I'm getting ready to move the bulk of my things back to the Philly area. While packing my stuff, the most heavy being an absurd quantity of books, I accepted an offer to preach this Sunday at St. George St. Barnabas Church, Philadelphia. This service is the annual youth-focused service, but of course all are welcome.
St. George St. Barnabas Episcopal Church
520 South 61st Street
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone: 215-747-2605
Sunday, May 30, 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Graduating
Today, I had the honor of walking with my classmates in the 2010 Graduation ceremony at the Episcopal Divinity School. It has been a glorious, blessed, wonderful day. Surrounded by so many friends (old and new) and so much love, one thought keeps creeping forward: to those whom much is given, much is expected.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Graduation Week
This marks graduation week for the Episcopal Divinity School Class of 2010. There's a lot to experience and process during these bittersweet days. The serious reflection...or shall I say blog-flection... probably won't happen until it's over. In the meantime, I'm trying to live in the moment and soak up the capper to my rocky, provocative, challenging, affirming, and inspiring three years at EDS.
As the end approaches, I'm very aware of how many people I have to thank. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am without the profound love and support from my family, my friends, home parish of St. James Langhorne in PA, the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the EDS community, and of course, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I tip my cap and gown to you all.
Blessed be!
As the end approaches, I'm very aware of how many people I have to thank. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am without the profound love and support from my family, my friends, home parish of St. James Langhorne in PA, the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the EDS community, and of course, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I tip my cap and gown to you all.
Blessed be!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
"Nice weather we're having"
Do you like talking about the weather?
In the fall of 2008, EDS had a visiting "proctor" scholar from Canada named Wayne. Very smart man, tough, and an activist who was serious about making a difference. Wayne didn't suffer fools gladly, though. He had many pet peeves, but one I especially remember is that he loathed talking about the weather. He told me that he "absolutely refused" to participate in weather-centered chit-chat because it crowds out more worthy and interesting topics.
Ever since he told me his policy, I've noticed how often weather talk permeates daily conversation, especially my own. I contribute to this cultural phenomenon because I talk weather all the time without even thinking about it. Gotta love the box-in-a-box reality that, at this very moment, I'm writing about talking about the weather. (Under Wayne's Rules, am I considered a double offender?)
Like my Canadian friend, I also grow weary of superficial conversation. There are too many important issues that we face as a global community. You know the list: poverty, gangs, the economy, health, etc. (Ironically, one of the headliners on that list is climate change...a topic for future posts.)
At the same time, I've learned in seminary - especially working as a chaplain intern - that so-called "small talk" can lead to "big talk." Meeting someone for the first time, you have no idea their values, temperament, and sensitivities. Before diving in and doing the social justice backstroke, some of us prefer to stick our toe into the water. After all, not everyone has Wayne's self confidence or command of the issues. Weather is a safe topic and therefore a polite conversation starter, an entry point of engagement. Once common ground has been established, then a path has begun which can lead to more important matters.
Like other EDS proctor scholars, Wayne only studied here one semester. I still miss him on occasion, especially his keen intellect and vigorous commitment to social justice. I hope he is continuing to wield his formidable talents for worthy causes. And I must admit: if he was here in Cambridge, I would greet him with "Hey Wayne, isn't this a beautiful day?"
In the fall of 2008, EDS had a visiting "proctor" scholar from Canada named Wayne. Very smart man, tough, and an activist who was serious about making a difference. Wayne didn't suffer fools gladly, though. He had many pet peeves, but one I especially remember is that he loathed talking about the weather. He told me that he "absolutely refused" to participate in weather-centered chit-chat because it crowds out more worthy and interesting topics.
Ever since he told me his policy, I've noticed how often weather talk permeates daily conversation, especially my own. I contribute to this cultural phenomenon because I talk weather all the time without even thinking about it. Gotta love the box-in-a-box reality that, at this very moment, I'm writing about talking about the weather. (Under Wayne's Rules, am I considered a double offender?)
Like my Canadian friend, I also grow weary of superficial conversation. There are too many important issues that we face as a global community. You know the list: poverty, gangs, the economy, health, etc. (Ironically, one of the headliners on that list is climate change...a topic for future posts.)
At the same time, I've learned in seminary - especially working as a chaplain intern - that so-called "small talk" can lead to "big talk." Meeting someone for the first time, you have no idea their values, temperament, and sensitivities. Before diving in and doing the social justice backstroke, some of us prefer to stick our toe into the water. After all, not everyone has Wayne's self confidence or command of the issues. Weather is a safe topic and therefore a polite conversation starter, an entry point of engagement. Once common ground has been established, then a path has begun which can lead to more important matters.
