Tomorrow is the first class for the 3rd and final quarter of Greek. We will learn a little more grammar and vocabulary, but will spend most of the quarter translating 1 John. That should be challenging, but fun. These last two weeks have been really nice with no homework. But I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night and catching up...
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Fuller
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travel
I'm back in Southern California this week, but what a beautiful week to be here. It's another postcard week: clear and sunny and cool, with wildflowers blooming everywhere! I'll try to snap a couple of pictures with my new phone, but I don't have a cable to download them yet, so...yeah.
You know, with all the travel I've been doing lately, I think I need to start a list of what makes a great hotel room. So I'll start, in no particular order, and you can chime in when you like:
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travel
From Henri Nouwen:
Easter season is a time of hope. There still is fear, there still is a painful awareness of sinfulness, but there also is light breaking through. Something new is happening, something that goes beyond the changing moods of our life. We can be joyful or sad, optimistic or pessimistic, tranquil or angry, but the solid stream of God's presence moves deeper than the small waves of our minds and hearts.Thank you Henri for guiding me through this season and bringing me home.
Easter brings the awareness that God is present even when his presence is not directly noticed.
Easter brings the good news that, although things seem to get worse in the world, the Evil One has already been overcome.
Easter allows us to affirm that although God seems very distant and although we remain preoccupied with many little things, our Lord walks with us on the road and keeps explaining the Scriptures to us. Thus there are many rays of hope casting their light on our way through life.
Today is the day in-between,
the day after death,
the day before life.
A day of silence.
A day of solitude.
On the seventh day of the week of our redemption, when Jesus had fulfilled all he was sent by his Father to do, he rested in the tomb, and the women whose hearts were broken with grief rested with him. Of all the days in history, Holy Saturday is the day of God's solitude. It is the day on which the whole creation waits in deep inner rest. It is the day on which no words are spoken, no proclamations made. The Word of God through whom all had been made lay buried in the darkness of the earth.
This Holy Saturday is the most quiet of all days.
Its quiet connects the first covenant with the second,
the people of Israel with the not-yet-knowing world,
the Temple with the new worship in the Spirit,
the sacrifices of blood with the sacrifice of bread and wine,
the Law with the Gospel.
This divine silence is the most fruitful silence that the world has ever known. From this silence, the Word will be spoken again and make all things new.
- Henri Nouwen, Walk with Jesus
I didn't have as much luck tonight trying to find out why this day is referred to as "Good" Friday. Certainly, some 2,000 years ago, this was not considered a "good" day by those who had given up everything to follow Jesus. It must have been one of the worst day of their lives. There was nothing "good" about it. All they knew was that he was dead.
They must have thought it was over, that whatever they had seen with their own eyes had come to an end. Jesus was dead on a cross.
He was dead. Gone.
What now?
What about tomorrow? Do they return to their families? Do they pick up the pieces and go back to their old lives? Was it all a sham? How could this happen? What about everything he had done? What about everything he had said? He can't be gone...
What now?
Can you imagine how dark and hopeless that day must have seemed?
Empty.
Cold.
Sick.
Defeated.
Lost.
What would you do? What would I do?
He's gone...
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Lent 08
I've seen on calendars and heard this day called "Maundy Thursday" but never really knew what "Maundy" was. So, tonight, I looked it up on Wikipedia:
The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.Not only does this day mark the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus, it also marks the Last Supper. Jesus shared one final meal with his closest followers and thus began one of the most sacred of all practices - the Eucharist. This sacrament is central to many faith traditions and has been celebrated by millions of Christ followers through the generations. "Do this in remembrance of me," Jesus said.
Jesus calls us to continue his mission of revealing the perfect love of God in this world. He calls us to total self-giving. He does not want us to keep anything for ourselves. Rather, he wants our love to be as full, as radical, and as complete as his own. He wants us to bend ourselves to the ground and touch the places in each other that most need washing. He also wants us to say to each other, "Eat of me and drink of me." By this complete mutual nurturing, he wants us to become one body and one spirit, united by the love of God.United in one body and one spirit by the love of God...
We had such a nice, relaxing weekend in Pinetop! We slept, ate, went for walks, played tennis, played games, watched movies, read, and just watched the snow fall on Sunday. Ahhh...
I can't believe this is the last week of Lent. The second half has certainly gone faster than the first half. Based on our conversation at our last small group meeting, I picked up a copy of Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth and started reading it this weekend. He certainly has an interesting perspective on things. I'm not sure I agree with him on a lot of what he's saying, but I'll wait until I finish it before I say much more.
I also finished reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. I didn't like it as much as Blue Like Jazz, but I love his writing style. It's very engaging and I had a hard time putting it down. I have to try to get it some "light" reading before quarter 3 of Greek begins on April 1! But I don't want to think about that yet...
