Monthly Archives: August 2010

Being the best?

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Culture is very challenging. We usually have a bias toward our own culture being right. But even absolutes have to be interpreted into a culture. Most believers believe in ‘do not kill’ but how that is interpreted into war scenarios is when they differ… [A post for another day - non-violent resistance.]

But a little closer to home. I have begun to design some web sites (a little plug!!) and found it very interesting in some of the interaction here. Either a laziness, lack of pushing for the best in people (my cultural appraisal of the response), or a contentedness (if I see the positive in the culture here). Let me explain:

there is an artist that I designed a web site for. It is complete (more or less) but a few titles to the photos would be good. She has painted a great London scene so I suggested maybe we could put that on her page. ‘No it’s sold’. Why not put it there to advertise? Probably not…

So what is it?

The more important lesson is maybe learning through the interaction of cultures. What a value there is in being content. We have enough, let’s not strive for more.

I could multiply with other examples from here. Where it seems there is not a striving to be the best, but a response of enough is enough. We don’t want more work, more success, because we have enough.

Another post to come…

The freedom of choices, or maybe not

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So, okay, my birthday came and went and the word I felt applied to this coming year was ‘choices’. Yes. Finally. I understand poverty to involve lack of choices so after 10 years of part-time contract work, major illness, surgery, and work on 2 degrees (in 2 countries and 3 cities) I am ready for the luxury of choices. All during July I applied for teaching courses in Toronto for when I return in January since the choice of remaining in Italy appears to not be available. . . ummm.

So we hit August. Job apps are in and I am ready to use the downtime (everything was closed and most of my friends were on holidays) for serious work on my research, especially in terms of organization of the 2500 documents I have copied or noted. Ooops, then I get word I have to run to renew my permesso di soggorno, 2 days lost to collect documents. But the permesso is essential to remain in Italy to the end of the year so I ran around and did it. No results on that application yet. I’ll know in mid-September.

But a few days later my current permesso di soggorno was stolen when someone took my wallet. There were a few moments of sheer panic there. My wallet only had 100 euros in it but it also contained my credit cards and bancomat cards. I live here without a bank account and cover my expenses by using the bancomat machines. Without those cards I had no way to pay rent or buy food, and I had no other cash on me. Friends helped and I found the wallet in a garbage bin that day with the credit cards and bancomat cards intact. All that was missing was the permesso and the cash. So another 3 days lost to process all of this with the police and immigration.

In mid-August all of my job applications were, somewhat strangely, rejected. So no choices there and no job in January which means a severe diet for me and cat. I would benefit from that, the cat will not. Just after that, last Friday, I went to renew my Internet key only to have it refuse to work for 2 days, I lost choices in terms of communication. Oddly, while it would not work for me no matter what, when I took the key and my computer to the store, it worked fine for the shop assistant. Sigh. When I did get back online this past Saturday I learned a reservation for a bed and breakfast, I made 2 months ago, in Ghent for this week was cancelled due to owner illness. Suddenly my choices of shelter during the conference that begins this week were severely limited.  And yes, I lost another two days of trawling my now restored Internet to find other housing in Ghent.

It took me until this weekend to clue in. I suddenly realized that all that was happening was about blocked choices, that made me feel poor, and isolated. Not fun at all. It reminded me of a moment when I turned 40 years old. I had spent much of my life trying to get some people to love me without success. I realized that you cannot make anyone (even family) love you. And so when I turned 40 I had a vision. I was standing in a corner, stuck facing the corner, and of course, going nowhere. But when I turned around there was a huge space before me, full of choices. And so, I decided I didn’t need to pursue these narrow, small things anymore. That instead I should strike out and explore this huge space, this grand field of operations, that I have been granted. It’s been interesting ever since and I haven’t lacked for at least a few folks to appreciate me.

I welcome any wisdom on what is going on here as I am sure there are those of you out there who have been through similar experiences.  In the meantime I am still searching for a job in January and counting on having some fine choices. And I really hope September is a much better month as I turn from whatever corner I now face and explore a much larger, grander, and riskier space!

