"The church is no longer salt and light to the world but the world is salt and light to the church."
"We're tryng to turn everything into a McDonalds" -some quotes from lunch
Today we had a very intriging lunch discussion about the modern world which stemmed from the original question of "How do we integrate our Christian lives into the world when we leave LAbri?"
After discussing the many ways we are such vast consumers, efficiency driven, and so infiltrated by the world around us Andrew claimed two dynamics that we must strive for in our lives: simplicity and stillness. This led to the ideas that all the machines have been created in order to bring us more time but how in reality they've all simply made us more efficient consumers of the world.
Even the church is a well oiled machine wit 30+ staff members, schedules, pages of bulletins, and computers just to keep it "active" enough. Everything has been infiltrated by this need to achieve more, succeed higher but to what end? To make us more content human beings? We're all still searching, rantng about the stress we live under or the next rung of the ladder we just must get to.
How do we counter it? How do we learn to be content with our stillness and simplicity?
For me it was found in leaving that culture that depended on day planners and emails being sent to my phone for survival. To a life that exists on working with my hands outside, in the kitchen, or cleaning. A life that brings my mind alive and to an attentive state throughout the day with the nature that aurrounds me rather than the background noise of a TV. I've found myself here and in that- my DAILY need for a Savior. A Savior hat doesn't just rescue me from my sins or promise me eternal happiness but rescues me from the post modern machine- drawing me back to a foundation that no busy schedule can strip me of. Christ asks: "To what end do you do all of this?" Is the answer heaven, storing up your treasures there, or is it an efficient life?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Abba's Child
I know I’ve mentioned this book a few times in reference on here but I’d like to spend a few more moments on it today.
Each chapter has spurred deep healing, understanding, and challenges within my as I’ve read it thoroughly the last 2 and a half weeks. I haven’t spent time on here prior to this discussing it because I understand that unless you were to open the book with the same questions, brokenness, and need I did the impact would probably be miniscule and there is no point in trying to convey why, how , and where it met me when that’s really a part of my personal journey. Anyway! But I have filled my journal to the brim of quotes, thoughts, and scripture from Manning in this book and often with the longing for someone to read it and have the same “Holy Cow!” experience I did. When I finished the last sentence in my morning study time few days ago and glanced at the other books sitting on my dresser that Marta has set as my curriculum I glanced back at the cover of Abba’s Child and opened to page one to begin seeping in the knowledge it holds all over again.
With that said here are some segments I hope would be beneficial regardless of where you are on the journey:
"Being alone with the Alone moves us from what John Henry Newman called rational knowledge to real knowledge. The first means I know something in a remote abstract way that never intrudes on our conciousness, the second means I may not know it but I act on it anyway."
Each chapter has spurred deep healing, understanding, and challenges within my as I’ve read it thoroughly the last 2 and a half weeks. I haven’t spent time on here prior to this discussing it because I understand that unless you were to open the book with the same questions, brokenness, and need I did the impact would probably be miniscule and there is no point in trying to convey why, how , and where it met me when that’s really a part of my personal journey. Anyway! But I have filled my journal to the brim of quotes, thoughts, and scripture from Manning in this book and often with the longing for someone to read it and have the same “Holy Cow!” experience I did. When I finished the last sentence in my morning study time few days ago and glanced at the other books sitting on my dresser that Marta has set as my curriculum I glanced back at the cover of Abba’s Child and opened to page one to begin seeping in the knowledge it holds all over again.
With that said here are some segments I hope would be beneficial regardless of where you are on the journey:
"Being alone with the Alone moves us from what John Henry Newman called rational knowledge to real knowledge. The first means I know something in a remote abstract way that never intrudes on our conciousness, the second means I may not know it but I act on it anyway."
Soo Behind on This!
I haven’t been on the internet in over a week now I think so today I am going to try and update wit several different points! So I know all my blogs here have been unbelievably scattered and deeply lacking any true writing skills so for that I again apologize. I am going to try to overcome some of those tendencies in this one by not filling you all in on absolutely everything I can fit into my 30 minute time slot, but rater picking a few areas to concentrate on.
