it ended as it began: me, susan, jay, and alta working in the kitchen in the afternoon; this time cleaning and packing up. occasionally i'd run out to the parking area to say goodbye to someone. in the morning we gathered a final time to wrap-up, which at times was very emotional.
so much hope for transformation: in our personal lives, in our communities, in our planet.
i have pages of notes to sift through. in the coming weeks and months i hope to have the time and energy to post and share and to gather your thoughts and feelings.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
sustainable lifestyles symposium - day 5
i worked in the kitchen a lot today. alta and kathleen are wonderful. talked with kathleen about her years living in hell's kitchen in nyc, how she was forced from the textile industry by changes in nafta, took up theology at st. mike's, is now a big sister and alta's dear friend and looking for... for something. i rode jay's tadopole, where upon i lost my blackberry which led to a curious string of happenings (it was found, btw). in the evening we went to share's solar power talk. then we celebrated: music, drumming, dance, dress-up!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
sustainable lifestyles symposium - day 4
several of us discussed food policy and govenance with tony mcquail. then 8 of us drove to whole village, a sustainable, intentional ommunity and farm near caledonia where brenda gave us an orientation. on the drive down and back, i got to talk with different people: janie and i grew up in the niagara region and share a desire to bring food awareness to urbanites; tony and fran each talked with me about their farm lives; and jay answered all our questions about bikes and trikes. and gord and tony's discussion on vegetarian and meat diets was enlightening. and i found out, much to my surprise, that ian is not a teacher, but a former businessman turned quaker chaplain. the evening we watched and discussed The Power of Community: How Cuba survived peak oil.
pat, tony and fran, and ian had all been to cuba.
while washing dishes with tony, i asked him about being a quaker. i've been lucky enough to spend a whole day with this deeply thoughful, integrated, spiritual, peaceful, considerate human being.
pat, tony and fran, and ian had all been to cuba.
while washing dishes with tony, i asked him about being a quaker. i've been lucky enough to spend a whole day with this deeply thoughful, integrated, spiritual, peaceful, considerate human being.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
sustainable lifestyles symposium - day 3
i stayed home today to work with family matters. i missed out on some cool stuff, but i had a great time with wes. i got out there for supper (the food is amazing, btw -- alta is an amazing person and cook). i washed dishes with bruce gillis and found out a lot about site 41 and living in nunavut. the evening's speakers were fran and tony mcquail, well-known ecological farmers near goderich. afterwards, i got the banjo out and an impromptu singalong happened with john, ravi, pat, alta, sue, and myself.
sustainable lifestyles symposium - day 2
jillian hovey of the Sustainable Living Network gave three worKshops on permaculture and after supper a slideshow of homes made from natural materials and using natural means of cycling energy, water, and waste. she also brought hundreds of books for sale from www.sustainablelivingbooks.com
of which i bought two: Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability by david holmgren and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by jared diamond.
jay showed a group of us her tadpole trike on which she rides year-round (i don't know if this is the exact model or manufacturer, but it's pretty close).
of which i bought two: Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability by david holmgren and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by jared diamond.
jay showed a group of us her tadpole trike on which she rides year-round (i don't know if this is the exact model or manufacturer, but it's pretty close).
Sunday, August 20, 2006
sustainable lifestyles symposium - day 1
sunday, breezy and sunny at camp neekaunis on georgian bay.
arrived at 2 pm, registered for the sustainable lifestyles symposium, and pretty soon at work in the kitchen making vegan tortiere an roast vegetables for 2 dozen or so. already making heart-friends and sharing life-stories.
met at 5 with everyone for an intro to each other and the symposium. after supper, a teleconference with lois barber of the world future council and pru moore of 2020 vision.
met people with lots of experience and skills in facilitating and/or healing.
bought two books from sustainable living books
homework tonight: strategic planning workbook for my personal future for a low energy, low carbon world. wish i had more time to write in depth.
arrived at 2 pm, registered for the sustainable lifestyles symposium, and pretty soon at work in the kitchen making vegan tortiere an roast vegetables for 2 dozen or so. already making heart-friends and sharing life-stories.
