One for the road...

the beatitudes...for people who care about our planet

 

HT to Carlsafina

The Beatitudes for Ecologists/Environmentalists

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who know how little they know and are therefore willing to listen to the world to see what it says about itself. Theirs is the path that leads to whatever wonder there is to be found.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are those who understand that all is not well. Blessed are those unwilling to drink the Kool-Aid of false hope that says otherwise.  Blessed are those who know we are in the process of losing something. They are the ones with any real of hope of changing things.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who understand that the earth is a gift of inestimable worth. In the end, they are the only ones in a position to receive it.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are those whose souls ache with a sharp craving for things to be better, for the wrongs we are inflicting to be righted, for the course we’re on to be corrected. Those who have such hunger are the first in line for its filling.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are those who long to use their power to give what is endangered a chance.   Blessed are those inclined to cut what is standing in the path of our greed some slack. They’ll be given the slack they need to survive when the time comes.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are those willing to refuse illusion. They are the ones with a vision ruthless enough to perceive God

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

Blessed are those willing to do what needs to be done with those who are needed to do it. Blessed are those who are eager to make of their adversaries, allies. Blessed are those who are willing to call it creation if it will help to save it. They will be called cooperators with the divine.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those whose concern for the forests earns them the “tree-hugger” title. Blessed are those whose love for the planet puts them in the “wacko” category. They are the ones who love heaven enough to want to bring it back to earth.

Lord have mercy...

I came across this litany in the divine hours - I found it very powerful and am thinking about including it in the communion service i am preparing for our faith community...

The litany

For the peace from above, for the loving kindness of God, and for the salvation of my soul, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

For the peace of the world, for the welfare of the Holy Church of God, and for the unity of all peoples, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

For my city, for every city and community, and for those who live in them, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

For seasonable weather, and for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

For the good earth which God has given us, and the wisedom and will to conserve it, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

For the deliverance from all danger, violence, opression and degradation, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

For the absolution and remission of my sins and offences, I pray to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

Defend me, deliver me, and in your compassion protect me, O Lord, by your grace.

Lord have mercy.

New pages on my blog...

Ah  a new day for me blog... thanks to typepad adding static pages i've added 2...

1. an up to date blog roll - which i'm sure is incomplete, if you stop by here and you have a blog and it's not on the list then leave a comment or drop me an email and let me come sit on your porch...
2. my vanity page - for my  other blog involvement/published articles...

You can access these any times via the link at the top righht of my blog page...

Now this what i call cool (eco)camping...

Check it out!

HT to Johnny

The incredibly inarticulate emerging church...

This post might not make any sense...

One of the things i've most noticed about the emerging church is just how much we struggle to say what we really mean.  We sort of know what we don't mean and we sort of know what we do mean but it's just so hard to be coherent.  Or maybe it's just me :)

We're conscious that words mean different things to different folks.  The way we would have said something in the past now just doesn't capture what we once meant and we're not sure whether we need to express ourselves when we're still trying to deconstruct and reconstruct.

Most of the time we can get away with speaking in incomplete sentances  with the fellow dwellers in the emerging church world, we kinda get each other's drift, we love the excitment and freedom from definition, not being locked in and tied down to one way/expression.  We have our own common language/jargon/catch phrases that act more as sign posts then destinations as we seek to try and map out those thoughts on the tip of our tongue and the feelings that churn within our guts...

Compared to say the evangelical tradition which i grew up in and am still growing up in we sound terribly unclear.  Ok that's not surprising given that evangelicalism has had 500 yrs to get its language together, for example, to  deconstruct the gospel down to Jesus and a belief in him as Lord and Saviour.

To get saved so to speak an evangelical knows what to say and how to say it - there's no discussion about any wider theological/biblical world view, just a confession and profession of a belief in Jesus. 

Something i am in complete agreement with and yet i know i'd stumble around like some mad drunk trying to say exactly the same thing but differently - is it the words, or the way i want to say the words - probably both.  And the more i try the more i seem to struggle. And that's just first base, what about the rest of the faith framework and worldview that we are trying to comprehend and talk about, no wonder so many evangelicals think we've stumbled off the rails :).

you kinda know, what i sorta, mean????

So what do you think?

• where do you find yourself being/feeling  inarticulate?
• any ways you've found to be better understood (i've tried shouting louder but that didn't seem to help)?
• if i was interested in becoming a christian what would you tell me?
• in our deconstruction i feel we all orthodox christians agree that belief in Jesus is the essence of the gospel which i find encouraging - do you think somehow this can be a centering point for decoding our conversations?

