Dream Awakener

Praying with Karl Barth on Pentecost

Praying
Originally uploaded by Kaj Bjurman

Dear heavenly Father,

We ask you now to give us all your Holy Spirit, and to give it continually, that it may awaken, enlighten, encourage, and enable us to dare to take the small and large steps of moving out of the comfort with which we can comfort each other and into hope in you.  Turn us away toward you!  Do not allow us to hide from you! Do not let us do anything without you!  Show us how glorious you are and how glorious it is to trust and obey you!

We would ask the same for all people, that the nations and governments may bow to your Word, and that they will be willing to work for justice and peace on earth, that your Word may be understood and taken to heart by all those who are poor, sick, imprisoned, troubled, oppressed, and unbelieving; that through word and deed it may be made known to them; and that it may be perceived by them as the answer to their sighs and cries; that all Christian churches and confessions may learn to recognize it anew and serve it with renewed faithfulness; that its truth may be and remain bright here and now in all of humanity's error and confusion, until such a time as it shall ultimately enlighten all people and all things.  You are glorified, you who make us free in Jesus Christ, your Son, by confessing and standing on this: that our hope is in you.  Amen.  From Fifty Prayers.

Servant Leadership Part I

  feet washing 
  Originally uploaded by ღMøûñ†àíñwømãñღ

There was a talk that John Ortberg gave on servant leadership that I thought was really helpful for those who serve in some leadership capacity.  So I thought I would pass on a few quotes and a summary this coming week.

It was Jesus who said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42b-45 TNIV

“Jesus says, "Not so with you." Now, because power and leadership can be abused and can be dark in the hands of fallen people -- because Jesus has warnings about it -- some people get distrustful about any form of leadership or the exercise of power. They don't initiate, they don't challenge, they don't stretch those who are around them.

They hold back from leading when they ought to lead, and they hold others back from leading. That is not a good thing. Their families, their churches, their organizations suffer because part of human nature in this world, unless there is leadership and people being envisioned and challenged and stretched to grow, people will suffer.

To lead is a good thing. At the very beginning, the Bible says that God created human beings to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion. Jesus doesn't reject leadership or even the use of power or greatness for that matter, but he redefines it, he redeems it.

As he says here, Jesus himself is the ultimate example of redeemed leadership. He says, "I didn't come to be served," which is generally the measure of leadership in our world. How many people are underneath me serving me?

He says, "I came to serve." That's what servants do. Here's a real key point. In Jesus, to lead is to serve. In Jesus, leadership is simply one form of servanthood. In God, to lead is to serve those he leads.” - John Ortberg

In the next post on this series, we will take a look at how Jesus served, since we are called to imitate him.

This Week with Henri Nouwen - Losing and Gaining our Lives

The great paradox of life is that those who lose their lives will gain them. This paradox becomes visible in very ordinary situations. If we cling to our friends, we may lose them, but when we are nonpossessive in our relationships, we will make many friends. When fame is what we seek and desire, it often vanishes as soon as we acquire it, but when we have no need to be known, we might be remembered long after our deaths. When we want to be in the center, we easily end up on the margins, but when we are free enough to be wherever we must be, we find ourselves often in the center.

Giving away our lives for others is the greatest of all human arts.  This will gain us our lives.

Fire in the Church by Kurt Fredrickson - A Literary Review

  sunset church 
  Originally uploaded by Alex !

I am doing a number of literary reviews these days for some research that I am undergoing. While you won't be able to check some of the pages I reference, I think you will gain much from the many quotes I mention.   Let me share with you how I go about my literary review.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review of this most excellent paper.

