This will also be the February church newsletter article
A book that I have not read, but have certainly heard about is, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs.
Jacobs is a secular Jew who decided to try and live a “Biblical” lifestyle so he grew a beard, avoided mixing wool and linen in his clothing, ate crickets, could not make play-dough objects because that would be a graven image. He tried to follow the ten commandments; Sabbath keeping and kosher food practices. His stoning of adulterers becomes a more symbolic but tense pebble tossing.
The book could create discussion and reflection on what Biblical principles we take seriously and which ones we might not. A good question for Lent would be “How would you do a year of Living Biblically?” Or specifically; how about for the next 40 days? What would that be for you?
We all do our picking and choosing or emphasize some parts of "Biblical living” over others. Some concentrate on personal morality, some underline social justice, some concentrate on piety, of course its all in there!
My reading of the Bible and my lens of Christ is that it would be centered in the value and lifestyle of life changing-world changing love: “Love fulfills the law. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as you love yourself. God is love. Beloved let us love one another.” You might look at how you can more intentionally be Biblical in the Lenten time ahead. How will you love the hungry and poor? Will you embody the Gospel and welcome “outcasts?” Will love be a step toward forgiveness or peacemaking? How do you increase your gratitude and generosity? Will you look at how you care for the earth’s resources, your consumer choices; your recycling? Would a Lent of living Biblically mean more time for soul searching, God listening, Bible study and prayer? Could it be a month without gossip; a month of thank you letters or getting around, purposefully, to that thing you keep avoiding, but know needs to be done?
Our Bishop has also been intrigued with the book’s theme and writes about the Year of Living Faithfully or “maybe Dangerously” in her blog. (http://bishopsallydyck.blogspot.com/).
I will offer something new by posting a special blog entry for everyday of Lent; a brief quote, reflection or prayer, an image or a scripture at http://rorysrambles.blogspot.com/.
We have our Lenten Wednesday evening services, shared with other churches. We will look at the Journeys of Paul. Ash Wednesday service will be at Park Church!
Grace and peace. Rory
Friday, January 25, 2008
How would I be?
Warning.
This will not be in the category of cheery or inspirational thoughts. I had another funeral/memorial service today .The person was 65 years old and had lived with MS for about 40 years. So many people remarked about the person's cheerfulness, or independence. I called it "spunk."
And along with that experience, the other day I was visiting with a person whose spouse is in an assisted living - care center; and the person's spouse some times get depressed, angry, just plain hard to be around. That all sounds normal to me in those circumstances and the spouse is very understanding of it. Just how is somebody "supposed to be" when the body causes pain, or doesn't do what it used to do, and we can't be in our own homes, and we grieve the loss of abilities, freedoms, privacies and pleasures? How will I be, when (if) I get there? I dont know.
I plan to be cranky and grouchy now and then.
I warn my family that in order to keep a balanced emotional life I have to be cranky now, or cranky later, so don't make me put it all off for later!
Maybe this is just a ramble (to distract me from a Sunday sermon I need to finish) on the proverb or cliche about putting yourself in somebody else's shoes - try them on now, because you might be walking in them later?
Maybe that's some of what Paul was getting around to in his Romans 12:15 words about "rejoice with those who rejoice and suffer or weep with those who suffer/weep. " It gets you trying on, what others feel.
I know some people who seemed to cope well with circumstances that I cant imagine myself coping with.
Is this one of those things where "you don't know until you get there."
Does how I cope with anything now, suggest, give clues, of how I might be in such a condition?
How would you be?
Trust me, I'm not looking for blog comments on this one!
This will not be in the category of cheery or inspirational thoughts. I had another funeral/memorial service today .The person was 65 years old and had lived with MS for about 40 years. So many people remarked about the person's cheerfulness, or independence. I called it "spunk."
And along with that experience, the other day I was visiting with a person whose spouse is in an assisted living - care center; and the person's spouse some times get depressed, angry, just plain hard to be around. That all sounds normal to me in those circumstances and the spouse is very understanding of it. Just how is somebody "supposed to be" when the body causes pain, or doesn't do what it used to do, and we can't be in our own homes, and we grieve the loss of abilities, freedoms, privacies and pleasures? How will I be, when (if) I get there? I dont know.
I plan to be cranky and grouchy now and then.
I warn my family that in order to keep a balanced emotional life I have to be cranky now, or cranky later, so don't make me put it all off for later!
Maybe this is just a ramble (to distract me from a Sunday sermon I need to finish) on the proverb or cliche about putting yourself in somebody else's shoes - try them on now, because you might be walking in them later?
Maybe that's some of what Paul was getting around to in his Romans 12:15 words about "rejoice with those who rejoice and suffer or weep with those who suffer/weep. " It gets you trying on, what others feel.
