Marko has blogged his dream dinner guests and turned it into a meme of sorts. Here are the rules:
- the person has to either be a) dead, or b) alive, but no way you’ll ever have a chance to have dinner with them.
- real people only. no fictional characters.
- it’s not 6 individual dinners. it’s a dinner party with 6 people (plus you). think of the mix.
- assume no language barriers. in other words, it doesn’t matter if they speak or spoke another language than you and your other guests. you have magic instant translation technology.
- Jesus doesn’t count. it’s a dinner party. therefore, 2 or more are gathered. therefore, Jesus is already there.
I've been in a blogging blah so I thought maybe this would shake something loose.
1. I'd have to start with Joan Chittester, Sister Joan has been a wonderful voice in the wilderness for me in these past few years. Her social conscience and prophet's tongue get to the heart of the matter very quickly. Keith & I have been working through her Rule of Benedict for far too long now! She understands deeply about being a woman in the church under that stained glass ceiling and still fully uses her voice and gifts. I just love her.
2. Parker Palmer - His book Let Your Life Speak changed my life. Understanding that "in and through" the emotional landscape instead of the duck and cover that I had learned growing up gave my life a richness and depth I never understood before. His authenticity and articulation of big thoughts shakes everything loose in me and helps me put it back together.
3. Anne Lamott - the kingdom doors blew wide when I first read her work. I grew up being told Methodists weren't conservative enough to go to heaven, let alone Philistines like Anne. And yet she loved Jesus in such a fresh new way, and He loved her right back. Her humor on this journey spills into my own and makes me look at life in a way I had never done before. She is an inspiration to me and I adore her.
4. Stephen King - I hate horror movies, but this man has a rich soul. His prolific writing always captures my imagination and I would love to pick the brain of a man who struggled with his own demons in Delores Claiborn and found redemption in Shawshank & the Green Mile.
5. The Apostle Paul - no, not to be spiritual - I really want the straight goods - untarnished by translators. I want it from the horse's mouth. Give him a chance to set the record straight. I also think he'd be a much better story teller in person than he was in scripture. I'd really like to see his heart and find out what he thinks of the mess we've made of the church today.
6. Hadewijch of Brabant - she was a Benguine mistress martyred for her work with the poor, orphaned and sick. The church despised these amazing women, working outside of their power, but doing the work of Christ. She is one of my heroes and I long to pick her brain and sit and listen to the way they did the hard work of caring for the forgotten.
So there's my list - all authors, storytellers and saints of some strange distillation - I could make a dozen more lists - but this one I think would be a marvelous blend of insight and clarity. Three women, three men - all with great passion and prophetic voices. All have influenced me deeply and I fear one dinner just wouldn't be enough to find the answers to every question I have.
Thanks Marko - great challenge! I'm going to tag a few:
Dan Wilt - Conversations on Emerging Worship
Mark Peterson - Open Hands
Bob Carlton - The Corner
Renee - Ianua.org
Hope - A Song Not Scored for Breathing
Lisa - Author Intrusion
and anyone else who'd like to play! Just leave a comment if you do and I'll link to you!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Home again, home again
Jiggity jig... my mother said that almost every time we drove into our driveway when I was a child. I have no idea where it comes from, most likely a nursery rhyme that I've lost the words to.
Well, the Turner Family Vacation and Mechanics Tour of the Northeast has ended and we are all home safe and sound. What a wonderful trip. What an exhausting trip. We realized on the trip that we have never taken a two week vacation before - what we have missed! It is the perfect amount of time to really disengage and withdraw from life and revitalize ourselves.
Here are some of the memories:
Well, the Turner Family Vacation and Mechanics Tour of the Northeast has ended and we are all home safe and sound. What a wonderful trip. What an exhausting trip. We realized on the trip that we have never taken a two week vacation before - what we have missed! It is the perfect amount of time to really disengage and withdraw from life and revitalize ourselves.
Here are some of the memories:
- Two weeks on a double air mattress!
- Two flat tires, one leaving and one returning (it wasn't the quality of the tires, but of the valve - somehow the right side valves both cracked (need to get the left side checked!!)
- 3 U-joints needing replaced in Ontario (one was bad, but we decided to get all 3 replaced)
- Stretched cable from the transmission to the engine causing the car to rev and not change gears in the stretch from Niagara Falls to Pennsylvania
- Two very happy campers who adored Rock Mountain Bible Camp
- One incredible week reconnecting with my sister, Denise and her family - especially my lovely, adorable niece Marybeth.
- A piddling, leaking radiator that we needed to babysit like a rebellious teenager and can hopefully replace now that we are home - maybe they'll be able to locate the missing part that didn't come in the two that were ordered before we left...
- The most amazing mechanic in Pennsylvania who fixed things on the Volvo that we didn't even know were wrong - and the wonderful assurance that our transmission is spotless and we should get years left our of her!
- Amazing fireworks on Canada Day right out the front door of my in-laws home.
- Getting to know my niece Olivia & nephew Clark. I will never hear the word "cousins" and not think of the adorable way in which she says it - it's like a great big sigh.
- Enjoying their gorgeous view and home and being mesmerized by their 150 gallon fish tank. If I wasn't so dang lazy and afraid I'd kill the investment of the fish I'd really think about replacing our TV with one - it was so relaxing to sit and watch them swim.
- A wonderful night stay at The Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, ON (and a real live bed to sleep in!)
- Camping again for a week reminded me just how very much I love civilization - although we were treated royally by the amazing camp kitchen staff and I was never once required to cook or clean ANYTHING! God bless Rock Mountain Bible Camp!
- Waking up to an incredible, peaceful view of the lake every morning right out our front zipper. Sitting with our coffee (yes, we brought our Cuisinart coffee maker on the trip to grind our beans every morning! We're addicted)
- Two dousing rainstorms that we enjoyed as they played on the roof of the tent knowing we were dry and safe.
- IKEA - do you think it's fair people in the Toronto area have THREE while the rest of us do without??
- Reconnecting with Keith's family and having brothers & sister in the same place at the same time - nobody gets a word in edgewise!
- The mini-reunion with Deb, Erin & Lynne - it was so sweet to spend time with those amazing women!
- Seeing Alinea & Jacob with their grandparents is such a beautiful thing.
- A last night stay in Saco, Maine just minutes away from Ocean Park where we worshipped Sunday a.m. at the Temple. A round wooden structure built in 1881, singing old hymns and having my kids hear Tony Campolo for the first time - and having him kiss and hug them on the way out of church afterward. He is my hero and I was reminded again why. He is the best storyteller and his love for the real Jesus and his unabashed ability to challenge each and every one sitting under his teaching to fall madly in love with that Jesus and live a life of sacrifice. It was the icing on the cake for me. No, really it was the cake, and the rest was the icing. Such a wonderful end to a wonderful time.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Whew, what a trip!
Finally have access to some real time in front of a computer with internet access. This trip has been incredible! We loved our drive here through the New Hampshire and Vermont mountains and quickly cut across I-90 in New York to celebrate Canada Day with Keith's mom Dorothy & step-father George. They live on the Hamilton Bay and we are so impressed with the beauty that is being restored to that part of the city. What we didn't enjoy at all was the noise that our 20 year old Volvo made as it chugged into their driveway.
Not knowing much about cars we assumed it was the transmission and the death of "Vanna" (our endearing term for her as I just couldn't get the term "put this in the van" out of my vocabulary after driving a van for 10 years, thus we called her "Vanna"). We feared the worst and knew that having to find another vehicle was going to be a more expensive proposition that we wanted to consider. George has a good friend who has a large mechanic shop in Hamilton and Vanna was towed in. Great news, it was the U joint. They decided to fix all three (Volvo's have three - who knew?) and after $410 and many phone calls and impatient waiting for it to get done we were back on the road yesterday and spent last night sleeping at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
This was our touristy reward for camping. It is water slides and wonderful touristy time together. Alinea & Jacob are in their glory.
I am so excited to be able to spend time with my family as my father is already in South Gibson, PA (near Scranton) with my sister Denise & her husband Andrew and their beautiful baby girl Marybeth. We have not been all together for years. Ali & Jake are attending camp for the week and Keith & I are camping on the grounds as they have a camp ground attached to the camp property.
We sure do appreciate the prayers and are so enjoying our family and friend time.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was Thursday night when I was able to spend the night in Oronto, New York on Lake Ontario (yes, the gorgeous house was RIGHT on the lake) with my blogging/Path friends Deb, Erin & Lynne. We had such an amazing time together and it felt so good to just be "me" and not "mom" for a night.
Hope you're all enjoying your summer too!
Not knowing much about cars we assumed it was the transmission and the death of "Vanna" (our endearing term for her as I just couldn't get the term "put this in the van" out of my vocabulary after driving a van for 10 years, thus we called her "Vanna"). We feared the worst and knew that having to find another vehicle was going to be a more expensive proposition that we wanted to consider. George has a good friend who has a large mechanic shop in Hamilton and Vanna was towed in. Great news, it was the U joint. They decided to fix all three (Volvo's have three - who knew?) and after $410 and many phone calls and impatient waiting for it to get done we were back on the road yesterday and spent last night sleeping at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
This was our touristy reward for camping. It is water slides and wonderful touristy time together. Alinea & Jacob are in their glory.
