Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

This album is amazing and refreshing. This guy isolated himself in the wilderness of Wisconsin and recorded this album. Bon Iver is a play on a French phrase meaning 'good winter' and while listening to these tunes it has most definitely been a good winter. For those of you who think God speaks only in a church, check out this album and be blessed.

Asleep in the light

These are a few lyrics from the Keith Green song Asleep in the light. When you let these words sink in its a hard thing to hear. I am realizing that God is not concerned with my comfort so much as she is my faithful obedience. Not an easy thing to learn....God have mercy....

The world is sleeping in the dark

That the church just can't fight

Cause it's asleep in the light

How can you be so dead

When you've been so well fed

Jesus rose from the grave

And you, you can't even get out of bed

Oh, Jesus rose from the dead

Come on, get out of your bed

Second Sunday of Advent

This weeks theme for Advent is love.

Sunday Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A prayer attributed to St. Francis:

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Advent: Sunday

Here is a liturgy for the first candle:

Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. This is the candle of HOPE.
With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God's Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we receive God's light as we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined."-- Isaiah 9:2

Let us pray:Lord as we look to the birth of Jesus, grant that the light of your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope. Amen

Advent

The catholic liturgy is one of the most beautiful traditions of our faith. Tara bought me a catholic prayer book last year and it has been a blessing. Sunday, November 30th is the first Sunday of Advent and below is a link to an amazing site that will walk you through the mass each day of Advent. Praying the hours sets a rhythm for the day, it gives you direction, and centers you when the day is crumbling around you.



Henri J.M. Nouwen says of prayer:


The invitation to a life of prayer is the invitation to live in the midst of this world without being caught in the net of wounds and needs. The word 'prayer' stands for a radical interruption of the vicious chain of interlocking dependencies leading to violence and war and for an entering into a totally new dwelling place. It points to a new way of speaking, a new way of breathing, a new way of being together, a new way of knowing, yes, a whole new way of living.

-Prayer and Peacemaking


God willing, this Christmas season will be one of renewal and a new found faithfulness.



http://www.universalis.com/-500/today.htm

Andrew Sullivan....

Here is a recent post from Andrew Sullivan over at The Daily Dish....he puts more words to why I voted for Obama...

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-real-mcca-1.html

The Debate

I watched the second presidential debate last night and I thought that it showed more of what the candidates were made of. At first McCain seemed tepid and unsure but he gained his footing as the debate progressed. Obama was cool and calm as usual; though he stuttered quite abit-not doubt evidence that he is not used to Town-Hall meetings.

Overall I liked what Obama had to say. I thought he was more civil than McCain because McCain kept referring to him as "That One". McCain still seems too much like a war-hawk to me and that scares me. McCain compared himself to TR last night and I don't see much of a connection. Roosevelt was a tough individualist with a deep well of creative ideas, I just don't see that in McCain.

I understand there are many reasons not to like Obama but I believe his framing story is fundamentally different than that of McCains. Brian Mclaren puts it well,

"centers in the narrative I believe he frames his life and work by, in contrast to the narrative John McCain frames his life and work by. To me, this issue of narrative means far more in a president than whether he claims to be liberal or conservative, religious or nonreligious, Christian or otherwise, Democrat or Republican.
Does anyone doubt that Senator McCain lives by a warrior narrative? This is the most consistent theme in his campaign. For him the world is clearly divided into us and them.
We are good; they are evil. We are right; they are wrong. We are about safety; they are about danger..."

..."Senator Obama certainly believes in a strong national defense. But I believe he leans toward a profoundly different narrative. It is a reconciliation narrative, a peace-building narrative, a collaboration narrative. He made it clear when he said he would change President Bush’s policy of not talking to our enemies. McCain and others tried to portray this alternative approach as cowardice and appeasement, but they were wrong. Instead of dividing the world into “us” and “them,” Obama’s narrative seeks to bring people together in a expanding us. While McCain’s narrative only offers enemies surrender and defeat, Obama’s offers them the possibility of reconciliation."