THESIS
Kurt Fredrickson’s thesis for Fire in the Church: Organic Structures for the Missional Congregation is that structure matters.  If the church moves from an old mechanistic model to a living systems model, she will be able to create better environments necessary for the missional church to thrive.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
The question that Fredrickson is addressing is: How do church leaders foster proper environments so that the Spirit of God can set the church on fire anew (5)? He address this question by taking a look at our current postmodern context, especially as it relates to the shift from classic science to new systems science.  This shift is from a mechanical approach to life to an organic approach.  After explaining the nature of living systems science, he considers how to apply living systems theory to the church.  He insists, “Only as the church has an adequate understanding of its identity and its core practices, is the church able to move forward in new shapes” (55).  He then concludes by exploring how to nurture an atmosphere of missional imagination in light of new understandings of organizational theory.

THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER
This research paper is rich in content, with seven helpful figures that summarize important concepts (Pgs. 19,20, 41, 44, 45 and 52).  The following are some statements that seemed vital to remember.   In section one: “This new systems understanding sees the world more as decentralized than centralized, more networked than hierarchical, more organic than fixed.  It is not random and disorganized; it is rather organized through an understanding of complexity and emergence.  This new understanding of structures offers new possibilities for ecclesial organization.” (10)  “Because we think and behave differently in this information based networked society, we must rethink the way our organizations are structured.” (14)  “Structure affects function. Structure is not neutral. The challenge for the church is to imagine new forms and structures for church that will be able to more vitally carry the message of the gospel affecting transformation in people and societies” (21).  One way to do this is through reverse assumptions (21).

Statements from section two include:  In regard to relational principles in living systems theory: All living things have innate intelligence (30); Life is profoundly interconnected (30); Information brings change (32); Systems interact with their environment leading to adaptive challenges and emergence of new forms of organization (33); and living systems continue to multiply or reproduce (34).  “We do not create new structures as much as we create environments and the possibilities of relational connections so that new structures might emerge” (36). “Our ecclesial practices (new ecclesial structures) must emerge from primary Christological and ecclesiological understanding always mindful of the environment in which is the church is located” (37).

In sections three and four: “Structures that are not suitable are stifling and deadening.  Structures that are appropriate bring life and vitality” (43).  The mental framework transitions necessary in the church: “Radical individualism – wanderers to pilgrim; Aimlessness – busyness to vocation; Consumption – consumers to practioners; Fragmentation – individuals to community; Forgetfulness – amnesia to memory (64).

A Celtic Prayer - Remember the Poor

  My Friends in Kenya 
  Originally uploaded by dream awakener

REMEMBERING THE POOR

Remember the poor when you look out on fields you own, on your plump cows grazing.

Remember the poor when you look into your barn, at the abundance of your harvest.

Remember the poor when you eat fine meat and drink fine ale, at your fine carved table.

The cows have grass to eat, the rabbits have borrows for shelter, the birds have warm nests.

But the poor have no food except what you feed them, no shelter except your house when you welcome them, no warmth except your glowing fire.

From Celtic Prayers by Robert Van De Weyer

Why Church Matters by Jonathan Wilson - A Literary Review

One of the differences between a literary review and a straight up book review is that literary reviews are written to help with future research. So I am writing with the idea that this will guide me to what I want to go back and study.  There are various approaches to literary reviews, but here will be mine.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review.

THESIS    
Wilson in Why Church Matters contends that a healthy ecclesiology occurs when the church becomes a participant in God’s work (by God’s grace) by engaging in the practices that witness to the kingdom.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Wilson begins his book with an explanation of the notion of practice, as developed by Alasdair MacIntyre, and in the three sections of the book, he explains how the body of Christ best embodies these practices.  In the first section of this book, Wilson describes what he considers the foundational practice of the church – faithful worship.  In the second section, he addresses practices that he judges to be in need of renovation today – witness as kingdom words and deeds and discipleship as human flourishing.  And in section three he talks about practices that build on the foundations and renovations and form the church toward the kingdom.  These practices include baptism, the Eucharist, foot washing, confessing the creeds and suffering as the Power of the kingdom.  In describing each of these practices, Wilson helps the church to live as a faithful witness to the kingdom of God.

THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER      
One of the more beneficial chapters of this book occurs when Wilson summarizes MacIntyre’s often quoted book, After Virtue.  After MacIntyre analyzes how our culture has been shaped by the Enlightenment project, in his assessment, our culture has abandoned “most convictions about the telos (the “good,” the created purpose) of human life and human activities.  This abandonment of telos drains our actions of any real meaning and significance” (14). Wilson then describes MacIntyre’s five ways of understanding of practice, but recasts them in light of Christian tradition, which I outline in the next paragraph.  This idea of practice is what Wilson uses to build the rest of his book on.

1. Practices embody a concept of the good. Wilson understands the Christian telos to be that the church is to witness to the kingdom by being and making disciples.
2. Practices constitute a community.  In other words, “the church does not have an identity rooted in something other than its practices” (18). 
3. Practices are oriented to internal goods.  God is not to be followed for some “external” good, like material prosperity or security, rather the good is that the gospel of Christ be made known to those who have yet to hear and believe. 
4. Practices extend our conceptions of the good. The idea here is that the community of disciples’ conception of the good is transformed by its practices (20). 
5. Practices enable us to participate in the good. He veers from MacIntrye here, for MacIntrye says practices enable us to achieve the good, but Wilson points out that grace makes us participants in the good, not achievers.  Wilson then says that “Practices cannot be sustained apart from institutional structures” (22) and that “the institutions of the church are to serve the practices of the church” (23).   Practicing for Wilson is not like basketball practice, but rather like practicing medicine or practicing law. 

After fleshing out this idea of practice, he takes each of the practices aforementioned, and looks at them in light of the telos.  For example, when he talks about worship, the big question is not “Did I like it?”  But rather “Does this worship reflect God’s character and will?”  “Is it a foretaste of the coming Kingdom?”

One more note, in the appendix Wilson assesses the ecclesiology of Francis Schaeffer, Chuck Colson, Rick Warren and Brian McLaren.  He finds Rick Warren wanting. 

This Week with Henri Nouwen - Ordering Our Desires

Desire is often talked about as something we ought to overcome. Still, being is desiring: our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our souls are full of desires. Some are unruly, turbulent, and very distracting; some make us think deep thoughts and see great visions; some teach us how to love; and some keep us searching for God. Our desire for God is the desire that should guide all other desires. Otherwise our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls become one another's enemies and our inner lives become chaotic, leading us to despair and self-destruction.

Spiritual disciplines are not ways to eradicate all our desires but ways to order them so that they can serve one another and together serve God. - Henri Nouwen

This Week with Henri Nouwen - Being Humble and Confident

As we look at the stars and let our minds wander into the many galaxies, we come to feel so small and insignificant that anything we do, say, or think seems completely useless. But if we look into our souls and let our minds wander into the endless galaxies of our interior lives, we become so tall and significant that everything we do, say, or think appears of great importance.

We have to keep looking both ways to remain humble and confident, humorous and serious, playful and responsible. Yes, the human person is very small and very tall. It is the tension between the two that keeps us spiritually awake. - Henri Nouwen

Around the Blogosphere - The Best of This Week in Blogs

  The Amazing Race 
  Originally uploaded by HaMeD!caL

There are many great bloggers who not only write excellent posts, but are avid readers of other blogs.  As readers they typically devote a post, often once a week, where they make a list of links to some of their favorite posts from other blogs that week.  This conglomeration of links goes by many names.  Scot McKnight calls this kind of post  - Weakly Meanderings, John Santic calls it - Speedlinking, Ben Myers calls it - Around the Traps, Tony calls this kind of post - This Week in Blogs, and I call it Choice Blog entries.  Regardless of what name these posts go by, they are often filled with many great links.  So it is my hope to travel around the blogosphere once and week in order to give you the best of this week in blogs. Here is this weeks best in blog links.

