Clive Cabey is a brother to me in the deepest sense of the word. We were college roommates and best man at each other's weddings. We taught together at Hackett Catholic HS in Kalamazoo, MI, and left the Catholic church together to join the Vineyard. We've shared intense joys and sorrows together. Last week Clive lost his father to cancer. I wanted to share (with his permission) an email Clive sent about his father's passing. As you read it, think of Paul's words from Philippians 3:10-11, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Please keep Clive and his mother in your prayers.
Around 3:30AM this morning my father, Charles Cabey, went to be with the Lord. As many of you may remember he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in February of this year. His last days with us were hard as he suffered much. But they were inspiring because we saw him being transformed day by day more & more into the likeness of Our Lord. Wednesday morning he awoke from being in a deep sleep for several days and he called for me saying that he was to die soon. Emily & I went over to my parents' & sat at his bedside. He opened his eyes and told me " God is alive. God is alive in all things. Jesus is THE Lord not A Lord. Jesus is not the Lord in certain things. He is the Lord in ALL things". He told us how much he loved us and then he said he was happy. I prayed with him and read the Psalms with him & as weak as he was he repeated several of the verses as I read them. These were his last words to me as he went back into a deep sleep that he did not awake from until he went to be with the Lord this morning. The Sunday before he indicated that he was beginning to experience the presence & the light of the Lord. For weeks before he died his every waking moment was spent vocally praising and giving thanks to God. In the past few years I have witnessed my father becoming more and more like Christ and growing to be a man of great faith and purity of heart. The past few months tested his faith but did not destroy it. Instead his faith was strengthened even more... I can only hope to be more like him as he persevered in his faith in God's goodness and his praise of our Lord to the very end.
My Dad went home to be with our Lord. I wanted to share with you his final words. And to ask you to pray for us to have strength and to be able to immitate his faith.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
thoughts from captain sacrament
it's been a little busy lately so not much time to blog. i did come across thes following links from kyle potter and thought they we're definitely worth sharing.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
learning from the amish
I don't agree with all aspects of Anabaptist theology, but was really touched by the comments by the Amish in the aftermath of the shooting this week. From an article on CNN:
A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.
"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.
"One person who had had almost daily encounters with him said that she noted that he never looked into anyone's eyes, he never looked into anyone's faces, and she knew that there was something deeply troubling about him," Schenck said.
"Although she did say, she was very careful to say, that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man, that he had, in her words -- the sort of modest words of the Amish -- that he had problems of the heart."
A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.
"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.
"One person who had had almost daily encounters with him said that she noted that he never looked into anyone's eyes, he never looked into anyone's faces, and she knew that there was something deeply troubling about him," Schenck said.
"Although she did say, she was very careful to say, that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man, that he had, in her words -- the sort of modest words of the Amish -- that he had problems of the heart."
being Christ-like
I don't agree with all aspects of Anabaptist theology, but was really touched by the comments by the Amish in the aftermath of the shooting this week. From an article on CNN:
,/em>A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.
"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.
"One person who had had almost daily encounters with him said that she noted that he never looked into anyone's eyes, he never looked into anyone's faces, and she knew that there was something deeply troubling about him," Schenck said.
"Although she did say, she was very careful to say, that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man, that he had, in her words -- the sort of modest words of the Amish -- that he had problems of the heart."
,/em>A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.
"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.
"One person who had had almost daily encounters with him said that she noted that he never looked into anyone's eyes, he never looked into anyone's faces, and she knew that there was something deeply troubling about him," Schenck said.
"Although she did say, she was very careful to say, that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man, that he had, in her words -- the sort of modest words of the Amish -- that he had problems of the heart."
Saturday, September 23, 2006
just shut up
I came across a great blog touching on one aspect of some of the recent controversy about the Pope's comments on Islam and the state of Christianity in the West.
Friday, September 15, 2006
liturgically inspired rant
The liturgical calendar's readings for today included this passage from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
"Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified."
That last sentence from Paul caught my attention and got me thinking. That sure doesn't sound like the sentiment of someone who holds to a "once saved, always saved" assurance of salvation kind of gospel. In fact, it sounds like someone who believes that there is more to being a Christian than just saying some prayer. It's almost like Paul believes that we should "work out our salvation with fear and trembling' (Phil 2:12).