Here is an interesting article by Ron Sider the director of Evangelicals for Social Action:

http://www.esa-online.org/Images/mmDocument/PRISM%20Archive/Ron%20Sider%20Column/SeptOct08RonSider.pdf

Late Night Poetry

Making a Fist

by Naomi Shihab Nye

For the first time, on the road north of Tampico,
I felt the life sliding out of me,
a drum in the desert, harder and harder to hear.
I was seven, I lay in the car
watching palm trees swirl a sickening pattern past the glass.
My stomach was a melon split wide inside my skin.

"How do you know if you are going to die?"
I begged my mother.
We had been traveling for days.
With strange confidence she answered,
"When you can no longer make a fist."

Years later I smile to think of that journey,
the borders we must cross separately,
stamped with our unanswerable woes.
I who did not die, who am still living,
still lying in the backseat behind all my questions,
clenching and opening one small hand.

The Blue Parakeet: Chapter 2

Chapter two of Scot McKnight's wonderful new book The Blue Parakeet begins with a story about bird watching. I could relate well to this opening narrative because I myself enjoy birdwatching. Scot tells how he discovered a blue Parakeet-a house pet- eating and squawking amongst sparrows. The blue Parakeet freaked the other birds out at first but eventually they become accustomed to the birds presence. Scot tells us that reading the bible is similar to this experience. He tells us that, " chance encounters sometimes lead us deeper into thought". When reading the Bible we come across elements of the narrative that shock, inspire, confuse and frustrate us; and that's OK. I have found this to be true in my own faith. There are parts of the Old Testament that disturb me and other parts that bring me to my knees. Through my frustration with parts of the Bible I have sought God deeper and more fully.

Scot continues by outlining three ways in which many people read the Bible. The three are: Reading to Retrieve (literalistic), Those Days, Those ways (picking and choosing) and Reading Through Tradition (classic, historical reading). Which one are you?

Highlights:

" What we've got in the pages of the New Testament are first-century expressions of the gospel and church life, no permanent, timeless expressions. They are timely expressions; they are Spirit-inspired expressions; but they were and remain first-century expressions." (26-27)

"God spoke in David's days in David's ways, and God spoke in Solomon's days in Solomon's ways...and we are called to carry on that pattern in our world today.

Chapter 3 to come...

The Blue Parakeet: Chapter 1

Scot McKnight's forthcoming book The Blue Parakeet begins with several critical questions for how we are to approach the Bible today. He begins with the birth of his love for reading and how it led him through a maze of questions and discoveries. His style is gracious and probing; the first chapter has set a tone of loving concern for the faith today. The question that McKnight proposes-the questions that informs the remainder of the book- is How, then, are we to live out the Bible today? (11). Scot explains that the most common question of: How can we apply the Bible to our lives? is too technical and doesn't address the gravity of the current situation surrounding the Bible today.

Scot goes on to talk about how many Christians today pick and choose-or adopt and adapt- what they want to read and believe about the Bible. He takes the reader through several pressing issues the Bible speaks of and shows how many of us do not follow the commands given. The chapter ends with an explanation of why it is important to address how the bible is to be lived out today.

Highlights:

1. Admitting that I pick and choose when reading the Bible is difficult. I haven't really thought much about it. This book will challenge many of my long help opinions and assumptions about the message of Jesus and how I approach the Bible.

2. I had no idea what I was getting into when I asked God's spirit to fill me. (10) This statement shook me. There have been times I have asked God for direction and I am terrified of the answer. It takes great faith to jump into the God-life experience.

Chapter 2 tomorrow....

The Blue Parakeet by Scot Mcknight

My advanced copy of The Blue Parakeet came in today. Chapter 1 discussion will be coming soon....can't wait!