I am so excited to be able to spend time with my family as my father is already in South Gibson, PA (near Scranton) with my sister Denise & her husband Andrew and their beautiful baby girl Marybeth. We have not been all together for years. Ali & Jake are attending camp for the week and Keith & I are camping on the grounds as they have a camp ground attached to the camp property.
We sure do appreciate the prayers and are so enjoying our family and friend time.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was Thursday night when I was able to spend the night in Oronto, New York on Lake Ontario (yes, the gorgeous house was RIGHT on the lake) with my blogging/Path friends Deb, Erin & Lynne. We had such an amazing time together and it felt so good to just be "me" and not "mom" for a night.
Hope you're all enjoying your summer too!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Holiday
Well, the Volvo is FINALLY repaired and we are heading out tomorrow as planned. One week in Ontario with Keith's family and a week in Northeast Pennsylvania with mine. My sister Denise and her husband Andrew are working at a camp there and Ali & Jake are going to attend Junior Camp. My father Erv is coming from Wisconsin to join us. It should be a wonderful time for all. Happy Canada Day & 4th of July - enjoy the celebrations and we'll be checking in from time to time as we have internet access.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Afraid to Be Alone
Peter has been talking about Life Together, Bonhoeffer and community at church lately and this quote just sprang out at me today - from inward/outward
Many people seek fellowship because they are afraid to be alone. Because they cannot stand loneliness, they are driven to seek the company of other people. There are Christians, too, who cannot endure being alone, who have had some bad experiences with themselves, who hope they will gain some help in association with others. They are generally disappointed. Then they blame the fellowship for what is really their own fault. The Christian community is not a spiritual sanatorium. The person who comes into a fellowship because he is running away from himself is misusing it for the sake of diversion, no matter how spiritual this diversion may appear. He is really not seeking community at all, but only distraction which will allow him to forget his loneliness for a brief time, the very alienation that creates the deadly isolation of man.
Source: Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Many people seek fellowship because they are afraid to be alone. Because they cannot stand loneliness, they are driven to seek the company of other people. There are Christians, too, who cannot endure being alone, who have had some bad experiences with themselves, who hope they will gain some help in association with others. They are generally disappointed. Then they blame the fellowship for what is really their own fault. The Christian community is not a spiritual sanatorium. The person who comes into a fellowship because he is running away from himself is misusing it for the sake of diversion, no matter how spiritual this diversion may appear. He is really not seeking community at all, but only distraction which will allow him to forget his loneliness for a brief time, the very alienation that creates the deadly isolation of man.
Source: Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Savage Joy
Real Live Preacher has been one of my favorite reads for years now. Every so often he opens the door of his heart on parenting his three daughters. It is always a beautiful thing.
As Alinea and Jacob have so recently grown past the stage of needy childhood I resonate so deeply with these words:
I was drawn to my little girls in those days in ways that are quickly fading as the three sisters grow into young women. Our biological connection showed itself in my love of the smell of their scalps, my physical and intense need to hold them, and my desire to feel their small bodies pressed against my own as we watched movies together on the couch. And I always had a strong attraction to the sounds they made. Their voices were a kind of OM for me, a sound from below all sounds, a noise from the foundation of my existence. Hearing my daughters play was a joyful thing, and the ache of its absence will never heal. It is a wound I will carry as long as I walk this earth.
The best things are like this, aren’t they? They are savage and untamed. Like a great sunset, they can be discovered by chance and enjoyed, but never owned. Like love they can be received but not bought. The best things in life ride a ticklish wave along the surface of your skin, leaving raised hairs in their wake. They move through the world leaving no visible sign. You cannot follow them, nor anticipate their direction and wait for them in a blind.
You will come across spontaneous, unique moments of joy like this now and again. They are Life’s gifts to us all. They come to the washed and the unwashed, to the common and the sophisticated, to the rich and the poor, to the just and the unjust.
Moments of savage joy are there for all of us to find. If you haven’t seen one lately, you only need to slow down a bit and keep your eyes open. I can give you no counsel beyond that. But if you come across a moment of wild, untamed joy, for God’s sake eat it; drink it; hear it; receive it. This is the stuff of life. It doesn’t get any better.
You can read the whole post here: Savage Joy
As Alinea and Jacob have so recently grown past the stage of needy childhood I resonate so deeply with these words:
I was drawn to my little girls in those days in ways that are quickly fading as the three sisters grow into young women. Our biological connection showed itself in my love of the smell of their scalps, my physical and intense need to hold them, and my desire to feel their small bodies pressed against my own as we watched movies together on the couch. And I always had a strong attraction to the sounds they made. Their voices were a kind of OM for me, a sound from below all sounds, a noise from the foundation of my existence. Hearing my daughters play was a joyful thing, and the ache of its absence will never heal. It is a wound I will carry as long as I walk this earth.
The best things are like this, aren’t they? They are savage and untamed. Like a great sunset, they can be discovered by chance and enjoyed, but never owned. Like love they can be received but not bought. The best things in life ride a ticklish wave along the surface of your skin, leaving raised hairs in their wake. They move through the world leaving no visible sign. You cannot follow them, nor anticipate their direction and wait for them in a blind.
You will come across spontaneous, unique moments of joy like this now and again. They are Life’s gifts to us all. They come to the washed and the unwashed, to the common and the sophisticated, to the rich and the poor, to the just and the unjust.
Moments of savage joy are there for all of us to find. If you haven’t seen one lately, you only need to slow down a bit and keep your eyes open. I can give you no counsel beyond that. But if you come across a moment of wild, untamed joy, for God’s sake eat it; drink it; hear it; receive it. This is the stuff of life. It doesn’t get any better.
You can read the whole post here: Savage Joy
Monday, June 25, 2007
Healing but never whole
It always gives me peace to find out that maybe I'm not the only person who struggles. My friend highlighted this poem on her blog today and wrote so honestly about her own struggles in marriage. She remembered reading this poem way back before she was married and how it returned to her at just the right time.
It's timing for me is perfect too:
Marriage
It is to be broken.
It is to be torn open.
It is not to be reached and come to rest in ever.
I turn against you, I break from you, I turn to you.
We hurt, and are hurt, and have each other for healing.
It is healing.
It is never whole.
by Wendell Berry
You can read what my dear, deep friend Claudia Mair wrote about Wendell and marriage here: Wendell had it right
It's timing for me is perfect too:
Marriage
It is to be broken.
It is to be torn open.
It is not to be reached and come to rest in ever.
I turn against you, I break from you, I turn to you.
We hurt, and are hurt, and have each other for healing.
It is healing.
It is never whole.
by Wendell Berry
You can read what my dear, deep friend Claudia Mair wrote about Wendell and marriage here: Wendell had it right
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Living so far away from family our kids are given lots of $ gifts from the grandparents and since we started the "share, save, spend" back last Christmas our son Jake has been saving his pennies. We had told him if he saved 1/2 of the cost of a Nintendo Wii we would pitch in the other half. Well, today he called our bluff and we are now have our Mii's bowling with the best of them.
It is a happy day for the Turner children. I on the other hand never realized virtual bowling can cause back pain... sigh. You know you're in REALLY BAD SHAPE when you hurt your back playing video games...
It is a happy day for the Turner children. I on the other hand never realized virtual bowling can cause back pain... sigh. You know you're in REALLY BAD SHAPE when you hurt your back playing video games...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Making Bubbles & Bubble Wands
I am in charge of the bubble booth at our kids carnival this weekend and am doing research on the best, least expensive (read FREE) ways to make bubbles in big batches for lots and lots of kids.Here's what I've found:
Magic Bubbles - Creative Kids At Home
Bubble Town - Bubble Making Solution
Bubble Town - Bubble Making Device
eHow - How to make a giant bubble wand
DIY Bubbles & Bubble Wands
Martha Stewart Living - Bubble Wands
WikiHow - How to Create and Use a Large Bubble Wand
One of the reasons I love living in St. Stephen
My friend Dan wrote this gem about one of our town gems Dot, our local crossing guard (who by the way is the TOP crossing guard in all of Canada!):
DanWilt.com :: Conversations On Emerging Worship - Moments in Time - Dot the Crossing Guard"
DanWilt.com :: Conversations On Emerging Worship - Moments in Time - Dot the Crossing Guard"
Friday, June 08, 2007
Did you really need a sign to tell you?
Saw this on the island the other day and it gave me a good chuckle.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Obvious Mistake
Some of the stuff I
learned early on was useful,
she told me,
but most of it was
obviously meant for
someone who was not me.
STORYPEOPLE - Brian Andreas
Sign up for your own Story of the Day
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Takin' the ferry today
I got an invitation to join my beloved on the Big Island today - we are taking the ferry to Grand Manan. It's a major sea-going vessel and I have to admit I am a bit nervous as I don't know how my constitution will respond to those waves! I am excited to see the Swallowhead Lighthouse and maybe spot some wild life. I am still on the "Great Puffin Hunt"Last night when we were doing the food collection we got to see a mother wood chuck carrying her baby right across Main Street. I was so afraid they were going to get smushed right in front of us. I think I might have dived right into traffic to stop it. More to keep my kids from having to be a witness to it than to save the wildlife, but that might have motivated me a bit too.