I've never really understood the whole, once saved, always saved thing. Of course, it goes well with a bar-code faith that insists upon a one time, heart felt prayer being the only requirement for salvation. What's funny is that those who hold to a strong, unwavering view of assurance have a hard time with people who seem to have lost the faith. Charles Templeton, former evangelist & friend of Billy Graham renounced Christianity in his book Farewell to God. There's a website devoted to being a support network for "Ex-Christians". There are countless stories of once faithful believers who have lost the faith after personal tragedy or witnessing great suffering. The general response given to these examples is to immediately assume that the individual did not really mean it when they prayed the prayer--they we're posers, not really Christians.
But then, how does anyone really know if they were sincere enough when they said the prayer? How can you or I be sure that we really had faith when we prayed it? If we can't really be sure, because I may be ok today & go on a homicidal rampage or suffer a great loss tomorrow, then do I really have assurance of salvation? They seemed sincere. They seemed faithful. They seemed to by just like me.
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it, our theology matters. What we think about God has a major impact on how we live. Even USA Today recognized this simple reality within the scope of politics this week. If I believe that nothing I do can change my standing before God after I've prayed the prayer, then it's not surprising that I can go through life without allowing my faith to have a great impact in how I live.
I think the New Testament is clear that salvation can be lost--not taken from me, but forfeited by me--and that being a follower of Jesus is a daily event. We sing songs about God's mercy being new every morning. We pray to be given our daily bread. We read that God provided manna and quail daily that could not be stored up or kept overnight. The bible is pounding out a message that we must take our walk with God on a day-to-day basis. Why would salvation be any different? Every day I am presented with a choice, "life or death, a blessing or a curse" and I must choose daily to follow God. If Paul can say that he was concerned that after all he had done he may still be disqualified from the reward, how much more should I be concerned.
This concern is not rooted in despair & human effort. It is grounded in faith and maintained by grace. When I choose to follow Jesus I enter into his grace and there is nothing that can take me away from that but my own will--the rock so big God can't move it. He will not force me to love him. He will woo me, court me, call to me, but he will not rape my will. If I choose to walk away, he will chase me & hound me, but he will not force me to be with him. In this sense I am assured of salvation as long as I choose to remain in his grace. It takes discipline to do this, to train my body of flesh to stay put & not to chase after every little temptation that comes my way, but it can be done. And that is source of my hope.
"Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified."
That last sentence from Paul caught my attention and got me thinking. That sure doesn't sound like the sentiment of someone who holds to a "once saved, always saved" assurance of salvation kind of gospel. In fact, it sounds like someone who believes that there is more to being a Christian than just saying some prayer. It's almost like Paul believes that we should "work out our salvation with fear and trembling' (Phil 2:12).
I've never really understood the whole, once saved, always saved thing. Of course, it goes well with a bar-code faith that insists upon a one time, heart felt prayer being the only requirement for salvation. What's funny is that those who hold to a strong, unwavering view of assurance have a hard time with people who seem to have lost the faith. Charles Templeton, former evangelist & friend of Billy Graham renounced Christianity in his book Farewell to God. There's a website devoted to being a support network for "Ex-Christians". There are countless stories of once faithful believers who have lost the faith after personal tragedy or witnessing great suffering. The general response given to these examples is to immediately assume that the individual did not really mean it when they prayed the prayer--they we're posers, not really Christians.
But then, how does anyone really know if they were sincere enough when they said the prayer? How can you or I be sure that we really had faith when we prayed it? If we can't really be sure, because I may be ok today & go on a homicidal rampage or suffer a great loss tomorrow, then do I really have assurance of salvation? They seemed sincere. They seemed faithful. They seemed to by just like me.
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it, our theology matters. What we think about God has a major impact on how we live. Even USA Today recognized this simple reality within the scope of politics this week. If I believe that nothing I do can change my standing before God after I've prayed the prayer, then it's not surprising that I can go through life without allowing my faith to have a great impact in how I live.
