Bob Carlton, on his blog The Corner, offers this wonderful advent meditation. I’m shamelessly copying it, but his blog is a good one to read, if you’re so inclined. Enjoy:
I am heading for a time of quiet
When my restlessness is past
And I can lie down on my blanket
And release my fists at last
I am heading for a time of solitude
Of peace without illusions
When the perfect circle
Marries all beginnings and conclusions
And when they say
That you’re not good enough
Well the answer is
You’re not
But who are they
Or what is it
That eats at what you’ve got
With the hunger of ambition
For the change inside the purse
They are handcuffs on the soul, my friends
Handcuffs on the soul
And worse
I am heading for a place of quiet
Where the sage and sweetgrass grow
By a lake of sacred water
From the mountain’s melted snow
Here’s another good blog suggestion: Real Live Preacher. This is the blog of Gordon Atkinson, an (American?) Baptist pastor in San Antonio, Texas. You can read more about his blog on his about page, where you’ll find that he has a book of his essays published, has written for the Christian Century, and takes to serious looking pictures.
Atkinson’s writing is penetrating, honest, probing. Take a look at your leisure.
I bring it up because I was struck by tonight’s post “Dear RLP,” an exchange between Atkinson and a reader Tina. I think this is just remarkable:
Dear RLP,
I’ve often wondered, since you’re an unusual sort of Baptist, what your thoughts are on “progressive” (for lack of a better word) Christianity. I’ve just finished The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur and I have been reading a lot of books by John Spong, Marcus Borg and the like. I think I would have left the church forever if not for the insights of some of the authors.
All the best,
Tina
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
Dear Tina,
Much of my life has been spent trying to find a balance between progressive, or liberal Christian ideas and the conservative, evangelical Christianity of my youth. That’s probably why I’m still a Baptist. The Baptist community is broad and diverse.
I think The Church needs the full spectrum of her theology. Look, when it comes to God, our language isn’t going to cut it anyway. How descriptive can we be of a being that is utterly beyond our comprehension? The language of conservative Christianity speaks to many people. I appreciate that. Hell, I love it. It brings me to tears.
On the other hand, liberal or progressive Christianity speaks to others, myself included. There was a time when liberal theology came to my rescue. It kept me in the game, you might say, while I worked things out for myself. It also made me intellectually proud, and that is a dangerous thing. Pride, in all of its many forms, is truly a spiritual killer.
Were we to be given a glimpse of the true nature of God, I wonder if our theological differences would be vaporized in that blinding moment of enlightenment. We might come away from that experience laughing at words like liberal, conservative, doctrine, and theology.
But whether you use conservative or liberal theological language, the central issue of our faith – as I see it – is finding a passion for the life and teachings of Christ and giving yourself to Him. Becoming a disciple, as we say, and by that I mean trying to live a Christ-like life. The details of your theology are far less important than that commitment.
Trying to live as Jesus lived is a humbling experience. It tends to shatter the pride of the intellectual and subdue the dogmatism of the provincial. Christian living drives us to a place in the middle that we might call Grace.
Theology is nothing more than language. And as nice as language is, it cannot stand up to the beauty of a life given in the service of God and humanity.
Peace,
rlp
One of the things about the Presbyterian Church (USA) is that we too have a diversity of theological views. Go to a presbytery meeting, and there you’ll see what I mean. And that diversity is often threatening to tear us asunder, which isn’t itself a good thing at all. But I agree with Atkinson that “the church needs the full spectrum of its theology.” Thats another way of saying that we human beings don’t get it right on our own and we need one another to correct, affirm, probe, explore what we know about God in deeper and deeper ways.
I came across this post by Liz Mosbo VerHage on her blog Living Theology tonight. I think this is just a wonderful prayer, and I thought you might like to pray it yourself:
Below is one of my favorite fixed prayers, because it allows for my reality (questioning, wondering, waiting) alongside God’s reality (gracious, giving, protecting) - and it reminds me that God is bigger. This is meant to be read during evening prayers:
Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor, today I believe.
Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak, today I believe.
Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart, today I believe.
Lord, You have always kept me safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am, today I believe.
Lord, You have always marked the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden, today I believe.