Around the Traps with Ben Myers
Ben links to entries on Augustine: Theological and Philosophical Conversations to Stale Expressions: The Management-Shaped Church to theologian trading cards and the worst church sign ever. Some interesting reads.

Weekly Meanderings with Scot McKnight
Scot links to posts on: Gender and Race, Philosophy Majors on the Rise, A study by Greg Boyd on violence and God in the Old Testament, Death by Blogging and other interesting links.

Odds and Ends by Mike DeVries
Mike has some great links as well.  He links to Andrew Jones answering MacArthur and Johnson on the issue of contextualization. A primer on the Emerging Church from Stephen Shields, Greg Boyd's exploration of violence in the Hebrew Scripture as well as three great links to articles by N.T. Wright.  Check it out.

The Selfless Way of Christ by Henri Nouwen - A Literary Review

Over the next few weeks you will probably see a number of literary reviews. One of the differences between a literary review and a straight up book review is that literary reviews are written to help with future research. So I am writing with the idea that this will guide me to what I want to go back and study.  There are various approaches to literary reviews, but here will be mine.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review.

THESIS
In The Selfless Way of Christ Nouwen maintains that there is a direct relationship between our ministry vocation and our spiritual life, and that as we seek to live out our vocation of following Christ on the downwardly mobile road, we will be tempted to take the upwardly mobile road, therefore we must engage in spiritual formation to be transformed into living Christs.

GENERAL OVERVIEW   
You could summarize this book in three words – vocation, temptation and formation.  Nouwen begins by helping us understand that if we are to be living Christs here and now, we must follow him on the path of downward mobility.  That is our vocation.  But the lure of the upwardly mobile life is daunting.  We will have to face the same temptations Jesus had to face. The temptation to be relevant – this is the need to be appreciated by people and make productivity the basis of our ministry (49). The temptation to be spectacular – acting as if visibility and notoriety were the main criteria of the value of what we are doing (56). Finally the temptation to be powerful – getting some sense of security and control (through money, connections, fame, skills etc) in order to strengthen the illusion that life is ours to dispose of (61).  He concludes by sharing with us three spiritual disciplines with which we need to engage: the discipline of the church, the discipline of the book, and the discipline of the heart, if we want to stay true to our vocation.

THEMES TO REMEMBER
This book is a rich and revealing read.  Every sentence is crafted in such a way as to pierce through the heart and unveil where we stand with God. Nouwen strips us down until we are left naked, vulnerable and exposed.  In a very real and meaningful way, he reminds us of our vocation to follow the one,
"who was from the beginning with God and who was god revealed himself as a small, helpless child; as a refugee in Egypt; as an obedient adolescent and inconspicuous adult: as a penitent disciple of the Baptizer; as a preacher from Galilee, followed by some simple fishermen; as a man who ate with sinners and talked with strangers; as an outcast, a criminal, a threat to his people.  He moved from power to powerlessness, from greatness to smallness, from success to failure, from strength to weakness, from glory to ignominy” (31).

I found much wisdom in this book, but I will just highlight some of his thoughts about spiritual formation, where he asks, “How do we conform our minds and hearts to the mind and heart of the self-emptying Christ?” (69) He states,"Discipleship cannot be realized without discipline.  Discipline in the spiritual life, however, has nothing to do with the discipline of athletics, academic study, or job training, in which physical fitness is achieved, new knowledge is acquired, or a new skill is mastered.  The discipline of the Christian disciple is not to master anything, but rather to be mastered by the Spirit.  True Christian discipline is the human effort to create the space in which the Spirit of Christ can transform us into his lineage” (70).  That last line is essential knowledge that I plan on putting to memory.  It is worth the price of the book.