I know some people who seemed to cope well with circumstances that I cant imagine myself coping with.
Is this one of those things where "you don't know until you get there."
Does how I cope with anything now, suggest, give clues, of how I might be in such a condition?
How would you be?
Trust me, I'm not looking for blog comments on this one!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Bucket List
I have had two movies recommended to me this week, The Bucket List and Juno, (besides my daughter's current obsession with Sweeney Todd.) The Bucket List is about two men who meet in a hospital; one is rich and one is more like the rest of us, and they start talking about what they still want to do before they kick the bucket. I haven't seen the movie but with the rich man's resources they are able to do some exotic things.
But my point:
It raises a good question - What else do you want to do, accomplish or experience in your life?
I was a hospice volunteer chaplain for three years in Ortonville and that was one of the possible questions I might offer in that setting. Are there things you still want to do or say, that can still be done?
This morning the Brainerd Dispatch also offered the Bucket List question to its readers and will be collecting responses..
So what is on your list? (I will ask myself as well!...yes, I would love to travel.)
Moving it to a Church and spiritual life context, as a follower of Christ do we put anything on the list that goes beyond self centered satisfactions. Does my self enjoyment and life goals and "to do" list, do any good for anyone else?
Or , another twist:
As a congregation, what would be our Bucket List? Try this at a planning or council meeting!
If a church knew it were to close in 5,10, 2o years, what would we hope yet to do?
Would it change the way we do business? (How many of us would still stay in a church if we knew it were closing?)
Would we be transforming our buildings to something very different, would our buildings get the kind of attention they typically get or would we spend and invest our money and time in other ways of ministry and being the church?
We could make a case for continuing on with our rhythms of worship, prayer, steadfast love and being present in the name of Christ; but can we honestly say we would just keep on doing what we are doing in every way?
A church bucket list....hmmm
What do we still want to do....experience...be?
Kinda adds another meaning to the Biblical perspective.... 'now is the time."
Maybe eschatology does have a role in our visioning!
But my point:
It raises a good question - What else do you want to do, accomplish or experience in your life?
I was a hospice volunteer chaplain for three years in Ortonville and that was one of the possible questions I might offer in that setting. Are there things you still want to do or say, that can still be done?
This morning the Brainerd Dispatch also offered the Bucket List question to its readers and will be collecting responses..
So what is on your list? (I will ask myself as well!...yes, I would love to travel.)
Moving it to a Church and spiritual life context, as a follower of Christ do we put anything on the list that goes beyond self centered satisfactions. Does my self enjoyment and life goals and "to do" list, do any good for anyone else?
Or , another twist:
As a congregation, what would be our Bucket List? Try this at a planning or council meeting!
If a church knew it were to close in 5,10, 2o years, what would we hope yet to do?
Would it change the way we do business? (How many of us would still stay in a church if we knew it were closing?)
Would we be transforming our buildings to something very different, would our buildings get the kind of attention they typically get or would we spend and invest our money and time in other ways of ministry and being the church?
We could make a case for continuing on with our rhythms of worship, prayer, steadfast love and being present in the name of Christ; but can we honestly say we would just keep on doing what we are doing in every way?
A church bucket list....hmmm
What do we still want to do....experience...be?
Kinda adds another meaning to the Biblical perspective.... 'now is the time."
Maybe eschatology does have a role in our visioning!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
It comes down to who you know
In a fit of extreme rambling, Beth and Sara and I were discussing conspiracy theories, then connections to people and various events, such as the Kennedy assassination. Beth had a second cousin or something who was the captain of the parade color guard behind the Kennedy motorcade in Dallas, then I told about how the Swenson family relatives were responsible for the Mafia because the Mafia can trace its beginnings as a resistance organization against the Norse raiders (our early relatives) who settled in Sicily... then I explained how Dick Cheney is responsible for Beth and me being married because in the summer of1979 I worked on an oil rig in Colorado that also depended on Haliburton services and I have the sticker on my hard hat to prove it, so therefore my employment depended on Haliburton and that employment helped pay for seminary which led to the ministry that took me to Red Bird Missionary Conference where Beth and I met, therefore , I told my daughter you wouldn't be here if it weren't for Dick Cheney! ... the conversation only got worse from there but I was able to vindicate my tangled logic and conspiratorial brilliance by recalling the book title "How the Irish Saved Civilization" and that since we also have Irish heritage... it ain't all bad.
It's all who you know.
And if you read all this ramble..just remember you're making history..and reading history in the making!
Enjoy the day!
It's all who you know.
And if you read all this ramble..just remember you're making history..and reading history in the making!
Enjoy the day!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King thoughts.
Not necessarily for your benefit, dear blog reader, just a chance for me to indulge in my own reflections:
Some good pieces are available on TV so take time to watch a few.
