I have been contemplating the circumstances surrounding my current life and have found myself slipping into an existentialist crisis of sorts. It seems that I am in that place again; wondering what the heck an I doing. Most of the time I pass these thoughts along and don't give them too much thought. This time, however, I have met this "crisis" head-on at a cross roads that could very well dictate a large portion of my life from this point forward. Some might say, when reading this, that he's back in that place again and will soon return. Others would say this happens at times when other circumstances in one's life change dramatically. In response, I have found myself coming to grips or at least beginning to come to get a handle on my false innerself. Which is a scary thought.
Thomas Merton speaks about the false innerself as a relationship between we who are and who we aught to be. And in this case basic philosophical principles are in play: aught implies can. Because if we aught to be something then is well with in our capacity to become just that. Furthermore, Merton would identify the false innerself as someone who shouldn't be. Many questions follow. If I think that I aught to be something or someone but perhaps am beginning to think that that someone might be the false innerself telling me as such how should I, then, react? If, then, this is not my false innerself and really is who or what I am becoming then why do struggle with such things?
Mind you that God is in the mix. I know a God who is all loving, all caring, and only wants the best for his children. As a child of God I have come to realize these things to be true. This, however, doesn't not mean that can't mess up. And this is where the crisis rears its ugly head. In any attempt not to mess up, one may become paralysed with fear. This inability to move or act is a direct result from far too much thinking and probably not enough praying. God, however, is the God who is in the process with me.
If aught implies can, does can imply should, and does should dictate everything else?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A dirty God
Sometimes I think that God, pure and holy as he his, loves to get dirty with us. It seems at least in my experience that when I screw up he is right there saying, "uhh probably not a good idea but we can work with it, lets see what we can do with it." As a former pastor of mine once said, "ministry is messy" and I have to agree. It seems to me that life in general is messy. I know that there are implication to what I'm saying and I run those risks hoping that I'm well thought out. The truth of the matter is that we claim a God who is evidenced in the everydayness of life. We claim the ability to pray and the crazy thing is we expect answers. What's even more crazy is that in my experience God gives answers. So would it be so wrong to see God as being in the trenches with us? Consider this for a moment. If God calls me to do something, lets say for example God calls me to vocational ministry. Is it our experience that we do those things alone? There is more than one Christian out there that would say, "No, God is with me/us."
Allow the minds eye to paint the picture of a God who gets dirty with us. What a powerful image.
God just might have dirt under his fingernails.
Allow the minds eye to paint the picture of a God who gets dirty with us. What a powerful image.
God just might have dirt under his fingernails.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Costly Discipline
Why is it so difficult to be disciplined? Is it the time? Is it the pain? It is the work? Is it pure laziness? It is the all of these, discipline is not cheap. Being disciplined costs each of us something. Particularly in regards to pain, I would contest that this is the actual reason that we do not discipline ourselves. Discipline no matter the form usually has an element of pain or work. The correlation between to discipline and pain might be an unfortunate relationship. I would submit that anyone who has poured themselves into something, anything, with a direct result already understands the benefits of work, perseverance, within the discipline it takes finish something to its culmination. There is eternal benefits that flow from discipline. There is not a Christian in all of Christendom that would say that devotion to God requires discipline. Piety, study of scripture, prayer and meditation these are the attributes of a person devoted to God and his kingdom. It takes discipline to perform these actions regularly with purpose. While I tow this fine line understand that salvation is only found through the Messiah Jesus Christ. But in response to this salvation there seems that there is a demand for this kind of discipline as all relationships do. If it true that we are integrated beings where the body, soul, and mind are intertwined into one being. Then it would be correct to assume that if the proper response to the salvific work is to live a disciplined life that the disciplined life would include the whole entity of the person. Therefore, we must live lives disciplined physically, mentally, and spiritually. Through the pious pursuit of God we care for the soul. Likewise we must care for our body through what we eat and how we move. We must care for the mind as we screen the things we read and think about. Sometimes we might need to be reminded that we are comprised of more than just a soul waiting for glorification. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to God.