Cheryl

The Traveller’s Rest- Oh Brother!!! (Community, reflections on Big Brother and Tribute to Dave Vaughan runner-up Big Brother 2010.)

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The Drunk Monk

Those of you unfamiliar with Big Brother or from overseas will maybe not relate to everything I will blog this week, but I am sure you will glean something from my thoughts on community later. Big Brother as a concept fascinated me when it first hit the screens. Twelve housemates all strangers thrown into a house watched 24/7. The tantrums, the struggles, the highs, the lows, every conversation, all heard, all seen. No secrets. One by one the house mates are evicted until a champion is found. I enjoyed the first couple of series but then got bored. But this year my interest was revived when I heard about the possibility of a friend going into the house for the final ever series. Dave Vaughan. Pursuer of God, the supernatural, the wild, the wonderful, getting intoxicated in the Holy Spirit. When he was chosen I was blown away, his journey then for the next 77 days was incredible. I followed his journey every day. Watched him enter the house dressed as a monk, saw people misunderstand him for some of his beliefs, but then saw how he brought so much love into the home. So much love that he won the public hearts in so many ways, surviving four possible evictions to finally finish as runner-up to the lovely Josie from Cornwall (another fellow Celt). Dave if you ever read this I honour you. I know we ran together loads at one point and then our paths took slightly different directions, but I am so glad to count you as a friend and companion on this adventure and journey of life. As you would say ‘I love you man!’

Consumer Christianity

I just want to draw together a few thoughts and reflections that I have gathered as I have watched Big brother 2010. I know many fellow traveller’s have watched because Dave was on there and I think that was a God thing. We were seeing a prophetic act worked out right in front of our faces each day, broadcast by the media. Not hidden away on a God channel, but mainstream. In my eyes a picture of community. A stark difference from the consumer type community of what we call church, which I think is so unbiblical and ungodly. Finding a Spiritual home for ME and MY family. Sitting under a preacher that I like, worshipping the way I want to, going where I GET something out of it. Sometimes driving for miles to find that perfect church where I feel at home with people just like ME. After all birds of a feather must flock together. This is nothing but feeding and breeding a selfish society of believers. Ekklesia life was never supposed to be about take it was always about giving. It was not about what I get out of it, it was about what I could give to it. It is about people learning to love one another and contributing towards change together. The Big Brother house was a great example of this. Different people with different personalities, different belief systems, different dreams and hopes, but all having to contribute to living together. There are some who cannot cope with this who struggle and sometimes leave the house. Others who are more selfish and do not contribute get nominated for eviction. The talk is often about what do people give to the house. Their community.

What do we give to our community?

Definition of community

According to Wikipedia; ‘a group of interacting species sharing an environment or common location.’ Although the definition is debated by sociologists with 94 discrete definitions of the word by the mid 1950′s. I love it that it is hard to pin down, very Holy Spirit like that word. It is derived from the latin communitas from two words, cum (with/together) and minus (gift). I like that. A gift together. There is something Biblical and godly in that. Has to be stressed that the word community is not in the Bible, but having everything in common is, as is living in communion.

All the lonely people where do they all come from

Someone commented on facebook that they was glad it was all over so they did not have to watch anymore. In one sense I agree, but in other ways I will miss following the lives, losses and loves of not just Dave but everyone in the house. For a believer it was compelling but challenging viewing. These people that Dave spent 77 days with are the people around us everyday. Lost, lonely, without a shepherd. Hurting, just looking for a spark of fun and life. From the girl of low self-esteem like Josie, to the ticking time-bomb of John James. From the life of Riley like Ben, to the man of the street like Nathan. From the man who has seen it all like Steve, to the one’s who have only seen themselves like Corin. From those finding themselves through youthful years like Andrew, to those who have found themselves and have come out as gay like Mario. These people are outside our doors. They are our community. We need to learn to love these people, live with these people and share our days experiences with these people. It is time to get out of the safe house of church life, that unreal environment that we create for ourselves to be nice and cosy and have a good time for me. Sheltered accommodation for those fearful of real life and real people. It is time to get real with real people and learn a real life of giving in love. Yes they swear ( many Christians that watched Big brother would have heard the f word more times over these ten weeks than for years before), yes they talk about sex and booze, yes they can be irreverent and questioning. But they are real people with real hurts and they are lost. Who will lead them? Who will give them something where there is nothing expected in return? It is about time we stopped going to church and hiding away, and walked out into the community in which we live. Why do you think you live there?