Community, Hope, and America's Future

By community I mean the commonwealth and common interests, commonly understood, of people living together in a place and wishing to continue to do so. To put it another way, community is a locally understood interdependence of local people, local culture, local economy, and local nature. (Community, of course, is an idea that can extend itself beyond the local, but it does so only metaphorically. The idea of a national or global community is meaningless apart from the realization of local communities)...
- Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, freedom & Community

I watched and listened to Barrack Obama's acceptance speech last night and was moved. I then listened and read commentary, hatred, and condemnation for everything the man said. To say the least, the negativity and hatred saddened me. The quote above is from a book of essays by Wendell Berry. Berry truly does transcend the liberal/conservative divide.; he opposes big government and big business- (though some call 'transcendence' elitism, I believe that is a naive critique). I believe that there are commonly held values by Americans. The pro-life/pro-choice debate is bogged down in divisive and thwarting rhetoric. Global trade has been reduced to a morality based on monetary gain; what value is their in gaining the whole world yet forfeiting your soul? The environment has been reduced to extreme radicals (Gore/Evangelicals). Most Americans want unwanted/teen pregnancies reduced. Many Americans long for monetary, cultural, and social equity. Many Americans and people of faith (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) long for responsible stewardship of the good earth, even if its not profitable.

Community is the only third party interest that can truly transcend the liberal/conservative divide. America has many problems: lack of self-restraint, indifference to the environment, consumerism, racism and acceptance of the myth of redemptive violence. Local people, cultures, economies, and stewardship of the earth will bring about the change that this nation needs. I am not speaking of some conservative limited government/free market utopia; neither am I speaking of some liberal government program solution. I am talking about local people, citizens of neighborhoods, members of churches and lions clubs taking a stand for their commonly held values and passions.

As I thought about the many view points presented after Obama's speech I thought about my own involvement in my local community. After long hours of meditation, I was saddened. I do not participate as I should in the local economy. I do not promote peace in every aspect of my life. I do not strive to do the best I can (pragmatically) to be a good steward of the good earth, created by our loving creator. In other words, I realized I was a hypocrite. What then are we/I to do?

I believe that as a nation we must realize the importance of local economies, cultures and environments. Our military receives more funding than our endangered species protection agencies. If we are going to continue down this road I would appreciate it if the people who claim we are a 'christian' nation rip out Psalms, Isaiah, and Job. Cherishing and supporting our local economies, cultures, and environments is our only hope of achieving a sustainable, spiritually sound, and responsible solution to our nations ailments. The global/industrial economy deals in abstractions, not humanity and the common good.

Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world". I agree. It must begin with me. Obama has been creating many realities with the use of his inspiring language but, without action it is meaningless. Through language Dr. King made possible the reality of equity among peoples of differing cultures. Through creative action he gave the empiricists something tangible to grasp; the idealist something to hope for; the cynics something to ponder. If Obama desires the highest office in the land, he will need to find concrete solutions, rooted in local communities, that will build a bridge between tradition and progress. Speeches are inspiring, action is world shaking.

Come on Obama, give us something to hold on to.

As above, so here on earth.

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible

In a weeks time I will be blogging about Scot Mcknight's new book, The Blue Parakeet. The book is in the mail and it should be an exciting read. If you are not familiar with Scot Mcknight his blog is a must read: http://www.jesuscreed.org/. I have gained much wisdom and my faith has been enriched by his writings. Below is a snippet from the back cover:

“Why Can’t I Just Be a Christian?”Parakeets make delightful pets but they can’t be tamed. The Bible, Scot McKnight contends, also can’t be tamed though many have tried. Both conservatives and liberals have tamed the Bible and McKnight calls us to untame the Bible and let it be what it is.McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet has emerged at the perfect time to cool the flames of a world on fire with contention and controversy. It calls Christians to a way to read the Bible that leads beyond old debates and denominational battles. It calls Christians to stop taming the Bible and to let it speak anew for a new generation.In his books The Jesus Creed and Embracing Grace Scot McKnight established himself as one of America’s finest Christian thinkers, an author to be reckoned with.In The Blue Parakeet, McKnight again touches the hearts and minds of today’s Christians, this time challenging them to rethink how to read the Bible, not just to puzzle it together into some systematic theology but to see it as a Story that we re summoned to enter and to carry forward in our day.He calls his bold new approach to the Bible the “Third Way,” a path that walks confidently—and joyfully—between theological extremes.The Third Way is rooted in the Bible as Story, in the Bible as God’s Word to which we listen, in the Bible as revealing a life that we can apply anew in our day.In his own inimitable style, McKnight sets traditional and liberal Christianity on its ear, leaving readers equipped, encouraged, and emboldened to be the people of faith they long to be.The Blue Parakeet is an engaging, warm narrative that is both deeply reasoned and spiritually sound … a book that will appeal to millions of disenfranchised Christians who will be drawn to it because of its refreshing—and liberating—new approach to reading the Bible.