Discipline always cost something. Discipline always has a return.
Through our discipline we can learn to worship God with our entire being.
Discipline always cost something. Discipline always has a return.
Through our discipline we can learn to worship God with our entire being.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Body and Spirituality
Is it possible to find a connection between the Mind, Body, and Spirit? An idea that I hear often while working at the YMCA. In fact, this very idea has been debated for centuries and has all kinds of names and descriptions trying to get a handle on this relationship. My goal here, however, is not to rehash the various arguments that Philosophers have had, goodness knows that there are far more intelligent people to do that for me. Instead, consider this question: Why don't we talk about the body in the Christian context? Further, have you ever heard a sermon or seminar given on the body from a Christian perspective? If you have, I would be willing to contend that you are in the minority.
I am tempted to begin to speak of the 7 dead sins particularly the ideas of laziness and gluttony. We in America seem to spend a lot time in these two "deadly sins." The reason I say tempted is because it would be easy for me to get into the various understandings of the so called 7 deadly sins, but it is difficult to find these actual sins listed somewhere in the biblical text. We have received this understanding of the 7 deadly sins from our Roman Catholic Christian brothers and sisters. It is not my purpose to refute these, in fact I would be willing to say that the expression of these terms do help us to think about our own piety.
When you ask people about there thoughts concerning the body and their spirituality most would not make a connection between the body and the spirit. In fact most would hold a rather dualistic view that the body doesn't really matter because the ultimate goal a spiritual reward. Seemly the body becomes a hindrance to proper spirituality. There is therefore a need to discipline the body and somehow subdue it before full spiritual maturity can be realized. I submit to you this might not be a Christian idea. The idea here is that we cannot compartmentalize the body, the mind, and the soul. The truth is that all are integrated one cannot be effected without effecting the others. We are whole beings and need a holistic approach to our devotion to God. One might ask, if I exercise my body how am I exercising my mind and soul. I submit to you that our exercising the body can do wonders for the mind, which can come to affect the soul.
Let me explain. For all practical purposes when one exercises it is done with a particular point in mind. Typically we do not go to the gym or on a run without a goal in mind and most of us accomplish that goal before we finish exercising. The goal is to work the body. The question that must be asked is whether or not the mind is involved. Particularly with the acts of running, walking, cycling, or whatever cardio workouts you might do. Consider my own experience. As I run, whether alone or with my running partners, my mind is constantly thinking through various questions and ideas. This is natural, we think, we use the God given ability to think and we do it always. These adventures in the intellectual side of exercise gives me a chance to spend time contemplating on the things of God - with God, while spending time traveling through God's creation. The trifecta of what some people may call piety, personal devotion, alone time with God etc... This communion involves (1) God and (2) Me interacting or (3) communing in the sanctuary of his creation. Perhaps, we need to challenge the tradition of what we consider alone time with God to be. Typically one would say when I have quiet times with God I sit and read the scripture and pray. I submit to you that spending time with God could take a number of different forms. It is right to speak of God as everywhere at all times. Therefore, if the presence of God is all places at all times then why could we not commune with him at places at all times?
Care for the body can help us to care for the soul.
Piety can flow from discipline.
I am tempted to begin to speak of the 7 dead sins particularly the ideas of laziness and gluttony. We in America seem to spend a lot time in these two "deadly sins." The reason I say tempted is because it would be easy for me to get into the various understandings of the so called 7 deadly sins, but it is difficult to find these actual sins listed somewhere in the biblical text. We have received this understanding of the 7 deadly sins from our Roman Catholic Christian brothers and sisters. It is not my purpose to refute these, in fact I would be willing to say that the expression of these terms do help us to think about our own piety.
