Jack Boughton: "When I was young I thought a settled life was what happened to you if you weren't careful"
Lila: "I always knew better than that. It was the one thing I wanted. I used to look in people's windows at night and wonder what it was like."
...
John: "Only thinking back on it did I realize that she was speaking as if from that settled life she said she had always wanted and as if it could not be lost to her, though in every practical, material sense she knows it will be. That pleased me, too. Remembering when they said what they did about looking in windows and wondering about other people's lives made me feel comparable with them. I could have said that's three of us, because, as the Lord knows, for many years I did exactly the same thing. But in that moment, the way she spoke, it seemed that all the wondering about life had been answered for her, once and for all, and if that is true, it is wonderful. The notion is a source of peace for me.
--Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (New York: Picador, 2004), 200, 202.
This scene, set in Mid-20th century rural America--a land still segregated, still rooted in religiosity and simplicity, and in an era where those "congregationalist Lutherans" were scene as hyper-conservatives compared to other Protestants, describes something lost from my own generation.
With the rise of private lives and suburban living, ever-evolving forms of window treatments meant to let light out but no eyes in, going for a walk and staring in someone's window seems somewhat unusual. The only time I ever remember looking in someone's window is when, as a child, I could see my backdoor neighbor, Dave Deragisch, pouring the milk for his kids as I sat at the dinner table.
It seems more reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting or something of a similar milieu: A dark autumnal evening is portrayed with a man walking by, looking windswept like a fallen amber leaf, a look of fall in his eyes, as he pauses outside a warm-looking two-story house to see the ambient glow of a family surrounding the dinner table a warm, hot meal about to fill the stomachs of warm, loving hearts. The picture itself creates a sense of soul-emptiness as one views the man outdoors, yearning for the community, the nourishment, the spirit, the love, the "settledness" the window depicts inside. And yet, this picture gives one a feeling of full contented wholistic peace--somehow we place ourselves (perhaps proleptically) both at the dinnertable and outside looking in.
As I read this passage from Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning novel about an aging rural Iowa pastor's reflections on family, fatherhood, and fraternity, I was deeply moved--my spirit oddly stirred, by the sense of peace and contentment expressed in John's recollection. Only a mere twenty-four years old, I must take pause at this juncture to ask of myself, and of others, why am I so obsessed with looking in the windows? Even though I have never truly experienced the process of window gazing, ir seems as if my own life--all our lives, really, center around our gazes into the windows of others---and in the process, we lose sight of the window that connects us to the world around us--the world that connects us to God.
Window gazing--indeed, is not inherently evil; indeed, many windows have provided me with spiritual connections, with deeper understandings of God and my relationship with the creator, and for deep, personal, visceral experiences of life's reality. For me, personally, part of my vocation revolves around looking into the windows of others--in part, as the cliche suggests, because the eyes are the window to one's soul. From any number of times I found myself meeting with distraught dorm students, to the moments when I opened my own window to the love and support of others, to the barely-open eyes of dying patients and the tear-filled eyes of families, I have entered places of spiritual connection and silence where I have seen the truth of the divine through the windows of human experience. Multi-colored human tinting provides a perspective on light, the first of all creation, in a way that can only be experienced by in human, earthly, existence. Thanks be to God for these windows---these unexpected vantages that not only surprise us when we encounter them, but also reveal an inexplicably and mysteriously beautiful sense of serenity and peace.
And while these window experiences have indeed brought me to a deeper understanding of God and of myself, I wonder just how much other time I have spent toiling for a glimpse, a view, even a tiny sneak-peek at the 'lives of others.' I choose toiling here not because it is such hard work, but because as I continually attempt to find a way to make my own life "better," "more settled," or more complete. O, how I waste my time looking into others' windows, and how I simultaneously from looking at the window of my very heart, my soul, my self--a creation treasured by God.
It doesn't matter what the "more" is---there are literally thousands of miles of the windowpanes of mortality before our eyes every day, calling and beckoning, no, even luring us to think, even for just a moment, that whatever is inside that window, protected from the pains of the world by the seemingly impenetrable panes of glass is worth looking at. What a temptation!
