Henri Nouwen wrote "Your own growth cannot take place without growth in others. You are part of a body. When you change the whole body changes. It is very important for you to remain deeply connected with the larger community to which you belong."
I sense that Nouwen could have been talking about several different communities to which one belongs but when I think of it in terms of church and denomination I struggle with it. I want to take the journey myself. At least I think I do.
The next thing he writes is "It is also important that those who belong to the body of which you are apart keep faith in your journey."
And here lies my problem. I'm afraid that I will be misunderstood if I share my journey. How do you get people to understand without them becoming judgmental. Of course there is also the fear that my journey will lead to decay instead of growth and in that case perhaps I fear being responsible for decaying the whole body.
Kim and I where contemplating replacing my Volvo. After all it is now 16 years old and has over 180,000 miles on her. After looking around a bit, and falling in love with a car to buy, we decided to wait and save the money instead.
Now here is the problem. My car knows all about this as I have talked about it with my son while driving her. The thought struck me that she may respond negatively to my infidelity. I half expect that she will arrange a breakdown at the most inopportune time just to get even.
Unfortunately it is all to easy to burn bridges like that with people. I think I need to concentrate more on being gentle with people no matter how "useless" they may appear to be to me. The way God works I'll probably find that I'll need them in the future far more than I could ever imagine.
Perhaps one of the things kids never really appreciate about their parents are the pets they were allowed to keep. I thought nothing of the dogs, baboons, antelope, chameleon, monkeys, rabbits, gerbils and probably a few other critters I brought home over the years growing up. I now realize why my dad always seemed to have a pained look on his face when I brought home something new.
We currently are providing food and shelter for a dog, parakeet and fish. I must confess that the fish are mine. (One of these days I'm going to have fish that live longer than 6 months.) We've done a pretty good job of weeding out passing urges when the kids suggest they've just got to have a ________. My daughter wants a cat but we have convinced her that they she needs to be older before she is ready for that responsibility. But we are now facing the onslaught of a 9 year old who wants a hamster. I am living in fear because he is determined. I'm afraid we are weakening.
In recent days he has begun to show an understanding of warfare tactics that would have left Genghis Khan impressed. His teacher needed to have someone take care of the class' pet rat over Spring break and he saw his opportunity. He has mounted a diversionary attack on our flank by suggesting that he should be the one to take the rat. In my estimation he is attempting to lure us into complacency. He'll bring home the rat, take great care of it, show us how responsible he is and allow us to reach a level of comfort living with a rodent, if that's possible. Then, when our defenses are down he will return to a full assault with his request for a hamster. After living for a week with a rat how could we resist a cute little hamster. Simply ingenious!!
Having seen through his scheme I countered with the "over my dead body" defense. Shrewd as he is he countered by going to his mother. It wasn't long before I started hearing comments from her like "it's only a week" and "he'll learn how hard it is to take care of a rodent and forget about the hamster."
When I first heard these remarks I drew back in shock that he had penetrated so far in this flank attack. Getting his mother on his side was a major coup. However, I remembered the cockatiel that another son brought home for Christmas break one year. I had had just about enough of the beast scattering its food all over the floor and was glad that it would be returning to the classroom. That's when the big snow storm hit that closed school for another two weeks and left us with the bird.
But alas, I have given in. Today we are also providing shelter for a rat. I know it looks like I caved but I am actually deploying a counter attack. I'm luring him in. He thinks I'm weakening. He has lowered the level of forcefulness with which he has been pursuing his hamster. When I finally tell him no my victory will be decisive and he will learn that he is no match for dear old dad. At least that's what I've been telling myself.
I talk about passion a lot because I think it so important to how we live. I talk about a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ so much in my church that sometimes people joke about it which I don't mind.
I think passion is such a strong motivator. But passion does ebb and flow. Sometimes passion pushes me to speak out vigorously on things that ...well.. that I'm passionate about. But then there are times when I withdraw from the debate. Even though I am still passionate about the cause I just feel like being quiet.
I'm not sure exactly why. Perhaps it is a "lick the wounds" type of thing where I need to withdraw from the fight to a place of safety for healing. Or maybe it is a fatalistic response that concedes that I can never win the fight and so I attempt isolation instead. Or maybe it is a sense of hopelessness that senses that I will never be able to convince people to change and so I simply quit trying. Or, to be fair, maybe I realize that what I was fighting for was wrong and I need to put my tail between my legs and run for home.
I still like passion though! It's what makes me human rather than a machine.
"You have to use things like replication or evolution or self-assembly or self-repair," said Warren Packard, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who has invested in the field. "We need to figure out how to grow systems versus build systems."
This guy is talking about the field of nanotechnology but the thought struck me that there may be a correlation to the church. Several people have long proclaimed the need to be organic rather than mechanical when it comes to the church but how we actually do that is the hard part. In a lot of ways we face the same problems as nanotechnology. We focus on building rather than growing.