My wife wants to be a...what???

Hold the phone, it is my beautiful wife's [picutred above] birthday next sunday... so there I am browsing through Debs wishlist on amazon, thoughtfully trying to find her something she wants, rather than something we could share - oh alright would really be for me - when i got a sudden rush of blood to you know where...

Yes there in my wife's list was a book about how to be a happy hooker!  Oh joy i thought, at last the gift that keeps on giving!

That's knitting crocheting** people, what else did you think it was about??? 

Apparently knititng is scorching hot at the mo and my amazingly talented wife has knitted socks, booties, scarves [and not just for her] and is currently working on a bag.  Debs is very talented with her needles. 

**aparently the book is about crocheting - so debs tells me - apparently that's just as hot too!

Don't say I never post you anything fun that is going on in my life... ;)

Oh ok, here's the picture i nearly used for this post...

So any more hookers out there????

+ive about church...

Yesterday I posted on Jason Clark's site a piece about how i have been rediscovering my churchianity.  I've always felt positive about the church, in lots of different types of church but at the moment i actually feel positive about going to church, on a sunday and at other times, for a variety of reasons I posted at Jason's...

I find the emerging church an exciting, empowering conversation,  I find deep church a reminder that tradition can help my faith and in living out an ordinary mundane life how I need both - the presence of God and ways of being present...

So how about you, +ive about church?

5 things I dig/8 holes i've dug...

Ok, I've been tagged a couple of times for this 5 things i dig about Jesus - so for what it's worth...

5 things I dig…

1. he has a penis
2. he lived/died what he said
3. he shows/offers true humanity
4. he is alive with a funky same/different body
5. church is his creation/project

I've also been tagged for 8 things about me...

1. i have finger nails a girl would be proud to own [well at least says my wife as she files them]
2. my no. 1 love language is touch and my no.5 is kind actions
3. i'll be married for 10 yrs in July
4. i'm reading a letter about the govt pension scheme regulations
5. next i'll read the regulations
6. bet you wish you had my job
7. i hate competitive games of monopoly mainly cos i spend my time in jail
8. and i wonder why i have problems being present in my life, lol...

I've decided not to tag anyone but in the spirit of grace to let you comment either something you dig or something about you... or both :)

How our negative church experiences could help others...

Have you had a hard time as a result of church - ok you can all put your hands down, thank you.  All joking aside church, like anything else, can cause us devasting amounts of pain.  The hopeful news is that your pain is not in vain and that together we can learn so that maybe some one else does not get hurt.

Perhaps you wouldn't mind helping Barb out with the research survey that she is doing.  Barb writes...

"I could use your help with my personal research.  I would like you to fill out my questionnaire.

This is the subject criteria that I am looking for:  Believers who have had a negative church experience--primarily with authoritarian and controlling church leadership and who no longer are interested in those groups because they have had a disillusioning church experience with them.  Believers, eventually, recognize and process their grief and move on from their initial harmful experience of disappointment and disillusionment.  Where have you come from in the “process” and where are you at now?  I am interested in “how” believers have processed and recovered from a devastating experience in a local church setting to a reasonable state or condition of spiritual harmony in their lives.  How have you processed what has happened to you since your muddy tunnel experience?  What has helped you go forward in Christ since that time?
 
The information given by those participating will be kept confidential.  It will be used for my purposes of gathering and assessing information in order to compare it with the literature which I have been reading on related topics.  If ever needed, I may ask for  permission to quote someone.   

Thank you for your interest and participation in my personal research.  I appreciate the time and effort that it takes to further consider these issues in your own life.  I realize that the issues and the questionnaire bring up old memories and maybe some painful experiences.  I pray that your reflection on this topic will give you further insights into your own personal journey with Christ as well as confirm that this issue is, in fact, a problem in the church today and that it needs to be addressed.
 
Thank you for your courage and prayerful input."

For any questions and to request a questionaire please email Barb

And in other news...

The blog piece that I wrote on Institutional Church: RIP has been published here by The Ooze, some interesting comments/conversation already happening.  So thank you to the The Ooze!

And i have moved from 3 notches on my belt to 4, although i have not weighed myself for awhile to find out if that means i am losing weight or its all just heading north to my head ;)