It’s all in the glory

At first the housemates did not know what to make of Dave, but his love and life won them over. If any of them became believers we do not know, but surely it is not all about scalps. It is about sharing Christ. Unconditional love. The longer Dave stayed in the house the more he won the housemates over. Relationships take time and investment. The day of the door-to-door salesmen are over. The day of preaching at them is over. It is time to live amongst them and share the love. Davina (the host presenter) was amazing about the male bonding in this series. Not something rude and suggestive, but love shared amongst men. Men being touchy feely but not sexual. Surely a God thing. Amazing when you consider that Mario was gay, but Dave showed the same touchy feely love to him. It is time for the death of homophobic Christianity. That is another huge subject but we will have to face it. Seeing Mario’s creativity and hurt, we need to embrace one and minister to the other. As Dave said many times, it is all in the glory.

I know many of Dave’s friends were probaly looking for a glory explosion of angelic visitations, gold dust, miracles (who did not want to see Steve get new legs) and everyone getting drunk in the glory. We saw a few glimpses of manifestation in this way but I personally saw something else. IT IS ALL IN THE GLORY. All of it. Community, relationships, people, life, loves, arguments, every action and every conversation was all happening in the glory. The glory is there all the time, especially when we do not see it. And that glory is into lives being transformed. On the Mount of Transfiguration the glory manifested around Jesus, but the walk down the mountain back amongst the sheep without a shepherd was still in the glory. Jesus becoming the manifestation of that glory. We are that manifestation today to those we live and work amongst, our community.

Tonight when I go to Asda, it will be all in the glory!

Chapter 4

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Here is the next chapter of the book… Toward Transformation.

Chapter 4 with a look at Spiritual Warfare. I try to keep two things together that are often driven apart: spiritual being spirit beings, and the ‘spirit’ of institutions, so that our warfare is against the flesh, the world and the devil. If we separate the two aspects (world-system and devil) we can either ignore the needs for justice or lose sight that there is a spirit ‘behind’ issues of injustice and oppression.

Download here: pdf format
and epub format.

Eschatology #39

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With this, and the next, podcast I will bring the look at eschatology to an end. I want to use these to round things up and also to shoot from the hip with a ‘I believe / don’t believe’ response.

In this one:

prophecy and prediction: different. Scripture might prophesy certain things but not predict them. A one world government might be prophesied but this does not mean it is predicted.

a critique of prophecy is history in advance

a future that is both open and certain has to be what shapes us

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Being right as a pastor

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A few days I blogged about Christian politicians and compromise with the necessity of public voting and personal convictions not always being in total harmony. Today an interesting twist on Christian leaders (many of whom are pastors).

Over the years I have talked with a number of pastors who believe that there has to be something very new in terms of church. Not just because of pragmatic reasons of crises, but to find a new non-imperial, non-hierarchical way forward. A number very clearly would struggle to be part of local church. Some even have been honest enough to say that, although they travel to bless other churches, they would find it very difficult to be members there. And some realise that they would struggle to be part of the church they are currently pastoring!

Of course there can always be the argument – it is OK for the ordinary person, but I am called to lead! Sure… or the more honest response that I can’t beat the drum to hard for attendance cos I am not that committed myself.

So is it possible that some Christian leaders are making a compromise similar to that of the Christian politician? Maybe with personal convictions that this shape of things as we have them must die, but the most redemptive approach currently being one of keeping it alive, but making room for something fresh to grow. I think so. But if they are keeping it alive because their livelihood is in it, but if they were free of it would not be in attendance then I think we have a major problem of integrity.

Oh and of course we could push the discussion further into areas of business and finance.

Yep, following Christ is challenging. We do not live in a perfect world, but are called to make redemptive choices even in the midst of compromise.