I think the New Testament is clear that salvation can be lost--not taken from me, but forfeited by me--and that being a follower of Jesus is a daily event. We sing songs about God's mercy being new every morning. We pray to be given our daily bread. We read that God provided manna and quail daily that could not be stored up or kept overnight. The bible is pounding out a message that we must take our walk with God on a day-to-day basis. Why would salvation be any different? Every day I am presented with a choice, "life or death, a blessing or a curse" and I must choose daily to follow God. If Paul can say that he was concerned that after all he had done he may still be disqualified from the reward, how much more should I be concerned.
This concern is not rooted in despair & human effort. It is grounded in faith and maintained by grace. When I choose to follow Jesus I enter into his grace and there is nothing that can take me away from that but my own will--the rock so big God can't move it. He will not force me to love him. He will woo me, court me, call to me, but he will not rape my will. If I choose to walk away, he will chase me & hound me, but he will not force me to be with him. In this sense I am assured of salvation as long as I choose to remain in his grace. It takes discipline to do this, to train my body of flesh to stay put & not to chase after every little temptation that comes my way, but it can be done. And that is source of my hope.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
theology matters
I was reading Brant’s blog the other day & he linked to this article in the current issue of First Things about the liberal fear of right-wing, religious conservatives trying to turn the US into a theocracy. In the midst of the article I found these quotes about the practical impact of premillenial dispensationalism that got me thinking.
- Balmer informs his readers that "the belief in dispensational premillennialism" explains the lousy church architecture of the last fifty years: "Why invest your resources in building or ornamentation when Jesus will return at any time?"
- "Why care about the earth when the droughts, floods, famine, and pestilence brought by ecological collapse are signs of the apocalypse foretold in the Bible? Why care about global climate change when you and yours will be rescued in the Rapture?"
Thursday, August 24, 2006
ranting on religion
There's an interesting topic being discussed here about this book written by Spencer Burke on the controversial subject of Hell. This is apparently a hot topic within the Emerging Church crowd, especially since McLaren's book on the topic came out. I wanted to touch on this quote Scott McKnight used in his review of Spencer Burke's book:
- We need to get beyond religion. The problem today is “religion” – institutionalization of the Christian faith, focus on propositional creeds, driven by Sunday morning services, and propped up by the economy of the church that keeps people coming back and the staff fully paid.
- We need to get beyond religion to find a spirituality.
- We need to discover that following the way of Jesus can get us beyond religion to find this spirituality.
- What we will find beyond religion is grace.
- People who will take us into that grace, where we find the “sacred beyond religion,” are heretics. Jesus was the “original heretic.”
- Panentheism is reality: we are all “in God”. This is not the same as “pantheism” which contends in one way or another that all is god.
Please bare with me while I rant about this...
1. I'm tired of the "we need to get beyond religion" thing. I know that's the cool, emerging church kind of thing to say, but it's crap. We need to get beyond ourselves. We need to get beyond our hang ups. We need to realize that "religion" in itself is not a four letter word. God is big on religion, at least that's the impression I get from the Bible. He's not a fan of empty religion. He doesn't want lip service. This doesn't mean he's opposed to religion, just our crappy attempts at it. Seems to me that a fairly good part of the Pentateuch is concerned with God dictating the details of forming a religion for his people. He likes liturgy, smells & bells. He likes spiritual discipline. He appears to be a fan of order and structure.
I'm also slightly appalled--though not surprised--at his assumption that creeds are somehow a bad thing. They are essential tools of defining who we are as a people. The early church--people much closer to the Apostle's than we are--thought creeds were important. It's this contempt for our fathers that condemns us to reinventing the wheel over & over again.
2. Sorry but what we need to do is let spirituality infuse our religion and let our religion guide & form our spirituality.
3. Following Jesus is going to lead us toward godly, Spirit-empowered, living religion. Jesus didn't come to destroy religion but to show us how to have true religion (Matt 5:17).
4. Religion is NOT opposed to grace. It is where we encounter grace, receive grace and practice grace.
5. Sorry, but I just wanted to vomit after reading that one. Jesus was a heretic?! Are you kidding me? Sorry, but heretic has never been considered a positive comment/trait. I can't even talk about this one.