Every day at 1 o’clock all the L’Abri community divides up into tables of about 12 and we meet for the heartiest (sp?) of the day at various workers homes throughout the lot. After the meal is dispersed onto everyone’s plates and we’ve had a few moments of quiet, the workers ask: “So does anyone have a question?”. And sometimes quickly or other times after prolonged silence someone at the table will say “I have one”. It can range from truly anywhere on the spectrum: “What is beauty?” “When did sin enter the world?” “How do we overcome shame?” “Why pray?” and anything else. We then proceed to analyze, discuss, and listen to varying opinions on this topic for the next hour or so over tea and dessert.
There are several things I’ve learned from this set up that are very valuable. The most obvious is that we are all seated together, at a table (therefore actually facing one another), with no distractions such as TVs to inhibit conversation. This seems obvious but we SO rarely do it in American culture unless we are actually out at a restaurant rather tan in a home.
Secondly, by posing a question to the entire group rather tan just the person on your left or your best friend the essence of community grows increasingly because you are discussing it jointly as a whole rather than as divided segments.
And finally, truly meaningful conversation is developed and as a result authentic community is dug into. This is a reslt of talking about things that are at the core of humanity, the spirit, or a religious faith rather than discussing such mindless and sometime self revolving topics as what you did today, what awaits you tomorrow, or the score of the basketball game.
Is it often uncomfortable? Yes. Sometimes confrontational? Absolutely. Does it make me rely heavily on my listening, thinking, and patient skills? Most definitely. But aren’t all of these aspects of true growth?
True intimacy is made when we are in a home together, packed around a table, and talking bout matters that are deeply impacting one another’s worlds. Obviously conversation doesn’t need to always be this intense but I’ve seen that an hour a day of it can be beyond enriching.
Every day at 1 o’clock all the L’Abri community divides up into tables of about 12 and we meet for the heartiest (sp?) of the day at various workers homes throughout the lot. After the meal is dispersed onto everyone’s plates and we’ve had a few moments of quiet, the workers ask: “So does anyone have a question?”. And sometimes quickly or other times after prolonged silence someone at the table will say “I have one”. It can range from truly anywhere on the spectrum: “What is beauty?” “When did sin enter the world?” “How do we overcome shame?” “Why pray?” and anything else. We then proceed to analyze, discuss, and listen to varying opinions on this topic for the next hour or so over tea and dessert.
There are several things I’ve learned from this set up that are very valuable. The most obvious is that we are all seated together, at a table (therefore actually facing one another), with no distractions such as TVs to inhibit conversation. This seems obvious but we SO rarely do it in American culture unless we are actually out at a restaurant rather tan in a home.
Secondly, by posing a question to the entire group rather tan just the person on your left or your best friend the essence of community grows increasingly because you are discussing it jointly as a whole rather than as divided segments.
And finally, truly meaningful conversation is developed and as a result authentic community is dug into. This is a reslt of talking about things that are at the core of humanity, the spirit, or a religious faith rather than discussing such mindless and sometime self revolving topics as what you did today, what awaits you tomorrow, or the score of the basketball game.
Is it often uncomfortable? Yes. Sometimes confrontational? Absolutely. Does it make me rely heavily on my listening, thinking, and patient skills? Most definitely. But aren’t all of these aspects of true growth?
True intimacy is made when we are in a home together, packed around a table, and talking bout matters that are deeply impacting one another’s worlds. Obviously conversation doesn’t need to always be this intense but I’ve seen that an hour a day of it can be beyond enriching.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Getting Some Lists Out of My System
So since I really miss making my own schedule and having to do lists I thought that I would do a quick “list” blog for you all! =)
To be praying for:
- I’ve had an awful headache here the last 3 days and no migraine meds for it. Please just pray that it goes away.
- I’m trying to go visit Joni for 3 days before I meet up with Ashley and it’s more expensive than I thought it’d be and really hard to plan when I get an hour a week on the comp!
- That I could continue to concentrate and seep in all the info and curriculum here. I’m definitely getting weary of the study schedule and am just asking for perseverance and passion every day to keep at it!
Music I’ve been listening to:
-Mercy- Drew Holcomb
-Sweetly Broken- Jeremy Riddle, Lindsay swain shout out there!
-Ticket Home- Sandra McCracken
- Lots of Bon Iver, Griffin House, Radiohead and Will Hoge as always
Books to Read:
Fiction: Firefly Lane, The Things They Carried
Spiritual: Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning (oh my goodness! Truly amazing- good for identity, God’s love, and regaining an authentic relationship with God), Being Human- Susan McCauley, The Shack- read it again if you already have ( that’s what I did here and learned completely new things), Life of the Beloved- Henri Nouwen, The Trilogy- Francis Schaeffer. –See how busy I’ve been?!?