Yes, I remember the day his assassination happened; hearing about it at school.
I had a room mate for some of my first year in seminary at BU who personally knew King and worked with him in some of the later events and I did not take the opportunity to hear more of his experiences. Opportunity lost! Coretta Scott King spoke in Marsh Chapel of Boston Univ. when I was there. (Yes, we sang "We shall over come") I hope to never forget it. We could go to the library at Boston Univ. and see whatever letter of his might be on display at the time, and of course there were a few older professors who knew him from his days as a doctoral student at BU.
If you're ever in Atlanta see the historical sites: Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King "boyhood" family home and the King center there; I was there in the early 80s and it had a pilgrimage feel to it. I keep my "souvenir mug," with a favorite quote in the office. Ways to be reminded of something that must not be forgotten....
But most of all, am I/ are we ( a nation , a church, a culture) willing to see that the vision is not fulfilled? The work is still there to do. ..inclusion, justice, "strength to love"....spiritual transformation ...In later work he spoke not only of the racism, but the poverty and the violence of war.
Still have a dream? Maybe it serves to trouble my conscience a bit because I have not had the prophetic kind of voice that I envisioned for myself in seminary and early ministry days. As one of my early DS's put it, my pastoral sensibilities have grown (...but at what price?)
Martin Luther King Jr Day
Some of his words.
The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must
be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an
irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.
, Strength to Love, 1963.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies
hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction
of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of
annihilation.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.
The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of
civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant
animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty.
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.
Was not Jesus an extremist for love -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice -- "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ -- "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist -- "Here I stand; I can do none other so help me God." Was not John Bunyan an extremist -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist -- "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice--or will we be extremists for the cause of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill, three men were crucified. We must not forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thusly fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment.
From “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (April 1963)
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”
The last citing here is from inward/outward's posting:
By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.
Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth crushed to earth will rise again.” Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This is for hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow with a cosmic past tense, “We have overcome, we have overcome, deep in my heart, I did believe we would overcome.”
Source: Final speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, August 16, 1967, in I Have A Dream, edited by James Washington
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Nice Ice and the Minnesota Spirit
This blog entry is for the benefit of my parents who winter in Arizona, and any other southern blog readers that might check in:
It has been an easy winter so far but it was "something below zero" (-16F) this morning. Here in the church office this afternoon we decided to run less than the usual 200 worship bulletins for the 9:30 service. Its supposed to be colder than 20 below on Sunday (-50 wind chill) and especially since we have quite a few older church members, it might (wisely so) keep a few back home. We know that cold weather creates hardship on stretched-thin budgets with extra heating bills, it strains our cars, stresses animals and those who must work outside. But yesterday I heard that classic, Minnesota line, "It will make "nice ice.'" The woman I overheard is either hoping to get rid of her husband out in the fish house for awhile, or she herself, does the ice-fishing, but it goes to show, we can still choose to look for the sunny side...even when the sun light doesn't make much heat. Does "Nice ice" go along with Minnesota nice?
I thought too, of what other Biblical or theological framework there might be for our Minnesota spirit. Is this a case of I Corinthians 13; ".. love bears all things, endures all things" even a Minnesota winter? Is this in the category of Paul's word in 2 Corinthians 4:8 "We are troubled, but not crushed." Maybe we go to Philippians 4:8 and "put our minds on whatever is good..."
Maybe its just cold and this is Minnesota and there's nothing else we can do about it because we can't all go south! So make the best of it.... Nice ice!
PS That means the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is on for Jan. 26!
It has been an easy winter so far but it was "something below zero" (-16F) this morning. Here in the church office this afternoon we decided to run less than the usual 200 worship bulletins for the 9:30 service. Its supposed to be colder than 20 below on Sunday (-50 wind chill) and especially since we have quite a few older church members, it might (wisely so) keep a few back home. We know that cold weather creates hardship on stretched-thin budgets with extra heating bills, it strains our cars, stresses animals and those who must work outside. But yesterday I heard that classic, Minnesota line, "It will make "nice ice.'" The woman I overheard is either hoping to get rid of her husband out in the fish house for awhile, or she herself, does the ice-fishing, but it goes to show, we can still choose to look for the sunny side...even when the sun light doesn't make much heat. Does "Nice ice" go along with Minnesota nice?
I thought too, of what other Biblical or theological framework there might be for our Minnesota spirit. Is this a case of I Corinthians 13; ".. love bears all things, endures all things" even a Minnesota winter? Is this in the category of Paul's word in 2 Corinthians 4:8 "We are troubled, but not crushed." Maybe we go to Philippians 4:8 and "put our minds on whatever is good..."
Maybe its just cold and this is Minnesota and there's nothing else we can do about it because we can't all go south! So make the best of it.... Nice ice!