Christian nihilism?

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Luke 12:18-20

18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘

20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

26Just as it was in Noah’s time, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man.

I Corinthians 15

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”[d] 33Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame

Isaiah 22:13

But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

Last week I mentioned the nihilism that seems to rule my generation and has determined much of our behaviour. Joan commented in response to a blog by Martin, that her generation (I don’t know her age group) needs to give up their self-centred behaviour. I think these are one and the same issue. The hyper-consumption, that is characteristic of what is now a couple of generations, is a form of nihilism that results in this self-centred, or even narcissistic behaviour.  We eat and drink and make merry as we consume the whole earth and leave a ravaged desert behind us.

It is this quest for more at the cost of all else that leads to a recall of half a billion eggs in the USA this week. These eggs are contaminated due to the process of factory farming where they are produced. This process destroys the chickens, destroys the eggs, can destroy the consumers who get sick and can die. But it doesn’t matter. The desire is for more and to not pay the price of more, hence a system that produces something toxic in the pursuit of profit on one side and cheap goods on the other. We have to keep eating and drinking and making merry no matter what because the cost of sobriety is way too scary. And besides, we are entitled to all that we have, aren’t we?

Paradoxically typical Christian eschatology plays a role.  Think of the eschatology that assures that as long as you have uttered the right magical incantation (Jesus is my Lord or something like that) you have a preferred seat on the endtimes flight to heaven through the rapture. And that rapture also insures that you will miss the outcomes of your selfish behaviour. Eccola (as they say in Italy)! What could be better?  In fact, perhaps that hyper-consumption of all of the earth’s resources is actually going to bring the rapture forward in time. Jesus will return sooner because we have eaten, drunk and made merry with his earthly creation.

So what are we to do?  We are told to place our hope in Jesus and that we have a responsibility to hope. Some days I read the latest environmental news and hope seems really far away. I struggle. I cry out to God. When will there be an opening, a way forward, good news, a shift, a change, a new approach?  Are we stuck with this endless politically motivated stupidity that threatens the well-being of all of us?  But then I think about the responsibility to hope and how that hope must shape my life. That hope is not for an escape route, a first class ticket out of the mess I have helped create. No, it is a hope that by God’s grace there is a way through this to something better and hopefully sooner than we think. And it is that hope that then causes me to reject the notion of ‘eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die’ as a lifestyle.

C.

Being right as a politician

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Still with the Mosque and Obama as a background. Who wants to be a politician? I have often thought what would I do if I were a politician? How would I vote? What legislation would I push for? How would I respond to issues such as that of voting on a mosque… or God forbid, issues such as abortion.

Why the crisis?

I have personal convictions on all the above. I have convictions due to my Christian faith. I also believe that the Judeo-Christian world-view and foundations that are within much of Western civilisation are God ordained for society. [I am aware that was a huge statement, and would have to be qualified a hundred times over with respect to Imperial, dominating power structures, a worship of capitalism, the free-market etc.]

So here are the conflicts – personal beliefs, beliefs in terms of what is healthy for society, and my convictions that we cannot simply impose all of the above on society. So maybe I would, on occasion, vote in a direction that I personally would not be in favour of. I also think that a healthy approach on all subjects is to seek to be the most redemptive possible. I do not like the term ‘lesser of two evils’ but use the phrase ‘the most redemptive’ when we cannot do what is totally right. This is the situation I find in Scripture, for example, over such scenarios as divorce.

Do Christian politicians compromise? I think they have to. I don’t mean on issues of personal compromise as far as their own personal morals are concerned, but sometimes where they have make a response in the public arena.

So back to our mosque. Yes maybe a politician has to speak up and say ‘they have the right to build their mosque’, and all to pray intelligently that it might not take root knowing that such manifestations on the land are welcoming spiritual powers that will ultimately be damaging not just to the cause of Jesus but to society as a whole.

But the imperial way we have planted manifestations of the church and state marriage might still be causing us problems.

The Traveller’s Rest- if He can use an ass He can use me!