The trip to Albuquerque was a better trip, although I'm not sure the outcome of our meetings was any better. (Well, maybe a little) But, I'm back home now and getting ready to go to Pinetop tomorrow afternoon - after I take my Greek final in the morning.
One of the Nouwen readings while I was gone this week really hit that missional part of me (again!). Here is what he writes about us being like Jesus and being in the world:
To be lifted up into the divine life of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit does not mean, however, to be taken out of the world. On the contrary, those who have entered into the spiritual life are precisely the ones who are sent into the world to continue and fulfill the work that Jesus began. The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it.
Life in the Spirit of Jesus is therefore a life in which Jesus' coming into the world - his incarnation, his death, and resurrection - is lived out by those who have entered into the same obedient relationship to the Father which marked Jesus' own life. Having become sons and daughters as Jesus was Son, our lives become a continuation of Jesus' mission.
Today I leave for Albuquerque for a couple of days for work, and (gasp), I'm not taking my laptop. I know, I know, that's close to the edge, but I decided I could get in whatever study time I needed without it, and basically I didn't want to lug it around for this trip. Our day-long meeting tomorrow is a wildcard at this point, given the miserable meeting last week in DC. But, we have a recommendation for dinner, so maybe it won't be all bad. I hope to be able to get in a fair amount of Greek study, so I can take my final exam on Friday morning before we head to Pinetop for a long weekend. Well, either way, I'm taking the final on Friday - I just hope I'm ready by then...
I've been thinking a lot lately about the relevancy of the church in our culture today. Our ever dwindling Sunday morning attendance (not only in my community, but in most others I know of) continues to gnaw at my "relevant" nerve. At our small group meeting last night, we talked about the newest Oprah book club best seller, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. Oprah and Tolle are doing a weekly webcast on Monday nights as well, and last week there was something like 500,000 people online for the webcast. Is this just good marketing? Is it that Oprah has her name associated with it?
I think it's interesting (coincidental, maybe??) that the latest best-selling "Christian" book was Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. Are both of these huge sellers satisfying some craving in our society for purpose? Are there that many people struggling to find a deeper meaning to life, wanting to be a part of something bigger than themselves, wanting to be happy? And how has the church so badly missed this mark? Do people even consider seeking God for an answer to their cravings? If so, are they doing it on their own, with no "need" to find a church.
Have we really missed the point that badly of what it means to be the church? I read an interesting blog post on this subject earlier today, appropriately titled "So What?" I think Mark is onto something there. As the church, we must find ways to help people right where they are with the problems and issues they face right now. That doesn't mean designing a ministry "program" with five key points that lead to a happier marriage. I think it means sitting with people, listening to people, helping each one individually walk through their valleys and come out on the other side. This is how Jesus interacted with people. He didn't offer a generalized, "one-size-fits-all" approach. His approach was relational and compassionate. "What do you want me to do for you?" was his common question. Not, "Have we got a fantastic new opportunity for you!" People don't need something else to do or some other event to attend or some other activity to put their kids in. People need compassion. People need relationships. People need hope. Isn't this what the church should be doing?
So what about after Easter?
The first Easter morning marked a significant point in history. From that point on, there would always be a "before" and an "after." So what does that mean for us today? Is there a "before" and an "after" for us? Is Easter just another Sunday in the midst of an already overbooked and overstressed culture? Even as Christians, do we mark the significance of the day with a "before" and an "after?"
Before Easter 2008, I was ________ and after Easter 2008 I will __________.
What do you put in those blanks? Is it a day of recommitment? Is it a day to remember? Is it a day for new beginnings? Is it a day, like New Year's Day, that marks the end of something old and the beginning of something new? I'm reminded of something I read from Nouwen during this past season of Advent:
People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. They have received something that is at work in them, like a seed that has started to grow. This is very important. We can really wait only if what we are waiting for has already begun in us. So waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more...So what about after Easter?
With only two more weeks before Easter, I'm trying to be more intentional in my reflecting on this season of Lent. I came into Lent feeling somewhat down and struggling with my decision to step away from my staff role at church. But, I'm feeling now like I will come out of this time feeling better. For one thing, I have stayed pretty faithful on my low-carb food consumption. Therefore, if nothing else, I am feeling better physically. I have not dropped a bunch of pounds, but my belt is one notch tighter and I'm not as hungry all the time. I've also been stretched mentally by Greek, but I am finding myself enjoying that very much. I still feel really good about my decision as well - that it was the right decision. Tomorrow will be my first official Sunday away from my old role, and the first Sunday in who knows how long that all four of us will go together in one car, arriving just a few minutes before the service starts.