Our Family watched "The African Queen" yesterday. The response from the kids was very interesting. When Hepburn and Bogart kissed for the first time they were completely cluless as to why it was a big deal. They can't comprehend that there was a time when such behavior was considered outrageous for a couple who hadn't known each other for very long, was not planning on marrying, and considered ankle length dresses casualware.
It was also interesting to see how closely they followed the story. They were riveted to the story and asked questions the whole way through. It kind of made me feel good that they saw quality in a old movie with few special effects and that I like. I like to think that they are recognizing the quality of the actors and the screen play. But who knows for sure.
I was just thinking what an exciting time we live in. We are surrounded by people who need Jesus and it seems to me that there are a lot of people who are getting desperate for something spiritual in their lives. I also think that a lot of Christians are beginning to understand that outreach is about much more than walking up to strangers and asking if they know where they are going if they die. People want a relationship with God, not an insurance policy!
My very first movie review. I’ve never done one before and I probably won’t again. But I have a lot of thoughts running through my head about “The Passion of the Christ” and I thought I would write them down so I can recall them later.
First of all let me say that I thought it was an excellent and well done movie. Like most people I had heard a lot about it before I saw it and I’m not sure that is such a good thing. If you haven’t seen the movie yet I would suggest that you stop reading now and go see it first.
I don’t go to movies much for no other reason than it takes a lot to coax me to spend the money. Kim and I went to an 11:30 AM viewing so it was about lunchtime. It just seemed natural to stop by the concession stand to get some food so we bought a big soda to share as well as a big bag of popcorn and some reccees pieces. Then we went into the theater and I was struck by the thought that I had just purchased food to enjoy while I watched Jesus being tortured and killed. I felt like a Roman going to the coliseum to watch the gladiators. I didn’t eat much.
The movie started straight off without any previews. I wasn’t expecting that. I’m curious if it is because of the demographic of the crowd or the content of the film. There were only about 50 people in attendance so it was a sparse crowd.
So here goes. I’ll just list the items that struck me and then leave a few comments:
THE CARPENTER: The idea that Jesus invented the modern dining table was too hokie. It was a little bit humorous but was totally unnecessary and it causes a slight loss of creditability for the whole movie. I don’t know if there is a basis for that scene. Maybe it is pseodopygraphic.
GARDEN SCENE: I liked the garden scene and thought the representation of Satan was well done. I also like the snake scene as it brings the viewer right back to Genesis 3. I also liked the use of Aramaic. I had heard one reviewer say he thought it would have been better with out the sub-titles. That would be interesting to see.
PONTIUS PILATE: I had heard from someone that they thought Pilate was seen in too positive a light. I thought he was represented like I had imagined. I have always thought of him as a man who lived in tension with the Jewish leaders and keeping the peace of Rome and who was unable to make a firm decision.
ROMAN SOLDIERS: I have thought of the Roman Soldiers as being ruthless and cruel but not undisciplined or inefficient. I thought the movie portrayed them as a little too undisciplined at times like when they had to be ordered to stop the scourging because they had been ordered not to kill him. I also thought the procession to the cross was agonizingly slow because the soldiers were inefficient. I would have expected them to be brutal but I think they would have kept things moving. Of course I suppose they had to slow it down somewhat to fit in all the Stations of the Cross.
SATAN WITH CHILD: This one leaves a lot of questions. Some have said that the intent was to show something as beautiful and innocent as a mother and child that can then be portrayed as ugly much like evil. Evil often looks good, innocent and enticing until it is then found to be something entirely different. I have heard a few other theories on this one so I will have to study it further.
THE BEATING: Some have said that it was too much and that no one could have survived it. I didn’t get that feeling. Though horrific I never had the sense that it was impossible.
THE CRUCIFICTION: I thought the crucifixion scene was very well done. It didn’t bother me that the crow was not biblical. My favorite part of it was the tear from heaven. It did an incredible job of reinforcing the Father/Son relationship.
EMOTIONS: I wasn’t too emotional during the movie. I think there are a lot of factors that make it that way but there were two scenes that impacted me the most. Interestingly they both involved Mary. The first was when Jesus past Mary on the way to the cross and a Roman soldier asks another soldier who she is. When the soldier then explains that it is Jesus’ mother I thought it was powerful. I suppose it was because it reinforced the relationship with Jesus. I also was emotional when Mary grabbed the rocks during the crucifixion. I suppose that was because that was something I wanted to do right then.
SUFFERING & DEATH; Some have complained that the film focuses too much on suffering and death rather than the resurrection, life and hope. They say that the important thing is the resurrection rather than the death. But the Bible Includes the thought that he suffered and died for our sins and I thought it was entirely appropriate.
All in all I think this movie will impact people in various ways. I felt a little bad because I was told that seeing this movie would dramatically change my life. While I don’t think it is possible to not be changed to some degree by the things around you (for good or bad) I’m not sure that I would say that this movie will have a “dramatic” impact. As I said earlier I wish I had not heard much about the movie before I watched it.