Hope you have a glorious day! I'll post pictures, promise!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
A Better Storyteller
Too many wonderful links today! LOVE Donald Miller!!
A Better Storyteller | Christianity Today: "'The chief role of a Christian,' he says, 'is to tell a better story.'"
A Better Storyteller | Christianity Today: "'The chief role of a Christian,' he says, 'is to tell a better story.'"
It's all about mission
Bart Campolo has linked to a good friend of his in Toronto who is doing amazing missional community work - amazing article!
Anglican Diocese of Toronto: "It's all about mission, says speaker"
Anglican Diocese of Toronto: "It's all about mission, says speaker"
Hunger Awareness Day
Helping with the local food drive here tonight - I'm sure your community is doing something special today too - please be generous and share with the hungry in your communities!
Hunger Awareness Day
Hunger Awareness Day
Want to be perfect?
Reading today from "Praying with Jesus, Eugene Peterson" - June 5th. I was surprised by the tone of this small/mondo beyondo verse:
"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21
The young man thought he had kept the Levitical command, "Love your neighbor as yourself," but it had never occurred to him that his neighbor might be the poor man, and love might have something to do with how he spent his money.
Who are some of the unseen neighbors in your life?
PRAYER: I know the commands, O God, but I need your help in seeing the people and circumstances where my obedience is commanded. Open my hands that have been clutching possessions; open my eyes, too long blind, to certain neighbors. Amen.
"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21
The young man thought he had kept the Levitical command, "Love your neighbor as yourself," but it had never occurred to him that his neighbor might be the poor man, and love might have something to do with how he spent his money.
Who are some of the unseen neighbors in your life?
PRAYER: I know the commands, O God, but I need your help in seeing the people and circumstances where my obedience is commanded. Open my hands that have been clutching possessions; open my eyes, too long blind, to certain neighbors. Amen.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Taking care of the inside of things
As some of you know I adore the high-priestess herself, Anne Lamott and am slowly relishing her newest book, Grace (Eventually). Today found me in the chapter "Cheese Monster" where she is processing her relationship with her mother and how having a teen-ager mellowed the anger of her grief and allowed her to be far more sympathetic to her memory. I am finding so much resonance in her words as I walk this similar path.
This paragraph leapt off the page at me and I wanted to shout a loud AMEN to no one but myself. She verbalizes the ethereal difference that I have tried to put words to between those families who stride through life, seemingly effortlessly, while others stall, stumble and struggle forever.
I have found that far too many churches tend to focus on the surfaces too. How tragic it is that those of us who know the Centre are spending too much time on the exterior instead of the core. God forgive us and help us to help these families find and care for the core.
This paragraph leapt off the page at me and I wanted to shout a loud AMEN to no one but myself. She verbalizes the ethereal difference that I have tried to put words to between those families who stride through life, seemingly effortlessly, while others stall, stumble and struggle forever.
"My mother's bed always looked like Krakatoa, unless I made it, because she didn't have a clue that you could take care of the inside of things, like friends or your own heart, by tending to surfaces: putting on a little moisturizer, say, or making the bed. Surfaces were strictly for tricking nonfamily into thinking you and your family were enviable, more functional than you were."This is why recovery has been so important in my life. It has helped me where parenting fell short. Caring for the inside of things was never taught to me. It was probably never taught to my parents either. Generations of my bloodline have probably all struggled with making the outside seem far stronger than the inside could ever bear.
I have found that far too many churches tend to focus on the surfaces too. How tragic it is that those of us who know the Centre are spending too much time on the exterior instead of the core. God forgive us and help us to help these families find and care for the core.
Friday, June 01, 2007
How (Not) to Speak of God
I have got to get my hands on this book:
ht - Adam Walker Cleavland - pomomusings“…I discovered a way to embrace both the wisdom of those who would say that God is unspeakable, and must therefore be passed over in silence, and the wisdom of those who would say that God can, and must, be expressed. The union can be articulated like this:
That which we cannot speak of is the one thing about whom and to whom we must never stop speaking.
…those within the emerging conversation perceive a very different way of understanding theology. It is no longer thought of as a human discourse that speaks of God but rather as the place where God speaks into human discourse. In other words, theology is understood as the site in which revelation makes its appearance in the world…If theology comes to be understood as the place where God speaks, then we must seek, not to speak of God, but rather to be that place where God speaks…Our ‘theological’ musings can thus be called a/theological insomuch as they acknowledge that we must still speak of God (theology, as traditionally understood) while also recognizing that this speech fails to define God (a/theology).”
Peter Rollins, “How (Not) to Speak of God” (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2006), xiii, 21
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Psalms
My friend Erin has linked to a blog in Austrailia called [hold :: this space] and the author, Cheryl Lawrie has been ministering at Port Phillip Prison and helping the prisoners to express their souls with Psalms. They are the most moving pieces of writing I've read in quite some time. I would love to facilitate this type of writing for a group. I know many of us blogged our own Psalm 23 a couple of years ago, but this free-form Psalm writing is incredible, and these men's honesty of soul is so touching:
[hold :: this space] - Psalms
[hold :: this space] - Psalms of Hope, Love, Fear and Despair
[hold :: this space]- the bits that were missing - Psalms of Boredom
[hold :: this space] - Psalms
[hold :: this space] - Psalms of Hope, Love, Fear and Despair
[hold :: this space]- the bits that were missing - Psalms of Boredom
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Disturbed
I needed this today:
It was Argentinian doctor and pop-revolution icon Che Guevara who said, as he was leaving Cuba for Africa, "Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love."
But lovers are hard to come by. And I think that's what our world is desperately in need of - lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about. We are trying to raise up an army not simply of street activists but of lovers - a community of people who have fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people, and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them.
Source: The Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Keith is the best grocery shopper!
I love my hubby and the produce guy at our Atlantic Superstore!Look at this!
Keith always seems to hit to grocery store just as the produce guy has marked everything down. It's all still lovely and ready to eat!
$10.00 and great timing has gotten us:
- 8 large cremini mushrooms
- 11 fresh peaches
- 26 ripe tomatos
- 4 lovely avacados
- 2 large bags of spinach
- 1 perfect bag of cherries
Home made Salsa & Spanakopita is on the recipe docket for the next couple of days! (and the best thing about him is that he makes it too!!) I'm just so blessed!
Six weird things about me
I got a tag from Dizzy Lizzie to share six weird things about me.... hmmm, only six, eh?
1. I have an anonymous blog that I've been maintaining for the past three years. It's where I share the really weird things about myself. I started it anonymously not because of the weird stuff I wanted to share like most people think, but because of the journey I was/am taking theologically. I was raised in a super-duper conservative church where women were silent with their head's covered - I live very far from that now, but getting to this place was excruciatingly painful and full of questions. They weren't safe to ask while in ministry - we were supposed to the "the answer people" not the question people. I love the support and friendship that came about through that blog. I am best friends with some people I have never met face to face because the blogosphere has the ability to link kindred souls together that would never be found in a face to face community.
2. I read about six non-fiction books all at the same time. It takes me ages to get through non-fiction because I only read what I think is transformational and I truly want it to change me - so it takes me such a long time to move through the books - I have them placed all over the house and read them in different spots. Right now I am enjoying Sleeping With Bread by the Linns, Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott, The Dawsonwood Diaries by my dearest friend and adopted mom, Connie Knighton, So I Go Now by another blogging friend I have yet to meet, Jeff Jacobson, Weight, Sex & Marriage by Richard B. Stuart & Barbara Jacobson, Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and finally A Tree Full of Angels by Macrina Wiederkehr. Okay, that's 7, I snuck the Sleeping with Bread in because I'm using it to help me work Step 9.
3. If I have to explain something to someone, Keith or my kids (or maybe even others) I say a quick prayer asking God for a word picture or a metaphor that explains this concept well and I am regularly astonished at how they come to me and I am able to help the person I am talking to understand almost exactly what I mean because of it.
4. I type faster than I can write, and usually even faster than I can think... It's very frustrating for me to have to use a pen/pencil and paper sometimes. It's good because it engages my emotions more quickly than typing, but I still find it very stilting and frustrating that I can't just "move stuff around" at will like I can with a word processor...
5. I loathe the smell of cigars and cigarettes. It engages deep emotions within me and I hate being exposed to second hand smoke.
6. I love broken things. Beach glass, broken pieces of pottery, mosaic and collage speak of redemption to me. Outsider art is my favorite and it moves me very deeply to sit with a piece done by someone else who feels as "outside" of things as much as I do.
I tag anyone who wants to play - just leave a comment and I'll post a link to your 6 weird things!
1. I have an anonymous blog that I've been maintaining for the past three years. It's where I share the really weird things about myself. I started it anonymously not because of the weird stuff I wanted to share like most people think, but because of the journey I was/am taking theologically. I was raised in a super-duper conservative church where women were silent with their head's covered - I live very far from that now, but getting to this place was excruciatingly painful and full of questions. They weren't safe to ask while in ministry - we were supposed to the "the answer people" not the question people. I love the support and friendship that came about through that blog. I am best friends with some people I have never met face to face because the blogosphere has the ability to link kindred souls together that would never be found in a face to face community.
