"Like"ing our way deeper into or beyond dual thinking?

Walking to work this morning, giving a thumbs up or down to the various musical selections that Pandora was making for me led me to wonder whether Facebook style "like"ing of everything under the sun was making our preference oriented world more deeply mired in our opinions.

Then a different totally unsubstantiated thought entered my head. What if by giving the little self's voice expression on any topic it desires in a socially acceptable and even entertaining way, it no longer needs to compete with our true voice. They just each are allowed to find their own level. It's no good pretending that we don't like/dislike this or that particular song or restaurant or whatever.

A side note is that on Facebook there is in fact only one button: Like. Apparently they know Thumper's mom. Pushing this button only creates connections. (However don't push my metaphor too far because as soon as you hit it that button says in a rather Newspeak sort of way: unlike; oh well, one thing at a time).

So you be the judge. Feel free to Like this theory or "don't say anything at all."

Paradigm shifting our way into the Kingdom

One of the speakers at this week's Episcopal Village - Mission West [#epvwest in twitterspeak which I just started using because of said conference] was Dwight Friesen a church planter and professor at Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle. I actually missed a good bit of his talk but I thought I'd make up for it by picking up his book. I am so glad I did. I'm only into the second cluster of chapters but it is excellent. It is actually starting to give me a practical vision of what emergence can means for the churches. In some ways it seems to be the missing link between new theology/ecclesiology and the interesting new practices/efforts. This is focused right on the nexus between those two to show how shifts in our thinking (and the hows/whys of those shifts) can lead to what he called the "networked kingdom".

The shift that Dwight is focusing on is atomistic to networked. I think we can even broaden that scheme a bit to get a better view (this is not even a little bit of a criticism of his work, just pulling back for a different perspective, plus adding some of my own lenses on shifts and paradigms).

What if "networked church" can be for us the link between "atomistic individuals" and "shalomic kingdom". In many ways this reminds me of the old (semi-gnostic) schema for enlightenment:

Hylic to Psychic to Pneumatic

Letting go of the gnostic element by making this a corporate endeavor:

Atomistic Individuals to
Networked Church to
Shalomic Kingdom

In the book creating links is tied to getting things into the light. Moving from Hylic to Psychic is all about creating connections and shifting from dark to light. I am proposing that third layer so that the framework of the network can be filled in by the spirit this becoming "pneumatic" or soul-filled/God-filled. This is the "I am among you" element of the Kingdom. In some ways it reminds me of superconductivity. When the material is super-cooled it becomes a perfect network through which electricity flows like frictionless fluid.

I am all for the frictionless flow of peace in the kingdom.

Well. Off to Eucharist. Many blessings.

The conflicted field at the edge of mystery

I'm watching a speech given by Sister Mary Ann Scofield at the 20th Anniversary conference of Spiritual Directors International. She named something that I've experienced time and again these past few years. As people were encouraging her to coordinate a networking group for spiritual director, she admits that she felt both attraction and resistance. She recommends that when those two are experienced at the same time we are very close to the mystery. It reminds me of the consolations and desolations described by a spiritual director of Jesuit background that was one of the teachers for a class I took last year. Feeling compelled to move forward just as you are wishing you could simply flee the place and tasks ahead does indeed seem to be part of the field surrounding "the narrow gate" to which we are called.

I would run, but what would be left and where would I go? I know that I am getting closer and closer to that which seems to be real, mutual, and of genuine hope. The details and the necessary tasks can be worked through. Jesus said in many ways, that which needs to be done will be done. Just come and see, let the worriers take care of themselves.

One more step on the road.

The Church of Second Chances and Free Will

Thus was named the community created by the cathedral's Youth Affirmation class this year. Over the course of their year together the sixth graders each Pentecost unveil their vision of the church.

None of this is easy and none of this is quick, but it is good and it is real.