PS That means the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is on for Jan. 26!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Snow can never emit flame.
Water can never issue fire.
A thorn bush can never produce a fig.
Just so, your heart can never be free
from oppressive thoughts, words, and actions
until it has purified itself internally.
Be eager to walk this path.
Watch your heart always.
Constantly say the prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”
Be humble.
Set your soul in quietness.
The more the rain falls on the earth,
the softer it makes it;
similarly, Christ’s holy name
gladdens the earth of our heart
the more we call upon it.
— Hesychius of Sinai
copied fromThe Way Of A Pilgrim » Hesychius
A Couple of Quotes , and Remembering your Baptism
A couple of qoutes to keep in mind as you reflect on the lessons for this Sunday and the images of baptism with the call to live in the transformative process of dying and rising in Christ; as we hear Christ in todays Gospel lesson being called the "beloved", by God, and as we too, hear that word spoken to us in Christ:
WE ARE CONVERTED one aspect of the self at a time. That phenomenon explains why some parts of us can be approaching holiness while others remain locked in resistance and rebellion. Because different parts of our soul proceed at different rates, the invitation to love with our “whole heart” is the work of a lifetime and beyond.
- Robert Corin Morris
Provocative Grace: The Challenge in Jesus’ Words
(From Upper Room Website)
and the following from the Henri Nouwen Daily Meditation email-
The Still, Small Voice of Love
Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.
That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."
Remember your baptism , again and again, day by day, and be thankful!
Rory
Friday, January 11, 2008
Thanks , Sara, for the Guest "Celebrity"Blog!
Looking for another daily devotional e-mail?
Check out the one from the Henri Nouwen site at http://www.henrinouwen.org
One of the fun things to do with this blog is watch the site meter and see who stops in. Often its from someone just passing through on a Google search but the hits come from Brazil or Ireland, South Africa, London UK (and London KY); or Grove City OH, Sheboygan WI....and Detroit, Scottsdale , Deerwood, Royalton, Motley, Cottonwood, Alexandria; of course Brainerd and Baxter.
Feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail with who you are if you are one of the "regulars" who stop by! If you're a reader from Park church, let me know when you see me. I try to put up something at least once a week; but will do more if I can. Thanks for the visit.
Rory
Looking for another daily devotional e-mail?
Check out the one from the Henri Nouwen site at http://www.henrinouwen.org
One of the fun things to do with this blog is watch the site meter and see who stops in. Often its from someone just passing through on a Google search but the hits come from Brazil or Ireland, South Africa, London UK (and London KY); or Grove City OH, Sheboygan WI....and Detroit, Scottsdale , Deerwood, Royalton, Motley, Cottonwood, Alexandria; of course Brainerd and Baxter.
Feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail with who you are if you are one of the "regulars" who stop by! If you're a reader from Park church, let me know when you see me. I try to put up something at least once a week; but will do more if I can. Thanks for the visit.
Rory
Celebrity Guest Blog: Topics in Life, the Universe, and Everything
Hello Papa's Readers!
This is Rory's favorite daughter, Sara Swenson. He's been asking me for quite some time now to "pop on and do a guest blog." So I'm popping. He said I could write about New Year's Resolutions, or a review of 2007, or even talk about my Christmas vacation (that just goes to show you how far behind I am on my "To-Do" List); I could ramble on about college or writing or, really, just anything in general.
So I think I'll write about all of it. In that order. And Color Coded for your convenience.
Wish me luck.
My New Year's Resolutions have been recorded as follows:
1.) I will publish my novel.
2.) I will find a job somewhere. Sometime. This year.
3.) I will finish my first year of college. At Hamline. In the Spring.
4.) I will finish reading the complete works of Kurt Vonnegut Junior.
5.) I will attend at least ten yoga sessions.
6.) I will attempt vegetarianism but forgive myself upon failure. Again.
7.) I will seek out three Poetry Readings.
8.) I will accomplish something completely unexpected.
9.) I will do something strange.
10.) I will grow up a little and continue to enjoy life.
11.) I will try to write a poem every day and a short story every two weeks. For fluidity. If I opt out of the poem, I may journal.
In Review of 2007 and College, I would have to say I wish I'd done things differently. I wish I'd chosen a different University to attend right away, being as that would have saved my family and I a lot of time and money in my transferring. That's right, folks. I am without a doubt transferring Universities in Fall 2008. Hamline is definitely not the right school for me and I knew that going in. Still, if I had told myself that a year ago, stubborn little me never would have listened. So this has been a valuable learning experience.
