My life, just at this moment, seems to be a bizarre juxtaposition of the completely surreal and the completely practical.
It seems my life has yet again been hijacked by Jesus. And that hijacking is resulting in some completely surreal experiences. (And a serious lack of sleep.)
On the other hand, there are some completely practical things consuming me as well.
Like the desperate need to do laundry (especially since I may be going away for the weekend again.)
Like the 125 dollars poorer I am after my laptop cable needed to be replaced tonight.
Like the library books that need to either be renewed or returned this week.
Like the recycling that needs to go to the bottle depot and is sitting in George's trunk just presently.
And a clogged bathtub drain. Does anyone know how to rectify a clogged bathtub drain without calling a plumber? Or, more practically yet, does anyone out there want to come over and fix my clogged bathtub drain for me (without calling a plumber??).
This is my juxtaposed, surreal, practical life (and despite the dozens of frustrations and wrestles in both of those categories, tonight I don't think I'd trade it.)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Headlines
I'm in the midst of scrambling to get some projects finished, and to take some time to simply quiet myself and write. (all of which were complicated by the sudden failure of my laptop power cord tonight, and the subsequent rush to the only store still open with a prayer that they would have a replacement. they thankfully did, but my wallet is significantly skinnier than it was an hour ago. ah well...)
Anyway... in the midst of everything else, here are a couple of headlines that caught my attention today...
Crackdown Vowed After Tanzanian Albino Girl Killed, Mutilated
Human Heads Sent to Mexico Police
Anyway... in the midst of everything else, here are a couple of headlines that caught my attention today...
Crackdown Vowed After Tanzanian Albino Girl Killed, Mutilated
Human Heads Sent to Mexico Police
Monday, October 20, 2008
Henri Nouwen on Church
more thoughts from Henri Nouwen...
Called out of Slavery
The Church is the people of God. The Latin word for "church," ecclesia, comes from the Greek ek, which means "out," and kaleo, which means "to call." The Church is the people of God called out of slavery to freedom, sin to salvation, despair to hope, darkness to light, an existence centered on death to an existence focused on life.
When we think of Church we have to think of a body of people, travelling together. We have to envision women, men, and children of all ages, races, and societies supporting one another on their long and often tiresome journeys to their final home.
The Church, Spotless and Tainted
The Church is holy and sinful, spotless and tainted. The Church is the bride of Christ, who washed her in cleansing water and took her to himself "with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless" (Ephesians 5:26-27). The Church too is a group of sinful, confused, anguished people constantly tempted by the powers of lust and greed and always entangled in rivalry and competition.
When we say that the Church is a body, we refer not only to the holy and faultless body made Christ-like through baptism and Eucharist but also to the broken bodies of all the people who are its members. Only when we keep both these ways of thinking and speaking together can we live in the Church as true followers of Jesus.
Believing in the Church
The Church is an object of faith. In the Apostles' Creed we pray: "I believe in God, the Father, ... in Jesus Christ, his only Son in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." We must believe in the Church! The Apostles' Creed does not say that the Church is an organization that helps us to believe in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No, we are called to believe in the Church with the same faith we believe in God.
Often it seems harder to believe in the Church than to believe in God. But whenever we separate our belief in God from our belief in the Church, we become unbelievers. God has given us the Church as the place where God becomes God-with-us.
Called out of Slavery
The Church is the people of God. The Latin word for "church," ecclesia, comes from the Greek ek, which means "out," and kaleo, which means "to call." The Church is the people of God called out of slavery to freedom, sin to salvation, despair to hope, darkness to light, an existence centered on death to an existence focused on life.
When we think of Church we have to think of a body of people, travelling together. We have to envision women, men, and children of all ages, races, and societies supporting one another on their long and often tiresome journeys to their final home.
The Church, Spotless and Tainted
The Church is holy and sinful, spotless and tainted. The Church is the bride of Christ, who washed her in cleansing water and took her to himself "with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless" (Ephesians 5:26-27). The Church too is a group of sinful, confused, anguished people constantly tempted by the powers of lust and greed and always entangled in rivalry and competition.
When we say that the Church is a body, we refer not only to the holy and faultless body made Christ-like through baptism and Eucharist but also to the broken bodies of all the people who are its members. Only when we keep both these ways of thinking and speaking together can we live in the Church as true followers of Jesus.
Believing in the Church
The Church is an object of faith. In the Apostles' Creed we pray: "I believe in God, the Father, ... in Jesus Christ, his only Son in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." We must believe in the Church! The Apostles' Creed does not say that the Church is an organization that helps us to believe in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No, we are called to believe in the Church with the same faith we believe in God.
Often it seems harder to believe in the Church than to believe in God. But whenever we separate our belief in God from our belief in the Church, we become unbelievers. God has given us the Church as the place where God becomes God-with-us.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Monastery Stays
Liked this article... will definitely have to look into this option the next time I go to Europe.
Praise You In This Storm
I was at the church I grew up in this morning for the first time in a long while, because my brother had asked me to attend. He is now on staff at the church as their worship pastor, but a worship band that he is a part of from his bible college was playing at the church this morning, and T. had asked several times if I would attend.
One of the girls on the worship band sang this song, and oh, it caught at me.
My heart is tender and broken today, wrestling with many things seen and heard, and as she sang, just for a few moments, Jesus drew near.
So needed in the midst of a very hard day.
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