6. Sorry, but we're not all in God in the same way. This gets to the neo-universalist argument Burke & McLaren trumpet: "How could a loving God send someone to Hell?" Um, are we not reading the same Bible? Sin separates us from God. Sin cuts us off from God. Sin makes us dead. It's the human condition. God made a way through Jesus, but you've got to be in Christ to be saved, to participate in the life of God. The NORMAL way for that to happen is through baptism and faith. That is what those messy, inconvenient creeds remind us about. This doesn't mean that God can't act in an extraordinary, supernatural way to those who never heard the gospel, but it also doesn't mean that everyone is automatically made a part of the Kingdom by default.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
What I don't like about...
Catholicism
- the whole priest abuse scandal & cover up attempts by numerous bishops
- insisting on celebacy for clergy
- using bad theology to justify bad doctrine: a priest acts "in persona christi" and represents Jesus as the groom with the bride as the church therefore priests can't be married
- claims of infallibility preventing the church from admitting/correcting mistakes
- encouraging a dual-caste system of religious/clergy vs laity
Evangelical Protestantism
- shallow, oversimplistic approach to faith
- general lack of any sense of history or connection to the historical church
- extreme individualism leading to a me-first, me-centered approach to spirituality
- poor attitude towards children--they're often tolerated as second class citizens
Emerging Church
- Brian McLaren
- Too much effort spent trying to reinvent the wheel
- Theological sloppiness
- Some, not all, can be too critical and prideful
Orthodoxy
- Way too tribal/ethnic
- Perceived lack of evangelistic concern/effort
- Not willing to be more flexible in worship
- Triumphalism to the extreme
Monday, August 14, 2006
surreal dining experience
We went to Moe's Southwest Grill tonight for dinner--$5 burrito night! Anyway, we're sitting in the dining area where they have at least one TV tuned in to the Animal Planet channel. The TV is muted so it's merely there to serve as visual noise. So far there's really nothing out of the ordinary. That's when I noticed what was showing on the TV. Animal Planet was running a show about medical use of maggots. They were showing images of infected, non-healing flesh wounds as doctors placed "sterilized" live maggots in the wounds to clean them. It's exactly the visual images any restauranteur would want to show to a room full of people coming to my business to eat with their friends and families.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
spiritually schizophrenic
I've been feeling rather schizophrenic lately, drawn in different directions by different expressions of the faith. This has been stirring in me for some time and has become more pronounced this summer. I'm not really sure what to do about it if anything. I've been reflecting on different spiritual traditions, the positives and negatives, and how I feel/respond to each.
Catholicism
I was born and raised Catholic. I came to know Jesus as a Catholic. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit as a Catholic. I have a degree in theology from a Catholic college. I was married as a Catholic. Two of my daughters were baptized in the Catholic church. Needless to say I have a certain affinity towards Catholicism, but I am no longer a practicing member of the Catholic church. For those unfamiliar with our story Lisa & I left the Catholic church to join the Vineyard in 1996-97 (it was a process). We didn't leave because we were angry or disgruntled, but because we felt God calling us to the Vineyard & the larger Body of Christ. We didn't know if it would be temporary or permanent--and still don't quite frankly.
If you've never been Catholic it may be hard to understand, but there is a deeper identity there than just a denominational affiliation. Being Catholic carries with it a sense of identity in much the same way as being Jewish is more than just holding to a set of religious beliefs & practices. I have found very few, if any, Protestants who can relate to this. As a Catholic you belong to a certain people group, a subculture. Ironically, it is what many in the emerging church are now trying to create in their own communities. The other positive about Catholicism is its inclusiveness. There is a united diversity in any Catholic parish, just like any family. On one hand you may have a charismatic prayer group, on the other a rosary group, but despite their differences there is that deeper sense of belonging that unites in spite of the differences. You don't find this in Protestant churches. We've become too fractured, our diversity is a source of division and resentment. Protestants have managed to form their own denominational clicks that gather similar groups together to the exclusion of others.
