics of the searcher, and what are the characteristics of that which is being sought . . . it would seem that this is what Jesus taught the Kingdom was really like . . . not a decision based experience, and a subsequent mental assent to a theological construct . . . rather it is a discovery process or a journey, full of the unexpected . . . and lived out together . . .
. . . blessings . . .
david
<><
Friday, January 23, 2004
A few thoughts regarding the book: A Purpose Driven Life and the Movie called The Passion which are both expected to change our religious landscape
In an attempt to adhere Brian's words at Mayhem to minimize pro-testing and increase the levels of pro-testifying . . . I agree that there certainly are better books and perhaps even better movies (see: www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com) ?. . . I also agree that the key to an awakening/revival is the return to the people of God 'being' the church as opposed to simply attending a church building . . . and simply experiencing the 'epcot' version of being a Christ follower . . . Its interesting that every major Jesus/people movement since The Acts of the Apostles included:
1: believers initiating . . . self governance
2: believers initiating . . . a self propagation of the gospel
3: believers initiating . . . to the point of being self supporting
4: believers honestly wrestling with the contemporary issues and . . . self theologizing (okay so i made up the word perhaps contextualization is better)
there may be others too . . . i can only see this dimly . . . but the point is REAL change within the confines of being Christ followers REQUIRES a bottom up approach with a focus on the living Christ (praxis) . . . not the all to common top down approach (with an self proclaimed ANOINTED one/male at the top) with a focus on 'manufactured-packaged-distributed and for-profit thinking' (did someone mention purpose driven something again??) that manufactured thinking then theoretically leads to right thinking (orthodoxy) which of course right thinking leads one to salvation (right, wrong!). . . this view is so typical in so many north american churches i am blown away by this . . . i am hopeful that God will once again re-visit His people here is north america . . . please Father hear the prayers of our hearts . . . blessings . . .
1: believers initiating . . . self governance
2: believers initiating . . . a self propagation of the gospel
3: believers initiating . . . to the point of being self supporting
4: believers honestly wrestling with the contemporary issues and . . . self theologizing (okay so i made up the word perhaps contextualization is better)
there may be others too . . . i can only see this dimly . . . but the point is REAL change within the confines of being Christ followers REQUIRES a bottom up approach with a focus on the living Christ (praxis) . . . not the all to common top down approach (with an self proclaimed ANOINTED one/male at the top) with a focus on 'manufactured-packaged-distributed and for-profit thinking' (did someone mention purpose driven something again??) that manufactured thinking then theoretically leads to right thinking (orthodoxy) which of course right thinking leads one to salvation (right, wrong!). . . this view is so typical in so many north american churches i am blown away by this . . . i am hopeful that God will once again re-visit His people here is north america . . . please Father hear the prayers of our hearts . . . blessings . . .