2. I read about six non-fiction books all at the same time. It takes me ages to get through non-fiction because I only read what I think is transformational and I truly want it to change me - so it takes me such a long time to move through the books - I have them placed all over the house and read them in different spots. Right now I am enjoying Sleeping With Bread by the Linns, Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott, The Dawsonwood Diaries by my dearest friend and adopted mom, Connie Knighton, So I Go Now by another blogging friend I have yet to meet, Jeff Jacobson, Weight, Sex & Marriage by Richard B. Stuart & Barbara Jacobson, Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and finally A Tree Full of Angels by Macrina Wiederkehr. Okay, that's 7, I snuck the Sleeping with Bread in because I'm using it to help me work Step 9.
3. If I have to explain something to someone, Keith or my kids (or maybe even others) I say a quick prayer asking God for a word picture or a metaphor that explains this concept well and I am regularly astonished at how they come to me and I am able to help the person I am talking to understand almost exactly what I mean because of it.
4. I type faster than I can write, and usually even faster than I can think... It's very frustrating for me to have to use a pen/pencil and paper sometimes. It's good because it engages my emotions more quickly than typing, but I still find it very stilting and frustrating that I can't just "move stuff around" at will like I can with a word processor...
5. I loathe the smell of cigars and cigarettes. It engages deep emotions within me and I hate being exposed to second hand smoke.
6. I love broken things. Beach glass, broken pieces of pottery, mosaic and collage speak of redemption to me. Outsider art is my favorite and it moves me very deeply to sit with a piece done by someone else who feels as "outside" of things as much as I do.
I tag anyone who wants to play - just leave a comment and I'll post a link to your 6 weird things!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
This is your life
The implications of this article Bob linked to in the New York Times are so incredible I think I'll have to re-read the article quite a few more times:
The Corner: On Telling My Story
NYT: This is Your Life (and How You Tell It)
The Corner: On Telling My Story
NYT: This is Your Life (and How You Tell It)
Friday, May 18, 2007
Missing Madeline
This just tears at my heart. Oh God, keep her safe!
BBC NEWS | UK | Millions visit Madeleine website: "The website also features more than 7,000 messages of support.
Mrs McCann's brother-in-law Michael Wright said Madeleine's parents had been "totally overwhelmed by offers from individuals, small companies, and large multi-national corporations".
He said: "Both of them are firmly fixed on the campaign which is designed to raise Madeleine's profile right across Europe and ensure we bring her home."
Missing Madeline - Bring Madeline Home
BBC NEWS | UK | Millions visit Madeleine website: "The website also features more than 7,000 messages of support.
Mrs McCann's brother-in-law Michael Wright said Madeleine's parents had been "totally overwhelmed by offers from individuals, small companies, and large multi-national corporations".
He said: "Both of them are firmly fixed on the campaign which is designed to raise Madeleine's profile right across Europe and ensure we bring her home."
Missing Madeline - Bring Madeline Home
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
G8 - Keep your word to the poor!
Please join with me in supporting Desmond Tutu in addressing the G8 countries as they meet to discuss their funding (or lack of) for the worlds poor. Avaaz.org has a petion you can sign. Their website states:
This Friday, the finance ministers of the world's richest countries meet to plan the G8 summit in Germany. Two years ago, they pledged to double aid to Africa--but despite their promises, aid from the G8 has actually gone down, and 20,000 children every day are still dying preventable deaths.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has signed on to a letter organised by Avaaz and our friends at the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. The letter will be featured in big ads in the Financial Times and German press on Friday morning, so that the finance ministers are reminded of their promises before they meet. Let's show how many of us want the rich world to keep its promises to the global poor!
TAKE ACTION NOW
This Friday, the finance ministers of the world's richest countries meet to plan the G8 summit in Germany. Two years ago, they pledged to double aid to Africa--but despite their promises, aid from the G8 has actually gone down, and 20,000 children every day are still dying preventable deaths.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has signed on to a letter organised by Avaaz and our friends at the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. The letter will be featured in big ads in the Financial Times and German press on Friday morning, so that the finance ministers are reminded of their promises before they meet. Let's show how many of us want the rich world to keep its promises to the global poor!
TAKE ACTION NOW
Monday, May 14, 2007
How did I get 7 kids at my house today???
Our house is Kid Central today as Ali & Jake have a PD day. These 3 day weekends are great - but I know that they are the reason Canada doesn't get out of school until June 22nd!
Anyway - they are all playing nicely and hopefully will continue - the noise level is definitely a bit more intense than usual though. Hope the neighbors below don't mind! :)
Anyway - they are all playing nicely and hopefully will continue - the noise level is definitely a bit more intense than usual though. Hope the neighbors below don't mind! :)
Friday, May 11, 2007
Mommy needs a new blog design!
Everyday Mommy is giving away a new blog design for Mother's Day - she is so talented and I want one!!You can find a her lovely blog here:
Everyday Mommy
Caring for the next generation
Quote from Scot McKnight's blog on storytelling - taken from the Pilgrim Heart by Darryl Tippens:
Jesus Creed » Friday is for Friends: "“An abundant and growing body of evidence shows that stories have a unique capacity to transmit values, shape identity, move people to action, and preserve memory” (175). Thus, “people who care about the next generation will be experts at telling the community’s story” (175)."
Jesus Creed » Friday is for Friends: "“An abundant and growing body of evidence shows that stories have a unique capacity to transmit values, shape identity, move people to action, and preserve memory” (175). Thus, “people who care about the next generation will be experts at telling the community’s story” (175)."
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Yes, I'm from Wisconsin
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." | |
| The Midland | |
| The Northeast | |
| Philadelphia | |
| The South | |
| The West | |
| Boston | |
| North Central | |
| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
thanks Jen!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Why I love my community here!
Today's quote from Nouwen:The Mosaic That Shows Us the Face of God
A mosaic consists of thousands of little stones. Some are blue, some are green, some are yellow, some are gold. When we bring our faces close to the mosaic, we can admire the beauty of each stone. But as we step back from it, we can see that all these little stones reveal to us a beautiful picture, telling a story none of these stones can tell by itself.
That is what our life in community is about. Each of us is like a little stone, but together we reveal the face of God to the world. Nobody can say: "I make God visible." But others who see us together can say: "They make God visible." Community is where humility and glory touch.
Ceramic Mosaic done by Cleo Mussi
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Organize this...
Part of this process of redemption that I go on about here is that I believe God wastes nothing. He calls forward pieces of our story from the past to be used in the present for the Kingdom. Part of my past was about 3 years spent running a closet/organization store in the west end of Hamilton, Ontario. It was called "The Closet Wizard" - the Wizard was one of my favorite people I had the opportunity to know in Hamilton, Charles. He was a Jewish, South African husband and father who was so much fun to be around. I kind of fell into the job but found that it suited my skill set well.
I am a helper by nature, I never wanted to be, but it just is resident inside of me. I can't stand in the grocery store without noticing someone who can't reach something or who has a question about a product I've used on their face. I am the person you regularly ask "do you work here?"
During the whole time of my employment at said closet store I mourned the fact that we longed for ministry and God closed the door and here I was stuck organizing rich people's closets. I promised myself in that time that if I could ever use this skill in the kingdom that I would do so willingly and make some sense about why I lived that piece of the puzzle of my life. And I have been able to keep that promise in strange and wonderful way - from organizing retired missionaries closets on vacation in Florida as they were panicked about how they were going to downsize into a tiny condo to helping young mothers make the most out of their kids small space and find a way to get things out of site and out of mind.
You can't believe the way women's eyes glaze over when they hear that I have this skill set - they get all dreamy and distant as they think about how many more shoes they could fit into the spaces they have if they just had them organized. Guys, the way to a woman's heart is not only jewelery - organize her closets and you will be her friend for life!
It truly is a life-giving enterprise. I never realized it at the time, but having a place for people to put things away and find them again makes life easier. How much time do we spend tripping over things or looking for the lost items? Maybe if we all were a bit more organized the world might be a less chaotic place to be? Closets for world peace? Well, that might be a bit much, but I tell you this because today I have the opportunity to put my promise into action.
I have prayed for quite some time here that way would open into the community here for me to begin to use my gifts and learn from those doing the work. I have a pretty big personality. Being in a new culture (yes, the Maritimes have a distinct culture all their own - anyone not born here is from "away" - and those of us from "away" have much to learn from this large hearted, kind, centered people) the last thing I want it to bust into a place that is already doing great work and tell them how it should be done. I have seen it happen far too often, in my mission class in college it was termed "Big Bwana Syndrome" - I never wanted to be Big Bwana. I want to learn - but there is something I miss sometimes if way does not open. My big feet tramp down in ways that I miss many times.