The world in which we lives tells us that, like John Boughton, we should yearn to be more settled, or maybe more active, or maybe more popular, more social, more rich, more savvy, more outgoing, more risky, more like your older sibling, more devout, more perfect--in body, mind, or spirit, or even more unlike the "you" you really are. These windows of "more" call us--economically so--to always consider the opportunity cost. "I need some time for myself--I need to reflect in silence through prayer and meditation and whatever--but I've got so much more to do, so many other places to be--oh how it would have been great to have been invited out with those people down the block--What fun it would have been --how great to be in Venice, or at the Lake, or finishing that big proposal at work so I can get that promotion--What window are you looking in?
What a confession---John's silent conclusion--that in all reality, the number of window gazers will always be equal to, if not greater than the number of people in the room--guilty as charged--I spend an inordinate amount of time---sometimes even whole days---gazing at windows that are not my own.
I am a child of God--in the words of Anna Madsen, I am already justified--I am free to look into the window of my own heart, of my own life, broken as some of my own windowpanes may be (no, really are!), and see--through flawless glass, repaired through the death and resurrection of Christ, the truth of my own existence. John sees it in Lila---the peace and contentment of faith--of trust--of the presence of the Holy Spirit. "She was speaking as if from that settled life she said she had always wanted and as if it could not be lost to her, though in every practical, material sense she knows it will be.
I am dying. We are all dying--we have been dying from the very day of our births. Somewhere around each of us is the window that reminds us of our mortality--maybe it is the window of the funeral home with family members surrounding a casket or an urn--, maybe the window of housing demolitions and sectarian violence in East Jerusalem, maybe the pain of daily existence in broken bodies, broken families, with broken spirits, with shattered dreams and shattered hope. But, the power of the gospel, be it to the pastor's wife in Iowa or to a pastor-in-training on the edge of the Schwarzwald, or to Steve, an Iowan with a bad heart whose home can't be that far from the fictitious Iowa town in which Robinson sets her book, is that our lives--our very own windows--not those into which we gaze with bulging eyes, growling stomachs, and yearning hearts, but our very own lives, created by God, renewed by Christ, and sustained by the Spirit, cannot be lost--our lives, while they will end as we know them, cannot be lost, will not be lost, shall not be lost by God. Even though we know our finitude, and even though we try to look into other windows to ignore it, we can find peace in knowing that our window is worth gazing into--our selves are worth exploring--our beings are of value--our peace is the glow of the Spirit in our hearts.
So, as I, and all of us live, searching for certainty, for settledness, community, the nourishment, the spirit, the love, whatever it may be, there is indeed a balm in Gilead--the balm of Christ's love for us--cracks, chips, and all--a balm in living with the peace of Christ--that while all of life cannot be answered in this age, no window through which we can look will give us any more answers that the Christ-filled window our own hearts, our own lives, our own faith, and our own hope for the new creation of the world when Christ returns.
Peace,
Thanks be to God
03 July 2009
30 October 2007
My apologies
I started that blog on October 16th. Look where the time went! I'll have two consecutive blogs by the end of the week coming soon! Thanks for putting up with my procrastination!
Peace,
MK
Peace,
MK
16 October 2007
"It's a small, little, Lutheran World"
Salutations all~~~
It's been a long while since my last post, and I apologize for that! Life has been happening at a quick pace here, and the past weekends have been devoted to homework and other activities, such as Visit Trinity, the admissions weekend we had on Saturday and Sunday. Know that I am well, and will try to be better about regular posting!
I was unsure of what to expect when I went to Chicago for the ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission celebration! However, I was more than surprised. I was elated to get to know 15 other Seminarians. We were able to share call stories, life experiences, and more! I now have more colleagues and friends whom I plan to keep in touch with. As one man, Carlton, said, "I am definitely going to have all of you come and preach at my church some day, and I'll hope you'll do the same!"