Let's see... I remember early in 2007 being terrified of turning 18. I felt so old. I realize now that it is not so old. I realize now that I am still very much my very young self and not much has changed in my theological, astronomical, or meteorological positions in this world. My major realization was that birthdays are just dates. No matter how old you are, it doesn't mean that the floor is going to suddenly fall out beneath you or you're going to be struck by lightning. Another year has passed, that's all. And that's nothing to be so nervous about. I have a feeling that I will maintain this realization even after I turn 81. Birthdays can never be so scary anymore.
What else?
I remember graduation, and the fear, the excitement surrounding that adventure.
I remember the following summer - lazy summer of pancake-style unemployment (flat as a pancake but sweet as syrup). I remember adopting the oldest tree at Gregory Park for my friends and I to picnic under, and playing hours of chess on our screen porch with Dain Hanson. A very good summer: 2007. A very good summer, indeed.
I remember walking with my Dad and my brother last August - out to a place we call the end of the world, where all of the streetlights end. It was my last night at home before I headed out to college. And we laughed and we counted stars and everything smelled like summer and the moon was so bright it cast shadows. Just beautiful.
I remember the thrill of making new friends at college - all of us a doe-eyed, enthusiastic bunch with everything to expect from the world. I remember the cold unfamiliarity of our dorm. Slowly settling in. I remember frustration with classmates and boredom and anger. The feeling of being cheated after all the hard work of high school - the classes were so slow and so easy. I remember feeling trapped and then... letting go. Realizing that this was life. That I could transfer. That this wasn't the end of the world.
I remember Thanksgiving break and finals week and snowy evenings and French horn lessons and free desserts in the dining hall and coming home for Christmas and Thornton Wilder plays and reading good books.
I remember 2007.
My Christmas Vacation was fun. My dog got two new hedgehogs and my brother made me a skirt, which was awesome. I'm not taking a January class at Hamline, so I don't go back until the 30th. I am using my time to help out with the high school's One Act Play. It's fun. My dad keeps giving me a hard time for oversleeping! Ah, La vita bella. This is the good life.
I was extremely excited to hear back from a literary agent just five days after declaring my first New Year's Resolution. (In an active memory practice, I am going to make you go back and look that up yourself.)
While the agent has not accepted my novel and I do not know whether or not he is serious about representing me - it was fun to have even gotten this much. I never expected to have a literary agent look so far into my work, and it has been quite encouraging to my publishing endeavors. Again, wish me luck.
Well, I hope that was good, for a guest blog. I have given myself, here, Celebrity Status, as only an 18 year old daughter can!
I suppose for lack of a better conclusion, and in promise of a "just anything in general," I will leave you off with one of my favorite poems.
This is "A Noiseless Patient Spider," by Walt Whitman.
A noiseless, patient spider,
I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to
connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor
hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.
I think that describes, very much, human relations in this world. Flinging strands, flinging strands, flinging strands of gossamer filaments out to one another, hoping, some days, that they will catch.
Let this be my gossamer filament to all of you. I certainly hope that it has caught.
Take care, everybody.
Back to you, Dad.
Rambling over,
-Sara Ann
This is Rory's favorite daughter, Sara Swenson. He's been asking me for quite some time now to "pop on and do a guest blog." So I'm popping. He said I could write about New Year's Resolutions, or a review of 2007, or even talk about my Christmas vacation (that just goes to show you how far behind I am on my "To-Do" List); I could ramble on about college or writing or, really, just anything in general.
So I think I'll write about all of it. In that order. And Color Coded for your convenience.
Wish me luck.
My New Year's Resolutions have been recorded as follows:
1.) I will publish my novel.
2.) I will find a job somewhere. Sometime. This year.
3.) I will finish my first year of college. At Hamline. In the Spring.
4.) I will finish reading the complete works of Kurt Vonnegut Junior.
5.) I will attend at least ten yoga sessions.
6.) I will attempt vegetarianism but forgive myself upon failure. Again.
7.) I will seek out three Poetry Readings.
8.) I will accomplish something completely unexpected.
9.) I will do something strange.
10.) I will grow up a little and continue to enjoy life.
11.) I will try to write a poem every day and a short story every two weeks. For fluidity. If I opt out of the poem, I may journal.
In Review of 2007 and College, I would have to say I wish I'd done things differently. I wish I'd chosen a different University to attend right away, being as that would have saved my family and I a lot of time and money in my transferring. That's right, folks. I am without a doubt transferring Universities in Fall 2008. Hamline is definitely not the right school for me and I knew that going in. Still, if I had told myself that a year ago, stubborn little me never would have listened. So this has been a valuable learning experience.
Let's see... I remember early in 2007 being terrified of turning 18. I felt so old. I realize now that it is not so old. I realize now that I am still very much my very young self and not much has changed in my theological, astronomical, or meteorological positions in this world. My major realization was that birthdays are just dates. No matter how old you are, it doesn't mean that the floor is going to suddenly fall out beneath you or you're going to be struck by lightning. Another year has passed, that's all. And that's nothing to be so nervous about. I have a feeling that I will maintain this realization even after I turn 81. Birthdays can never be so scary anymore.