Like other EDS proctor scholars, Wayne only studied here one semester. I still miss him on occasion, especially his keen intellect and vigorous commitment to social justice. I hope he is continuing to wield his formidable talents for worthy causes. And I must admit: if he was here in Cambridge, I would greet him with "Hey Wayne, isn't this a beautiful day?"
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Synchronicity?
Have you ever had a mystical experience? How do you reconcile it with your religion and/or rational thought process?
I have been part of nine or ten religious retreats since college. About half of those retreats featured an experience that could be interpreted as a message from a higher power.
About four years ago during a solitary outdoor meditation at Holy Cross, the words "I AM WITH YOU" emerged clearly in my head; at that exact moment, a whirlpool of leaves arose before me while the trees nodded approvingly. Stunned by this bizarre moment, I laughed out loud and dared God to do it again; almost immediately, a single leaf popped up from the swirl and tumbled in my direction.
Today I returned from a three-day, two-night stay along the coast of Maine. In respect for the privacy of my spiritual sisters, I'm going to omit details. But I will share that there were many little moments which C. G. Jung called Synchronicity which means "meaningful coincidences." Synchronicity describes coincides that are really, really incredible. Science cannot prove any causal relationship as to why the events happen simultaneously, but the coincidence is too striking, too significant, and too mysterious to be dismissed.
I could make a long list, but I want to keep them between the group. I will share one Hollywood moment, though. To give some context, keep in mind that our Spiritual Direction group has meet for three years. We have shared countless emotions, thoughts, and spiritual insights throughout these years. This retreat is something of a crowning event, a chance to celebrate and begin to say goodbye. On the last night, we gathered around a campfire along the bay waters, offering prayers for quite a long time. The sharing concluded with a short service. Finally, our Spiritual Director rang the "singing bell" (an ancient Buddhist practice, apparently) with conviction. The moment the "DING!" sounded, a shooting star flashed across the night sky.
Exchanging my Mystical Mask for Cynical Spectacles, I can think of a number of explanations:
(1) In my frailty, I cannot accept the finality of death and refuse to acknowledge the inevitability of non-existence. Therefore, as a coping mechanism, my mind creates a narrative of mystical beings, affirming my naive hope in a divine afterlife.
(2) Judgment was impaired by booze, drugs, sleep deprivation, wearing the wrong eyeglass prescription, or some combination thereof. (None of these apply, BTW.)
(3) Reading religious & spiritual material in seminary predisposes my brain to observe normal, random events in nature and reinterpret them into God's-winking-at-me moments.
(4) Temporary insanity.
(5) Permanent insanity.
Believing in "signs" is not foolproof. Without question, #1-5 happen in the real world. I would also say that every person can make mistakes, and it's possible for even the most enlightened among us to misinterpret what we experience. If we do decide to believe in "meaningful coincidences," then, what are the options for reconciling them with a Judeo-Christian belief system?
A. God as the clockmaker: God creates the clock and winds it up, but what happens after that depends on the parts. IOW, this is the Deism perspective.
B. God as the micro manager: God's finger pushes the hour hand and the second hand forward every second - Calvinism.
C. God as the clockmaker who exerts divine influence infrequently and anonymously, but God is ALWAYS present. I think this represents most mainline religious views, ie Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, etc.
The extremes of A and B would be easy. In "A," a Christian could be rational and say, I don't believe in this superstitious nonsense, there's a psycho-scientific explanation. With "B," God/Jesus gets credit for every cool thing that ever happens. Found a ten-dollar bill on the ground? Hey, thank Jesus for snatching it from another person's pocket - that bill was meant for you... for your next trip to the convenience store. Praise Him!
No, I'm somewhere on the "C" spectrum. I really hope that I'm not ego-centric enough to think that shooting stars are text messages from God addressed to me and my four friends. I do believe, however, that we are part of something larger than ourselves. We have a rightful place on planet earth, a wondrous creation whose plant and animal life cannot be fully controlled or understood. When I accept the mystery, life becomes a magical, spirit-filled adventure, and God is a loving and ever-present companion along that journey.
The time with my group feels like sacred adventure, and I hope that their individual journeys continue to be magical.
I have been part of nine or ten religious retreats since college. About half of those retreats featured an experience that could be interpreted as a message from a higher power.
About four years ago during a solitary outdoor meditation at Holy Cross, the words "I AM WITH YOU" emerged clearly in my head; at that exact moment, a whirlpool of leaves arose before me while the trees nodded approvingly. Stunned by this bizarre moment, I laughed out loud and dared God to do it again; almost immediately, a single leaf popped up from the swirl and tumbled in my direction.