Lots of you have asked what my days are like here so here is my daily schedule:
8 am- breakfast,
930- start work: either gardening, cooking or cleaning
11- tea break
1- lunch with discussions over a topic that someone throws out
230- study
4- tea break
6- dinner-
730- film discussions or lectures
Then its usually to the pub or bed!
loving you guys
To be praying for:
- I’ve had an awful headache here the last 3 days and no migraine meds for it. Please just pray that it goes away.
- I’m trying to go visit Joni for 3 days before I meet up with Ashley and it’s more expensive than I thought it’d be and really hard to plan when I get an hour a week on the comp!
- That I could continue to concentrate and seep in all the info and curriculum here. I’m definitely getting weary of the study schedule and am just asking for perseverance and passion every day to keep at it!
Music I’ve been listening to:
-Mercy- Drew Holcomb
-Sweetly Broken- Jeremy Riddle, Lindsay swain shout out there!
-Ticket Home- Sandra McCracken
- Lots of Bon Iver, Griffin House, Radiohead and Will Hoge as always
Books to Read:
Fiction: Firefly Lane, The Things They Carried
Spiritual: Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning (oh my goodness! Truly amazing- good for identity, God’s love, and regaining an authentic relationship with God), Being Human- Susan McCauley, The Shack- read it again if you already have ( that’s what I did here and learned completely new things), Life of the Beloved- Henri Nouwen, The Trilogy- Francis Schaeffer. –See how busy I’ve been?!?
Lots of you have asked what my days are like here so here is my daily schedule:
8 am- breakfast,
930- start work: either gardening, cooking or cleaning
11- tea break
1- lunch with discussions over a topic that someone throws out
230- study
4- tea break
6- dinner-
730- film discussions or lectures
Then its usually to the pub or bed!
loving you guys
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Oxford In All Its' Beauty
Okay so today we got up early and got on a train to head into Oxford. By we I mean my two new friends that came this week, Andie from Richmond and Kristine from Belgium (I've become very good friends with these two), and AJ and Quinn. The train ride here was breathtaking with the country side surrounding us. Then we got into this city and I just want to HUG it! The buildings are gorgeous with small narrow streets. Tonight we are going to see some CS Lewis and JR Tolkien sights and go to the pub where they wrote their books. We are also going to go the "Bear" which is the oldest pub in the world for dinner!!!
It has been beyond refreshing to be out of the Manor for awhile. This week has been very challenging as I've had some very intense discussions at L'Abri with some people who weren't believers and just with the personal study schedule I am involved in right now. I knew that it would be this intense before I got here but actually living that out every day is beginning to exhaust me and really wear me down. So I am thankful to get out for awhile and then gear back up for another 2 weeks. Andie's dad travels here a lot so he can get us complimentary hotels. We are going to leave L'Abri a few days early and go to London and possibly Belgium or Paris before I go to Scotland to visit Joni and then back to London to meet Ashley. SCORE!
Today on the train here this lady in her 70s was singing so loud for at least one whole train ride from one stop to the next. Why? This is a mystery but it kept us laughing for a long time. Crazy people are everywhere I guess. So if you all don't know- The British are mad for Michael Jackson and I read in the paper earlier this week that TWELVE people have committed suicide since his death here. What the freak?!?!? I honestly don't even have words for that but just thought I'd throw that tid bit out there.
We climbed to the top of this tower today that is in central Oxford called Carfax (very long dizzying way up these old spiral staircases) and the view was truly breathtaking. It feels great to be here and we are definitely soaking it all in.
A Scotish word for you all to take on the road:Kirby grip= bobby pin, pure Mad whitted=drunk
It has been beyond refreshing to be out of the Manor for awhile. This week has been very challenging as I've had some very intense discussions at L'Abri with some people who weren't believers and just with the personal study schedule I am involved in right now. I knew that it would be this intense before I got here but actually living that out every day is beginning to exhaust me and really wear me down. So I am thankful to get out for awhile and then gear back up for another 2 weeks. Andie's dad travels here a lot so he can get us complimentary hotels. We are going to leave L'Abri a few days early and go to London and possibly Belgium or Paris before I go to Scotland to visit Joni and then back to London to meet Ashley. SCORE!