When you ask people about there thoughts concerning the body and their spirituality most would not make a connection between the body and the spirit. In fact most would hold a rather dualistic view that the body doesn't really matter because the ultimate goal a spiritual reward. Seemly the body becomes a hindrance to proper spirituality. There is therefore a need to discipline the body and somehow subdue it before full spiritual maturity can be realized. I submit to you this might not be a Christian idea. The idea here is that we cannot compartmentalize the body, the mind, and the soul. The truth is that all are integrated one cannot be effected without effecting the others. We are whole beings and need a holistic approach to our devotion to God. One might ask, if I exercise my body how am I exercising my mind and soul. I submit to you that our exercising the body can do wonders for the mind, which can come to affect the soul.
Let me explain. For all practical purposes when one exercises it is done with a particular point in mind. Typically we do not go to the gym or on a run without a goal in mind and most of us accomplish that goal before we finish exercising. The goal is to work the body. The question that must be asked is whether or not the mind is involved. Particularly with the acts of running, walking, cycling, or whatever cardio workouts you might do. Consider my own experience. As I run, whether alone or with my running partners, my mind is constantly thinking through various questions and ideas. This is natural, we think, we use the God given ability to think and we do it always. These adventures in the intellectual side of exercise gives me a chance to spend time contemplating on the things of God - with God, while spending time traveling through God's creation. The trifecta of what some people may call piety, personal devotion, alone time with God etc... This communion involves (1) God and (2) Me interacting or (3) communing in the sanctuary of his creation. Perhaps, we need to challenge the tradition of what we consider alone time with God to be. Typically one would say when I have quiet times with God I sit and read the scripture and pray. I submit to you that spending time with God could take a number of different forms. It is right to speak of God as everywhere at all times. Therefore, if the presence of God is all places at all times then why could we not commune with him at places at all times?
Care for the body can help us to care for the soul.
Piety can flow from discipline.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
As the Sun Rises
I have been contemplating something that I heard, as presented by a good friend of mine, at the Sunrise Service that we attended on Easter. As the sun rose that cold brisk morning the question asked was: What is the importance of the reality of the resurrection? Recently, I have been engaging in a number of new relationships that have caused me to stop and reconsider what I think I thought about the things that Christians think about. Maybe not reconsider, but at the very least these relationships have helped me to re-establish a ground connection with Orthodox Christianity, given that the conversations with these people require me to know what it is that I think I believe. For example, consider the Easter season. The Easter season as with the Christmas season has been commercialized and its identity has been thieved. This could be another rant another time, but nevertheless, it brings me back to my original thought. Why celebrate Easter? What is the importance that lies behind the resurrection of the prophet from a small town called Nazareth? Consider the implication that if there was no resurrection there is no Christianity. Could this be reality? What if Jesus did not have a bodily resurrection? With the reality of the resurrection comes the strength and hope the lies behind Christianity.
Read John Updike's poem at http://www.edow.org/spirituality/updike.html
If I may use Updike's language, don't you dare mock God by making the resurrection some sort of metaphor. Don't allow yourself to begin to think that the body did not die. Or that the body did not live again. This is the hope of glory, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the Son rises so does the power to defeat death and the power to give life.
This is no Easter candy that melts in the sun.
This is the Son risen.
Read John Updike's poem at http://www.edow.org/spirituality/updike.html
If I may use Updike's language, don't you dare mock God by making the resurrection some sort of metaphor. Don't allow yourself to begin to think that the body did not die. Or that the body did not live again. This is the hope of glory, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the Son rises so does the power to defeat death and the power to give life.
This is no Easter candy that melts in the sun.
This is the Son risen.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
CHOPPING TREES AND CUTTING ICE
Once again an ice story. Since trees and ice don't exactly work well together there are tree limbs down all over our fine city. The power is still out all over the place and the cable Internet, TV, and phone are spotty at best, all due to the still heavy ice and fallen tree parts. This story is about three guys, a chain saw, 1 1/2 shovels, a bag of salt, a 3 gal gas can, two axes, and a nut. One of my close friends who happened to move to Lexington a short 4 months ago had an ice covered driveway and bunch of trees down on her property. The story goes like this... 3 guys show up, the chainsaw ran beautiful, the shovels cut through the ice like butta' and the salt did the rest, the gas can sat unused along with ax one and two, and the nut that holds the chain tensioner is long gone.