This opportunity is too precious to me to step on any toes or blunder in a look like I know what I'm doing. So I am honored for this opportunity, but there is trepidation in my heart. I long to offer my skills and yet learn at the same time. It is new for me. Far too many times I promise what I am unable to deliver - and it is my prayer today that I refrain from doing just that. God help me to keep a reign on my tongue, to sense your leading and not my own here. To listen more than speak and to live in the moment of opportunity - helping others, instead of trying to make myself look more important.
Today I get to go to the Volunteer Centre (our local food bank) and help Donna, the woman who has been doing the work so well for so many years, with the basement of the centre. For those of you who have been following my story for a time, you will know how deeply this opportunity moves me. Please pray for me.
I am a helper by nature, I never wanted to be, but it just is resident inside of me. I can't stand in the grocery store without noticing someone who can't reach something or who has a question about a product I've used on their face. I am the person you regularly ask "do you work here?"
During the whole time of my employment at said closet store I mourned the fact that we longed for ministry and God closed the door and here I was stuck organizing rich people's closets. I promised myself in that time that if I could ever use this skill in the kingdom that I would do so willingly and make some sense about why I lived that piece of the puzzle of my life. And I have been able to keep that promise in strange and wonderful way - from organizing retired missionaries closets on vacation in Florida as they were panicked about how they were going to downsize into a tiny condo to helping young mothers make the most out of their kids small space and find a way to get things out of site and out of mind.
You can't believe the way women's eyes glaze over when they hear that I have this skill set - they get all dreamy and distant as they think about how many more shoes they could fit into the spaces they have if they just had them organized. Guys, the way to a woman's heart is not only jewelery - organize her closets and you will be her friend for life!
It truly is a life-giving enterprise. I never realized it at the time, but having a place for people to put things away and find them again makes life easier. How much time do we spend tripping over things or looking for the lost items? Maybe if we all were a bit more organized the world might be a less chaotic place to be? Closets for world peace? Well, that might be a bit much, but I tell you this because today I have the opportunity to put my promise into action.
I have prayed for quite some time here that way would open into the community here for me to begin to use my gifts and learn from those doing the work. I have a pretty big personality. Being in a new culture (yes, the Maritimes have a distinct culture all their own - anyone not born here is from "away" - and those of us from "away" have much to learn from this large hearted, kind, centered people) the last thing I want it to bust into a place that is already doing great work and tell them how it should be done. I have seen it happen far too often, in my mission class in college it was termed "Big Bwana Syndrome" - I never wanted to be Big Bwana. I want to learn - but there is something I miss sometimes if way does not open. My big feet tramp down in ways that I miss many times.
This opportunity is too precious to me to step on any toes or blunder in a look like I know what I'm doing. So I am honored for this opportunity, but there is trepidation in my heart. I long to offer my skills and yet learn at the same time. It is new for me. Far too many times I promise what I am unable to deliver - and it is my prayer today that I refrain from doing just that. God help me to keep a reign on my tongue, to sense your leading and not my own here. To listen more than speak and to live in the moment of opportunity - helping others, instead of trying to make myself look more important.
Today I get to go to the Volunteer Centre (our local food bank) and help Donna, the woman who has been doing the work so well for so many years, with the basement of the centre. For those of you who have been following my story for a time, you will know how deeply this opportunity moves me. Please pray for me.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Share, Save, Spend
Since choosing a life of simplicity Keith and I have known that we would be raising Alinea & Jacob in a different way than we were raised. Neither of us ever received much in the way of financial tools and training as children and we have spent much of our adult lives recovering from poor financial decisions. We wanted more for our kids.The two pronged approach we decided upon was to help them understand the value of things and not their cost, which we aim to do by leaving a gentle footprint, reduce, reuse, recycle. We buy our clothing second hand, redeem things we can find either curbside or at garage sales or thrift stores and choose to live as simply as we are able. The second prong involves learning to manage what money they have access to.
Living as we do and choosing a life in ministry can give a kid the impression that they are "poor" - we have never wanted that for Ali & Jake. We knew we needed to be intentional about making sure they had money to spend, and learn and make mistakes now when they are this age and "under our wings" instead of at college when financial mistakes can sandbag a future.
About this time we had also begun to hear about a ministry called Share, Save, Spend and Nathan Dungan - it's simple kingdom economics that have seemed to fall out of favor in this highly materialistic world (church) we find ourselves. We took what we read there and coupled it with an idea from Larry Burkett and homogenized the peanut butter jars you see above.
We long for kingdom economics to play a large role in our own financial decisions, so we want to model and teach that for Ali & Jake. This small way has been a great tool for all of us and we began it at Christmas this past year. Up until this point we have had no financial "allowance" or fixed amount we gave to the kids. We knew that had to begin if they were ever going to a) learn for themselves how to manage money and b) not feel poor. We made three peanut butter jar banks for each child, cut a slot in the top, made the labels and wrapped them up as part of their Christmas presents with the promise of $5.00/week to share, save & spend.
We committed to providing them with an "income" (we are shying away from allowance because it's not a chore based system - they do their share of the work at home because we all share the load). Every pay check Keith brings home a roll of loonies (CDN $1.00 coins) and they each get 10 of them, 8 go into their spend bank and 1 each into save & share - it's not rocket science, but it does take some intention. When they receive a gift they are expected to do the math and put 10% into save and 10% into share. They get to decide what it is they are saving for and where they want to be generous with their "share" monies.
What we have seen since that time has been incredible. They have independence and can make their own decisions about their "spend" monies, are learning about the value of that money and the cost of things they dream about - and are learning to set some aside for the future and also be generous out of their own pockets. It's been really great for all of us.
I just thought I'd take a sec to blog about it in case it helps any other families in this situation. We felt for so long that we really didn't have any financial tools to pass on to our kids except for a bunch of "rules" that never seemed to help us. This simple beginning has given them a great launching pad for the future. It's opened up tons of doors conversationally and allowed us to begin to see their hearts and how they interact with finances.
I think Jesus talked so much about money because it exposes the motivations of the heart. Taking this development of this stage of their lives seriously has been really good for us all.
Friday, April 27, 2007
A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
I can't even imagine the ways in which this will be useful - but it is the most fascinating tool - and I know it will help me tell better stories. How will you use it?
A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
hat tip to one of my favorite gadget blogs: Cool Tools
A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
hat tip to one of my favorite gadget blogs: Cool Tools
Monday, April 23, 2007
My actual color palette for the new office
I know that I blogged here of my wishes and whims for fabric for my new office - the fabric I posted was $20.00/yard on eBay - way more than I want/can spend. So today I took a trip across the river to my favorite discount store MARDENS and found my new color palette - no chocolate brown, but I do have the lovely ice blue, this time with ivory, black and silver grey, and I got it ALL for $20.00!!!I'm really happy and can't wait to get at it!
The Secret and Recovery
I blogged this a couple of months ago on my other blog and since "The Secret" has just found it's way into our community I thought maybe I would post it here too. If you aren't aware of it yet pass this by, if you do bump into it, or people smitten by it please give this a read. It is the "new" old lie - slicked up and with multi-million dollar marketing and it is sucking people in - even the faithful. It tells you everything you want to hear. Unfortunately I think it was the same lie in the garden - "God doesn't have your best interests at heart" and "You can have it all" - both are really problematic when you put them into practice.
John Stackhouse has tackled this theologically on his blog very well, so I will lead you there to read it:
John Stackhouse - Oprah's Secret: New? Old? Good? Bad?
My take has to do with recovery. Far too many I love are really confused, so I put this together to try to shine a bit of light on it:
I've had a lot of friends and people in recovery being exposed to The Secret and left feeling confused and a bit lost so I wanted to get my thoughts on paper to see if this helps them at all.
For those of you living in a cave The Secret has been touted by everyone from Oprah to news anchors - it's the 'new thing' and people are all a twitter. The saddest part of this is that there is nothing new about it, other than the slick, multi-media, multi-million dollar sales pitch.
Others have written on this from a theological standpoint, I, on the other hand want to deal with this from the emotional, practical and recovery side.
First of all, I know it is so hard to be in a room with people who have just "found the secret" and to take issue with it. You look like you're too dumb to 'get it' - that's the point. They have found a way to pitch this like 'only the really smart people will understand this' - so ie, you stand against it, you're not smart... sigh. they're brilliant. (It's really The Emperor's New Clothes)
The other difficulty here is that you "can't" argue against it because then you are shown to be "negative", and negativity cannot dwell within "the secret". They're good, they're really good. It sets up this knowledge like a four star club that only the positive and smart people can get into - so if you challenge it you're not 'smart or positive' - brilliant. I mean, who wants to go against the queen? (Oprah)
I took this position almost exactly 12 months ago when she was all gung ho on James Frey and “A Million Little Lies, er I mean Pieces”... - remember that charade? She had found a new recovery, a new way of getting your life back together - remember? Just decide and you can do it. What a hot mess that was. Do you see the parallels here? Oprah (and countless others) have always searched for the way you can have it all without admitting you are powerless.
This is the key. this is the 'easier, softer way' the Big Book speaks of. I'm sorry, but there is no 'easier, softer way.'
It is my opinion that this is the same lie from the garden, repackaged, slicked up and resold - "God doesn't have your best interests at heart, you can do it without God." it's what Eve wanted to hear, it's what we all, deep in our heart of hearts wants to hear and believe.