Perhaps one of the greatest things was discovering the ways in which the small, little Lutheran world is connected. Among the 16 of us, one was a Slovakian colleage of my friend Necia Homan through the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program; another was in Slovakia with my friend Rebecca Lund and is now her roommate at LTSC. Another of the men from Southern is married to a woman I worked with as a counselor at Green Lake Bible Camp. And this is the weirdest of all! I saw a young woman from the seminary at Philadelphia. She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn't necessarily place her. Anyhow, I figured it out! We were at Holden Village during the same week in March 2005. I was there for Easter and Holy Week. That was the last of her three months there! Indeed, it is a small, Lutheran world.
In regards to Chicago, it was neat to tour the headquarters of the ELCA and see the way the church works. I was able to enjoy dinner with my bishop, Jon Anderson, and meet other bishops from around the country. It was a truly emotional and spirit-filled experience to see how each of us were called to ministry and an invigorating experience to share in the Holy Spirit, whose presence was all around us. Hearing our own brief autobiographies read, I couldn't help but realize the way in which God's Spirit has named, redeemed, and called each of us to ministry!
I hope we'll be able to get together again as the Fund For Leaders' 2007 Scholars! As I returned to Columbus, I felt renewed by my journey, transformed by the people around me, and most of all, affirmed in my sense of call in Christ's church.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
It's been a long while since my last post, and I apologize for that! Life has been happening at a quick pace here, and the past weekends have been devoted to homework and other activities, such as Visit Trinity, the admissions weekend we had on Saturday and Sunday. Know that I am well, and will try to be better about regular posting!
I was unsure of what to expect when I went to Chicago for the ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission celebration! However, I was more than surprised. I was elated to get to know 15 other Seminarians. We were able to share call stories, life experiences, and more! I now have more colleagues and friends whom I plan to keep in touch with. As one man, Carlton, said, "I am definitely going to have all of you come and preach at my church some day, and I'll hope you'll do the same!"
Perhaps one of the greatest things was discovering the ways in which the small, little Lutheran world is connected. Among the 16 of us, one was a Slovakian colleage of my friend Necia Homan through the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program; another was in Slovakia with my friend Rebecca Lund and is now her roommate at LTSC. Another of the men from Southern is married to a woman I worked with as a counselor at Green Lake Bible Camp. And this is the weirdest of all! I saw a young woman from the seminary at Philadelphia. She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn't necessarily place her. Anyhow, I figured it out! We were at Holden Village during the same week in March 2005. I was there for Easter and Holy Week. That was the last of her three months there! Indeed, it is a small, Lutheran world.
In regards to Chicago, it was neat to tour the headquarters of the ELCA and see the way the church works. I was able to enjoy dinner with my bishop, Jon Anderson, and meet other bishops from around the country. It was a truly emotional and spirit-filled experience to see how each of us were called to ministry and an invigorating experience to share in the Holy Spirit, whose presence was all around us. Hearing our own brief autobiographies read, I couldn't help but realize the way in which God's Spirit has named, redeemed, and called each of us to ministry!
I hope we'll be able to get together again as the Fund For Leaders' 2007 Scholars! As I returned to Columbus, I felt renewed by my journey, transformed by the people around me, and most of all, affirmed in my sense of call in Christ's church.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
02 October 2007
Simul Justus Et Peccator
What's this...a midweek update? I had a part II of my last message that I had to wait to post. Now that my "secret" birthday gift to my Grandma has been received, I can share my update and know that it won't surprise her before the glory that is the U.S. Mail system came through for me! Way to Go USPS!
The title of this post, of course, comes from the Latin phrase of the Reformation, meaning simultaneously saint and sinner! This also inspired a new book which I encourage you all to check out! Simul: A Collection of Lutheran Poetry, was edited by Augie and Luther Sem alum Mark Patrick Odland, and was recently published by Xulon Press. On page 51 of the book, a poem I wrote during the summer of 2005 entitled "The Feeling of Silence" was selected and is published in said book. I'm officially a published poet, and continue to hope and pray that Rich Bowman and my proposal to Baker Academic for our book comes through soon! You can feel free to order a copy if you wish, and otherwise, you can browse as well.