met at 5 with everyone for an intro to each other and the symposium. after supper, a teleconference with lois barber of the world future council and pru moore of 2020 vision.
met people with lots of experience and skills in facilitating and/or healing.
bought two books from sustainable living books
homework tonight: strategic planning workbook for my personal future for a low energy, low carbon world. wish i had more time to write in depth.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
eco-catastrophe and the new creation
as a teenager when i first became aware of the politics of food, i made a sign with crayons on yellow construction paper and tacked it to my bedroom wall: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.
through a series of fortunate coincidences, or perhaps because i am dancing ever closer with the True Music, i came across this quote by John Robbins:
"Maybe we aren't on a one-way road to oblivion. Maybe we're standing at a crossroad, facing what may be the most important choice human beings have ever faced, a choice between two directions. In one direction is what we will have if we do nothing to alter our present course. By doing nothing, we are choosing a world of pollution and extinctions, of widening chasms and deepening despair, a world where humanity moves ever farther from achieving its highest aspirations and ever nearer to living its darkest fears.
"Our other choice is to actively engage with the living world. On this path we work responsibly and joyfully to make our lives, and our societies, into expressions of our love for ourselves, for each other, and for the living Earth. In this direction we honor our longing to give our children, and all children, a world with clean air and water, with blue skies and abundant wildlife, with a stable climate and a healthy environment.
"If you live with fear for our future, you are not alone.
"If you live with dreams of a better world, you are not alone."
John Robbins, The Food Revolution
confession: i've never made it to the end of the bible; never read revelation; afterall, isn't that where all those rapture-crazed fundamentalists find their inspiration? i'm not interested in the rapture; not interested foresaking this world for the next; don't go in for some elitist club of predestined select; jesus came to save us all; and to foresake this beautiful jewel of god's creation seems downright sinful. but evidently, from the discussions in the small groups, the book of revelation lives up to its name; however, it is a very difficult and controversial writing, with many schools of interpretation.
"If you live with fear for our future, you are not alone. If you live with dreams of a better world, you are not alone."
we are what we eat. may we eat well.
through a series of fortunate coincidences, or perhaps because i am dancing ever closer with the True Music, i came across this quote by John Robbins:
"Maybe we aren't on a one-way road to oblivion. Maybe we're standing at a crossroad, facing what may be the most important choice human beings have ever faced, a choice between two directions. In one direction is what we will have if we do nothing to alter our present course. By doing nothing, we are choosing a world of pollution and extinctions, of widening chasms and deepening despair, a world where humanity moves ever farther from achieving its highest aspirations and ever nearer to living its darkest fears.
"Our other choice is to actively engage with the living world. On this path we work responsibly and joyfully to make our lives, and our societies, into expressions of our love for ourselves, for each other, and for the living Earth. In this direction we honor our longing to give our children, and all children, a world with clean air and water, with blue skies and abundant wildlife, with a stable climate and a healthy environment.
"If you live with fear for our future, you are not alone.
"If you live with dreams of a better world, you are not alone."
John Robbins, The Food Revolution
confession: i've never made it to the end of the bible; never read revelation; afterall, isn't that where all those rapture-crazed fundamentalists find their inspiration? i'm not interested in the rapture; not interested foresaking this world for the next; don't go in for some elitist club of predestined select; jesus came to save us all; and to foresake this beautiful jewel of god's creation seems downright sinful. but evidently, from the discussions in the small groups, the book of revelation lives up to its name; however, it is a very difficult and controversial writing, with many schools of interpretation.
nevertheless, there will be an end of days and a second coming of christ in a world made new. a popular view is that this world will be destroyed and a new one created, like noah and the flood.
but, in conversation with pastor kitson, we discussed an alternative: that this world will be transformed to the new, through a cleansing and purging, as in a crucible.
and i dimly remember a conversation with kate long ago and late into the day, that perhaps in the new world we will come to see god in each one of us and so bring about the second coming.
and perhaps, then, we are in the midst of this transformation, and each of us stands at our personal crossroad, and collectively we stand at the crossroad of creation.
the personal is political, the inward is outward, and within you without you.
so, as you and i stand at the crossroad, be careful we don't take the wrong turn and follow those on the path of destruction, for "their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."