Evangelical Protestantism
I'm not sure I've ever really been an evangelical, but I've been living in its culture for about 10 years now. I do believe that having a personal faith is essential, but I don't buy the idea that reciting the Sinner's Prayer is the only way to do that. I am very grateful for the experiences and opportunities I've had within the Vineyard. The emphasis on Kingdom theology and being naturally supernatural has provided a great answer to some of the stranger excessives of charismatic theology/practices. The Reformation was crucial in challenging and correcting various abuses in the Catholic church & likely ultimately lead to the wide-spread changes in the Second Vatican Council. We need to be reminded of the importance of having a personal faith and devotional life, the primacy of scripture and the priesthood of all believers. Within the Vineyard in particular (my experience of evangelicalism) the importance of worship has been a great influence in my life.
Emerging Church/Neo-Monasticism
This is really where we've been at for the last few years. Matthew's House has been an experiment in doing church differently from day one. We've sought to capture some of the simplicity of the early church by meeting in our homes in some informal gatherings. We've helped people detox from churchy religiousness and reconnect with a simple love of Jesus and one another. We've experienced great relationships and treasure everyone we've come in contact with, even those that have decided that our little form of church wasn't for them. We've been able to teach ancient methods of prayer (lectio divina, daily office, etc) and develop a deeper understanding of baptism and eucharist than many had previously. Through the wonders of blogging we've made real friendships with people who share similar passions and ideas. There has been a greater sense of genuineness in our weekly gatherings than in many of my other experiences with church. I deeply love and care for the people who have decided to come along side of us on our own spiritual journey, and have been blown away by the acceptance and openness to new ideas from them. I think there are some definite similarities between what we're doing and what some are calling neo-monasticism--small groups of people committed to sharing a common purpose of life, a common meal & worship, and common values.
Eastern Orthodoxy
My good friend Clive and his wife joined the Orthodox church about 18 months ago. Clive is batting for the cycle having been Catholic (we were college roommates & taught at the same Catholic high school), then left with us to join the Vineyard before making the trek to Orthodoxy. I'll admit that his conversion threw me for a loop initially. I've had limited experiences with Orthodox liturgies which I considered painfully dull and Spirit-less. Like many I had a prejudiced view of Orthodoxy as backward & overly ethnic in its nature. Clive has helped chip away at those perceptions. I've spent time looking at Orthodox theology and am very drawn to it. I love their embrace of the mystery of God and their authentic historical connection to the early church. The OCA (Orthodox Church in America) is a English-speaking, ethnically neutral expression of the faith. They are attracting evangelicals in large numbers--there was even an entire Vineyard congregation in CA that converted. Unfortunately, there are no OCA churches in Lakeland and with commuting 2-3 hours a day during the week I'm not up to another long commute on the weekend to visit an OCA parish. I would like to see what their liturgies are like sometime.
Franciscanism
Lisa & I both attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH). For four years we were surrounded by Franciscan priests and Franciscan spirituality. We both became members of the Secular Franciscan Order--Lisa permanently professed & I finished my noviate year before graduating. We have always felt a closeness to Francis and his simple example of following Jesus (heck we named Clare after Clare of Assisi, Francis' friend & companion). I often still wear my Franciscan TAU cross. We have tried to live our lives in accord with Franciscan values. Of course, part of the Franciscan spiritual feeds back into some of the Catholic qualities I mentioned previously.
I guess I'll end things for there now by bring things around full circle. I'll try to post some of my critiques of some of these traditions soon. There's certainly a ying-yang effect that pulls me in one direction then pushes me away again. I'm not really sure what I'm getting at with this post. I think that right now there's a stirring and longing within me for something, but I'm not sure what that is yet.
Catholicism
I was born and raised Catholic. I came to know Jesus as a Catholic. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit as a Catholic. I have a degree in theology from a Catholic college. I was married as a Catholic. Two of my daughters were baptized in the Catholic church. Needless to say I have a certain affinity towards Catholicism, but I am no longer a practicing member of the Catholic church. For those unfamiliar with our story Lisa & I left the Catholic church to join the Vineyard in 1996-97 (it was a process). We didn't leave because we were angry or disgruntled, but because we felt God calling us to the Vineyard & the larger Body of Christ. We didn't know if it would be temporary or permanent--and still don't quite frankly.