Yeah, a lot has happened in the past four weeks. I look forward to seeing what is headed my way in the next two weeks...
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Lent 08
Ahhh...I got home last night around 10:45pm. The flights went well, and other than full airports of people trying to get home like us, the trip was fairly uneventful. The flight from DC to Phoenix was long, but I slept a little, studied a little, watched the movie (Million Dollar Baby) and listened to music. The guy next to me had been trying to get home to Vegas since 8:00am that morning, so he spent most of the day in the airport bar and slept almost the entire time. The other guy next to me - yeah, I had a middle seat - worked on his laptop and wrote notes almost nonstop the entire flight, with his Bose noise cancellation headphones doing their magic.
It's so nice to be home after that trip. I love Tucson. You just can't beat the weather this time of year...
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travel
Yep. My flight was canceled. That's the bad news. The good news was that we found out before we left the hotel (thanks Tom!). So, even though it's 5:30am, at least I'm in my very nice hotel room instead of at the airport. The other bad news was that I was automatically rebooked on a flight tomorrow. But, the other good news is that I was able to rebook on another airline to leave here at 5:00pm and go direct to Phoenix, flying right over all the bad weather in the middle of the country. So, if all goes according to the new plan, I'll land in Tucson around 10:00pm. That's 11 hours later than the original plan, but at least it's still today.
So things could be better, but obviously they could be much worse. I'm sure there are still a lot of people in Dallas trying to get home today and not knowing if/when they will. At least here in DC, the weather is nice (now), and I am confirmed on a flight home later today. And who knows what the day may bring. I'll be paying extra attention to the ordinary today. Because, I'm guessing it may not be very ordinary after all...
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travel
Well our meeting today could have been better. In fact, it could have been a lot better. We're all pretty frustrated and down. Plus, we just saw where Dallas is expecting 2-4" of snow tonight. And guess where we're headed at 6:00am tomorrow? Yeah. So, who knows when I'll get home. The phrase "adding insult to injury" comes to mind. Oh well. At least I can study while we wait...
My trip to DC today was easy and uneventful, exactly the way air travel should be! In fact, I had a very nice and interesting conversation with the person sitting next to me from Tucson to Dallas. She noticed my Greek study notes and asked what I was studying. After telling her, I discovered that she is a linguistics professor at UofA! I told her about studying Greek and what I hoped that would do for me in the future. She grew up in Mexico, and confessed she knew little about "religion" outside of Catholicism in Mexico. So I explained a little and maybe helped her see that God works in many different ways and in many different situations. It was cool. I'm glad I didn't miss that moment of talking with her by being too busy. Maybe, just maybe, she got a little of glimpse of God shining through me.
Tomorrow is the big meeting, so I had better get some sleep now...
Life has gotten a little frenzied in the last day or two. Due to a mild but growing disaster at work, I'm getting on a plane tomorrow for Washington, DC and will return home on Friday. Then next week, I go to Albuquerque on Tuesday and come home Wednesday. And tonight, Dane will give us our take-home Greek final that's due back to him next Friday. But after that will ne a nice long weekend in Pinetop with just the four of us...ahhh...
Hmmm...I will need to pay special attention to the ordinary moments in the next week or so, or they will be very easy to miss...
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Lent 08
How hard it is for me to spend time in solitude. By solitude, I mean spending time where I am alone, quiet, without interruption, and still in my soul. It's time when I do not feel rushed, when I do not feel like there is something more pressing that I should be doing, when I can truly relax and just be in the presence of God. That's hard, but necessary. In the times when I can do this, usually nothing spectacular happens, but it refreshes me. I feel rested. I feel centered. I feel better.
Here is what Nouwen has to say about solitude today:
Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude, we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered into this furnace. There he was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant ("turn stones into loaves"), to be spectacular ("throw yourself down"), and to be powerful ("I will give you all these kingdoms"). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identify ("You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone"). Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter - the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self.
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Lent 08
I missed posting yesterday, but it was a good day. I studied at Starbucks for a while in the morning, met my wife for lunch, then studied some more while my car got a thorough cleaning at the local car wash. My daughter performed in her school's talent show last night, and of course, she was wonderful, singing a cappella with three friends.
Today, I have been immersed in Greek as well. Our final next week is going to be tough, so I'm trying to crack down. So, even though it's about 75 outside and absolutely beautiful, here I sit at the dining room table making flash cards and trying to understand the meanings behind aorist passive forms. Yeah, I know, I'm just whining. I'm actually really liking Greek now, and with the windows open, I can still feel the air and listen to the palms and wind chimes sing in the breeze. Later tonight, I'm meeting a classmate at the UofA library to study some more. Hmmm...there is a Starbucks nearby...
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