Gardening (Irisis in Monet's garden)

I have recently become interested in vegetable gardening. I have read and researched various methods of growing vegetables and have decided on organic. The process takes time, patience and self-restraint; qualities that I lack an abundance of. Today, I began preparing a patch of our yard for the process of conditioning the soil.

As I continue to learn about gardening I hope it becomes a spiritual act: a way to recognize how impurities take root in my life. As I was digging today I noticed that many of the roots were connected and tangled; very similar to how impatience, a lack of self-restraint and consumerism takes roots and becomes tangled and connected. Digging up roots and rocks has been a challenge but the work will pay off in green veggies and patience.

Waterfall by Hiroshi Senju

Being Awake to Beauty (Sky Above White Clouds)

I have always been fond of Georgia O'Keeffe's art. I was born in New Mexico and lived there until I was about 12. There are many people who would say that the New Mexico landscape is barren and ugly. There are many who say the same about the Texas landscape. What constitutes beauty in nature then? Is it merely a preference? or opinion?

It seems to me that what most people call beautiful are areas that have little to no economic benefit. The 'barren' places of earth are the ones that are condemned and drilled in or slashed and burned. I am realizing that if I cannot find beauty in large expanses of seeming emptiness I am merely a tourist, not a nature lover. Its difficult to make new discoveries when passing through in your car or taking pictures at the condo. In my journey to be awake to my surroundings and God's beautiful and good creation I am taking Wendell Berry's advice:

If you want to see where you are, you will have to get out of your spaceship, out of your car, off your horse, and walk over the ground. On foot you will find that the earth is still satisfyingly large and full of beguiling nooks and crannies

A New Discovery

I came across this poem today and stopped what I was doing. Poems that slow us down, give us pause in a busy day are worth the time it takes to get to know them. I'm still reading over it and thinking about it. My initial reaction is what are blessings? what do we consider blessings and have we become too rigid what we consider blessings. More to come....



A Blessing

by James Wright
Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.

Need a Poem?

A Supermarket in Calinfornia

allen ginsberg

What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked down the sidestreets under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moon. In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neonfruit supermarket, dreaming of your enumerations! What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!--and you, García Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons? I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, pokingamong the meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys. I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel? I wandered in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans following you,and followed in my imagination by the store detective. We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier. Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in a hour.Which way does your beard point tonight? (I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket andfeel absurd.) Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shadeto shade, lights out in the houses, we'll both be lonely. Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automo-biles in driveways, home to our silent cottage? Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what Americadid you have when Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters ofLethe?

Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community

I just picked up Wenell Berry's book of essays Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community and my mind is already realing. Berry is an amazing critic and sage of American Culutre. There are so many helpful insights into our overstuffed culture and economy; he is always reminding us of the importance of simplicity. Here are some quotes:

Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do”

Novelty is a new kind of loneliness.

The most alarming sign of the state of our society now is that our leaders have the courage to sacrifice the lives of young people in war, but have not the courage to tell us that we must be less greedy and less wasteful.

I Pledge Allegiance

The idea of pledging allegiance to the American flag in church has bothered me for a long time. This fourth of July our Church had a 4th of July service (America worship); as I'm sure many other churches did also. During "Its a Grand Ol' Flag" a lady stood up and began waving her hands with closed eyes and face lifted upwards. Something is seriously wrong. Dont get me wrong, I love my country-I have a degree in its 19th century poetry- but I will not pledge my allegiance to a political party or a country in hopes that God might look more favorably on me because of that. I worship a king, in a kingdom, not a president in a free-market capitalist democracy.

Waterdeep: this song moves me..

I love the band Waterdeep. This song has been in heavy rotation on the ipod recently. I like the image of a river; sometimes it would be nice to be carried along by the tide of a cool river. Not in the sense of giving up, but of letting go, letting something greater than you take ahold, feeling safe, yet carried and pushed. Anyone ever jumped into a cold lake on a scorching hot summer day; feels good eh?