If you've never been Catholic it may be hard to understand, but there is a deeper identity there than just a denominational affiliation. Being Catholic carries with it a sense of identity in much the same way as being Jewish is more than just holding to a set of religious beliefs & practices. I have found very few, if any, Protestants who can relate to this. As a Catholic you belong to a certain people group, a subculture. Ironically, it is what many in the emerging church are now trying to create in their own communities. The other positive about Catholicism is its inclusiveness. There is a united diversity in any Catholic parish, just like any family. On one hand you may have a charismatic prayer group, on the other a rosary group, but despite their differences there is that deeper sense of belonging that unites in spite of the differences. You don't find this in Protestant churches. We've become too fractured, our diversity is a source of division and resentment. Protestants have managed to form their own denominational clicks that gather similar groups together to the exclusion of others.
Evangelical Protestantism
I'm not sure I've ever really been an evangelical, but I've been living in its culture for about 10 years now. I do believe that having a personal faith is essential, but I don't buy the idea that reciting the Sinner's Prayer is the only way to do that. I am very grateful for the experiences and opportunities I've had within the Vineyard. The emphasis on Kingdom theology and being naturally supernatural has provided a great answer to some of the stranger excessives of charismatic theology/practices. The Reformation was crucial in challenging and correcting various abuses in the Catholic church & likely ultimately lead to the wide-spread changes in the Second Vatican Council. We need to be reminded of the importance of having a personal faith and devotional life, the primacy of scripture and the priesthood of all believers. Within the Vineyard in particular (my experience of evangelicalism) the importance of worship has been a great influence in my life.
Emerging Church/Neo-Monasticism
This is really where we've been at for the last few years. Matthew's House has been an experiment in doing church differently from day one. We've sought to capture some of the simplicity of the early church by meeting in our homes in some informal gatherings. We've helped people detox from churchy religiousness and reconnect with a simple love of Jesus and one another. We've experienced great relationships and treasure everyone we've come in contact with, even those that have decided that our little form of church wasn't for them. We've been able to teach ancient methods of prayer (lectio divina, daily office, etc) and develop a deeper understanding of baptism and eucharist than many had previously. Through the wonders of blogging we've made real friendships with people who share similar passions and ideas. There has been a greater sense of genuineness in our weekly gatherings than in many of my other experiences with church. I deeply love and care for the people who have decided to come along side of us on our own spiritual journey, and have been blown away by the acceptance and openness to new ideas from them. I think there are some definite similarities between what we're doing and what some are calling neo-monasticism--small groups of people committed to sharing a common purpose of life, a common meal & worship, and common values.
Eastern Orthodoxy
My good friend Clive and his wife joined the Orthodox church about 18 months ago. Clive is batting for the cycle having been Catholic (we were college roommates & taught at the same Catholic high school), then left with us to join the Vineyard before making the trek to Orthodoxy. I'll admit that his conversion threw me for a loop initially. I've had limited experiences with Orthodox liturgies which I considered painfully dull and Spirit-less. Like many I had a prejudiced view of Orthodoxy as backward & overly ethnic in its nature. Clive has helped chip away at those perceptions. I've spent time looking at Orthodox theology and am very drawn to it. I love their embrace of the mystery of God and their authentic historical connection to the early church. The OCA (Orthodox Church in America) is a English-speaking, ethnically neutral expression of the faith. They are attracting evangelicals in large numbers--there was even an entire Vineyard congregation in CA that converted. Unfortunately, there are no OCA churches in Lakeland and with commuting 2-3 hours a day during the week I'm not up to another long commute on the weekend to visit an OCA parish. I would like to see what their liturgies are like sometime.
Franciscanism
Lisa & I both attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH). For four years we were surrounded by Franciscan priests and Franciscan spirituality. We both became members of the Secular Franciscan Order--Lisa permanently professed & I finished my noviate year before graduating. We have always felt a closeness to Francis and his simple example of following Jesus (heck we named Clare after Clare of Assisi, Francis' friend & companion). I often still wear my Franciscan TAU cross. We have tried to live our lives in accord with Franciscan values. Of course, part of the Franciscan spiritual feeds back into some of the Catholic qualities I mentioned previously.