He spoke with freshness concerning the three recommended disciplines. The discipline of the church is when we gather together weekly and practice the liturgy in order to keep making connections between God’s story and our own. The discipline of the book is allowing the word of God to become flesh in us.  It is more than just reading for instruction or to be informed, it is about being formed.  “By the Word of God we are formed into living Christs” (78).  Finally, the discipline of the heart is about a kind of silence, solitude and prayer that bring us face to face with God and ourselves.  We need to regularly engage the disciplines, because the tension between vocation and temptation is a life long battle (93).

This Week with Henri Nouwen - Reminders of Truth

Sometimes our sorrow overwhelms us so much that we no longer can believe in joy. Life just seems a cup filled to the brim with war, violence, rejection, loneliness, and endless disappointments.

At times like this we need our friends to remind us that crushed grapes can produce tasty wine. It might be hard for us to trust that any joy can come from our sorrow, but when we start taking steps in the direction of our friends' advice, even when we ourselves are not yet able to feel the truth of what they say, the joy that seemed to be lost may be found again and our sorrow may become livable. - Henri Nouwen

Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Part VI

  Ways of seeing 
  Originally uploaded by monoglot

Now we are coming to the last two parts of this series.  Wednesday's post will be the final one.  I would love to hear from you on what you have thought about this series.  Are you finding it beneficial?  What have you liked, disliked, question or affirm?  On with today's installment.

PART III – For Those Who Consider Conversion a Four-Letter Word
“The Christian gospel has sometimes been made the tool of an imperialism, and of that we have to repent.  But at its heart it is the denial of all imperialisms, for at its center there is the cross where all imperialisms are humbled and we are invited to find the center of human unity in the One who was made nothing so that all might be one.  The very heart of the biblical vision for the unity of humankind is that its center is not an imperial power but a slain Lamb.” (Newbigin 1989:159)

As we have seen, both modernity and postmodernity, in their own ways, have contributed to conversion being a four-letter word by many people today. Yet how we view conversion, the particular lens through which we view it, and the places where we stand to view it are all critical if conversion is to become desirable once again.  I believe the issues in these posts are best handled by becoming a language teacher.  As a language teacher, I intend to embody the language of faith and teach the grammar of faith to others, whether it’s through public preaching, personal encounters, or group discussions.  In this way, whether one is under the spell of modernity or postmodernity, as he learns the language of faith, he will re-engage in God’s mission with a sense of vigor.  To get specific on how I would do this, I have provided a couple of personal grammar lessons. Listen in.

Advice for Those Influenced by Modernity
If you have a hard time letting go of the concept of “objective” truth, love to argue people into the faith, and only view the gospel as your ticket to heaven, then I have some good news for you.  First, while you may believe that absolute objective truth is what our culture needs, I would suggest that what our culture needs is a church that believes the truth so absolutely that she actually lives it out (Fitch 2007:57).  We need to move from an apologetics of argument to an apologetics of embodiment.  We need to move from getting people to assent to four spiritual laws or points-on-a-bridge diagram to inviting people to switch stories, so that they might enter into the kingdom of God in all its glory. 

This is a kingdom where the life and teachings of Jesus give discipleship real teeth - where we learn to follow the Liberator of those who have been oppressed by the system, the Lover of those who have been rejected by society, and the Deliverer of those who have been seduced by consumerism.  Our story is not just a private one dealing with personal morality but also a public one dealing with powers and principalities that need redemption.   Our story is centered on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Our story in not limited to the death of Christ and the hereafter, but it is also about the kingdom that is at hand.  Our story doesn’t end with the annihilation of the earth, but a remade heaven and earth.  Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can be confident that there will come a day when our cries for justice will be heard, our thirst for God will be quenched, our connection with each other will be deep, and our longing for beauty will be realized. (Wright 2006: 225-240)

The Good News is that “It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church.” (Moltmann 1977:64) We are not required to be salesmen for God, but rather journalists, proclaiming to the world that God’s reign is at hand (Hunsberger in Hunsberger 1996:23).  And as we proclaim this good news, we must embody it as a community.  In the words of Bryan Stone, “the church does not really need an evangelistic strategy.  The church is the evangelistic strategy.” (Stone 2007:15).