I am also excited to head to Chicago on Friday to receive my scholarship award as part of the ELCA Fund for Leaders in Misison program. I get to meet the Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, and will also get to see some friends in the Chicagoland area (ie Rebecca Lund!) as well as (I hope) have some Chicagostyle Pizza! Mmmm! It will be a quick trip, and my first weekend away from the seminary community, which should be a good change, but also a different change. Sadly, I'll miss the Augsburg Fortress Book Sale Clearance, where stuff is on sale at ungodly cheap prices!
While these things make me seem saintly, I also have a little sinner in me this week as well.
This week has seemed an awful lot like what I have deemed "Chintzy hymn week." Now, I don't mean to offend anyone for whom the following hymns have meaning, but in my own experiences, the hymns I am about to discuss have been repeated so often that they no longer hold significant spiritual meaning for me. They, unfortunately, have become more of a chore to sing than a joy in praise of God's blessings (Maybe I need to be more patient). Anyhow.
On Sunday, at the church where I worshipped, we sang "Borning Cry." I have nothing against the music or meaning of this song, nor our Monday singing of "On Eagle's Wings." I'm waiting for us to sing "I The Lord of Sea and Sky" or "Shine Jesus Shine!" I just looked online at the list of semester hymns (Yes, they have a list of all the hymns we'll use in worship all semester!) and neither are scheduled for this week!
Anyway, a few weeks ago, an e-mail passed through my inbox that re-works the words of Borning Cry into a new, less-bibiical, playful form. Enjoy!
I was at your birth, you whiny brat,
I’ll be there the day you croak.
I’ll be there to watch you muddle through,
You poor, sick cosmic joke!
I was there when you were but a child,
Sticky fingers, snotty nose,
Saw you steal that cookie, break that lamp
And spray Grandma with the hose!
When in Sunday school you nodded off,
I supplied a righteous frown.
You care less about the liturgy
Than the Vikings’ next first down! (Insert your own team here)
If you find someone to share your life,
And you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there when it all goes to hell,
She takes the kids and runs!
In the middle ages of your life
Fat and bored, and tired and grey,
I will watch you buy that new red Porsche
that depletes your IRA!
When you kick the bucket all alone,
Watching old re-runs of M*A*S*H,
I’ll see Cousin Fred, whom you despise,
Get your house and all your cash!
I was at your birth, you whiny brat,
I’ll be there until you croak,
I’ll be there to watch you muddle through
You poor, sick cosmic joke!
I think this is a fun "mocking" of the hymn, and while it does seem somewhat sacreligious, does reflect the imperfections of our own lives. God's presence is with us, even when our life situations may make us feel as if we were dead in the midst of our own lives.
In closing, I'd like to share this lovely state of the world we live in nugget!
On Facebook, there's a new profile feature that is called "Super Poke" This means that you can "virtually poke, hug, kick, and do other things to your online friends." Not so bad, right. I was perusing (stalking) the world of facebook searching for a high school MASLC friend and came across someone's profile. They had super-poke engaged, and the girl's boyfriend had used the super-poke feature. In the matter of a day, he hadov kissed him (okay, this is sort of weird), he had sucker punched her (a little vague), he had worshipped, headbutted, hugged, and tripped her (all of this virtually!)
What made me stop and ponder in sheer befuddlement was that he had "Licked" her on Facebook. Does it not speak of our need for God's love when we are now so in love with people that we show affection by "licking" our significant other in a virtual community where I, for example, can witness to their licking-love! Give me a break!
God's peace...More updates after Chicago, if not before!
28 September 2007
Play that Funky Music, White Boy!
Happy Friday yet again!
As another week has passed, it's been fun and somewhat unusual here in Columbus. The one word that best describes me thus far is "funky." I haven't been sleeping well (although, after I changed my sheets, this has improved!), the weather's been odd, and I have just felt "in a funk!" Not bad, not good, just funky! Who knows...
On the exciting news front, I learned I'll be spending January in Geneva, Switzerland taking a class on Ecumenism through the ELCA and the Lutheran World Federation, which is headquartered there. I'm excited for this opportunity, and look forward to another travel experience.