"If you live with fear for our future, you are not alone. If you live with dreams of a better world, you are not alone."
we are what we eat. may we eat well.
Friday, July 21, 2006
purpose
preamble
(i just noticed that the symbol in blogger for creating a new post is a green cross:
.)
i've had many dialogues as of late with kate, jim, wes, sue, and with the beta group. i made some preparatory notes for a meeting with pastor kitson, and i present them here. jim and i didn't discuss everything in my notes. of course we discussed things beyond my notes; i'll try to include some of these as i remember them. i'll probably make this a series of posts.
membership at knox
after the basics 101 course, we were invited to become members of knox, and several of us did so last sunday. i have chosen not to, not yet. i've vowed to give myself a year at knox, a year until easter 2007, a year to wait and see.
wait
wait to prove myself out, because i am often rash and jump into things
see
see what my purpose truly is
my purpose
i came to god, as you may recall from my posts in march, seeking a purpose to the universe and my purpose within it. it's simple:
my purpose is to fulfill god's purpose for me.
god has a general purpose for all of us:
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
and:
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
within these general purposes i must seek god's purpose for me. becoming a christian is only the beginning. i have so much to learn, and i'm blessed to have a wonderful community at knox midland in which to share that learning:
direct purpose or indirect?
so, is it my main purpose to serve god directly through worship and evangelism ( to "love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence" and "Go out and train everyone you meet") where i am explicitly a christian; or is it my main purpose to serve god indirectly through stewardship of god's creation, such as environmentalism, where i am not explicitly a christian. (by explicit i mean that it is made clear to all that everything i do serves god, like calling your business "Born Again Environmental Assessments" rather than "Georgian Bay Environmental Assessments" or making explicit scriptural references in my assessments and reports).
similarly, is it better — better for me — to work for the salvation of souls or is it better for me to work for the salvation of wetlands, if in the salvation of wetlands i am being a steward of god's creation?
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
to be continued...
next: eco-catastrophe and the new creation
(i just noticed that the symbol in blogger for creating a new post is a green cross:
.)i've had many dialogues as of late with kate, jim, wes, sue, and with the beta group. i made some preparatory notes for a meeting with pastor kitson, and i present them here. jim and i didn't discuss everything in my notes. of course we discussed things beyond my notes; i'll try to include some of these as i remember them. i'll probably make this a series of posts.
membership at knox
after the basics 101 course, we were invited to become members of knox, and several of us did so last sunday. i have chosen not to, not yet. i've vowed to give myself a year at knox, a year until easter 2007, a year to wait and see.
wait
wait to prove myself out, because i am often rash and jump into things
see
see what my purpose truly is
my purpose
i came to god, as you may recall from my posts in march, seeking a purpose to the universe and my purpose within it. it's simple:
my purpose is to fulfill god's purpose for me.
god has a general purpose for all of us:
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
and:
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
within these general purposes i must seek god's purpose for me. becoming a christian is only the beginning. i have so much to learn, and i'm blessed to have a wonderful community at knox midland in which to share that learning:
- learn about god
- learn about my community, church and unchurched
- learn about my family, my friends
- learn about my self
direct purpose or indirect?
so, is it my main purpose to serve god directly through worship and evangelism ( to "love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence" and "Go out and train everyone you meet") where i am explicitly a christian; or is it my main purpose to serve god indirectly through stewardship of god's creation, such as environmentalism, where i am not explicitly a christian. (by explicit i mean that it is made clear to all that everything i do serves god, like calling your business "Born Again Environmental Assessments" rather than "Georgian Bay Environmental Assessments" or making explicit scriptural references in my assessments and reports).
similarly, is it better — better for me — to work for the salvation of souls or is it better for me to work for the salvation of wetlands, if in the salvation of wetlands i am being a steward of god's creation?