Homebound Henry's got a tumor in his head He wakes up every morning after dreaming he was dead He used to think that life was boring, but now that's not the case He turns to his wife in the evening, he says "Honey I'm afraid I'm gonna lose this race."

Sweet River, roll all over me

Sweet River, roll all over me

Soaking wet Juliet- she lives in a well full of tears Her husband left her for some bimbo after twenty-two years Now she's got to start all over, but she's just so terrified She thinks it woulda been so much easier if he woulda just died And I'm lookin out my car window sittin' in the pouring rain Although your house is fifteen miles away, I can still feel your pain I've thought and prayed and worked it through about a hundred times or more How your soul just cries to everyone to help you get up off the floor Right now it's morning, you're probably sleepin', totally unaware of the flood of kisses you hold back by the way that you despair It ain't me I'm talking about here, or anybody else you can touch That's all I want to say right now, I don't want to say too much except

Sweet Jesus, roll all over me

Sweet Jesus, roll all over me...

You gotta come down and just set

me free

Starting Question

I read a post that made the claim that 'every world view starts with the question, 'what is wrong with the world/me, and how can I fix it?' Many people-including myself, until recently- have began here, with that exact question. It has been the grid through which I see the world and people around me. I believe this isn't the best place to start.

The question assumes that creation is 'bad'. When God created the heavens and the earth, he said it was 'good'. I believe it is still good, corruptible by humans yes, inherently 'evil', no. If I look at my world, my neighbor, my enemies and ask, 'what is wrong with them, and how can I fix them?, I will begin moralizing their life and judging them. For me, using this question as the starting point of my world view doesn't allow me to be in awe of God's goodness; it pushes my focus into how can I fix all the problems around me. Are we really responsible for having the solution to every problem? Where does our faith come in? Or is it up to us?

I think a better question to start with is ' What is God's dream for the world and how can I participate in it?' I believe God desires to heal our world, to bring people into wholeness and in harmony with him and his intentions. Starting at this question assumes that God has a plan, and it actively at work fulfilling it. Its easy to look around us and see all the many things that need to be 'fixed', but I think that God knows that, and I believe that if we are awake to God's Spirit we can be apart of the solution.

Gerneral Election

Who's ready for the Gerneral Election? This prmary has got to end.

Quote: On Forgiveness

This quote comes from the book A Good Friend by Dr. Les and Leslie Parrott: Thoughts?

"Trigger-happy forgiveness is not forgiveness at all. Given out quickly, too liberally, forgiveness becomes watered down. The quirks and cranks of our friends’ annoying behaviors do not deserve forgiveness. Generosity? Yes. A sense of humor? Yes. Some tolerance? Yes. But not forgiveness. No. Forgiveness is reserved for a more serious mercy. Not for annoyances but for the deeper wrongs friends do us.

There’s another important point about forgiveness: When a good friend forgives another, it doesn’t guarantee reconciliation. Forgiveness requires something of the offender as well as the offended if it is to restore the relationship. My former professor Lewis Smedes is one of the nation’s leading experts on forgiveness. In his best-selling book Forgive and Forget, he said something about what it takes to be reconciled after we forgive:You hold out your hand to someone who did you wrong, and you say: 'Come on back, I want to be your friend again.” But when they take your hand and cross over the invisible wall that their wrong and your pain built between you, they need to carry something with them as the price of their ticket to your second journey together… What must they bring? They must bring truthfulness. Without truthfulness, your reunion is humbug, your coming together is false.'Forgiveness will always heal the wound in our memory, regardless of how a friend responds. But reconciliation requires that our friend own up to the truth of his or her fault and see the pain it caused. (Emphasis added.) No mask or manipulation is allowed. If you forgive a friend for breaking a confidence and your friends denies it ever happened, the relationship will remain in limbo. There’s no way around it. Reconciliation is a two-way street, requiring both grace and repentance. And good friends know it–whether they are on the giving or receiving side of forgiveness."

