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—photo by Mike Young
“…everyone has a life that is different from the ‘I’ of daily consciousness, a life that is trying to live through the ‘I’ who is its vessel. …there is a great gulf between the way my ego wants to identify me, with its protective masks and self-serving fictions, and my true self.” —Parker Palmer, from Let Your Life Speak
Parker Palmer’s book is difficult for me to take in at times. Each line resonates deeply leaving me wanting to highlight everything I’m reading. The power and profundity stem, I think, from the modesty inherent in Palmer’s proposal…rather than selling himself as the expert, he merely plays the role of servant guide giving the reader permission to delve into the stream of the true self flowing free below the frozen surface of the public “I”.
I find Palmer’s lines above very provocative. It moves me to look beyond the public persona and move deeper into myself. Thomas Merton speaks to the same idea with the metaphors of a fire or a ship: “We are warmed by a fire, not by the smoke of a fire. We are carried over the sea by a ship, not by the wake of a ship. So too, what we are is to be sought in the invisible depths of our own being, not in our outward reflection in our own acts. We must find our real selves not in the froth stirred up by the impact of our being upon the beings around us, but in our own soul which is the principle of all our acts.” —Thomas Merton, from No Man is an Island
Often of late, I have engaged in conversations with people (mostly men) who are struggling deeply with issues concerning vocation. So much of our identity is wrapped up in our vocation and our performance in that vocation. Much of my current struggle with my identity is centered on the public “I”…the role, vocation, and social face of my life. But that revolves around job, career, resume’, public perception and performance. It is much more difficult for me to articulate what is happening in the stream of my self flowing below that sheet of ice.
The soul is like a wild animal—tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek. —Parker Palmer, from Let Your Life Speak
I guess what I’m saying is that I am entering the woods. Quietly. I’m going to find a tree and sit down for a while…
Houses of the Future – The Atlantic (November 2009).
NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 24: 1631 Tennessee Street - Photos of New Orleans Houses photographed for Atlantic Monthly on August 24, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images for Atlantic Monthly)
This is a link to an intriguing article I read on Monday in the November 2009 issue of The Atlantic. Several things were interesting to me.
In particular are the comments sprinkled throughout the article that pertain to remembering, re-building, nurturing , and sustaining community and the role that is playing in the architecture on the homes being built. One interesting section describes features of some of the traditional homes of New Orleans…tall ceilings (“allow residents to live below the worst of the summer heat”); shotgun cottages lack hallways (“allowing for efficient cross-ventilation in every room”); transoms (“make the walls porous and keep the air moving”). Michael Mehaffy, Executive Director of Sustasis, says “What we’re learning is that these traditions are not just fashions. They’re rooted in the real adaptive evolution of a place.” Such an observation requires living in a place and listening to its voices.
An observation by Andres Duany, co-founder of the Congress for New Urbanism, was particularly insightful:
“When I originally thought of New Orleans, I was conditioned by the press to think of it as an extremely ill-governed city, full of ill-educated people, with a great deal of crime, a great deal of dirt, a great deal of poverty,” said Duany, who grew up in Cuba. “And when I arrived, I did indeed find it to be all those things. Then one day I was walking down the street and I had this kind of brain thing, and I thought I was in Cuba. Weird! And then I realized at that moment that New Orleans was not an American city, it was a Caribbean city. Once you recalibrate, it becomes the best-governed, cleanest, most efficient, and best-educated city in the Caribbean. New Orleans is actually the Geneva of the Caribbean. …All the do-goody people attempting to preserve the culture are the same do-gooders who are raising the standards for the building of houses, and are the same do-gooders who are giving people partial mortgages and putting them in debt,” he said. “They have such a profound misunderstanding of the culture of the Caribbean that they’re destroying it. The heart of the tragedy is that New Orleans is not being measured by Caribbean standards. It’s being measured by Minnesota standards.”
As someone who grew up in south Louisiana near New Orleans, this is the first time I’ve heard that description of the city…frankly, it rings true. Much damage is done to culture, place, community in the name of progress or good intentions. Duany came by his observations by living in New Orleans and walking the streets, talking to people who love the place. Brad Pitt, of all people, has bought a home in the city and is an integral part of the “high design” Make It Right development in the lower 9th ward. Again, grew to love New Orleans, moved there, spends time there and becomes part of the solution. (from the article, “BRAD PITT FOR MAYOR t-shirts are not uncommon around town.”)
The writer of the article quotes Steve Mouzon speaking to a group of contractors and architects: “The very core of sustainability can be found in a simple question: ‘Can it be loved?’” Ultimately, that will be hinge of success in the rebuilding of New Orleans. Wayne Curtis closes his article with, “The past here has much to inform the future, not just for New Orleans, but for an entire country that needs to rethink the way it designs its cities and homes. New Orleans won’t be rushed—it never is—but the chances are good that whatever results here will be loved.”