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
to be continued...
next: eco-catastrophe and the new creation
Thursday, July 13, 2006
fallow time
my posts over the last few months have mostly been snippets of lyrics and such. i haven't posted my own thoughts and feelings since early april.
this week i'm feeling low-energy; i'm also pensive and uncertain. in my twenties, not recognizing this low for what it is, i would have tailspun into depression, but now, in my forties, i know myself better: this is an emotional and intellectual fallow period.
what i need is a little more time to myself: good sleep, fresh fruit, long walks and sunshine.
this week i'm feeling low-energy; i'm also pensive and uncertain. in my twenties, not recognizing this low for what it is, i would have tailspun into depression, but now, in my forties, i know myself better: this is an emotional and intellectual fallow period.
what i need is a little more time to myself: good sleep, fresh fruit, long walks and sunshine.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
"where in the empire do you want to live?"
enigmatic question on tammy's t-shirt. any thoughts? feelings? directions? googlemap urls? encoded missives?
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
a matter of joy
"Fear seems to rule our lives, our politics and our world. Fear of terrorism, fear of death, fear of old age, of loneliness, of illness, of being attacked or abused. Fear is the cause of environmental problems, which cannot be solved by fear of global catastrophe. There are better reasons to care for the Earth. Environmentalism is a way of life, not a way of crisis management. Caring for the Earth community, which includes the human community, is a matter of joy, and not a matter of compulsion.
"With best wishes,
"With best wishes,
Satish Kumar
Editor and publisher
Friday, June 30, 2006
Nothing fails like success
No matter how hard you try
Life won't give a moment's rest
And now you've come to know that
Nothing fails like success
-- Harry Manx "Nothing Fails Like Success" Mantras For Madmen Dog My Cat records 2005
Life won't give a moment's rest
And now you've come to know that
Nothing fails like success
-- Harry Manx "Nothing Fails Like Success" Mantras For Madmen Dog My Cat records 2005
Friday, June 09, 2006
bwg
here's the embryo of a song based on a prayer by jim kitson
the melody and chords are in my head; i'll work them out later
BWG
O God,
I Believe
your Son died for me
and now intercedes
for me before your throne
I Welcome
your Holy Spirit
to bring to birth
and empower new life
I Glorify
Your holy name
and through all you do
and through me forevermore
Amen
it could be sung again with a slight change in pronoun:
We Believe
your Son died for us
and now intercedes
for us before your throne
We Welcome
your Holy Spirit
to bring to birth
and empower new life
We Glorify
Your holy name
and through all you do
and through us forevermore
the melody and chords are in my head; i'll work them out later
BWG
O God,
I Believe
your Son died for me
and now intercedes
for me before your throne
I Welcome
your Holy Spirit
to bring to birth
and empower new life
I Glorify
Your holy name
and through all you do
and through me forevermore
Amen
it could be sung again with a slight change in pronoun:
We Believe
your Son died for us
and now intercedes
for us before your throne
We Welcome
your Holy Spirit
to bring to birth
and empower new life
We Glorify
Your holy name
and through all you do
and through us forevermore
lubbock or leave it
the dixie chicks ask a good question on this song from their new album, taking the long way:
Dust bowl, Bible belt
Got more churches than trees
Raise me, praise me, couldn't save me
Couldn't keep me on my knees
Oh, boy, rave on down loop 289
That'll be the day you see me back
In this fool's paradise
Temptation's strong
(Salvation's gone)
I'm on my way
To hell's half acre
How will I ever
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Throwing stones from the top of your rock
Thinking no one can see
The secrets you hide behind
Your southern hospitality
On the strip the kids get lit
So they can have a real good time
Come Sunday they can just take their pick
From the crucifix skyline
Temptation's strong
(Salvation's gone)
I'm on my way
To hell's half acre
How will I ever
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Get to heaven now