I know that the people who are selling this will tell you that you can have God and "The Secret" too, but the god they have packaged here is not the God of recovery. there is no easier, softer way. our lives have become unmanageable.
How many drunks, addicts and junkies want to believe that if they just stop being negative that they will be able to have everything they've ever dreamed of? Every damn one of us. That's what gets us HERE in the first place, isn't it? The Secret is like winning the lotto for the addict - "You mean I can have my crack and eat it too? All I have to do is be positive and think good thoughts? Yay! Hurray! Let's start today!"
I just hope that Oprah and her compatriots will be paying for the rehab of all of those addicts they are leading down this path. This 'easier, softer way'... because it will end in a lavish ball of decadence that brings the addict right back into the willing arms of their addiction.
Come on people - how many Lindsay Lohans, Britney Spears and Olsen Twins does it take to tell you money and power and influence don't make people happy, whole and centered. You can't have it all. You just can't. Oprah can, you can't. And even she can't fill that great big hole in her heart either, that's why she's got to take each and every one of you with her. Because when the cameras stop rolling and nobody's there she's so lonely and desperate every little girl in Africa can't make it better.
I love her, oh how I love her. I love her vision, her passion and her ability to see need and meet it - her heart is good, oh so good, but like mine, her heart is deceitful. I think that means that it will always trick her - just like mine. It will always lead her away from God, to the easier, softer way. and unfortunately, where she leads, many, so very many will follow.
"The Secret" tells you you are powerful. Step One tells us that "we are powerless". It's humiliating. It's horrible to have to admit that food, alcohol, sex, drugs, gambling or any other fix has control over you - but in doing so something happens. God does for us what we are not able to do for ourselves. This is the rub. powerful vs. powerless - can you see why they're making millions selling the books and dvd's? Who doesn't want to believe that if they think it and say it it will happen? Powerful indeed.
What they don't tell you is that all of those people who "knew The Secret" from ancient days were still just people. They were still lonely, tried to fill their lives with stuff, money and power and led empty, temporary lives. They still died. Dead. Done. All of their stuff went to someone else - and their power was gone. That's a secret nobody is talking about.
Thomas Jefferson is one of the poster children of "The Secret". From what I can see from history, he was not a happy person. We're still finding out about the mess he made of his life and the secret relationships he had. He is held out as one of those who understood "The Secret". Did he have power and influence, sure - but he wasn't whole, healthy and happy. He was still searching, grasping and fleeting until the day he died. Do we remember his name, yes. Would have we remembered it if he didn't believe in "The Secret"? I don't know. But I do know that there were things he didn't understand. Things he didn't grasp. Things he didn't understand and no power of positive thinking could give him that.
So please, if you are pondering 'The Secret' please sit with this:
How It Works
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average.
There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked. thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. we asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
There is no 'easier, softer way', I'm sorry. I wish there was. I wish with all my heart there was. That I could just speak it, believe it and it would be true, but it didn't work for Dorothy and it won't work for me.
This is the secret I want you to know. God loves you, God loves you, God loves you.
John Stackhouse has tackled this theologically on his blog very well, so I will lead you there to read it:
John Stackhouse - Oprah's Secret: New? Old? Good? Bad?
My take has to do with recovery. Far too many I love are really confused, so I put this together to try to shine a bit of light on it:
I've had a lot of friends and people in recovery being exposed to The Secret and left feeling confused and a bit lost so I wanted to get my thoughts on paper to see if this helps them at all.
For those of you living in a cave The Secret has been touted by everyone from Oprah to news anchors - it's the 'new thing' and people are all a twitter. The saddest part of this is that there is nothing new about it, other than the slick, multi-media, multi-million dollar sales pitch.
Others have written on this from a theological standpoint, I, on the other hand want to deal with this from the emotional, practical and recovery side.
First of all, I know it is so hard to be in a room with people who have just "found the secret" and to take issue with it. You look like you're too dumb to 'get it' - that's the point. They have found a way to pitch this like 'only the really smart people will understand this' - so ie, you stand against it, you're not smart... sigh. they're brilliant. (It's really The Emperor's New Clothes)
The other difficulty here is that you "can't" argue against it because then you are shown to be "negative", and negativity cannot dwell within "the secret". They're good, they're really good. It sets up this knowledge like a four star club that only the positive and smart people can get into - so if you challenge it you're not 'smart or positive' - brilliant. I mean, who wants to go against the queen? (Oprah)
I took this position almost exactly 12 months ago when she was all gung ho on James Frey and “A Million Little Lies, er I mean Pieces”... - remember that charade? She had found a new recovery, a new way of getting your life back together - remember? Just decide and you can do it. What a hot mess that was. Do you see the parallels here? Oprah (and countless others) have always searched for the way you can have it all without admitting you are powerless.
This is the key. this is the 'easier, softer way' the Big Book speaks of. I'm sorry, but there is no 'easier, softer way.'
It is my opinion that this is the same lie from the garden, repackaged, slicked up and resold - "God doesn't have your best interests at heart, you can do it without God." it's what Eve wanted to hear, it's what we all, deep in our heart of hearts wants to hear and believe.
I know that the people who are selling this will tell you that you can have God and "The Secret" too, but the god they have packaged here is not the God of recovery. there is no easier, softer way. our lives have become unmanageable.
How many drunks, addicts and junkies want to believe that if they just stop being negative that they will be able to have everything they've ever dreamed of? Every damn one of us. That's what gets us HERE in the first place, isn't it? The Secret is like winning the lotto for the addict - "You mean I can have my crack and eat it too? All I have to do is be positive and think good thoughts? Yay! Hurray! Let's start today!"
I just hope that Oprah and her compatriots will be paying for the rehab of all of those addicts they are leading down this path. This 'easier, softer way'... because it will end in a lavish ball of decadence that brings the addict right back into the willing arms of their addiction.
Come on people - how many Lindsay Lohans, Britney Spears and Olsen Twins does it take to tell you money and power and influence don't make people happy, whole and centered. You can't have it all. You just can't. Oprah can, you can't. And even she can't fill that great big hole in her heart either, that's why she's got to take each and every one of you with her. Because when the cameras stop rolling and nobody's there she's so lonely and desperate every little girl in Africa can't make it better.
I love her, oh how I love her. I love her vision, her passion and her ability to see need and meet it - her heart is good, oh so good, but like mine, her heart is deceitful. I think that means that it will always trick her - just like mine. It will always lead her away from God, to the easier, softer way. and unfortunately, where she leads, many, so very many will follow.
"The Secret" tells you you are powerful. Step One tells us that "we are powerless". It's humiliating. It's horrible to have to admit that food, alcohol, sex, drugs, gambling or any other fix has control over you - but in doing so something happens. God does for us what we are not able to do for ourselves. This is the rub. powerful vs. powerless - can you see why they're making millions selling the books and dvd's? Who doesn't want to believe that if they think it and say it it will happen? Powerful indeed.
What they don't tell you is that all of those people who "knew The Secret" from ancient days were still just people. They were still lonely, tried to fill their lives with stuff, money and power and led empty, temporary lives. They still died. Dead. Done. All of their stuff went to someone else - and their power was gone. That's a secret nobody is talking about.
Thomas Jefferson is one of the poster children of "The Secret". From what I can see from history, he was not a happy person. We're still finding out about the mess he made of his life and the secret relationships he had. He is held out as one of those who understood "The Secret". Did he have power and influence, sure - but he wasn't whole, healthy and happy. He was still searching, grasping and fleeting until the day he died. Do we remember his name, yes. Would have we remembered it if he didn't believe in "The Secret"? I don't know. But I do know that there were things he didn't understand. Things he didn't grasp. Things he didn't understand and no power of positive thinking could give him that.
So please, if you are pondering 'The Secret' please sit with this:
How It Works
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average.
There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked. thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. we asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
AA Big Book - Chapter 5
There is no 'easier, softer way', I'm sorry. I wish there was. I wish with all my heart there was. That I could just speak it, believe it and it would be true, but it didn't work for Dorothy and it won't work for me.
This is the secret I want you to know. God loves you, God loves you, God loves you.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
New office color palette?
Keith has insulated the back room and it's ready for drywall next week - so I've been contemplating the color palette for my NEW OFFICE! The floor is wood, but nasty, so I'm going to paint it chocolate brown - I think I'm going to do the walls in this ice blue. Anyone know the emotional mojo ice blue gives off? Creative? Or cold? Sleep or energy?
Suggestions? I can't wait to have this space to write and be creative in!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Eagles make great housepets!
After we had to put our dear, sweet Emmy down we determined as a family that we were probably not the best pet owners in the world. We just get too busy to do all of the necessary things a dog or cat needs to be truly loved and cared for.Our flat here has a "no pet" policy and that sits really well with me - I don't have to be the bad guy anymore - it's "the rule". So upon moving to St. Stephen we adopted our local bald eagle and named him Smeagol - he lives in the park on the river and we get to watch him hunt and nest. He greeted us on our first visit here and we love him.