What else?
I remember graduation, and the fear, the excitement surrounding that adventure.
I remember the following summer - lazy summer of pancake-style unemployment (flat as a pancake but sweet as syrup). I remember adopting the oldest tree at Gregory Park for my friends and I to picnic under, and playing hours of chess on our screen porch with Dain Hanson. A very good summer: 2007. A very good summer, indeed.
I remember walking with my Dad and my brother last August - out to a place we call the end of the world, where all of the streetlights end. It was my last night at home before I headed out to college. And we laughed and we counted stars and everything smelled like summer and the moon was so bright it cast shadows. Just beautiful.
I remember the thrill of making new friends at college - all of us a doe-eyed, enthusiastic bunch with everything to expect from the world. I remember the cold unfamiliarity of our dorm. Slowly settling in. I remember frustration with classmates and boredom and anger. The feeling of being cheated after all the hard work of high school - the classes were so slow and so easy. I remember feeling trapped and then... letting go. Realizing that this was life. That I could transfer. That this wasn't the end of the world.
I remember Thanksgiving break and finals week and snowy evenings and French horn lessons and free desserts in the dining hall and coming home for Christmas and Thornton Wilder plays and reading good books.
I remember 2007.
My Christmas Vacation was fun. My dog got two new hedgehogs and my brother made me a skirt, which was awesome. I'm not taking a January class at Hamline, so I don't go back until the 30th. I am using my time to help out with the high school's One Act Play. It's fun. My dad keeps giving me a hard time for oversleeping! Ah, La vita bella. This is the good life.
I was extremely excited to hear back from a literary agent just five days after declaring my first New Year's Resolution. (In an active memory practice, I am going to make you go back and look that up yourself.)
While the agent has not accepted my novel and I do not know whether or not he is serious about representing me - it was fun to have even gotten this much. I never expected to have a literary agent look so far into my work, and it has been quite encouraging to my publishing endeavors. Again, wish me luck.
Well, I hope that was good, for a guest blog. I have given myself, here, Celebrity Status, as only an 18 year old daughter can!
I suppose for lack of a better conclusion, and in promise of a "just anything in general," I will leave you off with one of my favorite poems.
This is "A Noiseless Patient Spider," by Walt Whitman.
A noiseless, patient spider,
I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to
connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor
hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.
I think that describes, very much, human relations in this world. Flinging strands, flinging strands, flinging strands of gossamer filaments out to one another, hoping, some days, that they will catch.
Let this be my gossamer filament to all of you. I certainly hope that it has caught.
Take care, everybody.
Back to you, Dad.
Rambling over,
-Sara Ann
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Ramblings on life themes and being kosher
It’s been a busy week. Besides the funeral for Mabel Bell on Monday morning, the chaplain called sometime before 8 AM to let me know that I had three people in ICU. I already knew about two others in the local hospital, plus 3 in St Cloud. Other than a couple of pastoral contacts, a Finance Meeting and getting to part of Nicks swim meet, Tuesday revolved around moving in a desk and credenza that had been donated to the church for my office. I was looking forward to the new office look but wasn’t quite prepared to deal with 9 years of “stuff” that had been stuffed in corners and drawers I was now emptying.
But now I'm stopping to think and blog. Back to Mabel’s service. She was 96 years old....you can’t possibly summarize a person’s life. But I spoke of three great themes that seem to emerge: faith, family and music. And they were intertwined. They really weren’t separated from each other. The prominent family memory was being together, singing songs with Mabel usually on piano, singing the faith. We played a couple tape recordings of them doing exactly that. It made me wonder what themes my life might be sorted into. Most of us would probably want family and faith in there, but what else. My wife, Beth, would certainly have education, kids and learning in there as a larger life theme with the first two. How about you? Or me?
Then, another thought in this morning ramble: I enjoy Jeff Reed's blog that I have linked. He points me to what I would called environmental spirituality or holistic stewardship and does it with an informed science mind. Obviously from his recent post, I need to learn more about corn in our economy... My ministry context with farmers in past years has mostly just been reports about crop yield, moisture content and prices.