I guess I'll end things for there now by bring things around full circle. I'll try to post some of my critiques of some of these traditions soon. There's certainly a ying-yang effect that pulls me in one direction then pushes me away again. I'm not really sure what I'm getting at with this post. I think that right now there's a stirring and longing within me for something, but I'm not sure what that is yet.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
pics from my new camera
I accidentally deleted my previous post about getting my new camera. Here are some pics I took with it.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
busy, busy
I haven't been blogging much lately--been pretty busy. I'm turning 35 this week. I remember when that sounded like an "old" age, definitely a grown up age, an adult age. Now that I've made it here, it doesn't feel that old.
Friday, July 07, 2006
my little artists
In May, Mary had one of her art class paintings from school selected to be placed on display at the Polk Museum of Art here in Lakeland. That's her pointing to her painting of a kitty (the one on top) when we visited the museum.
Last month, Anna was awarded a two-week scholarship to the museum's summer art sessions. She had classes in sculpting clay, three-dimensional painting and "big" painting. That's her standing next to her big painting masterpiece painted on a 4x4 piece of plywood. I love the painting, but I can't figure out how & where to hang a 4x4 piece of plywood in our home.
I'm very proud of both of them. I've really missed Lisa and the girls this week & can't wait to have them home tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Declaration of Dependence
Today our nation celebrates it’s independence; I want to celebrate my dependence.
I’m dependent upon my God for all that I have. Every breathe, every heartbeat, every sunrise & sunset is gift from above. More than that, I have a God that loves me with a perfect, unfailing love that knows no limit. I am completely dependent on that love for any faith, hope or love of my own. I am utterly dependent on God’s grace to give me life, not just physical life, but real life in Him that will never die.
I’m dependent upon my wife for making and keeping me the man I am today; for making me complete. Lisa’s been at her parents’ house for a couple days and it has made me realize how much I love & need her. She is my soul mate. I don’t sleep as well when she’s not in the bed. I feel that part of me is missing. I depend on her to make me the whole person I am.
I depend on my girls to make me a better dad, and to better understand the Father’s love for me. I depend on them to bring me joy and make me proud. I depend on them to teach me how to love like the Father and how to receive unconditional love. I depend on them to make me laugh and to make me smile.
I depend on the Church and my church to help me live out my walk with God. I learn the value, joy and hardship of being in communion with others. I see the diversity of God while at the same time see his unity as well. I’ve depended on the Church to carry on the teachings and truths of Christ, to give me the scriptures and traditions (good & bad) to learn from. I depend on those who have gone before me, like Francis of Assisi, to give me an example to follow of how to be a good disciple.
I depend on my nation and various levels of government to provide safety and security for my family, and for financial stability. While I know that it is God whom I ultimately trust for these things, I recognize that he uses earthly government to bring these things about too.
I’m glad to have freedom, but I’m grateful to be dependent.
I’m dependent upon my God for all that I have. Every breathe, every heartbeat, every sunrise & sunset is gift from above. More than that, I have a God that loves me with a perfect, unfailing love that knows no limit. I am completely dependent on that love for any faith, hope or love of my own. I am utterly dependent on God’s grace to give me life, not just physical life, but real life in Him that will never die.
I’m dependent upon my wife for making and keeping me the man I am today; for making me complete. Lisa’s been at her parents’ house for a couple days and it has made me realize how much I love & need her. She is my soul mate. I don’t sleep as well when she’s not in the bed. I feel that part of me is missing. I depend on her to make me the whole person I am.
I depend on my girls to make me a better dad, and to better understand the Father’s love for me. I depend on them to bring me joy and make me proud. I depend on them to teach me how to love like the Father and how to receive unconditional love. I depend on them to make me laugh and to make me smile.
I depend on the Church and my church to help me live out my walk with God. I learn the value, joy and hardship of being in communion with others. I see the diversity of God while at the same time see his unity as well. I’ve depended on the Church to carry on the teachings and truths of Christ, to give me the scriptures and traditions (good & bad) to learn from. I depend on those who have gone before me, like Francis of Assisi, to give me an example to follow of how to be a good disciple.
I depend on my nation and various levels of government to provide safety and security for my family, and for financial stability. While I know that it is God whom I ultimately trust for these things, I recognize that he uses earthly government to bring these things about too.
I’m glad to have freedom, but I’m grateful to be dependent.