I've been busy this week talking with family members about a project called a "genogram," which takes a look at your family tree to find connections and social trends in terms of family relationships, emotional relationships, problem behaviors, etc. It's been a fun journey, and I found out there's a lot I didn't know or have forgotten about my own family history. This geneaology stuff is kind of fun. Thanks to those of you who have helped out!
I'm in a hoppy mood, so I thought I would fill you in on yet another weird alignment of the planets. My friend Jes King happened to invite me with a bunch of other seminarians to a senior couple's home for dinner a few weeks ago. Three of the people there were alums of Wittenberg University, another ELCA School. As part of the evening, we watched a video some of them had made back in their Campus Ministry days there! As I was watching the end credits, the name of the campus pastor in the video struck me. Where did I know a Rachel Tune? Then, it clicked! I had rememebed the name from the wall at Our Savior's in Jackson. Rachel Sandum Tune was one of the photos of our own church's daughters who had gone to serve the church. I mentioned to Jes that I thought this Rachel Tune was likely the one I knew from my church. She e-mailed her, and alas, she had known about me. She had read an article about me either in the Jackson County paper or OSLC News n Notes. Neat, huh! Even cooler, is that she is one of the people in charge of the church money I'm supposed to be getting (there's been some tape to pull back because I'm in Columbus, not St. Paul) and wants to meet me when she preaches at Trinity in early December! Oh, the small world of Lutherans.
Another fun aside this week has been my addiction to Scrabble. I've found fun on the webpage www.scrabulous.com, and even though my record's not quite as good as it is against my mom ;-), it is still fun to play. You can also play me on facebook! How about that! I'm welcoming anyone to play me in a game!
I'm gonna cut this short for now, more will be posted toward the end of the weekend. However, I'm going to add a new video of the week feature. I came upon this while on youtube, and found it too good to pass up! Happy Augie Homecoming, and I'm sorry I can't be there, Class of '07! Peace,
As another week has passed, it's been fun and somewhat unusual here in Columbus. The one word that best describes me thus far is "funky." I haven't been sleeping well (although, after I changed my sheets, this has improved!), the weather's been odd, and I have just felt "in a funk!" Not bad, not good, just funky! Who knows...
On the exciting news front, I learned I'll be spending January in Geneva, Switzerland taking a class on Ecumenism through the ELCA and the Lutheran World Federation, which is headquartered there. I'm excited for this opportunity, and look forward to another travel experience.
I've been busy this week talking with family members about a project called a "genogram," which takes a look at your family tree to find connections and social trends in terms of family relationships, emotional relationships, problem behaviors, etc. It's been a fun journey, and I found out there's a lot I didn't know or have forgotten about my own family history. This geneaology stuff is kind of fun. Thanks to those of you who have helped out!
I'm in a hoppy mood, so I thought I would fill you in on yet another weird alignment of the planets. My friend Jes King happened to invite me with a bunch of other seminarians to a senior couple's home for dinner a few weeks ago. Three of the people there were alums of Wittenberg University, another ELCA School. As part of the evening, we watched a video some of them had made back in their Campus Ministry days there! As I was watching the end credits, the name of the campus pastor in the video struck me. Where did I know a Rachel Tune? Then, it clicked! I had rememebed the name from the wall at Our Savior's in Jackson. Rachel Sandum Tune was one of the photos of our own church's daughters who had gone to serve the church. I mentioned to Jes that I thought this Rachel Tune was likely the one I knew from my church. She e-mailed her, and alas, she had known about me. She had read an article about me either in the Jackson County paper or OSLC News n Notes. Neat, huh! Even cooler, is that she is one of the people in charge of the church money I'm supposed to be getting (there's been some tape to pull back because I'm in Columbus, not St. Paul) and wants to meet me when she preaches at Trinity in early December! Oh, the small world of Lutherans.
Another fun aside this week has been my addiction to Scrabble. I've found fun on the webpage www.scrabulous.com, and even though my record's not quite as good as it is against my mom ;-), it is still fun to play. You can also play me on facebook! How about that! I'm welcoming anyone to play me in a game!