We're also very close to a game reserve called the Moosehorn and it is home to a nesting pair of bald eagles and at least one golden eagle. They are breath-taking to watch soar and care for their nest.
My blogging friend Candy has just linked me to a webcam of an eagle's nest in Virginia that has three hatched eaglets - I've been watching and enjoying welcoming them into our home. Just in case you're interested they game wardens will be banding the three eaglets this afternoon at 3:00 eastern time.
You can find it here:
Eagle's Nest Webcam
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ganz Webkins
I just left this comment over at Coolest Gadgets and thought that other parents might be navigating this online world like we have here. It is THE thing as far as our two kids are concerned - they LOVE their webkins, and I love that they have pets that I don't have to care for! :)It's really a brilliant marketing idea - beanie babies with an online personality - can you say "print your own money?" Somebody at Ganz is living large now!
My own two have entered this craze in a paced and monitored way. I have looked over the website and found that it is filled with fun games (some a bit too much like mini gambling for my liking) and building homes and shopping for your pet with money you earn by doing chores and playing games.
Two things of note is that Ganz had NO IDEA the kind of server capacity they needed to maintain the popularity - this is truly a brilliant marketing idea - instant pets that don't poop, eat or shed. My kids love them. It is frustrating for them though to regularly get the "servers down" error as they don't understand all that is involved in providing this huge interactive online experience.
When Ganz introduced it's "chat" capability the server didn't last more than one hour before it was shut down and hasn't been resurrected since. I'm sure it's pouring much of it's profits into maintaining and upgrading it's online capacity as quickly as humanly possible.
I was very skeptical of the chat function and did the research so that I'm ready when the servers are back online - there are two forms of chat available - one is pre-written code lines like "I like your hat" or "Cool" kind of phrases that kids can't change or interact with other than clicking on the phrase they want to "say".
The second level is only accessible with parental permission and numbers, body parts, personal details and names are all blocked from the library of available words. Each word must be spelled correctly to get through the filters and it seems as if they have really put some thought and effort into this so as to keep the predators at bay. It can't stop them from entering the chat area, but it can stop them from dialogging with your child in an inappropriate way.
I know that before I give my own children permission I will be "logging in" as them to navigate it before I give approval. Hope that might help other parents who are wondering about this too.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Where have all the souls gone?
Mike just highlighted this article in the Washington Post about a social experiment that astounds me. A virtuoso on a Stradivarius plays for 45 minutes in a subway station and only one person stops to listen for a couple of minutes. He only makes $32 - and over 1000 people walk by listening to their ipods and cell phones instead of enjoying this beauty.
I'd like to think I would have stopped. That I would have plopped myself down on the floor, leaned against the wall and absorbed it into my soul. Replenished the dry places and refilled the cracks.
What have we become?
Read the article yourself here and see the video of those 1000 people just walking by:
Washington Post - Pearls before Breakfast
I'd like to think I would have stopped. That I would have plopped myself down on the floor, leaned against the wall and absorbed it into my soul. Replenished the dry places and refilled the cracks.
What have we become?
Read the article yourself here and see the video of those 1000 people just walking by:
Washington Post - Pearls before Breakfast
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Quarantine?
Just heard that the ick my daughter has is probably the ick that has quarantined the 2nd floor of our local hospital. Norwalk Virus. Now I think I have it. Yuck. Sick for Easter. I promise I won't touch anyone at church tomorrow if I have the ability to make it there. At least we don't have company coming... sigh..
Friday, April 06, 2007
My hero on my favorite show
I'll blog about this day soon - it was one of my favorites! Lunch with Tony & Peggy Campolo - what an honor!My hero on my favorite show! It's over 9 minutes long - but well worth the watch. He looks so young and is so energetic - it just thrills my heart to see him so vibrant and energetic still!
Visual Stations of the Cross
This is beautiful - lovely woodcut art and moving imagery. Powerful for this Good Friday.
The Way of the Cross: Audiovisual meditation on Jesus' Passion--death crucifixion Christ stations tenebrae sheahen kaeshi -- Beliefnet.com
The Way of the Cross: Audiovisual meditation on Jesus' Passion--death crucifixion Christ stations tenebrae sheahen kaeshi -- Beliefnet.com
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The congregation has left the building
UPDATE #2 - Here's one from "the people formerly known as the pastor" - John Frye, at his blog, Jesus The Radical Pastor - one of Peter's (my first and ever only real pastor) good friends, wrote this and it's heartbreaking.
UPDATE: Bill just linked to two other bloggers who have written "part two" and "part three":
Emerging Grace - The Underlying Issues
Jamie Arpin-Ricci at (e)mergent Voyageurs - The Community Coming to be known as Missional
Great, great thoughts!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever read your own story in someone else's words?
I just found a link to this article on Mark Peterson's blog - Open Hands - and he quoted part of the blog post of the original author Bill Kinnon - Achievable Ends:
The People Formerly Known as the Congregation
UPDATE: Bill just linked to two other bloggers who have written "part two" and "part three":
Emerging Grace - The Underlying Issues
Jamie Arpin-Ricci at (e)mergent Voyageurs - The Community Coming to be known as Missional
Great, great thoughts!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever read your own story in someone else's words?
I just found a link to this article on Mark Peterson's blog - Open Hands - and he quoted part of the blog post of the original author Bill Kinnon - Achievable Ends:
Read the rest of this amazing post here:We are the eikons who once sat in the uncomfortable pews or plush theatre seating of your preaching venues. We sat passively while you proof-texted your way through 3, 4, 5 or no point sermons - attempting to tell us how you and your reading of The Bible had a plan for our lives. Perhaps God does have a plan for us - it just doesn’t seem to jive with yours. ….
You offered us a myriad of programs to join - volunteer positions to assuage our desire to be connected. We could be greeters, parking lot attendants, coffee baristas, book store helpers, children’s ministry workers, media ministry drones - whatever you needed to fulfill your dreams of corporate glory. Perhaps you’ve noticed, we aren’t there anymore.
We are The People formerly known as The Congregation. We have not stopped loving the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nor do we avoid “the assembling of the saints.” We just don’t assemble under your supposed leadership. We meet in coffee shops, around dinner tables, in the parks and on the streets. We connect virtually across space and time - engaged in generative conversations - teaching and being taught.
The People Formerly Known as the Congregation
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Dobson does a 180!
Update: okay - I might be the most gullible - but I still can't believe that would pen someone's repentance letter - I know it's the Door - but still. Just to show that I'm not totally vapid I did catch the Google April Fool's joke (took me a sec, but this one slipped right by me....) I still can't comfirm or deny it - but assume since it is the 1st that they got me - I still think it was in bad taste to have him "repent" as a joke.
I received this in an email from the Wittenburg Door this morning and I honestly couldn't be more stunned. As one who has grown up through this similar ugly form of Dispensationalism I must say that I applaud Dr. Dobson and am so proud of him for his public repentance:
We have tweaked our friend the Rev. James Dobson pretty regularly in the past, particular for his involvement in politics. And when Dr. Dobson called for the resignation of the Rev. Richard Cizik, president for the National Association of Evangelicals because he believed that Cizik was spending too much time worrying about global warming and not enough time spent on “core” Religious Right issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriages, we gigged him pretty hard then, too.
However, we received this e-mail this morning from Dobson’s Focus on the Family ministry and we think it is a remarkable document. It is probably the most honest, most revealing statement ever made by the normally carefully controlled Dobson.
So, in the spirit of Christian reconciliation, we’re making available Dr. Dobson’s complete statement, without editorial comment. (If you would like to send Dr. Dobson an e-mail of support for his courageous reassessment, we’ve kept his contact information at the end of his statement.)
Perhaps he should rename it FICUS on the Family
– Robert Darden, Senior Editor
I received this in an email from the Wittenburg Door this morning and I honestly couldn't be more stunned. As one who has grown up through this similar ugly form of Dispensationalism I must say that I applaud Dr. Dobson and am so proud of him for his public repentance:
We have tweaked our friend the Rev. James Dobson pretty regularly in the past, particular for his involvement in politics. And when Dr. Dobson called for the resignation of the Rev. Richard Cizik, president for the National Association of Evangelicals because he believed that Cizik was spending too much time worrying about global warming and not enough time spent on “core” Religious Right issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriages, we gigged him pretty hard then, too.
However, we received this e-mail this morning from Dobson’s Focus on the Family ministry and we think it is a remarkable document. It is probably the most honest, most revealing statement ever made by the normally carefully controlled Dobson.
So, in the spirit of Christian reconciliation, we’re making available Dr. Dobson’s complete statement, without editorial comment. (If you would like to send Dr. Dobson an e-mail of support for his courageous reassessment, we’ve kept his contact information at the end of his statement.)
Perhaps he should rename it FICUS on the Family
– Robert Darden, Senior Editor
Colorado Springs, CO – Dear friends and supporters:
Since my ill-advised attack on my dear friend Dick Cizik a few days ago, I have had an extraordinary week of reflection and spiritual enlightenment.