International airport
A quarter after nine
Paris Texas, Athens Georgia's
Not what I had in mind
As I'm getting out I laugh to myself
Cause this is the only place
Where as you're getting on the plane
You see Buddy Holly's face
I hear they hate me now
Just like they hated you
Maybe when I'm dead and gone
I'm gonna get a statue too
Temptation's strong
(Salvation's gone)
I'm on my way
To hell's half acre
How will I ever
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Get to heaven now
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Dust bowl, Bible belt
Got more churches than trees
Raise me, praise me, couldn't save me
Couldn't keep me on my knees
Oh, boy, rave on down loop 289
That'll be the day you see me back
In this fool's paradise
Temptation's strong
(Salvation's gone)
I'm on my way
To hell's half acre
How will I ever
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Throwing stones from the top of your rock
Thinking no one can see
The secrets you hide behind
Your southern hospitality
On the strip the kids get lit
So they can have a real good time
Come Sunday they can just take their pick
From the crucifix skyline
Temptation's strong
(Salvation's gone)
I'm on my way
To hell's half acre
How will I ever
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Get to heaven now
International airport
A quarter after nine
Paris Texas, Athens Georgia's
Not what I had in mind
As I'm getting out I laugh to myself
Cause this is the only place
Where as you're getting on the plane
You see Buddy Holly's face
I hear they hate me now
Just like they hated you
Maybe when I'm dead and gone
I'm gonna get a statue too
Temptation's strong
(Salvation's gone)
I'm on my way
To hell's half acre
How will I ever
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Get to heaven now
How will I ever
Get to heaven now
Saturday, May 27, 2006
maybe the poet
here's a song about the truth that inspired me twenty-odd years ago. karen and i visited the salvadoran refugee camps in honduras at that time, and i carried cockburn's lyrics with me in my notebook.
Maybe the poet is gay
But he'll be heard anyway
Maybe the poet is drugged
But he won't stay under the rug
Maybe the voice of the Spirit
In which case you'd better hear it
Maybe he's a woman
Who can touch you where you're human
Shoot him up with pentothal
Shoot him up with lead
You won't call back what's been said
Put him in the ground
But one day you'll look around
There'll be a face you don't know
Voicing thoughts you've heard before
Maybe the poet is gay
But he'll be heard anyway
Maybe the poet is drugged
But he won't stay under the rug
Maybe the voice of the Spirit
In which case you'd better hear it
Maybe he's a woman
Who can touch you where you're human
Male female slave or freePut him up against the wall
Peaceful or disorderly
Maybe you and he will not agree
But you need him to show you new ways to see
Don't let the system fool you
All it wants to do is rule you
Pay attention to the poet
You need him and you know it
Shoot him up with pentothal
Shoot him up with lead
You won't call back what's been said
Put him in the ground
But one day you'll look around
There'll be a face you don't know
Voicing thoughts you've heard before
Male female slave or free
Peaceful or disorderly
Maybe you and he will not agree
But you need him to show you new ways to see
-- bruce cockburn, stealing fire (1984)
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
happy birthday, bob
I know God is my shield
And he won't lead me astray
Still I don't know what I'm gonna do
I was allright 'til I fell in love with you
from "Til I fell in love with you"
from Time Out Of Mind (1997)
Bob Dylan
And he won't lead me astray
Still I don't know what I'm gonna do
I was allright 'til I fell in love with you
from "Til I fell in love with you"
from Time Out Of Mind (1997)
Bob Dylan
Sunday, May 21, 2006
crooked shack
all this talk of LIGHT and not despairing of this world reminds me of a song i wrote long ago, not far from here, just across the water. i wrote it while working as a counsellor at a ymca camp, and i was living in a cabin called waterfront II, whose foundation was so unsettled that there was not a right-angle or perpendicular wall or level floor to be found. you'd drop a marble and quickly it would roll out of sight.
it has a hard, driving percussive guitar rhythm behind it.