I wanted to go to Christianity 21 but decided to spend money to go to the Jurgen Moltmann Theological Conversation instead…and it was an awesome and formative experience for me (and also sent me scurrying off to buy/read some more Moltmann books).
However, the Christianity 21 thing has stuck with me…particularly after reading/watching some of the responses of folk who were able to attend. The thing that profoundly occurs to me in these responses is how much more is said about the space created by the event to “be” …be followers of Jesus…be in community…be who attendees were created to be. I was struck particularly by 3 comments in the video above:
- Nadia Bolz-Weber says, “…and then there are those evangelicals who have discovered the liturgy, which is…adorable”…One, Nadia is hilarious and profound (check out her book). Much of the energy I have felt in the various emergent type meetings I’ve been privileged to attend has centered around such rediscovery of my tradition and the traditions of others who are also attempting to follow God in the way of Jesus.
- “We are more often than not people of doubt, who have beliefs than people of faith, who have moments of doubts.” TOO TRUE!!! I believe our getting this bass ackwards in our church “communities” is probably the biggest barrier to authentic community we face.
- The elderly man toward the end of the video… “This weekend has been something my heart and soul has been waiting for for 38 years…I wanted to go to heaven when I was 75, my password on the computer is heaven75. I lived 4 more years, I now I know why!” Is that not an amazing statement? I’m immediately reminded of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) who waited with great expectation for “the consolation of Israel”…and upon seeing the infant Jesus proclaimed,
“29“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss[a] your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
I’m certain this cannot be written off cynically as just another over-hyped event. There is something going on here among us. I for one want to be a part of it. It has nothing to do with being hip and cool. It has everything to do with rediscovering the joy of my salvation.
I guess you all have heard that David Ortiz’s name has turned up on the infamous “secret list”…the same one that has brought down Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez, etc. As a Red Sox fan, of course I was disappointed…but by no means surprised. It doesn’t take a drug test or an opportunist reporter to recognize the difference in production and the sudden breakdown health wise with Big Papi to know what’s going on. In this day and age, when someone begins to do “super-human” things in the world of sports, my skeptical antennae get REAL sensitive. I guess that’s a shame but its part of growing up…innocence lost…all that stuff.
Since I find myself on the road a lot with my job, I tend to listen to a lot of sports talk radio…that is until a steroid story breaks…then it’s time to hit XM Channel 45 (The Spectrum) for some good music and a break from the constant noise of this particular issue. Here’s my take on it:
- Baseball has a steroids era…deal with it. You can talk about it “tainting the game/records/stats/etc.” However there has always been cheating in baseball.
- Every team was “enhanced” in some way by this particular drug induced epoch, so I don’t necessarily feel anyone’s titles are tarnished. Heck, it was a pretty great feat to beat the other ‘roided up teams on their schedules.
- Please spare me the I-WAS-CLEAN-I-NEVER-TOOK-IT-DON’T-BLAME-ME garbage. If you were in a major league locker room during this time period, you either took it or you knew people were taking it. If supposed “clean” players knew it was going on, they should have shouted about the integrity of the game then. All this whining after the fact rings really hollow.
- I’m sick of journalists making their careers one name at a time with a list that was supposed to be confidential. Their “journalistic” integrity looks a lot more like opportunism to me. (funny how the writer of the story about Ortiz is with the New York Times)
- Now that some of the names have leaked…ALL the names should be made public. A few guys should not take the fall for the whole league.
- As to the Hall of Fame, I don’t really care…to repeat myself, we have a “steroid era” in baseball, and we all know it.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to justify any of this. I think it’s irresponsible, destructive, and a very poor reflection on the game. It reinforces my belief that I don’t mind someone admiring an athelete’s athletic exploits on the field…but there are much better (and safer) role models elsewhere. The athletes have received WAY TOO MUCH money and WAY TOO MUCH exposure for WAY TOO LONG.
I read what I found to be a disturbing article in the current issue of Harper’s Magazine this week. Normally, the Harper’s Index is the first thing I turn to when my new magazine arrives in the mailbox. However, an article written by Rachel Aviv entitled Like I Was Jesus: How to bring a nine-year-old to Christ jumped off the front cover. The title used terms very familiar to anyone who has been brought up in a religion that stresses personal salvation and evangelism. It was a little disconcerting to see them in the context of a cover article in Harper’s.
Though I never resorted to use of an EvangeCube, I recognized some of the techniques being described from my college summer missions assignments. I was always somewhat uncomfortable in those types of “ministry” situations. Several questions usually arose: Where are the parents of these kids? What would they say about this? What will be the long-term result of these “conversions”? What does that type of conversion mean when made outside the context of a nurturing community of Jesus followers? Activities the religious/evangelical/revivalist culture of our churches considers almost normal practice look manipulative and predatory to those outside that culture.
