endirect

Reading Pilgrim Heart

A while back Scot McKnight blogged his way through Pilgrim Heart by Darryl Tippens. So I put the order in and received the book a few days ago. That was a good choice. Obviously Scot is offering a service. His book reviews and discussions are like the Cliff Notes for the emerging/missional church. But the book is worth it.

What sticks with me from the first few chapters of the book are Darryl Tippens' reflections on what it means to have an integrated spirituality. One where the body and spirit are both accorded equal value and place. Over the last few years I've become aware to what degree I did not understand how my body related to my spirituality. In reading Pilgrim Heart I'm finding that Darryl Tippens has the same concern and has marked out a path that I can follow.

Generosity

Some of my faithful readers (no I won't make the bad joke about all 3 of them... there really are 4!) will have noticed that I will at time take a poke at American culture... After 16 years overseas, you start to see things differently.

But today I must sing the praises of America. A couple of years ago I heard Andrews Jones (tallskinnykiwi) talking about the fact that every nation has gifts that are unique to their situation which are to be given to the world.

I saw one of America's gifts in action today. Some of our American friends from the ICG once they had learned of a young Tunisian woman living in Grenoble, who had been chased from her home, generously helped her beyond what was expected.

I realize that generosity is found in other parts of the world. A good thing too! I also know that generosity is something that is learned. But there is something unique about American's and their willingness to give. Sylvie and I have seen this demonstrated time and again.

American's know the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. May it always be the case.

One year later...

On April 1st of last year I wrote cancer = bad.

Today everything is more or less OK. I don't have a thyroid but I take my meds. Thyroid cancer is one of the easiest to treat and it looks like its been taken care of.

One of the big lessons I learned was that no matter how much I was surrounded by family and friends, (and I have the most wonderful wife, caring children and faithful friends), no matter how much they said they were with me, there came a moment when I realized that I was alone, alone with my disease. Now that's not a bad thing. It is just a crazy, lonely moment. What you do with that moment means everything.

Over on Redemption Junkie, Heidi dropped a few lines from the writings of Henri Nouwen that she got from inward/outward.

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

That is exactly what I'm talking about.

Risky business?

I just had one of those, "What have I gotten myself into..." moments. You see, I just sent out an email to folks who follow our ministry, telling them I'm blogging regularly again. If you're here because of that email, Welcome!

Some blogs have a clearly defined purpose, my blog is just about whatever I'm thinking about. So there are things I write about that will not please everyone. And therein lies the risk. Do I concern myself about what others will think?

Experience has taught me (painfully I might add...) that the the displeasure I may try to avoid by doing what pleases others is far less dramatic then what happens when I finally stop trying to please them.

So I've learned that letting folks know what I'm thinking, who I'm working with and what I'm doing is much better than hiding information that may or may not be palatable to certain folks.

So that's a little apologetic concerning my raison d'être. In the end, it really isn't that risky.

What do we look like?

I've set up a new photo album full of pics of the family...

Here it is.

Enjoy!

In praise of knots...

This is one of those post that is...

While reading the Washington Post this morning this article caught my eye. Link: In the Loop. It's all about knots. The following quote is a gem.

Knots in painting are a presence. The most beautiful of all may be those on the pages of the Book of Kells, which are more than decorations. Twelve-hundred years ago, when that great book was produced on an island off of Scotland, and few people could read, its interweaving lines evoked the teachings of the Bible. Those spiral interlacings with their leavings and returns were reminders of the teachings, now hidden, now apparent, woven in the Word, and the parables of Christ.

God is not a Democrat or Republican...

As a citizen of the United States living abroad I have found myself changing in ways that I don't think would have happen if I had remained in the States. This certainly has been the case for me and the way I see politics. The meaning of the title of this post is obvious, God cannot be reduced to the size of a political party. The problem is that in practice this is much harder to live out. Being active in the political process is part of being a good citizen. So, yes, my faith will influence my decisions. But my faith can never become subordinate to my political affiliation.

E.J. Dionne Jr., a columnist for the Washington Post, writes this,

Evangelical Protestantism in the United States is going through a New Reformation that is disentangling a great religious movement from a partisan political machine. This historic change will require liberals and conservatives alike to abandon their sometimes narrow views of who evangelicals are.

Here's the link to the article.

He points to the recent declaration to protect creation published by the National Association of Evangelicals that was subsequently criticized by James Dobson and company. In the reaction to the criticism the NAE reaffirmed their position.

I find this debate is healthy. God calls us to be holy in all that we do. That means we promote the sanctity of human life, we defend the defenseless and we care for the world that God has given us.

For further reading...

Bob Robinson's blog, Vanguard Church, is a one I've been reading for some time, here's his thoughts on the James Dobson's criticism of the NAE.

Fire!

It's that time of the year again. Our son is in his last year of primary school and it was his turn to make something that could be burned. This is all a part of the school's mardi gras celebrations. The timing is always off because they wouldn't do all this on a Tuesday but all the elements are there. The children put on costumes, as well as some adults. This year we had a parade around the neighborhood. Then they burn the bonhomme de carnaval.

I've tried to find some help on the net to explain what it all means. No luck. So this is what I'm thinking. Carnaval is related to lent. Burning the bonhomme is a symbolic way of giving something up. The classes spend weeks getting these things ready and then they are gone in a puff of smoke.

Now, I'm not saying that all this symbolism is clear to the everyone who participates. Most of them just like seeing a good fire! In any case it is great fun.

Spring thinking...

Jonny Baker just posted a great photo of the blue sky.

Spring is coming!

This spring, I'm making a conscious effort to learn the songs of the birds in our neighborhood. I've got a few down already...

Reading Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight's blog Jesus Creed sits atop the Techorati's ratings for blogs about the emerging church. There are 1,139 blogs linked to his. Today I'm making it ,1140!

If in relation to the emerging church, Pete Rollins is going to stretch our thinking, Scott is seeking to make sense out of what's going on. I read his book "Jesus Creed" recently and I highly recommend it.

Another warning, during the week Scot will publish at least 3 posts a day!