Monday, June 26, 2006
name change
you may have noticed that this is no longer "tom & lisa's blog" but just "tom's blog". that's because lisa has her own bloggy thing going on now.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
emergING not EmernGENT
Revelant Magazine had a good article on the Emergent movement, not to be confused with the emerging church. Emergent is the more formal organization that includes guys like Doug Pagitt and Brian McLaren. Just for the record, our community may be considered part of the emerging church, but we have nothing to do with Emergent. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Emergent gang. I'm particularly concerned with much of their theological sloppiness and careless disregard for the importance of doctrine. We've been studying some church history in our gathering and tonight discussed some of the background around the Council of Nicea. They considered theological terminology & the finer points of doctrine to be very important, thankfully or else we might all be Arians instead of Christians. I get the impression from some of their recent writings that Pagitt & McLaren wouldn't necessarily be too upset about that as long as we could all just get along.
Anyway, there was a great quote from Len Sweet in the article, and I think it holds true for the emerging church as well as the Emergent gang. The article mentioned that Sweet was concerned that the overemphasis on how we do church has taken the focus off Christ. Then Sweet says:
"And that [the overemphasis on how to do church] brings me to a related issue: confusion between relevancy and recency. Some of the most relevant things are not the most recent, but the most ancient. Without a historical sense, or the spiritual discipline of histoical context, there's confusion between keeping relevant and just keeping up. we have to be in touch with the culture but in tune with the Spirit."
I've been thinking much lately about this kind of stuff; about being the church, about being community, about being connected to the larger Body of Christ, about theology and history, about worship and liturgy.
Anyway, there was a great quote from Len Sweet in the article, and I think it holds true for the emerging church as well as the Emergent gang. The article mentioned that Sweet was concerned that the overemphasis on how we do church has taken the focus off Christ. Then Sweet says:
"And that [the overemphasis on how to do church] brings me to a related issue: confusion between relevancy and recency. Some of the most relevant things are not the most recent, but the most ancient. Without a historical sense, or the spiritual discipline of histoical context, there's confusion between keeping relevant and just keeping up. we have to be in touch with the culture but in tune with the Spirit."
I've been thinking much lately about this kind of stuff; about being the church, about being community, about being connected to the larger Body of Christ, about theology and history, about worship and liturgy.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
I was right
Nacho Libre is hands down the funniest movie of the year. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. Funniest movie I've seen in a long time, if not one of the funniest I've ever seen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was very funny.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
close call
seven comments on ben roethlisberger's recent accident: - 1. he is one lucky s.o.b.
- 2. i think he owes every steeler fan a minimum of $500 for mental anguish
3. does it make me a bad person to admit that my first reaction to hearing that he was seriously injured while riding his motorcyle was "there goes the season"?
4. he's an idiot. wears a helmet to work because a 350-lb lineman might hit him, but doesn't wear one while riding his motorcycle when a 3000-lb car could hit him.
5. i hope the little old lady that hit him has police protection because steeler fans can be absolutely insane when it comes to anything negatively impacting the team.
6. here's hoping he'll be ready for the start of the season.
7. i'm guessing his next contract is going to have some language in it about riding motorcycles--especially without a helmet.
7. anyone riding a motorcycle without a helmet is an idiot. lawmakers that have repealed laws requiring helmets (like in PA or here in FL) are idiots too. it's against the law in FL to ride a bicycle without a helmet, but not a motorcycle. go figure.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Rats!
I woke up to a sight like this greeting me this morning in my bathroom. That'll get your blood going! I gentlely closed the lid and walked back through the bedroom. Lisa woke up and asked what I was doing. "There's a rat in the toilet" I calmly replied. I put on some work gloves & went back into the bathroom. As I stared at the toilet I played out my options. I could: A) flush the poor little bastard, but that could clog the toilet, B) grab him & run out of the house then throw him across the yard hoping a stray cat would find him, but then again he could just come back in the house, or C) reach in there and hold him under the water to drown him, but he could bite me. Then I saw it, the plunger! I used that to drown the little guy then grabbed him by the tail to dispose of the body. This is the fourth rat to meet his/her untimely dimise on my watch & each time the grim reaper has taken a different form: trap, poison, squashed by a pot & drowning. Next time I'm going for a flaming aerosol can. Until then no more blindly sitting in the dark during a late night potty run.