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Raise up the standard

When I was employed as a ‘local church pastor’ I realised that everything I was doing was under the spotlight. Every word of every sermon was scrutinised and every action and attitude judged. I had to live the life of a super-saint and show by example that it was possible to strive for perfection. I soon realised that the standard by which to live was at a much higher level of expectation than someone who was ‘only’ a member of the congregation. Everybody knew how a pastor should live and behave. He had to live in an idyllic family life with a very dedicated and supportive wife and children who were brought up proper. The wife had to be happy to serve for free (the original b.o.g.o.f.) and the children should always sit and never be heard, and certainly never live in rebellion, because if a pastor had unruly children how on earth could he rule the church? A tiered Christianity was built where the pastor was over and above everybody else. Here in Wales at church functions the pastors would sit on their own table which was often set up in an elevated place like the pulpit area. They would be discouraged from building relationships with the flock. One very well known minister here in Wales called the congregation ‘the common herd’. No wonder with all these unbiblical and unrealistic expectations so many pastors felt like failures and would end up resigning or moving on to pastures new.

And you a pastor behave like that…

Sadly this attitude crept into the house too. My wife, Allison, grew up in a pastor’s home. Many of these expectations were inbuilt. The standards were indoctrinated into her from birth. We are still trying to detox her from all the crap of the past!!! This did not help whenever conflict occurred in the home. Yes sorry to disillusion you all, as a couple we do argue, or debate we like to say. Sometimes these disagreements have got a bit fiery, my fault for marrying someone with a red-headed temperament. Yes we have thrown a bit of food, yes I have had butter smothered in my face, yes we shout a bit and get moody. Sometimes those one liners from the past even get dragged out for greater affect. But the one that used to get me each time and make me feel so guilty was when in the middle of a good debate Allison would come out with the biggie, ‘and you a pastor behave like this. What would your congregation think of that? You’ll be standing in the pulpit on Sunday smiling at everyone, here you are acting like this.’ I felt like poo on the bottom of a shoe. A failure. A disaster. I was a pastor and here I am with flaw-es in my life. Not good enough to be the called of God. What utter bunkum!!! It is amazing what utter rubbish we put on people. We are all at the end of the day only human. And when we look closer at the Scriptures we can see that God particularly likes working with flawed people. No one from Adam to John had it all together. We are selling each other a lie of false expectations and false standards to exclude rather than include. Creating an elite that does not even exist in God’s eyes.

The Motley Crew

Noah got drunk and stripped naked. Abraham lied about his relationship to his wife. Jacob conned his brother out of his meal and his inheritance and blessing. Joseph was proud. Moses was full of excuses and was a murderer. David was an adulterer and a plotter. Peter was a denier of Christ. Thomas doubted. James and John were two pushy brothers. Paul was a murderer. The main players of Scripture were not the super saints we make them out to be. The Bible is real and does not pretend about anything. Just looking at the twelve Jesus chose to be his roots of ekklesia, what a motley crew! Many of them would not even be accepted for membership in some of our churches, and they would certainly not be allowed to partake in communion or they may make us sick.

Elijah had a nature just like ours…

I used to read that verse and feel such a failure. I fell so far short of being anything like Elijah. Then I re-read his story. He was not as powerful and perfect as we make him out to be. There were times he did not fully listen to what God had to say. That is what got him into trouble with Jezebel in the first place. He was only on top of the game when winning. He had such low self-esteem and even suicidal tendencies, that at the first sign of trouble he ran, got depressed, lived in a cave and wanted to die. When God gave Him another chance of anointing a new king he actually gave away his responsibility to Elisha. I think that when we see Elijah laying the mantle on Elisha this was not a holy moment but a man who had had a guts full throwing his call away and giving away his responsibility. Does God reject him? No. Is he still part of the team? Yes. Because God loves using broken, cracked pots and vessels.