Through the counsel of godly men, such as the Rev. Dr. Jack Hayford, the Rev. Rick Warren, Richard Stearns (President, World Vision), David Neff (Editor, Christianity Today) and other members of The Evangelical Climate Initiative (www.Christiansandclimate.org), I’ve come to see that my assessment of Dick’s motives and, in fact, “global warming,” have been in error as well.
I have been guilty of a particularly pernicious form of short-sighted Dispensationalism, believing that since the earth has no future with the blessed Second Coming nigh, we, as Christians, have no responsibility to care for Creation.
Through loving testimony, instruction and careful study of the Bible with these and other mentors, I no longer believe that Dick is – as I said earlier, much to my regret -- guilty of a “relentless campaign” to save the planet at the expense of what I called more “serious” issues, such as same-sex marriage. I see now that I have strictly exploited those issues and others like them to manipulate my audience and as a calculated and callous form of fund-raising.
As part of my penance for my unmerited attacks on a courageous, godly man, I have initiated contact with both the Rev. Jerry Falwell and Don Wildmon, with the earnest desire to convince them of the error of their ways as well. While both continue to condemn what they call “earthism worship,” I will continue to pray that this revelation will be made available to them as well.
As for the rest of my penance, I will devote the rest of my career – however long the Lord sees fit to continue in this capacity – to working with my Christian brothers and sisters to insure that all life on the planet, God’s first and greatest gift to us, is protected and cherished.
God bless you all,
Jim Dobson
Focus on the Family
8605 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80995
1-800-232-6459
www.family.org
Saturday, March 31, 2007
96 year old author
Macleans.ca - Canada - National | 96 Year Old Author: "96-year-old author proves it's never too late to write that book"
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Please vote for a really good cause!
We have attended the National Youth Workers Convention for the past 10 years and have loved it so much. New this year there will be a Canadian Youth Workers Conference in Vancouver in December. It's really exciting to see that Canada is finding it's own unique thumb print on ministry and I'm excited to see it come together. To that end Vancouver is quite a distance for many youth workers to travel - so they are getting creative - using these new web 2.0 fund raising websites to raise awareness and harness some of the monies available to them.
The need 100 votes before April 15th - can you help please? No money necessary - just register at Give Meaning and vote please:
VOTE HERE!
The need 100 votes before April 15th - can you help please? No money necessary - just register at Give Meaning and vote please:
VOTE HERE!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
My Unique Brokenness
This is beautiful:
Our brokenness reveals something about who we are. Our sufferings and pains are not simply bothersome interruptions of our lives; rather, they touch us in our uniqueness and our most intimate individuality. The way I am broken tells you something unique about me. The way you are broken tells me something unique about you. That is the reason for my feeling very privileged when you freely share some of your deep pain with me, and that is why it is an expression of my trust in you when I disclose to you something of my vulnerable side. Our brokenness is always lived and experienced as highly personal, intimate and unique. I am deeply convinced that each human being suffers in a way no other human being suffers... In fact, I am more grateful for a person who can acknowledge that I am very alone in my pain than for someone who tries to tell me that there are many others who have a similar or a worse pain.
Our brokenness reveals something about who we are. Our sufferings and pains are not simply bothersome interruptions of our lives; rather, they touch us in our uniqueness and our most intimate individuality. The way I am broken tells you something unique about me. The way you are broken tells me something unique about you. That is the reason for my feeling very privileged when you freely share some of your deep pain with me, and that is why it is an expression of my trust in you when I disclose to you something of my vulnerable side. Our brokenness is always lived and experienced as highly personal, intimate and unique. I am deeply convinced that each human being suffers in a way no other human being suffers... In fact, I am more grateful for a person who can acknowledge that I am very alone in my pain than for someone who tries to tell me that there are many others who have a similar or a worse pain.
Henri J. M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Tired of dried spit
This Desert Land
I said
this desert land is barren
void of life and beauty.
I drive for miles
see nothing
only sand and sage
feel nothing
only wind and heat
taste nothing
but spit dried spit.
He said
have you ever driven
in spring
through this same desert
seen blossoms flower
gorgeous wild?
It's all a thing of timing.
Seeds of beauty
are there now hidden
waiting fall of rain
to bring them life.
Lord send rain
upon my world
my life
I'm tired of dried spit.
Source: "A Psalm in Mojave Desert" from Psalms of My Life, Joseph Bayly
via inward/outward
I said
this desert land is barren
void of life and beauty.
I drive for miles
see nothing
only sand and sage
feel nothing
only wind and heat
taste nothing
but spit dried spit.
He said
have you ever driven
in spring
through this same desert
seen blossoms flower
gorgeous wild?
It's all a thing of timing.
Seeds of beauty
are there now hidden
waiting fall of rain
to bring them life.
Lord send rain
upon my world
my life
I'm tired of dried spit.
Source: "A Psalm in Mojave Desert" from Psalms of My Life, Joseph Bayly
via inward/outward
Monday, March 12, 2007
Getting to know the Spirit
I was raised with a very limited pneumatology - the Holy Spirit was basically there to convict you of sin and to illuminate "the scriptures" - very little else was ever taught or expanded upon. I think it is one of the greatest losses to much of the evangelical church. We are now in a beautiful place where the Trinity is fully embraced and I am finding great joy in getting to know "the breath of God" more fully. This quote from Nouwen today is fascinating, I need to soak in it more to get a better understanding, so I'm putting it here so I don't forget:
The Spirit of Jesus Listening in us
Listening in the spiritual life is much more than a psychological strategy to help others discover themselves. In the spiritual life the listener is not the ego, which would like to speak but is trained to restrain itself, but the Spirit of God within us. When we are baptised in the Spirit - that is, when we have received the Spirit of Jesus as the breath of God breathing within us - that Spirit creates in us a sacred space where the other can be received and listened to. The Spirit of Jesus prays in us and listens in us to all who come to us with their sufferings and pains.
When we dare to fully trust in the power of God's Spirit listening in us, we will see true healing occur.
Henri Nouwen
The Spirit of Jesus Listening in us
Listening in the spiritual life is much more than a psychological strategy to help others discover themselves. In the spiritual life the listener is not the ego, which would like to speak but is trained to restrain itself, but the Spirit of God within us. When we are baptised in the Spirit - that is, when we have received the Spirit of Jesus as the breath of God breathing within us - that Spirit creates in us a sacred space where the other can be received and listened to. The Spirit of Jesus prays in us and listens in us to all who come to us with their sufferings and pains.
When we dare to fully trust in the power of God's Spirit listening in us, we will see true healing occur.
Henri Nouwen
Thursday, March 08, 2007
The book opened -- a gust of wind
I'm passionate about juvenile fiction - it's the genre I hope to write in one day. Coming of age stories move me like little else and the journey from childhood to adulthood is fascinating to me. I think it probably has something to do with the fact that my own was so awkward and confusing and my love for tweens and teens that ties these together.
I am currently reading a novel by Marcus Zusak called "The Book Thief" about a young German girl coming of age during WWII. It's different, engaging and has some of the most extraordinary prose I've encountered. It is books like this that keep me from beginning my own, they are so intimidating I could only dream of one day penning such depth.
I remembered that I had documented the quotes I loved from "The Princess and the Goblin" here and so I thought I'd do the same with these.
The title of this post is the first quote - short, but so incredible in the way it captures how I feel when reading a story - "the book opened - a gust of wind". This is how story engages my soul. I literally feel my hair blow back when I pick up a good novel. This idea is so rich, I instantly fell in love with it.
The next quote is in reference to the main character, Liesel, who is struggling with reading and constantly mocked for her disability.
"She was the book thief without the words.
Trust me, though, the words were on their way. And when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain."
The words were on their way. For as intimidating as the first quote was, this one gave me hope. The words were on their way. Beautiful.
The picture of wringing words from the clouds like rain - this is what a good novel does for me. It deepens the pool of my soul. Wonderful, wonderful.
Thank you Mr. Zusak.
I am currently reading a novel by Marcus Zusak called "The Book Thief" about a young German girl coming of age during WWII. It's different, engaging and has some of the most extraordinary prose I've encountered. It is books like this that keep me from beginning my own, they are so intimidating I could only dream of one day penning such depth.
I remembered that I had documented the quotes I loved from "The Princess and the Goblin" here and so I thought I'd do the same with these.
The title of this post is the first quote - short, but so incredible in the way it captures how I feel when reading a story - "the book opened - a gust of wind". This is how story engages my soul. I literally feel my hair blow back when I pick up a good novel. This idea is so rich, I instantly fell in love with it.
The next quote is in reference to the main character, Liesel, who is struggling with reading and constantly mocked for her disability.
"She was the book thief without the words.
Trust me, though, the words were on their way. And when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain."
The words were on their way. For as intimidating as the first quote was, this one gave me hope. The words were on their way. Beautiful.
The picture of wringing words from the clouds like rain - this is what a good novel does for me. It deepens the pool of my soul. Wonderful, wonderful.
Thank you Mr. Zusak.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
A different take on one day at a time
My friend Cheryl found this the other day and sent it to me:
"Be where you are. Otherwise you will miss your life"
~Budda
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort,
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger,
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness,
To believe that you can make a difference in this world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen.
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger,
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness,
To believe that you can make a difference in this world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen.
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