I'm gonna cut this short for now, more will be posted toward the end of the weekend. However, I'm going to add a new video of the week feature. I came upon this while on youtube, and found it too good to pass up! Happy Augie Homecoming, and I'm sorry I can't be there, Class of '07! Peace,
22 September 2007
The Planets are aligned
I said in my past two postings that I have been meaning to talk about 1) family systems, and 2) listening and hearing. I will get to those things eventually, but overall, it's been a crazy week. I worked at a lock-in at Bethel Lutheran Church in Grove City, where my friend Chris Matson is the youth director. My sleep patterns have not recovered. The case in point, It is Friday, and alas, a bunch of folks planned to go to a place called Magic Mountain (Not the 6 Flags in California) where there is mini-golf (or as the "locals" say, putt-putt), batting cages, go-karts, etc. However, I lay myself down to read about 6:15 or so and fell asleep, so when everyone left at seven o'clock, there I wasn't! It's okay though, because tonight has been a good night nonetheless.
Listening and hearing...A few weeks ago, we read a book I talked about called Pedestrian Theology. In it, the author, Deb Grant talks about vocation and calling. It wasn't an explicit theme in her book, but I sensed an overall theme of failing to listen and hearing running throughout the book. In the opening section, she explained how when she and her brothers were out in the "foresty" area behind their house, when their mother would call them in to dinner with a bell/brake drum esque noise, they would often drone it out, for it was easier to ignore it, pretending not to hear, than to hear the sound. What a wonderful metaphor for call and how each of us somehow questions our discernment, wishing "not to hear" and finding it easier to focus on something else rather than the imminent clanging right in the midst of our presence.
Overall, I find it is challenging to listen/hear in the midst of all the noise that goes on in a place like a seminary, Lutheran or not. There are certainly voices of professors, voices of authority, voices of affirmation, voices that push you where you might not want to go, voices of questioning, voices of doubt, voices of culture, voices of the unheard, voices of the too-oft heard, and of course (with props to Reynold Nesiba), the voices in the air which command how things have been done and how things should be done.
Very interesting lists of voices could continue, but I shall move on to the overall theme of my title: The planets are most certainly aligned! For those of you who are not aware, I was a member of the Minnesota All-State Lutheran Choir (MASLC) for three years in high school. I have a number of connections across the U.S. with MASLCers, and the experience I shared with about 150 others in my three years was fabuluous.
Even though I have lost touch with many of the friends I made in MASLC, I have kept a few close contacts. And this week, for whatever reason, the planets aligned and I connected with many of them, even though I didn't realize it until this evening. Earlier in the week, I received a note from Kirsten Fryer, who remains a close friend as she enters her internship year in WI at LSTC in Chicago. We knew even when we were in MASLC that we would become clergy friends someday! Also, as a part of my first year in the group, we did a children's musical entitled "The Storytellin' Man" by Ken Medema. It chronicled the three lost parables, two of which made up last week's lectionary!
Coins and sheep, along with the prodigal son, were part of our musical, and I had the opening lines. Oddly enough, after realizing this in church, my good friend Brad Schultz, whom I hadn't really heard from in some while, left me a facebook message which said, "So here's how my dream went last night. You were doing your internship year at Trinity in Coeur d Alene. We're watching a tape of one of your sermons, in which you commented on each of the four texts in succession, and found ways to connect each one back to MASLC. And everyone else was getting annoyed, but I was laughing. Is that strange?"
Heck yes it's strange. Brad's now a church music director in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. I stopped to laugh for about 5 minutes when I heard his message, and then I realized that he probably subconsciously connected the gospel to our time together in Maslc, and everything worked out. What a great dream!
Amazing the ways you can connect over nostalgic things! Anyhoo, My mom also ran into my friend Lesley Johnson at a teachers' meeting (MASLC '01 & '02) and called to tell me that, on top of everything else. It must just be a MASLC week! Eh?
Understanding more about myself has led to the overall theme of this week: PSYCHOLOGY! With a lot of reading about family systems, completing a genogram, and going through a full day of boundary training, I'm about ready to drive myself crazy! It seems as if there's a bunch of categories we're supposed to fit into, not fit into, and delve more deeply into our family histories about. Hmm! I think to the words of a song I'm modifying from the immortal Tim Young:
I THINK I'M BIOLOGICAL
I THINK I'M PSYCHOLOGICAL
I THINK I'M NOT REALLY WHAT I SEEM
'CAUSE I'M JUST NORMAL, MAN
AND WHY DON'T YOU JUST LIKE ME!