Balaam’s Ass

Now I am no longer a pastor our marriage debates no longer have that magic guilt phrase. Not quite the same when you say, ‘and who do you think you are you Asda colleague. Tonight you will be filling those shelves looking oh so holy.’ Not quite the same authority. But I am chilled anyway because I am now comfortable in the fact that God knew who He was taking on. He did not call me because of what I would become, He called me as I was, to be a follower of Him. He does the same for us all. Not that some would be extra special and get special positions, but that together as broken, flawed people we would display Christ in our brokenness. I desire to live for Him but it is not striving, working, effort. It is grace outworked through real life. Through flesh and blood lives. Now if anyone has a comment about me not being good enough I simply make reference to Balaam and say to them…

If God can use an ass then he can use me. If He can speak through an ass He can speak through me.

And I smile and keep living each day with Him in my life.

A little more on…

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A few days ago I blogged a little about the mosque, Obama’s speech. I used that situation solely to ask a question about issues of ‘Christian’ nation, how do we object to manifestations that contradict our faith etc. I plan to pick this up in a few ways in the coming days.

For today though a little step back, and more on mosques and physical manifestations. There are huge sensitivities surrounding the mosque in New York. In London there is a major controversy surrounding the desire to build a huge mosque in Newham, and here (much smaller scale) a mosque was opened in Felanitx amidst quite a bit of controversy.

I have no doubt the strategic nature of these manifestations. Not simply to claim territory, but rooting themselves in ground that has been prepared through conflict, division, broken covenant, bloodshed etc.

So with every aspect of being careful not to respond in an imperial, in bed with empire kind of fashion, it is still not a case of whatever is OK. Buildings on the landscape are symbolic, and symbolism rooting into issues in land bring about a spiritual manifestation.

Following Christ is indeed tough. The battle is spiritual in terms of what manifests. We cannot simply resort to political means to resist. To do so might indeed open the door wide, not shut it.

No looking back

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Luke 9:57-62

57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  59He said to another man, “Follow me.”   But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”  62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

There is a danger to nostalgia and sentimentality. These verses have been playing in my head for awhile. I have hesitated to write about them.  They seem harsh. If we apply them to the discussion about church participation/membership then Jesus appears to be telling us to move on, head for the Kingdom and don’t look back. Many would struggle with that. Jesus also appears to be telling these people to forget traditions, customs, family responsibilities, and even reasonable social niceness. Presumably, seeking the Kingdom, serving Christ, and proclaiming the Kingdom is to come first, second and last in our lives.

Beyond the application to current and former relationships and activities I think these verses have a broader meaning. Today Martin notes that economically and ecologically we have been reaping what we have not sown and not in a biblical way. We have taken from tomorrow to use for today and that is always unsustainable. Someone will pay the price for that but we usually, historically, pass that off onto the next generation or onto people far away from us. Living off of tomorrow’s resources today is a form of nihilism. It says there is no future, for me, anyway; therefore I will take it all today. It is the guy on Easter Island chopping down the last tree and leaving an island that is still a desert 500 years later. It is the fellow who recently poached the last white rhino in a park in Africa. He sees no future for himself, so why not?

When Jesus tells us to put our hand to the plough and not look back he is saying that we are to look to the future not the past. What is past is dead and rotten, it needs to be buried but we are not to even worry about the funeral. That is not our responsibility. Our responsibility, having agreed to enter into a life of discipleship, is to push forward, plough up the new land so that new seed can be planted and a new harvest reaped (organically of course, as fossil fuel fertilizers deplete the soil). It is a call for hope rather than the defeat of nihilism.

I read that to mean, in light of our ecological and economic crises (economics is always subsumed by the ecological, as without the resources there is no sharing of them) that we need to live different lives. Decisions have to be made if we are to not only support the future generations with our voices but with our actions. We will have to invest in the future with our pensions and savings (if we have them), with our time, and energy, with our goods and belongings. It might mean installing solar panels on our home that we then open up to others in order to share space (a resource). It might mean becoming vegetarian or cutting meat consumption as well as sharing more meals with others. It could mean many things but it will mean change.

We are not to long for the good old days. We are not to look back. That will become increasingly attractive as we go forward into the ecological crisis or more accurately multiple crises. It demands that we respond with courage, grace, hope, prayer for the planet and the next generations, action to heal and redeem. But Jesus is clear; we are not fit for the Kingdom otherwise.