Today I returned from a three-day, two-night stay along the coast of Maine. In respect for the privacy of my spiritual sisters, I'm going to omit details. But I will share that there were many little moments which C. G. Jung called Synchronicity which means "meaningful coincidences." Synchronicity describes coincides that are really, really incredible. Science cannot prove any causal relationship as to why the events happen simultaneously, but the coincidence is too striking, too significant, and too mysterious to be dismissed.
I could make a long list, but I want to keep them between the group. I will share one Hollywood moment, though. To give some context, keep in mind that our Spiritual Direction group has meet for three years. We have shared countless emotions, thoughts, and spiritual insights throughout these years. This retreat is something of a crowning event, a chance to celebrate and begin to say goodbye. On the last night, we gathered around a campfire along the bay waters, offering prayers for quite a long time. The sharing concluded with a short service. Finally, our Spiritual Director rang the "singing bell" (an ancient Buddhist practice, apparently) with conviction. The moment the "DING!" sounded, a shooting star flashed across the night sky.
Exchanging my Mystical Mask for Cynical Spectacles, I can think of a number of explanations:
(1) In my frailty, I cannot accept the finality of death and refuse to acknowledge the inevitability of non-existence. Therefore, as a coping mechanism, my mind creates a narrative of mystical beings, affirming my naive hope in a divine afterlife.
(2) Judgment was impaired by booze, drugs, sleep deprivation, wearing the wrong eyeglass prescription, or some combination thereof. (None of these apply, BTW.)
(3) Reading religious & spiritual material in seminary predisposes my brain to observe normal, random events in nature and reinterpret them into God's-winking-at-me moments.
(4) Temporary insanity.
(5) Permanent insanity.
Believing in "signs" is not foolproof. Without question, #1-5 happen in the real world. I would also say that every person can make mistakes, and it's possible for even the most enlightened among us to misinterpret what we experience. If we do decide to believe in "meaningful coincidences," then, what are the options for reconciling them with a Judeo-Christian belief system?
A. God as the clockmaker: God creates the clock and winds it up, but what happens after that depends on the parts. IOW, this is the Deism perspective.
B. God as the micro manager: God's finger pushes the hour hand and the second hand forward every second - Calvinism.
C. God as the clockmaker who exerts divine influence infrequently and anonymously, but God is ALWAYS present. I think this represents most mainline religious views, ie Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, etc.
The extremes of A and B would be easy. In "A," a Christian could be rational and say, I don't believe in this superstitious nonsense, there's a psycho-scientific explanation. With "B," God/Jesus gets credit for every cool thing that ever happens. Found a ten-dollar bill on the ground? Hey, thank Jesus for snatching it from another person's pocket - that bill was meant for you... for your next trip to the convenience store. Praise Him!
No, I'm somewhere on the "C" spectrum. I really hope that I'm not ego-centric enough to think that shooting stars are text messages from God addressed to me and my four friends. I do believe, however, that we are part of something larger than ourselves. We have a rightful place on planet earth, a wondrous creation whose plant and animal life cannot be fully controlled or understood. When I accept the mystery, life becomes a magical, spirit-filled adventure, and God is a loving and ever-present companion along that journey.
The time with my group feels like sacred adventure, and I hope that their individual journeys continue to be magical.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Retreating
Tomorrow I'm leaving for a three-day, two-night retreat with my spiritual direction group. The five of us will be in a place in Maine. Half of the retreat will be spent in "the great silence," meaning that we do not speak. The group will be deprived of my usual witty remarks...bless them for their sacrifices.
The only other place where I have done a silent retreat has been the Holy Cross retreat center along the Hudson River in New York state. The first time I heard of this about ten years ago, it struck me as bizarre. But once I got used to it, it became PDC (pretty damn cool). The silence forced me to discover that my reflex is to FILL the silence - with conversation, with music, with TV, whatever. I don't take enough time to appreciate those quiet moments, those chances to let my brain rest from auditory stimuli.
Walter Lippmann once said, "Many a time I have wanted to stop talking and find out what I really believe." Taking Lippmann a step further, a quiet surrounding can open the door to insight; sometimes ideas and revelations can bubble to the surface of our consciousness if we allow them. And taking yet another step, perhaps quieting ourselves makes room for the small still voice of God.
The next time you find yourself in quiet, notice if you try to fill that absence of sound. For a little while, try to sit with that silence, viewing it not as the absence of sound but the PRESENCE of something else. In the words of the Psalmist: "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
The only other place where I have done a silent retreat has been the Holy Cross retreat center along the Hudson River in New York state. The first time I heard of this about ten years ago, it struck me as bizarre. But once I got used to it, it became PDC (pretty damn cool). The silence forced me to discover that my reflex is to FILL the silence - with conversation, with music, with TV, whatever. I don't take enough time to appreciate those quiet moments, those chances to let my brain rest from auditory stimuli.