Lord, You have always lightened this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here, today I believe.
Lord, You have always spoken when time was ripe;
and though you be silent now, today I believe.
- Expressions of Faith, from Evening Prayers, Celtic Daily Prayers
I received a request Sunday to provide the list of things I mentioned at the end of my sermon Sunday that we can be grateful for. The list was illustrative, not meant to offer a complete reflection, but more to prompt imagination. But if it is helpful, here’s the ending to my sermon “Gratitude”…
We can worry about the relatives coming to visit,
and the arguments we might have around the table,
and the drive to get there,
…or we can be thankful for the gifts of family and community.
We can stress about all those gifts we HAVE to buy, you know,
to keep up with the Joneses…
…or we can see our gift giving as less about those things than about the
very people we celebrate in our lives by exchanging simple gifts.
We can stress about our waistlines
…or we can celebrate the incredible bodies that God gave us,
and rejoice that they enable us to live and move and be
in this wonderful world God made
as we strive to keep them healthy and whole.
For gifts of life, of family,
of church, of community, of love,
of winter snow, of quiet reflection, of loud partying,
of song, of delight, of wonder, of prayer, of peace, of grace, of hope, of faith,
…we have SO MUCH to be thankful for.
And let us rejoice that WE GET to be thankful for these things, too.
May God give to us grateful hearts,
that we may do all this poking this season
in celebration for what God has done in our lives.
Saturday my younger brother Joel and his wife Michelle had their first child, Vance Ryan Herring. Here’s a pic of the proud poppa and Vance, my first nephew. Nora and Tessa will have lots of fun playing with their younger (though not by much) cousin. What a wonderful gift!
By all counts, the gathering of 20 and 30 somethings at our house last Saturday was a success: 15 people plus Brook and yours truly partied like rock stars…if rock stars eat BBQ and play games like Apples to Apples and Trivial Pursuit. Who knew that these Southminsterites had so much knowledge about the Bee Gees, the comet Shoemaker-Levi9, the rock band Boston, Brazil (where there is the most deforestation in the southern hemisphere), Pete Sampras, and the former soviet union?
It was a success because we had a great time, and because we had the opportunity for people to meet new folks while enjoying the company of old friends. We had a larger than expected turnout. And it was a success because it was the first opportunity Brook and I had to have people into our home socially since the twins were born.
This is a competative bunch! And they take their games seriously. And its a good thing too: Brook offered our dog Frankie as the grand prize for winning the final round of Trivial Pursuit; only thing was that she was on the winning team, so Frankie and I were both relieved.
This was the first of what we hope will be several events. We’re looking into Bowling for late January, sometime after the Holiday season passes and things start slowing down a bit. Beyond that, perhaps we’ll have a picnic for young adults and their families in the spring, and maybe launch something for those among us without children. And I’m always on the look out for some good ideas. Trips to the movies or theatre? Progressive Dinners? Simple opportunities for good conversation? Tell me: what interests you?
There were 6 or 10 additional people who said that they wanted to get connected to this group but couldn’t make our gathering last week. And there are maybe 10 or 12 more beyond that who were thinking about it. All told, we’ve got a lot of potential for a great young adults crew.
So we still need a serviceable name to call us. If you’ve got ideas for things to do beyond what we listed here, send them to me! And if you’re in this age range and affiliated (however loosely) with Southminster, join us! As you can see from the pictures, we’re a fun crowd.
From the youth group: a warm thank you to all for your generous support. On Sunday we made $592.00 at our Food Court and Bake Sale fundraiser. Those funds will go toward our 2007 work camp fund. And on Wednesday we collected over $115 from the Red Robin fundraiser (which is 10% of our collective bill from eating at Red Robin Wednesday evening), which will go towards the youth group donation to the Capital Campaign! I’d call that a successful week!
You’ve got two opportunities this coming week to support your youth group while eating well!
This Sunday make plans to attend the first 2006-2007 fundraising lunch. All proceeds go to the youth group workcamp fund: previous trips have included work at the Heifer Project Ranch in Arkansas, a trip to Agua Prieta, Mexico, and work in Saint Louis. We’ve not yet decided on a 2007 location, but we’re aiming for Chicago or perhaps an area affected by Hurricane Katrina. $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children gets you two of three items from our “food-court:” American, Mexican, or Italian.
