"postmodern" "modern"

"The most important resistance to this evangelical counter imagination does not come from militantsecularists. It comes from well-intentioned believers who are infected with modernity. It comes from the pastor's own sinking sense that none of this is true." - Walter Brueggemann

"Initial reports indicate God is working mightily!" - E.Free Pastor

barren weekdays

so oft doth the AC run
whilst no one come
‘cept modern clergy
‘corporated.
planning to plan
the next meetings,
percentagizing the few
percent dying in pew.
outside, no glory found
tabernacle-infused grace
gets misplaced within walls
willfully flounder funds.
thousands come weekly
pouring into
singing sitting listening
a couple of hours.
And out.
Out to where?
Where doth thou send?
Where’s the psalm sung?
free’d old, young jubilee’d
to leave…
the walls behind
time-tithe to tribes
across east-west lines
no crime to liven
cracked craving crazy
social negations -
not barren weekdays.
not more mount-sermon delays.
not more congregation.
revive local location.
rejuv-a-nation -
today.

on vocation

i'm not one for big goals, as if trying to achieve something particular. rather - i'd hope that at some point along my journey of life, people regard me as even somewhat close to even something similar to this Christ-like description of St. Francis:

"...he was an Apostle who incarnated the whole spirit and message of the Gospels most perfectly. Merely to know St. Francis is to understand the Gospel, and to follow him in his true, integral spirit, is to live the Gospel in all its fullness...

St Thomas's phrase 'comtemplata aliia tradere' (to share with others the fruit of contemplation) is not properly understood unless we have in mind the image of a St. Francis walking the roads of medieval Italy, overflowing with the joy of a message that could only be communicated to him directly by the Spirit of God.

The wisdom and the salvation preached by Francis were not only the overflow of the highest kind of contemplative life, but they were quite simply the expression of the fullness of the Christian Spitit - that is to say of the Holy Spirit of God."

- No Man is an Island, 1955

contemplata aliis tradere: edible fruit of the contemplative Spirit

all a part of the fuzzy blanket

So many thoughts are running around my head these days. Here’s just a few. Bear with me, I’m too young and scattered to even finish them:

- Love: from Thomas Merton, “Love seeks only one thing: the good of the one loved. It leaves all other secondary effects to care for themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward.”

- Misunderstood; Though they know I’m a Christ-follower (not fully sure what that means to them, but I think I’m helping them understand it better), most of my “not yet Christian” friends think I’m “zen’d out” or just plain “weird” or “civilized” or “religious.” Though they know I’m a Christ-follower (maybe not exactly of the persuasion to which they’ve become accustomed), most of my “Christian” friends think I’m “weird” or “in a cult” or “outside of the box.” It’s hard to live a missionary lifestyle when people on either side of the eternity coin don’t understand how much you love them and want to show them the way of Jesus.

- Story; “I don’t want to die without any scars,” says Tyler Durden in Fight Club. Sadly we’ve all got more scars than we can count, but for the most part they’re just emotional. As such, its easier to do our best to forget them. I don’t want to die without any stories. Retelling our stories heals our wounds while we allow our vulnerable selves to shine though. Not only the sad stories, but the happy tales, the accounts of dangerous memories propel us forward as groups, not simply individuals. Everyone’s got a story to tell, and they want to be honest. Everyone’s got a story they want to tell, but we must be ready to listen. Everyone’s got a story to tell, so pull up a chair, lend them an ear, then tell one of your own.

- Community; Living with people in the manner of Jesus is neither easy nor required, though it is recommended. See the Bible for more reasons why God gave us each other. Learning to love others despite personal differences perfects the problems in "us" and releases love towards "them."

- Hope; Besides hope in a future Messiah or a Christmas message, I don’t ever remember hearing a sermon on hope. Perhaps the most amazing observation at CM thus far is that people want hope. They need hope. Not just hope in the future because most people don’t seem to care if they’re going to hell. They want a hope that gets them through the day - something that makes this world not seem so “f****d up.” Somehow, incarnating the life of Christ and sympathizing with the struggles of others and allowing them to share in mine gives people hope that their life will be ok. It gives light to the seed of faith; makes the sun worth waking up for. An unadulterated love poured out tangibly that makes every minute of the gamut between suffering and satisfaction worth living: hope.

That's all I got time for... for now.

night light

Before setting, the deep orange sun softly and quietly passed the reins to the candle upon the table. Wee but mighty, it handled the situation magnificently, providing just enough light to separate the subtle curves in her face from the winding elm backdrop.

Breaking for a spell between the duck and a bit more filet mignon, she looked up, stared beyond my eyes. The sparkle of the candle, a hint of the light welling up within each of us. She, a lady in waiting. Me, a man preparing.

Blue flames shot up while the cherries jubilantly anticipated their union with the cheesecake. Smiles, reaching down from that well within, leapt from our faces as our eyes met once again. More than simply glances, this time words, words flowing freely – an attempt at expressing some, though never able to tell all.

Buckling in the wind between our rapidly approaching souls, the flame held strong. Brilliant shimmering on her face, reflecting a stone as strong as the love that binds us – together. She said yes.