crooked shack
june 30, 1982, waterfront II, camp wa-sa-ah-bun
try to sleep straight in a crooked bed
alla your blood rushes to your head
try to live right in a crooked world
gotta fly your banner let it unfurl
try to sit straight in a crooked chair
where's the comfort gone you don't know where
try to do the best but the world don't care
gotta shine your light in that darksome lair
[bridge]
god knows i can't do this alone
can't do this thing on my own
gotta find a friend
to make it to the end
i live my life in a crooked shack
got crooked windows front and back
but out in the distance i see a level land
there lies a home for woman and man
© 1982 peter ladage
it has a hard, driving percussive guitar rhythm behind it.
crooked shack
june 30, 1982, waterfront II, camp wa-sa-ah-bun
try to sleep straight in a crooked bed
alla your blood rushes to your head
try to live right in a crooked world
gotta fly your banner let it unfurl
try to sit straight in a crooked chair
where's the comfort gone you don't know where
try to do the best but the world don't care
gotta shine your light in that darksome lair
[bridge]
god knows i can't do this alone
can't do this thing on my own
gotta find a friend
to make it to the end
i live my life in a crooked shack
got crooked windows front and back
but out in the distance i see a level land
there lies a home for woman and man
© 1982 peter ladage
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Sunday, April 30, 2006
the da vinci code part 2: "How do we know what is really true?" - sermon and discussion notes
before the da vinci code discussion, jim discussed with the kids the merits of tying up your shoes, so that as messengers of the good news, we don't trip over our beautiful feet.
after the children went off to sunday school, jim recapped last week's first part on the da vinci code. he concluded that if the major premise of the da vinci code is not the truth, what is the truth? what are the authentic stories? why do we believe what we do believe?
recalling the words of god in isaiah, jim posits that the world is most likely to acknowledge the truth in the fruit it bears.
jim asked us what word or words do we think most people would associate with the word "bible?" people suggested:
how, then, would people be convinced of its authenticity? we offered these suggestions:
quoting second timothy, jim said the bible is "god-breathed"; and quoting someone in the da vinci code, "the bible is not faxed from heaven."
the bible is the most compelling story there is. it has magnitude. it has integrity. although it is a set of books written over a thousand years, it tells a single story from beginning to end. his story. history. to illustrate this jim presented the following phrases contained within an hourglass, with the The One at the narrows. [my note: these are the players]:
[my note: this is the plot that relates 1:1 with the players above]:
it's the integral story of god seeking us, authenticating us, transforming us into truly his image forever. the scripture addresses us as the living word. we don't have the authority to establish that it's true. rather, scripture authenticates us.
jim referred to the three parables of lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son in luke 15
he said "the lost son," or "prodigal son," could also be called "the searching father." god is searching for us.
the god code:
the real question of authenticity: are we who we need to be.
more so than cope with change, can we effect change, transformation, remaking?
more so than analyzing it, our role is to be part of the story, a story still being told.
after the children went off to sunday school, jim recapped last week's first part on the da vinci code. he concluded that if the major premise of the da vinci code is not the truth, what is the truth? what are the authentic stories? why do we believe what we do believe?
recalling the words of god in isaiah, jim posits that the world is most likely to acknowledge the truth in the fruit it bears.
jim asked us what word or words do we think most people would associate with the word "bible?" people suggested:
- thumper
- old book
- christian
- rules
- fear
- stories for children
- church
- i have a bible. where is it?
- negative
how, then, would people be convinced of its authenticity? we offered these suggestions:
- the person who discusses the bible should be educated and knowedgeable so that what they say is not mere opinion
- how they lived [i'm not sure if 'they' refers to the people of the bible, or to the witnessing christians of today]
- the death and resurrection of jesus christ
- the old testament's claim that the world was created in seven days is not believable these days; it's a question of integrity
- evidence of historical documents
- geographical and archeological evidence
- the bible is still the bestseller of all time
- relating one's personal experience of the bible's impact
- fulfillment of old testament prophecies
quoting second timothy, jim said the bible is "god-breathed"; and quoting someone in the da vinci code, "the bible is not faxed from heaven."