Today on the train here this lady in her 70s was singing so loud for at least one whole train ride from one stop to the next. Why? This is a mystery but it kept us laughing for a long time. Crazy people are everywhere I guess. So if you all don't know- The British are mad for Michael Jackson and I read in the paper earlier this week that TWELVE people have committed suicide since his death here. What the freak?!?!? I honestly don't even have words for that but just thought I'd throw that tid bit out there.
We climbed to the top of this tower today that is in central Oxford called Carfax (very long dizzying way up these old spiral staircases) and the view was truly breathtaking. It feels great to be here and we are definitely soaking it all in.
A Scotish word for you all to take on the road:Kirby grip= bobby pin, pure Mad whitted=drunk
Time With Ellis
At lunch the other day we started discussing the post-modern views and life style. I am going to attempt my best to write these ideas out but I am still grappling with them myself so it might not come across every clear. The post modern priorities are fun and freedom so whatever we do the focus is to make sure that we are having fun and freedom or at least working towards that. You eliminate all things (a hard marriage, kids, hard job, etc)in order to have these. We are working as institutions and people to make all people equal in all ways over the world. We have this mindset of demanding equality for all people because it's all of their rights. When Ellis told me that this was wrong I immediately got so defensive and challenged him on how that could contradict the gospel.
He looked me dead in the eye and said "Well because child, we do not have any rights. Our rights are death and hell."
I was so quieted that I could not say anything but tears welled in my eyes within 30 seconds. I walked away from there feeling like I think I just got the gospel for the first time ever. When I asked Ellis how you to fight for the poor then and what that is supposed to look like if I thought before it was meant to be demanding equality. He said that the Bible tells us to fight for justice certainly but we do not demand our "rights" to God. So we fight for a man to be freed from slavery, we fight for homosexuals to not be outcast or considered unworthy, we fight for people to eat 3 meals a day but we do NOT demand it because it is their as a human being to eat 3 meals a day. We don't have that right. Our right is to burn in hell. But we do live presently in grace and we live out of that grace to fight for justice for those in need and without a voice.
We talked about homosexuals too and I had a lot of questions for him about that. He had so much wisdom to offer about how to love them and live in community with them without approving of that lifestyle. He talked about how one of his best friends came out as a transsexual years ago and how he and one other man were the only ones who continued to keep up their friendships with him. When his friends asked him: "How do you continue to live in community with him and be the renown Christian that you are?" he responded with: "Oh well I guess that would mean then that I shouldn't talk to you anymore at all either because you gossip like no one I know.". Great wisdom...
Another good quote by him: "When you are angry against the injustice in the world, God is angry with you against the devil. You aren't angry that you don't get your rights. you are angry at the distortion of God's truth."
He looked me dead in the eye and said "Well because child, we do not have any rights. Our rights are death and hell."
I was so quieted that I could not say anything but tears welled in my eyes within 30 seconds. I walked away from there feeling like I think I just got the gospel for the first time ever. When I asked Ellis how you to fight for the poor then and what that is supposed to look like if I thought before it was meant to be demanding equality. He said that the Bible tells us to fight for justice certainly but we do not demand our "rights" to God. So we fight for a man to be freed from slavery, we fight for homosexuals to not be outcast or considered unworthy, we fight for people to eat 3 meals a day but we do NOT demand it because it is their as a human being to eat 3 meals a day. We don't have that right. Our right is to burn in hell. But we do live presently in grace and we live out of that grace to fight for justice for those in need and without a voice.
We talked about homosexuals too and I had a lot of questions for him about that. He had so much wisdom to offer about how to love them and live in community with them without approving of that lifestyle. He talked about how one of his best friends came out as a transsexual years ago and how he and one other man were the only ones who continued to keep up their friendships with him. When his friends asked him: "How do you continue to live in community with him and be the renown Christian that you are?" he responded with: "Oh well I guess that would mean then that I shouldn't talk to you anymore at all either because you gossip like no one I know.". Great wisdom...
Another good quote by him: "When you are angry against the injustice in the world, God is angry with you against the devil. You aren't angry that you don't get your rights. you are angry at the distortion of God's truth."
Saturday, July 4, 2009
bang! pow! pop! ...no fireworks here.