Extinction

This is from an article in The New York Times today about animal extinction and the evolutionary cycle. There are many who hold the view that 'if I cant seem them, they don't matter." Well, to those of use who enjoy art and nature (birds specifically) it is a huge loss when an animal or plant species-weather we have ever seen them or not- ceases to exist. Being awake to our world and what Gods doing in it is what makes being alive so great. Here's a quote:

But to me, whether we need to save other species to save ourselves is not really the point. Each time a species vanishes, the planet becomes a poorer place. It doesn’t matter if we’ve never seen them, if they go extinct without our ever knowing they were here. To live is to participate in the carnival of nature, and the carnival is diminished by the losses....

...For there is so much to marvel at. Like the spraying characid — a fish that lays its eggs out of water, jumping to stick them onto leaves that hang down over streams. (The male keeps the eggs wet by splashing them with his tail several times a day.) Or the just-discovered mimic octopus, which can assume the shape, colors and undulating swimming motions of a flat fish like a flounder. When it does so, the octopus even bugs its eyes out, so they look like flounders’ eyes.....

End of the Year

Finals begin today; this is the home stretch. This year has gone by fast and the kids were great. My reading list for the summer is going to be long. Here are some initial titles:

Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright

The Powers That Be by Walter Wink

Christianity in a Pluralistic Society by Leslie Newbigin

A Christianity Worth Believing by Doug Pagitt

Religion and Science by Jurgen Moltemann (did I spell that right?)

The Birth of Christianity by John Dominic Crossan

God and Empire by John Dominic Crossan

Any suggestions? I could use some....

New Book

I just purchased Doug Pagitt's new book, A Christianity Worth Believing, and so far so good. Its a personal look at his faith journey and some hope-filled ideas about the future of theology....more to come...

Listen!!!

If your in the mood to relax and jam check out the song St. Stephen by The Grateful Dead, live recording Live at Filmore East 69'. Wonderful sound and Jerry Garcia's guitar is amazing...check it out.

Say The Jesus Prayer

The Eastern Orthodox Tradition has a beautiful practice of prayer called the Jesus Prayer or The Prayer of the Heart. The explanation below comes from The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Prayer the prayer in a quite place; pray slowly and take the words to heart.


THE JESUS PRAYER

In order to enter more deeply into the life of prayer and to come to grips with St. Paul's challenge to pray unceasingly, the Orthodox Tradition offers the Jesus Prayer, which is sometimes called the prayer of the heart. The Jesus Prayer is offered as a means of concentration, as a focal point for our inner life. Though there are both longer and shorter versions, the most frequently used form of the Jesus Prayer is: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This prayer, in its simplicity and clarity, is rooted in the Scriptures and the new life granted by the Holy Spirit. It is first and foremost a prayer of the Spirit because of the fact that the prayer addresses Jesus as Lord, Christ and Son of God; and as St. Paul tells us, "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3).

Super Truth!!!

Here is a small portion of a letter sent to Tony Jones about absolutes and super truth. I thought it spoke well to the previous post. If you want to read the whole letter go to the Tonyj.net link to your right.

First, to your reasoning. You state in your book (I’m too lazy to reference it ) that many people in the theological landscape have changed their minds about theological issues such as slavery, so how, really, can we know that what we think about now is, in fact, God’s super-truth. True truth.  This is, I think, a powerful argument. Here’s mine.
I don’t think we even have to reference changes in theological beliefs over time to prove your point. I think we can simply look at the vast plethora of differing interpretations that exists now and stand in awe of the complexity of theology.
I compiled a list of “views” books, you know, like those Zondervan books that have four views on blah blah blah. My argument for a hermeneutic of humility would be:
If there are so many views argued so well, by godly, intelligent men, who all think they have the correct interpretation, doesn’t that imply a humility of sorts? And boy, do these guys argue well for their views! How the bleep, then, can one claim so dogmatically and with such over-arching certainty, that their view is the one!