So long for now. More to come...Fahre ich in Die Schweiz?
Listening and hearing...A few weeks ago, we read a book I talked about called Pedestrian Theology. In it, the author, Deb Grant talks about vocation and calling. It wasn't an explicit theme in her book, but I sensed an overall theme of failing to listen and hearing running throughout the book. In the opening section, she explained how when she and her brothers were out in the "foresty" area behind their house, when their mother would call them in to dinner with a bell/brake drum esque noise, they would often drone it out, for it was easier to ignore it, pretending not to hear, than to hear the sound. What a wonderful metaphor for call and how each of us somehow questions our discernment, wishing "not to hear" and finding it easier to focus on something else rather than the imminent clanging right in the midst of our presence.
Overall, I find it is challenging to listen/hear in the midst of all the noise that goes on in a place like a seminary, Lutheran or not. There are certainly voices of professors, voices of authority, voices of affirmation, voices that push you where you might not want to go, voices of questioning, voices of doubt, voices of culture, voices of the unheard, voices of the too-oft heard, and of course (with props to Reynold Nesiba), the voices in the air which command how things have been done and how things should be done.
Very interesting lists of voices could continue, but I shall move on to the overall theme of my title: The planets are most certainly aligned! For those of you who are not aware, I was a member of the Minnesota All-State Lutheran Choir (MASLC) for three years in high school. I have a number of connections across the U.S. with MASLCers, and the experience I shared with about 150 others in my three years was fabuluous.
Even though I have lost touch with many of the friends I made in MASLC, I have kept a few close contacts. And this week, for whatever reason, the planets aligned and I connected with many of them, even though I didn't realize it until this evening. Earlier in the week, I received a note from Kirsten Fryer, who remains a close friend as she enters her internship year in WI at LSTC in Chicago. We knew even when we were in MASLC that we would become clergy friends someday! Also, as a part of my first year in the group, we did a children's musical entitled "The Storytellin' Man" by Ken Medema. It chronicled the three lost parables, two of which made up last week's lectionary!
Coins and sheep, along with the prodigal son, were part of our musical, and I had the opening lines. Oddly enough, after realizing this in church, my good friend Brad Schultz, whom I hadn't really heard from in some while, left me a facebook message which said, "So here's how my dream went last night. You were doing your internship year at Trinity in Coeur d Alene. We're watching a tape of one of your sermons, in which you commented on each of the four texts in succession, and found ways to connect each one back to MASLC. And everyone else was getting annoyed, but I was laughing. Is that strange?"
Heck yes it's strange. Brad's now a church music director in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. I stopped to laugh for about 5 minutes when I heard his message, and then I realized that he probably subconsciously connected the gospel to our time together in Maslc, and everything worked out. What a great dream!
Amazing the ways you can connect over nostalgic things! Anyhoo, My mom also ran into my friend Lesley Johnson at a teachers' meeting (MASLC '01 & '02) and called to tell me that, on top of everything else. It must just be a MASLC week! Eh?
Understanding more about myself has led to the overall theme of this week: PSYCHOLOGY! With a lot of reading about family systems, completing a genogram, and going through a full day of boundary training, I'm about ready to drive myself crazy! It seems as if there's a bunch of categories we're supposed to fit into, not fit into, and delve more deeply into our family histories about. Hmm! I think to the words of a song I'm modifying from the immortal Tim Young:
I THINK I'M BIOLOGICAL
I THINK I'M PSYCHOLOGICAL
I THINK I'M NOT REALLY WHAT I SEEM
'CAUSE I'M JUST NORMAL, MAN
AND WHY DON'T YOU JUST LIKE ME!
So long for now. More to come...Fahre ich in Die Schweiz?
