Recently I was asked to beta test a web-based tool for students to study and interact in the area of theology. Since I oversee credentialing in the district I serve, I thought it would be interesting to participate so that I could a) learn and b) see if this tool would have applications for my role as director of credentialing.
So far what I have learned mostly is that despite my being technologically savvy, I prefer reading theology from a book, not a web page. Flipping from "page" to "page" on-line is not like flipping from page to page in book. The touch of pages on one's fingers is more satisfying than touching keys on a keyboard. And web pages do not have a distinctive smell. I have books published in the 18th century, but even those printed in the 20th century have an ink and paper smell that is, obviously, lacking in the virtual world. These two sensory experiences of touch and smell have been, for many generations, intimately associated with study.
I look forward to continuing the on-line course, but I have to admit the experience so far has been underwhelming. That says more about me than it does about the web or those who have created this tool. I am a definitely a child of my time.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
I miss my family
It happened yesterday afternoon. I was sitting in the office of the church where I currently serve as interim. Without warning the tears began to form. No wracking sobs, just quiet, almost unnoticed sadness.
Frederick Buechner writes: "Tears. You never know what may cause them. The sight of the Atlantic Ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you've never seen before. A pair of somebody's old shoes can do it. Almost any movie made before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out onto the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where you should go next."
Where I've come from is a congregation that knows me, loves me, and who put up with me for 16 years. Where I am going next is becoming a new member of another branch of God's family. It reminds me of those early years of marriage when I began to know the family I had married into. They did things different. They talked different. They ate different. They worked different. Not bad. Just different. The same is true in this season.
The new family will become dear to me over time, but in the meantime, I miss my family.
Frederick Buechner writes: "Tears. You never know what may cause them. The sight of the Atlantic Ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you've never seen before. A pair of somebody's old shoes can do it. Almost any movie made before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out onto the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where you should go next."
Where I've come from is a congregation that knows me, loves me, and who put up with me for 16 years. Where I am going next is becoming a new member of another branch of God's family. It reminds me of those early years of marriage when I began to know the family I had married into. They did things different. They talked different. They ate different. They worked different. Not bad. Just different. The same is true in this season.
The new family will become dear to me over time, but in the meantime, I miss my family.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Keep your soul diligently
Working my way back through the early chapters of Deuteronomy, I am once again impressed with how often Moses emphasized the need to pay attention. Phrases like "take care" or "keep your soul diligently" or "watch yourselves very carefully" occur over and over again in the context of their relationship with YHWH. Moses understood what Eugene Peterson was referring to when he said, "Nothing is more common in the life of the Spirit than to begin right and to end wrong."
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Missing my Margin
Life is a funny thing. For years I've prided myself on having margin in my life. I'm good at setting boundaries. (Saying "no" some things in order to say "yes" to others.) Then the current transition happened. (You will notice it has been almost two months since my last post.) All those principles of boundaries and margins work great if you have a holy rhythm to your life. But when everything is turned upside down and inside out, it is much tougher to live out those principles. To all those who to whom, over the years, I've made it sound easy to have boundaries and margins I apologize. It's not as easy as it looks when life throws a curve. It takes a lot of work. I will get back in rhythm. It'll just take some time. Life is messier than I remember.
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