Absolute Truth and Arrogance

When people approach the Bible with large amounts of confidence and claim that what they 'think' it says is absolutely true, is that arrogance? The reason I ask is because how can we say that we are absolutely sure of anything? One hundred years ago, interracial relationships were considered a sin against God. Two hundred years ago, slavery was an absolute truth in many sourthern churches. Brian Mclaren says, when we begin nailing everything down and bolting it to the floor it ceases to be faith. That makes sense to me. I dont believe because of absolutes, I believe because I am in awe.

The Bible does tell us that God is love and that she is always faithful. I have confidence in God and her faithfulness. So my question is this; what is 'proper confidence' and what is arrogance? How do we know the difference?

Now Brewing..

I have the greatest wife ever! She came back from Austin and brought me three different coffees from one of my favorite Texas roasters; Mozart's, in Austin. I am drinking an organic, fair trade Bolivian coffee. It is highly aromatic, mild body and nutty undertones.

Pragmatism

I am in the process of researching the philosophy and practice of pragmatism. For some reason it makes sense to me; it feeds my need to question and delve into inquiry. Below are some basic tenets of pragmatism that I am mulling over in my head:

• An ideology is only true if it works satisfactorily. Its truth is found in its practical consequences.
• What concrete difference would it make if my theory were true and its rival false?
• Theories are judged by their fruits and consequences, not their relation to facts and data.

What Paul Meant 2

Chapter 2 is full of theological and historical unpacking of the gospels and Pauls letters. Judging from Pauls letters Wills shows that Paul argued, ridiculed and comforted at the same time. He lived as a man on a mission. His relationship to Jesus suggests that he spent much time in trainingand study before he traveled though. Wills takes us through a long journey of quotes by Paul and how they reflect similar things Jesus said. He points out that Pauls captions of 'Jesus' saying is probably closer to what was actually said because he wrote 20 years before any of the gospels were written.
Paul's interaction with the other apostles, though strained and sometimes tense, provided him with enough knowledge to proceed in basing many theological arguments on the words of Jesus. Paul probably didn't quote Jesus verbatim any more than the gospel writer did but he obviously understood the message Jesus had. It is many times missed and distorted but Paul taught the message of love, just as Jesus had. His letters have been taken out of context many times and abused by naive hermeneutics.

Quote from Chapter 2:

Those who say that Paul was an alien spirit superimposed on that of a loving Jesus do not see that they both taught the same message of love. (54)

What Paul Meant 1

So the first chapter of Gary Wills book What Paul Meant discusses the distrust and sometimes hate directed at Paul. From Thomas Jefferson to Nietzsche; he has been called the 'great deceiver'. Wills tells us that part of the problem with Paul has been the randomness and inaccuracies in his letters. Only 7 can traced back to Paul- 1 Thess, Gal, Phil, Phlm, 1 Cor, 2 Cor, and Rom- the rest are believed to have been penned by followers of Paul.
Wills spends much time on the Resurrection of Jesus and Pauls expierence with that. I wont go into all the theology but in essence, Paul has been greatly misunderstood- partly because of Luke's account of Paul- and partly because Jesus has been interpreted through Paul, instead of the other way around.

What excites me about this book is that it is exploring new ways in which to approach the Bible. The Bible can trusted but for different reasons than what many hold to today. Being challenged in new ways is beginning to cause me to approach the Bible more humbly. Nothing kills understanding and wisdom like arrogance. I leave you with this quote from chapter 1:

Luke is a theological artist. He creates for a purpose, and the purpose can shift from one part of his story to the next. (31)

What Paul Meant

Just picked up What Paul Meant by Gary Willis and will be posting chapter summaries...give some feedback...Gary has some interesting things to say, especially about the authenticity of the Pauline letters and their original intent...more to come...

Common Wealth: Chapter 2; part 1

Chapter two is long and sets up Jeff's arguments.



Jeff begins the chapter by listing six earth changing trends that will shape the world and it inhabitants for centuries to come. They are as follows:



1. Sustained economic growth has reached 'most' or the world. Most countries and individuals in them are making more money.



2. The worlds population will continue to rise. We are at 6.6 billion currently, projected 9 billion by 2050.



3. The rise in income will be greatest in Asia. Half the worlds population resides there.



4. The world is moving from rural to urban.



5. Humans are contributing to various environmental crisis. (not global warming necessarily; i.e. deforestation, desertification, plant extinction etc...)