You know those 3 guys? They were able to help out a great friend whom I hold in high regard.
THE END
You know those 3 guys? They were able to help out a great friend whom I hold in high regard.
THE END
HINT... HILL+ICE=NO PROGRESS
So I finally decided that I had something to say about topic that might warrant a blog, albeit a topic that many of my friends here in the “great” Blue Grass State have blogged about before. You see unless you live here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky you cannot possibly understand what we have to deal with when it comes to driving. Those of you who do live in this messed up, backwards, and confused state already knows what I could share. This short essay, however, is not going to point out the little everyday things that we have to deal with here, such as, the lack of turn signals, the driving in the left lane, the driving in the left lane at the same exact speed as the person in the right lane even though the car behind you is flashing its lights and blowing its horn and riding your…!
No, this short rant is dedicated to those who can understand my pain. Those individuals, who are from frozen states, check that, states that are frozen more times than not during the winter. You see growing up in Western New York you have no option but to learn to drive in frozen conditions. And I never I thought that it was all that hard and I never thought that it was a particularly special skill. Until I moved to the God forsaken “Wild Cat Country.” As with most of the US right now Kentucky is under a layer of ice and on top of that a layer of snow.
As I look around the neighborhood I can’t help but wonder if people driving by can pick out the house who’s residents grew up in the North. Well, I should say for all my true southern friends further north than Kentucky. Since it seems that Kentucky is neither North nor South, just confused. I digress…
The past couple of days have been very interesting, nothing that I would say could deemed as “state of emergency” unless you’re one of the unfortunate who lost power for some time and for that I sympathize and say go the High St Y and get a hot shower. There are a couple of instances that I do want to the share with the rest of the world. Lets begin with the next-door neighbor’s boyfriend followed by a short story about Fred Flintstone. Allow me to set up the situation. Aimee and I live in the backside of a hill. The way our driveway is situated you have to come down the hill pass the house make a 180* U-turn to the right and climb the hill pass six houses and then turn left in to our driveway.
The brilliant boyfriend of said next-door neighbor decides to try to get to her house. Mind you that he is driving a utility van. The van was big, white, and has no windows in the back, a true utility van, but understand that what the van looks like is not as important as the fact that the van is rear wheel drive. This can cause all sorts of problems when the roads are simply wet with rain around here but this day Mother Nature had dealt a hand that included quite literally an inch of ice that coated everything like white frosting on Funfetti Cake. And like eating too much cake can send you into diabetic shock watching someone try to climb a hill in a rear wheel drive van can send you into a aggravated state of confusion. Both are inevitable and both are unpleasant. It wouldn’t have been all that bad but the genius decided to stop behind our driveway making it nearly impossible to get to where we were headed. Finally, Aimee and I maneuvered the car our of the driveway, which by now had 100 lbs of salt spread on it, and made our way to Lowe’s for a new shovel. As we made out return to our home, I see 4 or 5 men standing in the middle of the road in front of our house. Turns out that the boy genius had decided to try to make it up the hill into our neighbor’s driveway. He has now slid in he landscaping in front of our house; stuck, he thinks that more power will free he from his captivity. He lays on the gas throwing and flinging mud and tree branches through the air meanwhile digging Kentucky’s version of the Grand Canyon in my landscaping. I have one question for the boy genius, why didn’t you back down the hill instead of trying to climb up said hill that was covered in a sheet of ice? HINT… HILL + ICE = NO PROGRESS.
Fast-forward maybe 2 hours, I’m outside shoveling off my driveway with relative ease because of the 200lbs of salt that was now melting the ice. Once again here comes a vehicle up our side of the street. This time it is not boy-genius but I think it could have been a close-distance relative that may have been educated at the same school of “I live in Kentucky and I can’t drive, can I have a drivers license anyway?” This time there was no utility van involved though the vehicle trying it this time was an early 90’s Blazer, two-doors, and two wheel drive a busted old P.O.S. half rusted through. Part of me wondered if the floor pans were still intact or whether the owner was going to go Fred Flintstone style.