But Jeff Reed's insights makes me think we should reconsider the Jewish kosher concepts. What we eat, what we use, and how we do it does matter; as a matter of faith. Holiness does have implications for kitchens and clothing. Can you imagine if we looked at every object that we are involved with, every bit of food, and stopped to consider what it is, where it has been, and how it came to us? What sense of awareness and appreciation or alertness might be involved? To take nothing for granted! Gratitude, purposefulness, and holiness! Think of the special effort Jewish kosher practices involve: separate stores and cafes; reading labels! My first impression is that it must be so complicated, but another view might say that life is simpler when some options are just "off the table"
I had a small taste of kosher living when I traveled to Israel with a Jewish based tour group in 2001. Could it be done without that kind of determination and dedication? Maybe we need a larger , shared Christian kosher discipline that guides us with more eco-friendly food practices and more directly brings our spiritual values into our daily consumption. Of course all kinds of economic justice issues would come to light as well. You can't talk about food and clothing without taking about people and politics! I know Barbara Kingsolver wrote about her family’s experience of trying to grow their own foods and purchase more local goods. I think we are hungry for this kind of living . And I am not saying anything new here. Just trying to remind my self again. And remembering that with the kosher practices there was an insight that I best not abandon. I may not practice the same set of kosher rules prescribed in Jewish practices but I should probably listen to Peter's dream -vision in the book of Acts that everything of God's creation is holy, and am called to treat it, use it and love it as such!
The Bishop has a blog post going on now about the "Year of Living Biblically” and maybe we could take a tip from that on living “Biblically”...”ethically” in consumer practices. it wouldn't be a bad life theme to be remembered for; but where to begin, and more importantly will I?
But now I'm stopping to think and blog. Back to Mabel’s service. She was 96 years old....you can’t possibly summarize a person’s life. But I spoke of three great themes that seem to emerge: faith, family and music. And they were intertwined. They really weren’t separated from each other. The prominent family memory was being together, singing songs with Mabel usually on piano, singing the faith. We played a couple tape recordings of them doing exactly that. It made me wonder what themes my life might be sorted into. Most of us would probably want family and faith in there, but what else. My wife, Beth, would certainly have education, kids and learning in there as a larger life theme with the first two. How about you? Or me?
Then, another thought in this morning ramble: I enjoy Jeff Reed's blog that I have linked. He points me to what I would called environmental spirituality or holistic stewardship and does it with an informed science mind. Obviously from his recent post, I need to learn more about corn in our economy... My ministry context with farmers in past years has mostly just been reports about crop yield, moisture content and prices.
But Jeff Reed's insights makes me think we should reconsider the Jewish kosher concepts. What we eat, what we use, and how we do it does matter; as a matter of faith. Holiness does have implications for kitchens and clothing. Can you imagine if we looked at every object that we are involved with, every bit of food, and stopped to consider what it is, where it has been, and how it came to us? What sense of awareness and appreciation or alertness might be involved? To take nothing for granted! Gratitude, purposefulness, and holiness! Think of the special effort Jewish kosher practices involve: separate stores and cafes; reading labels! My first impression is that it must be so complicated, but another view might say that life is simpler when some options are just "off the table"
I had a small taste of kosher living when I traveled to Israel with a Jewish based tour group in 2001. Could it be done without that kind of determination and dedication? Maybe we need a larger , shared Christian kosher discipline that guides us with more eco-friendly food practices and more directly brings our spiritual values into our daily consumption. Of course all kinds of economic justice issues would come to light as well. You can't talk about food and clothing without taking about people and politics! I know Barbara Kingsolver wrote about her family’s experience of trying to grow their own foods and purchase more local goods. I think we are hungry for this kind of living . And I am not saying anything new here. Just trying to remind my self again. And remembering that with the kosher practices there was an insight that I best not abandon. I may not practice the same set of kosher rules prescribed in Jewish practices but I should probably listen to Peter's dream -vision in the book of Acts that everything of God's creation is holy, and am called to treat it, use it and love it as such!
The Bishop has a blog post going on now about the "Year of Living Biblically” and maybe we could take a tip from that on living “Biblically”...”ethically” in consumer practices. it wouldn't be a bad life theme to be remembered for; but where to begin, and more importantly will I?
Monday, January 7, 2008
Bird Watching
I finally did something on New Year's day that I had wanted to do for a few years now. I got in on some of the winter bird count. Mike North, who coordinates the event, put me in his car along with some other experienced birders from the local Audubon society and we drove around our assigned section, north of Pillager.
We especially looked for houses with bird feeders. We would get out our binoculars and see what we could see. But the less obvious bird locations were more fun. It was a cold day (about 9 degrees) so we weren’t driving with the car windows full open, but Mike would drive with his window down a crack and in spite of the sounds that cars make with engines running and tires rolling, Mike would occasionally say, “I heard a chickadee.” He would slow down, stop or maybe back up. We would open more windows; and ears that were trained and alert would pick out one or two of the chickadee sounds. I wouldn’t hear a thing. How could they? Unfailingly they would eventually spot the little bird or two. I usually found the birds only after some very direct pointing.
Other times one of them would spot something flying up in the sky. I would look up and see nothing. By the time I saw the fleeting specks the rest in the car knew what kind of birds we had, simply by noting the way they flew. Then they would tell us to look for some other kind of birds that sometimes mingled and mixed into that particular flock.