6. The gap between rich and poor is widening.

Jeff spends the remainder of the chapter going into more detail about sustainable economic policies and technologies. The quote below stood out to me:

The challenge for this century will not be in the limited availability of fossil fuels, but in their safe ecological use and in the timely investments needed to ensure that the right kinds of fuels are available at the right times and places....(44)

Without explicitly saying it, Jeff is talking about good stewardship of the resources that we have. I dont understand those who are vehemently against global warming issues that demand perfection from environmentalists. I have a family member that critiques Al Gore by saying "you talk about global warming and pollution yet you drive an SUV". No one is saying give up every modern amenity but take small steps at saving energy where you can...anyway...chapter 3 is next....

Coffee

I am now brewing Peets Coffee House Blend. Peets is an exalent coffee company and the house blend is mild and good in the evening. Check it out...

Common Wealth 1

I'm currently reading a book by Jeffery D. Sachs called Common Wealth: Economics For a Crowded Planet. I just finished the first chapter and so far I am impressed but I can hear my more 'conservative' friends cringing.
Jeff talks about how our world economy is moving toward a more global community and the need for sustainable practices and economic policies. He says that our problem isn't a lack of policies but a lack of cooperation between nations. Jeff lists four crises that our world faces: 1)Human pressures on ecosystems, 2) the worlds population, 3) extreme poverty, 4) the process of problem solving. He suggests that modest investments (globally) in population reduction, evironmental stewardship and eradication of extreme poverty are possible. So far, what I like about the book is that he is suggesting that we must stop believing in the old way, and discover and live into a new way of cooperation and recognition of what we share on this planet.
I know that some of this sounds 'idealistic' and over simplified, but how many people have shed their deeply held beliefs in a matter of days? months? years? Peace and sustainability is a process, it takes time and small steps in new directions...

Talking About Grace

I will be teaching about grace tomorrow. Hopefully I can move beyond talking about it and practice it...pray that my tongue swells...and my mouth remains shut...

Aliens

15 year old children (yes, they are still children) are aliens. They arrived on a large bus and hopefully will leave on another bus to whatever planet they arrived on. Just as scary, the fact that I seem to understand their language and their 'customs'.

A Franciscan Benidiction

This is a great prayer for the mornings.

May God bless us with discomfortAt easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationshipsSo that we may live from deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with angerAt injustice, oppression, and exploitation of God's creationsSo that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tearsTo shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,So that we may reach out our hands to comfort them andTo turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with just enough foolishnessTo believe that we can make a difference in the world,So that we can do what others claim cannot be done:To bring justice and kindness to all our children and all our neighbors who are poor.Amen.

Coffee

Now brewing Fair Trade Organic Costa Rican from Central Market. A good coffee to buy in small amounts and brew on weekends. Highly recomended.

The Classroom and Community

I was thinking today about first year teachers frustrations with discipline and management. Many choose sarcasm, threats and fear to achieve unity; that works for a time but it kills community and in the end the students hate you. It also subverts any productive learning that can and should take place in a classroom. So here's my thought- this is initial and I have done no research so bear with me- the classroom should be a community. It should run like, feel like and look like a community. Everyone has a part to contribute and every voice counts. The voices of my ninth graders are stifled many times by bureaucracy and arrogance. For them to be heard and understood is a blessing they long for and rarely receive. Over the next month I will continue with this and come up with a few experiments in my classroom at community building.

The poem below reminds me every day that sometimes we need to be reminded of our loveliness, and I think that the classroom is a great place to start.....(more to come....


Saint Francis and the Sow
by Galway Kinnell

The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as Saint Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the sheer blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow.

Poems

I have been reading over this poem for a couple of weeks and it still yeilds suprises everytime I go over it. Such technical language at the begining and then flows into more imaginative fluid language near the end. The lists at the begining are constricting and robotic, whereas the end is fluid and full of alliteration.


When I Heard the Learned Astronomer

by Walt Whitman
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide,
and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with
much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

More to come....

More to come.....