Walter Lippmann once said, "Many a time I have wanted to stop talking and find out what I really believe." Taking Lippmann a step further, a quiet surrounding can open the door to insight; sometimes ideas and revelations can bubble to the surface of our consciousness if we allow them. And taking yet another step, perhaps quieting ourselves makes room for the small still voice of God.
The next time you find yourself in quiet, notice if you try to fill that absence of sound. For a little while, try to sit with that silence, viewing it not as the absence of sound but the PRESENCE of something else. In the words of the Psalmist: "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Soaps are no joke
You are like sands in the hourglass, all my young and restless children. Though you are bold and beautiful, be careful out there; wouldn't want to see you in the hospital, generally.
Soap operas are a global phenomenon. Check out the article by Drake Bennett that ran in last Sunday's Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/05/02/how_soap_operas_could_save_the_world/
The article makes the case that soaps operas influence social values more than you might expect. Soaps often weave important sociological issues in their story lines, issues such as health tips, women's rights, how many children a family decides to have. Bennett reports that worldwide studies reveal how these programs impact viewers' ideas and behaviors.
In Rwanda, for instance, the program "New Dawn" is a soap created and broadcast by a non-governmental organization. The show features a Romeo-and-Juliet romance between members of rival clans. A study found that "New Dawn" has not, unfortunately, changed viewers' ideas about mass violence, but it has made Rwandans more open to the idea of inter-group marriage.
From Rwanda to Pennsylvania... when I worked in a community-building project in Bucks County a few years ago, one of the neighborhood leaders was a woman I'll call M. She is a revered elder, a community den mother who gives tirelessly to help her neighbors, especially the children. M has a quiet, saintly aura about her. She will do anything for you... except between 3 and 4 pm weekdays, the time when "her stories" are on TV. Community planning meetings would get scheduled around this sacred hour... no joke.
I have to admit that I was baffled to such devotion to a soap opera. But the truth is that I'm no different. After all, sports are soap operas on a field of play. Why do I monitor the Phillies score every day with the intensity of a husband checking on his wife in labor? For that matter, why do I get hooked by "Star Trek" shows, especially the series that have a continuing story line (especially "Deep Space Nine" and "Enterprise")?
The reason, I think, is that I crave the drama. We all yearn for excitement, especially if our daily lives are full of the safe and the routine. And I'll admit, I've borrowed a few Trek quotes in my time, as the writers frequently borrow from Shakespeare and other timeless sages. Likewise, sports can spotlight virtues such as teamwork and confidence in adverse situations, just like soaps can encourage folks to get a breast exam or check themselves for testicular cancer.
The only difference is that some of us play out our info-tainment fantasies on a baseball diamond or a warp-speed starship, while others would rather turn with the world under a guiding light.
Soap operas are a global phenomenon. Check out the article by Drake Bennett that ran in last Sunday's Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/05/02/how_soap_operas_could_save_the_world/
The article makes the case that soaps operas influence social values more than you might expect. Soaps often weave important sociological issues in their story lines, issues such as health tips, women's rights, how many children a family decides to have. Bennett reports that worldwide studies reveal how these programs impact viewers' ideas and behaviors.
In Rwanda, for instance, the program "New Dawn" is a soap created and broadcast by a non-governmental organization. The show features a Romeo-and-Juliet romance between members of rival clans. A study found that "New Dawn" has not, unfortunately, changed viewers' ideas about mass violence, but it has made Rwandans more open to the idea of inter-group marriage.
From Rwanda to Pennsylvania... when I worked in a community-building project in Bucks County a few years ago, one of the neighborhood leaders was a woman I'll call M. She is a revered elder, a community den mother who gives tirelessly to help her neighbors, especially the children. M has a quiet, saintly aura about her. She will do anything for you... except between 3 and 4 pm weekdays, the time when "her stories" are on TV. Community planning meetings would get scheduled around this sacred hour... no joke.
I have to admit that I was baffled to such devotion to a soap opera. But the truth is that I'm no different. After all, sports are soap operas on a field of play. Why do I monitor the Phillies score every day with the intensity of a husband checking on his wife in labor? For that matter, why do I get hooked by "Star Trek" shows, especially the series that have a continuing story line (especially "Deep Space Nine" and "Enterprise")?
The reason, I think, is that I crave the drama. We all yearn for excitement, especially if our daily lives are full of the safe and the routine. And I'll admit, I've borrowed a few Trek quotes in my time, as the writers frequently borrow from Shakespeare and other timeless sages. Likewise, sports can spotlight virtues such as teamwork and confidence in adverse situations, just like soaps can encourage folks to get a breast exam or check themselves for testicular cancer.
The only difference is that some of us play out our info-tainment fantasies on a baseball diamond or a warp-speed starship, while others would rather turn with the world under a guiding light.
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