Common reasons for not attending and good retorts:
For those of you who say “well, I’ll miss the Chiefs game!” I answer “fear not!” We’ll have it broadcast so you can cheer the Chiefs to victory over the Rams.
For those who are saying: “I might get sick if I go hang out and break bread with all those people!” I answer: “fear not!” Flu shots are available at our flu shot clinic, conveniently scheduled for that same day.
For those who are saying: “but I really needed some musical entertainment Sunday afternoon” I answer: “haven’t you heard! Dr. Thomas Reed is scheduled to play an organ concert at 3pm that afternoon!”
Friends, this is a great chance to relax and share lunch with your fellow church members while supporting the youth group in its mission. I hope you can join us. While you’re there, buy some homemade baked goods, get ready to rake leaves by purchasing some trash bags, or get an entertainment book (which makes a great Christmas gift!).
THEN, if that’s not enough dining goodness for you, or if you know that you can’t get over the midweek hump without a tasty burger or some delicious onion rings, then the youth have a deal for you: GO EAT AT THE RED ROBIN on 95th and METCALF on Wednesday, November 8th. But before you go: PRINT OFF THIS FLIER and give it to your server. 10% of all the proceeds from people who eat there that night and present this flier will be given to the youth group’s capital campaign fund. There is no limit to what we can get from this fundraiser: share this flier with your friends, co-workers, neighbors, relatives, anyone who you think might be hungry on November 8th.
So there you have it: two great dining opportunities; two easy ways to support your youth. The youth group thanks you!
Joy asked in the comment section if I had suggestions for some other interesting blogs. The answer is: too many! There are a TON of great blogs out there. Really, people are journaling about almost everything under the sun out there. Some of these are informal, some are major productions. Not everything out there is worth the time to read, but some of them really are. And many offer an interesting perspective into what other people are thinking out there. Just remember: don’t believe everything you read out there, and don’t be surprised if you find things you agree with and other things that raise your hackles. Its the nature of the internet, I guess.
So ever so often I’ll post a Blog of the Week or a Blog of the Month or a Blog of the Moment. For now, let me offer a few that are particularly good blogs with a theological bent:
The Thoughtful Christian Blog, Are you Thoughtful?, offers commentary and resources related to the Thoughtful Christian web-based adult Christian education
service. Published by the Presbyterian Westmisnter John Knox Press, this is an ecumenical endeavor that offers some probing questions about the contemporary life of faith.
Jordan Cooper is a Canadian blogger writing about the emergent church. There’s lots out there from the emergent community, but Jordan’s stuff is very interesting. Some other time, if there’s interest, I could offer a slew of emergent church links.
Finally, there’s the Presbyterian Bloggers and their associated blogring (or a collection of blogs who identify somehow with the Presbyterian Church. One of them is Westminster Sermons, where the new pastor at the church I grew up at in Saint Louis posts his weekly offerings from the pulpit. Here is a list of the blogs in the blog ring. Or just find a random blog in the blog ring. Fair warning: Presbyterian bloggers are as diverse as our churches, so expect to find a range of views, from very liberal to very conservative, and everything in between.
That’s just a few that come to mind. I hope you find them helpful. If you do, or if you’ve got some that you read, please post about it in the comment section!
A quick reminder that next week Brook and I are hosting a gathering of Southminster 20 and 30 year olds at our place: BBQ, Soda/Beer/&c, Games and Conversation. Come for some good fellowship! If you think you might be coming, send me an email.
And I’m still trying to find a good name for this group. Any suggestions?
December 4, 2006 
Posted in Faith 
2 Comments » 
Saturday my younger brother Joel and his wife Michelle had their first child, Vance Ryan Herring. Here’s a pic of the proud poppa and Vance, my first nephew. Nora and Tessa will have lots of fun playing with their younger (though not by much) cousin. What a wonderful gift!
You’ve got two opportunities this coming week to support your youth group while eating well!
Chad Andrew Herring :: creature of dust :: child of God :: husband of 9 years :: 
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