As I’m removing the snow and ice from my driveway I hear this SUV coming up behind me on our street. As I turn to see and to make sure that he didn’t lose control and hit me. I turn to observe and think immediately that there is no way he can make it. You can tell that he just didn’t have the momentum that he needed to make it to the top, which by the way is where he was trying to go. So, I put my head down and continue to shovel. As he passes my house the vehicle he’s trying to drive begins to slow and the rear tires begin to spin. The SUV then starts to slide back so what does the driver do? He gives it more gas. Ol’ Freddie is now redlining and continuing to slide back towards, where? You guessed it, towards my landscaping…
The blazing tires are spinning at a ridiculous speed as their owner slides in one of the blossoming trees that we have out front. As the Blazer comes to rest against the tree the driver takes a moment. You can tell he’s trying to think things through and then… There goes the rev of the engine and the clip of the rev limiter. He’s trying to climb the hill again this time with no momentum and same ill fate. After 2 or 3 minutes of burning rubber and loud revving “Fred” realizing that going up the hill isn’t going to work rolls down his window and says (in the most redneck accent you can imagine), “Sure is slippery out here.” Rolls up his window and proceeds to try again. (HINT… HILL+ICE=NO PROGRESS) Finally, understanding that up is not an option he puts it in reverse and begins to back down the hill. But guess what? Oh, remember that landscaping, yeah he just backed down over top of it. Here I pause and would like to say that this is the end of my story but like an infomercial only seen at 3 o’clock in the morning I have to say, “but, wait there’s more.”
When he reaches the bottom of the hill he comes to a stop, puts in drive and steps on the gas peddle. The engine in the already tested Blazer flairs and the tires begin to spin. The driver neglected to somehow realize that the ice that was covering the hill making his ascent impossible continued at the bottom of the hill. After minutes of trying to move forward the driver remembers that reverse just worked. So he drops the SUV into reverse and rolls backwards towards the end of the road that has no outlet. He then proceeds to continue to back over the landscaping at the end of the street in the main road which has salt-trucks maintaining it so its relatively easy to traverse. Finally, freed the SUV proceeds to climb to the top of John Sutherland Dr. where is stops and drops off its passenger who then walks to his front door and into his house. Are you kidding me? Did that just happen?
That just happened.
No, this short rant is dedicated to those who can understand my pain. Those individuals, who are from frozen states, check that, states that are frozen more times than not during the winter. You see growing up in Western New York you have no option but to learn to drive in frozen conditions. And I never I thought that it was all that hard and I never thought that it was a particularly special skill. Until I moved to the God forsaken “Wild Cat Country.” As with most of the US right now Kentucky is under a layer of ice and on top of that a layer of snow.
As I look around the neighborhood I can’t help but wonder if people driving by can pick out the house who’s residents grew up in the North. Well, I should say for all my true southern friends further north than Kentucky. Since it seems that Kentucky is neither North nor South, just confused. I digress…
The past couple of days have been very interesting, nothing that I would say could deemed as “state of emergency” unless you’re one of the unfortunate who lost power for some time and for that I sympathize and say go the High St Y and get a hot shower. There are a couple of instances that I do want to the share with the rest of the world. Lets begin with the next-door neighbor’s boyfriend followed by a short story about Fred Flintstone. Allow me to set up the situation. Aimee and I live in the backside of a hill. The way our driveway is situated you have to come down the hill pass the house make a 180* U-turn to the right and climb the hill pass six houses and then turn left in to our driveway.