This Week with Henri Nouwen - The Importance of Receiving

"Receiving often is harder than giving. Giving is very important: giving insight, giving hope, giving courage, giving advice, giving support, giving money, and, most of all, giving ourselves. Without giving there is no brotherhood and sisterhood.

But receiving is just as important, because by receiving we reveal to the givers that they have gifts to offer. When we say, "Thank you, you gave me hope; thank you, you gave me a reason to live; thank you, you allowed me to realize my dream," we make givers aware of their unique and precious gifts. Sometimes it is only in the eyes of the receivers that givers discover their gifts." - Henri Nouwen

Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Part V

  Ways of seeing 
  Originally uploaded by monoglot

I have appreciated the conversation on this series thus far.  Please continue to share your thoughts, push back on something or share what you like or add some thoughts of your own.  If you get the chance, read back through some of the comments they are rich.  Now on with Part V.

How Postmodernity Affects the Congregations I Serve
The difficulty that this poses in the lives of people in the congregations that I serve is that some people hesitate to fully trust and live in the story of God for fear that if they do, they will end up like the arrogant bigots who tend to beat people over their heads with their Bibles.  They would rather slit their wrists than to become “one of them.”

Yet the problem is that some people unwittingly start to hold onto to a form of what Hauerwas calls “vulgar relativism.”  This is "the view that combines a relativistic account of ethical terms with a non-relativistic principle of toleration, fails to deal with real confrontation, since it assumes the impossibility of pointlessness of choosing between options that do not matter to anyone.  The problem with vulgar relativism is it treats all moral convictions as if they were only notional commitments." (Hauerwas 1981:104)

So when one narrative considers human trafficking to be profitable and another story considers it to be diabolical, the vulgar relativist is hung out to dry. Hauerwas concedes to holding to a kind of relativism and does not consider it the task of the church to “deny the reality of the multiplicity of stories in the world or to force the many stories into an artificial harmony” (Hauerwas 1981:91).  Yet he does not hold to a “vulgar relativism” that would make him incapable of making judgments or unwilling to seek to change someone else’s mind or tradition. (Hauerwas 1981:101).

So, on the one hand, postmodernity has exposed the myth of objectivity.  But on the other hand, those under the influence of postmodernity sometimes fall sway to a relativism that disenables them to take a stand against real evil.  Where are we to go from here?  Well, Smith notes that scriptures “give us good reason to reject the very notion of objectivity, while at the same time affirming the reality of truth and knowledge” (Smith 2006:43n). And while you are thinking about all of that, in my last two parts to this series, which will probably come next week, I have some advice for those who consider conversion a four-letter word, be it because of modernity or postmodernity's influence.

Quotes of the Week: Story to Re-shape Theology

“How can dogmas, rendered static, finished, absolute, recover their dynamic and be reformed other than by critical subjection once again to the church’s originating, self-identifying story? Whereas the purpose of doctrine is to preserve that story, there are times and instances when it is necessary for the story in turn to critique and reform the church’s doctrine, thus exercising its own priority as God-given Word over the reflections, conceptualizations, and formulations of the church.”  (Lewis 2003:140-141)

“For theology is the servant, not the master, of the story, and as we have said above, although doctrine can and does vitally safeguard the story by giving it conceptual precision, it may also blunt and betray aspects of the gospel, or allow it to stagnate and ossify within the bounds of absolutized dogma, rigid orthodoxy, or cultural conditioning. The reality, veracity, and power of the Word itself is confirmed when the story breaks free of those chains, subjecting our axioms to critical judgement and creative refinement. “ (Lewis 2003:65)

HT: Jim Robertson

Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Part IV

  Ways of seeing 
  Originally uploaded by monoglot

So now we move on to Part IV.  A look at how postmodernity has shaped people's view of conversion.