Yesterday was the 4th and it was really fun although absent of fireworks. we had a BBQ, bonfire, and games of kickball and capture the flag late into the night. It was celebrated sufficiently for my taste though many of the other Americans here were longing to be home.
friday night after lecture my friends Joni and Chris and i all went outside with blankets and tea to look at the stars. I'd been telling both of them that I really wanted us to all exchange life stories to which they both reacted to with laughter- they did not know how serious I was being. We ended ups tayingup out there until around 2 talking. Its been so interesting to see how much my friendships with both of them have grown since then- even in just two days time. It just reaffrims in me the idea that EVERYONE longs to be known and that we are truly created for this.
Saturday for lunch I had an amazing discussion with Ellis Potter about God's love and the frustrations I've had with it. I'd try to walk you all throgh our discussion but it would require several more hours than what I have in front of a computer. I will try to type out some of his comments below as well as some of the material I'm reading in a way that might make sense though. I will say here thoughthat I walked away feeling understood and actually having taken a couple new steps forward in this journey- baby steps but steps all the same.
Joni leaves tomorrow morning so we are going to the pub tonight for a round of drinks in her honor. She will be sorely missed of course especially since I am learning about 3-4 new Scottish words a day right now and they all crack me up. I do ask that you all pray for her and her journey after she leaves here- that Jesus would just smother her in affirmation, love, and peace.
There are many good days ahead here at L'Abri and I anxiously await them each. Today I went running after church and I am running by this MASSIVE field that is growing lavender (perhaps one of the most amazing sights ever) and then I look to my right and there is a herd of sheep trotting down this hill with their little sheperd leading them. I just started smiling so big and realized how I am taking in Jesus everywhere around me here and not just when my nose is in the book.
Go Federer! I'm cheering you on today and loving being so close to you as you hopefully take away yet another victory against Rodick!
His definition of love: A series of responsible choices that one makes in order to promote the other person's life. His feelings of us do change by what we do (when we make good choices or bad choices) but His feelings of us are not a reflection of His love. His love is His blood over us, His atoning sacrifice, His grace ovr us! And that's the foundation of His love. If you forget this element then you go wildly spinning down quickly because then you begin to put His love in a box based on what He feels about you at the time. Even when He is angry with us- He KEEPS us. He never throws us away. you don't do feelings, you do love. There is no amount of delight that we can bring him, nor anger than we can stir up in Him that would draw us closer to Him or take us further away from Him. He always keeps us close no matter what.
friday night after lecture my friends Joni and Chris and i all went outside with blankets and tea to look at the stars. I'd been telling both of them that I really wanted us to all exchange life stories to which they both reacted to with laughter- they did not know how serious I was being. We ended ups tayingup out there until around 2 talking. Its been so interesting to see how much my friendships with both of them have grown since then- even in just two days time. It just reaffrims in me the idea that EVERYONE longs to be known and that we are truly created for this.
Saturday for lunch I had an amazing discussion with Ellis Potter about God's love and the frustrations I've had with it. I'd try to walk you all throgh our discussion but it would require several more hours than what I have in front of a computer. I will try to type out some of his comments below as well as some of the material I'm reading in a way that might make sense though. I will say here thoughthat I walked away feeling understood and actually having taken a couple new steps forward in this journey- baby steps but steps all the same.
Joni leaves tomorrow morning so we are going to the pub tonight for a round of drinks in her honor. She will be sorely missed of course especially since I am learning about 3-4 new Scottish words a day right now and they all crack me up. I do ask that you all pray for her and her journey after she leaves here- that Jesus would just smother her in affirmation, love, and peace.
There are many good days ahead here at L'Abri and I anxiously await them each. Today I went running after church and I am running by this MASSIVE field that is growing lavender (perhaps one of the most amazing sights ever) and then I look to my right and there is a herd of sheep trotting down this hill with their little sheperd leading them. I just started smiling so big and realized how I am taking in Jesus everywhere around me here and not just when my nose is in the book.
Go Federer! I'm cheering you on today and loving being so close to you as you hopefully take away yet another victory against Rodick!
His definition of love: A series of responsible choices that one makes in order to promote the other person's life. His feelings of us do change by what we do (when we make good choices or bad choices) but His feelings of us are not a reflection of His love. His love is His blood over us, His atoning sacrifice, His grace ovr us! And that's the foundation of His love. If you forget this element then you go wildly spinning down quickly because then you begin to put His love in a box based on what He feels about you at the time. Even when He is angry with us- He KEEPS us. He never throws us away. you don't do feelings, you do love. There is no amount of delight that we can bring him, nor anger than we can stir up in Him that would draw us closer to Him or take us further away from Him. He always keeps us close no matter what.
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