18 September 2007
Matt's Personal Venting: A Frustrating Random Internet Search
I don't normally make many political/social statements public, but this comment really upset me today. It wasn't necessarily because I feel one way or the other toward homosexuality or homosexuals. The place where I found this quote was problematic.
The results of a three-year study challenge the idea that homosexuals cannot change their sexual orientation and that attempts to do so are harmful. But an opponent of "ex-gays" dismissed the findings as the result of "a deceptive sham" perpetrated by "right-wing therapists." -- Randy Hall
I had gone onto www.crosswalk.com to look up a Bible Passage because it is one of the few online bibles that offers the NRSV as a translation! Imagine that! Anyway, I was disappointed to see they had changed their format with a new place to click for quick bible references. As I tried to find the appropriate link, the above story came up on the page.
I take issue with this statement because I feel it provides a shaded look at the issue. Regardless of what you think about homosexuality, its relation to the church, this statement seems unusual to be highlighted on a Bible Reference Page. Maybe it is applicable. I'll have to do my own research to find out. However, it bothers me to see the hermeneutical lens which it takes. Not only is there factual "glossing" and conclusions about homosexuality, but also about psychology/genetics, politics, and its relation to Christianity.
While some, like the local Columbus mega-church leader Rod Parsley, whose book I just finished, would criticize homosexuals and call them to a Christian renewal, I don't believe I can judge like that. If I am grateful for one thing, it is the quality of my Augustana education which has taught me to look beyond the objective and ask questions to form your own opinions. I was provided with a variety of perspectives, from Dan Spencer's to some of my friends to the work of Jim Childs and the ELCA's packet on sexuality, and able to soak in the information and figure out the context in which each perspective is rooted.
It bothers me that this story was considered news-worthy for the Crosswalk feed. Maybe, just maybe, there might be a better "evocation of grace" from the heart-inspired service to the poor or homeless, a missionary who devoted life and luxury to share the gospel in the heart of Africa, or a message of peace.
Just a few musings. I don't mean to take a political stance or say one thing or another, but rather vent my frustration with how we view the world of news, how we are indoctrinated in how to think and what to think, and often don't hear "Paul Harvey's" "The Rest of the Story."
What does this mean for family systems...You'll find out in my next blog!
The results of a three-year study challenge the idea that homosexuals cannot change their sexual orientation and that attempts to do so are harmful. But an opponent of "ex-gays" dismissed the findings as the result of "a deceptive sham" perpetrated by "right-wing therapists." -- Randy Hall
I had gone onto www.crosswalk.com to look up a Bible Passage because it is one of the few online bibles that offers the NRSV as a translation! Imagine that! Anyway, I was disappointed to see they had changed their format with a new place to click for quick bible references. As I tried to find the appropriate link, the above story came up on the page.
I take issue with this statement because I feel it provides a shaded look at the issue. Regardless of what you think about homosexuality, its relation to the church, this statement seems unusual to be highlighted on a Bible Reference Page. Maybe it is applicable. I'll have to do my own research to find out. However, it bothers me to see the hermeneutical lens which it takes. Not only is there factual "glossing" and conclusions about homosexuality, but also about psychology/genetics, politics, and its relation to Christianity.
While some, like the local Columbus mega-church leader Rod Parsley, whose book I just finished, would criticize homosexuals and call them to a Christian renewal, I don't believe I can judge like that. If I am grateful for one thing, it is the quality of my Augustana education which has taught me to look beyond the objective and ask questions to form your own opinions. I was provided with a variety of perspectives, from Dan Spencer's to some of my friends to the work of Jim Childs and the ELCA's packet on sexuality, and able to soak in the information and figure out the context in which each perspective is rooted.
It bothers me that this story was considered news-worthy for the Crosswalk feed. Maybe, just maybe, there might be a better "evocation of grace" from the heart-inspired service to the poor or homeless, a missionary who devoted life and luxury to share the gospel in the heart of Africa, or a message of peace.
Just a few musings. I don't mean to take a political stance or say one thing or another, but rather vent my frustration with how we view the world of news, how we are indoctrinated in how to think and what to think, and often don't hear "Paul Harvey's" "The Rest of the Story."
What does this mean for family systems...You'll find out in my next blog!
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