Maybe more damning is this observation of the writer:
The missionaries attempted to present the Bible as clearly and simply as possible, but it was the rigidity of their lessons that ultimately disoriented the children I spoke to. As they discovered that, in fact, the Lord had not swooped down to heal their wounds and scrapes and disappointments, the new beliefs they had adopted seemed destined to break down, along with whatever was driving them to have faith in the first place.
What effect does this have on the long-term possibility of mature faith?
hyper |ˈhīpər| — (adjective informal) hyperactive or unusually energetic
I spoke to my youngest son on the telephone last night. He and his brother have been in Louisiana for 16 days…I would round that off to “about 2 weeks” but it’s been every bit of 16 days. Mom and dad and sister miss them both very much, and from the phone conversations the feelings are mutual.
Now they have had a blast in Louisiana with the grandparents. A quick rundown of their itinerary: 3 days with the cousins from Texas (they do not get together nearly enough); logged numerous miles driving (I do mean driving…not merely riding) papaw’s pickup truck around the fields, to the store and the co-op; explored the home place on the 4-wheeler; swam in the river nearly every evening, toured various points of interest along the Louisiana gulf coast (Grand Isle; South Lafourche High School-their dad’s alma mater; visited the Wedell-Williams Aviation Museum; visited LSU; Mike the Tiger’s habitat; TigerMania for baseball National Championship gear; hung out with Aunt Sherry and Uncle Tony, enjoyed numerous “guilt-free” trips to WalMart for more toys they do not need; enjoyed hot, home-maid biscuits every meal on demand; “camping out” in mamaw’s living room, etc. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Ethan, the youngest, had a bet on with his brother that big sister Hillary “didn’t miss him.” Austen, with 4 years more maturity and experience in such things knew better. But Ethan had his doubts…until he talked to big-sis and decided it was necessary to reverse his bet. So last night, on the eve of their return home, Ethan verbalized the following observation:
“I’ll bet the house isn’t the same without my hyper self.”
I had to laugh…nothing more true has ever been said. He was expressing many things with that observation. He knew there were no little boys from the neighborhood descending on the refrigerator and the pantry like locusts picking them clean of soft drinks and snacks. He knew the house was quieter without his “hyper-self” creating new worlds via the mediums of Lego, action figures, pens, paper, and computer games. But most of all, he wanted to hear someone verbalize that he was missed—that in his absence was a hole that could not be filled. And he was absolutely right.
I’m thankful for summer vacations with the grandparents…those are memories I still cherish from my own childhood. I’m also thankful for that hyper-self returning today to refill his space. I don’t think I’ll be telling him to chill out…at least for a couple of days.
I just checked in here at the Hilton Americas in Houston for the 2009 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly, 2009 edition. I’m honestly not really looking forward to the meeting this year. The family couldn’t be here and it’s shaping up to be a really busy week. (but I do have a nice view of Minute Maid Park from my hotel room window…too bad the Astros are in San Diego this week.
I finally got out from under the oppressive regeme of Verizon. I’ve been settling for something less than an iPhone for a while now but was liberated yesterday when I arrived home and found out I did indeed have coverage at my address. This is pretty much a meaningless post…I’m merely doing it because, now, I can (via my WordPress app on my new phone…very cool!)
My reading list this summer has evolved into something rather interesting. First my list of books currently in progress:
- Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith by George Vaillant — picked this up after reading the cover article from this months Atlantic (I linked to this in my last post. This one was worth the price for the first chapter alone. The next 2 chapters have delved more deeply into neuroscience of it all (which is facinating…but a little difficult for me to follow). I’m very interested in the next chapters on Faith, Love, Hope, Joy, Forgiveness…
- Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges; The Social Technology of Presencing (spelling intentional) by C. Otto Scharmer — This book will lead to several other books to be added to the stack.
- 8W8 – Global Space Tribes: A Postmodern Journey through Globalization in the Internet Age by Ralf Hirt — I stumbled upon this while browsing the Kindle store. I hesitated…reconsidered…hesitated…downloaded the sample…bought the book. This tribal idea continues to raise it’s head in my thinking about how TCBF and/or CBF might be able to proceed in the future.
- Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development (Chapter 7 of W.C. Crain’s Theories of Development)–just one chapter of a book. This was emailed to me by a friend of mine in Amsterdam and it added some interesting info for our ongoing discussion of faith/church/etc. on our other blog. One particular interesting question this reading has me contemplating is whether or not our churches (as they typically develop) actually inhibit moral development as opposed to nurturing it.
- Eragon: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini–My 3rd grader’s choice…He obviously could read this himself but asked if we could read it together. It’s been fun…it’s also sacred…has to happen everynight before bed.
I’m sure some of this will begin to pop up in some of my blog posts. What I really need is a regular face to face conversation about some of this stuff.
I thought this was an interesting post about our little city of Nashville.
The Nashville Effect – Richard Florida
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