Well I have been slowly reading my post christmas stash of books and getting into the emerging book (see here for an intro post on it).
Reading it so far puts me in mind of the words of Galadriel from the introduction to the first part of the Lord of the Rings:
"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air."
There is something that connect but so far is hard to express how it is, somehow the world has changed and yet how exactly is so hard to see, hmm i guess a fish has the same problems with water :). I'm hoping as I go on the book will help me find some of the words to be a little more explicit!!
One of things though that has triggered me though is how modern church has done its best to eradicate mystery, its clean, clear and concise - packaged, produced, perfomed. Its almost like it has reduced life with God down to map reading, where you see the map, see where you are going, told that God will help you on the way and heh it doesn't look that bad a journey and the destination [aka heaven] is a doosey!!
I'm feeling now that rather than looking at maps I want to actually get out and walk the journey - the hills and valleys that look so like nothing are actual moments of struggle and celebration... the need to feel... to experience... to participate on the journey - to actually not be so focused on the destination but to enjoy life on the trail... to share with folk and to help them walk some of the paths i've walked, to hear of other adventures still to come and see folk turning back to help me on...
Ok clumsy words as afterall how do you express a feeling that is waking up and feels like it happens but just not really in church time?
Hmm reminds a bit of the start of Psalm 40...
1I waited and waited and waited for GOD. At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn't slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God--song,
a praise--song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to GOD.
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to GOD,
turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"
ignore what the world worships;
The world's a huge stockpile
of GOD-wonders and God--thoughts.
Nothing and no one
comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
account for you.
Doing something for you, bringing something to you--
that's not what you're after.
Being religious, acting pious--
that's not what you're asking for.
You've opened my ears
so I can listen.
So I answered, "I'm coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I'm coming to the party
you're throwing for me."
That's when God's Word entered my life,
became part of my very being.
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