Waving or Drowning?

Connections

It's been a great day. First, Bill Kinnon made the long trek all the way out here to Oakville to hang out. He brought an HD camera and some questions with him... I'll keep you posted. Then I had a beer with my best friend from grade 8, thanks to Facebook. I hadn't seen Bruce in, oh... 25 years, so that was very cool. Finally, I hit the Swiss Chalet with Melinda to talk about writing, life, Jesus, etc. All in all, a great day.

Richard and Mike Go Flying

I began the day in Delta, British Columbia, and now I find myself in Oakville, Ontario. And in an odd kind of way I feel like I've spent the day with Richard Rohr.

My day with Richard started off this morning with news of the upcoming live Feast of Francis webcast Turning the World on it's Head: Subverting the Honor/Shame system.

The next email I opened was Richard's daily meditation, which said this:

I am convinced that most of the saints were religious dropouts from societies that were going nowhere. Faith called them to drop out and believe in something else.

Jesus' announcement of the reign of God was telling us that culture as we've created it is on a track toward self-destruction and emptiness.

All we have to give up is the utterly false understanding that we have of ourselves from civil society. For some reason that liberation seems to be the most difficult thing in the world!

(From Radical Grace: Daily Meditations)

Then it was time to choose a couple of books to keep me company on the 4-hour flight. I'm slowly working my way through Jesus' Plan for New World: The Sermon on the Mount, so that one was a no-brainer. This is a small book, but incredibly rich, so I'm taking my time with it. I also grabbed The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, by Rohr and Andreas Ebert. I've had this one for a while, and today seemed like a good time to start it.

Right out of the gate Rohr hit me with much of what is driving my own thinking and writing these days. This is from his preface to The Enneagram:

"The vast majority of Christian ministry has been concerned with 'churching' people into symbolic, restful, and usually ethnic belonging systems rather than any real spiritual transformation into the mystery of God."

And then,

"...I am convinced that most of our ministries have legitimated the autonomous self and even fortified it with all kinds of religious armour. Religious people are even harder to transform because they don't think they need it."

Finally,

Much of what is called Christianity has more to do with disguising the ego behind the screen of religion and culture than any real movement toward a God beyond the small self, and a new self in God."

I would label this "screen of religion and culture" as ideology. Like Rohr, I also believe most of the Christian church is steeped in this ideology. I would also lump the misguided concept of the (North) American dream in with this. I believe the focus on the spiritual inclinations of the American presidential candidates (and, paradoxically, the lack of such a focus on the Canadian political candidates) lends credence to this view. However the political nature of this ideology is only part of this phenomenon, and I don't want to get bogged down in that right now.

Unlike my traveling companion today, I use the word 'religion' in the negative sense. This concern with "'churching' people into symbolic, restful, and usually ethnic belonging systems" is what I call religion. (Ironically, I'm in Oakville to attend a conference being hosted by the church where I picked up view of the word, predominantly through the writing and teaching of a friend. But, I digress.)

So today I crossed a large part of this country with Richard by my side. And I arrived tonight with a clearer understanding of what is holding us back as the people of God. This is critical, as an accurate diagnosis is the first step to an effective treatment.

Thanks for the company and insight today, Richard.

Family First

After all the conversation around the rising tide of "Country first" ideology, I noted with interest this morning a New Democratic Party (that's Canada) Google ad that stated, "Finally, a Prime Minister who'll put your family first."

Further evidence that while it may be helped or hindered by those in power, the Kingdom will not be brought into it's fullness via a voting booth.

(Although I'll stand by my assertion that 5 weeks of campaigning sure beats 2 years!)

Up, Up in the Air

Heading to Ontario today to attend Why Everything Must Change and connect with some folks. Monday it's on to Calgary for the Canadian Council of Christian Charities conference where I'm doing a Social Media workshop, and also to catch up with Steve and Leslie. Good times!

Now I should probably pack...

Power Failure

God speaks the true word of power, but we cannot believe it. We trust in our power, which we think will change the world, but what has it done?

Conservatives tend to mistrust powerlessness, while liberals tend to mistrust power. Jesus puts them both together in an utterly new way that satisfies neither group.

We have never had the courage to take the word of the Lord seriously. We are afraid of both gospel power and gospel powerlessness. We've experienced just enough Christianity, someone once said, to forever inoculate ourselves from wanting the real thing.

(Richard Rohr, Spiral of Violence, emphasis mine))

Ethiopia II

Hey Friends - A quick word of thanks to those who have tossed something into the Ethiopia hat.

In a thinly disguised attempt to garner more donations, I've decided to sweeten the pot a little. A while back I read Gary Haugen's Just Courage, and I liked the book so much I picked up a couple of extra copies to give away to friends. Haugen is the president of International Justice Mission, and this book will rock your world.

When we wind things up on Oct. 1 I'll pick a donor's name out of a hat and send them a copy. (If you've already chipped in, don't worry, your name is already in.) $1, $5, $10... whatever you can swing. Got a couple of bucks left over in your PayPal account? We'll take it to Ethiopia and put it directly into the hands of someone who needs it, then we'll come home and tell you about it. (And we'll cover the PayPal fees too.) Speaking of PayPal, a few folks have had some issues, so if you'd like to contribute but aren't on speaking terms with the good people at PayPal, flip me an email and we'll work something out.

Thanks again.

One For Your Reader (UPDATED)

I can't believe it. I feel like something between a proud parent and someone responsible for an impending disaster....

Robert is blogging. Drop by and say hello.

UPDATE: Robert has written a nice market summary letter to his clients, and posted it. Any of you wondering what the heck is going on down on Wall Street should take a look.

David in Delhi

Our good friend and co-conspirator David found himself in Delhi this week as the bombs went off. He reports that they are alive and well, and taking it in stride.

Boom de ah dah!

(h/t to Robert)

Prayer

Prayer is sitting in the silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise.
(Richard Rohr, The Great Themes of Scripture)