One time a large flock of snow buntings flew past us and then landed in some trees. Mike noted that it was strange because snow buntings didn’t usually do that. It looked normal to me. Don’t all birds just land in trees? I did my homework later and found that they preferred northern wind swept prairies, tundra and barren places.
The afternoon went on like that and I was impressed by what trained eyes could see - while I missed, most of the time, what there was to see. Granted, I do have some hearing loss for high pitches, and my glasses are about 3 or 4 years old, but I think there is another reason. We see what we are prepared to see, trained to see, experienced to see.
I was getting better at it by the end of the day. What would years of that watching be able to perceive?
Now make a leap of faith, or to the topic of faith. My spiritual alertness and ability to see and seek God’s presence probably needs that same kind of desire and attention, training and preparation. What would be it be like to get with others and go out for a winter epiphany count, searching for signs of God!
I have a book by a theologian named Patrick Henry: on pages 16 and 17 in The Ironic Christian’s Companion: Finding the Mark’s of God’s Grace in the World, he talks about what some people would call “God Sightings” but relates it to another bird watcher's term. A lot of birds are just identified as L.B.J. "Little brown jobs." Its used for when we are looking at something but beyond that we aren’t too sure. That fits my theology and ornithology!
I hope to do better with my bird watching and my God watching. Even the L.B.J.’s are good for now. I'll keep looking, learning from others and checking the field guide books.
I can't imagine how much is out there to see. As one of the bird watchers said, “Winter would be pretty dull without the Chickadees.”
We especially looked for houses with bird feeders. We would get out our binoculars and see what we could see. But the less obvious bird locations were more fun. It was a cold day (about 9 degrees) so we weren’t driving with the car windows full open, but Mike would drive with his window down a crack and in spite of the sounds that cars make with engines running and tires rolling, Mike would occasionally say, “I heard a chickadee.” He would slow down, stop or maybe back up. We would open more windows; and ears that were trained and alert would pick out one or two of the chickadee sounds. I wouldn’t hear a thing. How could they? Unfailingly they would eventually spot the little bird or two. I usually found the birds only after some very direct pointing.
Other times one of them would spot something flying up in the sky. I would look up and see nothing. By the time I saw the fleeting specks the rest in the car knew what kind of birds we had, simply by noting the way they flew. Then they would tell us to look for some other kind of birds that sometimes mingled and mixed into that particular flock.
One time a large flock of snow buntings flew past us and then landed in some trees. Mike noted that it was strange because snow buntings didn’t usually do that. It looked normal to me. Don’t all birds just land in trees? I did my homework later and found that they preferred northern wind swept prairies, tundra and barren places.
The afternoon went on like that and I was impressed by what trained eyes could see - while I missed, most of the time, what there was to see. Granted, I do have some hearing loss for high pitches, and my glasses are about 3 or 4 years old, but I think there is another reason. We see what we are prepared to see, trained to see, experienced to see.
I was getting better at it by the end of the day. What would years of that watching be able to perceive?
Now make a leap of faith, or to the topic of faith. My spiritual alertness and ability to see and seek God’s presence probably needs that same kind of desire and attention, training and preparation. What would be it be like to get with others and go out for a winter epiphany count, searching for signs of God!
I have a book by a theologian named Patrick Henry: on pages 16 and 17 in The Ironic Christian’s Companion: Finding the Mark’s of God’s Grace in the World, he talks about what some people would call “God Sightings” but relates it to another bird watcher's term. A lot of birds are just identified as L.B.J. "Little brown jobs." Its used for when we are looking at something but beyond that we aren’t too sure. That fits my theology and ornithology!
I hope to do better with my bird watching and my God watching. Even the L.B.J.’s are good for now. I'll keep looking, learning from others and checking the field guide books.
I can't imagine how much is out there to see. As one of the bird watchers said, “Winter would be pretty dull without the Chickadees.”
ALL OF HUMAN LIFE is a precinct of epiphany. But the gift half understood, the hint half guessed, is that it is ours to receive amidst the most mundane of human realities — the daily round of life’s ordinary experiences. God is there — and here.
Yes, especially here, if only we could see.
- Michael Downey
“Gift’s Constant Coming”
Weavings Journal
I BELIEVE that all our vague, unsatisfied, and unsatisfiable yearnings are in some way at their root the yearning to know God, to be put right with God, and to see the world put right with God. Just as our physical hunger and thirst remind us that we are made to eat and drink, our hunger for meaning and direction in life reminds us that we are created to need and want God — continually, even if we have not yet put a name on the yearning — and to serve God.
- Mary Lou Redding
The Power of a Focused Heart: 8 Life Lessons from the Beatitudes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