I've just returned home after the second brief encounter with an old friend in as many weeks. I'm happy to say that it seems he has had such an experience. it had been a long time since I'd seen him. When we had last spent much time together it was under very different circumstances. I'd known him from my days of drinking and nightclubs. At one point things had become a bit more disorganized that usual for him and he was out on the streets for awhile. I was able to provide some hospitality when he had reached a point of exhaustion and frankly was getting beaten up a bit more than I appreciated. Being closer to street kids and understanding how permeable that line can be is one of the great benefits I received from that time in my life. It is good to remember that Jesus was accused of being a drunkard carousing with tax collectors and prostitutes. That edge is an important place to be. I haven't successfully found my way back after sobering up. Perhaps it is just something to keep in mind as I move forward so that the lines do not harden between myself and my neighbors on the streets.

So perhaps five years later, rather than being on the same bar schedule as my friend, we seem to be on the same grocery shopping schedule. His son is four or five and is beautiful. He and his dad seem well matched right down to their hoodies. If I remember right, when he stayed over at my apartment and slept for about two days straight he was distraught and trying to work things out with his girlfriend. I'm pretty sure it was the beginnings of the pregnancy which led to the little boy I saw this afternoon. I'm sure both my friend and the mother where out of their minds with fear for the future. How could they possibly pull this off given the challenges they were facing? I don't know those particulars, but it looks like they've managed to keep walking that path one step at a time. It seems to me that my friend is a great example of living the benedictine vows whether he's ever heard of them or not. He has proven a stable presence for his son, he has been obedient to the needs of his relationship with the mother, and he has very obviously had a sincere conversion of life. I'm so happy that he has been blessed with a second chance and found reward in family life. Not all of my friends from the street have been so fortunate. My prayers go out to the ones still on the road and to those who have come home. Amen.

Always we begin again

Passing under a growing crescent moon in the still-light sky of the early summer on my way home from the cathedral this evening I began to feel again a sense of openness that I lost in the past week or two. Between work imbalances and perhaps prematurely thinking that I was getting close to what the future might look like, the spaciousness that was a lenten gift this year closed in a bit. Returning to the daily office yesterday, checking in with the benedictines in my small group, an education commission meeting, and a wonderful benediction written by John O'Donohue "For New Beginnings" to send us off into that still-lit evening brought it back. I knew it was there around the corner waiting for me to catch up to where it had run off.

There is yet another month on this journey of transformation that I sensed and began to sketch out last fall. There are a number of key elements and events that will close this arc and begin the next: a book reading and signing for Marcus' novel, a retreat on the coast to complete a series of classes, the Episcopal Village conference, and events to highlight and fundraise for Trinity's Center for Spiritual Development.

By that time we will have reached the solstice of summer and whole new vistas will open up. One of the gifts of Marcus' novel is a character's use of "Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim." It arrived yesterday and looks to be a lovely reconnection to creation in the context of daily and occasional prayer; perfect for a benedictine who also happens to be a druid.

May there be space in the souls of all of us for the spirit to move and breathe. God within, God without; the light of Christ's Peace all around.

Notes from Albuquerque

So I'm back in the cafe that I mentioned in yesterday's post and am finally looking back over my notes from the Emerging conference in Albuquerque. I know there is at least one blog post hiding in there and there may be more.

...

Well I made it half way through and got to the really good stuff that started flowing on the Saturday. Richard Rohr opened up with a fresh examination of the charismatic tradition as found in the New Testament and recovering the important function of prophet in terms of the functioning of the church.

More riches to be mined out of those yellow ledger pages.

...

On the ninth day, I returned to the yellow pages and finished my first distillation into 26 themes. Granted that the details of any of the conversations, lectures and workshop make up the fabric of the experience; these themes may help remind me what I would like to share with others.

Some top highlights in future posts.

Happy Mother's Day!

My mother has often been the person keeping me from getting drastically off course. For that and for everything else I heartily thank her. Apparently one of her gifts this year, in addition to an autographed copy of Marcus Borg's new novel, is the link to this blog. I hadn't told her about it but it came up when I called just a bit ago. So...

Hi Mom!

Love,

Kev