How Postmodernity Affects People’s View of Conversion 
Postmodernity is showing its influence as well. Postmodernity has done a  good job at deconstructing the myth of objectivity, in part with Derrida’s suggestion  that the entire world is a text that needs to be interpreted (Smith 2006:54). Yet its emphasis on deconstruction and its suspicion of how the powers that be have used  meta‐narratives and language games to push its agendas, have caused some  Christians to slip into a “vulgar relativism” and/or syncretism.

The prevailing view for many today, including some people in the 
congregations that I serve, is expressed well by Leslie Newbigin when he says,  "To maintain in this new situation, the old missionary attitude (the scandal of exclusivity) is not merely inexcusable but positively dangerous.  In a world threatened with nuclear war, a world facing a global ecological crises, a world more and more closely bound together in its cultural and economic life, the paramount need is for unity, and an aggressive claim on the part of  one of the world’s religions to have the truth for all can only be regarded as treason against the human race.  Even if it is granted that this exclusive claim has been the claim of the Church through nineteen centuries, we must face the fact that it is not now tenable." (Newbigin 1989:155,156)

Now, while Newbigin does not hold to this view himself, there are many self‐identified Christians who do.  And while at first glance it seems like a loving  approach because we all desire unity and its corresponding blessing – peace – we  quickly discover some huge roadblocks.  We soon realize as Newbigin aptly points out that “every program of unity has implicit in it some vision of the organizing principle which is to make this unity possible” (Newbigin 1989:159).  Along with this, we start to understand that “we want unity on our terms, and it is our rival programs for unity which tear us apart.  As Augustine said, all wars are fought for the sake of peace” (Newbigin 1989:159).

So where does this leave us?  We are left in a pluralistic world with various stories, each vying to be the saving narrative.  Some stories look to the state as  savior; others hold promise in globalization, a new global village that transcends  “nation‐state‐centered pathologies of modern politics” (Cavanaugh 2002:6)  Yet,  others look to develop a new narrative that somehow becomes the story of stories.  So how does all this affect people?  That is what the next post is about.

This Week with Henri Nouwen - The Healing Touch

"Touch, yes, touch, speaks the wordless words of love. We receive so much touch when we are babies and so little when we are adults. Still, in friendship touch often gives more life than words. A friend's hand stroking our back, a friend's arms resting on our shoulder, a friend's fingers wiping our tears away, a friend's lips kissing our forehead --- these are true consolation. These moments of touch are truly sacred. They restore, they reconcile, they reassure, they forgive, they heal.

Everyone who touched Jesus and everyone whom Jesus touched were healed. God's love and power went out from him (see Luke 6:19). When a friend touches us with free, nonpossessive love, it is God's incarnate love that touches us and God's power that heals us." - Henri Nouwen

Developing a Rhythm of Life - Part 7

  Scenic* 
  Originally uploaded by imapix

We are continuing our series on developing a rhythm of life.  Why do we need a rhythm of life?  As John Ortberg says, "Spiritual Transformation cannot be orchestrated or controlled, but neither is it a random venture.  We need some kind of support or structure, much as a young vine needs a trellis.  We need sails to help us catch the winds of the Spirit.  All of us know the frustration of random, haphazard efforts that lead nowhere in spiritual life.  We need a plan for transformation."

Here is the ground we have already covered in this series: God, Prayer, Work, Study and Spiritual Community.  Today our topic is about the physical body.  I will share a few quotes then my rhythm for this area.

"So that we can better glorify God in our bodies each of us shall take responsibility for maintaining his health through regular exercise, hygiene, and prompt recourse to medical attention..." - The Rule of the Society of St. John the Evangelist

"For our feeble flesh could not possibly be defrauded of the whole night's rest and yet keep its vigour unshaken throughout the following day without sleepiness of mind and heaviness of spirit..." The Twelve Book of John Cassain on the Institutes of Coenobia

BODY
• Exercise regularly – at least three times a week