The brilliant boyfriend of said next-door neighbor decides to try to get to her house. Mind you that he is driving a utility van. The van was big, white, and has no windows in the back, a true utility van, but understand that what the van looks like is not as important as the fact that the van is rear wheel drive. This can cause all sorts of problems when the roads are simply wet with rain around here but this day Mother Nature had dealt a hand that included quite literally an inch of ice that coated everything like white frosting on Funfetti Cake. And like eating too much cake can send you into diabetic shock watching someone try to climb a hill in a rear wheel drive van can send you into a aggravated state of confusion. Both are inevitable and both are unpleasant. It wouldn’t have been all that bad but the genius decided to stop behind our driveway making it nearly impossible to get to where we were headed. Finally, Aimee and I maneuvered the car our of the driveway, which by now had 100 lbs of salt spread on it, and made our way to Lowe’s for a new shovel. As we made out return to our home, I see 4 or 5 men standing in the middle of the road in front of our house. Turns out that the boy genius had decided to try to make it up the hill into our neighbor’s driveway. He has now slid in he landscaping in front of our house; stuck, he thinks that more power will free he from his captivity. He lays on the gas throwing and flinging mud and tree branches through the air meanwhile digging Kentucky’s version of the Grand Canyon in my landscaping. I have one question for the boy genius, why didn’t you back down the hill instead of trying to climb up said hill that was covered in a sheet of ice? HINT… HILL + ICE = NO PROGRESS.
Fast-forward maybe 2 hours, I’m outside shoveling off my driveway with relative ease because of the 200lbs of salt that was now melting the ice. Once again here comes a vehicle up our side of the street. This time it is not boy-genius but I think it could have been a close-distance relative that may have been educated at the same school of “I live in Kentucky and I can’t drive, can I have a drivers license anyway?” This time there was no utility van involved though the vehicle trying it this time was an early 90’s Blazer, two-doors, and two wheel drive a busted old P.O.S. half rusted through. Part of me wondered if the floor pans were still intact or whether the owner was going to go Fred Flintstone style.
As I’m removing the snow and ice from my driveway I hear this SUV coming up behind me on our street. As I turn to see and to make sure that he didn’t lose control and hit me. I turn to observe and think immediately that there is no way he can make it. You can tell that he just didn’t have the momentum that he needed to make it to the top, which by the way is where he was trying to go. So, I put my head down and continue to shovel. As he passes my house the vehicle he’s trying to drive begins to slow and the rear tires begin to spin. The SUV then starts to slide back so what does the driver do? He gives it more gas. Ol’ Freddie is now redlining and continuing to slide back towards, where? You guessed it, towards my landscaping…
The blazing tires are spinning at a ridiculous speed as their owner slides in one of the blossoming trees that we have out front. As the Blazer comes to rest against the tree the driver takes a moment. You can tell he’s trying to think things through and then… There goes the rev of the engine and the clip of the rev limiter. He’s trying to climb the hill again this time with no momentum and same ill fate. After 2 or 3 minutes of burning rubber and loud revving “Fred” realizing that going up the hill isn’t going to work rolls down his window and says (in the most redneck accent you can imagine), “Sure is slippery out here.” Rolls up his window and proceeds to try again. (HINT… HILL+ICE=NO PROGRESS) Finally, understanding that up is not an option he puts it in reverse and begins to back down the hill. But guess what? Oh, remember that landscaping, yeah he just backed down over top of it. Here I pause and would like to say that this is the end of my story but like an infomercial only seen at 3 o’clock in the morning I have to say, “but, wait there’s more.”
When he reaches the bottom of the hill he comes to a stop, puts in drive and steps on the gas peddle. The engine in the already tested Blazer flairs and the tires begin to spin. The driver neglected to somehow realize that the ice that was covering the hill making his ascent impossible continued at the bottom of the hill. After minutes of trying to move forward the driver remembers that reverse just worked. So he drops the SUV into reverse and rolls backwards towards the end of the road that has no outlet. He then proceeds to continue to back over the landscaping at the end of the street in the main road which has salt-trucks maintaining it so its relatively easy to traverse. Finally, freed the SUV proceeds to climb to the top of John Sutherland Dr. where is stops and drops off its passenger who then walks to his front door and into his house. Are you kidding me? Did that just happen?
That just happened.
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