the bible is the most compelling story there is. it has magnitude. it has integrity. although it is a set of books written over a thousand years, it tells a single story from beginning to end. his story. history. to illustrate this jim presented the following phrases contained within an hourglass, with the The One at the narrows. [my note: these are the players]:
C r e a t i o n
Adam & Eve
I s r a e l
Remnant
The One
Disciples
The Church
Humankind
New Creation
Adam & Eve
I s r a e l
Remnant
The One
Disciples
The Church
Humankind
New Creation
[my note: this is the plot that relates 1:1 with the players above]:
Relationship
Temptation
Providence
Prophecy
Kingdom
Present
Sent (The
Mission)
Body of
Christianity
V a l u e d
W h o l e
Temptation
Providence
Prophecy
Kingdom
Present
Sent (The
Mission)
Body of
Christianity
V a l u e d
W h o l e
it's the integral story of god seeking us, authenticating us, transforming us into truly his image forever. the scripture addresses us as the living word. we don't have the authority to establish that it's true. rather, scripture authenticates us.
jim referred to the three parables of lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son in luke 15
he said "the lost son," or "prodigal son," could also be called "the searching father." god is searching for us.
the god code:
the real question of authenticity: are we who we need to be.
more so than cope with change, can we effect change, transformation, remaking?
more so than analyzing it, our role is to be part of the story, a story still being told.
Friday, April 28, 2006
the (im)mortal john arpin
i took my daughter tonight to see the renowned john arpin play for his home crowd at the brooklea, in a setting more intimate than a concert hall.
not only was it a special night for me and cady, but it was a special night for mr. arpin. many in the audience were people he grew up with; his brother leo was there, too. but there were many who weren't there, who had died, including "my best male friend," bud watson. john arpin (who will be 70 this year) regretted having been away so much, to miss out on friendships, and he vowed to change that.
he had composed a special piece for tonight, which he played first.
followed by a joplin rag, "easy pieces," then a phenomenal performance of "st. louis blues" by w.c. handy, and closing with a medley of richard rogers songs, which brought us to our feet.
at our table was fran, a petite, shy, elderly woman who had been his elementary school teacher.
during the intermission john arpin was surrounded by friends -- photos and hugs galore. fran hesitantly made her way over to him; i could tell this was very important to her, making this connection from over 50 years ago.
in the second set he talked at some length about his friend eubie blake, and then played a piece by eubie. and he closed with an extemporised medley of songs, that began with a joplinesque ragtime version of "here, there, and everywhere" by the beatles, (just to prove he could play something written after 1935).
john arpin closed by saying he felt a "sort of teetertotter emotion" of sadness and yet a peculiar joy. he heartfelt suggestion that we should make this a regular thing, an annual event, was of course enthusiastically received. nevertheless, for me, and i'm sure for all of us, tonight was a once in a lifetime moment.
not only was it a special night for me and cady, but it was a special night for mr. arpin. many in the audience were people he grew up with; his brother leo was there, too. but there were many who weren't there, who had died, including "my best male friend," bud watson. john arpin (who will be 70 this year) regretted having been away so much, to miss out on friendships, and he vowed to change that.
he had composed a special piece for tonight, which he played first.
followed by a joplin rag, "easy pieces," then a phenomenal performance of "st. louis blues" by w.c. handy, and closing with a medley of richard rogers songs, which brought us to our feet.
at our table was fran, a petite, shy, elderly woman who had been his elementary school teacher.
during the intermission john arpin was surrounded by friends -- photos and hugs galore. fran hesitantly made her way over to him; i could tell this was very important to her, making this connection from over 50 years ago.
in the second set he talked at some length about his friend eubie blake, and then played a piece by eubie. and he closed with an extemporised medley of songs, that began with a joplinesque ragtime version of "here, there, and everywhere" by the beatles, (just to prove he could play something written after 1935).
john arpin closed by saying he felt a "sort of teetertotter emotion" of sadness and yet a peculiar joy. he heartfelt suggestion that we should make this a regular thing, an annual event, was of course enthusiastically received. nevertheless, for me, and i'm sure for all of us, tonight was a once in a lifetime moment.
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